Bring Back Glam! Favorite Albums Of 2023

Now that 2023 is officially over and behind us, I wanted to share some of my favorite releases of the past year.

These are in no particular order – just stuff I really enjoyed and kept coming back to, time after time. An asterisk means I bought the vinyl version, too!   

• Conquer Divide, Slow Burn*
• Dirty Honey, Can’t Find The Brakes
• Beartooth, The Surface
• I See Stars, D4MAGE DONE
• Stray View (Dave Escamilla new project), “What’s Done Is Done” (just a song but I hope the future album is just as good!)
• Asking Alexandria, Where Do We Go From Here?
• Steel Panther, On The Prowl
• Attack Attack! Dark Waves*
• Winger, Seven
• Def Leppard with the Royal Philharmonic, Drastic Symphonies *
• Falling In Reverse, Neon Zombie (well, really the track “Watch The World Burn”)
• The Rolling Stones, Hackney Diamonds

The video for "Watch The World Burn" has to be the best music clip of the year, by far:

The Rolling Stones - 'Mess It Up,' New Video

Another new Rolling Stones video, this time for the song "Mess It Up." The song is from the new album Hackney Diamonds, which is a ridiculously good release. "Mess It Up" is classic Stones all the way. A nice addition to an otherwise blah Tuesday.

Rolling Stones Podcast Alert

So this is cool: a podcast is coming that features 60 hours of exclusive interviews during the Rolling Stones 1972 summer tour. Apparently the audio hasn't been heard before. The podcast is called Stones Touring Party and is part of the iHeartPodcast series.

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.

Farewell Charlie Watts

Charlie Watts, longtime drummer for The Rolling Stones, has died. He was 80.

It wasn't very long ago that I posted my wish to see The Rolling Stones live. Watts was already off the current tour because of an unnamed health issue. To say Watts was (is!) an icon is an incredibly large understatement. It's been a brutal year for rock musicians as we've lost so many. This news just makes me sad.

Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts, the unassuming son of a truck driver and a reluctant rock and roll star, dies at 80 https://t.co/Pn8TXvXk7c

— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) August 24, 2021

"It's supposed to be sex and drugs and rock and roll... I'm not really like that"

How Rolling Stones' Charlie Watts, who has died aged 80, described his time with the bandhttps://t.co/YaVd2Y2UBC

— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) August 24, 2021

The Rolling Stones Announce Tour Dates

More big tour news! The Rolling Stones have rescheduled their tour that was scrapped because of COVID-19. A few dates were dropped and some new ones added. Of course they are stadium dates, so massive crowds and crappy sound and views. I've always wanted to see the Stones live but there are no dates near me and the tickets are expensive (of course) so I'll probably be sitting this one out.

US 2021 TOUR ANNOUNCEMENT!
TICKETS ON SALE NOW: https://t.co/cimRWrlJBx
SIGN UP FOR PRE-SALE FOR NEW ORLEANS, LOS ANGELES & LAS VEGAS SHOWS: https://t.co/mJYpZi6VCD#StonesNoFilter pic.twitter.com/bILArrzuiz

— The Rolling Stones (@RollingStones) July 22, 2021

Tickets for previously scheduled shows will be honoured (Ticketmaster will contact ticketholders of cancelled shows & where possible offer priority tickets for the nearest show to the cancelled gig). Sign up for New Orleans, LA & Vegas https://t.co/mJYpZiox1d pic.twitter.com/fnOXaekr2p

— The Rolling Stones (@RollingStones) July 22, 2021