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