Poison

Overview
Poison is a Hard Rock band from Los Angeles. Formed by drummer Rikki Rockett and singer Bret Michaels, they started out in Pennsylvania in the early 80s. Their first band together was called the Spectres. They left the Spectres and started Paris with bassist Bobby Dall. They then moved to Los Angeles, where they parted ways with guitarist Matt Smith. Many people tried out for Poison’s vacant lead guitar spot, including soon-to-be Guns N’ Roses lead axeman Slash. They told Slash he had talent but didn’t fit the image.

After hiring C.C. DeVille, they changed their name to the more edgy ‘’Poison’’ and started working their way up the L.A. Club scene. In 1986 they recorded their debut album ‘’Look What the Cat Dragged In’‘, which was made succesful by their massive hit ‘’Talk Dirty To Me’‘, whose video was played on a constant rotation on MTV. Poison’s next album, the fan favorite ‘’Open Up and Say… AH!’’ was carried on the shoulders of the chart topping ballad ‘’Every Rose Has Its Thorn’‘, written by Bret Michaels about his girlfriend cheating on him with Quiet Riot frontman Kevin DuBrow. Poison’s third album, Flesh & Blood, showed Poison’s more mainstream side. After Flesh & Blood came out, Poison started going downhill. C.C. DeVille was in a constant drug binge and couldn’t be found. When Poison was slated to play Unskinny Bop for the MTV Movie Awards, C.C. forgot what song to play and ripped into Talk Dirty To Me on live television. He was fired on the spot.

Guitarist Ritchie Kotzen was brought in to record the album Native Tongue, which showed a new creative turn for the band. Ritchie was a good guitarist, but was thrown out of the band for sleeping with drummer Rikki Rocketts fiance. Poison then brought in Blues Saraceno as guitarist, with whom they recorded ‘’Crack a Smile… and More’‘, one of Poison’s lost gems.

After years of disconnection, C.C. DeVille came back to Poison for a full reunion. They have since toured with many acts, including KISS. They are currently planning a summer tour with fellow hair metal elite Cinderella and have just released a new 20th anniversary greatest hits cd.

Members
Current members
* Bret Michaels – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, harmonica (1983–present) lead guitar, backing vocals (1984)
* C.C. DeVille – lead guitar, backing vocals, occasional lead vocals (1985–1991, 1999–present)
* Bobby Dall – bass, keyboards, piano, backing vocals (1984–present)
* Rikki Rockett – drums, percussion, backing vocals (1984–present)

Former members
* Blues Saraceno – lead guitar, backing vocals (1994–2000)
* Richie Kotzen – lead guitar, mandolin, Dobro, keyboards, backing vocals (1991–1994)
* Steve Silva – lead guitar, backing vocals (1985)
* Matt Smith – lead guitar, backing vocals (1984–1985)
* Leighton Zema – lead vocals (1984)
* Jonathan Combs – synthesizer, gong, backing vocals (1984)
* Patrick Bircher – bass, backing vocals (1984)
* Brian Bircher – drums, percussion, backing vocals (1984)
* James "Weezy" Peters – lead guitar, backing vocals (1983–1984)
* Timothy "Tim" Grace – bass, backing vocals (1983–1984)
* David Besselman – lead guitar, backing vocals (1983)
* Marlin Yohn – lead guitar, backing vocals (1983)
* James Carr – backing vocals, backup dancer (1987–1999)

Discography
* Look What the Cat Dragged In (1986)
* Open Up and Say...Ahh! (1988)
* Flesh and Blood (1990)
* Swallow This Live (1991)
* Native Tongue (1993)
* Crack a Smile...and More! (2000)
* Power to the People (2001)
* Hollyweird (2002)
* Poison'd! (2007)
* Live, Raw & Uncut (2008)

Download
Something To Believe In Every Rose Has it's Thorn

Extreme

Overview

Extreme is a “funk metal” band consisting of guitar virtuoso Nuno Bettencourt, singer/lyricist Gary Cherone, bassist Pat Badger and drummer Kevin Figueiredo. The band first formed in 1985 in Boston with then drummer Paul Geary (who later got replaced by drum god Mike Mangini) until the band decided to go on an indefinite hiatus that ended up lasting more than 10 years (1996-2006). The band’s influences range from the progressive hard rock and elaborate multi-vocals parts of Queen, the energy of Aerosmith and Van Halen, as well as Beatlesque pop and a Led Zeppelin organic feeling. Consequently, Extreme’s music is never easy to classify; it’s not just heavy metal, hard rock, or pop —their albums cover all of that territory with a sweeping ambition and a social consciousness to match. Although a hard rock band, it was the Everly Brothers-style acoustic ballad, “More Than Words,” that crossed them over into the mainstream — it hit number one and the follow-up single, the acoustic-based pop rocker “Hole Hearted,” hit number four.

They released two albums in the hey day of glam metal but recieved diminished attention from the mainstream following the grunge explosion following the release of Nirvana’s ”Nevermind” in 1991. Despite this, they released two more albums before the hiatus. Vocalist Gary Cherone went on to join Van Halen in 1997, replacing Sammy Hagar, and the group released ”Van Halen III.” He left Van Halen soon after, in 1999 and formed Tribe of Judah, with fellow Extreme members Pat Badger and Mike Mangini.

The group reformed in 2004 for a short tour of Boston and Japan, as well as reforming in 2006 for a small US tour.

On november 26th 2007, it was announced that Extreme will come back in 2008 with a new album & tour.

Members
Current members
* Gary Cherone - lead vocals (1985-1996, 2004, 2006, 2007-present)
* Nuno Bettencourt - lead guitar, harmony vocals, backing vocals (1985-1996, 2004, 2006, 2007-present)
* Pat Badger - bass, backing vocals (1986-1996, 2006, 2007-present)
* Kevin Figueiredo - drums, percussion (2007-present)

Former members
* Paul Geary - drums, percussion (1985-1994, 2004, 2006)
* Michael Mangini - drums, percussion (1994-1996)
* Paul Mangone - bass, backing vocals (1985-1986)
* Peter Hunt - rhythm guitar, backing vocals (1986)
* Hal Lebeaux - rhythm guitar, backing vocals (1985) * Carl Restivo - bass, backing vocals (2004)

Discography
Albums
* Extreme - March 14, 1989
* Pornograffitti - August 7, 1990
* III Sides to Every Story - September 22, 1992
* Waiting for the Punchline - January 19, 1995
* Saudades de Rock - August 12, 2008

Other releases
* Extragraffitti - 1990
* Running Gag - 1995
* The Best of Extreme - 2000
* Extreme - 2002

Downloads
Hip Today More Than Words

Mötley Crüe

Overview

Mötley Crüe is a heavy metal band formed in 1981 in Los Angeles, California by bassist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee. They soon found guitarist Mick Mars through a classified ad that stated simply: “Loud, rude, aggressive guitarist available.” Singer Vince Neil, who Tommy had known in high school, joined last. They went on to become one of the the most infamous bands of the 80s.

In late 1981, they released their first album, Too Fast For Love, on their own Leathür Records. It sold over 20,000 copies, which caught the attention of Elektra Records. Elektra signed the band and released their second album, Shout At The Devil, in 1983. Elektra also remixed and re-released Too Fast For Love, chopping off the intro to the title track and dropping Stick To Your Guns altogether. They released Theatre Of Pain in 1985, Girls, Girls, Girls in 1987, and Dr. Feelgood in 1989, embarking on sold out tours for each record. In 1991 they released Decade Of Decadence, a “best of” compilation with a few new tracks, to commemorate 10 years together.

In February 1992, Vince Neil left the band or was fired, depending on which account is to be believed, to be replaced by John Corabi (of The Scream). They released the self-titled Mötley Crüe with Corabi in 1994, which didn’t sell well despite being one of their better recorded and produced albums.

Vince Neil released two solo albums, 1993’s “Exposed”, featuring Billy Idol guitarist Steve Stevens, guitarist Dave Marshall, and Enuff Z’Nuff drummer Vikky Fox. The band scored a big hit with the single and video “You’re Invited(But Your Friend Can’t Come)”. Vince’s second solo album, 1995’s “Carved In Stone”, featured a different band and a more alternative sound, which didn’t sell well, but was a solid effort and would contribute to the direction of the next Motley Crue album when he rejoined the band for 1997’s Generation Swine, appearing for the first time in years on national television at the MTV Video Music Awards with their new version of Shout at the Devil. The band was in peak form, but the album sold poorly.

The reformed band left Elektra records to form their own Mötley Records, bringing with them ownership of all their master recordings. A band in control of its own publishing and masters is something very rare in the recording industry. They released remastered versions of all their albums in 1999, each one containing bonus tracks of previously unreleased material from that era. That year also saw a new album, New Tattoo, which sold fewer than 150,000 copies. Tension between Neil and Lee caused the latter to leave the band.

Tommy Lee put together the band Methods of Mayhem and recorded an album with them. It was released late in 1999, and solo albums were released in 2002 and 2005. He also starred in a reality TV show that followed him to college in 2005.

With Mötley Crüe essentially finished, Nikki Sixx started an alternative hip-hop techno-rock experiment with a couple of good friends called 58 in 2000 and released a single (Piece of Candy) and album (Diet For A New America) that year. Then in 2002, he started forming Brides of Destruction, and released an album with them in 2004, but left the band to reunite the Crue for a world wide tour in 2005. The time spent apart was apparently enough of a cooling-off period to make reconciliation a possibility, and they recorded several new tracks for 2005’s compilation, Red, White and Crüe. The album was released in February, and they embarked on their Carnival Of Sins tour that same month (starting on February 14 in San Juan, Puerto Rico), quickly selling out shows. They released a concert DVD later that year of their show in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Nikki Sixx also co-wrote the titlesong on the latest Meat Loaf album, “Bat Out of Hell III-The Monster Is Loose”.

On January 26th, 2006, the band celebrated their 25th anniversary with a star on Hollywood’s Walk Of Fame.

Recently, in September of 2007, bassist Nikki Sixx released an album with Beautiful Creatures guitarist and drummer as the band Sixx:A.M.. The album is called “The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack”, the companion piece to the book of the same name based on Nikki’s journals from the mid 80s, chronicling the height of his heroin addiction.

After a protracted legal battles with Tommy Lee’s manager Carl Stubner, in April 2008, the band released the single Saints of Los Angeles, from the forthcoming album of the same title, just released June 26, 2008

Members
Core Members
* Vince Neil - vocals, (1981-1992, 1997-present)
* Mick Mars - guitar, vocals, talkbox (1981-present)
* Nikki Sixx - bass guitar, vocals (1981-present)
* Tommy Lee - drums, percussion, vocals, piano (1981-1999, 2004-present)

Former Members
* John Corabi - rhythm guitar, lead and backing vocals (1992-1997)
* Randy Castillo - drums, percussion, backing vocals (1999-2000)
* Samantha Maloney (touring musician) - drums, percussion, backing vocals (2000-2001)

Additional musicians
* Will Hunt - drums (2006, 2007): Filled-in for injured Tommy Lee on the last few dates of North American tour, as well as a few dates on 2007 European tour
* Harvey Warren, from Calgary band Broken Toys - drums (2006): Played on April 5, 2006 at the Enmax Centrium in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada when Tommy Lee was injured
* Donna McDaniel - touring backing vocals
* Emi Canyn - touring backing vocals

Discography
Studio albums
* Too Fast for Love - November 10, 1981/August 20, 1982
* Shout at the Devil - September 26, 1983
* Theatre of Pain - June 21, 1985
* Girls, Girls, Girls - May 15, 1987
* Dr. Feelgood - September 1, 1989
* Mötley Crüe - March 15, 1994
* Generation Swine - June 24, 1997
* New Tattoo - July 11, 2000
* Saints of Los Angeles - June 24, 2008

Singles
* Toast of the Town / Stick to Your Guns - 1981
* Live Wire / Merry-Go-Round - August 16, 1982
* Looks That Kill / Piece of Your Action - January 4, 1984
* Too Young to Fall in Love / Merry-Go-Round - April 30, 1984
* Smokin' in the Boys' Room (Brownsville Station cover with some words rewritten) / Use It or Lose It - June 24, 1985
* Home Sweet Home / Red Hot - September 30, 1985
* Girls, Girls, Girls / Five Years Dead - May 11, 1987
* Wild Side / Dancing on Glass - August 10, 1987
* You're All I Need / All in the Name of... - October 19, 1987
* Dr. Feelgood - August 28, 1989
* Kickstart My Heart - November 20, 1989
* Without You - March 12, 1990
* Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away) - May 28, 1990
* Same Ol' Situation (S.O.S.) - August 20, 1990
* Primal Scream - 1991
* Anarchy in the U.K. (The Sex Pistols cover) - 1991
* Hooligan's Holiday - 1994
* Misunderstood - 1994
* Smoke the Sky - 1994
* Afraid - 1997
* Beauty - 1997
* Glitter - 1997
* Bitter Pill - 1998
* Enslaved - 1999
* Teaser - 1999
* Hell on High Heels - 2000
* Treat Me Like the Dog I Am - 2000
* If I Die Tomorrow - 2005
* Sick Love Song - 2005
* Saints of Los Angeles - 2008
* Mutherfucker of the Year - 2008

Download
Home Sweet Home

Black Sabbath

Overview

Black Sabbath formed in Birmingham, England in 1968 under the name Polka Tulk Blues Band (soon shortened to “Polka Tulk”), and later Earth. Initially a blues-rock band, Earth moved in a darker direction when their bassist, Geezer Butler, a fan of the black magic novels of Dennis Wheatley, wrote lyrics for an occult-themed song titled “Black Sabbath” (the song name was inspired by a 1963 Mario Bava film), and Tony Iommi wrote a riff based on the tritone, sometimes called “diablos in musica” (“the Devil in Music”). In their Last Supper concert film, the band stated that the song is based on an experience Geezer had one night when he saw a black object at the end of his bed and noticed the next day that an occult book Ozzy had given him was missing. When the band found themselves being confused with another local band called Earth, they adopted the song title as their new name. As the band evolved, they added more European folk elements and gothic flourishes to their sound, that was not like any other group during their time. Their lyrics dealt with darker issues than most conventional rock. Towards the late ’60s, bands were into the peace movement and the dying hippie culture, whilst Sabbath chose to distinguish themselves by dealing with heavier issues; the occult, war, apocalypse, drugs, and gothic storytelling. Their music also conveyed a sense of anger and anti-establishment, the likes of which had never been heard before. It was this mix of dark lyrical themes and a slower, ominous sound that made Black Sabbath a significant element in the genre that would later be known as heavy metal. Despite their doom-laden image, much of the group’s early material featured acoustic guitars, piano, symphony orchestras, keyboards, and even horns. After the band’s first four albums, the group became increasingly psychedelic, experimental and progressive, leaving much of their dark metal roots behind. The last two Osbourne-fronted albums, Technical Ecstasy (1976) and Never Say Die! (1978) left a lot of fans dissatisfied with the band, as drugs and alcohol abuse began to take its toll on each member. Osbourne was fired in 1978 for becoming increasingly unstable and unwilling to work with the material that, by this time, Tony Iommi was writing more or less entirely himself. Osbourne started a highly successful solo career in 1980. In 1979 Tony Iommi recruited former Rainbow members; singer Ronnie James Dio and bassist Craig Gruber. Gruber was recruited because Geezer Butler was unhappy with Osbourne’s departure, and was rumoured to have quit the band. Gruber was dismissed and Geezer rejoined. Black Sabbath’s first album with Dio, Heaven And Hell, proved to be a success, and saw the band’s highest American charting since 1975’s Sabotage. It was on this tour that Dio popularized the “devil horns” hand gesture, which has since become a symbol of heavy metal music in general. The album also marked the inclusion of Quartz’s guitarist-turned-keyboardist Geoff Nicholls (Nicholls has not been consistently credited as an official member, and has always been forced to play live shows from off stage (except on the Seventh Star tour in 1986 where he played on stage) for supposed aesthetic purposes, but he has co-written many songs and has stayed with Black Sabbath through all subsequent incarnations, until he finally left in 2004. Adam Wakeman, son of Rick Wakeman, took over in 2005). Also during the tour, drummer Bill Ward quit the band for personal reasons (both his parents died within a rather short period, and Ward was struggling with alcoholism and other addictions). Drummer Vinny Appice joined to complete the tour and then record the next album Mob Rules, in which an early version of the title track appeared in the movie Heavy Metal. Ronnie James Dio and drummer Vinny Appice left the band after supposed disputes over the mixing of the live album Live Evil, and pursued a solo career together. Black Sabbath re-enlisted drummer Bill Ward, and, along with ex-Deep Purple singer Ian Gillan (who agreed to join the band whilst heavily intoxicated), released Born Again in 1983. It reached a respectable #2 in the UK music charts, a success not seen since Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, ten years previously. However, the album was not received particularly fondly by critics or fans alike, and not even by singer Ian Gillan. The tour that followed was to provide a wealth of material for the spoof documentary on rock ‘n’ roll culture, Spinal Tap. Drummer Bill Ward was still recovering from poor health and so did not tour for the Born Again album. Instead, fellow Brummie Bev Bevan, formerly of The Move and the Electric Light Orchestra, took to the drumstool for the tour obligations. Once the tour was over, Ian Gillan left the band to rejoin his Mk.2 Deep Purple band mates. From here on the line-ups of Black Sabbath changed unrelentlessly, with Tony Iommi being the only constant member. Between 1986 and 1995 Black Sabbath released 7 studio albums and one live album, including a reunion album with the Mob Rules line-up (1992’s Dehumanizer). In 1997 the original line-up reunited for a proper world tour (as opposed to the one-off Live Aid in 1985, and Costa Mesa gigs on Ozzy’s “Farewell” tour in 1992) and have toured on and off since. Currently the Mob Rules line-up have reunited once more under the banner “Heaven & Hell” and are toured the world in 2007, promoting Black Sabbath - The Best of: the Dio Years featuring three new tracks and a release of Black Sabbath Live at the Hammersmith Odeon, 1982. They released a live CD/DVD and are currently writing material for a new album, tentatively due for a late 2008 release. VH1’s ‘100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock’ ranked them second, behind Led Zeppelin. They were inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2006.

Members
* Ozzy Osbourne
* Tony Iommi
* Geezer Butler
* Bill Ward

Discography
* Black Sabbath (1970)
* Paranoid (1970)
* Master of Reality (1971)
* Vol. 4 (1972)
* Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973)
* Sabotage (1975)
* Technical Ecstasy (1976)
* Never Say Die! (1978)
* Live at Last (1980)
* Heaven & Hell (1980)
* Mob Rules (1982)
* Live Evil (1983)
* Born Again (1983)
* Seventh Star (1986)
* The Eternal Idol (1987)
* Headless Cross (1989)
* Tyr (1990)
* Dehumanizer (1992)
* Cross Purposes (1994)
* Cross Purposes Live (1994)
* Forbidden (1995)
* Reunion (1997)
* Live at Hammersmith Odeon (2007)

Downloads
Changes Odin's Court

Europe

Overview

The first incarnation of the band was named Force and came together in 1979, in Upplands Väsby, Stockholm, and was integrated by vocalist and keyboardist Joey Tempest, guitarist John Norum, bassist Peter Olsson and drummer Tony Reno. "I remember when we started the band Force we were playing covers in the rehearsal room, because we just wanted to learn our instruments, like all bands," Tempest said, "Then one day I said maybe we should do our own stuff. Nobody had any ideas, so I brought mine into the rehearsal room, and that is when we started writing our own stuff.

The band sent several demos to record companies, but were told that in order to be published they had to cut their hair and sing in Swedish. Two years later, Olsson left the band and was replaced by John Levén. Just a couple of months later, Levén joined Yngwie J. Malmsteen's band Rising Force, and Malmsteen's former bassist, Marcel Jacob joined Force. This only lasted for three months, though; Levén apparently had issues with Malmsteen, so he and Jacob traded places again.

In 1982, Joey Tempest's girlfriend entered Force in the Swedish rock talent contest Rock-SM. Competing against 4000 bands, they won the contest thanks to two songs, "In the Future to Come" and "The King Will Return". Their rewards being a record deal with Hot Records. Tempest won the individual award for Best Lead Singer, and Norum won the award for Best Guitarist. During the contest, Force changed their name to Europe. Their self-titled debut album was released the following year, and sold well both in Sweden and Japan. The single "Seven Doors Hotel" became a Top 10 hit in Japan.

The second album, Wings of Tomorrow was released one year later, and the single "Open Your Heart" got CBS Records interested in the band, offering them an international contract in 1985. "I think one of the most important albums for the band was Wings of Tomorrow," Joey Tempest said, "We were learning how to write songs and John started playing some really cool stuff on the guitar. We became a better band and that was a good period for the band." Keyboardist Mic Michaeli was soon recruited to play in live concerts, and became an official member of the band shortly after. At the same time, Tony Reno was fired because of his lack of motivation and alleged slacking off on rehearsals. His replacement was Ian Haugland.

In 1985 Europe recorded the soundtrack for youth movie On the Loose, which gave them the hit "Rock the Night". Several months later, Joey Tempest was asked to write a song for the charity project Swedish Metal Aid. He wrote "Give A Helping Hand", which would feature the biggest stars of Swedish rock and metal. The income from the sales of the single, which was produced by Easy Action guitarist Kee Marcello, was donated to the starving people of Ethiopia.

At the end of the year they began the recording of their next album with Journey producer Kevin Elson. The result was The Final Countdown. Released on May 26, 1986, the album gave the band their international breakthrough, was certified Triple Platinum in the USA[7] and reached number 8 on the Billboard 200 chart. The title track, which had been based on a keyboard riff composed by Tempest as early as 1981-82, was released as the first single and became a worldwide success, peaking at number 1 in countries such as the UK, France and Germany. The power ballad "Carrie", which peaked at number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, "Cherokee" and a re-recorded "Rock the Night" were other hits from the album.

Not satisfied with the album's keyboard-dominated production nor the band's commercialized image, John Norum decided to leave Europe in November 1986 to pursue a solo career. "'The Final Countdown' was mixed in L.A. with Kevin and none of us were involved in the process," vocalist Joey Tempest said, "We liked the album, of course, but we also realised that it was very keyboard oriented and featured less guitars. That was definitely a reason for John to start thinking, 'I wonder where this is heading - I don't think I can do this.'"

Kee Marcello was asked to replace him, and after some consideration decided to join the band. Marcello joined the band at their commercial peak, no less than three singles from The Final Countdown reaching the US Top 40. The following year included successful tours through Europe and the USA.

The follow-up to The Final Countdown was entitled Out of This World and was released in 1988. The biggest hit from the album was "Superstitious" which peaked at number 31 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 9 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks. "Superstitious" would be the last song to chart in the USA. The album was certified platinum in the States and peaked at number 19 on the Billboard 200 chart. More touring followed, including an American tour with Def Leppard and a festival gig at the National Bowl in Milton Keynes, England with Bon Jovi, Skid Row and Vixen.

In September 1989, Europe did a gig at the Whisky a Go Go club in West Hollywood, California, under the pseudonym Le Baron Boys. That name would later be used as a title for a much-circulated Europe bootleg, which contained demo recordings from 1989-90. Two years later, the album Prisoners in Paradise was released, but received limited media attention due to the "boom" of the grunge movement, started by Nirvana, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam. Although the sales were low compared to previous albums, the single "I'll Cry for You" managed to hit number 28 on the UK charts. On New Year's Eve 1991, Europe kicked off a new tour with a show at the Tokyo Dome, in which Tesla, Thunder and Metallica also performed. The show was called "Final Countdown '91".

After ten years of living, recording and touring together, Europe decided to take a long break when the tour ended in 1992. "I remember in the tour bus afterwards, we were talking about where the whole thing was going, and I think at the time the consensus amongst the band was that we really felt ready for a break," Joey Tempest said, "We felt that it was time to put some roots down, and I was really into the idea of making my own solo album." In that time, Joey Tempest and Kee Marcello released solo albums, while the other members participated in several different projects and bands.

For the millennium celebrations, Europe was asked to do a concert in Stockholm on New Year's Eve. That would be their first concert with two lead guitarists, since both John Norum and Kee Marcello had accepted to play. They played "Rock the Night" and "The Final Countdown". This was not a full-time reunion, however; just a one-off event.

Over the years, there were several reunion rumors, and on October 2, 2003 it was made official: Europe announced plans for a new album and world tour. "In the beginning of 2003 we had a band meeting, and from then on it was just a matter of moving forward and writing songs for the new album," Tempest said, "That was always our intention. We thought that if we were gonna make a comeback, we wanted to do it properly, and that meant we wanted to write and record some new songs, a new album." The band then switched back to the classic The Final Countdown line-up, with John Norum as the only lead guitarist. "There was no doubt that we wanted John back, and John wanted to get back," Tempest said, "For me it was important to get that spark going again that we had before." Kee Marcello claimed that he was too busy with his own projects. "I told them I didn't want to participate in a [new] studio album because musically, I want to go in a different kind of direction than the music Europe stands for," Kee Marcello said, "Then we talked for a while about doing a six-piece tour – it didn't turn out that way because of different reasons."

In the summer of 2004 Europe went on a festival tour through the European continent. The concert setlists included several old classics, but also introduced the title track from their brand new album - Start from the Dark. Start from the Dark was released September 22, 2004; the same day John Norum became a father. The album received good reviews from music critics. The album featured a different sound and style compared to their older albums. "We just wanted to make something fresh," Tempest said, "The music and the lyrics just happened, but that was one decision we made – that we wanted to be relevant now." Eventually, the album sold in excess of 600,000 copies worldwide.

Europe released their latest album, Secret Society on October 26, 2006, and the world tour started the same day in Lund, Sweden, and ended September 1, 2007 with two performances at the Dalhalla in Rättvik, Sweden. The band performed in Sibiu, Romania, to celebrate New Year's Eve with a one-hour live show, and on January 26, 2008 they performed at the Nalen, in Stockholm, in a special event called Almost Unplugged, their first acoustic live show, during which they played some of their old and new never played live songs, and some covers from the bands that have influenced them in the years: Pink Floyd, UFO, Led Zeppelin and Thin Lizzy. The show was webcast on their official website.

After some summer festivals, the band will be ready to record the new album, expected for Spring 2009. It will be followed by a world tour.

Members
Current members
* Joey Tempest - lead vocals, acoustic & rhythm guitar¹, keyboards² (1979-1992, 2003-present)
* John Norum - lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals (1979-1986, 2003-present)
* John Levén - bass (1981-1992, 2003-present)
* Mic Michaeli - keyboards, backing vocals, rhythm guitar³ (1984-1992, 2003-present)
* Ian Haugland - drums, percussion, backing vocals (1984-1992, 2003-present)

Former members
* Kee Marcello - lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals (1986-1992, December 31, 1999)
* Tony Reno - drums, percussion (1979-1984)
* Peter Olsson - bass (1979-1981)
* Marcel Jacob - bass (1982)

Discography
* 1983 Europe Hot Records
* 1984 Wings of Tomorrow
* 1986 The Final Countdown
* 1988 Out of This World
* 1991 Prisoners in Paradise
* 2004 Start from the Dark
* 2006 Secret Society
* 2009 TBA

Downloads
Carrie The Final Countdown

Queen

Overview
The band officially formed in the early 1970s after May and Taylor’s former band Smile split after having released an album and single. Freddie replaced Tim Staffell as vocalist, and John Deacon joined in February of 1971, playing bass for the band that Freddie renamed “Queen.”

Queen’s first self titled album was released in 1973 and received little attention from the general public. They shortly followed it with a second album which still lacked much interest from music fans all over Britain. Despite this, the band began developing a huge following in Japan and witnessed their popularity for themselves when they visited the country, mainly in 1975, to promote their fourth and most famous album “A Night at the Opera”, featuring the epic Bohemian Rhapsody.

Queen’s popularity grew strongly throughout the 70s as they released album after album. Fans continued to worship the band right through the 80s and into the early 90s before Mercury’s death On 24 November 1991. The official cause of death was bronchial pneumonia resulting from AIDS.

Over the course of their 30 year career, the band did sound tracks for two films (Flash Gordon and Highlander), released a string of live and studio albums, and became idols to many people across the world.

In recent times (this written in August 2006), remaining members Brian May and Roger Taylor (John Deacon no longer wishes to be a part of Queen on stage) have toured with Free and Bad Company’s Paul Rodgers as collaboration Queen + Paul Rodgers. At this moment the band is writing for a new album with Paul Rodgers. Queen has toured extensively over the past 18 months with Rodgers, with DVD and CD releases from the tour available.

This will be their second post-Freddie recording - “Made in Heaven”, released in 1995, saw the surviving band members in the studio completing or reworking unused vocals, unreleased variations of Freddie solo material (a “Queen” version of “I Was Born To Love You” for example), and tracks where Brian and Roger added lyrics to flesh out a song (“Mother Love”). The upcoming recordings with Rodgers will likely include the one or two songs written by the group while on tour. Queen With Paul Rodgers recently released a track entitled “Say It’s Not True” as a free download on World AIDS Day.

Members
* Freddie Mercury
* Brian May
* John Deacon
* Roger Taylor

Discography
Studio Albums
* Queen
* Queen II
* Sheer Heart Attack
* A Night at the Opera
* A Day at the Races
* News of the World
* Jazz
* The Game
* Flash Gordon
* Hot Space
* The Works
* A Kind of Magic
* The Miracle
* Innuendo
* Made in Heaven
* The Cosmos Rocks

Live Albums
* At the Beeb
* Live Killers
* Live Magic
* Live at Wembley '86
* Queen on Fire - Live at the Bowl
* Return of the Champions (w/ Paul Rodgers)
* Queen Rock Montreal

Compilations
* Greatest Hits
* Greatest Hits II
* Classic Queen
* The 12" Collection
* Queen Rocks
* Greatest Hits III
* Stone Cold Classics
* The A-Z of Queen, Volume 1

Download
We Will Rock You

Def Leppard

Overview

Def Leppard in many ways were the definitive hard rock band of the ’80s. There were many bands that rocked harder and were more dangerous than the Sheffield quintet but few others captured the spirit of the times quite as well. Emerging in the late ’70s as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, the group actually owed more to the glam rock and metal of the early ’70s — their sound was equal parts T. Rex, Mott the Hoople, Queen, and Led Zeppelin. By toning down their heavy riffs and emphasizing melody, Def Leppard were poised for crossover success by 1983’s Pyromania, but skillfully used the fledgling MTV network to their advantage. The group was already blessed with photogenic good looks, but they also crafted a series of innovative, exciting videos that made them into stars. They intended to follow Pyromania quickly but were derailed when their drummer lost an arm in a car accident, the first of many problems that plagued the group’s career. Def Leppard managed to pull through such tragedies, and they even expanded their large audience with 1987’s blockbuster Hysteria. As the ’90s began, mainstream hard rock shifted away from Leppard’s signature pop-metal and toward edgier, louder bands, yet the group maintained a sizable audience into the late ’90s and were one of only a handful of ’80s metal groups to survive the decade more or less intact.

Def Leppard had their origins in a Sheffield-based group Rick Savage (bass) and Pete Willis (guitar) formed in their late teens in 1977. A few months later, vocalist Joe Elliott, a fanatic follower of Mott the Hoople and T. Rex, joined the band, bringing the name Deaf Leopard. After a spelling change, the trio, augmented by Tony Kenning (drummer), began playing local Sheffield pubs, and within a year they had added guitarist Steve Clark, as well as a new drummer. Later in 1978, they recorded their debut EP, Getcha Rocks Off, and released it on their own label, Bludgeon Riffola. The EP became a word-of-mouth success, earning airplay on the BBC. The group members were still in their teens.

Following the release of Getcha Rocks Off, Rick Allen was added as the band’s permanent drummer, and Def Leppard quickly became the subject of the British music weeklies. Soon, they signed with AC/DC’s manager, Petter Mensch, who helped them secure a contract with Mercury. On Through the Night, the band’s full-length debut, was released in 1980 and instantly became a hit in the U.K., also earning significant airplay in the U.S., where it reached number 51 on the charts. Over the course of the year, Def Leppard relentlessly toured Britain and America, including opening slots for Ozzy Osbourne, Sammy Hagar, and Judas Priest. High ‘n’ Dry followed in 1981, and it became the group’s first platinum album in the U.S., thanks to MTV’s strong rotation of “Bringin’ on the Heartbreak.” MTV would be vital to the band’s success in the ’80s.

As the band recorded the follow-up to High ‘n’ Dry with producer Mutt Lange, Pete Willis was fired from the band for alcoholism, and Phil Collen, a former guitarist for Girl, was hired to replace him. The resulting album, 1983’s Pyromania, became an unexpected blockbuster, due not only to Def Leppard’s skillful, melodic metal, but also to MTV’s relentless airing of “Photograph” and “Rock of Ages.” Pyromania went on to sell ten million copies, establishing Def Leppard as one of the most popular bands in the world. Despite their success, the band was about to enter a trying time for their career. Following an extensive international tour, the group re-entered the studio to record the follow-up, but producer Lange was unavailable, so they began sessions with Jim Steinman, the man responsible for Meat Loaf’s Bat Out of Hell. The pairing turned out to be ill-advised, so the group turned to its former engineer, Nigel Green. One month into recording, Allen lost his left arm in a New Year’s Eve car accident. The arm was reattached, but it had to be amputated once an infection set in.

Without a drummer, Def Leppard’s future looked cloudy, but by the spring of 1985 — just a few months after his accident — Allen began learning to play a custom-made electronic kit assembled for him by Simmons. Soon, the band resumed recording, and within a few months Lange was back on board, but once he joined the team, he judged the existing tapes inferior and had the band begin work all over again. The recording continued throughout 1986, and that summer, the group returned to the stage for the European Monsters of Rock tour. Def Leppard finally completed their fourth album, now titled Hysteria, early in 1987, releasing it that spring to lukewarm reviews; many critics felt that the album compromised Leppard’s metal roots for sweet pop flourishes. The record was slow out of the starting gates — “Women,” the first single, failed to really take hold. But with the second single, “Animal,” Hysteria began to take off. It became the group’s first Top 40 hit in the U.K., but more importantly, it began a string of six straight Top 20 hits in the U.S., which also included “Hysteria,” “Pour Some Sugar on Me,” “Love Bites,” “Armageddon It,” and “Rocket,” the latter of which arrived in 1989, a full two years after the release of Hysteria. During those two years, Def Leppard was unavoidable — they were the kings of high-school metal, ruling the pop charts and MTV, and teenagers and bands alike replicated their teased hair and ripped jeans, even when the grimy hard rock of Guns N’ Roses took hold in 1988.

Hysteria proved to be the peak of Leppard’s popularity, yet their follow-up remained eagerly awaited in the early ’90s as the band set to work on the record. During the recording, Steve Clark died from an overdose of alcohol and painkillers combined (whilst recovering from an injury). Clark had long had a problem with alcohol, and following the Hysteria heyday, the band forced him to take a sabbatical; he did enter rehab, but to no apparent effect. In fact, his abuse was so crippling that Collen had to play the majority of the guitar leads on Hysteria. Following Clark’s death, Def Leppard resolved to finish their forthcoming album as a quartet, releasing Adrenalize in the spring of 1992. Adrenalize was greeted with mixed reviews, and even though the album debuted at number one and contained several hit singles, including “Let’s Get Rocked,” “Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad,” and “Make Love Like a Man,” the record was a commercial disappointment in the wake of Pyromania and Hysteria. After the release of Adrenalize, the group added former Whitesnake guitarist Vivian Campbell.

In 1993, Def Leppard released the rarities collection Retro Active, featuring a new single, “Miss You in a Heartbeat,” which scraped the lower reaches of the Top 40. Two years later, the group released the greatest-hits collection Vault while preparing their sixth album. Slang arrived in the spring of 1996, and while it was more adventurous than its predecessor, it was greeted with indifference, proving that Leppard’s heyday had indeed passed, and they were now simply a very popular cult band. Undaunted, Leppard soldiered on, returning to their patented pop-metal sound for Euphoria, which was released in June of 1999. Despite a hard push from both band and label, the record failed to produce a hit, resulting in a return to adult pop balladry on 2002’s X. The two-disc Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection arrived in 2005, followed in 2006 by Yeah!, a collection of covers.

Def Leppard has recently toured with Journey, on VH1’s Legends Tour.

Members
* Joe Elliott - lead vocals, additional guitars, keyboards (1977–present)
* Phil Collen - guitars, backing vocals (1982–present)
* Vivian Campbell - guitars, backing vocals (1992–present)
* Rick Savage - bass, keyboards, additional guitars, backing vocals (1977–present)
* Rick Allen - drums, percussion, backing vocals (1978–present)

Discography
Studio albums
* On Through the Night
* High 'n' Dry
* Pyromania
* Hysteria
* Adrenalize
* Slang
* Euphoria
* X
* Yeah!
* Songs from the Sparkle Lounge

Compilations
* Retro Active
* Vault: Def Leppard Greatest Hits (1980-1995)
* Best of Def Leppard
* Rock of Ages: The Definitive Collection

Download
Two Steps Behind Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad

Bad English

Overview

The members decided on a name for the band while playing pool. John Waite missed a shot and Jonathan Cain made a comment on how bad his "english" was (referring to the spin a player puts on the cue ball) and the band decided to use the phrase. This official story differs from the urban legend suggesting that "Bad English" was chosen to mock the name of some of the members' previous band, The Babys, a name which is obviously misspelled.

Jonathan Cain and guitarist Neal Schon, who had enjoyed enormous success in Journey, continued on to form Bad English with Waite after Journey disbanded. The first album, eponymously titled, was a big seller with two hit singles (including the number one hit When I See You Smile written by Diane Warren) and top 10 hit "Price of Love" , but the second album’s single "Straight To Your Heart" didn’t crack the Top 40.

The song "Best of What I Got" was featured in the soundtrack to 1989's Tango and Cash.

Ricky Phillips writes on his website that the group had parted company before the second album had been mixed.

The band had enjoyed a brief but rewarding experience of playing glam metal. The second album, Backlash, was released well after the group had disbanded and many members of the public failed to hear some high quality musicianship and sensitive songwriting.

In later interviews Waite revealed that although he loved playing to stadium sized audiences, he was uncomfortable with the corporate rock image that he felt the band had presented, and has been a solo artist ever since.

Bad English drummer Deen Castronovo later went on to join a reformed Journey with singer Steve Augeri, Neal Schon, Jonathan Cain, and Ross Valory. He also played on Ozzy Osbourne's album Ozzmosis in 1995.

Members
* John Waite
* Neal Schon
* Jonathan Cain
* Ricky Phillips
* Deen Castronovo

Discography
* Bad English (1989) #21 US
* Backlash (1991) #72 US
* The Lost tapes (2002)

Downloads
When I See You Smile The Time Alone With You

Led Zeppelin

Overview
The band was originally formed in 1968 by guitarist Jimmy Page under the name “The New Yardbirds,” based on Page’s previous band, The Yardbirds. While The New Yardbirds arose at first simply to fulfill some performance commitments booked in Scandinavia before the original band’s break-up, Page attempted to create a rock-supergroup out of the new band, which would have been composed of the Yardbirds’ own Page and Jeff Beck, The Who’s Keith Moon and John Entwistle (who were considering leaving their band), and possibly Steve Winwood or Steve Marriott.

After Page’s attempt at forming a supergroup failed, Page filled the band with vocalist Robert Plant, drummer John Bonham and long-time friend and fellow London recording session player John Paul Jones. Page’s first choice as singer, Terry Reid, declined the opportunity but selflessly recommended Plant, who accepted and then brought in his old friend Bonham from the defunct Band of Joy.

After some concerts with this new line-up billed variously as the New Yardbirds, or sometimes simply The Yardbirds, the band’s name was changed to Led Zeppelin, after a comment was made by The Who’s drummer Keith Moon while the New Yardbirds supergroup was still a possibility. Moon (although some attribute the comment to the Who’s bassist John Entwistle) was quoted saying that the band would go down faster than a “lead zeppelin”. The group adopted the name, deliberately misspelling the first part to prevent fans from pronouncing it as “leed.”

Shortly after their first tour, the group’s eponymous first album was released on January 12, 1969. Its blend of blues and rock influences with distorted amplification made it one of the pivotal records in the evolution of heavy metal music. Although several of Zeppelin’s earliest songs were based on or were cover versions of blues standards, others such as “Communication Breakdown” had a unique and distinctively heavy sound. Led Zeppelin also featured delicate acoustic guitar on “Black Mountain Side” in which you can hear the influence of Davy Graham, and a combination of acoustic and electric approaches on the reworked folk song “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You.” The immediate success of the first album kick-started the band’s career, especially in the United States, where they would frequently tour.

The second record, simply titled Led Zeppelin II, followed in similar style later that year: the album begins with the bludgeoning riff of “Whole Lotta Love,” which, driven by the rhythm section of Bonham on drums and Jones on bass, defined their sound at the time. Led Zeppelin II—often referred to by fans as the “Brown Bomber”—was an even greater success for the group, reaching the Number 1 chart position in both the US and the UK.

Jimmy Page and Robert Plant were blues fanatics; their first album included the Willie Dixon song “You Shook Me,” and their later hit “Whole Lotta Love” was lyrically very similar to an earlier Dixon song. (The band were subsequently accused of using his lyrics without crediting Dixon, and it was not until Chess Records brought suit 15 years later, that proper credit—and a monetary settlement—was given.)

Page was once quoted in an interview with the hypothesis: “I’ve often thought that in the way the Stones tried to be the sons of Chuck Berry, we tried to be the sons of Howlin’ Wolf” (a version of whose song “Killing Floor” featured prominently in Zeppelin’s early live performances). The band also loved American rock and roll: the exuberant styles of Fats Domino and Little Richard were inspirations, and Led Zeppelin would perform rockabilly songs originally made famous by Elvis Presley and Eddie Cochran. Onstage, Led Zeppelin concerts could last more than three hours; expanded, improvised live versions of their song repertoire often incorporated tight workouts of James Brown, Stax, and Motown-influenced soul music and funk (favorites of bassist Jones and drummer Bonham).

For the writing of the music on their third album, Led Zeppelin III, the band retired to Bron-Yr-Aur, a remote cottage in Wales. This would result in a more acoustic sound (and a song “Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp”, misspelled as “Bron-Y-Aur Stomp” on the album cover) strongly influenced by Celtic and folk music, and it also revealed a different side of guitarist Page’s prodigious talent. Led Zeppelin III also ushered in an era of unique album jackets, this one featuring a wheel that displayed various images through cutouts in the main jacket sleeve when rotated. In November of 1970, Led Zeppelin’s record label, Atlantic Records, released “Immigrant Song” as a single against the band’s wishes (Atlantic had earlier released an edited version of “Whole Lotta Love” which cut the 5:34 song to 3:10). It included their only b-side, “Hey Hey What Can I Do”. Even though the band saw their albums as indivisible, whole listening experiences — and their manager, Peter Grant, maintained an aggressive pro-album stance — nine other singles were released without their consent. The group also resisted television appearances, which would have reduced their ability to control their presentation and sound quality. Lack of Zeppelin TV exposure also enforced the band’s preference that their fans hear and see them in person.

Their fourth album, Led Zeppelin IV featured the world famous “Stairway to Heaven”, a masterpiece which every year tops the various Top100 radio lists. On stage Jimmy Page performed Stairway to Heaven on a custom built double neck electric Gibson guitar, the top neck a twelve string version.

Over 25 years after disbanding in response to drummer John Bonham’s tragic death in 1980, Led Zeppelin continue to be held in high regard for their artistic achievements, commercial success and influence. To date, the group is reported to have sold more than 300 million albums worldwide, including 109.5 million sales in the United States.

Some regard Jimmy Page as the most talented rock/blues guitarist of all time. John Bonham gave a new sound to rock and roll, people were struck with amazement by his complex drum beats and his expansive drum solos. After his untimely death, the band broke up. Since then, Page, Plant, and Jones have only played together on rare occasions. Page and Plant did get back together to record No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded as part of the MTV Unplugged series in 1994, which was accompanied by a worldwide tour, and again in 1998 for the studio album Walking Into Clarksdale. John Paul Jones also has performed since the break up, most recently at the Bonnaroo music festival in Manchester, Tennessee. He was part of a “SuperJam” featuring himself on bass, Ben Harper on guitar, and Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson on the drums. He also played as a guest during the sets of various other artists throughout the weekend.

Most recently Led Zeppelin have reformed (with Jason Bonham filling in on drums) for a one-off reunion concert in memory of Atlantic Records co-founder and executive Ahmet Ertegün. After a postponement due to Jimmy Page fracturing one of his fingers, the group performed on 10 December 2007 at the O2 Arena, London. The concert was filmed for a potential DVD release.

Jimmy Page has hinted that the group may start work on new material, and that a world tour may be in the works.

Members
* John Bonham
* John Paul Jones
* Jimmy Page
* Robert Plant

Discography
Studio albums
* Led Zeppelin (1969)
* Led Zeppelin II (1969)
* Led Zeppelin III (1970)
* Led Zeppelin IV (1971)
* Houses of the Holy (1973)
* Physical Graffiti (1975)
* Presence (1976)
* In Through the Out Door (1979)
* Coda (1982)

Download
Stairway To Heaven

White Lion

Overview
White Lion was a Hard Rock band of the 1980s and early 1990s.Their manager Mike Parente, also owned L’amour, a club in Brookyn. The band was formed in New York City in 1983 by Danish-born vocalist Mike Tramp (original name Michael Trampenau) and guitarist Vito Bratta who wrote most of the band`s songs. The bands members were: James Lomenzo, Greg D’Angelo, Mike Tramp, Vito Bratta.

Fighting to survive
After moving from Denmark to New York in 1982, vocalist Mike Tramp (ex-Mabel,ex-Studs) met Brooklyn guitarist Vito Bratta (ex-Dreamer) and decided to form a band. The two recruited drummer Nicki Capozzi and bassist Felix Robinson (formerly of Angel) and named the group first Lion, then White Lion.

White Lion was signed by Elektra records in 1983 and recorded their debut Fight To Survive. However, Elektra was unhappy with the final recording, and after refusing to release the album, terminated their contract.

Both Capozzi and Robinson soon left the band. Nicki Capozzi was replaced by former Anthrax drummer Greg D’Angelo, and Felix Robinson was replaced by bassist Dave Spitz (brother of Anthrax guitarist Dan Spitz). Within a month of joining, however, Dave Spitz left to play bass with Black Sabbath and was replaced by James Lomenzo.

The album Fight To Survive was eventually picked up by RCA and released in Japan in 1984. The small US independent label Grand Slamm records finally released Fight To Survive in the US on November 9, 1985. A few months later, Grand Slam records went bankrupt.

In early 1986, White Lion, with a fictitious “female” member, had a brief part in the Tom Hanks/Shelley Long movie The Money Pit.

The following year Atlantic released their second album Pride which brought success for them. Especially the single Wait which climbed to 8th place in the U.S. chart & real metal music listeners liked it too surprisingly. When the Children Cry was a bigger hit. It reached 3rd place. Atlantic released Fight to Survive worldwide too. The guys toured with the bands Frehley`s Comet, Kiss, AC/DC & Stryper.

In 1989 their next CD Big Game came out. That was a more successful album and it set up their place in the hard rock bands’ top-flight. Mike Tramp called their music “rock`n`roar”. That recording’s hit single was Radar Love, a classic originally recorded by Golden Earring.

1991 was the year when they made their best CD Mane attraction, according to Greg D`Angelo. It contained chart tune Lights & Thunder and a new version of their first album’s song Broken Heart.

In 1992 Greg D`Angelo & James Lomenzo had enough of Tramp`s continuous fighting with Bratta so they left the band. New members were bassist Tommy T. Bone Caradonna & drummer Jimmy De Grasso. Soon, in the autumn of the same year the band disbanded.

Greg & James have played in different groups after White Lion. Vito Bratta concentrated on classic guitar playing. Soon after disbanding Mike had a new band called Freak Of Nature with his Danish friend Oliver Steffanson. They made a few songs together and the demos with the band. Then Tramp & Steffanson had a fight when Staffanson went back to Denmark. The band recorded 2 albums during the years 1993-94. Later in year 1998 all their demos released too.

In year 1998 Mike made his first solo album Capricorn.

After 4 solo albums Mike formed Tramp’s White Lion in the year 2005 with young new musicians, with “Tramp’s” as part of the name to show it was only him from the original band. They recorded live album “Rockin’ the USA” and a studio album is planned as well.

Older White Lion`s demos were also released in the 2000`s as bonus tracks on their remastered albums and in one collection.

Members
Classic line up
* Mike Tramp - vocals, songwriter (1983 - present)
* Vito Bratta - guitars, songwriter (1983-1992)
* James LoMenzo - bass (1984-1992)
* Greg D'Angelo - drums (1984-1992)

Current members
* Mike Tramp - vocals, songwriter (1983 - present)
* Jamie Law - guitars (2005 - present)
* Troy Patrick Farrell - drums (2005 - present)
* Claus Langeskov - bass (2005 - present)
* Henning Wanner - keyboards (2005 - present)

Former members
* Vito Bratta - guitars, songwriter (1983-1992)
* James LoMenzo - bass (1984-1992)
* Greg D'Angelo - drums (1984-1992)
* Nicki Capozzi - drums (1983-1984)
* Felix Robinson - bass (1983-1984)
* Dave Spitz - bass (1984)
* Dan Hemmer - Hammond B-3 organ (1998-2005)
* Kasper Damgaard - guitar (1998-2005)
* Nils Kroyer - bass (1998-2005)
* Bjarne T. Holm - drums (1998-2005)

Touring members
* Tommy T-Bone Caradonna - bass (1991)
* Jimmy DeGrasso - drums (1991)

Discography
* Fight to Survive (November 9, 1985)
* Pride (June 21, 1987)
* Big Game (August 10, 1989)
* Mane Attraction (1991)
* The Best Of White Lion - Greatest hits compilation (1992)
* Remembering White Lion - new versions (1999)
* Anthology 83-89 - demos/previously unreleased songs (2004)
* Last Roar - (re-release of "Remembering White Lion" album, with new title) (2004)
* Rocking The USA - live album (November 8, 2006)
* The Definitive Rock Collection - compilation (2007)
* White Lion-Extended Versions (2007)
* Return of the Pride (2008)

Downloads
You're All I Need Love Don't Come Easy

Bon Jovi

Overview
Bon Jovi are a rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Fronted by lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi (born John Francis Bongiovi, Jr.), the group originally achieved large-scale success in the 1980s.

Bon Jovi formed in 1983 with lead singer Jon Bon Jovi, guitarist Richie Sambora, keyboardist David Bryan, bassist Alec John Such, and drummer Tico Torres. Other than the departure of Alec John Such in 1994 (which pared the lineup down to a quartet), the lineup has remained the same for the past 23 years.

After two moderately successful albums in 1984 and 1985, the band scored big with Slippery When Wet (1986) and New Jersey (1988), which sold a combined 19 million copies in the U.S. alone, charted eight Top Ten hits, and launched the band into global superstardom. After non-stop touring, the band went on hiatus after the New Jersey Tour in 1990, during which time Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora both released successful solo albums. In 1992, the band returned with the double platinum Keep the Faith and has since created a string of platinum albums throughout the 1990s and 2000s, also expanding their musical horizons, combining rock with such genres as pop, adult contemporary, and country. The band has also been credited with inspiring the MTV Unplugged series with their famous sit-down acoustic performance at the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards.

In 2006, the band won a Grammy for best Country Collaboration for “Who Says You Can’t Go Home” with Jennifer Nettles from Sugarland and also became the first rock band to reach #1 on the Hot Country Songs chart with the same song. They have also been nominated twice for the smash hit “It’s My Life” and two songs from the album Bounce, “Misunderstood” and “Everyday”.

Throughout their career, the band has released ten studio albums, of which nine have gone platinum. In addition, the band has charted 19 singles to the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, four of which reached #1 (“You Give Love a Bad Name”, “Livin’ On A Prayer”, “Bad Medicine”, and “I’ll Be There for You”). The band also holds the record for the most weeks for a hard rock album at #1 on the Billboard 200 with Slippery When Wet, as well as the most Top 10 singles from a hard rock album, with New Jersey, which charted five such singles.

Over the past 23 years, Bon Jovi has sold over 120 million albums worldwide, 34 million in the United States alone.

Members
* Jon Bon Jovi (lead vocals, rhythm guitar)
* Richie Sambora (lead guitar, backing vocals)
* David Bryan (keyboard, backing vocals)
* Tico Torres (drums, percussion)
* Alec John Such (bass guitar, backing vocals)

Discography
Albums
1. Bon Jovi (Jan 1984); #43 US
2. 7800° Fahrenheit (April 1985); #37 US, #28 UK
3. Slippery When Wet (August 1986); #1 US, #6 UK
4. New Jersey (September 1988); #1 US, #1 UK
5. Keep The Faith (November 1992); #5 US, #1 UK
6. These Days (July 1995); #9 US, #1 UK
7. Crush (June 2000); #9 US, #1 UK
8. Bounce (October 2002); #2 US, #2 UK
9. Have A Nice Day (September 2005);
10. Lost Highway (June 2007)

Others
1. Blaze Of Glory - Young Guns II (1990)
2. Cross Road - (October 1994); #8 US, #1 UK
3. Destination Anywhere - (1999)
4. One Wild Night: Live 1985-2001 (May 2001); #20 US, #2 UK
5. This Left Feels Right - (November 2003); #14 US, #4 UK


Downloads
Never Say Goodbye Someday I'll Be Saturday Night

Guns N' Roses

Overview
Guns N’ Roses is an influential American hard rock band founded in Los Angeles in 1985 that gained popularity in the late ’80s. The band was often referred to as “the world’s most dangerous band” due to their volatile live shows. Stemming from the LA rock & roll underground in 1986, the band signified a shift in rock from slick hair-metal back to gritty, dirty, street-smart rock & roll. The ugly lyrics matched the sleaze of the music—driven by heavy blues licks—covering misogyny, violence, city life, sex, liquor, and hard drugs. They also, however, had a tendency to show sensitivity and a desire to break free from the city. Subsequent albums revealed an influence from bands in the vein of The Rolling Stones and Queen.

Their 1987 breakthrough, Appetite for Destruction, (which is the second highest-selling debut album of all-time) 15 times platinum, coupled with the success of the hit single “Sweet Child o’ Mine” in 1988, took the world by storm. “Appetite” was full of raunchy hard rock with blistering anthemic guitar riffs and snarling vocals. It was unlike anything before, it was raw and real with no flaw at all.
A follow up EP was made in 1988 called GNR Lies which had 4 songs from their debut EP Live Like A Suicide and 3 new acoustic songs and an acoustic version of You’re Crazy. The album sold well and got into the top 10 alongside Appetite For Destruction. By 1991 they were one of the most popular bands in the world. Steven Adler(original drummer) was kicked out of the band due to his drug addiction making so blocked up that he was unable to play. Guns soldiered on and recorded Use Your Illusions 1 and 2 a double album that made history by making the number 1 and 2 spots on the American Billboard Album chart. The album was filled with songs that pushed Guns into a different direction, it was far away from the Appetite era and contained more “epic” tracks featuring Pianos, Brass sections, various effects and a new member to the band Dizzy Reed (Keyboard). Critics were a bit confused expecting 35 or so hard rock songs from one of the best bands in the world to hear around 17 or so rockers and many piano filled songs. The main vibe was that instead of releasing two albums that were a bit filler at times they could have released one CD and it could very well have been the greatest rock album of all time. Around this time Izzy Stradlin left the band saying that he felt the Guns N’ Roses were not Guns N’ Roses anymore.
When Guns N’ Roses ruled the world they were the most hostile band around. While doing a stadium tour with Metallica in Montreal, Metallica’s frontman James Hetfield sustained second degree burns after an accident on stage. Hetfield had to go to the hospital and Guns N’ Roses came on early to cover for Metallica. Not long into the set, Axl Rose threw his microphone to the ground and stormed off stage taking the rest of the band with him. The P.A. system had been acting up and the band could not hear themselves playing. This led to one of the largest riots in musical history, with riot squads called in and cars overturned. Another Incident took place in St Louis, a fan was taking footage of the band performing and Axl spotted the guy and asked security to take him away, the security refused so Axl jumped into the crowd and smacked the guy to floor and took his camera. He got back up to the stage and walked off causing one of the biggest riots in rock n roll history.

After dealing with acts like this from Axl for a long time the band parted ways.
Sole original member Axl Rose (vocalist) retreated into solitude around 1997 to record the long-awaited LP Chinese Democracy, the so-called “most expensive album never made.”

As of 2008, Guns N Roses are: Thomas Eugene Stinson (Bass) Robin Finck (Lead Guitar) Richard Fortus (Rhythm Guitar) Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal (Virtuoso Guitar) W. Axl Rose (Lead Vocals) Chris Pitman (Synth) Bryan “Brain” Mantia (Drums) Frank Ferrer (Drums, touring replacement) and Darren “Dizzy” Reed (Keyboard and Congas).
The band toured extensively in 2006/07, playing to over 750 000 people in over 23 countries.

Chinese Democracy had been given the tentative release date of March 6th, then reported September 17, 2007. However both dates passed with no sign of the album. Further release dates of February 11, 2008 and February 12, 2008 were set by HMV and Amazon, and now stand at August 25th, 2008. Acording to the official website the band is “in negotiations for the release of Chinese Democracy”, as of the 20th of April 2008.

Many of the other members of Guns N’ Roses (Slash, Duff McKagan & Matt Sorum) now play together in the hard-rock band Velvet Revolver with ex-Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland and Dave Kushner. However, Izzy Stradlin, original GN’R rhythm guitarist and co-composer of many of the band’s most successful songs, has not joined them. He did however play a few dates with the new line-up of Guns N’ Roses in the summer of 2006, as a guest. Keyboard player Dizzy Reed, while not a founding member of the band (joining in 1990 in the Use Your Illusion period), remains with Guns N’ Roses in their current incarnation.

Members
(March 1985-May 1985)
* Axl Rose - vocals
* Tracii Guns - lead guitar
* Izzy Stradlin - rhythm guitar
* Ole Beich - bass
* Rob Gardner - drums

(June 6, 1985-1990)
* Axl Rose - lead vocals
* Slash - guitar
* Izzy Stradlin - guitar, backing vocals
* Duff McKagan - bass, backing vocals
* Steven Adler - drums

(1990)
* Axl Rose - lead vocals
* Slash - lead guitar
* Izzy Stradlin - rhythm guitar, backing vocals
* Duff McKagan - bass, backing vocals
* Matt Sorum - drums

(1990-November 7, 1991)
* Axl Rose - lead vocals, piano
* Slash - guitar
* Izzy Stradlin - guitar, vocals
* Dizzy Reed - piano, keyboards, vocals
* Duff McKagan - bass, vocals
* Matt Sorum - drums

(November 7, 1991-1994)
* Axl Rose - lead vocals, piano
* Slash - guitar
* Gilby Clarke - guitar, vocals
* Dizzy Reed - keyboards, vocals
* Duff McKagan - bass, vocals
* Matt Sorum - drums

(1994-October 30, 1996)
* Axl Rose - lead vocals, piano
* Slash - guitar
* Paul Tobias - guitar, backing vocals
* Dizzy Reed - piano, keyboards, backing vocals
* Duff McKagan - bass, backing vocals
* Matt Sorum - drums

(October 30, 1996-1997)
* Axl Rose - lead vocals, piano
* Paul Tobias - guitar, backing vocals
* Dizzy Reed - piano, keyboards, backing vocals
* Duff McKagan - bass, backing vocals
* Matt Sorum - drums

(1997-1998)
* Axl Rose - lead vocals, piano
* Robin Finck - guitar
* Paul Tobias - guitar, backing vocals
* Dizzy Reed - piano, keyboards, backing vocals
* Duff McKagan - bass, backing vocals
* Josh Freese - drums

(1998-1999)
* Axl Rose - lead vocals, piano
* Robin Finck - guitar
* Paul Tobias - guitar, backing vocals
* Dizzy Reed - keyboards, backing vocals
* Chris Pitman - keyboards, programming
* Tommy Stinson - bass, backing vocals
* Josh Freese - drums

(1999-2000)
* Axl Rose - vocals, piano
* Buckethead - guitar
* Paul Tobias - guitar, vocals
* Dizzy Reed - keyboards, vocals
* Chris Pitman - keyboards, programming
* Tommy Stinson - bass, vocals
* Josh Freese - drums

(2000-2002)
* Axl Rose - lead vocals, piano
* Robin Finck - lead guitar
* Buckethead - lead guitar
* Paul Tobias - rhythm guitar, backing vocals
* Dizzy Reed - keyboards, backing vocals
* Chris Pitman - keyboards, programming
* Tommy Stinson - bass, backing vocals
* Bryan Mantia - drums

(2002-2004)
* Axl Rose - vocals, piano
* Robin Finck - lead guitar
* Buckethead - lead guitar
* Richard Fortus - rhythm guitar, backing vocals
* Dizzy Reed - keyboards, backing vocals
* Chris Pitman - keyboards, programming
* Tommy Stinson - bass, backing vocals
* Bryan Mantia - drums

(2004-2006)
* Axl Rose - lead vocals, piano
* Robin Finck - lead guitar
* Richard Fortus - rhythm guitar, backing vocals
* Dizzy Reed - keyboards, backing vocals
* Chris Pitman - keyboards, programming
* Tommy Stinson - bass, backing vocals
* Bryan Mantia - drums

(2006-present)
* Axl Rose - lead vocals, piano
* Robin Finck - lead guitar
* Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal - lead guitar
* Richard Fortus - rhythm guitar, backing vocals
* Dizzy Reed - keyboards, backing vocals
* Chris Pitman - keyboards, programming
* Tommy Stinson - bass, backing vocals
* Bryan Mantia - drums
* Frank Ferrer - drums

Discography
* Appetite for Destruction (1987) #1 US Billboard, 15x Platinum
* G N’ R Lies (1988) #2 US Billboard, 5x Platinum
* Use Your Illusion I (1991) #2 US Billboard, 7x Platinum
* Use Your Illusion II (1991) #1 US Billboard, 7x Platinum
* The Spaghetti Incident? (1993) #4 US Billboard, Platinum
* Live Era: ‘87-‘93 (1999) #45 US Billboard, Gold
* Greatest Hits (2004) #3 US Billboard, 3x Platinum

Downloads
Don't Cry Estranged

Damn Yankees

Overview
The Band was formed in 1989, consisting of Tommy Shaw of Styx, Jack Blades of Night Ranger, Ted Nugent of Amboy Dukes and his own solo career, and Michael Cartellone. Presumably inspired by the musical of the same name, Nugent once also explained that he coined the name because whenever someone asked him how he and Tommy Shaw would sound playing together, he would always reply by saying they would sound like “a bunch of damn Yankees.”

With Shaw from Alabama, Blades from California, Cartellone from Nebraska, and Nugent from Michigan, it did seem as if the band represented all four corners of the nation. Produced by renowned rock producer Ron Nevison, the new band’s self-titled debut album went double-platinum in 1990. Ted Nugent's well-tooled heavy blues guitar became a cornerstone, but Jack Blades and Tommy Shaw rose to the forefront as a potent vocal duo. However, it must be noted that the album’s bass and drum tracks were all but inaudible; Cartellone especially seems reticent in the mix. Jack Blades’s leading single "Coming of Age," hit #64, while Tommy Shaw’s "Come Again" received extensive AOR airplay. 1990's chart-topping rock ballad "High Enough" featured a passionate duet between Shaw and Blades, backed by a string section in the studio. Backed by a popular video, it rose to #3 on U.S. Top 40, and #1 on AOR charts.

Ironically, "High Enough" happened to be the first #1 pop single in Ted Nugent’s career, despite the fact his career had been built on his "Motor City Madman" image. In fact, Damn Yankees seemed to be following a similar course pursued by Jack Blades’s prior band, Night Ranger, developing an overall hard rock sound in the studio, but relying heavily on power ballads to sell their albums.

Furthermore, their songs appeared on several Hollywood film soundtracks, such as Gremlins 2: The New Batch, John Candy’s comedic vehicle, Nothing But Trouble and the 1991 action movie The Taking of Beverly Hills. After the release of their debut, the Damn Yankees went on a year-and-a-half world tour with the likes of a revamped Bad Company, Poison and Jackyl. Their U.S. tour coincided with the Persian Gulf War, in which the band unfurled American flags and made patriotic statements. However, Nugent’s onstage archery stunts became a matter of controversy when he was arrested and fined after firing a burning arrow into an effigy of Saddam Hussein in Colorado. In 1992, Damn Yankees once again went platinum with their follow-up album Don’t Tread. The title song (sung by Jack Blades) enjoyed extensive coverage at the Barcelona Olympic Games. Ted Nugent also appeared on Rock the Vote, voicing support for the GOP against Bill Clinton. Although the second release was not as successful as the first album, it contained a few minor hits, such as "Mister Please," "Where You Goin’ Now," and "The Silence Is Broken," a Top-10 AOR power ballad featured on the 1993 Jean-Claude Van Damme film Nowhere to Run. As the band began working on a third album, Damon Johnson of Brother Cane was added as another guitarist. The move was necessary due Shaw's participation in Styx. If Shaw was unavailable Johnson would fill in as second guitarist. There was also talk that all three guitarists would play together when Shaw was available. Rumor has it that an album was completed and submitted to the label for approval. As the third release never saw the light of day, one can only speculate as to the reasoning behind the label's decision.

Members
* Tommy Shaw - rhythm & lead guitars, lead vocals, backing vocals \
* Jack Blades - bass, lead vocals, backing vocals
* Ted Nugent - lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals, lead vocals
* Michael Cartellone - drums, percussion, backing vocals

Singles
* "High Enough" - (1990 - #2 Mainstream Rock Chart, #3 Billboard Hot 100)
* "Coming Of Age" - (1990 - #1 Mainstream Rock Chart, #60 Billboard Hot 100)
* "Come Again" - (1991 - #5 Mainstream Rock Chart, #50 Billboard Hot 100)
* "Runaway" - (1991 - #9 Mainstream Rock Chart)
* "Bad Reputation" - (1991 - #31 Mainstream Rock Chart)
* "Where You Goin' Now" - (1992 - #6 Mainstream Rock Chart, #20 Billboard Hot 100)
* "Don't Tread On Me" - (1992 - #3 Mainstream Rock Chart)
* "Silence Is Broken" - (1993 - #20 Mainstream Rock Chart)
* "Mister Please" - (1993 - #3 Mainstream Rock Chart)

Downloads
Where You Goin' Now High Enough