Tag Archives: Ozzy

Halloween Music

Posted on by Standard 6

I have a playlist problem. So, I have a lot of Halloween and Halloween-adjacent playlists. Some I have that are just massive & I listen to them on random. Some are a little more compact. What are your favorite Halloween songs? Anything I’m missing, songs or themes?

Screenshot of a Halloween playlist on Amazon Music, featuring album covers and the playlist title 'Halloween' with a pumpkin emoji.

I mostly listen on Amazon Music, but can use Tune My Music to pop these over to Spotify if you’re interested.

Straight-up Halloween:

Spooky Vibes:

File under “Of course”:

Good Halloween Costumes:

Damn, reading this… I feel like I’m slacking for not having Vampire, Werewolf, & Zombie playlists.

Metallica – “Lux Γ†terna”? I like it.

Posted on by Standard Reply

So, I’ve written about Metallica before (twice). I can see all this shenanigans about the new single. Honestly, I like it. Hating on Metallica has become low hanging fruit at best to edgelording or gatekeeping at worst, As fans, we all poke fun at our favorite stuff. I’m looking at you, Star Wars and Danzig people.

Metallica Fans: We want more sounds that sound like Kill 'Em All." Metallica: [Releases "Lux Γ†terna"] Metallica Fans: NO, NOT LIKE THAT!
Lux Γ†terna

I found the new one to be a banger. It feels thrashy like KIll ‘Em All, with pop sensibilities like the black album.

I recently posted a reply to a comment of my posting of the video on Facebook, but the original comment was deleted by the author and my subsequent reply has been lost to the 1’s & 0’s I guess.

The gist of what I was getting at was as follows…

To say metallica has lost or hasn’t been good for decades? I get it, and it’s certainly a valid opinion. People have been saying they “sold out” since Ride the Lightning.

Metallica didn’t hit my radrar until …And Justice for All came out. I hadn’t listened to anything much beyond Top 40 radio or oldies at that point. I worked backwards and was caught up in the magic of Kill ‘Em All and Master of Puppets. I wasn’t aware of the punk scene in 1977 when I was born, but I wouldn’t call myself less of a Misfits fan because I wasn’t around? You could probably assume with great certainty that each Metallica album brought in new fans upon it’s release.

I could also argue that Metallic’s output is quantifiably better than most when compared to their peers or contemporaries.

Say in sheer influence in heavy music, Black Sabbath comes the closest. (OK, maybe Led Zeppelin too, but I’ll go with Sabbath here as Zeppelin ended.) You could say that there drop-offs in interest post-Ozzy & again post-Dio. Does that mean that Iommi and Geezer are any less lauded in the riff lord category? I don’t think so. Their early output is so epic and influential, they could release an album of pip farting on a snare drum and it shouldn’t detract from their legacy. James still writes killer riffs. Kirk is still a master of stringing together wah-fueled madness. Lars is a great arranger and cunning businessman. I wish they hadn’t done Newsted dirty, but Rob seems like a great fit.

In 1991/1992, Metallica and Guns N’ Roses where arguably the most lucrative and widely known hard rock acts on the planet. They were two of my favorites at the time and I still have fond memories of that epic show at Three Rivers Stadium. Look at what both bands have put out since then. Sure, Metallica dropped a Lulu turd in the sandbox, but you can scoop that out and keep playing. Guns N’ Roses pissed into the swimming pool with Chinese Democracy and everyone had to get out of the pool. This is coming from a guy that liked The Spaghetti Incident?. I liked Death Magnetic & Hardwired to Self-Destruct. Even St. (B)Anger got better with time. James, Lars, Kirk, & Rob seem on top of their game. Maybe the rhythmic chugs are more of a gallop these days. Slash has improved so much over time, Duff got sober. Axl’s voice went out the window with his grasp of reality & last vestiges of sanity. I couldn’t even tell you who else was in the band, to the end that I actually just miss Velvet Revolver at this point.

Megadeth? Sure, Dave Mustaine can arguably play guitar better than James or Kirk… may be better at writing or arranging songs… has definitely put out more albums in the same timespan… But who has heard them? There have been a revolving cast of players, each successively thrown under the bus, probably the same Greyhound that drove Dave from NYC home to San Francisco. Seriously, the only press that they have received in the last decade that wasn’t Dave commenting on Metallica has been Dave Ellefson’s whacking it on webcam. This led Dave M. to discount all of the former’s contributions over the years.

AC/DC can make the same album over & over again for decades and it can be great… but not everyone can get away with that.

I’m anxious to hear your thoughts in the comments. What do you think? I’m looking forward to the new album. Will I still poke fun at Metallica? You bet I will. Will I enjoy the rest their new stuff? I sure hope so.

Check out my Metallica related playlists. I had a good one on Spotify that I am in the process of rebuilding for Amazon Music.

Halloween Playlists.

Posted on by Standard 1

Halloween has the coolest music. I have made some playlists on various platforms over the years, Amazon & Spotify being the most recent. I thought I’d not only put them all in once place, but also share. I’m always adding to them and changing. I’m listening to the 1st list now.

So what are your go-to’s? What would you add? What would you leave off? Share your playlists!

Streaming related bands automatically?

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This stated as a Twitter post/thread, and is ending up here.

Am I weird for thinking this?

Streaming services like Spotify and Amazon Music need a feature that adds in related bands. I can tell Alexa to play Rancid, but I also wouldn’t mind Lars Frederiksen and the Bastards being in there, or Transplants, or Tim’s solo stuff.Β  Or even Rancid covers.

Streaming needs to get smarter already.Β  The Spotify “super grouper” feature picks the absolute worst songs from each selected artist.

Of course, I could just make a playlist.Β  But, with a band like Blink-182 in the news, I wanted to dig into Angels & Airwaves, Boxcar Racer, & +44.Β  I don’t know which songs to add to a playlist.

Also, if I want to listen to ALL, I could want to listen to the Descendents too.Β  What about Guns N’ Roses, Velvet Revolver, Izzy Stradlin and the Ju Ju Hounds, Loaded, Neurotic Boy Outsiders, Slash, Slash’s Snakepit, Miles Kennedy & The Conspirators, all of it.

Snuff, Duncan Redmonds, Dogpiss, Guns ‘n’ Wankers would be another example.Β  As would Misfits, Danzig, Samhain, Son of Sam, etc.

Saying one phrase or typing one into a searchboith to be able to bring them all up.

Is thatΒ bandtoband.comΒ still a thing?Β  That could be a reference for connected bands.

Teenage Bottlerocket & the Lillingtons.Β  Screeching Weasel & The Riverdales.Β  Ann Beretta, Foundation, Rob Huddleston, & Sixer.Β  Metallica & Megadeth.Β  Green Day, Foxboro Hot Tubs, The Network, & 300 other bands.

Even unrelated bands.Β  Can I just say “Alexa play songs by Flogging Molly and The Dropkick Murphys” and not confuse the shit out of it?

I have an Ozzy/Black Sabbath playlist on Spotify with a ton of great stuff, including a plethora of killer covers.Β  It took time to curate.Β  I have similar ones for Metallica, Misfits, Guns N’ Roses, & Rancid. I need to transition them all to Amazon Music… we have the family account there since we’re using the firestick. I like Spotify’s suggestions better… but I can listen to Amazon sans commercials. I refuse to subscribe to another service, sorry Spotify. Oddly, most of those transfer services have a paywall once you surpass an unreasonably low amount of songs. I don’t even my remember my Pandora logins.

I would think AI could have probably pretty quickly picked up what I was putting down & fleshed it out.

I wouldn’t expect it to go this deep, but it could link Flogging Molly to Fastway.

With Hip Hop too… say all the solo projects of the members of N.W.A.?Β  All that in one would be awesome.

Does something like this exist and I’m just not aware of it? I miss WinAmp.

I need to rip all kinds of older, local, & obscure stuff and put it on my own damn streaming server. I understand Google Music would let you do that before it collapsed? There is really a lot of stuff out there that you can’t stream, and some of my favorites don’t have their entire catalogs available to stream.

Help me out, audiofiles, music nerds, and techno geeks!

Spotify Pie & Iceburgify for AiXeLsyD13
AiXeLsyD13 Spotify Listening Habits

Axl ‘Leaks’ Possible New GN’R Tunes

Posted on by Standard 1

Recent reports have surfaced that Guns N’ Roses’ sole founding member and self-proclaimed demigod Axl Rose may have literally leaked tunes to the upcoming GN’R β€œreunion” album. TMZ has posted but since redactedΒ an audio clip of Axl Rose passing gas taken via iPhone by a fan in an adjacent restroom stall at a roadside rest stop in Tennessee. Lucky listeners may note that the flatulence has a powerful sound that when transcribed as musical notes or tablature would make an incredible guitar riff hearkening back to the Appetite era, and sounds light years heavier anything on Chinese Democracy.

Axl squeezing one out on stage.

Axl squeezing one out on stage.

The fan asked Rose to autograph a sanitary toilet seat cover, but Rose declined stating that his new boss, Angus, wouldn’t allow it. Further investigation showed that someone had ripped the dispenser off the wall and urinated all over it anyway.

When Ultimate-Guitar.com reached out to Dave Mustaine for comment, Dave enlightened the all of rock and metal fandom…

β€œAxl and I had the same voice coach right around the time that I was kicked out of Metallica for writing better riffs than Jaymz and being a bigger douche than Lars. I’m great friends with Slash since we used to do heroin together, but I have to say that Axl’s farts make better riffs than the too-low-in-the-mix guitarsΒ the last Velvet Revolver album, whatever it was called.”

Dave went on to tell everyone that he wrote all of the essential building blocks for Metallica’s albums up until the black one, and that he could play all of the Metallica Metallica riffs and solos in his sleep with his balls on a Hello Kitty ukulele.

Izzy Stradlin recently came out of his hole, saw his shadow, and asked Blabbermouth.net to get off of his lawn.

Sebastian Bach tweeted about the news, adding that Axl’s farts not only sound great, but that they smell like fresh roses and have since 1997. He wishes he could maximize his own lower orifice potential and maybe that would finally convince the other guys in Skid Row to take him back.

Slash and Duff McKagan could not be reached for comment. Dizzy Reed and Gilby Clarke tried to comment, but no one would listen. Steven Alder has an upcoming exclusive interview with the every-other-week best-sale-ever flyer from Guitar Center, keep reading with us for updates when we steal that story before doing any fact-checking.

Matt Sorum still wants to punch Axl in the face, but would take the gig with Axl/DC if the current drummer tries to kill anyone. Β He has been asking Rush if he can join their band.

Axl has also been rumored to be singing for Queen (to be billed as Rocket Queen), and for Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, & Jason Bonham in a project billed as Red Zeppelin since Robert Plant won’t return any of their calls. Β Rose’s trash collector’s brother denies rumors of Axl fronting a Dio-era Black Sabbath/Heaven & Hell tribute tour which may or may not include Bill Ward.

In related news, a special episode of ABC’s Celebrity Wife Swap will have Joe Perry and Slash trade places for a week to see how the other guyΒ deals with each other’s wives & bands for two weeks on tour.

The Actual Best Rock Guitar-Dominated Intros of All Time According to the Ultimate Authority, Me.

Posted on by Standard 13

Well, I said I was gonna do it.Β  I eventually got around to it.Β  Here it is.Β  I guess I should call this something other than “The Actual Best Rock Guitar-Dominated Intros of All Time (Not Chosen by Idiots)”.Β  But as a mediocre semi-professional guitarist, I am an authority.Β  Right?

  1. “Master of Puppets” – MetallicaΒ ==::: This riff slaps you in the head.Β  Thunk!Β  That’s what it does.Β  To your head.Β  Maybe it’s not as shrill as “Seek and Destroy” or as renowned as “Enter Sandman”, but it’s a hell of a way to bring you into a song.Β  There’s no easing, no build-up, just smack smack smack/blazing riffs and screaming about how drugs are bad!

  2. Velvet Revolver - Slash

    Slash

    “Welcome to the Jungle” – Guns N’ Roses ==::: This one owes as much to the delay effect as the riff, but wow it rocks.Β  It opens up one of my favorite albums.Β  I had to include it.

  3. “Sweet Child O’ Mine” – Guns N’ RosesΒ ==:::Β  Legend goes that Slash hated this warm-up riff, and that he thought it sounded like circus music.Β  It’s a good thing Slash had Axl & the rest of Guns N’ Roses to keep this on around.Β  Who doesn’t love this playful riff?
  4. “Paranoid” – Black Sabbath ==:::Β  I play this riff 9 out of 10 times when I pick up a guitar.Β  Why not?Β  It’s fun.Β  Iommi is a genius.Β  It’s been covered by Megadeth, The Dickies, Avenged Sevenfold, Type O Negative, Green Day, Metallica, and bar bands everywhere.

  5. Toni Iommi playing a true left-handed guitar (...

    Tony Iommi

    “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” – Black Sabbath ==:::Β  I always feel like this one is underrated.Β  Everyone talks about “Iron Man” and “Black Sabbath”, but this is a damn cool riff.Β  Recognize.Β  (“Supernaut”, another of my favorites, could go here too…)

  6. “Sunshine of Your Love” – Cream ==:::Β  It sounds like Clapton is playing an army of guitars here.Β  I believe Jack Bruce came up wit the riff, inspired by Hendrix.Β  It’s an incredibly powerful riff.Β  (Even if you change it like Living Colour did.) It’s iconic.Β  It’s rock.Β  It’s blues.Β  It’s heavy.Β  It grabs you.
  7. “Rock You Like a Hurricane” – Scorpions ==:::Β  Here they are.Β  Everyone my age remembers this riff.Β  I was never a huge fan, I think I have a greatest hit’s CD, but this riff is still classic.

  8. Stephen Egerton

    Stephen Egerton

    “Long Distance” – AllΒ ==:::Β  It’s my list.Β  I’ll include killer punk bands if I want.Β  If you don’t know this riff, you should.Β  In fact, a bunch of All riffs could go here.Β  Stephen Egerton has a sound where you know it’s him when he’s on guitar.Β  He’s got a totally underrated incredible guitar voice.

  9. “Crazy Train” – Ozzy Osbourne Β ==:::Β  It’s in that commercial.Β  It’s been played by marching bands.Β  It’s been covered by Pat Boone.Β  It’s in our collective consciousness.Β  Randy Rhoads was a madman, and this is an incredible riff.
  10. “London Dungeon” – Misfits Β ==::: This is a great gloomy riff, and one of the few things the Misfits churned out that wasn’t a power chord.Β  I like the recording from the ill-fated 12 Hits From Hell album that never was.Β  It’s got Bobby & Doyle on guitar, & producerΒ Robbie Alter on guitar overdubs… I dunno who came up with the riff.Β  It could have even been Glenn or Jerry.

I’m sure if I were to make a list tomorrow, it may contain different songs.Β  What did I miss?Β  Give a link to the YouTube video in the comments below.

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Rock’s Greatest Guitar Intros? (a.k.a. Another Stupid List?)

Posted on by Standard 26

“Top however many of whatever” lists are designed to generate ire & promote discussion.Β  This one undoubtedly has in many circles.Β  Spreading around the internet like herpes, here’s the latest from some radio station somewhere:

What are The Top 10 Greatest Guitar Intros in rock?Β  Well, someone compiled a list and put it on the Internet.

All the songs were released between 1967 and 1990.

Here’s the list:

10.)Β  β€œSchool’s Out”,Β  Alice CooperΒ  (1972)

9.)Β  β€œAin’t Talkin’ β€˜Bout Love”,Β  Van HalenΒ  (1978)

8.)Β  β€œThunderstruck”,Β  AC⚑DCΒ  (1990)

7.)Β  β€œSweet Home Alabama”,Β  Lynyrd SkynyrdΒ  (1974)

6.)Β  β€œHeartbreaker”,Β  Led ZeppelinΒ  (1969)

Β 5.)Β  β€œWorking Man”,Β  RushΒ  (1974)

4.)Β  β€œLayla”,Β  Derek and the DominosΒ  (1970)

3.)Β  β€œSuffragette City”,Β  David BowieΒ  (1976)

2.)Β  β€œPurple Haze”,Β  The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1967)

1.)Β  β€œEruption / You Really Got Me”,Β  Van HalenΒ  (1978)

Source: Wise Brother Media/ Radio 96.1

What?Β  ☘ Shenanigans ☘ I say!Β  I bet you say it too.Β  I mean, there are some stellar songs on that list, but also glaring omissions.Β  Some other yahoos are taking a poll.Β  Gibson made a list a while ago that grabs some more timeless tracks & grabs “Sweet Child O’ Mine” which would be close to or at the top of my list & really, who could forget “Crazy Train”?Β  And neither list makes note of the banes of guitar stores’ existence “Enter Sandman” or “Smells Like Teen Spirit“.Β  And where the hell is Black Sabbath?Β  “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” has to be one of the coolest intros ever, among so many more.Β  What about “Welcome to the Jungle”?

If you’re gonna include “Sweet Home Alabama”, why not “Stairway to Heaven”, or even that one Pearl Jam song that’s all jangly and has that sweet tone where Vedder mumbles incoherently.Β  Hendrix’s version or “Hey Joe” or “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)”?

“Eruption”?Β  Clearly awesome, but it’s its own song, isn’t it, not an intro?Β  I mean, what are the rules here?Β  Why not just throw in some bass like “Bassically“/”N.I.B.” or “Anesthesia [Pulling Teeth]”/”Whiplash”?Β  A bass is arguably a guitar, right?

Nothing by Heart?Β  “Sunshine of Your Love” anyone?Β  “Start Me Up”?Β  “Hair of the Dog?”Β  No ZZ Top?Β  Nothing by Aerosmith?Β  No “Talk Dirty to Me?”Β  Ha ha.Β  Just making sure you’re paying attention.Β  What about some more metal stuff?Β  No Pantera?Β  No Slayer?Β  No Metalli-freakin’-ca?Β  No punk rock?Β  Well, I guess not a bunch of punk has blazing riff like intros.

What is rock?Β  Can rap or funk be included?Β  What about some crazy stuff by guys like Carl Perkins or Willie Nelson?

It’s clear my friends that we need to make our own list.Β  I dig Velvet Revolver’s “Set Me Free”, but I may be in the minority there.Β  Remember, this is guitar intros, not riffs.Β  I’m guessing we should aim for guitar-only intros, or we would all have to concede to “Rock You Like a Hurricane” for being the most powerful.Β Β  There’s also that one Avenged Sevenfold song…Β  it’s got a killer riff at the beginning, but I think there’s some drums right at the beginning.Β  If these are OK, is there room for “No Sleep till Brooklyn” or “Fight For Your Right”?

Start naming songs.Β  We’ll figure out some ground rules, set a number, set up some brackets & some votes.Β  We’ll even name it something classy like “The Actual Best Rock Guitar Intros of All Time (Not Chosen by Idoits)”.Β  Then, we’ll spark more idiots to have more useless arguments discussions.

β™«β™ͺ ☠ ♬♩

β™«β™ͺ ☠ ♬♩

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\m/ The Shat \m/

Posted on by Standard 1

He’s the Shat.Β  Thanks to Metal Hammer, I found this:

Soundcloud | William Shanter – Seeking Major Tom

WILLIAM SHATNER Seeking Major Tom

WILLIAM SHATNER Seeking Major Tom

The cool thing about being William Shatner, is that you can do whatever the hell you want at this point in life.Β  There’s a pretty good chance people will buy it… and if not, who cares?

You’re William freaking Shatner.

I’m sure some sort of Star Trek checks, book and album checks, & Priceline paychecks are still pouring in regularly.Β  This involves Zakk Wylde on guitar?Β  So crazy.Β  I wonder is anyone called Tony Iommi to ask if he wanted to do it?

Bohemian Rhapsody?Β  Iron Man?Β  Not sure what they have to do with space, but they’re the ones I’m most interested in.Β  Well, that and a Hawkwind cover…Β  Hawkwind?Β  Crazy.

It’s not only an album… it’s a 2 CD or 3 LP set.Β  It could all be just to advertise his new book.Β  This is hilarious & awesome:

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\m/ Roger Tullgren \m/

Posted on by Standard 1

Roger Tullgren

Roger Tullgren, Metal Lord

So, have you heard about the dude from Sweden who gets a disability check for addiction to heavy metal?

This dude is awesome.

I’m not sure if he really feels that he’s helplessly addicted to metal, or if he’s yanking the Swedish government’s proverbial crank, or what…Β  but dude is almost as metal as Lemmy for this insanity.

Is it a way to cheat the government?Β  A publicity ploy for his bands?Β  Does he really feel that his compulsion to attend shows, dress like a metal-head, and listen to loud music is more than just his preferred lifestyle?

I call shenanigans in that there are plenty of places to work where you can dress like a metal-head & listen to loud music.Β  If there was such a thing as a record store any more, I’d suggest there…Β  but what about a guitar store?Β  Stoner coffee shop?Β  A concert venue?Β  A bar?Β  On a road crew?Β  The dish-washing thing reminds me of that Poison video…

That being said, if the government is dumb enough to dole out the money… Roger & his employer would be even dumber in not taking it.Β  The question of their accommodation/compensation being akin to paying an Oxycontin addict for working in a pharmacy still remains, but oh well.Β  At least we know for sure that Black Sabbath is a powerful & dangerous gateway drug into the heavy metal lifestyle.

\mm/

Too much metal for one hand?

I’d watch a reality show or documentary about this cat.Β  Even better, I’d like to see it turned into a movie… somewhere between Anvil! The Story of Anvil and Airheads.Β  Imagine the hilarity that would ensue in 10-years worth of trying to get an addiction to metal recognized as a serious medical condition?Β  Not to mention, a killer soundtrack!Β  Are you paying attention Hollywood?Β  We need this story before we need a Crow or Last Dragon remake.Β  Sho’ nuff!Β  If you need a writer, I’m all about it.Β  I vote for Robert Downey Jr. or Johnny Depp in the lead role.

Also… can I get my money, Uncle Sam?Β  I’ve been going to concerts for years, buying merchandise, buying merch from small bands on tour, losing money by playing in local bands, ferociously collecting bootlegs, B-sides, & rarities for my favorite bands to satiate that completest appetite.Β  (Thanks RoadRunner for that US/Japan/UK bonus track crap where I buy the same album 3 times – and thanks Metallica for putting out 30 singles for each song with 17 demo/live b-sides.)Β  I wear t-shirts with skulls on them, and used to have blue hair.Β  I not only suffer form heavy metal addiction, but also a general punk rock addiction, spanning everything from horror punk to pop punk to street punk.Β  There’s also my hard rock addiction, which I seem to be getting over.Β  The bands with which I seem to have the biggest problem are…

…and all of their related bands; Guns ‘n’ Wankers, Billy No Mates, Hollywood Rose, Slash’s Snakepit, Velvet Revolver, Loaded, Danzig, Graves, Gotham Road, The Undead, …and I deserve some kind of metal for buying a Kryst The Conqueror album, Chinese Democracy, & St. Anger just to have “complete” collections.

Cover of "Airheads"

Cover of Airheads

I’d love to see Roger’s playlist, CD/Record/Cassette Tape/VHS/8-Track/DVD/MiniDisc/BluRay/LaserDisc/Whatever collection… or his ticket-stub book if he’s got one.Β  Who are his favorites?Β  I need to know!Β  I unfortunately am unable to check out that video linked-to from the Blabbermouth article.Β  I think it may have crashed their site, or it’s a bad link?

So, what do you think?Β  Is this guy super-awesome or super-lame?Β  Is he a genius, or a loser?Β  Is he some combo of all of the above?

LeLet Me Hear You Scream…

Posted on by Standard 2

I can’t believe it, but the new Ozzy song rocks.Β  It may sound a little old school, but it’s in the Ozzy vein and it’s a LOUD sounding recording.Β  I just may have to purchase this album if it all sounds like this single!