April 4, 2013

Check out the Top 10 ROCK genre  CD's/LP's/downloads for this week (April 4, 2013)

THE ALBUM OF THE DAY
KISS...Smashes, Thrashes And Hits  (1988)
Smashes, Thrashes And Hits was released 25 years ago in 1988 and it reached number 21 on the US Billboard album charts.  I give it a 4 out of 5 stars and highly recommend it.  This is a compilation album with 2 new tracks, combining the "hits" of the 80's with some of the older classics, such as "Love Gun," "Detroit Rock City" and "Deuce," just to name a few.  The older tracks get a new mix but still stay pretty close to the original mix.  "Beth" gets a new vocal recording from the late Eric Carr and, if I say so myself, it's a much better vocal than Peter Criss did on the original 12 years earlier.  (I will get some hateful comments on that one).  This is a good jamming album, you should check it out again.  
(CD, vinyl, Allmusic review)

ROCK BIRTHDAYS FOR APRIL 4
Craig Adams of The Cult is 51; Josh Todd of Buckcherry is 42;

ON THIS DATE
1948 Barry Oakley of the Allman Brothers was born in Chicago, Illinois. Oakley died November 11, 1972 after having a motorcycle accident in Macon, Georgia
1960 Elvis Presley recorded "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" in Nashville for RCA Victor
1964 The top 5 songs on Billboard's Singles Chart are "Can't Buy Me Love", "Twist And Shout", "She Loves You", "I Want To Hold Your Hand" and "Please Please Me", all by The Beatles
1966 Mike Starr of Alice In Chains is born in Honolulu, Hawaii. Starr died in 2011
1996 Some of Jerry Garcia's ashes are scattered in India’s Ganges River
2006 Operation: Mindcrime II by Queensryche is released
2007 The press has a field day with Keith Richards after he stated that he had snorted his fathers ashes with cocaine in 2002
2009 Jeff Beck and Metallica are inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame
2010  China's Ministry of Culture denies Bob Dylan permission to perform in China because of his involvement in the 60's counterculture movement
2011  According to papers filed at the Los Angeles County Recorders Office Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne owe $1.7 million in back taxes