KLA SSIK
The Classic Rock Magazine
ISSUE 01 / Mar 2012 / $4.99 USD
P.2 2
PINK FLOYD p.06
U2 p.24
An English psychedelic rock band, also often known as the progressive rock band with psychedelic influences.
Kevin Mazur is liveshow photographer. One of his best works is “U2 360 Tour”.
bb king p.12
TOP ALBUMS p.28
The king of blues rock. His guitar skills are perfect, attractive and so imaginary.
Editor’s choice top 5 rock albums this month such as “ZZ Top” with their 3rd album “Tres Hombres”.
MEGADETH p.14
FREE CD p.29
One of the “Big Four of Thrash Metal”. Metal - the band played - called technical thrash metal.
9 tracks with British artists like “Black Sabbath”, “Deep Purple” and “Led Zeppelin” from “3 Pioneers of Heavy Metal”.
C D / C . A S V S S KI
THE CLASSIC ROCK MAGAZINE
KLASSIK EDITOR
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TABLE OF CONTENTS PROG.
BLUES
HEAVY
HARD
ALTER.
06 10 14 22 24 06 // PINK FLOYD
18 // IRON MAIDEN
08 // OPETH
22 // KISS VS AC/DC
10 // JJ GREY & MORO
24 // U2
12 // BB KING
28 // STUFF
14 // MEGADETH
06
PROGRESSIVE
f ps
English psychedelic rock band Pink Floyd (the band is also considered a progressive rock band) was formed in 1965 by Syd Barrett (lead vocals) and Roger Waters (co-lead vocals, guitarist). Barrett left the band in 1968 and Waters became (and remained) the band’s leader (music, lyrics, concepts, genre) until his departure from the band in 1985. The band officially split up in 1996 but reunited in 2005 for a single charity gig. The reunion didn’t involve Syd, who had left the music world decades ago. Barrett died in 2006. The band released 14 studio albums In total. Among their biggest hits were Another Brick in the Wall (from the 1979 album The Wall) and Wish You Were Here (from the 1975 album of the same name). Both of these albums are concept albums. Wish You Were Here is centered around Syd Barrett, his absence from the band and his mental state, as well as the music industry. As it is often the case with concept albums, there are few tracks. The album has 5 songs in total, with the shortest track lasting for over 5 minutes and the longest track over 13 minutes. The Wall is centered around the themes of isolation and it is most famous for the song Another Brick in The Wall, as well its controversial lyrics and video. I bet right now you are tempted to sing “We don’t need no education, We don’t need no thought control, No dark sarcasm in the classroom, Teachers leave them kids alone”. Unlike Wish You Were Here, however, The Wall has 4 sides, so many more songs with much shorter durations. Pink Floyd has sold over 200,000,000 albums worldwide and continues to inspire many new alternative and progressive rock bands.
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From left: vocalist/guitarist David Gilmour, drummer Nick Mason, bassist Roger Waters and keyboarist Richard Wright. Photo Getty Images
pink floyd ychedelic rock Psychedelic rock’s popularity rose in the 60s and 70s, where many rock musicians and band members were experimenting with different types of drugs, and using their “high” state of minds to write songs MAR 2012 KLASSIK
08
PROGRESSIVE
Opeth progressive metal
Their distinct sound mixes death metal with progressive rock.
01
01 Bassist Martín Méndez. 02 Drummer Martin “Axe” Axenrot. Photo roadrunnerrecords.fr
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Opeth is obviously a 90s band, but with influences from between 19601996! I’d say we are the kings at what we do! ” Opeth’s frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt
03
Opeth is a Swedish heavy metal band from Stockholm, formed in 1990. Though the group has been through several personnel changes, singer, guitarist, and songwriter Mikael Åkerfeldt has remained Opeth’s driving force throughout the years, although there are no original members in the band. Opeth has consistently incorporated progressive, folk, blues, classical and jazz influences into their usually lengthy compositions, as well as noticeable influences from black metal and death metal, most notably in their early works. Many songs include acoustic guitar passages and strong dynamic shifts, as well as both death growls and clean vocals. Opeth rarely made live appearances supporting their first four albums; but since conducting their first world tour after the 2001 release of Blackwater Park, they have led several major world tours. Opeth has released ten studio albums, three live DVDs, three live albums (two that are in conjunction with DVDs), and
two boxsets. The band released its debut album Orchid in 1995. Although their eighth studio album, Ghost Reveries, was quite popular in the United States, Opeth did not experience major American commercial success until the 2008 release of their ninth studio album, Watershed, which peaked at number twentythree on the Billboard 200, and topped the Finnish albums chart in its first week of release. As Opeth’s primary songwriter and lyricist, vocalist/guitarist Mikael Åkerfeldt heads the direction of Opeth’s sound. Åkerfeldt is also the only original member, influenced at a young age by heavy metal bands such as Iron Maiden, Slayer, Death,
04
Black Sabbath, Celtic Frost, King Diamond, Morbid Angel, and most importantly Judas Priest. Åkerfeldt considers Sad Wings of Destiny the best metal album of all time, and notes that there was a time when he only listened to Judas Priest. Åkerfeldt sings “Here Come the Tears” by Judas Priest before most Opeth concerts while warming up.
03 Vocalist/guitarist Mikael Åkerfeldt. 04 Keyboardist Joakim Svalberg on piano and bassist Martín Méndez.
Photo roadrunnerrecords.fr
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10
Blues
JJ Grey & Mofro
heat up the Pageant with rhythm & blues Writing Amy Burger Photo Tobin Voggesser
The Pageant was already filling up nicely with music fans spanning a wide range of ages as Atlanta-based openers Ponderosa took the stage Saturday night, a perfect pairing for the down-South flavor of JJ Grey & Mofro.
W
hile many opening acts are viewed as background music while folks get their beers, find their places and settle in, it was clear from the get-go that the musicians of Ponderosa were not going to accept this passive role. Instead they commanded the stage, paying homage to their roots with Southern rock that echoed classics like Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Allman Brothers Band as well as fellow Georgians the Black Crowes and Widespread Panic. Ponderosa had the crowd on its feet, stomping and clapping and even providing a standing ovation -- quite a rarity for an opening band. Needless to say, the crowd was more than warmed up by the time the headliner hit the stage. After a brief introduction, JJ Grey & Mofro emerged and started off the show on a surprisingly slow note with the thoughtful King Hummingbird from their new album Georgia Warhorse, a beautiful song for sure, but a bit of an awkward choice for a show opener after the energy left
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by the Ponderosa. Yet by the end of the song, Grey and the band built it to the powerful crescendo, providing the glimpse of the magic that was to really coming. Once again theshowing his versatility, Grey switched the gears for the ‘50s-60s-soulinspired’ The Wrong Side, channeling a bit of Otis Redding, one of his greatest influences. Grey’s singing voice is soulful beyond his years. Probably the best example of this was the A Woman, a soul ballad dripping with horns that sounds as if it might have been penned by Redding himself Grey’s band, Mofro, gives perfect context to his gruff and emotional voice. Notes dripped from Andrew Trube’s guitar like honey at times, then bore through like a steam train at others. Anthony Farrell “took it to church” on the organ and keys, adding elements of gospel and even ‘60s psychedelic rock. The horn section comprised of trumpet player Dennis Marion and tenor saxophonist Art Edmaiston brought
flavors of the New Orleans jazz and blues (and some delightful backup dancing). Native St. Louisan Todd Smallie (formerly of the Grammy-winning Derek Trucks Band) laid down the funky bass line while Floridian Anthony Cole kept the beat (and then some) on the drums. Their sound was produced as a whole can be summed up in only one word: joyous. Nearly as engaging as Grey’s singing voice is his speaking voice, telling tales of life down South in his slow and charming bayou drawl. He mused particularly long before the song Lochloosa, about the place near his home in Jacksonville, Fla., which he says “takes all his problems away.” This was admittedly my first time seeing JJ Grey & Mofro; I will never miss an opportunity again. With elements of everything from blues to soul, funk, R&B, Southern rock and even jazz, this band is a musical ride like no the others, and I’m really fully onboard.
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JJ Grey guitarist
12
blues
B.B. King performed Thursday night at Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort in Mount Pleasant along his 2011 tour. Photo Andrew Kuhn
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THE KING OF BLUES
B
B. King, byname of Riley B. King (born Sept. 16, 1925, Itta Bena, near Indianola, Miss., U.S.), American guitarist and singer who was a principal figure in the development of blues and from whose style leading popular musicians inspiration. King was reared in the Mississippi delta, and gospel music in church was the earliest influence on his singing. To his own impassioned vocal calls, King played lyrical single-string guitar responses with a distinctive vibrato; his guitar style was influenced by T-Bone Walker, by delta blues players (including his cousin Bukka White), and by such jazz guitarists as Django Reinhardt and Charlie Christian. He worked for a time as a disk jockey in Memphis, Tennessee (notably at station WDIA), where he acquired
According to Edward M. Komara, King “introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending and shimmering vibrato that would influence virtually every electric blues guitarist that followed.” the name B.B. (for Blues Boy) King. In 1951 he made a hit record of Three O’Clock Blues, which led to virtually continuous tours of clubs and theatres throughout the country. He often played 300 or more onenight stands a year with his 13-piece band. A long succession of hits, including Every Day I Have the Blues, Sweet Sixteen, and The Thrill Is Gone, enhanced his popularity. By the late 1960s rock guitarists acknowledged his influence and priority; they introduced King and his guitar, Lucille, to a broader white public, who until then had heard blues chiefly in derivative versions. In 2008 the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center opened in Indianola, with exhibits dedicated to King’s music, his influences, and the history of the delta region. King’s autobiography, Blues All Around Me, written with David Ritz, was published in 1996.
MAR 2012 KLASSIK
14
HEAVY METAL
01
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01 From left: drummer Shawn
02 From left: guitarist Chris
03 Dave Mustaine live at Volk-
Drover, bassist Dave Ellefson, vocalist Dave Mustaine and guitarist Chris Broderick.
Broderick, drummer Shawn Drover, bassist Dave Ellefson and vocalist Dave Mustaine.
Photo Katrin Bretscher
shaus, Zurich, April 13 2011.
MEGADETH T E C HT H R A S H Photo roadrunnerrecords.fr
02
Photo roadrunnerrecords.fr
the band was formed in 1983 and was ranked as one of the “Big Four of Thrash metal� along with Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax.
03
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HEAVY METAL
I like jazz, but I could never play it. You just sit there with a guitar the size of a Chevy on your chest, wearing a stupid hat, playing the same ring lyrical themes, often involving politics, solo for an hour war, addiction, and personal relationships.
band former Dave Mustaine
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Founded by Dave Mustaine following his departure from Metallica, the band has since released twelve studio albums, six live albums, two EPs, twenty six singles, thirty-two music videos, and three compilations. As a pioneer of the American thrash metal movement, Megadeth rose to international fame in the 1980s, but experienced numerous line-up changes, due partly to the band’s notorious substance abuse problems. From 1983 to 2002, Mustaine and bassist Dave Ellefson were the only continuous members of the band. After finding sobriety and securing a stable line-up, Megadeth went on to release a string of platinum and gold albums, including the platinum-selling landmark Rust in Peace in 1990 and the Grammy nominated, multi-platinum Countdown to Extinction in 1992. Megadeth disbanded in 2002 after Mustaine suffered a severe nerve injury to his left arm. However, following extensive physical therapy, Mustaine reformed the band in 2004 and released The System Has Failed, followed by United Abominations in 2007; the albums debuted on the Billboard Top 200 chart at #18 and #8, respectively. Megadeth, along with their new lead guitarist Chris Broderick, released their twelfth studio album, titled Endgame, on September 15, 2009. Megadeth is known for a distinctive guitar style, often involving complex, intricate musical passages, and trade off guitar solos. Mustaine is also known for his original “snarling” vocal style, as well as his recurKLASSIK MAR 2012
Megadeth has had commercial success worldwide and has sold more than 20 million albums, with six consecutive albums being certified platinum in the USA. The band has also received great critical acclaim with seven consecutive Grammy nominations for Best Metal Performance. In the band’s 24 active years, Megadeth has had 20 official members, with Dave Mustaine remaining as the driving force, main songwriter, and sole original member following the end of his musical partnership with David Ellefson in 2002, due to personal disagreements. In the mid-late 1980s, Megadeth are one of the “Big Four of Thrash,” along with Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax, who were responsible for creating, developing and popularizing the thrash metal sub-genre. With over 25 million albums sold worldwide, ten top 40 albums (including 5 top 10 albums), 18 top 40 Mainstream Rock singles, and seven Grammy nominations, Megadeth remains one of the most successful heavy metal bands of all time. Of the “Big Four” thrash metal bands (Megadeth, Metallica, Anthrax, and Slayer), Megadeth is second only to Metallica in sales and commercial success. As an early pioneer of thrash metal, Megadeth helped pave the way for the burgeoning extreme metal movement of the late 1980s and early 1990s, and is often cited as an influence by the later metal artists, including Pantera, Arch Enemy, Lamb of God, and In Flames...
From left: vocalist Dave Mustaine and guitarist Chris Broderick.
Photo roadrunnerrecords.fr
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HEAVY METAL
IRON MAIDEN BRITISH HEAVY METAL Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band from Leyton in east London, formed in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. Since their inception, the band’s discography has grown to include a total of thirty-eight albums: fifteen studio albums; ten live albums; four EPs; and seven compilations.
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01 From left: guitarist Dave Murray, guitarist Janick Gers, vocalist Bruce Dickinson, bassist Steve Harris, drummer Nicko McBrain & guitarist Adrian Smith.
01
Photo John McMurtrie
02 Vocalist Bruce Dickinson live at Bluesfest, July 6 2010
Photo Scott Penner
A
s a pioneer of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement, Iron Maiden rose to fame in the early 1980s, and after several lineup changes, they went on to release a string of platinum and gold albums. These include the US platinum-selling landmark The Number of the Beast in 1982 and the follow up Piece of Mind in 1983. Iron Maiden released their newest studio effort in 2006 entitled A Matter of Life and Death peaked at number nine on the Billboard 200 and was certified gold in the UK. As one of the most commercially successful heavy metal bands of all time, Iron Maiden have sold more than 70 million albums worldwide, without significant mainstream or radio support. The band won the Ivor Novello Awards for international achievement in 2002, and were also inducted into the Hollywood RockWalk in Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, California during their tour in the United States in 2005. Their influences include acts Thin Lizzy, UFO, Deep Purple, Uriah Heep and Wishbone Ash. Iron Maiden were ranked #24 in VH1’s “100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock”. The band were ranked fourth on MTV’s “Top 10 Greatest Heavy Metal Bands of All Time”. Iron Maiden were named as the third best heavy metal band of all time on VH1 Classic: Top 20 Metal Bands.
Iron Maiden frequently use the slogan “Up the Irons” in their disc liner notes, and the phrase can also be seen on several t-shirts officially licensed by the band. “The Irons” has been used to refer to the London football club, West Ham United, of which founder Steve Harris is a fan of them. Fans of Iron Maiden have been known to use the phrase as a greeting or sign-off to other Iron Maiden fans. Iron Maiden’s mascot, Eddie, is a perennial fixture in the band’s science fiction and horror-influenced album cover art, as well as in live shows. Eddie was drawn by Derek Riggs until 1992, although there have been various versions by numerous artists including Melvyn Grant. Eddie is also featured in a firstperson shooter video game from the band, Ed Hunter, as well as numerous books, graphic comics and the band related merchandise.
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MAR 2012 KLASSIK
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22
HARD ROCK
KISS
1973 KISS IS formed
in New York, USA. The 1973– ’80 original lineup of Gene Simmons, Peter Criss, Ace Frehley and Paul Stanley is the most successful.
20 STUDIO ALBUMS
,10 live albums, 13 compilation albums, 57 singles and 15 video albums which the band released
130.000.000 COPIES
which the band estimated to has sold in worldwide
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With their makeup and costumes, KISS took on the personas of comic book-style characters... Well known for its members’ face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the middle to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting, smoking guitars, shooting rockets, levitating drum kits and pyrotechnics. Buoyed by a wave of Kiss nostalgia in the 1990s, the band announced a reunion of the original lineup in 1996. The resulting Kiss Alive/Worldwide/Reunion Tour was the top-grossing act of 1996 and 1997. Criss and Frehley have since left Kiss again, but the band continues with Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer, respectively. Stanley and Simmons have remained the only two constant members. Kiss has been named in many Top lists. They include Number 10 on VH1’s 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock, 9th on Greatest Heavy Metal Band of All Time list by MTV, #1 on Hit Paraders’s Top 100 Live Bands, 56th on VH1’s 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, and 26th on Gibson’s 50 Greatest American Rock Bands. Kiss was nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, ten years after becoming eligible. However, on December 15, 2009, it was announced that Kiss did not make it in.
V
S
A C/D C AC/DC IS Mainly hard rock, but they do have several songs that bend towards heavy metal... Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal and are sometimes classified as so, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply rock and roll. To date they are one of the highest grossing bands of all time. As of 2010, AC/DC have sold more than 200 million albums worldwide, as of the releases of their latest albums, Black Ice and the Iron Man 2 soundtrack, including 71 million albums in the United States. It was their biggest hit on the charts since For Those About to Rock, reaching No.1 on all the charts eventually. Back in Black has sold an estimated 50 million units worldwide, making it the highest-selling album by any band and the second-highest-selling album in history, behind Thriller by Michael Jackson. The album has sold 22 million in the US alone, where it is the fifth-highest-selling album. AC/DC ranked fourth on VH1’s list of the 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock and were named 7th Greatest Heavy Metal Band of All Time by MTV. In 2004, AC/DC were ranked Number 72 in the Rolling Stone list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. In 2010, AC/DC were ranked number 23 in the VH1 list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
1973 AC/DC IS formed
in Sydned, Australia. The 1974–’80 original lineup of Malcolm Young, Phil Rudd, Augus Young and Bon Scott is the most successful.
14 STUDIO ALBUMS
,5 live albums, 2 compilation albums, 46 singles and 12 video albums which the band released
150.000.000 COPIES
which the band estimated to has sold in worldwide
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U2
24
360 world T O U R photo by Kevin Mazur
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ALTERNATIVE
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London, England August 15 2009 KLASSIK MAR 2012
Denver, Colora1d1o May 21 20
Barce June 3 lona, Sp 0 20 ain 09
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STUFF
EDITOR’S CHOICE
// top 5 this month Artist: ZZ Top Album: Tres Hombres Genre: Blues Rock Year: 1973 Rating:
Artist: The Rolling Stones Album: Some Girls Genre: Psychedelic Rock Year: 1978 Rating:
Tres Hombres is the third album by ZZ Top and was released in 1973. The album hit the top ten while the single “La Grange” hit #41 on the singles chart.
Some Girls is the 14th British and 16th American studio album by The Rolling Stones, released in 1978 on Rolling Stones Records, catalogue COC 39108.
Artist: Journey Album: Escape Genre: Hard Rock Year: 1981 Rating:
Artist: Possessed Album: Seven Churches Genre: Death Metal Year: 1985 Rating:
Artist: Mötley Crüe Album: Dr. Feelgood Genre: Glam Metal Year: 1989 Rating:
Escape (stylized on the album cover as E5C4P3) is Journey’s seventh studio album, released in 1981. The album features four hit Billboard Hot 100 singles.
Seven Churches is the debut album by Possessed, released in 1985. The website About.com ranked the album first in its list of “10 Essential Death Metal albums”.
Dr. Feelgood is the fifth album by Mötley Crüe, released in 1989. This is the last album to feature Vince Neil until his return for their 1997 album Generation Swine.
KLASSIK MAR 2012
THE CLASSIC ROCK MAGAZINE
KLASSIK FREE 9 TRACKS 01 // 02 //
WHOLE LOTTA LOVE Led Zeppelin
03 // 04 //
HEARTBREAKER Led Zeppelin
SMOKE ON THE WATER Deep Purple 05 //
06 //
Stairway to Heaven Led Zeppelin
HIGHWAY STAR Deep Purple
WOMAN FROM TOKYO Deep Purple 07 // 08 //
09 //
PARANOID Black Sabbath
IRON MAN Black Sabbath
WAR PIGS Black Sabbath