Image source: www.rockonthenet.com
Columbia/Roadrunner/Island Def Jam/Sony Music Soundtrax released “Spider-Man (Music From and Inspired By)” on Tuesday, April 30. “Spider-Man,” the live action motion picture released by Columbia Pictures in conjunction with the 40th anniversary of the classic graphic character’s Marvel Comics debut, made its way into theaters nationwide on Friday, May 3.

“Spider-Man (Music From and Inspired By)” is a collection of music written and performed by a generation of musicians influenced by the power and mystery of the Spider-Man character, his conflicts and his adventures. The album’s lead singles and videos are “What We’re All About (The Original Version)” from Sum 41 featuring a guitar solo from Slayer’s Kerry King; and “Hero,” a new track from Nickelback vocalist/guitarist Chad Kroeger featuring Josey Scott (the vocalist from Saliva), written for the film by Kroeger.

The Ramones were loud and fast - Everyone knows that, even the poor, blind saps who never loved the band. But the Ramones were many things, and gloriously so, from the moment of their inception in Forest Hills, New York, in 1974, until their final concert, #2,263, in Los Angeles on August 6, 1996.

They were prolific - releasing 21 studio and live albums between 1976 and 1996 - and professional, typically cutting all of the basic tracks for one of those studio LPs in a matter of days. They were stubborn, a marvel of bulldog determination and cast-iron pride in a business greased by negotiation and compromise. And they were fun, rock n’ roll’s most reliable Great Night Out for nearly a quarter of a century. Which seems like a weird thing to say about about a bunch of guys for whom a show, in 1974 or ‘75, could be six songs in a quarter of an hour.

The Ramones were also first: the first band of the mid-’70’s New York punk rock uprising to get a major-label contract and put an album out; the first to rock the nation on the road and teach the British how noise annoys; the first new American group of the decade to kick the smug, yellow-bellied shit out of a ’60s superstar aristrocracy running on cocaine-and-caviar autopilot.

Above all, the Ramones were pop: stone believers in the Top 40 7-inch-vinyl songwriting aesthetic; a nonstop hit-singles machine with everything going for it - hammer-and-sizzle guitars and hallelujah choruses played at runaway-Beatles-velocity - except actual hits. According to an August 1975 article in England’s Melody Maker about the crude, new music crashing through the doors of a former country-and-bluegrass bar in lower Manhattan named CBGB, the local press was already hailing the Ramones as - get this - “potentially the greatest singles band since the Velvet Underground.” A peculiar compliment since the Velvets’ own few 45s were all crushing radio bombs.

But there was one thing you could never, ever say about the Ramones: that they were dumb. In their time, in their brilliantly specialized way, the Ramones - the founding four of Johnny (guitar), Joey (voice), Tommy (drums), and Dee Dee (bass); along with Marky, who spent 15 years and 11 albums behind the drums beginning with “Road To Ruin” and who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with the original four; - later followed by CJ, who stepped out of the Marine Corps and into Dee Dee’s king-sized sneakers in 1989; and Richie, who kept the beat while Marky was on hiatus between ‘83 and ‘87 - were the sharpest band on the planet. Fully evolved as musicians and songwriters. Confident in their power and the importance of what they had.

From Ramones.com

Traditionally, books on the history of rock music begin by defining rock music as the meeting of country music and rhythm’n'blues, which is roughly correct.

However, this definition is out of touch with today’s rock music. Today, rock music is a genre that employs sampling techniques, electronic instruments, digital/computer technology, cacophony, and ethnic sources (beyond African-American and Anglo-Irish).

It was Chuck Berry who invented rock and roll in 1955. Berry was a black man playing black music. But times had changed: white kids were listening to rhythm and blues throughout the Northeast, and white musicians were playing rhythm and blues side to side with country music. Rock and roll was inherited by white singers, such as Presley, who often performed songs composed by obscure black musicians. White rockers became gentler and gentler, thereby drowning rock and roll’s very reason to exist.

Source:

Scaruffi

The influence of rock and roll is far-reaching, and has had significant impact worldwide on fashion and film styles. This impact is broad enough that “rock and roll” may also be considered a lifestyle in addition to a form of music (i.e. “Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll”). However rap and hip hop would later replace this role. Its impact has been positive as well, with the trend of many rock stars facilitating charity events such as Live Aid. Saving the World is becoming a more and more common phrase associated with rock music today.There are also spiritual aspects tied to rock music. Songwriters like Pete Townshend have explored these in their work. The common usage of the term “rock god” acknowledges the religious quality of the adulation some rock stars receive.Source:Wikipedia

 Incubus, an American alternative metal band from Calabasas, California, is comprised of vocalist Brandon Boyd, lead guitarist Michael Einziger, bassist Ben Kenney (formerly of The Roots), DJ Kilmore, and drummer Jose Antonio Pasillas II. Former members were bassist Alex Katunich (a.k.a. “Dirk Lance”") and Gavin Koppell (a.k.a. “DJ Lyfe”).Among the band’s most successful singles are “Drive”, “Wish You Were Here”, “Megalomaniac”, “Dig”, “Anna Molly” and “Pardon Me”.For their albums Make Yourself, Morning View, and A Crow Left of the Murder, the band has reached multi-platinum sales. In November 2006, they have released their latest studio album, Light Grenades. Another interesting thing to note is the fact that they wrote and performed 4 Movements ‘Of the Odyssey’ for the first volume of the Halo 2 Original Soundtrack.The story was that Jose Pasillas, Alex Katunich, Mike Einziger began jamming together while at Calabasas High School in 1990, playing at friends’ parties. Soon they asked their friend, Brandon Boyd to join, thus making him the vocalist. At this time they began writing their own music, and on January 7, 1995, the demo tape Incubus was released, featuring songs that would later appear on their first album, Fungus Amongus, and their EP, Enjoy Incubus. On November 1, 1995, Fungus Amongus was released on the band’s own label,Stopuglynailfungus Music on Chillum.Between that release and their 1997 major label debut EP, Enjoy Incubus, the band acquired DJ Lyfe, who introduced hip-hop sounds to the band’s already diverse mix of music. Enjoy Incubus was released on Immortal Records on January 7 of that year, exactly two years after the band’s second demo. Many songs from Fungus Amongus were rereleased on Enjoy Incubus, but were touched up.Check out these Incubus Sites :Enjoy IncubusIncubus Online

Unwritten Law is an American rock band formed in 1990 in Poway, California (a suburb of San Diego) and currently recording for Suburban Noize Records. They have released seven full-length studio albums and have toured internationally, including performances on the Warped Tour. They are notable for their singles “Seein’ Red” and “Save Me (Wake Up Call),” both of which entered the top 5 in the US Modern Rock charts. Their most recent release is a “best of” album entitled The Hit List, released January 2, 2007.Original drummer Wade Youman generally takes credit for starting the band, and a number of players came and went before the lineup coalesced to include Scott Russo on vocals, Steve Morris and Rob Brewer on guitars, and John Bell on bass. They released their first cassette demo in 1992, followed by the 7″ vinyl single Blurr in 1993. The band quickly established themselves in the prolific San Diego music scene of the early 1990s that also included groups such as blink-182, Buck-O-Nine, Sprung Monkey, Drive Like Jehu, and Rocket from the Crypt.

The band has their very own unique sound. Every song explodes with an energy and raw uncut sound that no one can compare to.

Some would argue BEN BURNLEY is a perfectionist. But for BREAKING BENJAMIN’s singer, guitarist, and visionary, there is no other modus operandi for his craft. With that dedication, BURNLEY and his bandmates–guitarist AARON FINK, bassist MARK JAMES, and drummer CHAD SZELIGA–have built 2006’s meticulous, infectious hard rock milestone PHOBIA (Hollywood Records). Building on their trademark hard-charging rhythms, sharp hooks, and soaring vocals, PHOBIA marks BREAKING BENJAMIN’s third album.

For BURNLEY, who typically writes at least 10 songs to yield one, the arduous approach has helped BREAKING BENJAMIN elevate the bar in following up 2004’s explosive platinum-selling We Are Not Alone, which produced a pair of compelling #1 rock hits, “So Cold” and “Sooner Or Later.” “It’s a very time-consuming thing,” BEN admits of his efforts to top the band’s airwave favorites. “I’ll basically write a number of similar songs and cherry-pick the best pieces from all of them and make one.”

With PHOBIA, which confronts anxiety and fear through catharsis and breathtaking melodies, the fruits of BURNLEY’s conviction can first be heard on “The Diary of Jane” –the first single and video–just one in a number of ferocious and hook-injected offerings on the band’s third album. As muscular as it is accessible, “Jane” has the power to invade one’s headspace, and occupy it for days.

Yet BREAKING BENJAMIN’s namesake didn’t always think so highly of PHOBIA’s first single. “Ben is his biggest critic,” bassist MARK JAMES acknowledges. “He’ll write stuff that is undeniable. And everyone else knows it’s undeniable. But he’ll think it’s not good enough and he’ll go back to the drawing board. With ‘The Diary of Jane,’ he had three or four different options lyrically and melodically before we even entered the studio. He had all of these variations that he presented to [producer] David [Bendeth]. And as is the case nine out of ten times, it’s almost always his initial gut feeling that wins out.”

BURNLEY’s instincts have guided BREAKING BENJAMIN from the bars and clubs of Wilkes-Barre, PA to a platinum album certification, all in the course of five years. On the strength of the quartet’s first hit, “Polyamorous,” from its 2002 major label debut Saturate, the group’s alt-metal leanings–inspired by the likes of Tool, KoRN, and Nirvana–earned the band prompt recognition.

With the aforementioned radio darling We Are Not Alone (which also contained the memorable ballad “Rain”) the group aligned with producer David Bendeth to forge a partnership that only grew stronger by the time work on PHOBIA commenced in early 2006. “We knew what to expect,” BURNLEY says. “We knew what he’d want out of us and knew what we’d want out of him.”

“Mark, Chad, Aaron, and Ben gave this record everything they had, worked their asses off and never settled for second best,” David Bendeth says proudly of BREAKING BENJAMIN’s new material. “The melodies are strong and memorable and we all feel it is a lot stronger than anything they’ve ever done. I worked BEN hard and he pushed himself. He has such a great instinct for lyrics and melody. He really knows what he wants and he never ceases to amaze me. He has a natural talent, a gift.”

That gift is evident in “Evil Angel.” which has a vibe akin to Alice in Chains, replete with AARON’s expressive, thunderous riffs giving way to a newfound rootsy, organic approach. Elsewhere, “You” finds the band operating in a rarely-used standard tuning, and relying on the highly capable rhythmic wares of MARK and drummer CHAD–who only recently joined the group but is an obvious ideal fit. “It was back to basics for us,” MARK says of the latter. “It’s so direct, more simple than usual. It’s definitely more of a feel than anything else propelling that song.”

The sonic epic “Dance With The Devil” also stands out as AARON’s fluid, forceful guitar lines and monumental drumming ideally interface with the power and range of BURNLEY’s voice. And despite his heartfelt delivery of lines like “I believe in you/I can show you that,” Ben pauses when it comes to talk about his deeply personal verse.

“I want the listener to analyze my songs,” he says. “I don’t want to do it myself. If someone thinks the song is about something and I come along and say, ‘No. The song is about this.’ I could ruin it for them.”

One thing that won’t be damaged at this point is the infrastructure of this band, helped by a newfound openness. “One thing in the past that affected us in a negative way was that we didn’t always speak our minds,” MARK says. “We’d keep stuff bottled up. And then maybe we’d feel regret or resentment. This time around, we made a point to say what we’re feeling.”

Finding a balance between enjoyment and ambition, BURNLEY thrives by challenging himself on PHOBIA. “I’m doing things vocally that I haven’t done before and we’re using different time signatures and tunings that are new for us,” he says. “I look at evolution this way: Every time you write a song, it’s one less thing that you can do. Of course there is always pressure to at least match what you’ve done before, but there is nothing I can do about it other than write the best possible songs I can.”

“I’m really proud of these songs,” MARK says. “BEN has done a fantastic job providing great hooks and phrases. I feel very strongly about every track on this record, which isn’t something I was always able to say. I think we really tried to approach every song by never trying to overstate an idea. If there was a catchy riff that AARON was doing, I never wanted to step on it. I’d try to seek a different way around it.”

Thinking outside the box, the men of BREAKING BENJAMIN have faced down their fears, put their hearts and their heads together to woodshed PHOBIA. Regardless of whether you’re afraid of heights, snakes, bees, air travel or whatever, this stellar song-cycle pays big dividends. Summing up BREAKING BENJAMIN’s new album, the band’s bassist concludes, “The goal was to make a solid, mature and cohesive record.”

Mission accomplished. PHOBIA is a damn-near faultless rock album.

Visit the Breaking Benjamin Site at ShallowBay.com

The Offspring - a band from Huntington Beach, California formed in 1984.

The band’s lineup is  Dexter Holland on lead vocals, guitar, Noodles on guitar, Greg K.  on bass, and Pete Parada on drums.

After seven albums and more than 32 million in sales, The Offspring come full circle with Columbia Records‘ release of Greatest Hits on June 21, 2005, the band‘s first-ever, career-spanning collection of their most memorable songs. The album features thirteen classics that have all reached the Top 10 on Billboard‘s Modern Rock Tracks chart plus the brand new single, “Cant Repeat.“

And while “Can‘t Repeat“ gives a glimpse into The Offspring‘s present and future, the past is well-represented with the three hits from their watershed 1994 Epitaph album, Smash, “Come Out and Play (Keep ‘Em Separated),“ “Self Esteem“ and “Gotta Get Away.“ Smash went on to sell 11 million copies worldwide, making it THE most successful independent release of all time.

The complete track listing includes all the hits from the band‘s Columbia Records catalog: “All I Want“ and “Gone Away“ (‘97‘s Ixnay on the Hombre); “Pretty Fly (for a White Guy),“ “Why Don‘t You Get A Job?“ and “The Kids Aren‘t Alright“ (‘98‘s Americana); “Original Prankster,“ “Want You Bad“ (2000‘s Conspiracy of One) and “Hit That“ and “(Can‘t Get My) Head Around You“ (‘03‘s Splinter). In addition, “Defy You,“ the hit single from 2001‘s Orange County soundtrack, rounds out the set.

The Offspring‘s Greatest Hits was released in two versions, both as a conventional CD and as a DualDisc, with the DVD side including the full album in 5.1 stereo; in-the-studio audio commentary by Holland and Noodles, offering anecdotes and insight into the stories behind the hits; and an acoustic performance of “Dirty Magic,“ a song from the group‘s 1993 Epitaph album, Ignition.

The CD/DualDisc release was followed by The Offspring‘s Complete Music Video Collection on July 19, 2005, a two-and-a-half hour DVD showcasing all the band‘s videos up to their newest single, “Can‘t Repeat.“ Recorded in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, the DVD will also include a selection of live television performances and “Guy Cohen: Where Is He Now?,“ Dexter‘s interview with the kid actor from “Pretty Fly (for a White Guy).”

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Offspring Sites Worth Checking out

Offspring.com
The Offspring
The Offspring Online

In the mid 80’s in Seattle, Washington, the birthplace of “grunge” with bands like Nirvana, Melvins, Mudhoney Sonic Youth, Pearl Jam to name a few.  But it was Nirvana and Pearl Jam that the movement came to the forefront of mainstream success and thus became the spokespersons of Generation X, which is Kurt Cobain of Nirvana and Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam. Grunge bands combined guitar rock with punk and metal to give birth to a new movement. The Grunge Rock Alternative Seattle sound by the mid 90s, Grunge moved from a local sound in Seattle through national and international venues and became a part of the musical vocabulary of most subsequent bands. Most modern musicians owe a debt of gratitude to those plaid wearing teens from Seattle.

Grunge is the embodiment of the tagline “WHICH PART OF WE HAVE NO MONEY DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND?”

As Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam said, “when commerce is involved, everything changes”.

Now with Grunge Music rising it sprang up grunge fashion

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the city of Seattle was the center for a growing high-tech industry second in size only to California’s Silicon Valley. The city became home for the thousands of young, upwardly mobile professionals (”yuppies”) who worked for gigantic companies such as Microsoft and Amazon. So-called “grunge” fashion developed as a reaction to their chic, dressed-up style by the city’s anti-establishment youth. In deliberate antithesis to the corporate look, Seattle’s young people began to favor the torn jeans, clunky boots, and plaid flannel shirts of Washington State’s lumber country.

Now, These are some Grunge bands now listen to their music, enjoy it.. be grunge…

• 7 Year Bitch
• Alice in Chains
• Babes in Toyland
• Blood Circus
• Green River
• Gruntruck
• Hammerbox
• Hole
• L7
• Love Battery
• Mad Season
• Malfunkshun
• Melvins
• Mono Men
• Mother Love Bone
• Mudhoney
• My Sister’s Machine
• Nirvana
• Paw
• Pearl Jam
• Pond
• Screaming Trees
• Skin Yard
• Soundgarden
• Stone Temple Pilots
• Tad
• Temple of the Dog
• The Fluid
• The Nymphs
• The U-Men
• Truly

They are the one who changed the music forever. They are the one who shakes our father’s head and made our mother’s hips swing to the crazy music they invented.

And their great songs passed from generation to generation; in fact I saw some bands following their footsteps from their tuxedo to their eyeliners.

Here I present to you the top 4 best rock bands ever.

1. The Beatles. I remember I had a collection of their music I pinched from my father’s arrays of long playing albums. They are undeniably the greatest and the most famous band ever in rock history.

The Beatles produced great amount of joys that hits the face of throng of people with the consciousness that happiness and high spirits were not only possible but with them around, it is inevitable.

2. The Rolling Stones. I didn’t realized that their single “ I Can’t Get No (Satisfaction)” was launched in 1965 because I heard the songs during 80’s and people that time were into that song . My cousin together with his band who used to jam in our place loves to play this song and we kids are having fun sneaking in their music room.

The Rolling Stone are English band whose music was based in rhythm and blues and rock & roll.

When The Beatles didn’t play music anymore their title as “The World’s Greatest Rock ‘n Roll band fell with the little arguments on the Stones.

3. U2. They were formed in 1976, young and with limited musical know-how it was in the 80’s that they become the top international act. Their success as a live act wasn’t greater than their success in selling record though but when they launched their album “The Joshua Tree, they become “heroes to superstars” according to Rolling Stones.

4. The Grateful dead. This American band was formed in 1965. though they became vital body in the psychedelic movement based out of the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco, California. The band was famous for its exceptional and diverse style, which combined elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, jazz, psychedelic, space music and gospel—and for live performances of long musical improvisation.”Their music,” according to Lenny Kaye, “Touches on ground that most other groups don’t even know exists.”

(Photo source: Musix.org, mp3sugar.com and www.poster.net)