A Sneak Peek... And this time, on the mini-reunion of the three remaining "Beatles" members, to record a song in memory of their friend John Lennon . On February 6, 1981, a kind of mini-reunion including Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr was held during the recording of the song "All Those Years Ago", written by George Harrison in memory of John Lennon , who was murdered three months earlier, on 8 December 1980. The song appeared on Harrison's ninth solo album "Somewhere in England", which was released a few months later, on June 1, 1981. Harrison originally wrote the song for Ringo Starr before Lennon's death, but Ringo felt that the song did not suit him vocally and also did not like some of the lyricsת so he returned the song to Harrison. After Lennon was murdered Harrison decided to change the lyrics to the music he wrote, to make it a tribute song for his friend. In the new lyrics, George Harrison mentions how much he admired John Lennon and the sadness he felt over his death and thus in the lyrics: "I always looked up to you Now we're left cold and sad ...". The lyrics also refer to the Beatles' song "All You Need Is Love" and John Lennon's song " Imagine ". The recordings included all the remaining Beatles members, Linda McCartney and Danny Lane (members of "Wings") as well as Al Cooper on keyboards and Ray Cooper on percussion. This is one of the few songs that is not a "Beatles" song, but still features three members of the band. Harrison and Ringo originally recorded the song in November 1980 for Ringo's album. After Lennon's death and Ringo's relinquishment of the song, Harrison removed Ringo's vocal channel, left his drums channel and recorded his singing with lyrics he rewrote in Lennon's memory. McCartney, his wife Linda and their bandmate Danny Lane arrived to the studio on February 6, 1981 to record their vocals for the song. In the album's booklet, Harrison also thanks George Martin - the Beatles' producer and Geoff Emerick, one of the Beatles' sound engineers, who were apparently part of the project. This is the first collaboration of the three members since the song "I Me Mine" which was included on the album " Let it Be " in 1970, and it will take another 13 years before the three will collaborate again on the recordings of the songs "Free As a Bird" and "Real Love", included in the Beatles Anthology project. To listen to the song: Spotify "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

There are always a lot of hustles and scandals around him because he can not do without them... There is no doubt that he is a hopeless Diva... But he is a huge performer and one of the best singers with the widest vocal range... So let's get to know Axl Rose a little better: (Photo: KMazur) = His first name was William Bruce Rose Jr. and he was born on February 6, 1962, in Lafayette, Indiana. = His birth was unexpected, he was born when his mother was only 16 and his father 20, his parents separated when he was only two years old. = His mother remarried and changed his name to William Bruce Bailey, only at the age of 17 did he discover that his stepfather was not his biological father. His biological father was murdered in 1984. = He and his two brothers were physically and verbally abused by their stepfather when they were kids. = The education they received was devout Christianity and anything other than Christianity like television, radio, and music was considered in the family as satanic. = He and his two brothers sang in the choir and at events, they were called the "Bailey Trio", then Axl discovered his love for music and singing in particular. = The first band he formed was with his friend Jeff Isbell and Izzy Stradlin . = While he was 17, he discovered his real father and he changed his name to W.Rose, this is when the troubles started too. = Axl took out all the rage, and anger, that has accumulated all these years to the streets of Lafayette. He used to walk around drunk and destroy everything in his path. He was arrested several times and even spent 3 months in jail. (Photo: Indiana Police Dept.) = After he was released from prison, the police threatened to declare him a criminal and as a result, he decided to leave for the city of Angels - L.A. = Axl landed in L.A. in May and joined a band called "Rapidfire" with whom he recorded a demo of five songs that came out as an EP called "Ready to Rumble" only in 2014 in light of legal disputes (which have been Axl share all his life). = That same year he left the band and co-founded with Izzy (who also moved to L.A) and Chris Weber the band AXL, they wrote materials and appeared in a number of small clubs as they replaced a number of other musicians in the band and their name eventually became "Hollywood Rose". (Photo: Discogs) = Axl who fell in love with the band, the music, and the name AXL decided to change his name to W. Axl Rose. = In January 1984 they recorded a demo of 5 songs that was only released in 2004 under the name "The Roots of Guns N 'Roses" and featured songs that were later released on Guns albums. = At one of the shows, Axl got hit in the head by Chris (the guitar player) so he decided to fire him from the band. He replaced him with Slash and the drummer was replaced with Steven Adler , but following Chris' dismissal, Izzy decided he was also leaving (a real telenovela). = The band continued for a number of shows with the new lineup but very quickly disbanded and Axl joined a band called "L.A. Guns". (Photo: Last.fm) = They also appeared several times until they disbanded but then a miraculous thing happened... = On March 18, 1985, by the advice of their manager, Axl, and guitarist Tracii Guns, who was with him in "L.A. Guns", decided to form a band called "Guns N 'Roses". = They added Izzy, drummer Rob Gardner and bassist Ole Beich (both from L.A. Guns), the band lasted only three months until Slash replaced Tracy, Steven Adler replaced Rob and Duff McKagan replaced Oli. The "Guns N' Roses" first classical lineup was formed. (Photo: Ross Marino) = Two years later, in July 1987, the band released their debut album "Appetite for Destruction" which became the best-selling debut album of all time in the United States. = During the band's performance in London in 1988, Axl saw that a number of people in the audience were crushed and began giving instructions to the security personnel which did not help when he finally stopped the show until the audience calmed down. = During his career Axl continued his involvement with the audience and with what happens in front of the stage. The most famous case was at the band's show in St. Louis in July 1991, in which Axl identified a fan in the audience who filmed the show with a video camera. He made a head-first jump as he dived into the crowd and broke the camera. After he got out of there he decided to stop the show which led to violent outbursts of vandalism on the part of the audience. = In November 1988, the band released the album "G N 'R Lies" , which also reached the top of the charts and took 2nd place. = After the release of the album there was a big storm around the lyrics of the song "One in a Million" where Axl treats blatantly and uses words like niggers and fagots. To this day he has not really apologized or given a convincing explanation for the lyrics. = At the forefront of one of the most successful bands of the time, Axl was given the status of a superstar and a real celebrity (already then began to develop the diva in him), he appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine in August 1989. = In the early 1990s Guns began to work on their next album in a rather jarring tone. Axl decided to fire Steven Adler because he could not function due to his drug use and replaced him with drummer Matt Sorum . In addition he decided to add keyboardist Dizzy Reed despite the opposition of the rest of the band. = Three years later Steven Adler sued Axl for illegal dismissals, he won the lawsuit and received from Axl $2.5 million in damages and royalties at the rate of 15%. = Axl continues to execute his desires and decides to fire the band manager Alan Niven also to the opposition of the rest of the band. Axl did not agree to continue recording the album if Allen was not fired and he was replaced by Doug Goldstein who was apparently a close friend of Axl. = In September 1991, the band released the double album "Use Your Illusion I & II" which reached number one and number two on the Billboard charts together, an achievement that no band has achieved. (Photo: Robert John) = With the release of the double album, Axl's relationship with the rest of the band continued to deteriorate... = He developed the habit of going up late on stage forcing the rest of the band and audience to wait for him, often more than an hour until he got on. = During the tour to promote the albums, he began to add additional musicians and backing singers to the shows without the knowledge and agreement of the other members of the band. = The lifestyle he created around the band did not suit the other members and the first to leave was his childhood friend Izzy who was replaced by Gilby Clarke (who was later fired without the knowledge of the other band members). = Another famous case occurred during Guns' tour with "Metallica" in 1992 when during "Metallica's" show James Hetfield was badly burned and they had to stop performing. Since Axl was not in the area because he was chronically late, the crowd waited more than an hour. The angry crowd began vandalizing the property, causing $ 400,000 in damages. Axl was charged with causing the outbursts and received a $50,000 fine. = In May 1993 the band made its first show in Israel - Guns N' Roses - Hayarkon Park . Two months later, on July 1993, Axl appeared for the last time with "Guns'" "second" classic line-up. = In November 1993, the band released the cover album " The Spaghetti Incident? " = As he continues to try to dictatorially control everything related to the band, Slash decides to leave the band in October 1996. (Photo: Peter Still) = Matt was fired in June 1997 as he objected to Gilby being replaced by Axl's childhood friend. = Duff left the band in August of that year to concentrate on his family and himself. = Axl took all the rights to Guns and after almost all the band members left, he stayed with Dizzy and his childhood friend Paul "Huge" Tobias. He appeared at all sorts of festivals here and there, while the band members continued to change almost regularly and he maintained a very low profile. = In 2004 Axl's character was included in the video game "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas". = During 2006 and 2007 Axl with the new "Guns", continues a hectic tour but fails to fill out stadiums as before (he even performed with this band in Israel) while at the same time, there were rumors of a new album. = In November 2008, 15 years after the last album, Axl issued with his new line-up "Guns's" sixth album "Chinese Democracy". = Axl did not initiate any marketing activities to promote the album and even disappeared from the media during the first months of the album's release. = In 2012 Guns was inducted into the "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame", Axl who refused to attend the ceremony sent a letter to the production announcing that he would not attend as he did not feel valued or wanted by the Hall of Fame institution. = ​​In April 2016, a wonderful thing happened and... Slash, Duff, Dizzy, and Axl reunited and went on the most anticipated tour in the world "Not in This Lifetime..." tour that continues to this day and of course visited Israel. = That same year, Axl replaced "AC/DC" singer Brian Johnson with a number of appearances due to Brian's hearing problems and the danger of deafness. = In 2017 he performed for the 3rd time in Israel with "Guns", you can read about it here: " Guns N' Roses - Hayarkon Park - 15/07/2017 " = In 2018, Axl participated in an episode of the cartoon series Looney Tunes with a song he wrote called "Rock the Rock". = In August 2021, another wonderful thing happened, the band released the first single of their current line-up "Absurd", followed by the singles "Hard Skool", "Perhaps" and "The General" (2023). These singles might signal that the band is planning to release an new album in the future or maybe it's just a test that checks how they feel together again in the studio. = He had an interesting collaboration with Don Henley from the "Eagles". He sang background vocals in the song "I Will Not Go Quietly" taken from Henley's excellent album "The End of the Innocence" from 1989. Henley returned a favor to Axl and Guns after performing with them in the song "Patience" at the 1989 Music Awards. = He was also featured on two songs from Sebastian Bach 's third solo album from 2007 called "Angel Down". = He performed the song "Under My Wheels" with Alice Cooper , Slash and Izzy Stradlin in the soundtrack of the documentary "The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years". = He is one of the singers who have the greatest vocal range. It reaches over five octaves and extends from F1 to Bb6. By the way, singer Mike Patton is in first place with a range of six and a half octaves. Feel free to listen to the live performance album which is the peak of Axl and Guns shows "Live Era 87'-93" Spotify , Apple Music "Hayarkon Park 1993... a promo ticket from a certain bank, I think Bank Discount ?! Waiting for hours upon hours with two good friends... gates opening and... running like crazy to the front row! Many bad comments were about that show, and rightly so. ...but! One guitar pick thrown by Slash , made my heart very happy, and all the way back to Haifa, hitchhiking with my skateboard! Years passed, and I discovered that it was actually a guitar pick that was printed to Axl.... ah! ". Glory Days! Those were Da Best days of my Life!" "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

On February 5, 2021, Todd La Torre, the amazing frontman of "Queensrÿche" released his first solo album "Rejoice in the Suffering". The album is not a musical sequel to "Queensrÿche" at all. it has its own entity with a separate identity and musical style. This can be heard already from the opening track " Dogmata ", which at times feels like a classic heavy metal in the style of "Judas priest". Todd wrote all the tracks on the album together with his childhood friend Craig Blackwell, with whom he formed his first band. The two who grew up in Florida, play on all the instruments on the album. They began writing the excerpts for the album back in 2017, but took advantage of the break "Queensrÿche" took in the face of the Covid-19 lockdowns to end it, while recording it in both of their private studios in Florida. The two also recorded and produced the album themselves, but enlisted the help of renowned producer Zeuss who, among others produced "Queensrÿche", to help them with final mixes and mastering. For those who do not know Todd, we will note that he joined "Queensrÿche" in 2012, as a replacement for singer for Geoff Tate . Since then he appeared in all of their last three albums. Todd started his career as a drummer when he was 7. He shows off his amazing drumming abilities throughout the album, for his variety of styles, from classic Metal, through Speed, Power, Metalcore, Thrash and even Death touches (in one of the bonus tracks). Todd is also not bad of a guitar player and his voice is so versatile that it sounds like several singers in one voice. He knows how to adapt himself to the specific song and change it just like a chameleon with full control in an amazing way. Sometimes he sounds like Rob Halford (" Pretenders "), sometimes like Tony Martin (" Crossroads to Insanity "), of course he also sounds like Geoff Tate he replaced in "Queensrÿche" and even sometimes like Chris Cornell . Craig Blackwell's guitar work in this album is excellent and even surprising in relation to a fairly anonymous guitarist. He deserves a lot of credit for the dynamic, tight and varied playing that pushes this album forward, with powerful and catchy riffs like in " Hellbound and Down " or " Vanguards of the Dawn Wall " and melodic, fast and accurate solos, with some deviations from the classic metal, like the bluesy part at the outro of " Crossroads To Insanity " or the acoustic intro in " Vexed ". It's amazing to think that Craig is also responsible for playing all the bass and keyboards roles on the album, it's not a trivial matter and a proof of Craig's amazing talent. The name of the album and the theme song " Rejoice in the Suffering " refer to the story of Todd's father's suicide in 2016. The song includes a guest appearance by Jordan Ziff who is familiar to us from "Ratt". The tragedy of Todd's father suicide, hovers over all of the creation process, as reflected also in the the moving ending song “ Apology ” dedicated to him. The album was also released in an expanded version that includes three bonus tracks, that do not fall short of the rest of the album's songs. The most surprising of which is perhaps " One by One " which corresponds with Death Metal. In conclusion, for us this is probably the surprising album of 2021. Although in the three "Queensrÿche" albums in which he participated, Todd La Torre proved to be a talented and excellent singer, we still did not expect such a high level of writing and performing ability, as demonstrates in this album. What amazes us even more, is the diversity and versatile, both in terms of musical styles and especially in Todd's tone of voice, which is able to change it just like a chameleon, as he moves between different styles from classic Heavy Metal, through Metalcore and even Death, in clean singing, growling, ultrasonic screams And heavy roars. Song list: 01. Dogmata 02. Pretenders 03. Hellbound and Down 04. Darkened Majesty 05. Crossroads to Insanity 06. Critical Cynic 07. Rejoice in the Suffering 08. Vexed 09. Vanguards of the Dawn Wall 10. Apology Bonus Tracks : 11. Fractured 12. Set It Off 13. One by One For Listening: Spotify , Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

He's not just a bassist, he's a multi-instrumentalist, he's blond and very tall and Guns are just part of his career. So let's learn a little about Duff McKagan... (Photo: Kevin Winter) = His full name is Michael Andrew McKagan and he was born in Seattle, USA on February 5, 1964. = He got the nickname "Duff" when he was a baby as part of his Irish childhood. = He is the youngest of 8 siblings and the son of divorced parents. = Although he was an excellent student and even received an honorary degree he left school in the 10th grade and started working as a confectioner, but don't worry he completed his matriculation at a later stage. = His brother Bruce is the one who taught him to play the bass guitar and he was mainly influenced by punk players like Barry Adamson and Paul Simonon. = At the age of 15, he formed his first band "The Vains", while at the same time, he also played in "The Living" band, which received exposure by being an opening act for the bands "Hüsker Dü" and "D.O.A." = In 1980 he joined as the drummer in the punk-pop band "Fastbacks". The band was active until 2001 and changed more than 15 drummers. = Two years later, in 1982, he moved to become the drummer for the band "The Fartz" which was one of the most prominent bands in the hard rock genre in Seattle and became famous due to the fast and heavy style of music. Duff recorded a number of demos with them, some of which were included in one of their albums. = Still in the same year, two members of the band, Duff and Paul Solger decided to form another band called "Ten Minutes Warning". Duff took the role of guitarist and they added two other members, one of whom is the future drummer of the band "Mother Love Bone" and he is Greg Gilmore. (Photo: Media Punch) = Some say this hardcore punk band paved the way for the Seattle Grunge scene to break out. = In 1984 the band broke up and Duff and Gregg moved to Los Angeles to seek his musical future. = Duff found a job as a waiter in a steakhouse and Greg, who couldn't get out of the shock of crazy Los Angeles, decided he was is going back home to Seattle (and it's a good thing because that's when "Mother Love Bone" was created). = While still searching for his musical future, he decided to answer a newspaper ad for a band looking for a bassist. = At the meeting, drummer Steven Adler and guitarist Slash were waiting for him and no...it's not what you think... = The three decided they would form a band called "The Road Crew" and they started playing together and at the same time looking for a singer for the band, but since they couldn't find any singer and nothing connected the three decided they are breaking up the package. = At the same time in another place in Los Angeles there was a band called "Hollywood Rose" in which the singer Axl Rose and the guitarist Izzy Stradlin were members and in addition, there was a band called "L.A. Guns" whose members were guitarist Tracii Guns, drummer Rob Gardner and bassist Ole Beich. Somehow it happened that these two bands broke up and together formed a band called "Guns N' Roses". = In March 1985 Duff replaced Ole the bassist and in June Steven Adler and Slash replaced Guns and Gardner, thus Duff started his way in the biggest band of his career. (Photo: Paul Natkin) = Two years later, in July 1987, the band released their debut album "Appetite for Destruction" which became the best-selling debut album of all time in the US. = Less than a year later, the band released the album "G N' R Lies" , which also reached the top of the charts and took 2nd place. = In September 1991, the band released the two albums "Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II" which together reached number one and number two on the Billboard charts, an achievement that no other band had achieved. = In November 1992 the band released a covers album " The Spaghetti Incident ? " in which Duff sang four songs. = In September 1993 Duff released his first solo album "Believe in Me" playing all the instruments and also singing. He also hosts on the album many friends such as: Slash, Matt Sorum , Dizzy Reed, Gilby Clarke, Sebastian Bach , Rob Affuso, Dave Sabo , Lenny Kravitz , and Jeff Beck . = In 1994, he became ill from drinking a lot of alcohol and his body has difficulty functioning radically as a result. = Two years later Duff formed a supergroup called" Neurotic Outsiders" along with Steve Jones of the "Sex Pistols", Matt Sorum , and John Taylor of "Duran Duran". They released one self-titled album and went on a short tour after which they released a five-song EP called "Angelina". = In 1995 Duff participates in the recording of Slash's debut solo album "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere". = In August 1997, Duff officially left "Guns" and returned to Seattle saying that the main reason for leaving was his desire to be a father and invest in parenthood and himself as a musician. = When the Grunge scene was in its decline Duff decided to reorganize his former band "Ten Minutes Warning" and they released an album under the band's name in 1998 under the Sub Pop record label. = In the same year, Duff participates in the recordings of his friend Izzy Stradlin 's second solo album called "117°" and his third solo album "Ride On" and later also in the following albums of Izzy . (Photo: Kevin Winter) = In 1999, Duff's second solo album "Beautiful Disease" was supposed to be released, but following the breakup of the Geffen record company, it did not materialize and Duff founded the band "Loaded" in order to tour the album (if it is not released, then at least perform with it). = Although the band broke up soon after, they reassembled in 2000 and released their debut album, "Dark Days Cab", in 2001. = In 2002, together with his friend Dave Kushner from the band "Loaded", Duff founded the supergroup "Velvet Revolver" with his friends from "Guns", with none other than Scott Weiland as the singer. (Photo: M&M Group) = This crazy supergroup releases its debut album " Contraband " in 2004 and it climbs straight to the top of the charts and with it, they also win a Grammy. = In 2006, Duff joins as a backing guitarist for several performances of "Alice In Chains". = The band's second album "Libertad" comes out in 2007 and brings much less success than the first album and the members to go on hiatus in 2008 due to the reunion of Scott's band, "Stone Temple Pilots". = In the same year Duff reunites his band "Loaded" and they release an EP that year called "Wasted Heart" a year later they release their second album "Sick". = In 2010, Duff received an offer he couldn't refuse, to be the bassist for "Jane's Addiction". He wrote several songs with the band and even performed 4 shows with it, but 6 months later the band broke up. = In October 2010, 17 years after he left Guns, Duff performed with what was then "Guns N' Roses" for four songs during a show in London. = Returning to "Loaded", Duff records with the band their third album "The Taking" which is released in 2011 when in the same year they appear twice as an opening act for "Guns". = In April 2012, Duff entered together with Guns into an institution that in 2021 received a lot of slander, which is the "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame". = That same year he went on tour with a supergroup called "Rock N Roll All Stars" which later became "Kings Of Chaos". = In 2014, Duff replaces "Guns's" bassist for five full shows, which seems to be the beginnings of a big band reunion. = At the Coachella festival in 2016, Slash also joins "Guns", and from there the famous union of Duff, Axl, and Slash to Guns was created and they go on the amazing tour named "Not in This Lifetime..." = In May 2019 Duff releases his third solo album "Tenderness" which is inspired by Duff's experiences from the "Guns" tour. = In August 2021, another wonderful thing happened, the band released the first single of their current line-up "Absurd" , followed by the singles "Hard Skool", "Perhaps" and "The General" (2023). These singles might signal that the band is planning to release an new album in the future or maybe it's just a test that checks how they feel together again in the studio. = In 2023 Duff released his 4th studio album "Lighthouse". = In addition to his musical talent, Duff also writes. He writes a column for SeattleWeekly.com, a weekly column called "Duffonomics" for Playboy, and a column for the sports website ESPN.com. = Duff's autobiography "It's So Easy (And Other Lies)" was released in October 2011 and four years later he released a book called "How to Be a Man: (and other illusions)" which was accompanied by a three-song EP. = He is married for the third time to Susan Holmes and they have two daughters. = Duff was among the last to see Kurt Cobain . He was with him on the same plane on the way to Seattle, saw that his mental state was not good, and invited him to his house. Kurt refused. Two days later he committed suicide. = He is left-handed and learned to play the left-handed bass guitar from his brother who was also left-handed. When his brother left with the guitar and he couldn't find a left-handed guitar, he taught himself to play right-handed guitar. = Duff trains in kickboxing and even competes in it professionally. = He once "wrangled" Chris Holmes from W.A.S.P. And broke two of his ribs because he went down on Slash. = He is color blind. = His favorite movie is "A Clockwork Orange". = He was a member of the supergroup "Hollywood Vampires" which also includes actor Johnny Depp, guitarist Joe Perry , Alice Cooper , and Matt Sorum . (Photo: Cereal Kyler) = He claims that the imaginary beer that Homer Simpson drinks "Duff" is named after him. = He participated and co-wrote several songs on Iggy Pop 's "Brick by Brick" album. = In 2012, he founded the group "Walking Papers", a kind of supergroup that included, among others, members of "Screaming Trees" and "The Missionary Position". In the band's first album released in 2013, Mike McCready from "Pearl Jam" collaborated with them. = He is an ardent fan of Prince and was heavily influenced by his "1999" album which he also wrote in the booklet included with his deluxe edition about how it influenced him. Even his bass guitar features Prince's iconic logo. = He is part of Ozzy Osbourne 's backing band on the 2020 album " Ordinary Man " and the 2022 album " Patient Number 9 ". Listen to his solo album "Tenderness" on: Spotify , Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

The tenth album of the "Foo Fighters" called "Medicine at Midnight" was released on February 5, 2021. The album "Medicine at Midnight" marks the tenth release by the band "Foo Fighters," following their previous album "Concrete and Gold" in 2017. After concluding the tour for "Concrete and Gold" in October 2018, the band announced a hiatus. However, drummer Taylor Hawkins revealed in August 2019 that Dave Grohl had already begun working on demos for their next album. The official recording sessions commenced in October 2019, taking place in a large, old building from the 1940s. Greg Kurstin, who produced their previous album, took on the producer role again. BTW, during Hanukkah 2020 & 2021 & 2022 , Grohl and Kurstin presented songs by Jewish artists. Initially, the band intended to release the album around the "half-anniversary" of their formation, which was 25 years from their debut album . But due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the release was delayed by almost a year. Grohl mentioned that some songs on the album were completed in just 45 minutes, while one track incorporated a riff that he had been working on since his time in Seattle, 25 years ago. Undoubtedly, "Medicine at Midnight" represents a departure from the typical sound we associate with the Foo Fighters. The album is filled with vibrant energy, happiness, and infectious catchiness that gives it a lively and celebratory atmosphere. The opening rhythm of the theme song "Medicine at Midnight," which shares similarities with Michael Jackson's style, sets the tone for the entire album. The chorus of the opening track "Making a Fire" further exemplifies this new direction, showcasing the album's party-like and upbeat vibe. By listening to these examples, one can truly grasp the distinct and refreshing nature of this album, which stands out from the band's previous works. This album also holds the record as the shortest studio album of the Foo's, with only 36 minutes of music. Grohl aimed to create a "fun" album similar to David Bowie 's "Let's Dance," making it stand out from their previous works. The album is more pop-oriented, and drum loops were utilized during the recording process, according to Taylor. The first single, "Shame Shame," released on November 7, 2020, exemplifies the band's new direction, exploring uncharted musical territory. Bassist Nate Mendel revealed that the song originated from Dave's clicks, with the bass parts added later in the recording process. The single received immense popularity, amassing over five million views in under two months, indicating a positive response from their audience to their experimental approach and musical evolution. On January 1, 2021, the band released the second single from the album titled "No Son of Mine." The song made a powerful impact, starting our year with a burst of energy, featuring a fast and intense riff. NME magazine likened the riff to a homage to "Stone Cold Crazy" by "Queen" and "Ace of Spades" by "Motorhead." Continuing their promotion, the band performed " No Son of Mine " on the late-night show "Jimmy Kimmel Live" on January 14, 2021, showcasing their electrifying live performance to a broader audience. On the same day, January 14, 2021, the band also performed another song on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," which happened to be the third single released from the album, titled "Waiting on a War." This particular track held special significance as it was released on Dave Grohl 's 52nd birthday. "Waiting on a War" was inspired by a heartfelt conversation Grohl had with his daughter, Harper Grohl, on their way back from school, during which she asked him if there would be a war. This emotional exchange moved Grohl to immediately pen the song. It stands out as an anti-war anthem and is predominantly accompanied by an acoustic guitar. In terms of both its sound and style, the track remains closest to the classic "Foo Fighters" sound compared to the other songs on the album, providing a familiar and nostalgic experience for longtime fans. Indeed, the three singles, "Shame Shame," "No Son of Mine," and "Waiting on a War," offer a glimpse into the diverse musical styles present on the album. The band's willingness to explore new territories and evolve musically is evident in these tracks, and it seems to have been influenced, in part, by the celebration of their 25th anniversary. However, some listeners may perceive that this desire to experiment and grow musically has resulted in the album feeling more like a collection of eclectic songs rather than a cohesive and uniform album. The songs may vary significantly in style, tone, and arrangement, making it challenging to find a consistent thread that ties them all together. While this approach can be exciting and refreshing for those who appreciate the band's versatility, some fans may prefer a more cohesive and thematic approach to album creation, where the songs flow seamlessly into one another and contribute to a unified narrative or atmosphere. Ultimately, whether this eclectic approach resonates with individual listeners depends on their personal preferences and expectations for a "Foo Fighters" album. Some may embrace the band's willingness to take risks and explore new directions, while others may long for a more traditional and cohesive album experience. In any case, "Medicine at Midnight" remains an intriguing chapter in the band's musical journey. Listen to the album on: 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 - 05.02.1990 He was born into a devout Mormon family in Winterbourne, a sleepy village north of Bristol. Looking back, he recalls that it was a pretty provincial, conservative village. His parents wanted him to follow the family path and groomed him to become a Mormon missionary. Wayne Hussey, however, had completely different plans. He felt he had what it took to build a musical career, was deeply influenced by Marc Bolan, and dreamed of being part of a band in the vein of “Led Zeppelin”. It did not take long before Hussey began taking his first steps toward a career that would eventually peak with the band “The Mission”, whose third album “Carved in Sand” was released on February 5, 1990. At the age of 18, Hussey left his childhood village for Liverpool, where he immersed himself in the vibrant post-punk scene centered around the local “Eric’s Club”, a hub that attracted some of the era’s most exciting artists from bands such as “Teardrop Explodes” and “Echo & The Bunnymen”. Around this time, he also became a devoted supporter of the "Mighty Reds". In Liverpool, Hussey met Pete Burns and soon became the guitarist in his band “Dead or Alive”. The partnership, however, was short-lived. The two did not see eye to eye, and after two years Hussey walked away. The next stage of his career took him to Leeds in 1984, following an invitation to join Andrew Eldritch’s gothic rock outfit “Sisters of Mercy”, there he met Craig Adams, who would later become the bassist of “The Mission”. The two quickly became close friends. Hussey recalled that they've always got on pretty well like "two naughty little kids.” Hussey contributed to both the writing and performances in “Sisters of Mercy”, but tensions between him and Eldritch steadily escalated. After a year and a half and one album, he left the band together with his new ally Craig Adams. In a bold move, the pair formed a new band under the name "The Sisterhood". Eldritch was furious. Not only had they left, but now they seemed to be claiming his legacy as well. Legal threats followed, and after reconsidering, Hussey drew on his Mormon past and renamed the band “The Mission”, inspired by a Mormon missionary journal his parents had given him during his youth, when they still hoped to guide him toward their faith. Hussey and Adams held auditions in Leeds and recruited drummer Mick Brown and Sheffield-born guitarist Simon Hinkler, formerly a collaborator of Jarvis Cocker in an early incarnation of “Pulp”. The rapid growth of the band’s fanbase was partly rooted in the gothic scene, whose gravitational center at the time was Leeds. Their stormy, sensual sound, all-black attire, and self-identification as Eskimos or Missionaries immediately marked them as part of the gothic movement. Hussey insisted that it wasn’t so much that they were part of a movement, It’s just that they found like-minded souls who were into the same kind of music, literature, films, lifestyle, and clothes. The early years of “The Mission” were defined by two albums that made occasional chart impressions, but it was their live shows and scandals that truly cemented their reputation. Hussey explained that America was like a candy land compared to Europe. All those things were easy to get, so of course they went for it. It was a crazy tour, lots of drugs, lots of madness. A big part of being in a band is that you can behave completely outrageously on tour. "You’ve got a license to be a total idiot.” He said referring to the band’s behavior-especially his own-on U.S. tours. The consequences were swift, culminating in Hussey and Adams storming the stage wearing nothing but their underwear, screaming at the audience. Not long after, Adams was handcuffed by the Los Angeles police on the Sunset Strip, drunk and disoriented. He narrowly avoided arrest thanks to the diplomatic efforts of the band’s manager, Tony Perrin. Something of the band’s aspiration toward “Led Zeppelin” was given a significant boost on their next album, “Children” (1988), produced by John Paul Jones. The album reached number two in the UK, and the band went on tour supporting Robert Plant. Hussey, however, was unhappy with the heavy sound of “Children” and chose to reunite with producer Tim Palmer, who had worked on their debut. He remembers the sessions for the new album as particularly tense. Cocaine had by then become a staple of his daily routine. Hussey explained that around that time they started making a bit of money, so our drugs of choice changed. “Whilst I was doing cocaine, Simon would be smoking spliff, so we would be in totally different head spaces. That became a problem.” Producer Tim Palmer noticed that Hinkler was unusually quiet and increasingly marginalized in the studio. “In hindsight, if I’d been a little bit more sensitive to what was going on at the time I would probably have seen Simon was struggling,” Hussey later admitted. During the first half of 1989, Hussey spent time writing new material in the mountains of South Wales before the band reconvened in April to begin recording “Carved in Sand”, with the “Eskimos” (the fan club) taking part in the song-selection process. In early 1990, the album’s first single, “ Butterfly on a Wheel ”, was released. It narrowly missed the UK Top 10 and went on to become the song most closely associated with the band. Hussey wrote the song about the breakdown of the relationship between Julianne Regan, singer of “All About Eve”, and her bandmate Tim Bricheno. “All About Eve” and “The Mission” frequently collaborated, and Hussey felt helpless watching two people he cared deeply about emotionally tear each other apart, yet he did not dare intervene for fear of making things worse. The song’s title was inspired by a 1960s editorial by William Rees-Mogg, which questioned the severity of prison sentences imposed on members of “The Rolling Stones” for minor drug offenses. The album’s opening track, “Amelia” , was inspired by a letter Hussey received from a fan in which she revealed details of abuse she had suffered at the hands of her father. Moved by the honesty and openness of her letter, he wrote “Amelia” —not her real name. Several years later, the same woman contacted him again to say how much the song meant to her and to share that she was doing well in life. Other songs on the album include “Deliverance” , and “Into the Blue” , written as an environmental lament reflecting the state of the planet, underscored by lines such as “There’s a shuffling man with plastic on his head” . “Grapes of Wrath”  draws its inspiration from themes of agricultural labor and life tied to the land. During the band’s successful tour, a seemingly trivial argument between Hussey and Simon Hinkler—after a friend of Hinkler’s was not allowed onto the band’s tour bus—escalated into the final breaking point in their relationship. Hinkler left the band, a decision that would later be seen as a watershed moment for “The Mission” at a critical stage in their career. On the eve of the grunge explosion, the band would never again manage to recreate this level of success. For Listening : Spotify , Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

On February 5, 2021, the supergroup "Transatlantic" released its fifth studio album "Absolute Universe". This is the first album of "Transatlantic" since "Kaleidoscope", which was released exactly 7 years earlier (a day less) on February 4, 2014. So for those who don't familiar, "Transatlantic" is an international supergroup that includes the Swedish guitarist Roine Stolt known from the bands "Kaipa" and "The Flower Kings", the English bassist Pete Trewavas known from the band "Marillion", the American keyboardist and singer Neal Morse from the band "Spock's" Beard" and more and drummer Mike Portnoy originally from "Dream Theater", but since then has played in so many bands. Formed in 1999, the group released their first album "SMPT:e" in 2000 to very good reviews and praise. After the second album and another excellent live album, the band broke up in 2002, but reunited in 2009, and in fact, since then, it has been active intermittently. With the release of the news that this band is coming back with a fifth album after such a long period of silence, the internet was fired up and the expectations were crazy, since after all, this is the "all-star" team of progressive rock, the very commando of prog. This album was released in two different versions: the single-disc version called "The Breath of Life (Abridged Version)", which includes about an hour of new music, and the double-disc version called "Forevermore (Extended Version)", which includes an hour and a half of music. The reason for releasing both versions was related to a debate internal between the band members. After all the material for the album was recorded, the band members were busy with other commitments and it was almost a year + the Covid-19 crisis before they got together again to finish the editing. At this point, Neil Morse already thought that the 90 minutes of music written almost a year before should go filtering that would lead to a single disc. Bassist Pete Trewavas agreed with him, but Portnoy and Roine Stolt did not, they preferred the original version. This caused tensions and further delays in the release of the album. In the end, Mike Portnoy came up with the idea of releasing two versions of the album. All the band members agreed The record company also liked the idea. Morse was then tasked with creating the shorter version, titled "The Breath of Life", while Stolt was in charge for the longer version "Foverermore". At the same time, don't think that whoever buys the extended version has all the new material. The shortened album provides different contents from the extended version, including renewed compositions, alternative material, a different mixing, especially in the vocals, and even one song that did not find its way to the double album called: "Can You Feel It". The structure of the album is similar to the supergroup's third album - "The Whirlwind", in that all the songs together create one listening experience. The list of songs in the extended version: "The Absolute Universe: Forevermore (Extended Version)" Track-listing: Disc 1: 1. Overture 2. Heart Like A Whirlwind 3. Higher Than The Morning 4. The Darkness In The Light 5. Swing High, Swing Low 6. Bully 7. Rainbow Sky 8. Looking For The Light 9. The World We Used To Know Disc 2: 1. The Sun Comes Up Today 2. Love Made A Way (Prelude) 3. Owl Howl 4. Solitude 5. Belong 6. Lonesome Rebel 7. Looking For The Light (Reprise) 8. The Greatest Story Never Ends 9. Love Made A Way For Listening: Spotify "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

He's cute, small, and special, we mean the first EP of Alice in Chains released in 1992 - "SAP" While the music from Seattle gained momentum, Alice was nominated for a Grammy (again) and their debut album "Facelift" sold more than half a million copies in its first year... The band members went into the studio to record a song for the soundtrack of the movie "Singles" and at the same time start working on the next album. The famous song that was recorded for the movie was " Would? " Which also appeared on the band's next album but in addition to this song they recorded 10 more songs. During the recordings, drummer Sean Kinney dreamed that the band was recording an EP called "SAP". The band decided not to mess with fate and released five beautiful songs from the demos. This is the first time the audience has heard the band with acoustic instruments, without the distortions and drums. Two songs from the EP were performed at the band's phenomenal MTV Unplugged performance. The album opens with the song " Brother " which Jerry Cantrell wrote on his younger brother David, Jerry wrote the song about the time he and his brother did not see each other for 7 years. When their parents divorced the brothers split up, Jerry moved in with his mother and his brother moved in with his father. This is the first time Jerry is the lead singer in the band's song. The last chorus of the song is joined by the amazing singer Ann Wilson from the band "Heart", which gives the song a spectacular breeze !! You were always so far away I know that pain, so don't you run away Like you used to do The next song that was also performed at the same show was " Got Me Wrong ", it came out as a single after his performance in the movie "Clerks" which brought even greater exposure to the album and the band's music. The song is written about the relationship between a man and a woman when one side fails to understand the other side. I haven't felt like this in so long Wrong, in a sense too far gone from love That don't last forever Something's gotta turn out right In the next song starring the "famous" due "Alice Mudgarden", you probably think we're kiddingת but no. " Right Turn " features Chris Cornell from "Soundgarden" and Mark Arm from "Mudhoney", bands that were very prominent in the music scene in Seattle. Jerry, Chris, and Mark, three amazing and moving voices with acoustic guitar, need nothing more than that and it's no wonder Jerry and Layne Staley insisted that the two participate in this EP. In the credits for the album they are not mentioned in their names but they get the nickname "Alice Mudgarden". The song is about a relationship that fell apart between a man and a woman when they both do not understand why there was a breakup and suffer from it. Now we're as low as we can get Can't leave and can't forget We ain't right, we ain't right Not right, we ain't right The fourth and final song (there is also a hidden song) is " Am I Inside ", it is also the only song on the album that Layne wrote and here too the amazing Ann Wilson joins. Already in the opening words one feels the gloomy and deep writing of Layne. Surrounded by empty souls Artificial courage used And because so, once was mine I walk this maze alone The hidden song (and good for that) on the album is " Love Song ", it is a collection of varied noise with swelling, burping, shouting and distortion mowing when someone in the background is angry and shouts loudly about his lover in a megaphone and it ends with a gentle piano playing. It could have been dropped because it is in no way suitable for the album's atmosphere. Wash my face, cut out my teeth and tell me to grin My gums are bleeding! My gums are bleeding! Alice reveals for the first time their spectacular instrumental abilities and their soft side, we think this is one of the biggest bands in unplugged performance in general. Listen to the album on: Spotify , Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

It's been over 30 years since "Innuendo" - "Queen's" last studio album released in the life of Freddie Mercury, and the longing for one of the greatest vocals in music is only intensifying. This is our first coverage in a series of reviews of the marvelous albums released in 1991. Click on the tag "Class Of 91" and enter the wondrous world of masterpiece albums released that year. Time Heals? At least that's how we were taught to think. Nonsense! As time goes by you only realize how much you have lost and in this case, we have all lost BIG TIME! Think differently? So think again! If "Innuendo" is what Freddie Mercury and friends managed to produce when the band is injured, bleeding and hurting their good friend's condition, just think what they could have accomplished in the 30 years and more since, and how much we fans have lost. "Innuendo" which was released on February 4, 1991, is Queen's 14th studio album and is also the one whose creative process was the most painful and excruciating for the band members. Exactly today in 1977 another huge album was born from pain. We are talking about "Rumours" by "Fleetwood Mac", created while each of the band member's relationships was falling apart. There are many similarities between the creative process of these two great albums. In both cases, the dynamics were the same, although the situations were different, and we will explain: in the case of "Fleetwood Mac" all the songs on the album were written out of the great pain experienced by the band members as a result of the breakup of each of their relationships. The band members could not even look at each other, so the communication between them was done through the songs they wrote. In Queen's case too, most of the album's songs were written out of the pain of Freddie Mercury's condition, and again this time the band members switched the direct communication channel between them into the songs, only in this case the lack of direct communication was due to embarrassment and sadness, not anger or hate. The story of "Innuendo" begins exactly at the end of the recording of the band's 13th album "The Miracle", released in 1989. Freddie Mercury has already been diagnosed with AIDS. He gathered his bandmates at his home, informed them of his illness, and tell them he doesn't want this to be discovered by the media and that he don't want to talk about this anymore. Mercury indicated that all he wants to do is make music until the moment he could no longer do so physically and that he wanted them to support him. This was actually the only open conversation of the band members on the subject. (Photo: queenphotos.wordpress.com) Following Mercury's announcement, plans for a tour to promote the album "The Miracle" were immediately replaced by plans to record a new album. But, by this time rumors of Freddie Mercury's medical condition had begun to spread and they were inflamed due to Mercury's lack of public appearances. In an attempt to dispel the rumors, Mercury gave an interview with BBC Radio and noted that the band is interested in breaking the sequence of an album and a tour and making an album. Needless to say, that the entire band stood like a brick wall around Freddie Mercury, throughout that period and until his death. They dismissed any rumor and refuted any claim as to his condition. They kept the big secret about Mercury's condition very devout, sometimes even having to lie to their relatives and family members, as long as nothing leaked out. Mercury told his friends that he did not want the fans to purchase his music out of pity, so it was important for him to keep the subject of his disease a secret. This was Mercury's wish and they fiercely defended it. Indeed, at Freddie Mercury's request, recordings for the album began in mid-1989, close to the release of "The Miracle", just as a "War Against Time". But the troubles did not stop, as the media did not give the band a rest and various reporters were flocking outside Freddie Mercury's home and the recording studio in London, in a way that disturbed Mercury's rest and prevented the band from concentrating on recordings. More than that, Mercury's medical condition did not always allow him to record. There were days when he did not come to the studio, on other days he came but was in great pain that did not allow him the record and there were some days when he got tired too quickly or could not even stand. To change the atmosphere and escape the British media, the band moved to a new recording studio in Montreux Switzerland, thinking this will allow them to concentrate on the creative process and the recordings. The band members got very close during the recordings and even though the atmosphere was hard and painful, they managed to enjoy the time together and the fact that they were fulfilling their best friend's last wish by doing what he loves the most. (Photo: queenphotos.wordpress.com) This atmosphere is well reflected in the songs on this album. The first track and the theme song "Innuendo" started as a jam session of the band members in a studio in Switzerland. Freddie Mercury co-wrote the lyrics with Roger Taylor and also created the melody. The song was written as a tribute to "Led Zeppelin" and especially to the song "Kashmir". The flamenco part in the middle of the song, is played by Steve Howe guitarist of "Yes", who just passed by the studio before Mercury asked him to play the classical guitar part. This song is reminiscent of the epic, complex, and classic things the band did somewhere in the 1970s, with many rhythm changes and musical styles that start with Bolero, go through Flamenco, and switch to Hard Rock and Progressive. When this song was released we were just filled with sheer bliss. It was a kind of a closer, since we didn't hear such a grandiose and epic song from "Queen" since "Bohemian Rhapsody". The operatic bridge part definitely corresponds with "Bohemian Rhapsody" and the first seconds in the intro of the classical guitar part correspond with "Love of My Life" from "Live Killers!". The closer is undoubtedly not only ours but mostly the band's. And if we mentioned the band members' communication through the songs, then even though Taylor was an essential part in writing the lyrics to the song, you can actually hear Freddie's voice speaking from the page. He sang of parting ways and liberation: "You can be anything you want to be ... Just turn yourself into anything you think that you could ever be". And he sings of his disappointment from God the creator: "If there's a God or any kind of justice under the sky, ...if there's a reason to live or die...". Such powerful words that come from Mercury coming to terms with his death. This song was released as the first single from the album, it is the band's longest song released as a single (even longer than "Bohemian Rhapsody") and it became the band's third hit to reach number one on the UK charts (after "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "Under Pressure"). The second track "I'm Going Slightly Mad" was written by Freddie Mercury at his home in London, with the help of his friend Peter Straker, who contributed a bit to the lyrics. The music just matches the main idea with weird chords and an unconventional melody that sounds almost psychedelic. John Deacon's bass work in this track is simply ingenious !!! And it is impossible to write about this song without recalling the crazy video that was shot to promote it and simply completes the craziness through Mercury’s theatricality. Next comes "Headlong" originally written by Brian May for his solo album, "Back To The Light", which was released in 1992. But when Mercury sang it May was enthusiastic and agreed that it would be recorded as a Queen's song. It was the third single from the album (worldwide) and the first to be released in the US where it was a huge success, thanks in no small part to its catchy riff. Similarly, "I Can't Live with You" was also written by Brian May for his solo album, following his separation from his wife. This time too, May agreed to contribute the song to the band's album after the three members got excited about it. We return to interpersonal communication through the songs with "Don't Try So Hard" written by Freddie Mercury. The words speak of overcoming obstacles in life, about courage and self-conviction, and the fact that sometimes you need to let go and make no effort. As if Mercury convinces himself that he can be released. This is a song in a very melancholy atmosphere with Mercury's scream "Don't try so hard" that just pierces the heart and with May's solo that just melts every drop of ice at the poles. "Ride the Wild Wind" was composed by Roger Taylor, who even recorded a demo with his own vocals. In the final version, it was Freddie Mercury who sang lead alongside Roger Taylor on background vocals. It's kind of a sequel to the song "I'm in Love with My Car" from the album "A Night At The Opera", which focused on Taylor's passion for race cars, only this time it's on high octane with a faster RPM on the drums and a pounding bass line that ads to the feeling of speed, with the sounds of engine roars in the background. Brian May's solo only emphasizes the sense of speed and gives the song a heavier sound. "Days of our Life" was originally written by Roger Taylor about his childhood. It's a song of longing for days that will not return, but it has already taken on a completely different meaning when the band members learned that Freddie was ill. This time too we are witnessing the communication between the band members through words. You can really feel Taylor's emotion shouting from the words he wrote about himself, but there is no doubt that he thought of his good friend Freddie when he wrote them. "You can't turn back the clock ..." sings Freddie Mercury, and one can not remain indifferent to the words that emanate from a dying person's throat. The video clip taken for the song is the last in which Mercury is seen in front of a camera. It was photographed in color but was transferred to black and white to slightly obscure the fact that Mercury just looked bad. And at the end of the clip when Mercury looks at the camera and sings "I still love you" it's hard not to think about what went through his mind during the filming and coming to terms with the impending death. "The Hitman" is May's Heavy Metal performance, but it was written by Freddie Mercury on piano. Mercury just puts on a killer persona here and May's riffs just fit the theme. "Bijou" is simply a beautiful, different, and special song. It was written by Freddie Mercury and Brian May when the idea was to make an Inside-Out song just like in sushi. Upside down, with the guitar replacing the vocals in the verses, and Mercury's vocals set to replace what were supposed to be little Brian May's solos. May's guitar just cries, laments, and mourns the end of friendships and the end of the relationship between him and Mercury, there is simply no other way to describe it. True, not all songs on the album are on the same level. There's the weird "Delilah" with Brian May's guitar sounds that mimic the howls of Freddie Mercury's favorite cat, about which the song was written. Yet again the communication through the songs this time brings us a farewell song from Freddie's favorite pet. And there is "All God's People" which was supposed to be part of Mercury's solo album - "Barcelona" - and was supposed to be called "Africa By Night", but for some reason does not feel part of this album. This album ends with a great cry, a mighty scream, and a huge explosion !!! "The Show Must Go On" was written by Brian May as a farewell song from Freddie Mercury and Mercury takes the stage and gives us the show of his life. He cries out his soul. He sings his own requiem. "I Did It My Way" - "next generation version", improved and upgraded, full of power and emotion and he was not willing to give up until this song was recorded to his satisfaction. There were moments when May feared he would not be able to do this, he was already weak, sick, and exhausted, but when May asked if he wanted to stop recording and go rest, Mercury replied "I'll fucking do it, darling!", took a shot of vodka and went to record. And what an amazing result, what an insane vocal performance. One can not hear or feel, even for a moment, then the true state of Freddie Mercury during the recording. And we are not talking only about the infinite vocal range, the powerful voice, the incredible control, but rather about the "small gestures" like the graded ascent in the middle of the second verse after the words "Does anybody know what we are living for?" Or the vocal harmony he sings with May's guitar. And when Freddie reaches the fracture cries at the end of the song, no eye can stay dry, not even at the one thousand listen. Freddie did it his way, just like in the lyrics, with a lot of makeup but with a big smile on his face, right down to the last note! For Listening: Spotify, Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook / Instagram or Subscribe to our website

He is considered one of the leaders of the Glam Rock revolution, he is also one of the producers of the Shock Rock genre. He was a friend of Groucho Marx and bestie of Jim Morrison , Dave Mustain e called him "my godfather". Go ahead and enjoy 40 facts about the singer and creator known as Alice Cooper : (Photo: Ross Halfin) 1. He was born Vincent Damon Furnier, on February 4, 1948, in Detroit Michigan. 2. His father was a preacher at a church in Pennsylvania and Alice was active in it when he was young. Even today, Alice makes sure to go to church regularly. 3. He is considered one of the leaders of the glam revolution of the seventies. 4. He is also known as the godfather of the "Shock Rock" genre. 5. He achieved this title by chance, thanks to an incident known as the "chicken incident". During Alice Cooper's performance at the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival in September 1969, someone threw a chicken onto the stage and Alice, who thought the chicken was capable of flying, threw it at the audience and the result was that her blood was scattered everywhere. The shocking incident made its spread and at that moment a legend was born. 6. He formed his first band in 1964, it was called "the Earwigs" and later changed its name to "The Spiders". 7. "The Spiders" recorded their first song - "Why Don't You Love Me" as early as 1965. For the purpose of the recording, Vincent learned to play the harmonica. (Photo: Ross Marino) 8. Later, in 1967 the band changed its name to "The Nazz", but when Alice realized that artist Todd Rundgren also had a band that matched the same name he was forced to choose a new name for the band, and so the name "Alice Cooper" was born in 1968. 9. The band spread a rumor that the name "Alice Cooper" is the name of a girl who was accused of being a witch in the 15th century and that the band raised its soul in a séance ceremony. 10. In 1968 Alice Cooper was the first band to be signed by Frank Zappa 's label. Zappa, who was looking for different and unusual bands, signed the band to a contract to record three albums. 11. The band "Alice Cooper" released their first album "Pretties for You" in 1969. Zappa was supposed to produce the album but in the end, it did not materialize. The album cover is a replica of a painting that hung in the living room of Zappa's house where the band auditioned. 12. The band's first hit that also brought it to the mainstream was "I'm Eighteen" from the album "Love It To Death" from 1971. The song won, among other things, a cover version on the debut album of the thrash metal band "Anthrax". 13. In 1972, the band released the album and hit "School's Out". 14. The band reached its peak of popularity with their sixth album "Billion Dollar Babies" released in 1973. 15. The last album released in the classic lineup of "Alice Cooper" was "Muscle of Love" from 1973. After its breakup in 1975, Vincent adopted it and made it his stage name. 16. He released his first solo album in 1975 called "Welcome to My Nightmare", it was a concept album. 17. Alice's big break into the mainstream came with the album "Trash" from 1989, which included the hit "Poison" among others. 18. The album featured a number of artists, including Jon Bon Jovi and Steven Tyler , and the songs in it were co-written by Desmond Child, John Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora Joan Jett, and more. 19. Alice Cooper's horror shows are full of gimmicks and included snakes, corpses, skeletons, skulls, and more. On stage were monstrous creatures, such as Frankenstein, a guillotine, an electric chair, and more. 20. Alice has appeared in a number of films, the most famous of which is "Wayne's World" which features the famous scene in which Wayne and Gareth bow to him and say the iconic words: "We are not Worthy". 21. He was a guest on "The Muppet Show" in a special episode of "Halloween." 22. In addition since 2004 he has been a radio broadcaster on the program Nights with Alice Cooper. 23. He had a snake as a pet, he called him Julius Squeezer and he died of a rat bite. 24. In 1978 he donated money to renovate the letter "O" on the famous Hollywood sign in Los Angeles. 25. In the early 80s when guitarist Joe Perry left "Aerosmith" Alice began working with him on a joint project. The project was shelved after "Aerosmith" reunited in 1984. 26. Alice is a quite good golfer. 27. He owns a restaurant in Phoenix that goes by the name Cooperstown. The motto of the restaurant is an encounter between rock and humor. 28. In 1973 the artist Salvador Dalí created the first three-dimensional hologram in the form of Alice Cooper. 29. In 1988 he ran for governor of Arizona. 30. Cooper was featured as a singer on "Guns N 'Roses'" "The Garden" from the album "Use Your Illusion I" . 31. That same year Slash returned the favor to Alice when he was featured on his song "Hey Stoopid" alongside Ozzy Osbourne and Joe Satriani . 32. Alice also collaborated with "Twisted Sister" on their song "Be cruel to your school" and with Chris Cornell on the album "The Last Temptation", including songs "Stolen Prayer" and "Unholy War". 33. Alice Cooper's personal life is the complete opposite of his wild image on stage. He has been married to one woman all his life (except for a brief breakup during the time he was addicted to alcohol), which was part of his horror show from 1975-1982 and until recently attended his shows. Cooper claimed he never betrayed her. He has three children and is an exemplary family man. 34. Cooper was a good friend of Groucho Marx who was known as part of the Marx Brothers' comedy lineup. 35. He was also a friend of Jim Morrison and wrote the song "Desperado" from the Killer album that came out shortly after Morrison's death. 36. Guitarist Dave Mustaine is close to Alice and even calls him "my godfather". 37. Cooper is a multi-instrumentalist who in addition to being a singer also plays harmonica, guitar keyboards, and percussion. 38. In 2011 Cooper was inducted into the "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame". 39. In 2015, he co-founded with the guitarist "Aerosmith" - Joe Perry and actor Johnny Depp the supergroup "Hollywood Vampires". 40. During his years of musical activity he has released 30 studio albums, 12 live albums, and 21 compilation albums. "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

Written By: Moti Kupfer Release date - 4.2.1983 “I plan on not dying, but if I have to, I want to die in Liverpool.” (Ian McCulloch) He was born in Liverpool, and he is a devoted supporter of the local football club. Some would say fanatical enough that in 2010, during the protests against then-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett, he publicly raised his voice against them in a YouTube video, demanding they leave the club. So is it really surprising that Ian McCulloch, the frontman of "Echo & the Bunnymen", lives and breathes the city of Liverpool? By early 1982, the Liverpool post-punk band had already released their first two albums, and it seemed that a third record could be the one to propel them toward wider growth and recognition. Behind the scenes, however, things were far from smooth. After releasing two albums within the span of just ten months, the band struggled to write new material, despite rehearsing five days a week at “The Ministry”, their rehearsal space in Liverpool. McCulloch aspired for them to become the best band in the world. Bassist Les Pattinson was growing tired of the music industry. Drummer Pete de Freitas appeared as the drummer on the debut single of a new Liverpool band called “The Wild Swans”. Guitarist Will Sergeant recorded an instrumental solo album titled “Theme for Grind”. And as if that wasn’t enough, after completing the recordings for "Porcupine", released on February 4, 1983, Warner Bros. informed the band that they were unhappy with the album, claiming it wasn’t commercial enough, and sent all four members back into the studio to re-record it. With little choice, they returned to the studio. Bill Drummond (later of “KLF”), who had produced their debut album “Crocodiles”, brought in Indian violinist and composer Lakshminarayana Shankar to add string arrangements. By this point, tensions within the band had escalated to near total breakdown in communication between the members. “this one was like we had to drag it out of ourselves,” Pete de Freitas later admitted. The dark, brooding atmosphere conveyed by the music aligned perfectly with the album cover, which features the band photographed on and beside the frozen Gullfoss waterfall near Reykjavik, Iceland. Not everything worked against them, though. “The Back of Love” , the album’s debut single, produced by Ian Broudie (formerly of “Big in Japan”, later of “The Lightning Seeds”), became "Echo & the Bunnymen’s" first song to break into the UK Top 20. The following single, “The Cutter” , became their first true hit, reaching number eight and paving the way for the album itself, which sold over 100,000 copies in the UK and climbed to number two on the British Albums Chart. McCulloch may at times sound almost wailing, but when he chooses to, his vocal delivery can also echo the spirit of Jim Morrison . The repeated recording sessions ultimately turned “Porcupine” into a densely layered album, built from sound stacked upon sound, where each track gains an additional dimension through a tightly unified and carefully constructed mix. For Listening : Spotify , Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

If you are wondering what a classic album sounds like, if you are interested in knowing what the words "masterpiece album" means, don't try to google it, in a few lines you will discover ... On February 4, 1977, the 11th (or second) album of "Fleetwood Mac", "Rumours" was released. Confused? We are here to explain. This is the 11th album of "Fleetwood Mac", a band that whose roots are in the British blues of the 1960s, with the classic line-up featuring guitarist Peter Green . It is also the band's second album in the Ver 2.0 lineup, which included guitarist Lindsey Buckingham and singer Stevie Nicks (you can read about The Day They Joined The Band Here ) . This album released in 1977 became one of the best-selling albums in the history of music, with sales of over 40 million copies worldwide. Do you get that crazy number ??? It went straight to number one on the United States Billboard 200 album chart and stayed there for 31 non-consecutive weeks!!! The album has also charted in the UK charts for over 800 weeks (yes, yes it just isn’t perceived) and of course, it has also won countless awards, including the Grammy for Album of the Year. This album becomes successful against all odds. It was released at a time when Punk influenced the music world, Disco was burning the dance floors and pop dominated the charts. What’s more, this album came out at a time when all the band members’ relationships were crumbling down to ash. The long-standing relationship between singer Stevie Nicks and guitarist Lindsay Buckingham, who came to the band as a married writing couple and creative duo, has just broken up. Similarly, the marriage of the second couple - bass player John McVie and keyboardist and singer Christine McVie, has come to an end, when Christine was having an affair with the band's stage lighting operator - Curry Grant. Even the drummer and band leader Mick Fleetwood experienced marriage problems when his wife - Jenny Boyd cheated on him with his best friend (sounds familiar? So Jenny is the sister of Patty Boyd who cheated on George Harrison with his best friend Eric Clapton). (Photo: Richard Cremer) Now explain this. how a broken and shattered band is supposed to enter a small studio, and between four walls record the biggest album in its repertoire, one of the most successful and best-selling records in the history of music? It seems that the band managed to channel that unimaginable pain into the lyrics and weave it between the music notes, in a way that made this album the greatest "farewell album" in the history of music (and singer Adele can be happy with second best). They could not look at each other in the eyes, and certainly not talk to each other, so what did they do? They spoke to their partners through music, through lyrics, and it worked perfectly! Buckingham opens the album with " Second Hand News ". and tells Nicks: "I know there's nothing to say Someone has taken my place", and Buckingham just predicts the affair that Stevie Nicks will have with Mick Fleetwood . This song was originally supposed to be acoustic and called "Strummer", but when Buckingham heard the "Bee Gees" song "Jive Talkin'", he decided to thicken the sound and add more and more tracks and instruments. Nicks responded to Buckingham came with the second track - " Dreams ", in which she says: "Now here you go again, you say You want your freedom, Well who am I to keep you down". Stevie Nicks says that after writing the song she recorded a demo of it with only a piano and vocals. She had found the courage to play the demo to Lindsay Buckingham. Despite the murky relationship between them, Lindsay looked up at her and just smiled, he realized this was a great song. Listen to this song carefully and try to discern what is so special about it, because there are not many such songs. Did not find out? This song is based on only two chords !!! Yes, verse, chorus, bridge, everything is based on only two chords. The variations of F and G ... Buckingham did not remain obligated and responded to the Nicks' in the third track on the album, a song whose title speaks for itself - " Never Going Back Again ". He wrote the song when he was already in a relationship with a fan he met on the road, and it's hard for us not to hear "Blackbird" written by Paul McCartney for the Beatles, between the acoustic strings, but who cares? This is an amazing song! " Don't Stop " was written by Christine McVie about leaving the past behind. Just think of a situation where her husband John McVie has to play bass in a song written about him, and how the hell does he manage to do that? It is interesting to note, that the name of the album was supposed to be called "Yesterday's Gone" - a phrase taken from the song, but John actually suggested the name "Rumours", in response to the wave of rumor's circulating each of the band members, during the recording of the album. By the way, President Clinton used this song in his successful campaign in 1992. Christine also sang and played the piano in " Songbird ", which sounds to us just like an outtake from Carol King's "Tapestry" album. In this song, she deals with the loss of true love. On the other hand, Christine wrote " You Make Loving Fun " about her new relationship with the band's lighting technician - Curry Grant. The amazing " Go Your Own Way " opens up with Buckingham's words: "Loving you isn't the right thing to do ..." and the hallucinatory situation in which Stevie Nicks has to sing background vocals in a song where Buckingham is setting her free, is simply inconceivable. The separation the band members managed to make, between musicianship, professionalism, and their private lives, is simply admirable. And if you still didn't get the idea, then " The Chain " is the only song on the album that was not written exclusively by one of the band members, but even here all five members managed to put their emotions aside and write together words like: "Damn your love, damn your lies And if, you do not love me now You will never love me again". Over the years this album has taken on a life of its own and has become a cross-border classic. There is hardly a house of music lovers that won't hold a copy of it. An album that is always fun to return to, pleasant to listen and despite the deep pain from which it is forged, it still manages to inspire you with optimism and hope on every listen. Perfect songs like " Go Your Own Way ", " Dreams ", " Don't Stop " and " You Make Loving Fun " are perhaps the ones that made this album a classic. But it is precisely the less powerful songs like " Oh Daddy " and " Gold Dust Woman " that make this album timeless! The fact that even over 40 years later you can still be as excited as at the first time about the combination of Buckingham's electric guitar and the palm-muted acoustic strings in " Oh Daddy ", or re-admire the harmonies of Nicks and Buckingham and the clean sound of the steel guitar in " Gold Dust Woman ", prove That this album is much more than the sum of its parts and is meant for eternal life as one of the great albums released in the history of music. For Listening: Spotify , Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website