Forlorn Legacy

In the end, we all will leave a lasting legacy of some sort.

For many of us, this simply means a legacy tied to our families and maybe careers if we’re smart enough to invent a product on idea that makes the world a little better.

For musicians, the coveted “legacy” begins early on, with practicing and club gigs. Fans start to form an "opinionated legacy" after a first studio recording and it often takes decades for scholars to firmly place an individual musician or band in their proper place in history.

For some bands, like Van Halen, a once clearly defined legacy is now in question. Will the cultural anthropologists of tomorrow look back to the end of the seventies and understand the new breed of music that Van Halen was about to create? Will Eddie Van Halen go down as one of the best guitarists of his generation, or will his talents become a footnote edged out by erratic behavior, mood swings and drug dependency?

Some bands like KISS and Alice Cooper have influenced tons of musicians, have rabid followings, and enjoy constant commercial success yet are annually ignored by the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame and are typically panned in the press. Today, KISS is still able to hock logo merchandise and host annual conventions. For all their fans, there are just as many detractors that create questions about legacy. Will Gene Simmons be remembered as the bass playing demon, or the middle aged TV dad thanks to his hit reality show? Will Alice Cooper be remembered for making shock rock acceptable, or for playing 18 holes of golf every tour stop?

It seems like the critics really love to hate Motley Crue. Again, I ask, what will be their legacy? Will it consist of women, drugs and arrests, or of music that changed a generation and turned the Sunset Strip scene upside down? To date, the Motley men have sold more than 40 million records worldwide. They’ve toured the world over, and created some of the best party anthems of all time. Still, to most people, Motley Crue is nothing more than “that band whose drummer was married to Pam Anderson.”

Let’s get controversial.

What is the legacy of the Beatles? Are they the greatest rock band of all time? Yes. Are the Beatles the most overrated rock band of all time? Again, the answer is yes. The Beatles were an eccentric band of chaps who shared more talent that is even humanly conceivable. Still, a painful break-up, odd marriage, and drug use all started to taint the image of the loveable Brits. Then, Lennon was murdered and his legacy forever established as the best songwriter of all time. What impact will Sir Paul McCartney’s current nasty divorce have on his legacy? When Linda McCartney died, fans revered Paul as a loveable and grieving widower. Now, Heather Mills McCartney says Paul abused her and Linda. I wonder how this is going over in the Beatlemania camp?

What about Guns n' Roses? Appetite for Destruction is regarded as the most successful debut album in rock history. After Appetite for Destruction, Axl Rose and the rest of his sleazy boys released Lies, Use Your Illusion 1 and 2 and the Spaghetti Incident. Of course, Axl went nuts, fired the rest of the band and became a recluse working on the mystic Chinese Democracy. Will more than a decade of silence hurt the legacy that is Guns n' Roses, or will people still be talking about the amazing tracks on Appetite for Destruction 20 years from now?

Less famous bands like Twisted Sister, Hanoi Rocks, W.A.S.P., and even Cinderella all made their mark on the 80s metal scene. Some of those bands like Cinderella and Hanoi Rocks never really earned the credit they so richly deserved. Will history right this wrong, or will Cinderella stay lumped in a category of less talented musicians?

I guess only time will tell.

Who Says You Can't Go Home?

The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is on board with the movement.

The powers that be over at ABC understand glam and realize that adding a familiar tune here and there will add panache to a particular scene or show.

Last night was the season finale of What About Brian. This is one of my favorite shows on television and I feel it's greatly underrated.

During the opening scene, the male characters are playing a friendly game of basketball. Suddenly, the loveable protagonist (Brian) is reminded that his best friend had intimate relations with his sister. You see, Brian's sister is a big time music hot shot, supposedly even having a romantic relationship with Richie Sambora.

Immediately, "It's My Life" starts blaring in the background, Jon Bon Jovi's voice clear as day. I thought this was an interesting - if appropriate - song choice for the circumstance at hand.

I did a little research on "It's My Life" this morning. I had no idea the song won Video of the Year at the VH1 Awards. It was also nominated for a Grammy.

"It's My Life" is the first single from the 2000 studio release Crush. According to the Recording Industry Association of America, the album went two times platinum on April 24, 2001. New Jersey's favorite sons also released a DVD of the Crush tour. Sales of the longform video were certified platinum in June of 2005.

While I don't watch the new ABC drama October Road, I'm told last week's episode featured Poison's most famous song "Every Rose Has Its Thorn."

Have you noticed your favorite songs used in recent television programs?

Night Songs

Lately, I've been picking up compilation albums by my favorite bands. Friday, I purchased Cinderella's 2005 release Rocked, Wired & Bluesed: The Greatest Hits. Let me just say I love this album. True, the disc is only the best known hits, but I am digging the re-mastered sound and the booklet that accompanies the album is top notch.

The track line-up looks like this:

1. Night Songs
2. Shake Me
3. Nobody's Fool
4. Somebody Save Me
5. Bad Seamstress Blues/Fallin' Apart At The Seams
6. Gypsy Road
7. Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone)
8. The Last Mile
9. Long Cold Winter
10. If You Don't Like It
11. Coming Home
12. The More Things Change
13. Shelter Me
14. Heartbreak Station
15. Winds Of Change
16. Blood From A Stone
17. Hot And Bothered

Now, I've said it before and I'll say it again: "Nobody's Fool" is the best power ballad of the genre as Cinderella stands head and shoulders above many of their contemporaries. While "Nobody's Fool" is their calling card, the band's greatest song is probably "Night Songs," not coincidentally the debut track to this compilation.

While this may be the best compilation album I own, save for Motley Crue's Red, White and Crue, I can see how some casual fans wouldn't see the need for such a disc. A lot of Cinderella fans already own the 1997 release Once Upon A... and Rocked, Wired and Bluesed: The Greatest Hits doesn't offer much variation in tracks. Also, there's no previously unreleased songs or other hidden gems. Still, if you're a collector like me, you try to purchase a band's entire discography.

A major part of this compilation is the lovely book, filled with personal reflections and photos from the band. An added bonus is an iron-on transfer of the cover of Long Cold Winter. I've never seen a studio release come with an iron-on logo, but the very concept just oozes glam.

This new acquisition to my collection leaves me coveting Cinderella - Rocked, Wired & Bluesed - The Greatest Video Hits. This DVD collection includes the videos for:

1.Shake Me
2.Nobody's Fool
3.Somebody Save Me
4.Gypsy Road
5.Don't Know What
6.You Got (Till It's Gone)
7.The Last Mile
8.Coming Home
9.The More Things Change
11.Shelter Me
12.Heartbreak Station

This, I think, looks like a great way to blow a Saturday afternoon.

So, do you have a favorite compilation album?

Lick and a Promise

They're baaaaaaaaack!

Gene Simmons Family Jewels returns to A&E tonight for a second season. Gene's been in the news lately with pictures of his recent facelift circling the Internet (head over to www.tmz.com if you'd like to see the gore for yourself).

Tonight, he and his blondiful partner Shannon Tweed are followed as they both prepare for their cosmetic procedures. Here's an encapsulation from A&E:

"Moments away from getting his facelift, Gene receives a call telling him the KISS publicity tour has been rescheduled. While he hops a plane to New York, Aunt Tracy takes Nick on an embarrassing shopping spree to get a pregnancy test for Shannon. Right before a live appearance on MTV's TRL, Gene realizes his Demon costume has gone missing, sending the hotel's assistant manager on a mad dash to recover 30 years of history and make sure Gene gets to his live TV show on time."

This, people, may make for some great television. First, let me say I love Gene Simmons Family Jewels and so does my husband. Neither one of us are particularly huge KISS fans except for the odd song here and there. There's just something about this show...I can't put my finger on it. In true journalism fashion, I must admit I never cared for The Osbournes even though Ozzy is a Metal god. I guess I like the way Shannon and Gene interact, and their kids seem pretty intelligent. Plus, you can actually hear and understand the dialogue because the producers don't have to bleep every third word like on The Osbournes.

Today, WESH-TV has posted a satellite interview with old Gene. It's fairly obvious the reporter conducting the interview has no interest in KISS whatsoever, but as a television producer I get that. I've made my anchors do satellite interviews on tons of topics, ranging from ways to prevent breast cancer to Queen Latifah's next big project. During the interview, Gene talks about the KISS legacy and their immense staying power and popularity. He also mentions that KISS will perform three shows this summer and that a full tour is coming...someday.

Say what you will but I like Gene because he flops his cards and the whole world knows he's about making money.

Back to the reality show. Tonight's episode will mark the first time a celebrity couple go under the knife for elective surgery, pre-operation to complete recovery.

The episode airs tonight at 9pm/8C on A&E.

Almost Famous

Ah, what might have been. You'll recall a few days ago I introduced you to the Gypsy Pistoleros (You See Your Gypsy), today, another band on the Evil Boy Records label.

Gunfire Dance were an 80s glam band closer to Hanoi Rocks and the New York Dolls than, say, Winger.  The boys in Gunfire Dance hail from Birmingham, U.K., and made a go of things here in the states at the dawn of the nineties.

Now Evil Boy Records is releasing a compilation of their best work on the 18 track album Archway of Thorns.

So, just who was this mythical band known as Gunfire Dance? The troubled Ant performed behind the mic, Jeff Ward ripped the guitar, Ray Birch strummed the bass and Ozzie slammed the drum kit.

Frustration after frustration led Gunfire Dance to an eventual break-up, but a surprise reunion in 2005 gave fans hope. Ant died in 2006, and now the album Archway of Thorns is a lasting tribute to this very talented group of punk/glam would-be idols.

You can check out some of the great Gunfire Dance tracks at http://www.myspace.com/gunfiredance. If you really like Gunfire Dance, you can buy Archway of Thorns through http://www.evilboyrecords.com.

In honor of this new glam find, our song obsession of the week is "Suit and Tie" by Gunfire Dance. After all, no self-respecting glam god or goddess would willingly don a suit and tie with out at least copious amounts of hairspray and eye liner to offset the stuffy Wall Street look.

Gifted but Twisted

Glam fans, research has confirmed what most of us have known for years: metal fans are smarter than the average bear.

British psychologist Stuart Cadwallader says the most gifted teenagers love heavy metal because it relieves the pressure of being smart.

Results of this study may very well shatter preconceived notions that metal heads are, well, dim.

According to Cadwallader's study, screeching guitar solos and arena rock anthems are finally getting their just desserts.

Psychologist Cadwallader is a doctoral student at the University of Warwick. He's very into metal, studying the link between genius and head banging for his master's thesis.

This is an academic study we can use people! It makes sense that loud music inspires a feeling of empowerment which spawns stress release.

Think about the last time you were in a mosh pit, or beside a stage at a metal show, fist in the air. Did you feel stressed out? Were you dwelling on work, bills, responsibility? More likely than not you were caught in the moment, living a rock n' roll fantasy.

For me, this study is both vindicating and liberating. I've always noticed a definite mood reaction in my body when I turn on my favorite metal. My spirits change, most notably for the better.

Back in 1990, rock legends Judas Priest were sued for allegedly adding subliminal messages in their song "Better By You, Better Than Me." A Nevada family sued after their son committed suicide, saying the song had coerced him to kill himself.

Of course this is hogwash, and the courts agreed.

Cadwallader says "Heavy metal can be scary for adults, or for people who don't appreciate it . . . It can sound very aggressive."

Any adult can tell you that the teen years can be both really great...and really terrible at the same time. For most teens, metal releases pent-up feelings of anger and frustration. For Cadwallader, these typical teen angst symptoms stem from societal pressures and expectations that come from being "gifted."

The glam mistress feels the need to crank some Skid Row. I'm feeling the pressures today, dear readers.

A Professional Pirate

Remember back in the 1980s when musicians could break huge records with album sales? Some of the sales records set by Michael Jackson and Def Leppard still hold up today.

An article in yesterday's online edition of the Wall Street Journal depicts the bleak outlook of modern day record sales.

According to journalist Ethan Smith, compact disc sales for the first three months of this year plunged 20% from the same period a year ago. Of course, analysts blame the decline of CD sales on the popularity of the iPod and downloadable music.

In the late seventies, Metal was still an underground phenomenon. Enthusiasts would create fanzines and dub cassette tapes with the latest music by their heroes. These tapes would travel around the world, effectively "pirating" music while creating a mainstream movement.

Of course, dyed in the wool music fans know that most causal listeners don't pay for their music by legal downloads, either. Many younger fans download pirated music without regard for an artists sales rank or royalty checks.

I don't pirate music, but I am guilty of downloading an odd song or two if I don't want to purchase an entire album.

According to the Wall Street Journal article, music moguls now consider CDs as a marketing tool to push sales of more lucrative items like concert tickets and band merchandise.

Sadly it seems there's just no money to be made from huge album sales these days. But is this really different than years past?

In the glam rock hey day of the 1980s, bands tramped up and down the Sunset Strip, posting flyers, selling tickets and begging people to watch their shows.

They made a living off touring, and the same is true today.

There's a reason why the Rolling Stones and Aerosmith tour constantly. World tours mean big money, and big money means less pressure to sell millions and millions of albums.

Back in 1987, Def Leppard released Hysteria . To date, that album has sold more than 18 million copies worldwide.  Let's say the Leps had a pretty good deal from Polygram that earned them a quarter for every album sold. This means the Brits earned four million, five hundred thousand dollars for their efforts. Def Leppard still earned several times more than this amount from their massively successfully "In the Round, In Your Face" world tour.

Nielsen SoundScan just posted some of the weakest sales ever recorded. In fact, this year has already seen the  two lowest-selling No. 1 albums since SoundScan started back in 1991. Incidentally, Skid Row's Slave to the Grind was the first heavy metal album to debut at the top of the Billboard charts. Slave to the Grind was released the first week Nielsen adopted the SoundScan sales tracking method.

So is all this talk about sluggish album sales much ado about nothing, or do we have a real  music crisis on our hands? Like most things, I think most people have become complacent. Yesterday's rabid fans are today's stock traders, doctors, and lawyers. Sadly it seems these careers just don't leave enough time for Metal.