Guns n Roses
NINE INCH NAILS
Nine Inch Nails were the most popular industrial group ever and were largely responsible for bringing the music to a mass audience. It isn't really accurate to call NIN a group; the only official member is singer/producer/multi-instrumentalist Trent Reznor, who always remained solely responsible for NIN's musical direction (he was, however, supported in concert by a regular backing band). Unlike the vast majority of industrial artists, Reznor wrote melodic, traditionally structured songs where lyrics were a focal point. His pop instincts not only made the harsh electronic beats of industrial music easier to digest, but also put a human face on a style that usually tried to sound as mechanical as possible. While Ministry crossed over to heavy metal audiences, NIN built up a large alternative rock fan base right around the time of Nirvana's mainstream breakthrough. As a result, Reznor became a genuine star and his notoriously dark, brooding persona and provocateur instincts made him a Jim Morrison-esque sex symbol for the '90s. A long period of inactivity and writer's block followed, which gave virtually every alternative metal band of the late '90s a chance to rip off elements of NIN's sound. By the time Reznor's five-year hiatus finally ended, he was still a popular figure but his commercial momentum had slowed somewhat.
Michael Trent Reznor was born May 17, 1965, in the small town of Mercer, PA; he went by his middle name to avoid confusion with his father, Michael. At age five, Reznor's parents divorced and he wound up being raised mostly by his maternal grandparents; even so, Reznor stated repeatedly that his childhood was mostly happy. He began playing the piano at age five, studying classical music, and later learned tenor sax and tuba in the school band; he also acted in musicals and became an avid Kiss fan. Reznor spent a year studying music and computers at Allegheny College, but dropped out after a year to pursue music full-time; he soon packed up and moved to Cleveland with high school friend Chris Vrenna. Around the same time, he was discovering new wave and assorted underground music; he was most fascinated with early industrial, since it offered an edgy, aggressive way to use electronic instruments. At age 19, he successfully auditioned to join an AOR band called the Innocent, which released one album, Livin' in the Streets (Reznor's picture does appear on the jacket). He quit the Innocent after just three months and subsequently gigged with local bands; he also worked in a keyboard store and as a janitor in the local Right Track recording studio. Eventually, he became a studio engineer, teaching himself various computer applications and working on his own material during off hours. In 1987, Reznor appeared in the Michael J. Fox/Joan Jett film Light of Day, where he played keyboards with a trio dubbed the Problems during a bar scene.
As Nine Inch Nails, Reznor began recording his own Ministry- and Skinny Puppy-influenced compositions in 1988, playing all the instruments himself. At first, he simply hoped to release a 12" single on a small European label, but when he sent demo tapes to around ten American labels, nearly every one offered him a deal. He wound up signing with TVT, which released NIN's debut album, Pretty Hate Machine, in 1989 (after having rejected an initial effort called Industrial Nation). Reznor quickly assembled a backing band and toured with Skinny Puppy for a short time, but soon tired of playing for strictly industrial artists. With a tighter outfit featuring Chris Vrenna on drums and Richard Patrick on guitar (plus several revolving-door keyboardists), he consciously chose to open for alt-rock acts (including, early on, the Jesus and Mary Chain and Peter Murphy), partly for the challenge of winning over fans who might not have liked industrial music. The strategy helped expand Nine Inch Nails' fan base substantially; the single "Down in It" got some airplay in dance clubs, reaching Billboard's dance and modern rock charts, and MTV later picked up on the video for the more rock-oriented "Head Like a Hole." In 1991, after settling on keyboardist James Woolley, Nine Inch Nails became part of the inaugural Lollapalooza tour, which expanded their fan base by leaps and bounds. Pretty Hate Machine's momentum kept building slowly, and although it never climbed higher than number 75, it spent over two years on the album charts and eventually sold over a million copies -- one of the first indie-label rock albums to do so.
CLICK HERE FOR EVEN MORE UNIQUE NINE INCH NAILS VIDEOS
TVT had a massive hit on their hands, and to ensure that Reznor would produce another one, they attempted to take control of the follow-up's creative direction. Enraged by the outside meddling, Reznor tried to secure a release from his contract, leading to a vicious court battle. His only recording outlets were side projects; in 1990, he co-wrote and sang on "Suck," a track on Pigface's debut album, Gub, and also sang on the Al Jourgensen-led 1000 Homo DJs cover of Black Sabbath's "Supernaut." (TVT ordered Reznor's vocals removed from the track, but Jourgensen actually just altered them slightly and said he'd re-recorded it.) Eventually, he was able to sign with Interscope, which helped him set up his own label, the Cleveland-based Nothing imprint. Reznor had been recording new material on the sly, and in 1992 Nothing released the EP Broken as well as a concurrent remix disc titled Fixed. Broken featured more (and heavier) guitars than Pretty Hate Machine, partly in response to NIN's live sound and partly as a sonic evocation of Reznor's boiling frustration in the wake of the legal wars; it also featured two bonus cuts, a version of "Suck" and the Adam Ant cover "(You're So) Physical," a nod to Reznor's new wave roots. Despite many reviews characterizing the EP as a harrowing, difficult listen, Broken -- supported by NIN's now-considerable fan base -- debuted in the Top Ten and the first single/video, "Wish," won a Grammy for Best Heavy Metal Performance. Reznor enhanced his reputation as a provocateur with a widely banned clip for "Happiness in Slavery," which depicted S&M performance artist Bob Flanagan being torn apart by a machine; there was also a long-form clip for Broken that was never released commercially due to its graphic content (a torture victim is dismembered while viewing NIN videos).
Reznor moved to Los Angeles to craft the second full-length NIN album, assembling a studio in the house where actress Sharon Tate was murdered by Charles Manson's associates. The Downward Spiral was a highly ambitious work, a concept album indebted to progressive rock that featured the most detailed, layered studio craft of any NIN release yet. Hugely anticipated, the album debuted at number two and became one of the bleakest multi-platinum albums ever. Richard Patrick had departed the touring band to form Filter, and Reznor revamped the group with drummer Vrenna, keyboardist Woolley, guitarist Robin Finck, and bassist Danny Lohner. NIN caused a sensation at that summer's 25th-anniversary Woodstock concert, performing a ferocious set after horsing around and covering themselves in mud just before hitting the stage. Meanwhile, MTV had put an edited version of the video for "Closer" in heavy rotation and NIN scored one of the year's unlikeliest hits: a song whose chorus began "I want to f*ck you like an animal," which helped make Reznor one of alternative rock's biggest sex symbols. The subdued ballad "Hurt" gained some further airplay, even though it lacked the titillating shock value of "Closer." Later in the year, Reznor assembled the soundtrack of Oliver Stone's controversial Natural Born Killers, editing the songs together to create an innovative collage; he also guested on "Past the Mission," a track on Tori Amos' second album, Under the Pink. In 1995, with new keyboardist Charlie Clouser, Nine Inch Nails hit the road with David Bowie, whose late-'70s albums (along with Pink Floyd) had been a major influence on The Downward Spiral. He also contributed a cover of Joy Division's "Dead Souls" to the soundtrack of The Crow and issued the remix album Further Down the Spiral, which nearly reached the Top 20 (a testament to his popularity).
Using money from The Downward Spiral, Reznor built a state-of-the-art studio in New Orleans in a building that had once been a funeral home. While pondering his next move in the wake of his sudden stardom, he produced Nothing signee Marilyn Manson's second album, Antichrist Superstar, which did indeed make him a superstar. In 1997, longtime friend Vrenna had a falling out with Reznor and eventually was replaced by Jerome Dillon; Reznor's maternal grandmother also passed away that year and his friendship with Manson soon deteriorated. Even so, he produced another movie soundtrack, for David Lynch's Lost Highway, and contributed the new single "The Perfect Drug," which flitted unpredictably between several different rhythm tracks. Though "The Perfect Drug" kept him in the public eye for a time, Reznor was still unsure what kind of statement would be an appropriate follow-up to The Downward Spiral; that uncertainty resulted in a severe case of writer's block. In the meantime, NIN were proving vastly influential on a new crop of bands; major labels signed up industrial metal outfits like Filter and Stabbing Westward, and an assortment of alternative metal bands started grafting industrial production flourishes onto their music; Guns N' Roses lead singer Axl Rose even fired the rest of his band and holed up in a studio to pursue a more NIN-influenced direction.
Nine Inch Nails finally returned in 1999 with the double-CD opus The Fragile. It debuted at number one with massive first-week sales, but slipped down the charts rather quickly afterward, perhaps because the musical climate had changed a great deal over the past five years. The remix album Things Falling Apart followed a year later, as did an extensive world tour. An album of live performances culled from the tour, And All That Could Have Been, was released in early 2002. Reznor was largely quiet during the next three years, finally re-emerging in 2005 with another chart-topper, With Teeth. Touring continued into 2006, where NIN spent the spring and summer on the road with various support acts including Saul Williams, Bauhaus, TV on the Radio, and Peaches. The EP Every Day Is Exactly the Same appeared in April 2006; it contained the title track and five various remixes (all originally from With Teeth). Touring America followed, and then late in the year Reznor was back in the studio working on the next album. In early 2007 the band resumed touring, this time in Europe. A viral marketing campaign began when USB key chains that contained new songs were found in the restrooms during NIN shows. These key chains also contained a noisy audio file that, when run through a spectrum analyzer, drew an audio wave in the shape of a phone number. The phone numbers were answering machines filled with conspiracy theories, there were fake websites strewn across the net, and busy Internet forums and wikis appeared to theorize about and document it all. The big payoff appeared in April when the dystopian concept album Year Zero arrived. A year later Reznor began experimenting with different methods of distribution when he made the Saul Williams album The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust available as a digital download.Reznor had helped produce the album and had planned to release it on his Nothing imprint but as his distaste for the major label system increased, so did the possibilities of digital distribution. He completely broke free from the system when he left Interscope and released the entirely instrumental album Ghosts I-IV on his own in 2008, making it available in both digital download and CD formats. The album's release also marked the end of his Interscope distributed Nothing label and the beginning of a new imprint, Null Corporation.
Discography:
Source: Steve Huey, All Music; eNotes
This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com
Why Not Check Out:
LA GUNS
Despite its firm pedigree in rock, the puzzling story of late-80s hair band(s), LA Guns reads more like a revolving door of musicians and one hit wonders.
Sources conflict on its inception date but it is widely recognised that guitarist Tracii Guns formed the band after he left Guns 'N' Roses around 1987. A couple of line-up changes ensued for the band before it released its second and most successful album, Cocked and Loaded. This album featured the band’s most familiar tune, The Ballad of Jayne. At this particular time, the LA Guns were Tracii Guns (guitar), Phil Lewis (vocals), former WASP drummer, Steve Riley, Kelly Nickles (bass) and Mick Cripps (guitar).
In 2000, that line up reunited and released a supporting Greatest Hits and Black Beauties album. The same year, the band re-recorded and re-released Cocked and Loaded but with a slight alteration in the title – Cocked and Reloaded.
By 2002, the band had a new bassist and it was releasing a new album called Waking the Dead. Hailed by fans as the heaviest material LA Guns has ever recorded, the album features OK, Let's roll - dedicated to the courageous souls of Flight 93 on September 11, 2001.
CLICK HERE FOR EVEN MORE UNIQUE LA GUNS VIDEOS.
In 2004 and without its heritage guitarist, Guns, the band released Rip the Covers Off which unsurprisingly featured cover versions of David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, Saxon and The Stooges to name a few.
This lack of Guns was the catalyst in what ultimately would be the formation of two versions of the band.
LA Guns I is headed by Lewis and Riley which were the former vocalist and drummer respectively of Cocked and Loaded days. And LA Guns II is its creator, Guns’ version with Jizzy Pearl (vocals), Jeremy Guns (bass) and Chad Stewart (drums). Confused yet?
Amazingly, the band co-exists and has even been known to perform together.
Juanita Appleby
This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com
Why Not Check Out:
Rock Goddess
Saxon
The Stooges
Led Zeppelin
David Bowie
The 10 Unluckiest Rock Stars
Rokpool's Official Merchandise Store
THE CULT
Gothic rock band, The Cult, started in 1981 under the name Southern Death Cult, later shortened to Death Cult and then finally just The Cult in 1984. Founding members Ian Astbury (vocals) and Billy Duffy (lead guitar) are the only common thread in a series of various lineups leading up to present day.
Front man, Astbury, made waves with his eccentric, Native American fashion while still labeled Southern Death Cult but later donned black leather and long hair which was to become a staple look for those of the hair metal genre. Duffy was in a series of bands including Theatre of Hate before joining the band in 1983.
The Cult had a dedicated, underground following leading up to their 1985 album release Love which featured hits like She Sells Sanctuary and Rain. The band managed to break into the coveted American market with their third album Electric which was supported by a tour with then little-known Guns 'N' Roses. Sonic Temple followed in 1988 which featured the mega-hit Firewoman.
In 1991, Ceremony was released and received mixed responses from critics. It also became the center of controversy when the parents of the Native American boy pictured on the cover sued the band for unauthorised use and exploitation. This was of particular damage to Astbury as he had always maintained a staunch support for Native American and First Nations’ causes.
CLICK HERE FOR EVEN MORE UNIQUE THE CULT VIDEOS
The success experienced in the late 80s and early 90s proved to be The Cult’s downfall as alcohol abuse tore the band apart. They announced an official split in 1995 during a South American tour. Since then, the group has had a series of on-again, off -again reunions but never has managed to list the same accomplishments achieved pre-1990. The first of these reunions kicked off with a performance at the Tibetan Freedom Concert in 1999, a contribution to the soundtrack Gone in 60 Seconds starring Nicholas Cage and Angelina Jolie and an album release with Atlantic Records which later Astbury described as “soul destroying”. But this was short lived as Astbury put Cult projects on hold again to be the front man for the reformed Doors.
In 2007, to the delight of many die-hard Cult fans, the band reformed and recorded new material in the form of Born Into This. The band continue to tour and release new material.
Members included Ian Astbury (born c. 1962 in England), vocals; Billy Duffy (born c. 1961 in England), guitar; Jamie Stewart (replaced by Craig Adams, 1994), bass; and Les Warner (replaced by Matt Sorum, 1989, and then Scott Garrett, 1994), drums.
Group formed in 1983 as Southern Death Cult in Bradford, England; shortened name to Death Cult and finally the Cult; released first album, Love, on Sire/Reprise Records, 1985; group disbanded, 1995.
When it came time to tour again, Astbury and Duffy seemed to have kicked their bad habits, and the band looked to be back in business. But things soon went downhill. Like so many reviewers, Appleford deemed Ceremony, released in 1991, "disastrous, irrelevant, and unheard," noting that the band's perennial substance abuse problems seemed to have been a factor in the album's failure. After a few years on hiatus, more personnel changes occurred: Sorum was replaced by a former jazz drummer, Scott Garrett, while Stewart's bass slot was taken by Craig Adams, an old friend of Astbury and Duffy. Together the new formation worked on a more enigmatic release, 1994's The Cult, recorded in Vancouver with producer Bob Rock.
Albums:
Dreamtime, Beggars Banquet, 1984.
Love, Beggars Banquet, Sire, 1985.
Electric, Beggars Banquet, Sire, 1987.
Sonic Temple, Beggars Banquet, Sire, 1989.
Ceremony, Beggars Banquet, Sire, 1991.
The Cult, Beggars Banquet, Sire, 1994.
Beyond Good and Evil, Atlantic, 2001.
Sources: Juanita Appleby; Carol Brennan
This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com
Why Not Check Out:
The Doors
Theatre Of Hate
Led Zeppelin
Jimmy Page Playing Skiffle
Rokpool's Official Merchandise Store
GUNS N ROSES
US heavy-rock band, Guns N’ Roses, formed in the mid-80s. Axl Rose (originally named William Bailey, but changed his name to an anagram of ‘Oral Sex’) and Izzy Stradlin met in 1984.
They formed a band with Tracii Guns (guitar) and Rob Gardner (drums) and were named in turn, Rose, Hollywood Rose and L.A. Guns. Soon afterwards, Guns and Gardener left, replaced by drummer Steven Adler (drums) and guitarist Slash. With bassist, Duff McKagan, the band was renamed Guns N’ Roses and in 1986, the band signed to Geffen Records. During 1987 they toured extensively. In 1988, Rose was kicked out but was reinstated within three days. ‘Appetite For Destruction’ sold 20 million copies worldwide and reached US number 1 within a year. ‘Welcome To The Jungle’ was used on the soundtrack of the Clint Eastwood movie ‘Dead Pool’. It was the album that propelled them to stardom.
CLICK HERE FOR EVEN MORE UNIQUE GUNS 'N' ROSES VIDEOS.
The band toured regularly, but also controversially in the US and Europe and in 1989, ‘G N’ R Lies’ became a transatlantic hit. However, Guns N’ Roses’ career was littered with incidents involving drugs, drunkenness and public-disturbance offences. In 1990, Adler was replaced by Matt Sorum, followed by Dizzy Reed for a 1991 world tour. The band then released ‘Use Your Illusions I and II’ – reaching US numbers 1 and 2, preceded by a cover version of Bob Dylan’s ‘Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door’. Slash’s growing reputation led him to make guest appearances for Dylan and Michael Jackson.
At the end of 1993, the covers album ‘Spaghetti Incident’ was issued. Duff released his debut solo album and Stradlin was replaced by a number of guitarists including Zakk Wylde (ex-Ozzy Osbourne), who fell out irreconcilably with Axl before recording a note. Slash confirmed Rose’s departure in November 1996, reversed in February 1997 when Rose allegedly purchased the right to the Guns N’ Roses name.
Backed by new personnel, Axl embarked on ‘The Chinese Democracy’ tour and finished the bands long awaited new album. On November 13, 2008, ten days before the official release of the ‘Chinese Democracy’ album, the ‘Chinese Democracy’ single topped the general iTunes Music Store chart in Greece, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Finland. In addition to being the No. 1 song and No. 1 rock song in these countries, it became the No. 1 rock song on iTunes in the U.S., Canada, France and the U.K.
Mathew Jones
HAVE A LOOK AT THIS GREAT GUNS N ROSES MERCHANDISE HERE
This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com
Why Not Check Out:
The Cult
Brian May Band
Avenged Sevenfold
Bob Dylan
New York Dolls
Lenny Kravitz
10 Unluckiest Rock Stars
LA GUNS
Bob Dylan
The boy who would become Bob Dylan was born Robert Allen Zimmerman on 24th May, 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota. In a career spanning over 5 decades, Dylan has won Grammys, Golden Globes and Academy Awards, been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame and was awarded a Pulitzer Prize in 2008 for his impact on pop music and American culture.
CLICK HERE FOR A UNIQUE SELECTION OF BOB DYLAN VIDEOS
Zimmerman apparently coined the name "Bob Dylan" during his time on the Dinkytown folk music circuit in Minnesota, where he attended university. It's unclear why that particular name was chosen, although the presiding theory is that the surname was inspired by the poet Dylan Thomas. "You're born, you know, the wrong names, wrong parents," Bob Dylan is reported to have said in a 2004 interview. "I mean, that happens. You call yourself what you want to call yourself. This is the land of the free."
Dylan hitchhiked from Minnesota to New York in 1961, after dropping out of his freshman year. Dylan played harmonica on Carolyn Hester's third album, which brought him to the attention of producer John Hammond, who signed the 20 year-old to Colombia Records. Dylan's first album "Bob Dylan" made little impact, selling just enough to break even. 1962 saw Dylan change his name legally to Robert Dylan and sign a management contract with Albert Grossman, who remained Dylan's manager until 1970. Dylan’s second album, "The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan", was released in May 1963. By this time, Dylan was starting to make a name for himself, and "Blowin' In The Wind" became an international hit with Peter, Paul & Mary, another band managed by Grossman.
Possibly one of the most important facets of Dylan's career has been his inspiration of so many other artists. "Freewheelin" is said to have impressed The Beatles. "We just played it, just wore it out. The content of the song lyrics and just the attitude—it was incredibly original and wonderful," George Harrison said of the album. Dylan's songs have been covered by an estimated 2,000 artists. "All Along The Watchtower", for example, was famously covered by Jimi Hendrix, and "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" has been covered by over 25 well-known artists, including Eric Clapton, Guns 'N' Roses and Bob Marley. References to Dylan's songs are rife through contemporary music, such as Radiohead's "Subterranean Homesick Alien" (in reference to "Subterranean Homesick Blues", which, incidentally, takes the credit for being one of the first music videos).
On 29th July 1966 Dylan crashed his motorcycle, breaking several vertebrae in his neck. It is reported that he had been awake for three straight days before the accident, possibly due to a huge workload. For the next 19 months, Dylan withdrew from the public eye.
In 1967, Dylan began recording with a band called The Hawks, at his home and in their basement, known as "Big Pink". The recordings were intended to be demos for other artists to cover, but gradually the original catalogue was released or bootlegged. The Hawks recorded the album "Music From Big Pink" with material they had written in their basement and renamed themselves The Band.
Throughout the 1970s, Dylan recorded and toured a great deal. Many of his releases in the early part of the decade were criticised for shoddiness. The Jewish-born Dylan became a born-again Christian in the late '70s, but claimed to follow no religion in 1997. He is reported to have said that his religion is part of music. "I don't adhere to rabbis, preachers, evangelists, all of that," he told Newsweek. "The songs are my lexicon."
1988 was the start of Dylan's 'Never Ending Tour' which has played roughly 2100 gigs to date. In April 2009 Dylan released his 33rd studio album "Together With Life".
This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com.
