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About Queen

2008-05-19T12:22:00.000-07:00

Queen are an English rock band formed in 1970 in London by guitarist Brian May, lead vocalist Freddie Mercury, and drummer Roger Taylor, with bass guitarist John Deacon joining the following year. Queen rose to prominence during the 1970s and are Britain's most successful band of the past three decades

The band is noted for their musical diversity, multi-layered arrangements, vocal harmonies, and incorporation of audience participation into their live performances. Their 1985 Live Aid performance was voted the best live rock performance of all time in an industry poll.

Queen had moderate success in the early 1970s, with the albums Queen and Queen II, but it was with the release of Sheer Heart Attack in 1974 and A Night at the Opera the following year that the band gained international success. Since 1975, eighteen of the band's albums have reached number one on numerous charts around the world. Since 1973, they have released fifteen studio albums, five live albums, and numerous compilation albums.

Following Mercury's death in 1991 and Deacon's retirement later in the decade, May and Taylor have performed infrequently under the Queen name. Since 2005, they have been collaborating with Paul Rodgers, under the moniker Queen + Paul Rodgers, which has led to Queen recording their first studio album in 13 years.

The History of : Bonjovi

2008-05-19T12:20:00.000-07:00

The Bon Jovi story began in Sayreville, New Jersey. Where Jon and his brothers Matt and Tony were raised by they parents Carol and John Bongiovi (Jon later changed his name). By his early teens, Jon was hanging out at local clubs, convinced that one day he would be a rock star.
The area's local music scene was rocking then and there, with the music of rising stars Bruce Springsteen and Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes leading the pack. "Just like Seattle is hot right now, 20 years ago it was Asbury Park, New Jersey", Jon told writer Rick Petreycik. "That was so close to my backyard, and when you're 13 or 14, or 15 years old, you can't help but hear about it and have it affect you. When you went down to Asbury Park, what was the crummy boardwalk became Americana. What was splintered wood became sacred ground, and you went, 'Ooh, aah'. And those things romanticized the idea, The myth became the legend, and one thing led to another, and I think blind faith is what got me here." That, and a little help from his friends.
By the time he was 16, Jon was playing clubs. It was not long before he hooked up with keyboardist David Bryan (real name: David Brian Rashbaum), who played with him in a ten-piece rhythm and blues band called Atlantic City Expressway. Jon also performed with bands called The Rest, The Lechers and John Bongiovi and the Wild Ones.
Meanwhile, Richie Sambora was also performing locally with a funk and fusion outfit called Extremes, before hooking up with Alec John Such in the band The Message. After The Message broke up, Alec played with Tico Torres in Phantom's Opera.
The members of Bon Jovi hade crossed paths in these early days, but the current lineup didn't come together until March of 1983 after th first Bon Jovi single, "Runaway," had become a minor hit.
In one of those right place/right time/right person scenarios, Jon managed to get a job sweeping floors at a recording studio through a relative. His second cousin, Tony Bongiovi, was a co-owner of the power station in New York City. Jon had written "Runaway," and in 1980, he recorded a demo of the song at his cousin's studio, with back-up by studio musicians whom Tony had hired, including Frankie La Roca, Tim Pierce, Hugh McDonald and Roy Bittan.
A local radio station included "Runaway" on a compilation tape, and the song started getting some serious airplay. The success of "Runaway" got Jon noticed, and he realized that he'd need more than session players if he wanted to capitalize on his success by touring the New York clubs to support the single.
Jon gave Dave a call, who in turn tapped Alec and Tico. A succession of guitarists (including Dave "The Snake" Sabo, who went on to form Skid Row) followed, until finally Richie signed on, and the band came together as a whole. They began gigging around New York in earnest.
At one show, where they opened for Scandal, the band caught the attention of record exec Derek Shulman, who signed them to PolyGram. "With Jon, I felt he had an unbelievable desire to be a star", recalls Shulman. "he had a burning desire to be huge".
PolyGram toyed with the name, throwing out monikers like "Victor" then "Johnny Lightening", before Shulman anglicized John Bongiovi's name to Bon Jovi.
Their self-titled debut came out January 21, 1984. Filled with the group's now-signature power ballads and hooked-filled tunes underscored by soaring guitar riffs and well-crafted melodies, the album went gold (sales of over 500,000).
The album was a rugged soulful collection of songs about how tough it is being a teenager. Buoeyed by the renewed sucess of "Runaway", and backed by the follow-up single "She Don't Know Me".
Bon Jovi releasead their follow-up album, 7800 Farenheit, in April 1985 wich included the hit singles "Only Lonely" and "Silent Night", it sold equally to its predecesor.
Tours opening for the Scorpions, Kiss and Judas Priest had helped Bon jovi build up a considerable fan base which appreciated the band's anthemic songs and powerful stage presence. Clearly, Bon Jovi was poised on the edge of greatness.
Slippery When Wet, the band's third album, provided the break-trough. Powered by songs like "Livin' on a Prayer" and "Wanted Dead or Alive", the LP went gold and platinum simultaneously within six weeks of its six weeks of its release. By April of 1987, Slippery When Wet had sold seven million copies.
The world ate and slept Bon Jovi, they won the American Music Award and People's Choice Awards as Band Of The Year, MTV gave Bon Jovi a Best Performance Award for the video "Livin' on a Prayer".
Jon was asked what all this astronomical success meant, to which he answered, "Everything is bigger, and it moves twice as fast. You're recognized twice as often. This is bigger, the whole world gets bigger. You have to sell more records, be huger. You get smarter and you understand the business a little more, so it's more responsability. You understand it now, and you want to make sure everything goes right".
Instead of traveling by bus, Bon Jovi went from gig to gig in a luxuriously converted Grumman G-I jet. By the time the Slippery Tour finished in Hawaii on October 17, 1987, the album had sold in excess of 14 million copies, putting it in the same league af astronomical successes as Thriller by Michael Jackson.

The History of : Oasis

2008-05-19T12:13:00.001-07:00

As a young teenager living in Manchester, Noel Gallagher was often confined to his home as punishment for partaking in petty crimes. Out of sheer boredom, he picked up a guitar and started messing about with it. Little did he know that this humble start would lay the foundation for one of the most successful rock bands in history. In August of 1991 Noel’s Brother Liam and three friends started a band. Noel eventually also joined, and took over creative control. And so, Oasis was born. They slowly gained a small but loyal following, and in 1993 they had their sights set on a record deal. They travelled to Glasgow to try and impress a record executive who was scouting bands in a local club, King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut. After bullying their way into a 20 minute slot, they duly wowed Alan Mcgee, head of Creation. Soon afterwards he offered them a contract. In February of 1994, before their debut had even hit the shelves, the members of Oasis already started getting into the kind of trouble that would become a continued trademark of the band. Following a fight on a ferry, the band was deported from Holland, leading to the cancellation of their first gig abroad. Despite this early setback, Oasis went on to release their first three singles (Supersonic, Shakermaker, and Live Forever). All three made an impression on the UK charts, landing at numbers 31, 11 and 10 respectively. In August of the same year, Definitely Maybe was released. Critics hailed it as a breath of fresh air for the choking UK music industry. The album went on to become the fastest selling debut in UK history, surpassing the band’s icons, the Beatles. The album’s raw sound and uplifting anthems were an instant hit with the public.

By 1995 Oasis had been firmly established as one of Britain’s biggest acts, and they experienced the first of what would be many line-up changes, replacing drummer Tony McCarroll with Alan White. Following an exhausting touring schedule for Definitely Maybe, Oasis headed back into the studio that summer. The result, (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?, was a fantastic success. Critics again praised the album, and it shot straight to the UK number 1. It also sold exceedingly well in the US, cementing Oasis’ position as the biggest transatlantic export since the Beatles.

In 1996, Oasis’ gig at Knebworth saw the largest gathering of people to see a single act in UK history. Following that, Oasis played an acoustic set on MTV’s Unplugged. Liam bailed on the band minutes before they were scheduled to perform, leaving Noel to take over lead vocals. This signalled the start of an extended row between Liam and Noel. On August 26, 1996, nearly two years after the release of Definitely Maybe, Liam refused to join the band on tour. Noel, fed up with Liam’s antics, decided to forge ahead with the tour regardless of his absence. A week later Liam rejoined the band, calming fears of Oasis’ instability. On September 11, Noel quit the band. The frantic press questioned whether Oasis was done. He soon returned, however, and the band went ahead to record their 3rd album. Be Here Now broke the spell Oasis had cast on critics. They widely disliked the record, calling it overly indulgent and too long. Fans shunned the critics and rushed out in droves to buy it. It went on to sell more than 7 million copies. Some time after its release, Noel revealed he himself didn’t like it. In later concerts material from Be Here Now very rarely made the set list. Over the next three years Oasis received much attention from the tabloids, but not because of their music. Both Noel and Liam were married in 1997, and both later divorced. Liam divorced actress Patsy Kensit in 2000, while Noel divorced Meg Mathews in 2001. In 1998 Liam was banned from Cathay Pacific Airlines after an incident on a flight, to the delight of the press. Although Oasis didn’t release any new material during this period, they put out The Masterplan, a collection of B-Sides. Fans were delighted with it, as Oasis is notorious for producing B-Sides that rival any A-Side released by other bands. In early 1999, Noel wanted to return to the studio to record the band’s fourth album. He had kicked the drug habit he had nourished for years, and demanded his little brother Liam do the same before recording began. Liam eventually agreed, and Oasis was clean sober for the first time since they started.

In an unexpected move, both Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs (Rhythm guitar) and Paul McGuigan (Bass) left the band. They were promptly replaced. Gem Archer (Guitar) and Andy Bell (Bass) joined the band, and shortly thereafter Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants was released. It received mixed reviews, but many critics saw it as a return to old form for Oasis. During the tour for Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants, the band also recorded a double live album, Familiar To Millions. The tour was their most successful up to that point, showing the world that Oasis was still very much in the game. Standing on the Shoulder Of Giants also saw Liam penning his first track to appear on a record, Little James. For the next two years the band continued to tour, and in early 2002 they were finishing up their fifth studio album, Heathen Chemistry. It reached number 1 in the UK albums chart, and every single released from the disc reached the top 5. Another milestone for Liam was seeing Songbird, one of his songs, being released as a single. Heathen Chemistry was the first Oasis album that wasn’t almost solely written by Noel. Liam contributed three tracks, with Gem Archer and Andy Bell each adding one. Fans were delighted to see the band as a whole contributing to the album. Although the band was apparently drug-free, that didn’t stop Liam from getting in a bar fight in late 2002. He spent the night in prison, and made good use of the time by writing a song about it. Oasis has kept very busy during the last couple of years, constantly touring and promoting Heathen Chemistry. Liam and Noel also both collaborated separately with several artists. Liam teamed up with acts such as Death In Vegas and Prodigy while Noel worked with Ian Brown. In early 2004 Oasis started work on their sixth studio album, recruiting Death In Vegas as producers. However, Noel didn’t like the material the band was coming up with. Time ran out in the studio, Death In Vegas had to leave because of other commitments, and Noel was stuck with a half-finished album he wasn’t happy with. He eventually scrapped the entire project and decided to start over. This was the second setback the band had been faced with in 2004, after having been forced to sack drummer Alan White. Reportedly, he hadn’t been pulling his own weight.

In June Oasis headlined Glastonbury. They revealed two new songs amidst a stellar best-of set. The performance received mixed reviews, with the bulk being negative. Loyal fans stuck to their guns, however, proclaiming the set as triumphant. The band is currently back in the studio, with new drummer Zak Starskey, and hopes to have some new songs out by the end of the year. The 10 year anniversary of Definitely Maybe was also marked with the recent release of a DVD. Although Oasis has had more than their fare share of trouble during their career, they seem determined to keep on doing their thing. With a new album on the horizon and the band in a seemingly stable condition, it seems that they might remain a significant force in the world of rock for years to come.

Stand By Me

2008-05-17T19:26:00.000-07:00

Made a meal and threw it up on sunday,
I’ve, got a lot of things to learn,
Said I would and I believe in one day,
Before my heart starts to burn.

So what’s the matter with you,
Sing me something new,
Don’t you know the cold and wind and rain don’t know,
They only seem to come and go, away.

Times are hard when things have got no meaning,
I’ve found a key upon the floor,
Maybe you and I will not believe in,
The thing we find behind the door.

So what’s the matter with you,
Sing me something new,
Don’t you know the cold and wind and rain don’t know,
They only seem to come and go away.

Stand by me,
Nobody knows the way it’s gonna be,
Stand by me,
Nobody knows the way it’s gonna be,
Stand by me,
Nobody knows the way it’s gonna be,
Stand by me,
Nobody knows,
Yeah nobody knows,
The way it’s gonna be.

If your leaving will you take me with you,
I’m tired of talking on my phone,
There is one thing I can never give you,
My heart will never be your home,

So what’s the matter with you,
Sing me something new,
Don’t you know the cold and wind and rain don’t know,
They only seem to come and go, away.

Stand by me,
Nobody knows the way it’s gonna be,
Stand by me,
Nobody knows the way it’s gonna be,
Stand by me,
Nobody knows the way it’s gonna be,
Stand by me,
Nobody knows, yeah nobody knows,
The way it’s gonna be.

The way it’s gonna be, yeah.
Maybe I can see, yeah,
But don’t you know the cold and wind and rain don’t know
They only seem to come and go, away.

Stand by me,
Nobody knows the way it’s gonna be,
Stand by me,
Nobody knows the way it’s gonna be,
Stand by me,
Nobody knows the way it’s gonna be,
Stand by me,
Nobody knows,
Yeah God only knows,
The way it’s gonna be.

2008-05-12T13:18:00.000-07:00

Misunderstood – Bon Jovi

Should I? Could I?
Have said the wrong things right a thousand times
If I could just rewind, I see it in my mind
If I could turn back time, you'd still be mine

You cried, I died
I should have shut my mouth, things headed south
As the words slipped off my tongue, they sounded dumb
If this old heart could talk, it'd say you're the one
I'm wasting time when I think about it

Chorus:
I should have drove all night, I would have run all the lights
I was misunderstood
I stumbled like my words, Did the best I could
Damn, misunderstood

Could I? Should I?
Apologize for sleeping on the couch that night
Staying out too late with all my friends
You found me passed out in the yard again

You cried, I tried
To stretch the truth, but didn't lie
It's not so bad when you think about it

Chorus:

I should have drove all night, I would have run all the lights
I was misunderstood
I stumbled like my words, did the best I could
Damn, misunderstood
Intentions good

Guitar Solo

It's you and I, just think about it...

Chorus:
I should have drove all night
I would have run all the lights
I was misunderstood
I stumbled like my words, did the best I could
I 'm hanging outside your door
I've been here before
Misunderstood

I stumbled like my words, did the best I could
Damn, misunderstood
Intentions Good.

oasis's lyric

2008-05-12T13:11:00.000-07:00

"dont look back in anger"

Slip inside the eye of your mind
Don't you know you might find
A better place to play
You said that you'd never been
But all the things that you've seen
Will slowly fade away

So I start a revolution from my bed
'Cause you said the brains I had went to my head
Step outside the summertime's in bloom
Stand up beside the fireplace
Take that look from off your face
You ain't ever gonna burn my heart out

And so Sally can wait, she knows it's too late as we're walking on by
Her soul slides away, but don't look back in anger
I heard you say

Take me to the place where you go
Where nobody knows, if it's night or day.
Please don't put your life in the hands
Of a Rock 'n Roll band
Who'll throw it all away

I'm gonna start the revolution from my bed
'Cos you said the brains I had went to my head
Step outside cos summertime's in bloom
Stand up beside the fireplace
Take that look from off your face
Cos you ain't ever gonna burn my heart out

And So Sally can wait, she knows it's too late as she's walking on by.
My soul slides away, but don't look back in anger
I heard you say

So Sally can wait, she knows it's too late as we're walking on by
Her soul slides away, but don't look back in anger
I heard you say

And So Sally can wait, she knows it's too late and she's walking on by
My soul slides away, but don't look back in anger, don't look back in anger
I heard you say

At least not today.