Happy Valentine's Day, Hair Metal Fans

Are you going out tonight for Valentine's Day? Perhaps you are staying in. Eric and I don't really celebrate these sorts of holidays, so there is nothing special planned in our household.

Perhaps you'd like to have a throwback Valentine's Day, complete with a homemade mixtape (ok, Amazon playlist) of great power ballads for the one you love. Here's some choices for a great power ballads list.

• Metallica, Nothing Else Matters
• Aerosmith, Dream On
• Whitesnake, Is This Love?
• Extreme, More Than Words
• Bon Jovi, Always
• Van Halen, Can't Stop Lovin' You

"Three things shall last forever — faith, hope, and love — and the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13:13

From our family to yours: Happy Valentine’s Day! 💕 🐾 🐈 pic.twitter.com/h6jBuDy9ro

— Jill Biden (@FLOTUS) February 14, 2022

Aerosmith Cancel European Tour; Blame Pandemic

Aerosmith was supposed to do a rescheduled European tour this summer. Late yesterday, the band cancelled that tour citing pandemic concerns. There's no doubt the pandemic continues. The Omicron spike of COVID-19 has hit just about every major country in the world pretty hard... but summer is months away. Of course a major tour takes a lot of money and planning, so I understand having to make decisions in advance, but this just seems... suspect. Reading comments online, most folks seem to agree this cancellation is more a result of Aerosmith not wanting to tour anymore period, and less about controlling disease spread. At any rate, it sucks. At this point, I don't think Aerosmith will ever do a proper tour again. I'm glad I saw them live a few times while I had the chance.

Sunday's Best: Week 3, 2022

Welcome back to Sunday's Best! I swear, January is like the month of Mondays or something. It just feels never-ending. Cold, dark, boring... at least we've got some good playoff football as a distraction. Did you hear? A little team called the Cincinnati Bengals are going to the AFC championship game next week. That's right - the team won their first road playoff game in franchise history last night. Obviously, I'm pumped!

WE'RE GOING TO THE AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME! pic.twitter.com/gXde7z27DP

— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) January 23, 2022

But back to the music. Way back in the dark ages of 2009, both Jeff Beck and Metallica were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Toward the end of the induction ceremony, there was a big jam session featuring Beck, Metallica, plus Joe Perry (Aerosmith), Ronnie Wood (Rolling Stones), Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers) and Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin). This group of wealth and talent got together to do "Train Kept A Rollin.'" Most people know the song because of Aerosmith, but the track was originally recorded in the early 50s and covered by The Yardbirds in the sixties. The performance below is magic: simply one of the best gatherings of music legends on a single stage at the same time. Enjoy.

Aerosmith: The Ultimate Live Broadcasts Collection Vol. 1

Last month, a new Aerosmith album came out and it is called The Ultimate Live Broadcasts Collection Vol. 1.

The album is made of greatest hits played live on the radio. It seems Aerosmith never made any social media posts about the album and there is very little chatter about the album anywhere online (or none that I have found really), but I suppose the new release is worth a listen. I wonder who has ownership rights to the recording? Hell, I wonder when and where the songs were recorded! My guess is the songs were recorded during the Get A Grip tour.

The album came out December 16, 2021 and the label is Polyphone Heritage.

News Of The Week Roundup: Week 51, 2021

I hope everyone had a nice holiday yesterday and happy Kwanzaa to those who celebrate! A short news roundup today, simply because I didn't follow many stories last week. I was just too busy with work and getting ready for Christmas.

Today marks the start of Kwanzaa, also spelled Kwanza (with one 'a' at the end). The celebration lasts until January 1. https://t.co/AyApeN5H9h

— CNN (@CNN) December 26, 2021

Some breaking news today - Desmond Tutu has died. He was a pioneer in the fight against apartheid. The world will miss him.

Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who won the Nobel Peace Prize for his struggle against the system of white domination known as apartheid, died Dec. 26 in Cape Town. He was 90. https://t.co/cLUCGeA1Ir

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) December 26, 2021

For the first time in two decades, no troops were deployed during Christmas because of war in Afghanistan. Thanks Biden. Thanks Trump.

Re-upping this work of deployed Marine Corps ingenuity. For the first time in 20 years, no deployed US troops marking Christmas in Afghanistan. https://t.co/C7P2hXln1D

— Hope Hodge Seck (@HopeSeck) December 24, 2021

The U.S. economy grew more than expected in the third quarter.

New: US economy expanded at an annualized rate of 2.3% between July and September - a slightly faster pace than the 2.1% previously reported.

— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) December 22, 2021

Cases of COVID-19 Omicron are exploding across the world. When you go into an indoor public place, wear a mask, but choose a better one than handmade cloth. Get an n95 or kn95.

Holiday travel is happening, despite Omicron. If you want to travel responsibly, here are some strategies you can follow. https://t.co/ph95Sln9W8 pic.twitter.com/xQ2Ls5YtWe

— The New York Times (@nytimes) December 26, 2021

Daily Covid cases have now exceeded all previous waves in UK and EU.

The contagiousness of Omicron. pic.twitter.com/K5pFEB8Zxw

— Vincent Rajkumar (@VincentRK) December 26, 2021

And I leave you with this - shut up and take my money!

AEROSMITH: 'On Tour: 1973-1985' Book Now Available https://t.co/U2lMR36jGH pic.twitter.com/Ms0LiekZaS

— BLABBERMOUTH.NET (@BLABBERMOUTHNET) December 23, 2021

John Corabi Covers 'Seasons of Wither' And I Go Full Fan Girl

My love for John Corabi really knows no bounds. Recently he performed a cover of Aerosmith’s “Seasons of Wither” which is one of the band’s best tracks. A lot of casual Aero fans do not know the song, which is a shame. It really is an early 70s rock masterpiece. Definitely the highlight of the Get Your Wings album.

“Seasons” is so good, I don’t know why more artists don’t cover it. It’s beautiful in its simplicity and haunting in message. Plus it remains a bit of a shock surrounded by more heavier tracks. Just plain good stuff.

Aerosmith Announce 'Record Store Day' Release

My beloved Aerosmith will release The Road Starts Hear, a rare early recording from 1971. The release will be available on vinyl and cassette: throwback! The release features tracks that eventually landed on the band's self-titled debut including "Dream On." The quality might be hit or miss - it's from Joe Perry's tape recorder!

Record Store Day is also "Black Friday" in America, the big shopping bonanza the day after Thanksgiving. I believe Record Store Day releases are extremely limited, so this will be a great collector's piece.

Aerosmith Releasing 1971 Rehearsal Recording on Record Store Day Black Friday

Aerosmith is heading back in time for an upcoming release that will make its grand debut on this year’s edition of Record Store Day Black Friday.https://t.co/nezpiuSZLh

— ╚» Isms (@StevenTylerisms) September 15, 2021