Talk About Rock Music

After having a bit of a browse around on the web, I came across a readers poll by Sleaze Roxx who asked its users to vote for the top 25 albums of the year.  There are some interesting results here and I wanted to share them with you to see what you think.  Some of them I agree with and others I think are fans just trying to be supportive of what is otherwise a complete disaster of an album.  You’ll see what I mean from the list below.  Here are the top ten entries.

Number 1
Motley Crue - Saints of Los Angeles
I have to agree with Crue being in this list.  They made a fantastic comeback last year and after I saw them live myself, I must admit they still completely rock out.

Number 2
AC/DC - Black Ice
After 8 long years, AC/DC finally came through with this gem of an album which has been said to be their best album since the early 1990s.  Lets hope we don’t have to wait the same amount of time for the next one!

Number 3
Whitesnake - Good To Be Bad
Not much to say on this one other than it has been a long awaited return of David Coverdale and Whitesnake.

Number 4
Guns ‘N Roses - Chinese Democracy
Is there anything I need to say on this one  You’ve heard it, you know the score.  You haven’t heard it?  Don’t waste your time.

Number 5
Metallica - Death Magnetic
A true return of the band with amazing songs and truly fantastic riffs.

Number 6
Tesla - Forever More
I can’t say I know this one but it is obviously very popular with the fans.

Number 7
Alice Cooper - Along Came A Spider
An album that tells the story of a serial killer that cuts bits off his victims to create what can only be called a human spider.  Where can you go wrong!!

Number 8
Dokken - Lightening Strikes Again
This top ten seems to be full of big band comebacks.  Again, I don’t really know of this band but the reviews on the album seem promising.  It may be one I have to purchase later on.

Number 9
Buckcherry - Black Butterfly
I first heard these at a concert and thought they were awesome.  With a new album to match, this band keeps getting better and better.

Number 10
Gemini Five - Sex Drugs Anarchy
They have had a bit of a mixed review due to their every changing styles but this album seems to be the popular one so maybe they have seen the light and will stick to this type of sound.

Mike McCready, guitarist from Pearl Jam has been rallying for the sufferers of Crohn’s Disease.  For those of you who don’t know what it is, it is an extremely painful gastrointestinal disease that causes sufferers pain and embarrassment.  McCready has appeared before Washington State lawyer type people to encourage them to enforce an emergency mandate to make all private business restrooms accessible for people who have to endure this affliction.

McCready, who suffers with the illness himself said,

“Imagine the worst diarrhea you’ve ever had, and then times it by 10, with a knife in it.  You have maybe a half-a-second to find out where a bathroom is.  I was in the middle of a solo and it hit, and I can’t go anywhere because I’m playing in front of 20,000 people, so I just let go. I went back stage and cleaned up, because the show must go on.”

What he has proposed is that all retailers that do not currently have public restrooms must allow people with Crohn’s and any other inflammatory bowel disease to be able to use the private employee facilities.  McCready feels that many owners of business do not understand how important this facility is and are insensitive to needs of others.

Talk About Rock Music says:  Well done McCready.  If you could make them pass the same law over here in the UK, there would be a lot of very happy people.  I happen to know people with this illness and as an IBS sufferer myself, I know that it is highly embarrassing and extremely painful.  To all you business owners who are unwilling to listen or be sympathetic to the needs of others, may you someday be in a similar and embarrassing situation.

Marylin Manson has now revealed the name of his new album to Rolling Stone.com.  He is quoted:

“My new record is done, man.  It’s called ‘The High End of Low’ — it’s a self-described state of being that I’m in. You’re going to be f#*$ng freaked. It’s the sh%t.”

Please excuse the language but after all, it is Mr. Manson speaking.  Would we expect anything less?

He will be shooting the video this month for the first video to the new album.  The song will be titled “I Want To Kill You LIke They Do In The Movies”  The song itself is 9 minutes long and is about murder, sex and death.

Another uplifting and upbeat tune then!!

The album is due for release in May 2009 and Manson, along with Slayer, are co-headlining the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival Tour starting in July 2009 in Sacramento, California.

Talk About Rock Music says:  We may joke about Marylin Manson sometimes and his rather odd and satirical sense of humour and direction of music but we adire him greatly for at least he is daring to be different.

Believe it or not, Bruce “The Boss” Springsteen has made it to the top of the UK album charts with his new album “Working On A Dream”.   It is his 7th UK number one album and has to date sold over 65 million albums in the US alone and over 120 million copies worldwide.  He has also won a huge number of awards for his work so far including an Academy award, 2 Golden Globes and 18, yes that’s 18 Grammy awards!!

His most famous album would have to be Born in the USA which shows the daily struggle of life.

He was born in Long Branch in New Jersey and grew up in Freehold Boro.  His father was a bus driver and his mother was a legal secretary.  He also has an older sister, who did some of the photography on his albums and a younger sister who did a little acting but has taken up photography full time.

He took up music when he was just seven years old after being inspired when he watched Elvis Presley on the Ed Sullivan Show.  When he was just thriteen, he purchased his first guitar for a mere $18.  His mother then took out a small loan when he was sixteen and bought him a Kent guitar worth $60 which he wrote and sand about in his song “The Wish”

Talk About Rock Music says:  Well done Boss.  It’s about time we had some real music in the album charts for a change.  Keep up the good work and know your fans are supporting you all the way.

Bon Jovi has been added to the New Jersey Hall of Fame.  The award is to recognise the band’s contributions to the state which has been referred to as “a land of corrupt politicians, belching refineries and gangsters”.

Along with 12 other winners including basketball star Shaquille O’Neal, Bon Jovi were picked by residents of New Jersey who had to vote online or by using the voting accademy.

Bon Jovi have been building cheaper housing in Newark to make living more affordable for the residents, which is backed by the band’s foundation set up specifically to help others.

Talk About Rock Music says:  It must be where all the extortianate fan club and concert ticket prices are going.  At least it’s for a good cause!!!!  Needless to say, the band does do a lot of good work for various causes so opinions aside, it is nice that they are getting recognised for good work.

A 17 year old girl has died overnight after an alleged drugs overdose.  She was ruched into hospital from the Australian music festival, Australia’s Big Day Out.  No name has been released, but she apparently took 3 Ecstasy tablets at the sold out festival at Claremont Showground in Perth.  She was said to have taken them all in one go to prevent them being detected by the police sniffer dogs.

The official site for Austrailia’s Big Day OUt released the following statement.

“Big Day Out does not condone the use of drugs at the event.  The same laws of the outside world apply inside the event. Over three million people have attended the Big Day Out in its 17-year history and this is the first time an incident of this nature has occurred.”

They have refused any further comments on the story.

Australian police are now investigating who supplied the teenage girl with the tablets and so far, over 70 people have been charged with drug related offences at the event.

Was does Talk About Rock Music say?  Don’t be stupid enough to take drugs in the first place.  They are no good for you and can have all sorts of side effects, unfortunately, including death.  Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the young girl who has passed but don’t let it be you!