May 4, 2013

THE ALBUM OF THE DAY
URIAH HEEP...Uriah Heep Live  (1973)
Uriah Heep Live was released 40 years ago in April 1973.   It reached number 37 on the U.S. Billboard album charts.  The double album starts off with the band asking the audience to give them 2 minutes to tune their instruments.  Wow, that wouldn't fly with an audience today.  Nevertheless, this turns out to be a rockin' album, the band is definitely in tune, and they just jam.  I give it a 3 out of 5 stars.  The low point was the 14 minute "Gypsy", with the band members doing solos on their instruments that just turned out to be kinda boring. The song itself is a great jam but the solos took away from the energy. "Easy Livin'" was the highlight, as they flat out rock this number.  I really enjoyed the lengthy "July Morning" with its haunting organ.  The track made me think of Deep Purple.  "Look At Yourself" will blast thru your speakers as the band is on fire on this one.  This is a pretty good live album, check it out
(CD, vinyl, Allmusic review)


ROCK BIRTHDAYS FOR MAY 4
Zal Cleminson, formerly with Nazareth, is 64; Mick Mars of Motley Crue is 62; Mike Dirnt of Green Day is 41;

ON THIS DATE
1977 The Beatles At The Hollywood Bowl is released
1987 Paul Butterfield of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band dies of a heart attack in his home in Hollywood, California at the age of 44
2004 Slash and Duff McKagan file a lawsuit against Axl Rose alleging he stopped movie music deals worth $1 million
2007 Chad Kroeger of Nickelback gets into a fight outside a nightclub in Vancouver, British Columbia after the dude shouted "Nickelback sucks!"
2010 The Oracle by Godsmack is released
2010 After suffering a brain hemorrhage two weeks earlier Bret Michaels of Poison is released from the Barrow Neurological Institute in Arizona

March 23, 2011

Check out What We're listening To This Week

ROCK BIRTHDAYS FOR MARCH 23
Ric Ocasek of the Cars is 62; Damon Albarn of Blur is 43; John Humphrey of The Nixons is 41;

ON THIS DATE
1978 The Police sign with A&M Records
1979 Van Halen II by Van Halen is released
1985 Billy Joel and Chrisite Brinkley marry
2002 Dusty Hill of ZZ Top marries Charleen “Chuck” McCrory
2004 A "Greatest Hits" CD is released by Guns 'N' Roses despite a suit filed by Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan
2006 A photographer files a complaint against Kid Rock claiming that Rock's bodyguard roughed him up and that Rock took his camera before leaving the scene
2010 Sting In The Tail by the Scorpions is released

ROCKLINE with Bob Coburn
Wednesday, March 23 THIN LIZZY 11:30 PM Eastern/8:30 Pacific Listen here
Monday, March 28 SULLY ERNA of GODSMACK 11:30 PM Eastern/8:30 Pacific Listen here
Does your local rock station carry Rockline? Find out here

Check out the latest Rock Show with Michael David. Download the zip file here

March 12, 2011

THE ALBUM OF THE DAY
BLUE OYSTER CULT...Blue Oyster Cult (1972)
(CD, vinyl, Allmusic review)

This debut from BOC reached number 172 on the U.S. Billboard album chart. Have you noticed that many of the debut albums we've checked out here lately didn't actually do that well? Nowadays, if a band doesn't come out of the gate swinging they may not have much of a chance at the big time. Back in the 70's some of the most popular rock bands didn't get a hit album until their 3rd, 4th or even 5th album. If you're a fan of the 70's hard rock scene check this one out. It had been awhile since I had heard this album (I used to own a cassette copy of it) and it was actually better than I remembered. 7 of the 10 songs I remembered "Hey, I like this one." "Transmaniacon MC", "I'm on the Lamb But I Ain't No Sheep" and "Stairway to the Stars" were some of the highlights for me. Recommended


ROCK BIRTHDAYS FOR MARCH 12
Bill Payne from Little Feat is 62; Steve Harris from Iron Maiden is 55; Graham Coxon of Blur is 42;

ON THIS DATE
1969 Paul McCartney married Linda Eastman in London. That same day George and Pattie Harrison are arrested for possession of cannabis resin
1974 John Lennon and Harry Nilsson are kicked out of a Smother's Brothers show in Los Angeles
2003 The Rolling Stones are told by the Chinese Ministry of Culture what songs of theirs they are NOT allowed to perform while touring their country. They are: “Brown Sugar,” “Honky Tonk Women,” “Beast of Burden” and “Let’s Spend The Night Together”
2007 Van Halen is inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame by Slash and Scott Weiland from Velvet Revolver. Eddie Vedder inducted R.E.M.

ROCKLINE with Bob Coburn
Monday, March 14 DROWNING POOL 11:30 PM Eastern/8:30 Pacific Listen here
Wednesday, March 16 CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVISITED 11:30 PM Eastern/8:30 Pacific Listen here
Does your local rock station carry Rockline? Find out here

Check out the latest edition of The Rock Show with Michael David. You can download the zip file here

November 21

ROCK BIRTHDAYS FOR NOVEMBER 21
Dr. John is 70; Alex James of Blur is 42;

ON THIS DATE
1967 The Who Sell Out by the Who is released
1980 Don Henley of the Eagles is charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor when a 16 year old girl is treated at Henley's home for drug intoxication and marijuana, cocaine and Quaaludes are found
1988 The Delicate Sound of Thunder by Pink Floyd is released
1995 Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day is fined $141 for dropping his pants at a Milwaukee concert
1995 Anthology 1 by the Beatles is released and sets the first day sales record of 450,000 CD's sold
2003 Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit is struck on the chin by an object thrown from the audience. Durst requires 7 stitches
2003 Take A Look In The Mirror by KoRn is released
2005 Ozzy Osbourne performs for Queen Elizabeth II at Britain's Royal Variety Performance, singing the Beatles' "In My Life" with Slash from Velvet Revolver
2006 Love by the Beatles is released
2006 27-year-old Devon Townshend is accused of hacking into a workplace computer to acquire Chester Bennington of Linkin Park's cell phone data. The Albuquerque, NM, resident allegedly accessed Bennington's phone records and digital pictures and made a threatening call to the vocalist's wife, Talinda
2007 Chad Kroeger of Nickelback pleads guilty to drunken driving charges in a Surrey, Canada, court. Kroeger has a $600 fine and a one-year ban on driving
2007 It’s announced that Danny Federici of the E Street Band is undergoing treatment for melanoma

CENTRAL FLORIDA CONCERT DATEBOOK
Saturday, November 27 POSTPONED APOCALYPTICA The Ritz Ybor Ybor City POSTPONED
Friday, March 4 APOCALYPTICA The Ritz Ybor Ybor City

ROCKLINE with Bob Coburn
Monday, November 22 AVENGED SEVENFOLD 11:30 PM Eastern/8:30 Pacific Listen here
Wednesday, November 24 STEVE MILLER 11:30 PM Eastern/8:30 Pacific Listen here
Does your local rock station carry Rockline? Find out here

July 23

ROCK BIRTHDAYS FOR JULY 23
David Essex is 63; Blair Thornton of Bachman-Turner Overdrive is 60; Slash is 45; Nick Menza formerly with Megadeth is 42; Chad Gracey of Live is 39; Stevo Jocz of Sum 41 is 30;

ON THIS DATE
1977 John Bonham of Led Zeppelin and their manager, Peter Grant, beat up a couple of employees of Bill Graham's over a dispute about payment before a concert in Oakland. Later they plead guilty and settle out of court for $2 million
1980 Keith Godchaux of the Grateful Dead dies in Marion County, California from injuries he received in a car accident two days earlier at the age of 32
1993 Kurt Cobain OD's in a hotel bathroom in New York and is rushed to the hospital and survives
1999 Woodstock '99 opened in Rome, New York

IN THE NEWS
U2 Reworking Old Songs With Dave Hollister
U2's Spider-Man Musical Gets Back on Track
Bret Michaels is 'Custom Built'

ROCKLINE with Bob Coburn
Monday, July 26 CREED 11:30 PM Eastern/8:30 Pacific Listen here
Wednesday, July 28 FOGHAT 11:30 PM Eastern/8:30 Pacific Listen here
Does your local rock station carry Rockline? Find out here

May 4

ROCK BIRTHDAYS FOR MAY 4
Mick Mars of Motley Crue is 59; Mike Dirnt of Green Day is 38;

ON THIS DATE
1977 The Beatles At The Hollywood Bowl is released
1987 Paul Butterfield of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band dies of a heart attack in his home in Hollywood, California at the age of 44
2004 Slash and Duff McKagan file a lawsuit against Axl Rose alleging he stopped movie music deals worth $1 million
2007 Chad Kroeger of Nickelback gets into a fight outside a nightclub in Vancouver, British Columbia after the dude shouted "Nickelback sucks!"

IN CONCERT
Wednesday, May 5 SALIVA Firestone Live Orlando
Wednesday, May 5 SEVEN MARY THREE Mucho Orlando
Saturday, September 4 UPROAR FESTIVAL with AIRBOURNE, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, DISTURBED, HALESTORM, HELLYEAH, STONE SOUR and others Ford Ampitheatre Tampa

IN THE NEWS
Meat Loaf Brings 'Teddy Bear' To America
Rush Documentary Wins Tribeca Audience Award
Peter Gabriel's Orchestral Spectacle Arrives in New York

ROCKLINE with Bob Coburn
Wednesday, May 5 JACKSON BROWNE and DAVID LINDLEY 11:30 PM Eastern/8:30 Pacific Listen here
Monday, May 3 JUDAS PRIEST 11:30 PM Eastern/8:30 Pacific Listen here
Does your local rock station carry Rockline? Find out here

March 12

ROCK BIRTHDAYS FOR MARCH 12
Bill Payne from Little Feat is 61; Steve Harris from Iron Maiden is 54;

ON THIS DATE
1969 Paul McCartney married Linda Eastman in London. That same day George and Pattie Harrison are arrested for possession of cannabis resin
1974 John Lennon and Harry Nilsson are kicked out of a Smother's Brothers show in Los Angeles
2003 The Rolling Stones are told by the Chinese Ministry of Culture what songs of theirs they are NOT allowed to perform while touring their country. They are: “Brown Sugar,” “Honky Tonk Women,” “Beast of Burden” and “Let’s Spend The Night Together”
2007 Van Halen is inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame by Slash and Scott Weiland from Velvet Revolver. Eddie Vedder inducted R.E.M.

IN CONCERT
Saturday, March 13 ED KOWALCZYK (of LIVE) House Of Blues Lake Buena Vista
Saturday, March 13 ERIC CLAPTON/ROGER DALTRY Amway Arena Orlando
Saturday, March 13 COLLECTIVE SOUL City Hall Plaza Orlando
Saturday, May 1 FOGHAT/BLUE OYSTER CULT Coachman Park Clearwater

IN THE NEWS
Runaways Movie Brings Cherie Currie Back To Music
Appeal Filed In Phil Spector Case
Rachael Ray Enlists Zooey Deschanel, Jakob Dylan For SXSW Party

November 21

ROCK BIRTHDAYS FOR NOVEMBER 21
Dr. John is 69;

ON THIS DATE
1967 The Who Sell Out by the Who is released
1980 Don Henley of the Eagles is charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor when a 16 year old girl is treated at Henley's home for drug intoxication and marijuana, cocaine and Quaaludes are found
1988 The Delicate Sound of Thunder by Pink Floyd is released
1995 Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day is fined $141 for dropping his pants at a Milwaukee concert
1995 Anthology 1 by the Beatles is released and sets the first day sales record of 450,000 CD's sold
2003 Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit is struck on the chin by an object thrown from the audience. Durst requires 7 stitches
2003 Take A Look In The Mirror by KoRn is released
2005 Ozzy Osbourne performs for Queen Elizabeth II at Britain's Royal Variety Performance, singing the Beatles' "In My Life" with Slash from Velvet Revolver
2006 Love by the Beatles is released
2006 27-year-old Devon Townshend is accused of hacking into a workplace computer to acquire Chester Bennington of Linkin Park's cell phone data. The Albuquerque, NM, resident allegedly accessed Bennington's phone records and digital pictures and made a threatening call to the vocalist's wife,Talinda
2007 Chad Kroeger of Nickelback pleads guilty to drunken driving charges in a Surrey, Canada, court. Kroeger has a $600 fine and a one-year ban on driving
2007 It’s announced that Danny Federici of the E Street Band is undergoing treatment for melanoma

July 23

ROCK BIRTHDAYS FOR JULY 23
David Essex is 62; Blair Thornton of Bachman Turner Overdrive is 59; Slash is 44; Nick Menza formerly with Megadeth is 41; Chad Gracey of Live is 38;

ON THIS DATE
1999 Woodstock '99 opened in Rome, New York

New Releases

March 24
PEARL JAM...Ten (Original Recording Remastered) (Deluxe Edition, Collector's Edition, Legacy Edition, 2 Vinyl LP's)
GREEN DAY...Kerplunk [120g Vinyl w/ 1 7 inch single]
BIG COUNTRY...The Final Fling (DVD)
GREEN DAY...1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours [120g Vinyl w/2 7 inch singles]
ERIC GALES...Layin' Down the Blues
B.B. KING...To Know You Is to Love You/L.a. Midnight [IMPORT, Remastered]
BO DIDDLEY...Live 1984 [LIMITED EDITION]
VARIOUS ARTIST...Blues Bureau's Low Down and Dirty Blues
CROSBY, STILLS, NASH AND YOUNG...CSNY/Deja Vu Live [2 LP Vinyl]
JOHN McFEE, STU COOK AND KEITH KNUDSEN...Jackdawg
GENESIS...Selling England by the Pound (Import, Remastered)
IAN GILLAN...One Eye to Morocco [IMPORT, Extremely limited edition pressing, bonus signed seven inch vinyl single with two bonus tracks]
PAPA ROACH...Metamorphosis
MOTLEY CRUE, BUCKCHERRY, SIXX A.M., TRAPT...Motley Crue: Crue Fest 2008 (DVD)
YNGWIE MALMSTEEN...Live in Budokan
YNGWIE MALMSTEEN...Live Animal (DVD)
LITTLE RICHARD...Little Richard: Live at the Toronto Peace Festival 1969 (DVD)
EDDIE COCHRAN...Somethin' Else! The Ultimate Collection [BOX SET]
RICK WAKEMAN...Made In Cuba (DVD)
GENESIS...Foxtrot (Import, Remastered)
FLEETWOOD MAC...Black Magic Woman - Best Of (2 CD's) [IMPORT]
STEVE HOWE...Remedy Live (DVD)
GENESIS...Nursery Cryme [IMPORT, Remastered)
PAUL RODGERS...Live from Glasgow [Blu-ray RELEASE]
ASIA...Fantasia Live in Tokyo (Blu-Ray release)
GENESIS...The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway [IMPORT. Remastered]

March 31
Stevie Nicks...The Soundstage Sessions;
thenewno2...You Are Here
MUDDY WATERS...Authorized Bootleg: Live at the Fillmore Auditorium - San Francisco Nov 04-06 1966 (original recording remastered)
PAUL BUTTERFIELD...Rockpalast: Paul Butterfield (DVD)
STEVIE NICKS...Live In Chicago (DVD)
BOB DYLAN...New Morning (Original Recording Remastered)
BOB DYLAN and the BAND...Before the Flood (Original Recording Remastered)
BOB DYLAN and the GRATEFUL DEAD...Dylan & the Dead (original recording remastered)
BLACK SABBATH...Seventh Star (remastered)
UFO...Beginnings
REO SPEEDWAGON...TRIPLE FEATURE: REO Speedwagon (Slip Case Box Set)
SPIRIT...Vol. 3-Rockpalast: West Coast Legends (1978)(DVD)
HEART...Love Songs
QUEENSRYCHE...American Soldier
FILTER...The Very Best Things (1995-2008)
TED NUGENT...TRIPLE FEATURE: Ted Nugent (Slip Case Box Set)
DUFF McKAGAN'S LOADED...Sick
BILLY SHEEHAN...Holy Cow (UK Edition, Incl. 3 Bonus Tracks)
JEFF BECK...Performing This Week: Live at Ronnie Scott's (DVD) (blu-ray)
BOB DYLAN AND THE BAND...The Basement Tapes (original recording remastered)
LYNYRD SKYNYRD...Authorized Bootleg: Live at Winterland - San Francisco Mar. 07 1976
LYNYRD SKYNYRD...Authorized Bootleg: Live at the Cardiff Capitol Theater - Cardiff, Wales Nov. 04 1975
CINDERELLA...Authorized Bootleg: Live at the Tokyo Dome - Tokyo, Japan Dec. 31 1990
ASIA...Live Sao Paulo March 23rd 2007
TOTO...Playlist: The Very Best of Toto
CHEAP TRICK...Playlist: The Very Best of Cheap Trick
ASIA...Live at Pabst Theatre Milwaukee USA
Nazareth...Hair of the Dog - Live from London (DVD)
OUR LADY PEACE...Playlist: The Very Best of Our Lady Peace
TED NUGENT...Playlist: The Very Best of Ted Nugent

April 28
HEAVEN AND HELL...The Devil You Know

ABSOLUTE ROCK BIRTHDAYS FOR MARCH 23
Ric Ocasek is 60; John Humphrey of The Nixons is 39;

ON THIS DATE
1978 The Police sign with A&M Records
1985 Billy Joel and Chrisite Brinkley marry
2002 Dusty Hill of ZZ Top marries Charleen “Chuck” McCrory
2004 A "Greatest Hits" CD is released by Guns 'N' Roses despite a suit filed by Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan

March 3

ON THIS DATE
1966 The Rolling Stones begin recording session in Hollywood for what would become Aftermath.
1967 With Rod Stewart and Ron Wood the Jeff Beck Group make their debutin London.
1978 In Chicago Van Halen begin their first U.S. tour.
1983 Before the U.S. Senate a member of the motorcycle gang Hell's Angels testifies that the organization has a beef with Mick Jagger due to the Altamont incident in 1969. There evidently were two murder attempts on Jagger's life.
1986 Masters Of Puppets by Metallica is released
1994 Kurt Cobain of Nirvana lapses into a coma because of a combination of valium and champagne and is rushed into a hospital in Rome.
1995 Bill Berry of R.E.M. has surgery for a brain aneurysm.
2005 Motley Crue appears on Live With Regis and Kelly
2006 Axl Rose files a counter-suit against Slash. Both want the copyright for Guns 'N' Roses
2008 Norman "Hurricane" Smith dies at the age of 86. Smith worked on several Beatles and Pink Floyd albums.

CONCERT NEWS
Wednesday, March 4 HINDER, MOTLEY CRUE, THEORY OF A DEADMAN UCF Arena Orlando

Guns And Roses - Chinese Democracy - *1/2

Axl Rose finally got around to releasing his epic 'Chinese Democracy'. It's the audio equivalent of Axl erecting a monument to himself. He calls the band Guns N' Roses, but it's an Axl Rose solo album - an Axl Rose self-portrait. When he tries to recall the glory days of his former band, the music sounds forced, imitative. But mostly he tries to erase the aura of the old group, which is another kind of mistake. As a whole, there's no direction, no theme, no focus. And after 15 years, well, that's bound to happen.
At times bewildering and frequently exhausting, it's easy to imagine that Chinese Democracy took 10 years just to mix.
There ARE flashes of real promise in some of the melodies here but all too often they are mired in bombast and misguided arrangements. None of the team of lead guitarists Rose has recruited are any substitute for Slash, but ultimately this album is conclusive proof that Izzy Stradlin was the genuine songwriting talent in Guns N' Roses.
There's talented people here of course but they've missed the mark. Fifteen years? It will be another 15 years before I listen to this album again. Now that he has this epic out and behind him, let's hope that maybe he will now get back to his roots, strip away the gloss and make a rock and roll record soon.
Not recommended.