Thrash metal icons Anthrax ushered in 2013 with the typical blend of accomplishments (a well-deserved Grammy nomination) and setbacks (yet another departing band member) that, of late, have defined their career; but they’ve also gone about the business of surviving, performing and recording, as indicated by the release of an eight-song EP named 'Anthem' on March 19.
Nobody really expected anything from David Bowie at this point, let alone his best album in 30 years. After virtually disappearing following the release and aborted tour in support of 2003’s underwhelming ‘Reality,’ even the rock ‘n’ roll changeling’s biggest fans figured he was finished. He was rarely seen in public, and there certainly were no rumors swirling about a new record or anything like that.
Before the Allman Brothers Band hit it big, guitarist Duane Allman had played with Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Boz Scaggs and others. After their breakthrough live album ‘At Fillmore East,’ he continued working as a busy session musician, clocking gigs with Delaney & Bonnie & Friends, Derek & the Dominos and Laura Nyro. Through it all he established himself as one of rock’s great instrumentalists; a master axman with a show-stopping signature style who’d step out of the spotlight and let others shine.
The muted tones, occasionally punched by brass or hi-hat, on Boz Scaggs’ ‘Memphis’ should sound familiar to R&B fans. They’re the same warm, subtle sounds found on soul recordings made by Al Green and other artists at Memphis’ Royal Studio in the 1970s. Green’s producer, Willie Mitchell, drew a casual, inviting timbre from the room that gave Green’s classic songs their distinctive hue. Scaggs, recording at Royal Studio with producer Steve Jordan, conjures a similar sound on ‘Memphis.’
Those looking for insight into what originally sparked the ZZ Top phenomena won't get much help from this comprehensive look into Billy Gibbons' predecessor band, the Moving Sidewalks.
''Til Your River Runs Dry' is a vibrant and dynamic record made by one of the elder statesmen of rock and roll, Eric Burdon. Chances are he won't win over any new fans with this fine platter, but the old fans will rejoice that voice is back.
If we’re to believe ‘People, Hell & Angels,’ the latest in a long string of posthumous albums by Jimi Hendrix, its dozen previously unreleased tracks were the building blocks to the late guitarist’s follow-up to ‘Electric Ladyland,’ his final album with the Experience.
Breakup albums don’t get much better than ‘Rumours,’ Fleetwood Mac’s 1977 blockbuster that was recorded as band members went through various stages of relationship adjustment. When they made their breakthrough self-titled album in 1975, Fleetwood Mac included two couples, one married; by the time ‘Rumours’ was released, they were broken up. Listen to the record, and you’ll get an idea what happened.
When you get right down to it, AC/DC might be the most reliable band on the planet. In 40 years, they never once challenged fans with anything other than straight-up, uncomplicated rock ‘n’ roll played with fuss-free intensity. They never made a concept album. They never dabbled in pop, R&B, hip-hop or electronic music. And they never swerved from their playbook of barroom-meets-arena swagger dosed with a shot of heavy blues.
With the exception of Elvis Presley, the Rolling Stones are rock’s most repackaged artist. From ‘Big Hits (High Tide and Green Grass),’ which came out two mere years after their debut, to ‘Forty Licks,’ the excellent two-disc set released a decade ago to mark the band’s 40th anniversary, the Stones have made sure that fans would never have to look too far for ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.’
