Rock History

2009 – The official Roadrunner Records web site has been updated with top-album picks for 2008 from a number of artists that are signed to the label, including members of MACHINE HEAD, MEGADETH, DEVILDRIVER, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE and TRIVIUM. A few of the selections follow below. The entire list can be found at this location.

Shawn Drover (MEGADETH)

01. CYNIC – Traced in Air
02. TESTAMENT – The Information Damnation
03. MESHUGGAH – Obzen
04. CHILDREN OF BODOM – Blooddrunk
05. OPETH – Watershed
06. EVERGREY – Torn
07. BLOTTED SCIENCE – The Machinations of Dementia
08. AIRBOURNE – Runnin’ Wild
09. INTO ETERNITY – The Incurable Tragedy
10. BRAIN DRILL – Apocalyptic Feasting

Frédéric Leclercq (DRAGONFORCE)

01. GUNS N’ ROSES – Chinese Democracy
02. DISTURBED – Indestructible
03. SLIPKNOT – All Hope Is Gone
04. CYNIC – Traced in Air
05. CRADLE OF FILTH – Godspeed on the Devil’s Thunder
06. ULTRA VOMIT – Objectif Thunes
07. SEBASTIEN TELLIER – Sexuality
08. ALICE COOPER – Along Came a Spider
09. MOTLEY CRUE – Saints of Los Angeles
10. METALLICA – Death Magnetic

Matt Heafy (TRIVIUM)

01. COLDPLAY – Viva La Vida
02. COLDPLAY – Prospekt’s March
03. MAXIMUM THE HORMONE – Tsume Tsume Tsume
04. LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA – Mozart’s Requiem
05. GOJIRA – The Way Of All Flesh
06. AMON AMARTH – Twilight of the Thunder God
07. SLIPKNOT – All Hope Is Gone
08. OPETH – Watershed
09. METALLICA – Death Magnetic
10. TRIVIUM – Shogun

Robb Flynn (MACHINE HEAD)

01. ALL SHALL PERISH – Awaken The Dreamers
02. METALLICA – Death Magnetic
03. TRIVIUM – Shogun
04. WINDS OF PLAGUE – Decimate The Weak
05. LIL WAYNE – The Carter III
06. LA COKA NOSTRA – A Brand You Can Trust
07. SLIPKNOT – All Hope Is Gone
08. WHITECHAPEL – This Is Exile
09. MESHUGGAH – Bleed
10. BLEEDING THROUGH – Sister Charlatan

Joel Stroetzel (KILLSWITCH ENGAGE)

01. KINGS OF LEON – Only by the Night
02. RYAN ADAMS AND THE CARDINALS – Cardinology
03. RADIOHEAD – In Rainbows
04. TOMMY EMMANUEL – Center Stage
05. ALL THAT REMAINS – Overcome
06. NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS – Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!
07. Augustana – Can’t Love (Can’t Hurt
08. IN FLAMES – A Sense of Purpose
09. NADA SURF – Lucky
10. RAY LAMONTAGNE – Gossip in the Grain

Paolo Gregoletto (TRIVIUM)

01. METALLICA – Death Magnetic
02. MACHINE HEAD – The Blackening Special Edition
03. COLDPLAY – Viva La Vida
04. GOJIRA – The Way of All Flesh
05. SLIPKNOT – All Hope Is Gone
06. AMON AMARTH – Twilight of the Thunder God
07. PROTEST THE HERO – Fortress
08. AC/DC – Black Ice
09. OPETH – Watershed
10. TRIVIUM – Shogun

Max Cavalera (SOULFLY; CAVALERA CONSPIRACY; SEPULTURA)

01. BAD BRAINS – Build a Nation
02. DISFEAR – Live the Storm
03. GOJIRA – The Way of All Flesh
04. GOGOL BORDELLO – Gypsy Punks
05. TURBO TRIO – Turbo Trio
06. INCITE – Divided We Fail
07. AGNOSTIC FRONT – Warriors
08. AMON AMARTH – Twilight of the Thunder God
09. AGORAPHOBIC NOSEBLEED – Insect Warfare
10. HIRAX – The New Age of Terror

Justin Foley (KILLSWITCH ENGAGE)

01. CYNIC – Traced in Air
02. MESHUGGAH – Obzen
03. CULT OF LUNA – Eternal Kingdom
04. SIGUR ROS – Með Suð Í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust
05. GOJIRA – The Way Of All Flesh
06. MOGWAI – The Hawk Is Howling
07. NINE INCH NAILS – The Slip
08. UNDEROATH – Lost In The Sound Of Separation

Michael Spretizer (DEVILDRIVER)

01. THE BIRTHDAY MASSACRE – Walking With Strangers
02. AMON AMARTH – Twilight of the Thunder God
03. MINDLESS SELF INDULGENCE – If
04. ALL THAT REMAINS – Overcome
05. GOJIRA – The Way of All Flesh
06. IN FLAMES – A Sense of Purpose
07. CHILDREN OF BODOM – Blood Drunk
08. OPETH – Watershed
09. RAUNCHY – Wasteland Discotheque
10. TESTAMENT – The Formation of Damnation

Jonathan Miller (DEVILDRIVER)

01. IN THIS MOMENT – Dream
02. GUNS N’ ROSES – Chinese Democracy
03. SLIPKNOT – All Hope Is Gone
04. SHINY TOY GUNS – Seasons of Poison
05. ENYA – …And Winter Came
06. ALL THAT REMAINS – Overcome
07. METALLICA – Death Magnetic
08. ALL SHALL PERISH – Awaken The Dreamers
09. MUDVAYNE – The New Game
10. TRIVIUM – Shogun

2008 – Unreleased material Jimi Hendrix wrote and recorded with twin brothers Arthur and Albert Allen — a.k.a. the Ghetto Fighters — may finally be released through software/multimedia company we-R-you. The Allen brothers, who now go under the names TaharQa and Tunde Ra Aleem, first met Jimi in the mid-60s and worked with Hendrix on recordings that would ultimately wind up on posthumous releases like Rainbow Bridge, War Heroes and Cry Of Love. Among the material the Aleem brothers have unearthed is previously unheard recordings, a feature screenplay and a cartoon drawing of Hendrix drawn by Hendrix himself. “Jimi was a true visionary whose creativity went far beyond music,” says TaharQa Aleem. “He saw the future and while he may not have understood computers or known about digital technology and virtual worlds, he knew that things like this were coming and created material that would work in that world.” The unearthed material will be released through we-R-you in segments, as “each element needs to be released in its own time and way,” says the company’s chief branding and marketing officer Allen DeWinter.

1970 – In 1970, The Beatles had their last original single, “The Long and Winding Road,” hit number 1. Since then, they’ve had moderate success with “Got to Get You Into My Life” and “Back in the USSR” (1976), “The Beatles’ Movie Medley” (1982), “Twist and Shout” (1986, because of its inclusion in the movies, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Back to School), “Baby It’s You,” and “Free As a Bird” (both 1995) and “Real Love” (1996).

American Idol

2004 – as the third season of American Idol was aired on US TV a memo was leaked showing a list of songs banned from being performed at this year’s auditions that included, Elton John’s ‘Candle In The Wind’ and ‘Fallin’ by Alicia Keys. Also all songs by Bruce Springsteen, Mariah Carey, No Doubt, R. Kelly, Tom Petty, Korn and Linkin Park were not allowed after concerns over the cost of securing rights for the song’s use, (or the composers not wanting their song’s to be performed on the show).

2003 – Bruce Springsteen and bandmate Nils Lofgren attend the funeral of their friend, eccentric Wall St. tycoon John Mulheren. Springsteen leads the assembly in Christmas carols, while Lofgren sings “Wind Beneath My Wings.”

2001 – Jazz tenor saxophonist Harold Land dies in Los Angeles after a stroke. He is 73. Land gained prominence in 1954 when he joined a quintet led by trumpeter Clifford Brown and drummer Max Roach.

For many performers, working with a string section is a long-held dream. The lush backdrop warmly supports an instrumentalist or a singer, setting the stage for emotional, often unforgettable performances. Listen to orchestral albums by such greats as Charlie Parker, Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, Clifford Brown, and Johnny Hodges, and the beauty and feeling that arise from these situations is soon appreciated.

A Lazy Afternoon is a stellar contribution to this genre. Here, the consummate tenor saxophone artistry of Harold Land, easily one of jazz’s premier improvisers, meets the sumptuous string orchestrations of Ray Ellis, who is best recalled for Lady in Satin, a 1958 session for Columbia Records for which he wrote gorgeous string backdrops for Holiday.

A Lazy Afternoon features ear-pleasing renditions of such evergreens as “You Go To My Head,” “Invitation,” “You Don’t Know What Love Is,” “Nature Boy,” “In A Sentimental Mood,” “Wave,” and the title track, “Lazy Afternoon.” Land and the string and orchestral palette are accompanied by the ace rhythm team of Billy Higgins (drums), William Henderson (piano), and James Leary (bass).

The tenor saxophonist, who will always be remembered for his scintillating performances with the masterful quintet led by trumpeter Brown and drummer Max Roach in the mid-50′s and with the internationally acclaimed quintet he co-led with Bobby Hutcherson in the late ’60s and early ’70s, fits superbly into the context. He employs his rugged, individualistic style and his trademark expressive tone, mixing compelling melody readings with alluring improvisations.

For years, Land had wanted to do an album with strings, having been touched by recordings by Parker and Brown, as well as by Lady in Satin. And his appearances with Tony Bennett in the late ’60s and ’70s also flamed his desire for a string album. Then, he’d join the singer, mostly in Las Vegas, but occasionally on tours of Latin America, serving as the star soloist with the full orchestra that backed Bennett and reaching audiences that might not have otherwise known of his work. “Those appearances were always memorable and helped foster the desire in my soul to make an album with strings,” says Land.

A Lazy Afternoon came to fruition when a story on Land, written by Jason Fine in Option magazine, told of his wish to make a string album. Postcards A&R Director Ralph Simon read the story, liked the idea and, being another fan of Lady in Satin, tracked down Land and then Ellis, both of whom live in Southern California.

Both principals, who had never worked together prior to A Lazy Afternoon, were enthusiastic about the collaboration. “Harold is a beautiful guy, and laid-back, and he plays that way,” says Ellis. “The album feels real good to me.” “Ray’s beautiful writing was so tasteful and romantic — that’s a good word,” says Land. “The album worked out the way I wanted. With the turbulent state of affairs in this country, as well as the world, I would hope this album would manifest a little peaceful feeling, a positive effect, to all who hear it, as opposed to the negativity we are bombarded with every day. That feeling of peace is something I have been trying to express through music for a long time and, hopefully, this album will be a continuance of that effort.”

The saxophonist and the arranger have lived fulfilling artistic lives. Land, born in Houston and raised in San Diego, moved to Los Angeles in the early ’50s. In 1954, he joined the famed Brown-Roach quintet, with which he toured the United States and recorded several albums for EmArcy (all of which are available as reissue CDs). After two years with the ensemble, Land felt the need to be closer to his family, which was in Los Angeles, and so he returned and has resided there ever since. Land recalled the mid-to-late ’50s, when LA was teeming with jazz. “That was a very healthy period here,” says the tenorman. “A lot of clubs around the city had a six-night-a-week policy, and most musicians were working.”

He soon began to establish himself as one of the most singular and powerful of jazzmen, making albums with bassists Red Mitchell and Curtis Counce and then, in 1958, making his 12” LP debut (he had recorded four selections in 1949 that were released by Savoy). Harold in the Land of Jazz was issued on Contemporary Records, and was followed a year later by The Fox, on HiFi Jazz (available as a Contemporary Records reissue), which many consider his best early recording. He also began performing with Gerald Wilson’s orchestra, and with pianists Hampton Hawes and Carl Perkins, becoming an essential cog in the wheel of Los Angeles jazz. Nonetheless, the saxophonist didn’t really get much exposure outside LA until he formed a quintet with vibist Bobby Hutcherson in the late ’60s. The band recorded for Blue Note and toured the US and Europe. “There were a lot of similar things that Bobby and I responded to emotionally and musically,” Land says.

Also during the ’60s, Land, like so many saxophonists, became enamored with John Coltrane, and he found that both his smooth sound and his approach to improvising changed during this period. “John definitely inspired me with his intense spirit, and I usually say that spirit moved me so much that I became a little more intense in my own musical presentation,” says Land. “At the same time, I was trying to maintain a certain individuality that I hope I have managed to do.”

In the late ’70s and ’80s, Land joined the Timeless All-Stars, which also included Higgins, Hutcherson, Cedar Walton (piano), and Curtis Fuller (trombone). In and around performances with the Timeless band, Land fronted fine quintets that featured trumpeters Blue Mitchell (their Mapenzi, on Concord Jazz, is a classic) and Oscar Brashear (documented on Xocia’s Dance on Muse). Land remains one of the most impressive and deep improvisers in jazz. As is said in the Penguin Encyclopedia of Popular Music, “Land is a fine musician who has not received the fame he deserves.”

Ellis, a Philadelphia native, was originally a tenor saxophonist who taught himself to write while serving in the Army band during World War II. His first commercial charts were crafted in the mid-’50s for pop singers such as the Four Lads (“Moments to Remember,” “Standing on the Corner” — both Billboard Top 10 pop chart hits) and Johnny Mathis (“That Certain Smile,” “Wild Is the Wind”). Later, during his tenures at Columbia, MGM, and RCA Records, he wrote arrangements for hit records by Connie Francis (“Where the Boys Are”), Bobby Darin (“Splish Splash”), Clyde McPhatter (“Lover’s Question”), Brook Benton (“It’s Just a Matter of Time”), and Tony Bennett (“Firefly”). “I think I was a success because I figured out how to write what the producers wanted,” he says.

But the biggest record of Ellis’s career is the timeless Lady in Satin, on which Holiday sang such torch songs as “You’ve Changed” and “Violets for Your Furs.” “Billie picked the tunes and they were all stories of unrequited love — the story of her life,” Ellis recalls. The recording, done in three sessions at Columbia’s then-fabled 30th street studios in New York, was mostly a series of first takes. Her raw talent and emotional quality were astounding, and really moved Ellis. “It was great,” he says of her ability to give the songs meaning. And the album has held up, he feels. “It still sounds contemporary, and people keep calling me because of it,” says Ellis, who has also scored for television, including a theme for NBC’s “Today” show which has run from the ’70s into the ’90s.

Now, Ellis has written the kind of arrangements that have moved Land to deliver powerful performances. It seems clear that people will be talking about, and listening to, A Lazy Afternoon for years to come as well.

Harold Land Discography (as a leader)

Grooveyard (Contemporary) 1958
Harold in the Land of Jazz (Contemporary/OJC) 1958
The Fox (HiFi Jazz/OJC) 1959
Eastward Ho! Harold Land in New York Jazzland (OJC) 1960
Westcoast Blues! Jazzland (OJC) 1960
Hear Ye! Harold Land Quintet with Red Mitchell (Atlantic) 1961
The Peacemaker (Cadet) 1967
Take Aim (Blue Note) 1969
Jazz Impressions of Folk Music (Imperial) 1971
A New Shade of Blue (Mainstream) 1971
Choma (To Burn) (Mainstream) 1971
Damisi (Mainstream) 1977
Total Eclipse (with Bobby Hutcherson) (Blue Note)
Mapenzi (Concord Jazz) 1977
Xocia’s Dance (Muse) 1981
A Lazy Afternoon (Postcards) 1995
Promised Land (Audiophoric) 2001

2000 – VH1 and Rolling Stone hold a fund-raiser for Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore at New York’s Radio City Music Hall. Among the performers are Sheryl Crow, who open the show with “The Long and Winding Road”; Paul Simon; Glenn Frey and Don Henley, who play a selection of Eagles hits; and Crosby, Stills & Nash, who lead the entire lineup through a finale of “Teach Your Children.”

1999 – The Recording Industry Association of America declares the Eagles’ Greatest Hits 1971-1975 the best-selling album of the century. The 20th century’s biggest single is Elton John’s “Candle in the Wind 1997.”

1999 – The Best of Van Halen, Vol. 1 [Japan Bonus Tracks]
Release date: 1999-10-05

By trying to give the David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar eras equal space, The Best of Van Halen, Vol. 1 winds up a little uneven. The first eight songs run through several of Diamond Dave’s biggest songs — “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love,” “Runnin’ With the Devil,” “And the Cradle Will Rock,” “Jump,” and “Panama.” It’s hard to argue with any of the choices, yet significant songs like “You Really Got Me,” “Beautiful Girls,” “(Oh) Pretty Woman,” “I’ll Wait,” and “Hot for Teacher” are missing. Similarly, the Sammy era has many big hits — “Why Can’t This Be Love,” “Dreams,” “When It’s Love,” and “Right Now” — but skips over hits like “Love Walks In,” “Black and Blue,” and “Finish What Ya Started.” Clearly, the collection would have been better served if it had been assembled as a double-disc set, with Dave and Sammy getting a disc apiece. Furthermore, the much-hyped reunion tracks with Roth, “Can’t Get This Stuff No More” and “Me Wise Magic,” are a slight disappointment; the band sounds good, but neither track contains a memorable hook. Nevertheless, Best Of, Vol. 1 remains a good single-disc encapsulation of Van Halen’s career, even if it isn’t a definitive retrospective. [The Japanese edition wisely includes "Hot for Teacher."] Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide

Tracks:
Title    Composer    Time
1    Eruption    Roth, VanHalen, VanHalen, Anthony    1:42
2    Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love    Roth, VanHalen, VanHalen, Anthony    3:48
3    Runnin’ With the Devil    Roth, VanHalen, VanHalen, Anthony    3:37
4    Dance the Night Away    Roth, VanHalen, VanHalen, Anthony    3:08
5    And the Cradle Will Rock…    Roth, VanHalen, VanHalen, Anthony    3:34
6    Unchained    Roth, VanHalen, VanHalen, Anthony    3:29
7    Jump    Roth, VanHalen, VanHalen, Anthony    4:03
8    Panama    Roth, VanHalen, VanHalen, Anthony    3:32
9    Hot for Teacher    Roth, VanHalen, VanHalen, Anthony    4:44
10    Why Can’t This Be Love    Hagar, VanHalen, VanHalen, Anthony    3:46
11    Dreams    Hagar, VanHalen, VanHalen, Anthony    4:54
12    When It’s Love    Hagar, VanHalen, VanHalen, Anthony    5:39
13    Poundcake    Hagar, VanHalen, VanHalen, Anthony    5:21
14    Right Now    Hagar, VanHalen, VanHalen, Anthony    5:22
15    Can’t Stop Lovin’ You    Hagar, VanHalen, VanHalen, Anthony    4:08
16    Humans Being    Hagar, VanHalen, VanHalen, Anthony    5:09
17    Can’t Get This Stuff No More [Radio Edit]    Roth, VanHalen, VanHalen, Anthony    4:12
18    Me Wise Magic    Roth, VanHalen, VanHalen, Anthony    6:06

Releases:
Year    Type    Label
1999        WEA International
2007    CD    WEA/Warner

1999 – At a Lilith Fair stop in Toronto, Prince appears during Sheryl Crow’s set to rock on “Everyday Is a Winding Road.”

1998 – Elton John & Bernie Taupin’s global hit “Candle In the Wind ’97″ is a double winner at the Ivor Novello Awards held at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel. The song commemorating the late Princess Diana wins best-selling U.K. single and international hit of the year. Accepting the award, John calls his victory “bittersweet,” noting, “I wish this record had never had to be made.”

1997 – It is announced that “Candle in the Wind 1997,” Elton John’s tribute to the late Princess Diana, has shipped more than 26 million units worldwide, making it the second biggest single in history (behind Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas”). It tops the U.S. charts for 14 weeks.