Year in Rock: 2012

LED ZEPPELIN GET BACK TOGETHER ... KINDA

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 21:05:00 GMT

On October 9th, a slightly testy Led Zeppelin met the press at New York's Museum Of Modern Art following the screening of their new concert movie, Celebration Day. Although John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham were respectful to the writers and reporters, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant were clearly annoyed that they genuinely wanted to know if the band is considering any new work or concerts. Page and Plant would respond to any reunion questions by staring the reporter down -- Plant alternately pretended to snore and even called a reporter from The Associated Press a "schmuck" for asking about the future of Led Zeppelin. Later that night the band attended the premiere at the Ziegfeld Theatre.

Page and Plant -- who, while hawking their five-year-old reunion concert CD/DVD -- couldn't be bothered to honestly answer the press, who tried gamely to play along with the fact that they were supposed to ignore the 300 pound gorilla in the room, which was that Led Zeppelin were right in front of them and NOT making music. At one point Page tersely answered a reporter's reunion question: "Well, look; at this time four years ago, we'd have been rehearsing to get to the O2. In December it'll be five years since the O2. So, that's a number of years that pass in between, so that seems unlikely, if there wasn't a whisper, or a hint that we would get together to do something or other. I'd say even two years ago, or whatever. Seems pretty unlikely, that's what I think."

Rock writer Bill Flanagan, the editorial director MTV Networks, served as the moderator and gently coaxed Plant into finally answering the reunion question with a bit of respect for the reporters in the room: "We were so happy that we were actually gettin' it right (coughs) and taking it beyond what we thought we were about that night. There were moments in it where we just took off and pushed off in some place. The responsibility of doing that four nights a week for the rest of time is a different thing. 'Cause, we're pretty good at what we do; the tail should never wag the dog. If we're capable of doing something in our own time that will be what will happen. So any inane questions who are from syndicated outlets (laughter), you should just really think what it takes to answer a question like that in one second, y'know? We know what we've got."

Out now is one of the most eagerly anticipated releases of the past five years -- Celebration Day -- recorded and filmed at Led Zeppelin's December 10th, 2007 reunion show at London's O2 Arena. The package, which is available on CD, DVD, and Blu-ray disc, commemorates Zeppelin's first full-scale, complete concert since July 7th, 1980 at the band's final show with the late-John Bonham in Berlin, Germany.

The tracklisting to Celebration Day is: "Good Times, Bad Times," "Ramble On," "Black Dog," "In My Time Of Dying," "For Your Life," "Trampled Underfoot," "Nobody's Fault But Mine," "No Quarter," "Since I've Been Lovin' You," "Dazed And Confused," "Stairway To Heaven," "The Song Remains The Same," "Misty Mountain Hop," "Kashmir," "Whole Lotta Love" and "Rock And Roll."

Jimmy Page shed some light on the band's rehearsals for the O2 show: "Actually the period that we rehearsed over, it may have run over six weeks, or whatever, but we weren't rehearsing every day. We had a little block here and a little block over there on the run up to it."

John Paul Jones was asked about how he felt after Zeppelin wrapped its first complete concert in over 27 years: "There was an immediate feeling of relief that we actually got through it and did well. I don't know. That was kind of. . . (laughs) I don't know. I didn't feel much after that, to be honest. It was kind of numbing. It was a really good place we were in, I think."

Jason Bonham, who filled in for his dad, whom he lost when he was only 14 years old, felt as though his whole life had been building up to drumming for Zeppelin: "But for me, as I said, it was a huge, huge honor to play. And all I was concentrating on the night, 'cause I knew there was that many people there -- I was just concentrating who was on the stage. I just wanted to impress my mates here, my dad's friends."

Robert Plant said that performing the band's 1976 Presence classic "For Your Life" for the first time onstage was a definite highlight of the show for him: "Just like Jason, I was amazed I was there playing with Led Zeppelin. And I was just saying, 'Now, where does the vocal come in?' And I know I made a couple of errors -- 'just had to shut up instead of doing too much. But. . . I think that was my favorite part of the show, to be honest. Because we were. . . none of us could bring too much back from ever having ever played it before. It was a great experience and that is flying by the seat of the pants. These guys did such a great job on that. It was very exciting. Great light show, too."

On December 2nd, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, and John Paul Jones were awarded the Kennedy Center Honor in Washington, D.C.

THE ROLLING STONES IN 2012

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 21:04:00 GMT

The Rolling Stones released six digital downloads over the course of 2012 chronicling some of their legendary shows over the years as part of their ongoing "official" bootleg series via Google Play. The official boots included such newly remixed titles as Hampton Coliseum: Live 1981; L.A. Friday (Live, 1975); Muddy Waters & The Rolling Stones - Live At The Checkerboard Lounge - Chicago 1981; Light The Fuse: Toronto 2005; Rolling Stones Tokyo Dome (Live 1990); and The Rolling Stones: Live At Leeds Roundhay Park - 1982.

Mick Jagger says that due to the fact that rock is among the oldest genres in popular music, new artists have to fight harder to break new ground as the decades roll on: "I mean, the only thing is, it's been going longer as a musical form, so rock music as defined by . . . so, four blokes playing in a band was quite new in the early-'60s. So, the whole idea of a form -- the form is old now. So it's two -- how many generations, two, three generations? So, it's like an old thing being handed down now. So, I don't know. It's probably difficult to make such a splash as it was for that reason."

In June, Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts released his latest solo project, the Live In Paris collection from his latest side band, the A, B, C & D Of Boogie Woogie. The band takes its name from the initials of the four members: Axel Zwingenberger on piano, Ben Waters on piano and vocals, Watts on drums, and Dave Green on bass. Formed in 2009 they have quickly established a reputation at the forefront of boogie woogie music.

Live In Paris was recorded over several nights in September 2010 at Paris' Duc Des Lombards jazz club. The setlist is a mix of originals, improvisations, along with blues and boogie woogie standards. Highlights on the collection include "Down The Road A Piece," "St. Louis Blues," and "Route 66."

Charlie Watts told us that swing music holds an important place in the sound and rhythm of rock n' roll as we know today: "The rock n' roll that I know, which is a natural progression in the history of swing dance music. It goes from Benny Goodman to Chuck Berry and the piano playing -- which is what this band is based on, piano. And swing is a foundation. Y'know, Duke Ellington -- 'Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing'-- that's the same thing that Chuck Berry had."

On July 12th, 50 years to the day of the Rolling Stones' first gig, the band released the deluxe photo book, The Rolling Stones: 50. The tome, which is published by Thames & Hudson in Britain sells for around $48, and features 700 illustrations -- 300 of them in color -- most of which come from the archive of Britain's Daily Mirror, which reportedly has the largest collection of Stones photos.

In May, all four Rolling Stones -- Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ron Wood, and Charlie Watts -- took to their website in an 18-second message to thank their legions of followers for reaching ten million Facebook friends. It wasn't much, but the video -- filmed in New Jersey -- showed that the band is indeed alive and well -- not to mention hard at work rehearsing, with a list of songs posted near Watts' drum kit.

The world premiere of the Rolling Stones' legendary unreleased movie Charlie Is My Darling - Ireland 1965 took place on September 29th at the 50th New York Film Festival in Manhattan. The band's early manager and producer, Andrew Loog Oldham, was in attendance. The "Super Deluxe Box Set" of the film was released in November, includes both DVD and Blu-ray discs featuring the new 2012 version of the film as well as the director's producer's cuts -- plus "significant unseen additional performance and other footage shot in Dublin and Belfast in September of 1965."

The bonus content in the collection features two CD's; one featuring the film's newly created soundtrack album, which includes live tracks, audio from the film, and orchestral versions of Stones tracks -- and the second featuring 13 live recordings the band recorded during their 1965 UK tour, which featured the Stones' original lineup -- Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones, Charlie Watts, and Bill Wyman. Also included in the set is a 10-inch vinyl record of the live material, a 42-page hardcover book, along with a replica poster for the band's September 4th, 1965 Belfast date.

Keith Richards explained that back in the day the Stones realized that the road was littered with unbelievable talent that would never make it to the big time: "You'd pull up to some bar, and you'd (laughs) hear some of the most incredible pickers and band that you pass by in the night. You have a quick beer and a sandwich and you're back on the road. At the same time, the guys in the back of the room are playing some hot, hot stuff, y'know? I mean, so you, eventually you get to know that there's loads of you out there -- not everybody's gonna become a star. Y'know, that's another trick and it has to do with timing more than anything."

The Rolling Stones welcomed former members Bill Wyman and Mick Taylor back on stage at their 50th anniversary kick-off concert at London's O2 Arena on November 25th. The show also featured guest spots by Jeff Beck and Mary J. Blige. Although Wyman and Taylor weren't onstage at the same time, the show definitely showed a small amount of nostalgia for the Stones, with the band tipping it's hat to the Beatles for the opening number by performing "I Wanna Be Your Man" -- which John Lennon and Paul McCartney finished for them in 1963 giving them their first Top 20 UK hit. The Stones followed it with a triple punch of '60s classics -- "Get Off My Cloud," "It's All Over Now," and "Paint It, Black" before settling into the set. Blige stepped up to sing the Merry Clayton part in "Gimme Shelter" and Jeff Beck joined the band for the 1969 Let It Bleed outtake, "I'm Going Down."

Bill Wyman made his first appearance with the Stones since June 27th, 1990 in Basle, Switzerland, sitting in on "It's Only Rock N' Roll" and "Honky Tonk Women." Taylor was featured on the band's 1969 classic, "Midnight Rambler" -- a cornerstone of the legendary shows he played with the band between 1969 and 1973. Although he hasn't played live with the band since sitting in with them on December 15th, 1981 in Kansas City, Missouri, he added new guitar work to the 2010 expanded reissue of Exile On Main Street.

Other highlights included the live debut of the new "One More Shot," Keith Richards' take on the Some Girls favorite "Before The Make Me Run," and a full choir joining the Stones onstage for "You Can't Always Get What You Want," which kicked off the encores. Amazingly, "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" was set to close the show, but went un-played when the Stones' concert ran too long.

Mick Jagger explains that every night on tour is a new crowd, which is all the more reason to always bring his 'A-game': "Oh, yeah, every night y'have to do your best to prove to yourself you've done your best for yourself, y'know? You set yourself a certain standard, y'know, that you wanna reach every night. And obviously some nights, really, you think, 'Oh, for some reason, that's better than normal.' You never want to dip underneath a certain level."

Keith Richards admits that he's amazed that people are still curious why the Stones even want to be performing at this stage of their lives: "Y'know, people, they go, 'Why're you still doing it at your age?!' 'Why not?!' Y'know, let's see, y'know, if someone can come along and take over the crown, or the mantle, or whatever -- cool. It wouldn't stop me from playing the music."

AC/DC FINALLY COMES TO iTUNES

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 21:03:00 GMT

The Internet got a little bit louder in 2012 as AC/DC's entire catalog was finally made available on iTunes.

The band was one of the last major holdouts who were yet to release their music via iTunes. They'd previously rejected the format in an attempt to preserve the sanctity of the album as a format. "Since iTunes came into existence, we've actually increased our back-catalog sales without being on the site," Angus Young had previously said. "We are a band who started off with albums and that's how we've always been. We always were a band that if you heard something on the radio, well, that's only three minutes. Usually the best tracks were on the albums."

iTunes options include the "Complete Set" package for $149.99, the "Studio Collection" for $99.99, ringtones, the "Live At River Plate" concert recording as well as individual albums.

Released on November 20, Live At River Plate is also available as a three-disc red vinyl or a two-CD set featuring multiple covers and a 24-page booklet. The live record follows last year's "Live At River Plate" DVD, filmed in Buenos Aires on the Black Ice world tour in December of 2009.

(Peter Hodgson, Gibson.com)

RUSH RELEASES 20TH STUDIO ALBUM

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 21:02:00 GMT

2012 saw the release of Rush's 20th studio album, Clockwork Angels. It debuted at Number Two on the Billboard album chart on Wednesday (June 20th) selling 103,000 copies in its first week of release. The disc marks Rush's highest chart debut since 1993's Counterparts, which also entered at Number Two. The Canadian trio has yet to land at Number One despite having 28 releases make the Billboard chart in the past four decades. Clockwork Angels also beat out the band's previous effort, 2007's Snakes & Arrows, which sold 93,000 copies to debut at Number Three.

The past 10 years have been something of a renaissance for Rush and guitarist Alex Lifeson told us that Clockwork Angels was especially enjoyable to make: "This record was an absolute joy to write. We were so positive through the whole experience. It never got bogged down. It was a lot of work, and I think we all, you know, made a great effort to make the best album that we could, but at the same time, you know, it was a race to get into the studio every day -- we were just having so much fun with it."

Lifeson also revealed that Rush will bring a small string ensemble on tour with the band for the first time ever. The musicians will play parts that appear on Clockwork Angels and may also add string arrangements to selected songs from the band's catalog.

Rush began its North American tour on September 7th in Manchester, New Hampshire.

NEW VAN HALEN ALBUM ARRIVES; BAND PULLS OFF THE ROAD

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 20:56:00 GMT

After years of rumors and speculation, Van Halen released its 12th studio album, A Different Kind Of Truth, on February 7th. The disc was the first full-length set of original material from the band in nearly 14 years and the first with founding vocalist David Lee Roth since 1984. At least seven -- if not more -- of the songs included on the album were reworked versions of tunes first recorded on demos or performed live back in the mid-to-late-Seventies. Although the album and subsequent tour were generally well-received, Van Halen pulled off the road and canceled most of a summer North American trek in June. While speculation rose that Roth and guitarist Eddie Van Halen were not getting along again, the band itself claimed exhaustion and an over-ambitious schedule as the reasons for the cancellation.

Just two months later, in August, Eddie had to have emergency surgery when he was stricken with a life-threatening bout of the intestinal track disorder known as diverticulitis. Eddie reportedly had to have part of his small intestine removed, needing four to six months for a complete recovery.

Roth rejoined the band in 2007 for a year-long world tour that grossed more than $90 million at the box office.

Original bassist Michael Anthony was replaced for that trek by Eddie's son Wolfgang, who makes his recording debut on A Different Kind Of Truth.

The band's last road trip before 2007 was an ill-fated 2004 jaunt that featured the return of Sammy Hagar on the mic eight years after he left the lineup.

Van Halen as a band and Eddie as a person have seen their share of ups and downs over the years, and we asked Eddie how he thinks Van Halen has managed to rise above both those and the fickle whims of the music industry: "I don't know if we've risen above anything, but I do know that we have never been one to follow trends. You know, whether it be punk, disco, rap, industrial, whatever terms they have nowadays -- we're a rock-and-roll band, and we make music that pleases us. We make music from the heart."

KISS RELEASES 20th ALBUM

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 20:54:00 GMT

Kiss is back with a hit album, proving that nearly 40 years into their career, the band is still a force to be reckoned with. Their newly released collection, Monster, debuted on the Billboard 200 album charts at Number Three -- one position lower than 2009's Sonic Boom collection -- but tied with the band's next highest charting set, 1998's Psycho Circus.

Gene Simmons admits that the love and support the band has been given by their "Kiss Army" remains beyond their wildest imaginations: "Kiss fans are beyond anything we ever dared hope for, in terms of fans. We were gonna be happy with just being able to sell a record and, and doing our music, but to get this kind of loyalty is beyond anything we ever expected."

Paul Stanley told us that he's particularly excited with the material on Monster, if for no other reason than it captures the band in a high point in its long and storied career: "With this album, we're totally at home with who we are, what we are, out past, present, and future. And I wanted us to take any blinders off so to speak. I wanted to unleash us, and let us be exactly who we are today. There's no getting away from our past -- nor would we want to -- but we're pumped! We're in top form, and the best way we can put it is, I didn't want us to make and album we once made, I wanted us to make the album we never made."

AEROSMITH RETURN TO BOSTON

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 20:54:00 GMT

On November 5th Aerosmith returned to their Boston, Massachusetts neighborhood to perform an hour-long set in front of thousands of fans. The concert was played in celebration of the release the next day of their long awaited new studio album, Music From Another Dimension, the 2012 Presidential election, along with Boston Mayor Tom Menino declaring the 1325 Commonwealth Avenue building -- where Aerosmith lived from 1970 to 1972 -- a historic landmark, with a special commemorative plaque placed outside on the building. The band was introduced by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and his son Jonathan. Joining the Kraft's was Pats quarterback Tom Brady and linebacker Jerod Mayo.

Among the tunes the band performed was the Rufus Thomas' R&B classic "Walking The Dog," "Movin' Out" -- which Steven Tyler and Joe Perry wrote at the Commonwealth Avenue apartment, "Mama Kin," the new song "Lover Alot," "Back In The Saddle," "Sweet Emotion," the band teased a bit of the James Brown nugget "Mother Popcorn" before launching into "Walk This Way." Aerosmith closed the hour-long set with encores of the new track "Oh Yeah" and "Train Kept A-Rollin'."

Joe Perry told us that no matter what goes on with Aerosmith, there's a bond between him and Steven Tyler that is almost unbreakable: "We've been together for so long that in my heart, it's never more than six inches away from Steven's, ever. Even though we may not talk for a short amount of time or a long amount of time, we've been partners, friends for so long, I always have a feeling deep inside that we're always gonna be together. And that's what makes Aerosmith as strong as it is."

THE 2012 ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 20:53:00 GMT

Although a winning night for music fans everywhere, the 2012 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at Cleveland's Public Hall on April 14th was marred by the absence of three major performers. The Faces' Rod Stewart, who frankly has always found an excuse to not reunite with the band in the past decade, backed out of the brief reunion performance at the 11th hour claiming he had the flu and was ordered by doctors to remain at home in Los Angeles. Shortly before his death, the Beastie Boys' Adam Yauch had been battling cancer for the past several years and sent his regrets in missing the ceremony, and Axl Rose issued a statement last week citing personal and political problems with his former Guns N' Roses bandmates, the Rock Hall, and the music business in general.

Steve Van Zandt inducted the Small Faces and Faces -- who flew in current frontman Mick Hucknall of Simply Red to perform -- and explained how magical it was for lightening to strike twice to the same band: "Not too many bands get a second life. In this case, I'm sure, it helped having not just one, but miraculously two white soul singers in the history of rock n' roll -- Steve Marriott and Rod Stewart (applause)."

Ron Wood took time out to mention the missing Faces bandmates, Rod Stewart and the late Ronnie Lane: "Thank you very much for inducting us all, and Rod Stewart in his absence, God bless him, he's still part of the family, y'know, and Ronnie Lane, his spirit lives on and we were his family anyway, so we'll accept his award for him, alright?"

The Faces performed three songs -- the Small Faces' Mod favorite, "All Or Nothing," "Ooh La La," and their signature tune, "Stay With Me."

Following their induction by Green Day, Guns N' Roses founding guitarist Slash, bassist Duff McKagan and drummer Steven Adler were joined by later drummer Matt Sorum and guitarist Gilby Clarke for three songs -- "Mr. Brownstone," "Sweet Child O' Mine" and "Paradise City" -- from the band's classic 1987 debut, Appetite For Destruction. Providing vocals in the absence of Axl Rose was Myles Kennedy, the singer for Alter Bridge and Slash's current solo band.

Sorum played drums for "Mr. Brownstone," while original drummer Adler took over for the other two songs. In addition to Rose, other missing members included original guitarist Izzy Stradlin and longtime keyboardist Dizzy Reed, who still plays in the current version of the band.

Die-hard Donovan fan John Mellencamp inducted his hero and recalled his glory days in the mid-'60s: "I bought my first Donovan record in 1965. I was in the seventh grade and back then we waited for every record and I waited for every album he made to come out so that I could learn to play those songs. I wasn't just listenin' to Donovan, I was livin' Donovan (applause)"

Donovan took the stage acoustically to perform his 1965 breakthrough hit "Catch The Wind" and his 1966 chart-topper, "Sunshine Superman" before being joined by Mellencamp for a full-band workout of 1966's "Season Of The Witch."

Carole King inducted late music impresario Don Kirshner with the Ahmet Ertegun Award for non-performers.

Chris Rock inducted the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the last act of the night to be inducted, saying, "If George Clinton and Brian Wilson had a kid, he'd be ugly -- but he'd be Red Hot Chili Peppers." He also recalled the first time he ever saw the band, saying, "They came out and I couldn't understand a f***ing word they said, and they had socks on their d***s!"

In addition to current members Anthony Kiedis on vocals, Flea on bass, Josh Klinghoffer on guitar and Chad Smith on drums, former drummers Jack Irons and Cliff Martinez were also inducted. Ex-guitarist John Frusciante did not attend. Late guitarist Hillel Slovak's brother accepted Hillel's induction. Flea choked up during his induction speech while remembering Slovak, saying that he was the one who told Flea to take up the bass.

The Chili Peppers performed three hits after their induction, including 1991 chestnut "Give It Away," 2002 smash "By The Way," and 2011's "The Adventures Of Rain Dance Maggie" from their latest album, I'm With You. The Peppers' performance led smoothly into the traditional closing jam session, which featured the Peppers, Slash, Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong, George Clinton, Ronnie Wood -- who was inducted earlier in the evening as part of the Faces/Small Faces -- and others blowing out a vibrant version of Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground."

ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill inducted blues legend Freddie King in the Early Influences category.

Robbie Robertson inducted legendary producer/engineers Cosimo Matassa, Tom Dowd, and Glyn Johns with the Award of Musical Excellence.

Smokey Robinson did the honors for the legendary backing groups the Blue Caps (Gene Vincent), the Comets (Billy Haley), the Crickets (Buddy Holly), the Famous Flames (James Brown), the Midnighters (Hank Ballard) and the Miracles (Smokey Robinson).

THE WHO IN 2012

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 20:53:00 GMT

The Who closed out the 2012 London Olympic ceremonies on August 12th with a three-song medley, featuring "Baba O'Riley," "See Me, Feel Me/Listening To You," and "My Generation." Roger Daltrey, rather than Pete Townshend, sang the bridge to "Baba O'Riley" and changed the words to "Don't cry, just brace your eyes/There's more than teenage wasteland" in deference to the young Olympiads surrounding him. Veteran British keyboardist Chris Stainton joined the band onstage, along with longtime Who associate Billy Nichols on backing vocals. Drummer Zak Starkey played a clear multicolored drum-kit, with Townshend's younger brother Simon Townshend on rhythm guitar, and Billy Nichols' son, Muse bassist Morgan Nichols standing in for Pino Palladino. The finale of "My Generation" came to a bombastic conclusion with explosions and an incredible fireworks display while all the evening's acts joined the Who onstage.

To the chagrin of most U.S. Who fans, the band's performance was pushed to 12:00 am Monday morning so that NBC affiliates could air the premiere episode of a new sitcom, Animal Practice and its local news. The closing ceremony featured a production which saluted the past 45 years of British rock, and was represented with Ray Davies performing the Kinks' "Waterloo Sunset," Madness with the Hackney Colliery Band performing "Our House," a David Bowie montage and John Lennon tribute of "Imagine" performed by Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Choir and Liverpool Signing Choir, along with a life-size bust of Lennon created by the audience on the Olympic Stadium floor.

Released in August was the DVD and Blue-ray disc of the Who's 1979 mod coming of age drama, Quadrophenia. TheWho.com reported that "the new, high-def restoration. . . includes new interviews, commentary and behind-the-scenes footage." The disc features a new audio commentary from director Frank Roddam and director of photography Brian Tufano, along with interviews with the Who's long time sound man, Bobby Pridden, who supervised the new 5.1 mix and manager Bill Curbishley.

The disc also includes on-set and archival footage, behind-the-scenes photographs, along with a booklet "featuring an essay by critic Nick James, a reprinted personal history by original mod Irish Jack -- who inspired Pete Townshend's character "Jimmy" -- along with Townshend's original liner notes from the 1973 double-album.

Although the Who don't star in the film, one rocker who appeared in Quadrophenia -- starring as "Ace Face" -- was none other than Sting, in his first major movie role: "The movie came out just as the Police were having our first success, so there was a sort of double whammy of me (laughs) as a singer and then a figure in Quadrophenia -- which was quite a small part, but I seem to have made a big impact with a sort of iconic look. I'm not taking much credit for it, I didn't do very much in the film, but I thought it was a good film. I thought it was one of those films that summed up an era."

The Who: Quadrophenia - Can You See The Real Me? - The Story Behind The Album documentary premiered on June 15th at England's Sheffield Doc/Fest and hit select U.S. theaters for one-night-only on July 24th. The film, which went on to run on VH1 Classic, gives an in-depth look at the making of -- and tour behind -- the 1973 album, featuring the Who's Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey, their manager Bill Curbishley, Quadrophenia engineer Ron Nevison, early Mod "Irish Jack" Lyons, Townshend confidante and biographer Richard Barnes, and rock journalist Howie Edelson, among others. The Who: Quadrophenia - Can You See The Real Me? - The Story Behind The Album is now available for download on iTunes.

The Who's 1989 25th anniversary reunion tour would've been a lot cooler if Joe Walsh hit the road with them as originally planned. Walsh shed some light on the offer by old friend Pete Townshend to supply lead guitar on the historic celebratory trek. We asked Walsh how close he came to actually joining the Who on tour: "They were real serious. It almost happened. I remember a phone call where Pete (Townshend), and (John) Entwistle, and Roger (Daltrey) were on that end -- and probably Bill Curbishley, their manager. And they asked me if I would seriously do it. They wanted to make sure that I had the right perspective."

Ultimately though, to the great disappointment of their fans, the Who went with the stylized and generally unknown Steve "Boltz" Bolton to supply lead guitar on the U.S. and UK dates. Walsh recalled how the Who gig slipped away: "It would be a job for a specialist to back up Pete. You'd have to be there where he needed ya and stay, stay the hell outta his way at the same time. And I said, 'Yeah, if you guys decide to go that way -- I'm in. I'm honored and I can do it. I know you guys as friends and I know your music backwards and forwards and I think I'm your guy.' They had one more go around in the decision making process. Yeah, so it almost happened. I'll always wonder where that would've gone."

The Who performed their 1973 double-album Quadrophenia in its entirety during its 2012 North American Quadrophenia And More tour. In addition to the classic album, the band also performed a handful of fan favorites on the 36-date trek. The first leg of the tour kicked off on November 11th in Sunrise, Florida and wrapped on December 9th at Uncasville, Connecticut's Mohegan Sun Arena. The second leg is set to begin on January 28th at Anaheim, California's Honda Center with the tour wrapping, as of now, on February 26th in Providence, Rhode Island at the Dunkin' Donuts Center. The tour marks the band's first tour since 2008.

In addition to original members Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey, the band will be joined by longtime bandmates Zak Starkey on drums, Pino Palladino on bass, and Pete's kid brother Simon Townshend on guitar and backing vocals. Joining the Who's usual touring ensemble will be keyboardists Loren Gold and John Corey, horn players J. Greg Miller and Reggie Grisham along with Roger Daltrey's guitarist and bandleader Frank Simes, who'll perform and serve as the tour's musical director.

Pete Townshend explained why the Who is revisiting Quadrophenia as a full scale piece for the first time in 15 years: "We've been trying to find something we can do together, Roger and I. Y'know, we've gone off on slightly different directions; Roger's been working with a new band, I've been developing new music and writing a book about my life, so we've really struggled to find something to do this time. So in a sense, Quadrophenia, of course this time is something that we both felt we could get together on and look at again, 'cause last time we did it was in 1997. So we've been anxious to work together and -- before we drop dead!"

Roger Daltrey explained that rather than being tied to the past, he finds the prospect of diving into Quadrophenia a liberating prospect: "What's great about doing it now is that it's still a work in progress and hopefully it will keep developing and we might even get it into some really kind of up to date modern show very different than what we had back in '97. And I don't know how many more years I'm going to be able to sing this music. My voice is great at the moment, so I'm just going to explore the possibilities that one time I might sing Quadrophenia and it it's a little bit easier (laughs)."

Ultimately Townshend is looking forward to the musical challenges he'll face reviving Quadrophenia onstage: "The Who have played the same music for such a long time onstage, and although you can keep coming back and reviving it, it's lovely to have new challenges. This is a new challenge, funnily enough, playing this piece. As Roger says, I think we can cook up a new way of putting this across. That will bring up musical issues, there's no question to . . . musical challenges, musical problems, musical excitement and, y'know, some extraordinary moments. Now, that's what I hope for."

On October 8th Pete Townshend published his long-awaited autobiography, called, Who I Am. Townshend, who began posting excerpts on his website several years back, talks candidly about his the sexual abuse he suffered as a child, his creative process both with and without the Who, his personal life -- and for the first time in detail, his 2003 arrest and caution for logging on to porn sites believed to carry images of children.

Townshend explained that in addition to making the book a good read, the truthfulness needed to ring true to his life: "I had to write the truth as I saw it and I remembered it. Now that's a very strange truth, because everybody's memory is different and then I knew that there would be arguments with my friend Barney (Richard Barnes) later on, when he said, 'That didn't happen this way' or 'That didn't happen that way.' I'm getting a bit of that now with old friends who say, 'No, that's not what happened.' And I said, 'Listen, I have to tell my story my way.' But this was an honest. . . for me, it had to be what I believed to be the truth."

The Who released its latest vault concert on DVD on October 9th, called Live In Texas '75. The show was videotaped during the Who's November 20th, 1975 concert at the Summit in Houston during the band's tour behind that year's The Who By Numbers album. The footage was shown on the Summit's in-house video system and has been one of the most popular video bootlegs of the Who's career. The sound for the show has been cleaned up by Pete Townshend's former brother-in-law, longtime Who engineer and archivist, Jon Astley.

The tracklisting to The Who's Live In Texas '75 is: "Substitute," "I Can't Explain," "Squeeze Box," "Baba O'Riley," "Boris The Spider," "Drowned," "However Much I Booze," "Dreaming From The Waist," "Behind Blue Eyes," "Amazing Journey/Sparks, "The Acid Queen," "Fiddle About," "Pinball Wizard," "I'm Free," "Tommy's Holiday Camp," "We're Not Going To Take It/See Me, Feel Me/Listening To You," Summertime Blues," "My Generation," "Join Together," "Naked Eye," "Roadrunner," "Won't Get Fooled Again," "Magic Bus," and "My Generation Blues."

THE DOORS RELEASE CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD BOWL SHOW

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 20:52:00 GMT

In October, the Doors released Live At The Bowl '68. The collection, which marks the first time the Doors' complete July 5th, 1968 show has been released in its entirety, is available in a number of formats, including CD, DVD, Blu-ray disc, and a double album.

Unlike nearly every other artist that releases a live collection and tells you it sounds just like it did onstage, co-founder Ray Manzarek told us that as great as the DVD sounds -- it was far better sounding where he was sitting that night: ["(Laughs) Are you kidding?!? It doesn't sound like it sounds onstage! I'm sitting in front of huge amplifiers, y'know? There's nothing in the world that sounds like being onstage. That is reserved only for us divinely blessed musicians, who get to work with our buddies and enter some sort of Zen state of madness, Dionysian state of chaos, of oneness, and just pounding, throbbing music. That's what we, the musicians, get."