On January 8, 1979, "Rush" received the official title "Ambassadors of Music" of Canada. (Photo: Fin Costello) The title "Ambassadors of Music" was given to the three band members at a ceremony held on January 8, 1979. The explanatory notes read as follows: "We wish to recognize the international aspect of the music by this talented Canadian musical group and note the interest shown by American audiences in both performances and recordings." It is interesting to note that although Canada has other great musicians, to this day this title was given only to "Rush" and this undoubtedly testifies the tremendous contribution of the band and the much appreciation it receives in its home country. "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

On January 8, 1978, singer and guitarist Dave Walker made his only live appearance as a singer for "Black Sabbath". (Photo: Green And Black Music) Walker who was known for his membership in various bands such as "Savoy Brown" and "Fleetwood Mac", received a phone call from guitarist Tony Iommi in November 1977. Tony invited him to join "Black Sabbath" after singer Ozzy Osbourne left the band. On his way from San Francisco to London, Walker wrote the lyrics to a song that would later become " Junior's Eyes ". Walker will perform a first version of the song with "Black Sabbath" on the BBC's "Look Hear" program as well as the song "War Pigs". Shortly after his only appearance with "Black Sabbath" Ozzy Osbourne decided to return to the band and thus ended Walker's brief affair with "Black Sabbath". The song was eventually recorded for the album " Never Say Die! " Which came out in 1978. As Ozzy Osbourne refused to use Walker's words, Geezer Butler was forced to rewrite the song lyrics. You can listen to Walker perform the song with "Black Sabbath" here: "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

The album "A Show of Hands", is the third live album of "Rush". It was released on January 9, 1989. As is well known, the Canadian trio has already made it a habit to summarize every four studio albums in one live album. This album sums up the band's four albums ranging from " Signals " from 1982, through " Grace Under Pressure " from 1984, " Power Windows " from 1985, to " Hold Your Fire " from 1987. These four albums are all from the electronic era of "Rush", in which the synthesizer dominated the band's sound at a high level. Therefore, naturally, it is a different live album, both in terms of sound and content. Anyone who watches the DVD released by the band in parallel with the release of the album (released on February 21, 1989), will find that this difference was also reflected in the appearance of the band members, as well as in the instruments they used. The clothes and hairstyles matched the period, Geddy Lee 's keyboard system was substantially expanded and re-arranged and Neil Peart 's drum set was doubled and included electronic drums. The show features 14 songs, all taken from the four aforementioned albums released between 1982-1987, with the exception of "Witch Hunt" taken from the 1981 album "Moving Pictures" and "Closer To The Heart" from the 1977 album " A Farewell to Kings ". For the first time, the album was produced by the band members, independently, without outside help. Guitarist Alex Lifeson said they were dissatisfied with the "clean" production of the previous live album " Exit... Stage Left " and thought it was not faithfully conveying the way the band sounded on stage. He noted that in the current album, they tried to set the balance between the way the first live album " All the World's a Stage " with its rough and immature sound, and the clean and processed sound of " Exit... Stage Left ", in which an effort was made to prefer clean sound over authenticity. Another thing that the band members tried to fix in this live album, is the extent of the editing intervention in the studio, compared to the previous live album. The band tried to minimize the "corrections" made in the studio as much as possible and to reduce the re-recordings intended to replace such and/or other flaws in the recording and/or in the live performance. To achieve the desired result, the band members decided to record as many performances as possible during the tour, so that they could choose the best performance of each song. However, the task turned out to be not simple at all. The band members were faced with 40 hours of recording, of which they had to filter and select only an hour of recorded material. Geddy Lee said that the difference between the versions of a particular song was so great, that at times the same song recorded with the same equipment and microphones placed in the exact same place, at the same performance hall, night after night, sounded fundamentally different. In the end, more than half of the materials selected were from the last live performance of the tour, which accompanied the album "Hold Your Fire", held in Birmingham, England. Geddy Lee said the shows in England were at the end of the tour, the band was remarkably "oiled" and perfectly synced, they felt relaxed and already accustomed to the cameras and recording equipment, so they played more freely and spontaneously. Although the band's performances last a minimum of 130 minutes, the band made an effort to cram as many songs into one disc as possible. They didn't want to burden the fans with the purchase of a double disc. Under these circumstances, there were quite a few songs played on the tour from which the songs were selected, but did not end up on the album. At the same time, whoever holds the DVD version of the show will learn that the setlist is not only longer, but includes songs that were not included on the audio disc and vice versa. In this way, the songs " Subdivisions ", " Limelight ", " Time Stand Still " and " Distant Early Warning " were not included in the video version, which included additional tracks that were not included on the album: " YYZ ", " The Spirit of Radio ", " Tom Sawyer ", " Prime Mover ", " Territories " and the medley " 2112/Overture/The Temples of Syrinx/La Villa Strangiato/In the Mood ". It turns out that the person who owns the album and the DVD got a more or less complete picture of the setlist played during the tour. You could say that this album is a kind of compilation album of hits, from the years 1982-1987. It comprehensively and accurately sums up a very significant period in the band's history. An era in which the synthesizers dominated the guitars and the "electronic" surpassed the "acoustic". After the release of the album the band will make a conscious decision to almost completely abandon the keyboards and it entered the next decade with a different and updated sound. For Listening: Apple Music , Spotify . "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

On January 8, 2021, "Sammy Hagar & the Circle" released the album "Lockdown 2020". The "Red Rocker" Sammy Hagar and the members of the group "The Circle", which includes drummer Jason Bonham , bassist Michael Anthony, and guitarist Vic Johnson, found an excellent way to spend their time in the lockdowns imposed on them by Covid-19. They jammed and jammed for their own pleasure, each from his home, using remote sharing software, performing cover versions of their favorite hits. The album "Lockdown 2020" was recorded remotely during the band's "Lockdown Sessions", which the four members launched in March 2020 during the lockdowns followed by the outbreak of Covid-19. It started as an idea to keep in touch with fans until the band could return to shows, but Jason Bonham urged the others to record the material and the result was the project's first original song called " Funky Feng Shui ". In addition, the band recorded 10 covers during the next eight months, including songs by Hagar's and Anthony's mother band - "Van Halen", Bob Marley, David Bowie , AC/DC, "The Who", Little Richard and more. Tracklist: 1. "Funky Feng Shui" 2. "Won't Get Fooled Again" (The Who) 3. "Good Enough" (Van Halen) 4. "Three Little Birds" (Bob Marley) 5. "Whole Lotta Rosie" (AC/DC) 6. "Right Now" (Van Halen) 7. "Keep a-Knockin'" (Little Richard) 8. "Right Now" (Van Halen) 9. "Don't Tell Me (What Love Can Do)" (Van Halen) 10. "Sympathy for the Human" (Sammy Hagar) 11. "Heroes" (David Bowie) "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

A Sneak Peek... Are there any "Rolling Stones" fans in the audience? If so, you'll probably be happy to hear a little story about an album that the entire band except Keith Richards played on and was released on January 7, 1972. This album features Mick Jagger , Charlie Watts , Bill Wyman, Nicky Hopkins and Ry Cooder and is called "Jamming with Edward!". So the story of this album takes place while recording "The Rolling Stones" album "Let It Bleed". The recordings took place in the spring of 1969 at the "Olympic Studio" studios in London. During one of the sessions, while the band awaited the return of Keith Richards who left the studio, the members started a jam session with keyboardist Nicky Hopkins and multi-instrumentalist Ry Cooder, who were at the studio at the time. The reason for Keith Richards ' departure from the studio is unclear, but the common opinion is that he got into an argument with producer Glyn Johns over bringing Ry Cooder to the studio to help "the Rolling Stones" enrich their sound. Another version of keyboardist Nicky Hopkins claims that Keith Richards ' girlfriend did not feel well, so he was forced to leave the studio. The same Ry Cooder played the guitar during the recording of the jam session. The album was called "Jamming with Edward!". Edward was the nickname of the keyboardist Nicky Hopkins, given to him by another member of the "Rolling Stones" - Brian Jones , who passed away in July 1969. By the way, the same Nicky Hopkins is also responsible for the album cover. Singer Mick Jagger nicely summed up what he thinks of this album, in the following words: "a nice piece of bullshit ... which we cut one night in London, England while waiting for our guitar player to get out of bed. It was promptly forgotten (which may have been for the better) ... I hope you spend longer listening to this record than we did recording it. " What's surprising is that even though it's a jam session album, it reached #33 on the US Billboard charts and #7 in Germany. So if you want to listen to "The Rolling Stones" members jamming, click the following link: Spotify "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

On January 7, 2020, Neil Peart passed away at the age of 67. (Photo: Rush Facebook page) After his death, David Bar-Tal wrote these words to his childhood hero - the greatest drummer of our generation: The song " Afterimage " from the album " Grace Under Pressure " start with these words by Neil Peart : " Suddenly You Were Gone ... From All The Lives You Left Your Mark Upon ... ". These moving words were written by Neil Peart about the loss of a loved one. It is simply not perceived, but today they are already taking on a different meaning. Some of you may be surprised, but I'm not the type of person who tends to share personal things on various social media, not in pictures and certainly not in words. You have probably also noticed that even the reviews we write on the "Face/Off" page are intentionally in the plural and few are the cases where we have come down to personal resolution. However, last night upon receiving the news of Neil Peart 's death, my heart was simply torn and the feelings led me to go out of my way and write a few personal heartfelt things about the man and the legend. This man, his lyrics, and his ingenious drumming, accompanied me through some of the good and bad times in my life. You could say Neil has been writing the timeline of my life since I was eleven years old. Countless memories, happy and pleasant moments alongside uneasy challenges and sad moments, were woven together with the lyrics he wrote and with his unique drumming style. Neil was an introverted, shy, and humble man, but most of all he was a perfectionist who always strived for perfection. When he felt he could not give 100% of himself, he decided to retire from the music life, rather than compromise and give 90% of his abilities in playing "almost accurate" or choosing a "less challenging" setlist of songs. He did so for the first time in August 1997, after his daughter, Selena was killed when she was just 19, and ten months later his partner Jacqueline died of cancer, and he did so again in 2015 following arthritis he suffered from. Neil feared becoming one of the protagonists from the moving song he wrote for the 1982 album " Signals " " Losing It ". The song tells the story of artists who "lose it" and are no longer at their peak. Talented people who were at the pinnacle of success and at the end of their days are at their low point, so he made a difficult and painful choice to end his career at its peak. Neil Peart 's aspiration for perfection is so characteristic of him that in the late 1990s, when it was already clear to everyone that he was one of the greatest drummers in the world, he chose to take lessons from the renowned drummer Freddie Gruber and further specialize in mastering the instrument he loved so much. How many such artists do you already know? These unique qualities of Neil, not only changed me musically, but they simply shaped me and encouraged me to research , explore and think outside the box. His lyrics made me read Ayn Rand's works (" 2112 "), take an interest in Greek mythology (" Hemispheres "), research about Samuel Taylor Coleridge who wrote the poem "Kubla Khan" (" Xanadu "), and finds out who is John Dos Passos, Who wrote the USA trilogy on which " The Big Money " is based on. The lofty words he used and his rich writing often forced me to listen to music with a dictionary to understand words like "soliloquy," which years later my American-born friends would admit they don't know what the word means. My first encounter with "Rush" was somewhere in the early 1980s, when my cousin came from America with a cassette tape of the live album " All the World's a Stage ", which the band released in 1976. My cousin, who during his childhood lived in Willowdale (the neighborhood in Toronto where the members of "Rush" grew up), chose to open the impromptu "Rush" acquaintance meeting with Neil Peart 's drum solo, which comes during the mini medley "Working Man/Finding My Way" - located somewhere on the fourth side of the same live double-album. It was a love of first hearing. From the moment I listened to this drum solo, it was clear to me that there was an unusually talented and special person behind it and I did not need Geddy Lee 's introduction before the solo to understand that Neil is definitely a professor: " ... Ladies and Gentlemen, The Professor on The Drumkit " For hours on, I listened to this drum solo on repeat, analyzing every pass, every snare blow, every dribble, and every tap on the “cow bell” that was perfectly synchronized with the bass drum. Neil Peart managed not to bore the listener even for one second with a drum solo. It was sweeping, fun, and exciting, it made the drums sound like a song played by an entire band. Just a school for drummers. It's not for nothing that another great drummer of our generation Mike Portnoy called him "my God." Not for nothing did he claim that his life was divided into two, before he knew Neil Peart and after. Now be honest, with how many bands in your life you fell in love with through a drum solo and not through a song? It just defines who Neil Peart was for me and many others. A drummer who in his exemplary silence and modesty swept away an entire generation of drummers who wanted to be like him, who made thousands of fans wave their hands in the air during his live shows with the "Air Drumming" and prefer it over the cooler "Air Guitar", a man who always challenged himself in reading, learning, writing, playing complex rhythms, unconventional time signatures and with a varied and extensive range of percussion, thus forcing us to challenge ourselves as well, to think deeper and farther. Neil turned the drums into an instrument that leads the song, which goes beyond the traditional role upon which the rhythm section is built upon. For example, the instrumental track " YYZ " is based on a Morse code that makes up the letters Y-Y-Z, where the lines (-) and dots (.) Are played on drums in a different number of notes and in unusual time signatures that lead the guitar, bass, and keyboards after them and not the other way around. Anyone who reads these lines and is not a "Rush Fanatic" will not understand this, but last Tuesday, not only did we lose our hero, we lost the man who helped shape our lives. Peart wrote the words: " Some Are Born to move the world… " and he is without a doubt one of those who managed to influence the world with their presence. Neil also wrote and rightly so: " Sadder still to watch it die Than never to have known it ... ", the pain that accompanies the loss of someone dear is sadder than not knowing him at all... I feel lucky that I knew and got to see you "in action" four times over the years, the last of them during the "R40" tour where you played " Losing It " for the first time live, as if you wanted to share your feelings with us and tell us what really goes through your mind. Goodbye Professor, even though we never got to meet in person, thank you for all the years of wonderful friendships and great music... "Dancing fires on the beach Singing songs together Though it's just a memory Some memories last forever" — " Lakeside Park " And this time we leave you with a "special" in honor of Neil Peart , which was broadcast by David Bar-Tal and Eran Har-Paz on "Ze Rock" radio: Click here . "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

He may be young, but he has already broken world records and starred for a long time at the top of the British charts. Let's get to know Alex Turner, the singer, writer, and leader of the "Arctic Monkeys". (Photo: Facebook) = His full name is Alexander David Turner and he was born on January 6th, 1986 in Sheffield England. = He is the only son of a pair of musical parents and teachers. His mother is a German teacher and his father is a physics and music teacher. = His parents loved music and exposed him from an early age to artists and bands like: "The Beatles", "The Beach Boys", "David Bowie", "Led Zeppelin" and "The Eagles". = Alex's father was also a "Big Band" player and played the saxophone, trumpet, and piano, so there were always musical instruments in the house. = Turner himself learned to play the piano until the age of 8 and at the age of 15 his father bought him an electric guitar for his birthday. = In high school he grew up with his good friends Matt Helders and Andy Nicholson when the bond between them was around the love of music and especially rap music. The three loved to listen to: "Dr. Dre", "Wu-Tang Clan", "Outkast" and "Roots Manuva". = In 2001, with the breakthrough of the band "The Strokes", the musical taste of the three changed and they fell in love with the band and the style. = In 2002, after watching live shows by various rock bands in the neighborhood, they decided that they too wanted to form a band and formed "Arctic Monkeys". (Photo: Press Here Publicity) = Alex, whose playing music was no stranger to him in light of his childhood, suggested that Andy learn to play bass, Matt learns to play drums, he himself would play guitar, and that they would add their neighbor Jamie Cook as another guitar player. = At first Alex only played guitar but in light of the fact that no one else wanted to be a singer, he also took on this role. = It was clear to the other three friends that Alex was the one to lead the creation and writing, as he had a fondness for lyrics. = They started working on cover versions and original songs and their first performance took place on June 13, 2003. = In 2004 they recorded a number of demo songs and began distributing them during a tour in Central and Northern England as well as Scotland. Later, the songs were uploaded to the internet by fans and were called "Beneath the Boardwalk". = In 2005 they released an EP called "Five Minutes with Arctic Monkeys" and began another tour in England. = In 2005 they recorded their first album: "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not". The first single from the album, called "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" slashed the radio stations and charts and took first place in the UK singles chart. = The album, released in January 2006, went straight to number one in the UK, breaking the all-time record for the fastest-selling debut album in UK music history and becoming a cultural phenomenon. Many critics praised Alex's lyrics and his singing style. = The band's next three albums, "Favorite Worst Nightmare" (2007), "Humbug" (2009), and "Suck It and See" (2011) reached number one in the UK. Until the fourth album arrived in 2013. But wait, before it came out... = Alex released a single solo album (EP) which was released as part of the soundtrack of the movie "Submarine" in 2011. Alex's friend asked him to record a soundtrack with cover versions for the film he is directing, but eventually, Alex wrote six new acoustic songs that became the soundtrack. = In 2012 the band moved from England to Los Angeles following Alex, who had moved there a year earlier. They started working on their fourth album while simultaneously being the opening act for "The Black Keys" on a US tour. = That same year they also got to perform at the opening ceremony of the London Olympics. = In September 2013 the fifth album called "AM" was released. The album of course reached number one in the UK and also number six in the United States. = Some will say that this album changed the band and especially Alex. Although he was known for his stage presence, he changed it significantly: he lowered his guitar to the waist area and flirted with fans, and especially ladies, while performing. In addition, the band went out for a massive promotion of the album which included interviews, collaborations, and appearances on various shows, which did not happen on previous albums. Apparently, this happened mainly thanks to a change in Alex's attitude. (Photo: Darren Pepe) = After a five-year hiatus, the band released their sixth and most anticipated album, "Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino", which of course conquered the top of the British charts again and reached number eight in the United States. = After the release of the album and the tour, the band returned to relative silence until in 2022 they released their seventh album "The Car". The entire album was written by Alex and produced by James Ford. It includes 10 songs, of which "I Ain't Quite Where I Think I Am" and "There'd Better Be a Mirrorball" are the first two singles released out of it. = In addition to the Arctic band, Alex was part of the super ensemble "The Last Shadow Puppets", which created pop music accompanied by an orchestra. Alex wrote most of the lyrics on the band's albums. = The band released two albums: "The Age of the Understatement" in 2008 and "Everything You've Come to Expect" in 2016 as well as three EPs. = In addition, Alex has been involved in writing and producing with other artists, including Miles Kane, "Queens of the Stone Age", "Mini Mansions", Alexandra Savior, and more. Listen to Arctic Monkeys' international breakthrough album on: Spotify , Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

Guitarist Malcolm Young passed away on November 18, 2017, and we want to share with you some facts about the "quiet power", "the anchor", "the soul" and "the engine behind" "AC/DC". (Photo: Redferns) This time we will make it sharp, precise, and focused, just like Malcolm's playing: 1. He was born Malcolm Mitchell Young in Glasgow, Scotland on 6 January 1953. 2. In June 1963 his family emigrated to Australia. 3. He started playing the guitar when he was in elementary school. 4. His first job after graduating from school was in a factory making bras. 5. In 1971 he joined a local Australian band called "Velvet Underground" (not the famous Avant-garde band from New York). (Photo: Fin Costello) 6. In 1973, together with his younger brother Angus Young, he formed "AC/DC". He was then only 20 and Angus was 18. 7. He chose the band name along with Angus Young after his sister Margaret saw the words AC/DC embedded on a sewing machine. 8. Malcolm is considered one of the greatest rhythm guitar players of all time. It is simply a well-oiled and precise rhythm machine whose power thunders even in the silence between the riffs. 9. In 2004 Dave Mustaine from Megadeth defined Malcolm along with him and with James Hetfield as the best rhythm guitar players in the world. 10. Despite being a rhythm guitarist, he plays guitar solos in these band's songs: "Soul Stripper", "Show Business", You Ain't Got A Hold On Me, and "Can I Sit Next To You Girl". 11. Malcolm sings background vocals in almost every "AC/DC" song. 12. He is responsible quite a bit for the band's unique sound and was a major part of writing a significant portion of its songs and immortal riffs. 13. He played on the same battered and long-lived guitar "Gretsch - '63 G-1910 Firebird" during his career. 14. The guitar was given to him by producer Harry Vanda, who co-produced all early "AC/DC" albums with his brother George Young. 15. It is interesting to note that the same famous guitar was originally in red. 16. He entered the "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame" with "AC/DC" in 2003. 17. Due to dementia he was forced to leave "AC/DC" in 2014. His nephew Stevie Young filled his place in the band. 18. Beyond being one of the driving forces behind the band's unique sound, Malcolm is also the mastermind and businessman behind it. 19. The excellent " Power Up " album released in 2020 includes riffs he wrote. He got credit for writing all the songs from it. 20. In 2006, the Australian punk rock band "Frenzal Rhomb" released an album and a song bearing his name and being called: "Forever Malcolm Young". "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

We are sure that most of you readers are familiar with Peter Frampton 's hit "Show Me the Way". What’s more, we’re willing to bet that the vast majority of you, were not at all familiar with its studio version, but only with the live one. So how do you know when a certain live album is a great one? We have already written and talked about it many times. In our opinion, one of the factors that makes a great live album is the fact that one will always prefer to listen to the live version of a particular song, rather than the studio version. This happens to us with a large portion of the songs on Peter Frampton 's excellent double live album "Frampton Comes Alive!", released in the US on January 6, 1976. Peter Frampton gives his heart and soul in this magnificent live performance. He manages to communicate with the audience in an amazing way and the audience of course respond with great enthusiasm. Frampton reached an incredible level of communication with the audience after a long period of hard work on stage and the roads, in clubs, and later in the big halls, first as a warm-up for bands like "Black Sabbath", "Emerson, Lake & Palmer" and more, later as the main artist. Frampton noted that he agreed to serve as a warm-up for anyone who offered to perform with him and managed to fill halls and maybe that is how he build such a great audience that makes the added value of this album. So for those unfamiliar, Frampton began his musical career, when he was only 14 years old, as a member of "The Preachers", which was managed and produced by Bill Wyman - "Rolling Stones" bass player. By the time he was 18, he had already joined Steve Marriott from the "Small Faces" and the two formed "Humble Pie". In parallel with his work with "Humble Pie", Frampton served as a sought-after session player for top artists such as Donovan, Harry Nilsson, Jerry Lee Lewis, John Entwistle , and more. One of his highlights as a session player was in 1970, when he played acoustic guitar on George Harrison 's masterpiece album " All Things Must Pass ". After 4 studio albums and one live album with "Humble Pie", Frampton left the band in 1971, signed a recording contract with "A&M" and began his solo career. His debut album "Wind of Change" from 1972 featured no less than Klaus Voorman, Ringo Starr , and Billy Preston. But despite this for 4 years he did not manage to break out as a solo artist, until this masterful live album. Frampton was a "stage animal". his live shows sold excellently, but his albums were much less. This led him to the decision that he wanted to release a live album, in which he will try to transfer the "electricity" in the air during his live performances. The record company recognized the potential and even persuade him to release a double live album. It consists of performances by Frampton in several venues in the United States during the summer and fall of 1975. This is without a doubt one of Rock's greatest live albums, so it's really not surprising that it's also become one of the best-selling live albums of all time, with sales of over 11 million copies. This album stayed on the US charts for 10 consecutive weeks and became the best-selling album in 1976. Think about it, it's a double Live album that becomes the best-selling album of the year 1976 in the US. What’s more, this album has released three singles: yes, yes, a live album that has produced three successful singles. One of them is "Do You Feel Like We Do" which was stretched in its live version to over 14 minutes, with some of the most impressive guitar work proving that Frampton is a guitarist of supreme grace. The album features tremendous and memorable live versions of songs like: "Show Me the Way", "Baby, I Love Your Way", "Shine On", the amazing cover version of "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and more. And how can one write about this album without mentioning Frampton's "talking guitar" - the 1954 Gibson Les Paul that has undergone a change and includes three double pickups. (Photo: last.fm) Frampton also uses the "talk-box" effect perfectly, especially in the "Show Me the Way" hit single. This effect will later be adorned with songs like: "Pigs (Three Different Ones" by "Pink Floyd", "Livin 'on a Prayer" and "It's My Life" by "Bon Jovi" and more. It's not that no one did it before him, but Frampton just managed to build the songs around the effect in such a great way that made it identify with him. For Listening: Spotify , Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

Today we want to tell you some interesting facts about Michael Stipe - the guy who made us "lose our religion": (Photo: Paul Underhill) 1. He was born on January 4, 1960, as John Michael Stipe. 2. As often as the English look, and even its accent, is misleading, the 100% American guy was born in a town on the outskirts of Atlanta Georgia, USA. 3. In view of his father's occupation as a full-time soldier in the U.S. Army, Michael grew up into a family that traveled the world very often, including in several European countries. 4. During his studies at the University of Georgia in 1980, he frequently visited the "Wuxtry Records" record store and purchased "weird" records, which one of the employees kept for himself. 5. The same employee at the store, a guitarist named Peter Buck, did not like the fact that Michael buys the records he keeps to himself, but liked the fact that they both have similar and special taste in music. 6. The two quickly became friends and decided to form a band, which forced Stipe to leave the local Gangster band, of which he was a member at the time. 7. They teamed up with drummer Bill Berry and bassist Mike Mills thus completing the lineup of R.E.M. Stipe was the youngest member of the band. (Photo: Tom Sheehan) 8. The band's name was randomly chosen by Michael from the dictionary, the acronyms express the concept: Rapid Eye Movement - the stage where you start dreaming during sleep. 9. Other names considered were Cans of Piss and Negro Wives. 10. In 1980 all four members of the band dropped out of school to concentrate on music. (Photo: LAURA LEVINE) 11. The beginning was very difficult and the band had to struggle to get recognition on stage and on the road. At the time, the daily "Allowance" budget of each of the four members was $2 a day. 12. The band's first opportunity came in 1981 when they released their first single " Radio Free Europe ". The song immediately became a hit on student radio stations in the area. 13. The local success caught the attention of record label I.R.S. Records, which rushed to sign R.E.M. On a record deal contract. 14. A year later, in 1982, the band released the EP. "Chronic Town", and in 1983 its debut album "Murmur" was released, which was praised by critics and even won a Rolling Stone Magazine critique of the year as Album of the Year, bypassing Michael Jackson's "Thriller". 15. And if you, too, felt that it was sometimes difficult for you to understand what Michael Stipe sang on the two albums "Chronic Town" and "Murmur", then you are not alone, Stipe admitted that he was just making up words at that stage in his career. 16. They recorded their most "American" album in England. This is their third album "Fables of the Reconstruction", a concept album that deals with the American Civil War and southern Gothic themes. 17. It was a particularly difficult time for Michael and the band which was on the verge of disbanding. Stipe later admitted that at the time he was close to "losing it" he also shaved his head like a monk and gained a lot of weight. 18. The first success of Stipe and his band in the mainstream was achieved with the hit "The One I Love" in 1987. 19. Next came the albums " Out of Time " and " Automatic for the People " which brought Stipe and his friend's meteoric success on a global scale. 20. To this day the band is considered one of the pioneers of alternative rock, thanks in no small part to the unique style of each of the four members, with Michael leading the writing style and his different and unique voice. 21. The music video for the song "Losing My Religion" is the first time Stipe has agreed to lip-sync to the band's video. 22. The music video will become one of the most popular and watched on MTV, not least thanks to the appearance of Stipe. 23. Stipe admitted in 1995 that he no longer tolerated the song "Shiny Happy People", the fans probably a little less. This is the band's third most-played song on Spotify. 24. When drummer Bill Berry left "R.E.M." in 1997, Stipe and his bandmates decided they were not even going to try to find a replacement to get into Bill's shoes and they continued to function for several years without a drummer leaning on session players and drum machines. 25. From 1988 until the dissolution of "R.E.M." In 2012, Stipe used to release a special Christmas song with the band every year. 26. In light of his love of photography and visual art, Stipe was also in charge of R.E.M.'s visual field, both in the context of record covers and directing some of the band's music videos. 27. In 2007 Stipe and the band entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 28. Michael served as the godfather of Frances Bean Cobain the daughter of Courtney Love and Kurt Cobain . 29. In 1994 Stipe was supposed to work and record with Cobain, it was his attempt to pull Cobain away from home, habits, and drugs, but unfortunately the project did not eventually materialize due to Cobain's death. 30. The song "Let Me In" from the album " Monster " was written by Stipe as a tribute to Cobain. Courtney Love gave the band one of Kurt's Fender guitars that Mills played in the recording of the song. Mills had to turn the strings so he could play it since Kurt was left-handed. 31. Stipe was also the one who inducted Nirvana into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame. It happened in April 2014. 32. Stipe was a close friend of Natalie Merchant from the band 10,000 Maniacs and even recorded a few songs with her, including "Photograph" which was recorded along with all the members of the band and appears in the "Born to Choose" collection. 33. Although Stipe has not developed a solo career so far, he has been involved in many projects as a producer and singer and has created collaborations with many artists such as: New York Dolls, Tori Amos, Neneh Cherry, Patti Smith, Placebo, and more and more and more... 34. In addition, Stipe recorded with Chris Martin of Coldplay the song "In the Sun" in 2006, and with Courtney Love the song "Rio Grande" in 2013. 35. Beyond the music, Stipe is a partner in the establishment and management of two studio companies for film production, C-00 and Single Cell Pictures, studios designed to promote independent and alternative films. 36. In addition, he was also an actual producer on films: "Being John Malkovich", "Velvet Goldmine" and "Man on the Moon". 37. In 1994 Stipe confirmed that he had relationships with both men and women, and in 2001 he was interviewed by Time magazine and stated that he had been in a relationship with a man for three years. 38. Stipe is known as an activist and among other things went public against U.S. gun policy, following a proliferation of mass shootings. 39. The latest album released by Stipe along with R.E.M. is the "Collapse into Now" since 2011. In 2012 the band disbanded and a union is not visible at the moment. (Photo: R.E.M PR) 40. Stipe released with the band 15 studio albums, 5 live albums, and a considerable number of EPs, collections, and singles, which have sold over 85 million copies. 41. In May 2019, Stipe appeared with the song "Your Capricious Soul" as a warm-up for a performance by Pati Smith. It was his first solo song ever. The song was released for download on the site bearing the same name in October 2019. 42. Later that year another song "Drive to the Ocean" was released which can be downloaded directly from Stipe's website. 43. At the end of 2019, Stipe began collaborating with Aaron Dessner and Justin Vernon of the indie band Big Red Machine. The collaboration spawned the song "No Time For Love Like Now" whose music video was released in June 2020. 44. In 2021 he participated in the tribute album to The Velvet Underground and recorded the song "Sunday Morning" for an album titled "I'll Be Your Mirror: A Tribute to The Velvet Underground & Nico". Hoping these latest releases will finally spawn the man and legend's first solo album. "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

Written By: Moti Kupfer Release date - 05.01.1979 "You gotta look sharp, You gotta look sharp, And you gotta have no illusions, Just keep going your way looking over your shoulder" You have to look sharp, live without illusions, just keep moving forward, and look over your shoulder. Joe Jackson was only twenty three or twenty four years old when he wrote these words. These were the peak years of the punk revolution across the United Kingdom, and he already sensed where the wind was blowing. The anger that filled the streets reached him as well, and it was enough to drive him into recording a debut album that was sharp, tight, and at times openly biting. David Jackson was born in 1954 in Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, England, and grew up in the port city of Portsmouth, where he attended technical high school. He quickly learned to play the violin and piano, and by the age of sixteen the gifted pianist was already performing in bars. He later earned a scholarship to study musical composition at the Royal Academy of Music in London. The young man who arrived at the music academy almost by accident, simply trying to escape a future of hard labor in a factory or at the Portsmouth docks, made a clear decision to become a musician. He listened to Bob Marley and developed a deep love for reggae, while also drawing inspiration from punk bands like "The Damned" and "The Clash". He later said that when he listened to "The Damned" he thought they were great, but only after seeing "The Clash" did he understand that they truly meant every word they played. The blues and R and B scene also left a strong impression on him, especially through "Dr. Feelgood" and their raw, melodic, no nonsense approach. In the mid seventies, Joe Jackson  joined his first band, "Edward Bear", which later changed its name to "Arms and Legs". After releasing two singles, the band broke up, and Jackson began performing on the cabaret circuit in order to earn money for recording demo tapes. Jackson gathered several musicians for those demo sessions, which helped establish him as a songwriter at Albion Music. Soon after, producer David Kershenbaum signed him to a recording contract with A&M Records. When work began on the album, he was joined by his former "Arms and Legs" bandmate, bassist Graham Maby, along with drummer David Houghton and guitarist Gary Sanford. Armed with harmonica and piano, Joe Jackson created sharp rock, punk, and reggae flavored songs that balanced bitterness and sweetness, wrapped in pop melodies that only grow stronger with time, yet are never catchy enough for radio to wear them out through endless repetition. The album includes one of Joe Jackson’s greatest songs, "Is She Really Going Out with Him?" , along with several of his best known tracks "Look Sharp!" , "Sunday Papers" , "One More Time" , "Fools in Love" , and "Got the Time" , which later received a cover version by thrash metal band "Anthrax". At the age of twenty five, Joe Jackson pours his guts out to the listener with songs full of soul. He zooms in on his own loneliness while mocking banal romance, and vents his frustration with everyday life through Sunday newspaper headlines that tell us about yet another piece of cheap gossip. Jackson comes across as a young man searching for meaning in a world he sees as shallow. At times he releases that frustration in a slightly immature way, but this is him at his most honest, without masks or rock star costumes. The album cover was photographed by Brian Griffin and features a pair of sharp white shoes, belonging to Joe Jackson, immersed in a pool of light. The cover was ranked at number 22 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 greatest album covers of all time. In 2000, "Look Sharp!" was placed at number 865 on Colin Larkin’s "All Time Top 1000 Albums" list of the greatest albums of all time. For Listening : Spotify , Apple Music "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website

Today we'll tell you some crazy facts about Marilyn Manson. Warning!!! Some of the facts are hard to read, so please keep the children away: (Photo: Kurt Krieger - Corbis) = Marilyn Manson was born in the canton of Ohio as "Brian Hugh Warner" on January 5, 1969. = Is the only son of Barbara Warner Wyer and Hugh Angus Warner and has an English roots, Irish and German. = He was born with a heart problem that causes an accelerated heart rate and is called Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome. = In his youth he received a Christian education and from the age of 10 to attend a Christian school. = Manson said that at school they were forbidden to listen to different types of music. = Later, Manson will make a U-turn from Christian education and become a member of the Church of Satan. = And if that was not enough to clarify the point of educational failure, Manson was a good friend of Anton LaVey — the founder of the Church of Satan, and was even crowned pastor of that church. = His stage name is a combination of two American icons, the model-actress Marilyn Monroe and the infamous criminal Charles Manson. = Before starting his musical career he studied journalism and even worked for a local newspaper in Fort Lauderdale Florida. = As part of his role as a journalist, Manson interviewed several rock stars, including Trent Reznor from the band Nine Inch Nails. Reznor will later sign him for the record company Nothing Records, and produce some of his albums. = He formed in 1989 the band that bears his name, together with guitarist Scott Putesky. = The band's original name was "Marilyn Manson & The Spooky Kids". They recorded their first demo in 1990. = In 1994 the band released their first album "Portrait of an American Family". = The album was originally supposed to be called "The Manson Family Album" after the family name of the infamous criminal, and whoever played and produced it in collaboration with others was Trent Reznor. = A year later, Manson released an EP entitled "Smells Like Children" which includes a cover version of the song "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" by Eurythmics. The song also became the band's first hit. = His next album "Antichrist Superstar" released in 1996 took Manson and his band to meteoric success. The album included the successful singles "The Beautiful People" and "Tourniquet". = Together with his band Marilyn released 12 albums: Portrait of an American Family (1994), Antichrist Superstar (1996), Mechanical Animals (1998), Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death) (2000), The Golden Age of Grotesque (2003), Eat Me, Drink Me (2007), The High End of Low (2009), Born Villain (2012), The Pale Emperor (2015), Heaven Upside Down (2017), We Are Chaos (2020), One Assassination Under God – Chapter 1 (2024). = The US giant retail chains - K-Mart and Target have refused to sell their third album "Mechanical Animal" which came out in 1998 due to the provocative album cover that includes Manson's head and the naked female body of an alien. = After the horrific massacre at Columbine School in 1999, it was alleged that Manson's music was the one that influenced the two murderous children in committing the massacres. The unverified publicity caused much damage to Manson's career and led to threats on his life. = Manson responded to the allegations in his own "I Blame" article, called "Columbine: Whose Fault Is It?" = Manson is a compulsive collector, including metal lunch boxes from the 1940s and 1950s. = In 1997, Manson landed a role in director David Lynch's "Lost Highway." He later landed small roles in several other films such as "Jawbreaker", "Party Monster", "Porn Star # 1" and more. = Manson has also appeared in several television series, including "Californication" and the masterpiece "Sons of Anarchy". = The one who gave Manson his first cigarette ever, was none other than the actor Macaulay Culkin knew from the movie "Home Alone". This was during the filming of one of the scenes from the movie "Party Monster". (Photo: Perou) = On his birthday in 1999, Honcho magazine (Gay Porn Magazine) published nude photos of Manson taken about five years earlier, before he was famous. = He was engaged 3 times to three different women, eventually marrying designer Dita Von Teese in 2004, only to divorce her about two years later. = He's a very good friend of actor Johnny Depp. The two even have matching tattoos that symbolize their friendship. = Marilyn is very fond of the movie "Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory" from 1971 and even tried to get the role of Willy in the remake version of the movie that came out in 2005, but lost the role to his good friend Johnny Depp. = He is such a big fan of the alcoholic drink Absinthe that he released his version of the drink called Mansinthe, the version won excellent reviews and even a gold medal in the competition in 2008. = In 1998, Manson published his autobiography "The Long Hard Road Out of Hell", in which he told, among other things, about his grandfather's sexual perversions and that the band and the album "Antichrist Superstar" were influenced by the grandfather's sex stories. = In the same autobiography, Manson also noted that on his body there are more than 450 scars caused by cuts he made himself during performances. = In 1999, Manson began his painting career. His paintings are sold as part of the "Celebration Corporation" project and his paintings are displayed in various exhibitions around the world. = Strangely enough, his entry into one of his own exhibitions, which was displayed in the cathedral in Cologne, Germany, was avoided following his heavy makeup. = He is a regular contributor to charities including Music for Life and Kids Rock. = The various contact lenses he puts in his eyes are a tribute to singer David Bowie. = Also in the context of Manson's eyes, over the years there have been rumors that he injects heroin into his eyes in order to dilate the pupils. Another rumor said that he underwent surgery to remove some of his ribs so that he could perform oral sex on his own, but both rumors are of course not true. = In contrast, the following shocking fact stands against all false rumors. In one of the first performances of his career and with the intention of shocking viewers he hired a model who disguised herself as a pregnant woman and ironed a crumpled Nazi flag on stage. She then lay on the ironing pad slicing her legs and pretending to have an abortion herself. These things appear in Manson's autobiography from 1998 about which we wrote above. = In 2002 he received an offer to write the music for a remake of the horror film "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" but he was busy with his fifth album "The Golden Age Of Grotesque" which was released in 2003 and refused the offer. = Marilyn is a die-hard video game enthusiast from a young age playing on Nintendo. Manson even voiced several characters in video games, including the alien Edgar in the 2005 "Area 51" game. = He sometimes writes the word "Fuck" on his face so that paparazzi photographers can not sell his pictures. = Manson produced Jack Off Jill's early albums and even played guitar on one of the band's songs - "My Cat". The band even tends open some of his performances. = During his career, Marilyn Manson has released 11 studio albums, 2 EP,s and one live album. = In addition, Manson has collaborated with many artists including Eminem, Linkin Park, Lady Gaga, and Avril Lavigne. = In February 2021, Marilyn was accused by his ex-spouse Evan Rachel Wood and other women of sexual harassment, physical and verbal violence, brainwashing, sexual and psychological abuse, and mental abuse. Currently, the lawsuit has not been closed. Listen to his latest album "One Assassination Under God – Chapter 1" on: Spotify , Apple Music   "Face/Off" - Israel's Rock Blog Follow us on Facebook  / Instagram  or Subscribe to our website