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Welcome to another episode of the Hairbanger/'s Ball. This week Butler keeps a promise to intern Scott for some musical schooling. Butler delves deep into the vault to pull out a classic performance from Wendy O. Williams and The Plasmatics. Here is /"Butcher Baby/".

BIO: (from allmusic.com)

At a time (the late /'70s and early /'80s) and a place (the New York punk scene) where shocking the audience was often the order of the day, few bands had a greater gift for cultivating outrage than the Plasmatics. During the group/'s heyday, a Plasmatics show could include anything from lead singer Wendy O. Williams covered in shaving cream and electrical tape while brandishing a chain saw as blue-haired Richie Stotts attacked his guitar in drag, to the destruction of televisions, electric guitars, automobiles, and other consumer goods. Plenty of punk bands of the time courted controversy, but the Plasmatics took it a step further; they were banned in several major cities (most notably London) and Williams stood trial for obscenity in a celebrated 1981 court case in Milwaukee, but the band also helped bring punk to the heartland through their crazed stage shows, frequent television appearances, and a prescient fusion of punk velocity with heavy metal guitar power. The Plasmatics were formed in 1977 by Williams and Rod Swenson, a self-described /"anti-artist/" who met her when she answered a casting call for Captain Kink, an experimental theater for adults Swenson ran in the middle of the Times Square district. Fascinated by New York/'s burgeoning punk scene and enamored of Wendy/'s fearless stage presence, Swenson assembled a band around Williams, featuring lead guitarist Stotts, rhythm guitarist Wes Beech, bassist Chosei Funahara, and drummer Stu Deutsch. The Plasmatics made their live debut on-stage at CBGB in 1978, and their wildly destructive stage show soon made them the talk of the town. By 1979, the band was headlining shows along the East Coast and they sold out the New York Palladium, the first band to do so without the benefit of a major record deal. (The Plasmatics were also the first band to blow up a car on the Palladium/'s stage.) In 1980, the group signed a deal with the legendary British label Stiff Records, which released their debut album, New Hope for the Wretched, produced by Swenson, Ed Stasium, and Jimmy Miller; by this time, Jean Beauvior had taken over on bass from Funahara. Shortly after the album/'s release, the Plasmatics flew to London to make their British debut only to discover the show has been shut down by civic authorities; the group received a more friendly welcome on their subsequent North American tour, which featured a number of sold-out dates. However, in January 1981 Williams was arrested following a show in Milwaukee, WI, for obscenity, with the police claiming Williams had performed a lewd act on stage with a sledgehammer. Williams was also severely beaten by police following the arrest, with the officers claiming she had tried to attack them. A few days later, Williams was arrested for obscenity again in Cleveland, OH; in time, she would be cleared of all charges in both cities, but the press attention helped boost the group/'s already notorious public profile. Later that year the Plasmatics recorded their second LP, Beyond the Valley of 1984, which featured former Alice Cooper drummer Neal Smith behind the traps following the departure of Stu Deutsch. The band continued to tour heavily and appeared on a number of popular television shows, including Fridays, SCTV, and Tomorrow. Late in 1981, the Plasmatics released an EP, Metal Priestess, which took the heavy metal undertow of the group/'s earlier work and brought it to the surface; the new musical direction attracted the attention of A&R men at Capitol Records, who signed the Plasmatics to a major-label deal. Coup d/'Etat was recorded in Germany with producer Dieter Dirks and featured another new lineup of the group -- Williams, Stotts, Beech, bassist Chris Romanelli, and drummer T.C. Tolliver. However, Capitol/'s promotion of the album was half-hearted at best, and rather than continue working with a label that didn/'t believe in the group, Williams and Swenson decided to make their next project a Wendy O. Williams solo effort. 1984/'s WOW featured Beech and Tolliver alongside a crew of players assembled by producer Gene Simmons, including several fellow members of Kiss. Williams/'s second /"solo/" effort, 1986/'s Kommander of Kaos, was another metal-oriented effort; Stotts was gone, with Michael Ray and Greg Smith signing on as guitarist and bassist. The Plasmatics name was resurrected for a final album in 1987 -- Maggots: The Record, a concept piece concerning environmental abuse and consumer culture gone mad -- which featured much of the Kommander of Kaos band accompanied by a handful of session players and backing vocalists. Swenson and Williams folded the Plasmatics following a tour in support of Maggots, and after cutting a hip-hop-oriented album, 1988/'s Deffest! and Baddest! under the name Ultrafly and the Hometown Girls, Williams retired from music. Williams and Swenson remained a couple until she took her own life on April 6, 1998.

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Michael Butler is back with another gem from Butler/'s Vaults. This week in honor of all of the hoopla surrounding Aerosmith, we have a liver performance of /"Draw The Line/" from 1977.

BIO: (from allmusic.com)

Aerosmith/nwas one of the most popular hard rock bands of the /'70s, setting the/nstyle and sound of hard rock and heavy metal for the next two decades/nwith their raunchy, bluesy swagger. The Boston-based quintet found the/nmiddle ground between the menace of the Rolling Stones and the campy,/nsleazy flamboyance of the New York Dolls, developing a lean, dirty/nriff-oriented boogie that was loose and swinging and as hard as a/ndiamond.

In the meantime, they developed a prototype for power/nballads with /"Dream On,/" a piano ballad that was orchestrated with/nstrings and distorted guitars. Aerosmith/'s ability to pull off both/nballads and rock & roll made them extremely popular during the/nmid-/'70s, when they had a string of gold and platinum albums. By the/nearly /'80s, the group/'s audience had declined as the band fell prey to/ndrug and alcohol abuse. However, their career was far from over — in/nthe late /'80s, Aerosmith pulled off one of the most remarkable/ncomebacks in rock history, returning to the top of the charts with a/ngroup of albums that equalled, if not surpassed, the popularity of/ntheir /'70s albums.

In 1970, the first incarnation of Aerosmith/nformed when vocalist Steven Tyler met guitarist Joe Perry while working/nat a Sunapee, NH, ice cream parlor. Tyler, who originally was a/ndrummer, and Perry decided to form a power trio with bassist Tom/nHamilton. The group soon expanded to a quartet, adding a second/nguitarist called Ray Tabano; he was quickly replaced by Brad Whitford,/na former member of Earth Inc. With the addition of drummer Joey Kramer,/nTyler became the full-time lead singer by the end of year. Aerosmith/nrelocated to Boston at the end of 1970.

After playing clubs in/nthe Massachusetts and New York areas for two years, the group landed a/nrecord contract with Columbia Records in 1972. Aerosmith/'s self-titled/ndebut album was released in the fall of 1973, climbing to number 166./n/"Dream On/" was released as the first single and it was a minor hit,/nreaching number 59. For the next year, the band built a fan base by/ntouring America, supporting groups as diverse as the Kinks, Mahavishnu/nOrchestra, Sha Na Na, and Mott the Hoople. The performance of Get Your/nWings (1974), the group/'s second album and the first produced by Jack/nDouglas, benefited from their constant touring, spending a total of 86/nweeks on the chart.

Aerosmith/'s third record, 1975/'s Toys in the/nAttic, was their breakthrough album both commercially and artistically./nBy the time it was recorded, the band/'s sound had developed into a/nsleek, hard-driving hard rock powered by simple, almost brutal,/nblues-based riffs. Many critics at the time labeled the group as punk/nrockers, and it/'s easy to see why — instead of adhering to the/nworld-music pretensions of Led Zeppelin or the prolonged gloomy/nmysticism of Black Sabbath, Aerosmith stripped heavy metal to its basic/ncore, spitting out spare riffs that not only rocked, but rolled. Steven/nTyler/'s lyrics were filled with double entendres and clever jokes, and/nthe entire band had a streetwise charisma that separated them from the/nheavy, lumbering arena rockers of the era. Toys in the Attic captured/nthe essence of the newly invigorated Aerosmith. /"Sweet Emotion,/" the/nfirst single from Toys in the Attic, broke into the Top 40 in the/nsummer of 1975, with the album reaching number 11 shortly afterward./nIts success prompted the re-release of the power ballad /"Dream On,/"/nwhich shot into the Top Ten in early 1976. Both Aerosmith and Get Your/nWings climbed back up the charts in the wake of Toys in the Attic./n/"Walk This Way,/" the final single from Toys in the Attic, was released/naround the time of the group/'s new 1976 album, Rocks. Although it/ndidn/'t feature a Top Ten hit like /"Walk This Way,/" Rocks went platinum/nquickly, peaking at number three.

In early 1977, Aerosmith took/na break and prepared material for their fifth album. Released late in/n1977, Draw the Line was another hit, climbing to number 11 on the U.S./ncharts, but it showed signs of exhaustion. In addition to another tour/nin 1978, the band appeared in the movie Sgt. Pepper/'s Lonely Hearts/nClub Band, performing /"Come Together,/" which eventually became a number/n23 hit. Live! Bootleg appeared late in 1978 and became another success,/nreaching number 13. Aerosmith recorded Night in the Ruts in 1979,/nreleasing the record at the end of the year. By the time of its/nrelease, Joe Perry had left the band to form the Joe Perry Project./nNight in the Ruts performed respectably, climbing to number 14 and/ngoing gold, yet it was the least successful Aerosmith record to date./nBrad Whitford left the group in early 1980, forming the Whitsford-St./nHolmes Band with former Ted Nugent guitarist Derek St. Holmes.

As/nAerosmith regrouped with new guitarists Jimmy Crespo and Rick Dufay,/nthe band released Aerosmith/'s Greatest Hits in late 1980; the record/nwould eventually sell over six million copies. The new lineup of/nAerosmith released Rock in a Hard Place in 1982. Peaking at number 32,/nit failed to match the performance of Night in the Ruts. Perry and/nWhitford returned to the band in 1984 and the group began a reunion/ntour dubbed Back in the Saddle. Early in the tour, Tyler collapsed/non-stage, offering proof that the band hadn/'t conquered their notorious/ndrug and alcohol addictions. The following year, Aerosmith released/nDone with Mirrors, the original lineup/'s first record since 1979 and/ntheir first for Geffen Records. Although it didn/'t perform as well as/nRock in a Hard Place, the album showed that the band was revitalized.

After/nthe release of Done with Mirrors, Tyler and Perry completed/nrehabilitation programs. In 1986, the pair appeared on Run-D.M.C./'s/ncover of /"Walk This Way,/" along with appearing in the video. /"Walk This/nWay/" became a hit, reaching number four and receiving saturation/nairplay on MTV. /"Walk This Way/" set the stage for the band/'s full-scale/ncomeback effort, the Bruce Fairbairn-produced Permanent Vacation/n(1987). Tyler and Perry collaborated with professional hard rock/nsongwriters like Holly Knight and Desmond Child, resulting in the hits/n/"Dude (Looks Like a Lady),/" /"Rag Doll,/" and /"Angel./" Permanent Vacation/npeaked at number 11 and sold over three million copies.

Pump,/nreleased in 1989, continued the band/'s winning streak, reaching number/nfive, selling over four million copies, and spawning the Top Ten/nsingles /"Love in an Elevator,/" /"Janie/'s Got a Gun,/" and /"What It/nTakes./" Aerosmith released Get a Grip in 1993. Like Permanent Vacation/nand Pump, Get a Grip was produced by Bruce Fairbairn and featured/nsignificant contributions by professional songwriters. The album was as/nsuccessful as the band/'s previous two records, featuring the hit/nsingles /"Livin/' on the Edge,/" /"Cryin/',/" and /"Amazing./" In 1994,/nAerosmith released Big Ones, a compilation of hits from their Geffen/nyears that fulfilled their contract with the label; it went double/nplatinum shortly after its release.

While Aerosmith was at the/nheight of their revitalized popularity in the early /'90s, the group/nsigned a lucrative multi-million dollar contract with Columbia Records,/neven though they still owed Geffen two albums. It wasn/'t until 1995/nthat the band was able to begin working on their first record under the/nnew contract — nearly five years after the contract was signed. The/nmaking of Aerosmith albums usually had been difficult affairs, but the/nrecording of Nine Lives was plagued with bad luck. The band went/nthrough a number of producers and songwriters before settling on Kevin/nShirley in 1996. More damaging, however, was the dismissal of the/nband/'s manager, Tim Collins, who/'d been responsible for bringing the/nband back from the brink of addiction. Upon his firing, Collins/ninsinuated that Steven Tyler was using hard drugs again, an allegation/nthat Aerosmith adamantly denied.

Under such circumstances,/nrecording became quite difficult, and when Nine Lives finally appeared/nin the spring of 1997, it was greeted with great anticipation, yet the/ninitial reviews were mixed and even though album debuted at number one,/nit quickly fell down the charts. The live A Little South of Sanity/nfollowed in 1998. Three years later, Aerosmith strutted their stuff on/nthe Super Bowl halftime special on CBS with the likes of Mary J. Blige,/nNelly, *N Sync, and Britney Spears, just prior to issuing their/nheart-stomping Just Push Play in March 2001. Next up for the band was a/nblues album, Honkin/' on Bobo, released in 2004, along with two live/nalbum/DVDs, You Gotta Move and Rockin/' the Joint. Another greatest-hits/ncollection, Devil/'s Got a New Disguise: The Very Best of Aerosmith/narrived in 2006.

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It/'s Friday again, and time for another episode of the Hairbanger/'s Ball. We have a special treat this week in celebration of Halloween: an ultra performance from Alice Cooper from 1972. We have a set from Alice that was shot in Paris for a French TV show. Enjoy.

BIO: (from allmusic.com) 

Originally,/nthere was a band called Alice Cooper led by a singer named Vincent/nDamon Furnier. Under his direction, Alice Cooper pioneered a grandly/ntheatrical and violent brand of heavy metal that was designed to shock./nDrawing equally from horror movies, vaudeville, heavy metal, and garage/nrock, the group created a stage show that featured electric chairs,/nguillotines, fake blood, and huge boa constrictors, all coordinated by/nthe heavily made-up Furnier. By that time, Furnier had adopted the name/nfor his androgynous on-stage personality. While the visuals were/nextremely important to the group/'s impact, the band/'s music was nearly/nas distinctive. Driven by raw, simple riffs and melodies that derived/nfrom /'60s guitar pop as well as show tunes, it was rock & roll at/nits most basic and catchy, even when the band ventured into psychedelia/nand art rock. After the original group broke up and Furnier began a/nsolo career as Alice Cooper, his actual music lost most of its/ntheatrical flourishes, becoming straightforward heavy metal, yet his/nstage show retained all of the trademark props that made him the king/nof shock rock.

Furnier formed his first group, the/nEarwigs, as an Arizona teenager in the early /'60s. Changing the band/'s/nname to the Spiders in 1965, the group was eventually called the Nazz/n(not to be confused with Todd Rundgren/'s band of the same name). The/nSpiders and the Nazz both released local singles that were moderately/npopular. In 1968, after discovering there was another band called with/nthe same name, the group changed its name to Alice Cooper. According to/nband legend, the name came to Furnier during a ouija board session,/nwhere he was told he was the reincarnation of a 17th century witch of/nthe same name. Comprised of vocalist Furnier -- who would soon begin/ncalling himself Alice Cooper -- guitarist Mike Bruce, guitarist Glen/nBuxton, bassist Dennis Dunaway, and drummer Neal Smith, the group moved/nto California in 1968. In California, the group met Shep Gordon, who/nbecame their manager, and Frank Zappa, who signed Alice Cooper to his/nStraight Records imprint.

Alice Cooper released their/nfirst album, Pretties for You, in 1969. Easy Action followed early in/n1970, yet it failed to chart. The group/'s reputation in Los Angeles was/nslowly shrinking, so the band moved to Furnier/'s hometown of Detroit./nFor the next year, the group refined their bizarre stage show. Late in/n1970, the group/'s contract was transferred to Straight/'s distributor/nWarner Bros., and they began recording their third album with producer/nBob Ezrin. With Ezrin/'s assistance, Alice Cooper developed their/nclassic heavy metal crunch on 1971/'s Love It to Death, which featured/nthe number 21 hit single /"Eighteen/"; the album peaked at number 35 and/nwent gold. The success enabled the group to develop a more impressive,/nelaborate live show, which made them highly popular concert attractions/nacross the U.S. and eventually the U.K. Killer, released late in 1971,/nwas another gold album. 

Released in the summer of 1972,/nSchool/'s Out was Alice Cooper/'s breakthrough record, peaking at number/ntwo and selling over a million copies. The title song became a Top Ten/nhit in the U.S. and a number one single in the U.K. Billion Dollar/nBabies, released the following year, was the group/'s biggest hit,/nreaching number one in both America and Britain; the album/'s first/nsingle, /"No More Mr. Nice Guy,/" became a Top Ten hit in Britain,/npeaking at number 25 in the U.S. Muscle of Love appeared late in 1973,/nyet it failed to capitalize on the success of Billion Dollar Babies./nAfter Muscle of Love, Furnier and the rest of Alice Cooper parted ways/nto pursue other projects. Having officially changed his name to Alice/nCooper, Furnier embarked on a similarly theatrical solo career; the/nrest of the band released one unsuccessful album under the name Billion/nDollar Babies, while Mike Bruce and Neal Smith both recorded solo/nalbums that were never issued. In the fall of 1974, a compilation of/nAlice Cooper/'s five Warner albums, entitled Alice Cooper/'s Greatest/nHits, became a Top Ten hit. 

For his first solo album,/nCooper hired Lou Reed/'s backing band from Rock /'N/' Roll Animal --/nguitarists Dick Wagner and Steve Hunter, bassist Prakash John,/nkeyboardist Joseph Chrowski, and drummer Penti Glan -- as his/nsupporting group. Welcome to My Nightmare, Alice Cooper/'s first solo/nalbum, was released in the spring of 1975. The record wasn/'t a great/ndeparture from his previous work, and it became a Top Ten hit in/nAmerica, launching the hit acoustic ballad /"Only Women Bleed/"; its/nsuccess put an end to any idea of reconvening Alice Cooper the band./nIts follow-up, 1976/'s Alice Cooper Goes to Hell, was another hit, going/ngold in the U.S. After Alice Cooper Goes to Hell, Cooper/'s career began/nto slip, partially due to changing trends and partially due to his/nalcoholism. Cooper entered rehabilitation in 1978, writing an album/nabout his treatment called From the Inside (1978) with Bernie Taupin,/nElton John/'s lyricist. During the early /'80s, Cooper continued to/nrelease albums and tour, yet he was no longer as popular as he was/nduring his early-/'70s heyday.

Cooper made a successful/ncomeback in the late /'80s, sparked by his appearances in horror films/nand a series of pop-metal bands that paid musical homage to his classic/nearly records and concerts. Constrictor, released in 1986, began his/ncomeback, but it was 1989/'s Trash that returned Cooper to the/nspotlight. Produced by the proven hitmaker Desmond Child, Trash/nfeatured guest appearances by Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, and most of/nAerosmith; the record became a Top Ten hit in Britain and peaked at/nnumber 20 in the U.S., going platinum. /"Poison,/" a midtempo rocker/nfeatured on the album, became Cooper/'s first Top Ten single since 1977./nAfter the release of Trash, he continued to star in the occasional/nfilm, tour, and record, although he wasn/'t able to retain the audience/nrecaptured with Trash. Still, 1991/'s Hey Stoopid and 1994/'s The Last/nTemptation were generally solid, professional efforts that helped/nCooper settle into a comfortable cult status without damaging the/ncritical goodwill surrounding his /'70s output. After a live album,/n1997/'s Fistful of Alice, Cooper returned on the smaller Spitfire label/nin 2000 with Brutal Planet and Dragontown a year later. The Eyes of/nAlice Cooper appeared in 2003 and found Alice and company playing a/nmore stripped-down brand of near-garage rock. Dirty Diamonds from 2005/nwas nearly as raw and hit the streets around the same time Alice/npremiered his syndicated radio show, Nights with Alice Cooper. Three/nyears later he would return with Along Came a Spider, a concept album/nthat told the story of a spider-obsessed serial killer.

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 Welcome to another episode of the Hairbanger/'s Ball. This week we delve deep into the vault and find a performance from the original riot grrls: The Runaways. In this clip we see a post-Cherie Currie version of the group singing /"School Days/" off their album /"Waitin/' For The Night/".

BIO: (from allmusic.com)

Dismissed during their existence as a crass marketing gimmick, the Runaways have grown in stature over the years as the first all-female band to make a substantial impression on the public by playing loud, straight-up, guitar-driven rock & roll. Since all of the members were teenagers (some of whom were still learning to play their instruments when they passed their auditions), their music was frequently raw and amateurish, but it neatly combined American heavy metal (think Aerosmith and Kiss) with the newly emerging sound of punk rock. In the media, the Runaways were victims of their own hype, supplied by maverick promoter/manager Kim Fowley. Fowley/'s insistence on a sleazy jailbait image for the group made it easy for the press to dismiss them as nothing but a tasteless adolescent fantasy -- an impression bolstered at the time by the admittedly erratic quality of their music. But in the end, the Runaways/' sound and attitude proved crucially important in paving the way for female artists to crank up the volume on their guitars and rock as hard as the boys; plus, they produced one undeniably classic single in the rebel-girl manifesto /"Cherry Bomb./"

The genesis of the Runaways can be traced to a 1975 Alice Cooper party at which Fowley met teenage lyricist Kari Krome. Fowley was impressed with Krome/'s streetwise perspective and set about putting together a band. Krome/'s friend, guitarist Joan Jett (born Joan Larkin), had been putting together a band with drummer Sandy West (born Sandy Pesavento), and Fowley quickly had a trio on his hands. However, it soon became apparent that Krome was not much of a singer, and she was replaced by vocalist Michael /"Micki/" Steele (born Sue Thomas), who also began learning the bass. As a trio, this lineup recorded a demo titled Born to Be Bad in late 1975; shortly thereafter, guitarist Lita Ford successfully auditioned through a trade-paper ad, and Steele left the group (she would later join the Bangles). Cherie Currie became the new lead vocalist, and after an extremely brief stint with a bass player known only as Peggy (which lasted just a few weeks), the band settled on Jackie Fox (born Jacqueline Fuchs), who switched to bass from guitar in order to join the band.

Thus constituted as an entirely teenaged quintet, it didn/'t take long for the Runaways to score a record deal; Currie/'s stage wardrobe (lingerie) and Fowley/'s well-established contacts made sure of that. After signing with Mercury in February 1976, the band began recording their self-titled debut album, which was released just a few months later. However, it was not greeted well. Fowley was preceded by his reputation for overhyping gimmicky acts, and the sheer number of roles he played in guiding the Runaways/' career made him appear a manipulative, Svengali-like figure. Moreover, regardless of whether or not the Runaways were simply a cheap exploitation act (an endlessly debatable question), the entire concept of the band -- teenage girls playing their own instruments and singing frankly and enthusiastically about sex, booze, and life on the streets -- was simply too discomforting for much of America. Fowley/'s extensive involvement (some called it near-total control) made it easy for journalists and radio programmers to dismiss the group out of hand as a male-concocted sham; it was also a convenient way to ignore the myriad cultural buttons the Runaways were pushing.

Despite a wave of publicity on Fowley/'s part, The Runaways just barely scraped the bottom of the charts in the early fall of 1976, around the same time the band played their first gig at the legendary New York punk club CBGB/'s. The second Runaways album, Queens of Noise, was released in early 1977 and fared little better on the charts than its predecessor, thanks to radio/'s continued reluctance to program the group/'s music. However, when the Runaways mounted a tour of Japan in June of that year, they were greeted with sold-out arena gigs and rabidly enthusiastic audiences who didn/'t consider them a joke (/"Cherry Bomb/" had, in fact, topped the Japanese charts). A concert record, Live in Japan, was culled from the tour, but wasn/'t released in the U.S.

Despite this taste of success, relationships between some of the group members had begun to fray, thanks partly to substance abuse problems and partly to unconcerned negligence on the management/'s part. Upon their return to Los Angeles in July 1977, Jackie Fox departed the group; a story circulated that she had attempted suicide on the Japanese tour, though it was later discredited. Before the year was out, Currie too had left, spurred in part by consistent disagreements with Fowley. Jett took over as lead vocalist, and new bassist Vicki Blue was hired for the group/'s third album. Waiting for the Night was released at the end of the year, and failed to even hit the U.S. charts. By this point, Fowley had lost interest in the band, and quit as manager early the next year. Jett/'s unofficial leadership role within the group became more serious, but unfortunately, musical differences were beginning to arise (Jett/'s punk and glam rock influences clashed with West and Ford/'s love of straight-up hard rock and heavy metal). One more album, And Now...The Runaways, appeared toward the end of 1978, but it was released only in the group/'s core markets of Europe and Japan (it later appeared in America with a different running order under the title Little Lost Girls). Blue quit the band after their New Year/'s gig and was replaced by Laurie McAllister, but to no avail; Jett left the group in April 1979, and the Runaways officially disbanded not long after.

Currie released a solo album in 1978 titled Beauty/'s Only Skin Deep, and then teamed up with her twin sister Marie for 1980/'s Messin/' With the Boys. Jackie Fox went to law school and became an attorney. West and Ford formed a short-lived outfit of their own, after which Ford went solo and scored several hits as a pop-metal artist during the /'80s. But an even better indicator that there was more to the Runaways/' music than met the eye was the success of Joan Jett/'s solo career. Jett formed her own band and record label, landed an enormous number one smash with 1982/'s /"I Love Rock n/' Roll,/" and continued to produce albums of tough hard rock into the /'90s. The heavily feminist riot grrrl punk movement claimed Jett as a major inspiration, prompting a re-examination of the Runaways/' output divorced from Kim Fowley/'s marketing tactics. Rumors of a full-band reunion surfaced periodically through the rest of the /'90s, though none has yet materialized.

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/n Michael Anthony Birth Name: Michael Anthony Sobolewski. Birth date: June 20, 1954 Birth Place: Chicago, Illinois. As/na son of a musician, Michael starts his music education early. As a/nlittle boy, he plays the trumpet in the school band, then his family/nmoved to L.A. and he starts playing bass with groups from school until/nhe meets the Van Halen Brothers and David Lee Roth. Mike is one of the/ngreatest bass players today.

/n/n /n Eddie Van Halen Birth Name: Edward Lodewijk Van Halen. Birth date: January 26, 1955 Birth Place: Nijmegen, Holland. As/na little boy, Eddie started classical piano lessons influenced by his/nfather Jan Van Halen. In 1968, the Van Halen family relocated to/nCalifornia where Eddie had a job as a paperboy. He started playing the/ndrums but when Eddie was out his brother Alex used the drum kit, and/nEddie decided that Alex was better at drums than himself, so Eddie/nbought a guitar and started practicing with Eric Clapton music. In/nApril 11, 1981 married the actress Valerie Bertinelli, and they have a/nson, Wolfang William Van Halen who was born March 16 1991.

/n/n /n Alex Van Halen Birth name: Alex Arthur Van Halen. Birth date: May 8, 1953 Birth Place: Nijmegen, Holland. Alex,/nthe older of the Van Halen Brothers, started his music education with/npiano lessons, as did his brother Eddie. After the Van Halen family/nmoved to L.A. he started practicing guitar, but he tried his brother/'s/ndrum kit, and he decided to switch to drums. You can hear Alex playing/npiano in the Twister Soundtrack, in a song called /"Respect the Wind/".

/n/n /n Sammy Hagar Birth name: Sammy Roy Hagar Born date: October 13, 1947 Born Place: Monterey, California. Former/nmember of the Montrose band, and a successful solo artist (/"I can/'t/ndrive 55/"), he joined Van Halen when David Lee Roth left the band for a/nsolo career. He owns the Cabo Wabo Cantina in Cabo San Lucas Mexico,/nand is known as the /"Red Rocker/".

/n David Lee Roth Birth name: David Lee Roth Birth date: October 10, 1954 Birth Place: Bloomington, Indiana. David/nLee Roth he moved to L.A. early in his career, joining different local/nbands until he met a band named /"Mamooth/". He joined this band that/nlater became Van Halen, and was the lead singer for 10 years before he/nleft for a solo career. As a solo artist, he made 5 albums and even/nrecorded 1 album in Spanish. In a controversial move, he returned to/nVan Halen after 11 years to record 2 songs, which appear on the Best of/nVolume 1.

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BIO: (from allmusic.com)

AC/DC/'s/nmammoth power chord roar became one of the most influential hard rock/nsounds of the /'70s. In its own way, it was a reaction against the/npompous art rock and lumbering arena rock of the early /'70s. AC/DC/'s/nrock was minimalist — no matter how huge and bludgeoning the guitar/nchords were, there was a clear sense of space and restraint. Combined/nwith Bon Scott/'s larynx-shredding vocals, the band spawned countless/nimitators over the next two decades. AC/DC were formed in 1973 in/nAustralia by guitarist Malcolm Young after his band, the Velvet/nUnderground, collapsed (Young/'s band has no relation to the seminal/nAmerican group). With his younger brother Angus as lead guitarist, the/nband played some gigs around Sydney. Angus was only 15 years old at the/ntime and his sister suggested that he should wear his school uniform/non-stage; the look became the band/'s visual trademark. While still in/nSydney, the original lineup featuring singer Dave Evans cut a single/ncalled /"Can I Sit Next to You,/" with ex-Easybeats Harry Vanda and/nGeorge Young (Malcolm and Angus/' older brother) producing.

The/nband moved to Melbourne the following year, where drummer Phil Rudd/n(formerly of the Coloured Balls) and bassist Mark Evans joined the/nband. The band/'s chauffeur, Bon Scott, became the lead vocalist when/nsinger Dave Evans refused to go on-stage. Previously, Scott had been/nvocalist for the Australian prog rock bands Fraternity and the/nValentines. More importantly, he helped cement the group/'s image as/nbrutes — he had several convictions on minor criminal offenses and was/nrejected by the Australian Army for being /"socially maladjusted./" And/nAC/DC were socially maladjusted. Throughout their career they favored/ncrude double entendres and violent imagery, all spiked with a/nmischievous sense of fun.

The group released two albums — High/nVoltage and TNT — in Australia in 1974 and 1975. Material from the two/nrecords comprised the 1976 release High Voltage in the U.S. and U.K.;/nthe group also toured both countries. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap/nfollowed at the end of the year. Mark Evans left the band at the/nbeginning of 1977, with Cliff Williams taking his place. In the fall of/n1977, AC/DC released Let There Be Rock, which became their first album/nto chart in the U.S. Powerage, released in spring of 1978, expanded/ntheir audience even further, thanks in no small part to their dynamic/nlive shows (which were captured on 1978/'s live If You Want Blood You/'ve/nGot It). What really broke the doors down for the band was the/nfollowing year/'s Highway to Hell, which hit number 17 in the U.S. and/nnumber eight in the U.K., becoming the group/'s first million-seller.

AC/DC/'s/ntrain was derailed when Bon Scott died on February 20, 1980. The/nofficial coroner/'s report stated he had /"drunk himself to death./" In/nMarch, the band replaced Scott with Brian Johnson. The following month,/nthe band recorded Back in Black, which would prove to be its biggest/nalbum, selling over ten million copies in the U.S. alone. For the next/nfew years, the band was one of the largest rock bands in the world,/nwith For Those About to Rock We Salute You topping the charts in the/nU.S. In 1982, Rudd left the band; he was replaced by Simon Wright.

After/n1983/'s Flick of the Switch, AC/DC/'s commercial standing began to slip;/nthey were able to reverse their slide with 1990/'s The Razor/'s Edge,/nwhich spawned the hit /"Thunderstruck./" While not the commercial/npowerhouse they were during the late /'70s and early /'80s, the /'90s saw/nthem maintain their status as a top international concert draw. In the/nfall of 1995, their 16th album, Ballbreaker, was released. Produced by/nRick Rubin, the album received some of the most positive reviews of/nAC/DC/'s career. Ballbreaker entered the American charts at number four/nand sold over a million copies in its first six months of release./nStiff Upper Lip followed in early 2000 with similar results. The group/nsigned a multi-album deal with Sony the following year that resulted in/na slew of reissues and DVDs. The band returned to the studio in 2008/nfor Black Ice, an all-new collection of songs that was followed by the/ngroup/'s first world tour since 2001.

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BIO: (from allmusic.com)

Combining a love for British guitar pop songcraft with crunching power chords and a flair for the absurd, Cheap Trick provided the necessary links between /'60s pop, heavy metal, and punk. Led by guitarist Rick Nielsen, the band/'s early albums were filled with highly melodic, well-written songs that drew equally from the crafted pop of the Beatles, the sonic assault of the Who, and the tongue-in-cheek musical eclecticism and humor of the Move. Their sound provided a blueprint for both power pop and arena rock; it also had a surprisingly long-lived effect on both alternative and heavy metal bands of the /'80s and /'90s, who often relied on the same combination of loud riffs and catchy melodies.

Cheap Trick/'s roots lie in Fuse, a late-/'60s band formed by Rick Nielsen and bassist Tom Petersson in Rockford, IL. The group released an album on Epic Records in 1969; after the record failed to gain any attention, the band relocated to Philadelphia and changed their name to Sick Man of Europe. The group toured Europe unsuccessfully in 1972 and returned to Illinois in 1973. Not long after their return to Rockford, Nielsen and Petersson changed their band/'s name once more -- this time to Cheap Trick -- and added drummer Bun E. Carlos and vocalist Randy /"Xeno/" Hogan to the lineup. Hogan was fired the following year, making room for ex-folksinger Robin Zander to join the group. Between 1975 and the band/'s first album in 1977, Cheap Trick toured constantly, playing over 200 concerts a year while occasionally opening for the likes of the Kinks, Kiss, Santana, AC/DC, and Queen. During this time, the band built up a solid catalog of original songs that would eventually comprise their first three albums; they also perfected their kinetic live show.

Cheap Trick signed with Epic Records in 1976 and released their self-titled debut early the following year. The record sold well in America, yet it failed to chart. However, the group became a massive success in Japan, and the album went gold upon release. Later that year, the band released their second album, In Color. It backed away from the harder-rocking side of Cheap Trick, featuring slicker production and quieter arrangements that spotlighted the band/'s melodic skills instead. Due to their constant touring, the record made it into the U.S. charts, peaking at number 73. It became another gold-seller in Japan, however, where the musicians had become virtual superstars. Their Japanese concerts began selling out within two hours, and they packed the sizable Budokan Arena.

Cheap Trick/'s concerts at Budokan Arena were recorded for possible release, although the live album didn/'t appear until the band/'s third album, 1978/'s Heaven Tonight, was first released. That third album captured both the loud, raucous energy of Cheap Trick/'s debut and the hook-laden songcraft of In Color, leading to their first Top 100 single, /"Surrender,/" which peaked at number 62. However, the live performances on At Budokan (1979) captured the band/'s energetic, infectious live show, resulting in their commercial breakthrough in America. The album stayed on the charts for over a year, peaking at number four and eventually selling over three million copies. Meanwhile, a live version of /"I Want You to Want Me/" became their first Top Ten hit. Later that year, the group released their fourth studio album, Dream Police, which followed the same stylistic approach of Heaven Tonight. It also followed At Budokan into the Top Ten, selling over a million copies and launching the Top 40 hit singles /"Voices/" and /"Dream Police./" In the summer of 1980, the group released an EP of tracks recorded between 1976-1979 called Found All the Parts.

Following the recording of the George Martin-produced All Shook Up, Petersson left the group in the summer of 1980 to form a group with his wife, Dagmar. He was replaced by Jon Brant. Released toward the end of 1980, All Shook Up performed respectably, peaking at number 24 and going gold, yet the single /"Stop This Game/" failed to crack the Top 40. One on One, the group/'s seventh album and the first recorded with Brant, appeared in 1982. Although it peaked at number 39, the record was more successful than All Shook Up, eventually going platinum. Nevertheless, the group was entering a downhill commercial slide, despite the fact that its music was becoming increasingly polished. Next Position Please, released in 1983, failed to launch a hit single and spent only 11 weeks on the charts. Standing on the Edge (1985) and The Doctor (1986) suffered similar fates, as the group was slowly losing its creative spark.

Petersson rejoined the band in 1988 and the group began working on a new record with the help of several professional songwriters. The resulting record, Lap of Luxury, was a platinum Top 20 hit, featuring the number one power ballad /"The Flame/" and a Top Ten version of Elvis Presley/'s /"Don/'t Be Cruel./" Busted, released in 1990, wasn/'t as successful as Lap of Luxury, peaking at number 48 and effectively putting an end to the group/'s commercial comeback.

Cheap Trick soldiered into the new decade by signing with Warner Brothers in 1994 and releasing Woke Up With a Monster, which peaked at number 123 and spent two weeks on the albums chart. That same year, Epic Records released a sequel to At Budokan, aptly titled Budokan II. Compiled from the same shows as At Budokan, the record served as an an effective reminder of why the group had become so popular in the late /'70s.

In 1995, Cheap Trick asked to leave Warner/'s roster after the label/'s chief executives, Lenny Waronker and Mo Ostin, departed. The band then decided to go back to the basics, and several alt.rock superstars who had been influenced by Cheap Trick gave the band opportunities to restore its reputation. The Smashing Pumpkins had the band open their tour in 1995, and the group played several dates on the 1996 Lollapalooza Tour. That same year, the box set Sex, America, Cheap Trick appeared to positive reviews, and the band signed with the fledgling indie label Red Ant-Alliance before setting to work on a new album. Early in 1997, the group released a Steve Albini-produced single on Sub Pop, which was followed by the eponymous Cheap Trick, their acclaimed debut for Red Ant-Alliance, in the spring. Unfortunately, Red Ant-Alliance filed for bankruptcy seven weeks after the album/'s release, sadly putting a sudden halt on the group/'s building momentum.

On April 30, 1998, the group launched a four-night residence in Chicago, devoting each show to reprising one of their first four albums in its entirety. Those shows later yielded a 1999 live LP, Music for Hangovers, which the musicians issued on their own Cheap Trick Unlimited label. A band-authorized hits collection followed in 2000. By the dawn of the new millennium, Cheap Trick were still without a label, but had retained their loyal following by continually touring the world. Appropriately, another live set saw the light of day in 2001. Entitled Silver, the double-disc album (and companion DVD) documented the band/'s star-studded, career-spanning 25th anniversary show from August 28, 1999. The band also recorded another studio album, released in 2003 as Special One. It was followed in 2006 by Rockford, named in tribute to the band/'s hometown, and then The Latest in 2009. Cheap Trick also maintained a heavy touring ethic, canvassing America that summer alongside Def Leppard and releasing their tribute to the Beatles/' penultimate album with Sgt. Pepper Live.

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BIO: (from allmusic.com)

Southern rock veterans Black Oak Arkansas never quite achieved the level of success enjoyed by contemporaries like Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Allman Brothers, but have remained a cult band thanks to their raw, primitive energy and the testosterone-fueled antics of lead vocalist/showman James /"Big Jim Dandy/" Mangrum. Named for Mangrum/'s hometown, Black Oak Arkansas eventually built up a solid following through incessant touring and enjoyed a run of ten charting albums between 1971 and 1976. The band also found itself with a Top 30 single in their raunchy cover of a LaVern Baker R&B hit called /"Jim Dandy to the Rescue,/" which became Mangrum/'s signature song. When album sales dried up, Mangrum re-formed the band with more musically skilled veteran players and continued to tour, although the group/'s glory days were past.

Black Oak Arkansas dates back to the mid-/'60s, when a group of young, long-haired misfits headed by Jim Mangrum, unable to find work, turned to rock & roll. However, the group was unable to purchase equipment and ended up being arrested for grand larceny after stealing items from the local school in order to get money. They were nearly run out of town and went to live in the nearby hills, locating and borrowing equipment where they could. The band moved to New Orleans in 1969 and called itself Knowbody Else, with a lineup of vocalist Mangrum; guitarists Ricky /"Ricochet/" Reynolds, Stanley /"Goober/" Knight, and Harvey /"Burley/" Jett; bassist Pat Daugherty; and drummer Wayne Evans. Knowbody Else recorded a self-titled album for Stax, which went nowhere; rethinking their approach, the band became interested in psychedelia and Eastern spirituality, which they filtered through their Southern Baptist upbringing. Changing their name to Black Oak Arkansas, the band secured a deal with Atlantic after several trips to Los Angeles and released its self-titled debut in 1971. While it wasn/'t a hit, the band toured extensively, building a reputation as a raw, incendiary live act that made up for occasional musical deficiencies with energy and the explicit sexuality of Mangrum, who flaunted his body at every opportunity and became known for such antics as miming sex with the washboard he used for musical accompaniment. The band/'s second album, Keep the Faith, was a noticeable improvement, as the band had honed its sound and material through numerous live gigs; If an Angel Came to See You, Would You Make Her Feel at Home? followed the same year, featuring new drummer Tommy Aldridge, but it was 1973/'s Raunch /'N/' Roll Live that established the group as a commercial force. That year, High on the Hog became their most commercially successful album, reaching number 52 on the charts. It was buoyed by the Top 30 cover version of /"Jim Dandy to the Rescue,/" which featured female vocalist Ruby Starr trading innuendoes with Jim /"Dandy/" Mangrum. Several more albums followed before the group parted ways with Atlantic in 1976; Jett left the band in 1975 and was replaced by Starr cohort James Henderson. Lineup shifts were rampant as the group switched to MCA; Aldridge left and was replaced by Joel Williams, while the guitar/bass axis was gutted and rebuilt around Greg Reding, Jack Holder, and bassist Andy Tanas. This lineup released Race With the Devil in 1977, after the band had one last taste of success with the /"Strong Enough to Be Gentle/" single. Following several lackluster, straightforward Southern rock albums, the band called it quits in 1980. After recovering from a heart attack, Mangrum reunited with Reynolds in 1984 for a solo album, Ready as Hell; The Black Attack Is Back followed two years later. In 1999, BOA reunited to release The Wild Bunch.

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BIO: (from allmusic.com)

Known/nbest for their 1984 anthem /"Rock You Like a Hurricane/" and the 1990/nballad /"Wind of Change,/" the German rockers the Scorpions have sold/nover 22 million records, making them one of the most successful rock/nbands to ever come out of Continental Europe.

Originally formed/nin 1969 by Rudolf Schenker, the original lineup consisted of rhythm/nguitarist/vocalist Schenker, lead guitarist Karl-Heinz Follmer, bassist/nLothar Heimberg, and drummer Wolfgang Dziony. In 1971, Schenker/'s/nyounger brother Michael joined the band to play lead guitar and good/nfriend Klaus Meine became the new vocalist. The group recorded Lonesome/nCrow in 1972, which was used as the soundtrack to the German movie Das/nKalte Paradies. Although they failed to get into the public/'s eye, the/nearly formation of /'70s rock band UFO noticed Michael Schenker/'s guitar/nplaying and hired him as their lead guitarist; Michael, therefore,/nwould leave the band in 1973. Guitarist Uli Jon Roth replaced him, and/nunder his guidance the group released four consecutive albums under the/nRCA record label: Fly to the Rainbow (1974), In Trance (1975), Virgin/nKiller (1976), and Taken by Force (1977). Although these albums failed/nto attain any serious attention in the United States, they were all/nquite popular in Japan. By the time Taken by Force was released, Roth/nmade the decision to leave the band and form Electric Sun after feeling/nthat his musical ideas would take the group in an entirely different/ndirection. Tokyo Tapes, a double live album that the group recorded in/nTokyo with Roth, was released in 1978. Shortly after Roth/'s departure,/nMichael Schenker was kicked out of UFO for his constant alcohol abuse/nand came back to play with the Scorpions in 1979, who had recently/nsigned with Mercury Records. The group released Lovedrive that same/nyear and played their first American tour, but Lovedrive failed to/nattract attention, being banned in the United States because of its/nsexually explicit cover. Still coping with his drugs and alcohol/naddiction, Michael missed tour dates repeatedly and guitarist Matthias/nJabs was hired to fill in for him on nights when he was absent. Michael/neventually would leave the band a second time after realizing that he/nwas failing to meet their expectations.

Now with a lineup of/nKlaus Meine on vocals, Rudolf Schenker on rhythm guitar, Matthias Jabs/non lead, Francis Buchholz on bass, and Herman Rarebell on drums, the/nband released Animal Magnetism in 1980 and embarked on another world/ntour. Surprisingly, Animal Magnetism went gold in the United States,/nand the Scorpions immediately went back into the studio to record their/nnext release. Problems arose, however, and the project was postponed/nbecause Meine had lost his voice and would have to have surgery on his/nvocal chords. Many thought Meine had been fired from the band, and/nrumors spread that metal singer Don Dokken had already replaced him./nThe Scorpions proved these rumors untrue when Meine returned for the/n1982 release Blackout, which contained the cult hit /"No One Like You./"/nA major success worldwide, Blackout sold over one-million copies in the/nU.S. alone. But as popular as Blackout was, it was the band/'s powerful/nfollow-up, Love at First Sting, that succeeded in making them/nsuperstars. Released in 1984, the album boasted the MTV single /"Rock/nYou Like a Hurricane/" and would eventually achieve double-platinum/nstatus. The group undertook one of their most successful world tours/nyet, boasting an outstanding stage show with high-energy performances.

After/nreleasing World Wide Live in 1985, the band took a long hiatus and/nremained uninvolved from the music industry for two years. Their tenth/nstudio album, Savage Amusement, was finally released in 1988, and the/nhit ballad /"Rhythm of Love/" brought on another major success. In 1990,/nthe album Crazy World was released and would eventually become the/nScorpions/' biggest-selling record to date, drawing on the strength of/nthe hit ballad /"Wind of Change./"

Not too surprisingly, Crazy/nWorld was the last successful Scorpions release in the U.S. By the time/ntheir Face the Heat album hit the shelves in 1993, many longtime fans/nhad already lost interest in the band, due to the alternative explosion/nof the early /'90s. Face the Heat did eventually reach gold, and in 1995/nthe band released another live album, Live Bites. Now with bassist/nRalph Rieckermann and drummer James Kottak, they released Pure Instinct/nin 1996. Mercury Records assembled a double album of the band/'s/ngreatest hits, Deadly Sting: The Mercury Years, and released it in/n1997. Eye II Eye, an album in which the band experimented with/npop-techno melodies, was released in the summer of 1999. Moment of/nGlory, featuring the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and several revamped/nversions of Scorpions cult classics, was released in fall 2000.

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BIO: (from allmusic.com)

Despite/na huge hit single in the mid-/'70s (/"The Boys Are Back in Town/") and/nbecoming a popular act with hard rock/heavy metal fans, Thin Lizzy are/nstill, in the pantheon of /'70s rock bands, underappreciated. Formed in/nthe late /'60s by Irish singer/songwriter/bassist Phil Lynott, Lizzy,/nthough not the first band to do so, combined romanticized working-class/nsentiments with their ferocious, twin-lead guitar attack. As the band/'s/ncreative force, Lynott was a more insightful and intelligent writer/nthan many of his ilk, preferring slice-of-life working-class dramas of/nlove and hate influenced by Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, and virtually/nall of the Irish literary tradition. Also, as a black man, Lynott was/nan anomaly in the nearly all-white world of hard rock, and as such/nimbued much of his work with a sense of alienation; he was the/noutsider, the romantic guy from the other side of the tracks, a/nself-styled poet of the lovelorn and downtrodden. His sweeping vision/nand writerly impulses at times gave way to pretentious songs aspiring/nto clichéd notions of literary significance, but Lynott/'s limitless/ncharisma made even the most misguided moments worth hearing.

/nAfter a few early records that hinted at the band/'s potential, Lizzy/nreleased Fighting in 1975, and the band (Lynott, guitarists Brian/nRobertson and Scott Gorham, and drummer Brian Downey) had molded itself/ninto a pretty tight recording and performing unit. Lynott/'s thick,/nsoulful vocals were the perfect vehicle for his tightly written melodic/nlines. Gorham and Robertson generally played lead lines in harmonic/ntandem, while Downey (a great drummer who had equal amounts of power/nand style) drove the engine. Lizzy/'s big break came with their next/nalbum, Jailbreak, and the record/'s first single, /"The Boys Are Back in/nTown./" A paean to the joys of working-class guys letting loose, the/nsong resembled similar odes by Bruce Springsteen, with the exception of/nthe Who-like power chords in the chorus. With the support of radio and/nevery frat boy in America, /"Boys/" became a huge hit, enough of a hit as/nto ensure record contracts and media attention for the next decade/n(/"Boys/" is now used in beer advertising).

/nNever the toast of critics (the majority writing in the /'70s hated hard/nrock and heavy metal), Lizzy toured relentlessly, building an/nunassailable reputation as a terrific live band, despite the lead/nguitar spot becoming a revolving door (Eric Bell, Gary Moore, Brian/nRobertson, Snowy White, and John Sykes all stood next to Scott Gorham)./nThe records came fast and furious, and despite attempts to repeat the/nformula that worked like a charm with /"Boys,/" Lynott began writing more/nambitious songs and wrapping them up in vaguely articulated concept/nalbums. The large fan base the band had built as a result of /"Boys/"/nturned into a smaller, yet still enthusiastic bunch of hard rockers./nAdding insult to injury was the rise of punk rock, which Lynott/nvigorously supported, but made Lizzy look too traditional and too much/nlike tired old rock stars.

/nBy the mid-/'80s, resembling the dinosaur that punk rock wanted to/nannihilate, Thin Lizzy called it a career. Lynott recorded solo records/nthat more explicitly examined issues of class and race, published a/nnow-out-of-print book of poetry, and sadly, became a victim of his/nlongtime abuse of heroin, cocaine, and alcohol, dying in 1986 at age/n35. Since the mega-popular alternative rock bands of the mid-/'90s/nappropriated numerous musical messages from their /'70s forebears, the/nwork of Phil Lynott and Thin Lizzy will hopefully continue to be seen/nfor the influential rock & roll it is.

/nIn 1999, Thin Lizzy reunited with a lineup featuring guitarists Scott/nGorman and John Sykes, and keyboardist Darren Wharton, which was/nrounded out by a journeyman rhythm section of bassist Marco Mendoza and/ndrummer Tommy Aldridge. The quintet/'s ensuing European tour produced/nthe live album One Night Only, which was released in the summer of 2000/nto set the stage for a subsequent American concert tour./n/n/n/n

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Known for such powerful hits as "Two Minutes to Midnight" and "The Trooper," Iron Maiden were and are one of the most influential bands of the heavy metal genre. The often-imitated band existed for over 30 years, pumping out wild rock similar to Judas Priest. Iron Maiden have always been an underground attraction; although failing to ever obtain any real media attention in the U.S. (critics claimed them to be Satanists due to their dark musical themes and their use of grim mascot "Eddie"), they still became well known throughout the world and have remained consistently popular throughout their career. Iron Maiden were one of the first groups to be classified as "British metal," and, along with Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, and a host of other bands, set the rock scene for the '80s.

Iron Maiden were first formed in 1976 by bassist Steve Harris, who would soon join up with rhythm guitarist Tony Parsons, drummer Doug Sampson, and vocalist Paul Di'Anno. Before finally obtaining a record deal, the group played in local areas throughout the '70s, receiving a fair amount of London airplay. Parsons replaced Dennis Stratton, and the band made its record debut in 1980 with the self-titled Iron Maiden album. Although the release was recorded in a hurry, it was nonetheless a hit in the U.K. due to the single "Running Free." Iron Maiden's 1981 follow-up, Killers, displayed a harder approach to their music than before, and also saw the replacement of Stratton with Adrian Smith. Due to his uncontrollable alcohol addiction, Di'Anno was forced to part company with the group and would soon be replaced with vocalist Bruce Dickinson in 1982 for the band's groundbreaking Number of the Beast. This album, boasting such songs as the title track and "Hallowed Be Thy Name," would come to be known as one of the greatest rock recordings of all time. Since the unexpected worldwide success of Beast made Iron Maiden international rock superstars, they changed very little of their style for their next album, Piece of Mind. They undertook two major tours before recording 1983's Powerslave, which would go on to be another cult hit. The product of Powerslave's 11-month tour was 1985's Live After Death, a double live album that featured all of their biggest hit singles.

By the release of Live After Death, Iron Maiden had already established themselves as a powerful and unique metal band. Their long-awaited 1986 supplement album, Somewhere in Time, showed a bit of departure from their past releases, showcasing the use of synthesizer guitars and songs more relevant to the same themes. Released in 1988, Seventh Son of a Seventh Son, a concept album like its predecessor, featured the singles "The Evil That Men Do" and "The Clairvoyant," and soon became Iron Maiden's most critically acclaimed album since Number of the Beast. After another exhausting tour, Smith departed and the band took a one-year hiatus. With new guitarist Janick Gers, the band resurfaced with No Prayer for the Dying in 1990, a record that returned to the classic sound the group used when recording its earlier releases. One of the album's singles, "Bring Your Daughter...to the Slaughter," was granted the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Song of the Year, but it nonetheless gave the band its first number one U.K. hit. By the time the group finished its 1991 tour, Dickinson expressed desire to leave and work to promote another band he had founded, the Skunkworks. Fear of the Dark, the band's last album with Dickinson, debuted at number one on the U.K. charts and became one of Iron Maiden's biggest-selling albums to date. After their supporting tour, two live albums were released in 1993: A Real Live One, which contained live versions of their newer hit singles, and A Real Dead One, which featured the more "classic" Maiden songs live.

Dickinson's replacement, Blaze Bayley, marked his debut in 1995 with The X Factor. While the record failed to chart as well as some of its predecessors, it was still a minor success in England. Iron Maiden marked the end of 1996 with Best of the Beast, a double compilation album. In 1998, little interest in the Virtual XI album prompted Bayley's termination; Dickinson and Smith returned to the band for a tour in 1999, and a new album, Brave New World, emerged the following year. The band toured throughout the early 2000s, releasing the live Rock in Rio and the greatest-hits collection Edward the Great in 2002, followed by a new studio album, Dance of Death, in 2003. They followed DOD with the Rainmaker EP, as well as the live DVDs History of Iron Maiden, Pt. 1: The Early Days and Raising Hell in 2004. Sanctuary put out the two-disc The Essential Iron Maiden in 2005 to coincide with the group's co-headlining Ozzfest tour with Black Sabbath, a tour that found Maiden pulling out due to a series of confrontations with Ozzy's wife/manager, Sharon Osbourne. They released the live CD/DVD Death on the Road in September of 2005 and a collection of new material, Matter of Life and Death, in 2006. In 2009 the band released the soundtrack for the film Flight 666, a documentary/concert film recorded in 16 different cities during the group's first leg of their 2008 "Somewhere Back in Time World Tour".

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BIO: (from allmusic.com)

Throughout his lengthy career, guitar wildman Ted Nugent has reveled in the controversy and criticism that always seems to follow in his path. While there's no denying his exceptional talent on the six-string, his knack for penning arena rock anthems, or his standing as one of rock's top live acts, it's his nonmusical endeavors that have caused the most condemnation from his detractors (his pro-right wing beliefs, pro-gun advocacy, appreciation of hunting animals, etc.). But by the same token, Nugent is a family man and one of the few hard rockers who has admirably stuck by his lifelong anti-drugs and -drink stance throughout his career.

Born on December 13, 1948, in Detroit, MI, Nugent became interested in rock & roll early in the game, picking up the guitar as a youngster, while his disciplinarian father passed his beliefs down to Nugent. In the '60s, Nugent formed his first bands (including Royal High Boys and Lourdes), drawing inspiration from such British blues-rockers as the Rolling Stones and the Yardbirds. But it wasn't until the formation of the Amboy Dukes that the Nuge got his first taste of stardom (it was also around this time that Nugent began playing a Gibson Byrdland guitar, a model which would be instantly associated with him throughout his career). The other members of the group didn't exactly share Nugent's clean-living lifestyle, as proven by their psychedelic hit single "Journey to the Center of the Mind," which Nugent claimed he didn't know at the time was about being "under the influence." The band managed to issue several albums throughout the late '60s -- 1967's self-titled debut, 1968's Journey to the Center of the Mind, and 1969's Migration -- as the group fit in well with such other high-energy rock bands to emerge from the Motor City: MC5 and the Stooges in particular.

With bandmembers coming and going at an alarming rate, Nugent remained the only constant member -- eventually officially changing the band's name to Ted Nugent & the Amboy Dukes by the '70s, and issuing 1971's Survival of the Fittest, 1973's Call of the Wild, and 1974's Tooth, Fang & Claw. While none of these releases exactly stormed the charts, Nugent and his cohorts remained an in-demand concert draw, as he also set up "guitar duels" on-stage around this time (battling with MC5's Wayne Kramer and Mahogany Rush's Frank Marino, among others).

By the mid-'70s, Nugent decided to finally ditch the Amboy Dukes name and set out on his own, assembling a first-rate backing band that included second guitarist/vocalist Derek St. Holmes, bassist Rob Grange, and drummer Cliff Davies. By 1975, the new band was signed to Aerosmith's management company (Leber & Krebs), as well as the same record company, Columbia, resulting in the release of Nugent's self-titled debut in November of the same year. The band immediately struck a chord with the heavy metal/hard rock crowd from coast to coast, due to the band's over-the-top stage show. But the bandmembers' relationship with Nugent was rocky at best -- Nugent wanted complete control of the band, while the others wanted it to be more of a democracy. The end result was St. Holmes leaving the band prior to the sessions of their sophomore effort, 1976's Free-for-All (which saw a then-unknown singer by the name of Meat Loaf filling in for the departed singer).

St. Holmes returned, however, in time for the album's ensuing tour, and by the release of 1977's Cat Scratch Fever (which spawned the hit single title track), Nugent and his band was one of the top rock bands in the U.S. -- storming the charts and selling out arenas coast to coast. By now, Nugent had assumed the stage persona of a caveman -- hitting the stage dressed in nothing but a skimpy loincloth and knee-high boots, and would often begin his show by swinging out on a rope à la Tarzan (!). Like other rock acts of the '70s (Kiss, Cheap Trick, Peter Frampton, etc.), Nugent used a live album to catapult his career to the next level of stardom -- 1978's classic Double Live Gonzo! But despite all the success, the members of his band began deserting him one by one over the course of such albums as 1978's Weekend Warriors, 1979's State of Shock, and 1980's Scream Dream. To add insult to injury, Nugent found himself bankrupt around this time, due to several failed business ventures and poor management.

Nugent continued to tour and crank out albums throughout the '80s (including such forgettable releases as Intensities in 10 Cities, Nugent, Penetrator, Little Miss Dangerous, and If You Can't Lick 'Em...Lick 'Em), but it appeared as through the Nuge was trying to keep pace with the burgeoning pop-metal crowd instead of sticking to the raw and raging rock that brought him success in the first place. Nugent also tried his hand at acting around this time, appearing as a drug dealer in an episode of the hit TV series Miami Vice in 1986. By the end of the decade, Nugent joined the rock supergroup Damn Yankees (joining former Night Ranger bassist/singer Jack Blades, former Styx guitarist/singer Tommy Shaw, and drummer Michael Cartellone) -- resulting in the quartet's self-titled debut in 1990, which became a surprise hit due to their Top Ten power ballad, "High Enough." But ultimately, the union proved to be short-lived; after only one more album (1992's lackluster Don't Tread), the band called it quits.

Nugent returned to his solo career, issuing his best album in over a decade, 1995's back-to-basics Spirit of the Wild, while several archival releases turned up throughout the '90s: 1993's three-disc box set Out of Control, 1997's Live at Hammersmith '79, as well as his first three albums reissued with added tracks and newly remastered sound in 1999 by the Epic/Legacy label (also issued at the same time was the first truly comprehensive compilation of the Amboy Dukes, the 18-track Loaded for Bear). The Nuge was also the subject of an interesting VH1 Behind the Music episode. He continued to tour well into the 21st century (landing the opening slot on Kiss' Farewell U.S. Tour in 2000), and issued the third live collection of his career, Full Bluntal Nugity, in 2001.

In addition to music, Nugent has gotten involved in politics, hosting a number one morning radio show in Detroit, has issued his own hunting camp and issues instructional videotapes (as well as the Ted Nugent Spirit of the Wild PBS video series), owns his own hunting supply store, has been appointed to the Board of Directors of the National Rifle Association, writes columns regularly for a number of different magazines, and even sells his very own beef jerky (called Gonzo Meat Biltong)! In 2001, the Nuge penned his own autobiography, the perfectly titled God, Guns, & Rock n' Roll.

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Judas Priest

BIO: (from allmusic.com )

Judas Priest was one of the most influential heavy metal bands of the '70s, spearheading the New Wave of British Heavy Metal late in the decade. Decked out in leather and chains, the band fused the gothic doom of Black Sabbath with the riffs and speed of Led Zeppelin, as well as adding a vicious two-lead guitar attack; in doing so, they set the pace for much popular heavy metal from 1975 until 1985, as well as laying the groundwork for the speed and death metal of the '80s. Formed in Birmingham, England, in 1970, the group's core members were guitarist K.K. Downing and bassist Ian Hill. Joined by Alan Atkins and drummer John Ellis, the band played their first concert in 1971. Atkins' previous band was called Judas Priest, yet the members decided it was the best name for the new group. The band played numerous shows throughout 1971; during the year, Ellis was replaced by Alan Moore; by the end of the year, Chris Campbell replaced Moore. After a solid year of touring the U.K., Atkins and Campbell left the band in 1973 and were replaced by vocalist Rob Halford and drummer John Hinch. They continued touring, including a visit to Germany and the Netherlands in 1974; by the time the tour was completed, they had secured a record contract with Gull, an independent U.K. label. Before recording their debut album, Rocka Rolla, Judas Priest added guitarist Glenn Tipton. They released the record in September of 1974 to almost no attention. The following year, they gave a well-received performance at the Reading Festival and Hinch departed the band; he was replaced by Alan Moore. Later that year, the group released Sad Wings of Destiny, which earned some positive reviews. However, the lack of sales was putting the band in a dire financial situation, which was remedied by an international contract with CBS Records. Sin After Sin (1977) was the first album released under that contract; it was recorded with Simon Phillips, who replaced Moore. The record received positive reviews and the band departed for their first American tour, with Les Binks on drums. When they returned to England, Judas Priest recorded 1978's Stained Class, the record that established them as an international force in metal. Along with 1979's Hell Bent for Leather (Killing Machine in the U.K.), Stained Class began the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. A significant number of bands adopted Priest's leather-clad image and hard, driving sound, making their music harder, faster, and louder. After releasing Hell Bent for Leather, the band recorded the live album Unleashed in the East (1979) in Japan; it became their first platinum album in America. Les Binks left the band in 1979; he was replaced by former Trapeze drummer Dave Holland. Their next album, 1980's British Steel, entered the British charts at number three, launched the hit singles "Breaking the Law" and "Living After Midnight," and was their second American platinum record; Point of Entry, released the following year, was nearly as successful.

At the beginning of the '80s, Judas Priest was a top concert attraction around the world, in addition to being a best-selling recording artist. Featuring the hit single "You've Got Another Thing Comin'," Screaming for Vengeance (1982) marked the height of their popularity, peaking at number 17 in America and selling over a million copies. Two years later, Defenders of the Faith nearly matched its predecessor's performance, yet metal tastes were beginning to change, as Metallica and other speed/thrash metal groups started to grow in popularity. That shift was evident on 1986's Turbo, where Judas Priest seemed out of touch with current trends; nevertheless, the record sold over a million copies in America on the basis of name recognition alone. However, 1987's Priest...Live! was their first album since Stained Class not to go gold. Ram It Down (1988) was a return to raw metal and returned the group to gold status. Dave Holland left after this record and was replaced by Scott Travis for 1990's Painkiller. Like Ram It Down, Painkiller didn't make an impact outside the band's diehard fans, yet the group was still a popular concert act. In the early '90s, Rob Halford began his own thrash band, Fight, and soon left Judas Priest. In 1996, following a solo album by Glenn Tipton, the band rebounded with a new young singer, Tim "Ripper" Owens, (formerly a member of a Priest tribute band and of Winter's Bane). They spent the next year recording Jugulator amongst much self-perpetuated hype concerning Priest's return to their roots. The album debuted at number 82 on the Billboard album charts upon its release in late 1997. Halford had by then disbanded Fight following a decrease in interest and signed with Trent Reznor's Nothing label with a new project, Two. In the meantime, the remaining members of Judas Priest forged on with '98 Live Meltdown, a live set recorded during their inaugural tour with Ripper on the mic. Around the same time, a movie was readying production that was to be based on Ripper's rags-to-riches story of how he got to front his all-time favorite band. Although Priest was originally supposed to be involved with the film, they ultimately pulled out, but production went on anyway without the band's blessing (the movie, Rock Star, was eventually released in the summer of 2001, starring Mark Wahlberg in the lead role). Rob Halford in the meantime disbanded Two after just a single album, 1997's Voyeurs, and returned back to his metal roots with a quintet titled simply...Halford. The group issued their debut in 2000, Resurrection, following it with a worldwide tour that saw the new group open up Iron Maiden's Brave New World U.S. tour, and issuing a live set one year later (which included a healthy helping of Priest classics) -- Live Insurrection. In 2001 the Ripper-led Priest issued a new album, Demolition, and Priest's entire back catalog for Columbia was reissued with remastered sound and bonus tracks. In 2003 the band--including Halford--collaborated on the liner notes and song selections for their mammoth career-encompassing box Metalogy, a collaboration that brought Halford back into the fold. Owens split from the group amicably in 2003, allowing the newly reunited heavy metal legends to plan their global live concert tour in 2004, with their sixteenth studio album, Angel of Retribution, to be released the following year.

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BIO: (from defleppard.com)

1977
In November, the first Def Leppard rehearsal takes place in a spoon factory near Bramall Lane, Sheffield (UK). Lead singer Joe Elliott, bass player Rick /"Sav/" Savage, guitarist Pete Willis, and drummer Tony Kenning just renamed the band from Deaf Leopard (a name first coined by Joe Elliott at school in 1975) to Def Leppard. At Christmas, the band perform their first gig for six friends. Six songs are played, including covers by David Bowie, Thin Lizzy and their own original /"MISTY DREAMER/".

1978
In January, Steve Clark joins the band as the second guitarist. Between February and July, the band rehearse interminably until Steve Clark threatens to quit if they don/'t get out and play. On July 18, Def Leppard play their first public gig at Westfield School in Sheffield. They are paid 5 Pounds -- out of a teacher/'s pocket. In November, drummer Tony Kenning is fired from the band and replaced by Frank Noon for the band/'s first recording, /"THE DEF LEPPARD EP/", which costs 600 Pounds Sterling (approximately 900 US Dollars) for recording, sleeves and pressing on their own Bludgeon Riffola label. On November 28, drummer Rick Allen joins the band full time.

1979
The live reputation climbs, John Peel/'s show on BBC Radio 1 gives the EP the first radio airplay and a recording deal is signed with Phonogram (UK) and Mercury (US). All band members give up their day jobs and Rick Allen drops out of school. In September, the band open for Sammy Hagar and play London/'s rock mecca, The Hammersmith Odeon, for the first time. In October and November, Def Leppard supports AC/DC in the UK. During that time, the first single /"WASTED/", produced by Nick Tauber, is released. Rick Allen celebrates his 16th (!) birthday at the Hammersmith.

1980
On March 14, the debut LP /"ON THROUGH THE NIGHT/", produced by Tom Allom, is released. Around the same time, the single /"HELLO AMERICA/" sees the light of day. On April 1, the band sign with Leber-Krebs management company. They are looked after by the American duo Peter Mensch and Cliff Burnstein (later to form their own company, Q-Prime).

In May, the band arrive for debut US tours to open for, respectively, Pat Travers, Judas Priest, Ted Nugent and AC/DC. In August, Def Leppard return to the UK to play at the Reading Festival. The crowd, convinced that the band have sold out to the Yankee Dollar and turned their backs on their home country, greet them with a rain of bottles and beer cans.

1981
Recordings for the second album start in March, their first with producer and soon-to-be unofficial sixth Lep, Robert John /"Mutt/" Lange. /"HIGH /'N/' DRY/" is released in July and a European tour follows, supporting Rainbow. In the US, the band support Ozzy Osbourne and Blackfoot. In November, the new US cable channel MTV discovers the video for /"BRINGIN/' ON THE HEARTBREAK/" and plays it with heavy rotation; /"HIGH /'N/' DRY/" is shot back up the charts.

1982
In January, recordings for the third album start, again with Robert John /"Mutt/" Lange. In July, Pete Willis leaves the band and is replaced by Phil Collen, formerly of Lucy and Girl.

1983
In January, the /"PYROMANIA/" album and /"PHOTOGRAPH/" single are released to massive acclaim and sales. In the US, the LP sells 100,000 a week for most of the year and ends up selling over seven million copies in that country alone. Success in the rest of the world eludes them at this stage. In February and March they complete a UK headline tour and in the spring, the band support Billy Squier on tour in the US. In April, the first US headline tour is started.

1984
The /"PYROMANIA/" world tour ends on February 7 in Bangkok and the band relocate to    Dublin, Ireland. Work on album number 4 starts in the spring, when each Lep, armed with a drum machine individually start working on song ideas. In August, recordings commenced at Wisseloord Studios, Hilversum (Holland) with producer Jim Steinman (of Meat Loaf/'s /"BAT OUT OF HELL/" fame). /"Mutt/" Lange passed on working with Def Leppard on this LP because he was exhausted after producing The Cars/' /"HEARTBEAT CITY/". Steinman proves incompatible with the band/'s style and their collaboration ends, with eight backing tracks scrapped. By /"Mutt/" Lange/'s suggestion, he is replaced by Nigel Green, who had engineered the band/'s /"HIGH N/' DRY/" album.

On New Year/'s Eve, just outside Sheffield, Rick Allen/'s car overturns high speed and he is thrown clear. His left arm is severed. Microsurgery fails to reconnect the limb.

Adapting a Simmons electronic kit, Rick learns to drum one-armed. Meanwhile, the rest of the band keep recording with Nigel Green. In the summer, /"Mutt/" Lange takes over as a producer and advises the band to re-record almost everything.

1986
To break cabin-fever of recording, the band plan to eight shows at the European Monsters Of Rock tour during the summer. As insurance, they bring Status Quo/'s Jeff Rich to supplement Rick Allen/'s drums. During the warm-up mini tour of Ireland, when Rich accidentally misses a gig, the rest of the band realize that Rick can drum alone. On August 16, they perform at Castle Donington, the first Monsters Of Rock show. In stark contrast to their Reading debacle, the show is a triumph and the crowd take them to their hearts. The final Monsters Of Rock show, taking place August 31 in Mannheim, Germany, is marked by a torrential downpour that lasts exactly the duration of Def Leppard/'s set.

1987
In January, the recordings of the fourth album are finished. In February, another album/'s worth of tracks are recorded - mostly live in the studio, to be used for B-sides. After kicking off the world tour in the UK on August, /"HYSTERIA/" is released. Seven out of the twelve tracks are released as singles: /"WOMEN/", /"ANIMAL/", /"POUR SOME SUGAR ON ME/", /"LOVE BITES/", /"ARMAGEDDON IT/", /"HYSTERIA/" and /"ROCKET/". The album goes on to sell 16 million copies (including 12 million in the US alone). At last the band are stars in their home country. During their US tours, the band play /"in the round/" on a stage located in the center of arenas.

1988
In October, after 227 shows supporting the /"HYSTERIA/" album, work begins on the fifth album.

1989
Recordings of album #5 proceed at Wisseloord Studios and Studio 150 in Amsterdam (Holland), before the band relocate to Dublin. The band also play /"TEAR IT DOWN/" live at the MTV Video Music Awards, Steve Clark/'s last show with the band.

1990
A year passes while the band keeps working on their album...

1991
On January 8, guitarist Steve Clark dies after mixing alcohol with painkillers prescribed to him after he broke three ribs earlier that year.
Def Leppard continue recording their album as a four piece. For the first time in four albums, /"Mutt/" Lange does not man the controls: he rather serves as executive producer. Long-time mixer/engineer Mike Shipley sits in as co-producer along with the band.

1992
The newest incarnation of Def Leppard is revealed to the world in April at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert at Wembley stadium. Vivian Campbell, already well known and respected for his work with Dio and Whitesnake, joins the band and /"ADRENALIZE/" is released. The band embark on a rare set of European club dates to work on their live show. The album enters the US charts at number 1 and remains there for five weeks, selling six million copies. In Japan, Mexico and many other countries, it will become Def Leppard/'s biggest-selling album to date. In June, the SEVEN DAY WEEKEND-tour begins. Before it ends, some eighteen months later, Def Leppard will have played 241 shows, by far their most ambitious tour ever and the first time they have played /"in the round/" in the UK.

1993
The producers of Arnold Schwarzenegger/'s new film /"LAST ACTION HERO/" approach the band in March about contributing a song for the end credits. The band, still on tour to support their latest album, cannot make time to record a new song. Rather, they send a B-side called /"TWO STEPS BEHIND/", which had previously been released only in the UK.

On June 6, almost 15 years after their first gig, they are the first-ever band to play the newly opened Don Valley Stadium in Sheffield: a triumphant return to their home town to a sell out crowd of 40,000.
In July, /"TWO STEPS BEHIND/" is released, becoming a hit in the US as well as the rest of the world. A string section recorded by Michael Kamen is added and the song is mixed, released, and racing up the charts within 6 weeks. This inspires the band to remix the rest of their rarities and B-sides, in an attempt to put out all the remaining songs from the Steve Clark era and begin a new phase in the history of Def Leppard: in August, /"RETRO ACTIVE/" is released, goes platinum in the US and sells over two million copies worldwide.
In September, the last gig of the /"ADRENALIZE/"-tour takes place. The band take a six month break, to write and work on new songs on their own, before entering a studio to begin work on their seventh album.

1994
Def Leppard head to a house overlooking Marbella, Spain, to record their next album. Pete Woodroffe, who co-produced /"RETRO ACTIVE/", is tapped to co-produce the disc as well.

1995
With the new album near completion, the band are approached by Mercury Records to release a Greatest Hits compilation, highlighting the first chapter of Def Leppard/'s career. /"VAULT/", is released in October, a collection of sixteen tracks (with different tracklistings, varying on the country of release), drawing one song from 1982/'s /"HIGH /'N/' DRY/", two from 1983/'s /"PYROMANIA/", six from 1987/'s enormously popular /"HYSTERIA/", four from 1992/'s /"ADRENALIZE/" and two from 1993/'s /"RETRO ACTIVE/". In addition, there is a new song, /"WHEN LOVE AND HATE COLLIDE/", which becomes Def Leppard/'s biggest hit in the UK ever peaking at number two in the charts. /"VAULT/" goes on to sell 4 million copies.
In October, Sheffield pays tribute to their biggest export - plaques go up at the Crookes Working Man/'s Club and the Don Valley Stadium. The band give the first exhibit to the National Centre For Popular Music and then go to tea with the Mayor. The day/'s finale is an acoustic gig 300-capacity Wapentake Pub where the band had played one of their very first shows back in 1978.
On October 23, Def Leppard go for the big one and play 3 continents in one day -- a feat for which they receive a mention in the Guinness Book Of Records. Starting at midnight in a cave in Tangiers, Morocco, they play an acoustic set. They then fly to London, England to play at midday. Finally, they end up in Vancouver, Canada for yet another show at 9.30 PM..... 5,845 miles in a day!

1996
In January, the band keep working on their next album and move from Marbella, Spain to Bow Lane Studios in Dublin, Ireland. In April, the first singles of the new album are released: /"SLANG/" in the UK and /"WORK IT OUT/" in the US. On May 13, the album /"SLANG/" is released, followed by a world tour that starts May 28 in Bangkok. During the following months, the band tour Southeast Asia and the US, before the European leg starts in October. In December, the band tour South Africa for the very first time, culminating in a sell-out show to 47,000 exuberant fans at the Johannesburg Stadium.

1997
April sees the band complete their world tour with dates in Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Panama, Columbia, Equador, Argentina, Brazil and Puerto Rico.

1998
In April, the band get together in Dublin to start writing and recording their ninth album. The album is recorded in Dublin at Joe/'s home studio - Joe/'s Garage, where /"ADRENALIZE/" was recorded, along with some parts of /"RETRO ACTIVE/" and /"SLANG/".

VH1 starts broadcasting the Def Leppard episode of their /"BEHIND THE MUSIC/" documentary series, the first in a row of Def Leppard-related shows the station will be showing in the future (/"STORYTELLERS/", /"HYSTERIA: THE DEF LEPPARD STORY/" and /"ULTIMATE ALBUMS/" would follow).

1999
On March 16, Def Leppard are one of the inaugural recipients of the newly launched Diamond Awards in the USA. The award are for over 10 million sales in the US of one album (/"HYSTERIA/" has now sold 12 million in the US - over 16 million worldwide) in the history of recorded music. Only 61 albums and 45 artists have achieved this level of success. Even more astoundingly, only eight of them were British artists. Def Leppard are in the fine company of The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Elton John, George Michael, Eric Clapton and the Bee Gees.
On May 24, the first single off the new album, /"PROMISES/" is released. Two weeks later, /"EUPHORIA/" hits stores and is followed by a tour in Japan, the US and the UK. The band plays at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL on December 31 to celebrate the turn of the century during the second leg of the /"EUPHORIA/"-tour.

2000
The /"EUPHORIA/" tour takes the band to the States and Canada, where they play another 78 shows. The 147-date tour comes to an end on September 30 in West Springfield, Massachusetts.

In September, the band gets inducted at the Hollywood Rock Walk Hall of Fame, where they receive a plaque and leave their hand prints in cement.

2001
Joe and Phil work on their CYBERNAUTS project, playing old David Bowie/Ziggy Stardust/Spiders From Mars songs, Vivian works with his other band CLOCK, Rick starts his own RAVEN DRUM FOUNDATION, and Sav enjoys life as a father. At the same time, work starts on the follow-up to /"EUPHORIA/".
The four home videos are being re-released on DVD: /"HISTORIA/" and /"IN THE ROUND IN YOUR FACE/" on the first DVD, and /"VISUALIZE/" and /"VIDEO ARCHIVE/" on the second. Both releases are updated with interviews and the videos taken from the /"SLANG/"- and /"EUPHORIA/"-albums.
In July, VH1 (USA) broadcasts /"HYSTERIA: THE DEF LEPPARD STORY/", a movie covering the band/'s career until the start of the /"HYSTERIA/" tour, which is seen by millions of people and is rated tremendously high.
Throughout the year, the band travels between Dublin, Stockholm and California to write and record new material with Max Martin, Marti Frederiksen, Per Aldeheim and Andreas Carlsson.

2002
In June, /"NOW/", the first single from the band/'s tenth album, is released. The album /"X/" (as in the Roman numeral for 10), is released in July.
Before the /"X/" tour officially starts, the band plays a number of shows in the UK, including one in Leeds, attended by Queen Elizabeth. In September, the world tour officially kicks off.

2003
For the biggest part of 2003, the band is touring around the world. Apart from shows in the US, Canada, Japan and the UK, the /"X/" tour also takes the band to places they haven/'t been to in a long time (such as Germany and Poland) -- or even never before (such as Latvia, Lithouania and Russia). After 151 shows, the /"X/" tour comes to an end in Moscow.

2004
Most of the year is spent on recording a new album, consisting of cover versions of the band/'s favorite songs from their youth. By the end of the year, an updated version of the 1995 Greatest Hits release /"VAULT/" is released on CD and DVD: /"BEST OF DEF LEPPARD/" (North Americans will have to wait a little longer, as their release for this album will be available a couple of months later). The album contains one /'new/' song; /"WATERLOO SUNSET/", originally recorded by The Kinks, is a preview of an upcoming covers album the band has been working on.

2005
In May, the North American version of the updated Greatest Hits compilation is released: /"ROCK OF AGES - THE DEFINITE COLLECTION/" has new artwork, a slightly different tracklisting and, instead of /"WATERLOO SUNSET/", another preview of the covers album: Def Leppard/'s version of Badfinger/'s /"NO MATTER WHAT/". In June, a co-headline tour with Bryan Adams kicks off in the USA and on July 2, Def Leppard is part of the LIVE 8 festival in Philadelphia, where they play in front of 1,000,000 people. November sees the North American release of the /"ROCK OF AGES/" DVD, and in support of that release there are three major performances on US national TV; millions see the band play at Jimmy Kimmel Live and two big awards shows.

2006
The year starts quietly -- but that/'s only the calm before the storm. The band/'s long-awaited covers album /"YEAH! is finally released in May, followed by a European festival tour in June which takes the band to Italy, Sweden, Germany, Holland, and the UK. On June 23,    the band/'s North American co-headlining tour with Journey kicks off, the start of a summer full of rockin/' shows.

2007
Recordings of the band/'s next album, started on the road the year before in their backstage studio called the /"sparkle lounge/", are coming along well. In order to avoid the risk of cabin fever, the band goes out on tour in North America with Styx and Foreigner in tow, the first time the band goes on the road for a full tour without an album to support.

2008
The band/'s 12th studio album is released in April. /"SONGS FROM THE SPARKLE LOUNGE,/" named after the backstage area in which a lot of material was recorded during the 2006 tour, features a special collaboration with country star Tim McGraw in the lead single /"NINE LIVES./" A world tour starts in April, taking the band to North America, India, and various festivals in Europe. For the first time in 5 years, the UK sees the band do a proper tour, co-headlining with Whitesnake.

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It's that time again for another episode of Hairbanger's Ball. Coming out of Butler's Vault this week is a track from hard pioneers UFO. Here is a live cover of the Elvis classic "Mystery Train".

UFO

BIO: (from allmusic.com)

Vocalist Phil Mogg, guitarist Mick Bolton, bassist Pete Way, and drummer Andy Parker formed the British space metal outfit UFO in 1969. Originally known as Hocus Pocus, the group, which took the name UFO in honor of a London club, debuted in 1971 with UFO 1. Both the album and its follow-up, the same year's Flying, found great success in Japan, France, and Germany, but went barely noticed in the band's native country; as a result, their third effort, 1972's Live, was released only in Japan.

In 1974, Bolton left the group; after brief trial runs with ex-Pink Fairies guitarist Larry Wallis and future Whitesnake member Bernie Marsden, former Scorpion Michael Schenker stepped in as a permanent replacement in time to record 1974's Phenomenon, which sported a harder-edged guitar sound. After 1975's Force It and 1976's No Heavy Petting brought UFO increased visibility with American audiences, keyboardist Paul Raymond joined for 1977's Lights Out. However, after 1978's Obsession, Schenker left the group, first to rejoin the Scorpions and later to form his own band. Despite the addition of guitarist Paul Chapman, the next UFO LP, No Place to Run, failed to match the success of its predecessors.

In 1982, the band released Mechanix, notching a minor U.S. hit with "Back into My Life"; later that year, Way exited to form Waysted and was replaced by ex-Eddie & the Hot Rods bassist Paul Gray. After 1983's Making Contact, UFO dissolved, only to re-form two years later for Misdemeanor; however, the album was met with little response, and they again called it quits. In 1993, the group's most popular lineup -- Mogg, Schenker, Way, Raymond, and Parker -- reunited and recorded the 1995 album Walk on Water; after a tour, the members yet again went their separate ways. Mogg and Way continued to work as Mogg/Way and released the albums Edge of the World (1997) and Chocolate Box (1999). Schenker rejoined in 2000 along with veteran drummer Aynsley Dunbar for the two-CD Covenant, which featured one disc of new studio recordings along with one disc of live recordings. Sharks came out in 2002; then Schenker and Dunbar departed and were replaced by Vinnie Moore and Jason Bonham respectively. This new band welcomed returning keyboardist Paul Raymond for 2004's You Are Here and 2005's live album Showtime. Bonham was the next to leave and was replaced by the band's original drummer, Andy Parker, for 2006's The Monkey Puzzle.

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Ted Nugent:

BIO: (from allmusic.com)

Throughout his lengthy career, guitar wildman Ted Nugent has reveled in the controversy and criticism that always seems to follow in his path. While there's no denying his exceptional talent on the six-string, his knack for penning arena rock anthems, or his standing as one of rock's top live acts, it's his nonmusical endeavors that have caused the most condemnation from his detractors (his pro-right wing beliefs, pro-gun advocacy, appreciation of hunting animals, etc.). But by the same token, Nugent is a family man and one of the few hard rockers who has admirably stuck by his lifelong anti-drugs and -drink stance throughout his career.

Born on December 13, 1948, in Detroit, MI, Nugent became interested in rock & roll early in the game, picking up the guitar as a youngster, while his disciplinarian father passed his beliefs down to Nugent. In the '60s, Nugent formed his first bands (including Royal High Boys and Lourdes), drawing inspiration from such British blues-rockers as the Rolling Stones and the Yardbirds. But it wasn't until the formation of the Amboy Dukes that the Nuge got his first taste of stardom (it was also around this time that Nugent began playing a Gibson Byrdland guitar, a model which would be instantly associated with him throughout his career). The other members of the group didn't exactly share Nugent's clean-living lifestyle, as proven by their psychedelic hit single "Journey to the Center of the Mind," which Nugent claimed he didn't know at the time was about being "under the influence." The band managed to issue several albums throughout the late '60s -- 1967's self-titled debut, 1968's Journey to the Center of the Mind, and 1969's Migration -- as the group fit in well with such other high-energy rock bands to emerge from the Motor City: MC5 and the Stooges in particular.

With bandmembers coming and going at an alarming rate, Nugent remained the only constant member -- eventually officially changing the band's name to Ted Nugent & the Amboy Dukes by the '70s, and issuing 1971's Survival of the Fittest, 1973's Call of the Wild, and 1974's Tooth, Fang & Claw. While none of these releases exactly stormed the charts, Nugent and his cohorts remained an in-demand concert draw, as he also set up "guitar duels" on-stage around this time (battling with MC5's Wayne Kramer and Mahogany Rush's Frank Marino, among others).

By the mid-'70s, Nugent decided to finally ditch the Amboy Dukes name and set out on his own, assembling a first-rate backing band that included second guitarist/vocalist Derek St. Holmes, bassist Rob Grange, and drummer Cliff Davies. By 1975, the new band was signed to Aerosmith's management company (Leber & Krebs), as well as the same record company, Columbia, resulting in the release of Nugent's self-titled debut in November of the same year. The band immediately struck a chord with the heavy metal/hard rock crowd from coast to coast, due to the band's over-the-top stage show. But the bandmembers' relationship with Nugent was rocky at best -- Nugent wanted complete control of the band, while the others wanted it to be more of a democracy. The end result was St. Holmes leaving the band prior to the sessions of their sophomore effort, 1976's Free-for-All (which saw a then-unknown singer by the name of Meat Loaf filling in for the departed singer).

St. Holmes returned, however, in time for the album's ensuing tour, and by the release of 1977's Cat Scratch Fever (which spawned the hit single title track), Nugent and his band was one of the top rock bands in the U.S. -- storming the charts and selling out arenas coast to coast. By now, Nugent had assumed the stage persona of a caveman -- hitting the stage dressed in nothing but a skimpy loincloth and knee-high boots, and would often begin his show by swinging out on a rope à la Tarzan (!). Like other rock acts of the '70s (Kiss, Cheap Trick, Peter Frampton, etc.), Nugent used a live album to catapult his career to the next level of stardom -- 1978's classic Double Live Gonzo! But despite all the success, the members of his band began deserting him one by one over the course of such albums as 1978's Weekend Warriors, 1979's State of Shock, and 1980's Scream Dream. To add insult to injury, Nugent found himself bankrupt around this time, due to several failed business ventures and poor management.

Nugent continued to tour and crank out albums throughout the '80s (including such forgettable releases as Intensities in 10 Cities, Nugent, Penetrator, Little Miss Dangerous, and If You Can't Lick 'Em...Lick 'Em), but it appeared as through the Nuge was trying to keep pace with the burgeoning pop-metal crowd instead of sticking to the raw and raging rock that brought him success in the first place. Nugent also tried his hand at acting around this time, appearing as a drug dealer in an episode of the hit TV series Miami Vice in 1986. By the end of the decade, Nugent joined the rock supergroup Damn Yankees (joining former Night Ranger bassist/singer Jack Blades, former Styx guitarist/singer Tommy Shaw, and drummer Michael Cartellone) -- resulting in the quartet's self-titled debut in 1990, which became a surprise hit due to their Top Ten power ballad, "High Enough." But ultimately, the union proved to be short-lived; after only one more album (1992's lackluster Don't Tread), the band called it quits.

Nugent returned to his solo career, issuing his best album in over a decade, 1995's back-to-basics Spirit of the Wild, while several archival releases turned up throughout the '90s: 1993's three-disc box set Out of Control, 1997's Live at Hammersmith '79, as well as his first three albums reissued with added tracks and newly remastered sound in 1999 by the Epic/Legacy label (also issued at the same time was the first truly comprehensive compilation of the Amboy Dukes, the 18-track Loaded for Bear). The Nuge was also the subject of an interesting VH1 Behind the Music episode. He continued to tour well into the 21st century (landing the opening slot on Kiss' Farewell U.S. Tour in 2000), and issued the third live collection of his career, Full Bluntal Nugity, in 2001.

In addition to music, Nugent has gotten involved in politics, hosting a number one morning radio show in Detroit, has issued his own hunting camp and issues instructional videotapes (as well as the Ted Nugent Spirit of the Wild PBS video series), owns his own hunting supply store, has been appointed to the Board of Directors of the National Rifle Association, writes columns regularly for a number of different magazines, and even sells his very own beef jerky (called Gonzo Meat Biltong)! In 2001, the Nuge penned his own autobiography, the perfectly titled God, Guns, & Rock n' Roll.

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Aerosmith:

BIO: (from allmusic.com)

Aerosmith was one of the most popular hard rock bands of the '70s, setting the style and sound of hard rock and heavy metal for the next two decades with their raunchy, bluesy swagger. The Boston-based quintet found the middle ground between the menace of the Rolling Stones and the campy, sleazy flamboyance of the New York Dolls, developing a lean, dirty riff-oriented boogie that was loose and swinging and as hard as a diamond.

In the meantime, they developed a prototype for power ballads with "Dream On," a piano ballad that was orchestrated with strings and distorted guitars. Aerosmith's ability to pull off both ballads and rock & roll made them extremely popular during the mid-'70s, when they had a string of gold and platinum albums. By the early '80s, the group's audience had declined as the band fell prey to drug and alcohol abuse. However, their career was far from over — in the late '80s, Aerosmith pulled off one of the most remarkable comebacks in rock history, returning to the top of the charts with a group of albums that equalled, if not surpassed, the popularity of their '70s albums.

In 1970, the first incarnation of Aerosmith formed when vocalist Steven Tyler met guitarist Joe Perry while working at a Sunapee, NH, ice cream parlor. Tyler, who originally was a drummer, and Perry decided to form a power trio with bassist Tom Hamilton. The group soon expanded to a quartet, adding a second guitarist called Ray Tabano; he was quickly replaced by Brad Whitford, a former member of Earth Inc. With the addition of drummer Joey Kramer, Tyler became the full-time lead singer by the end of year. Aerosmith relocated to Boston at the end of 1970.

After playing clubs in the Massachusetts and New York areas for two years, the group landed a record contract with Columbia Records in 1972. Aerosmith's self-titled debut album was released in the fall of 1973, climbing to number 166. "Dream On" was released as the first single and it was a minor hit, reaching number 59. For the next year, the band built a fan base by touring America, supporting groups as diverse as the Kinks, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Sha Na Na, and Mott the Hoople. The performance of Get Your Wings (1974), the group's second album and the first produced by Jack Douglas, benefited from their constant touring, spending a total of 86 weeks on the chart.

Aerosmith's third record, 1975's Toys in the Attic, was their breakthrough album both commercially and artistically. By the time it was recorded, the band's sound had developed into a sleek, hard-driving hard rock powered by simple, almost brutal, blues-based riffs. Many critics at the time labeled the group as punk rockers, and it's easy to see why — instead of adhering to the world-music pretensions of Led Zeppelin or the prolonged gloomy mysticism of Black Sabbath, Aerosmith stripped heavy metal to its basic core, spitting out spare riffs that not only rocked, but rolled. Steven Tyler's lyrics were filled with double entendres and clever jokes, and the entire band had a streetwise charisma that separated them from the heavy, lumbering arena rockers of the era. Toys in the Attic captured the essence of the newly invigorated Aerosmith. "Sweet Emotion," the first single from Toys in the Attic, broke into the Top 40 in the summer of 1975, with the album reaching number 11 shortly afterward. Its success prompted the re-release of the power ballad "Dream On," which shot into the Top Ten in early 1976. Both Aerosmith and Get Your Wings climbed back up the charts in the wake of Toys in the Attic. "Walk This Way," the final single from Toys in the Attic, was released around the time of the group's new 1976 album, Rocks. Although it didn't feature a Top Ten hit like "Walk This Way," Rocks went platinum quickly, peaking at number three.

In early 1977, Aerosmith took a break and prepared material for their fifth album. Released late in 1977, Draw the Line was another hit, climbing to number 11 on the U.S. charts, but it showed signs of exhaustion. In addition to another tour in 1978, the band appeared in the movie Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, performing "Come Together," which eventually became a number 23 hit. Live! Bootleg appeared late in 1978 and became another success, reaching number 13. Aerosmith recorded Night in the Ruts in 1979, releasing the record at the end of the year. By the time of its release, Joe Perry had left the band to form the Joe Perry Project. Night in the Ruts performed respectably, climbing to number 14 and going gold, yet it was the least successful Aerosmith record to date. Brad Whitford left the group in early 1980, forming the Whitsford-St. Holmes Band with former Ted Nugent guitarist Derek St. Holmes.

As Aerosmith regrouped with new guitarists Jimmy Crespo and Rick Dufay, the band released Aerosmith's Greatest Hits in late 1980; the record would eventually sell over six million copies. The new lineup of Aerosmith released Rock in a Hard Place in 1982. Peaking at number 32, it failed to match the performance of Night in the Ruts. Perry and Whitford returned to the band in 1984 and the group began a reunion tour dubbed Back in the Saddle. Early in the tour, Tyler collapsed on-stage, offering proof that the band hadn't conquered their notorious drug and alcohol addictions. The following year, Aerosmith released Done with Mirrors, the original lineup's first record since 1979 and their first for Geffen Records. Although it didn't perform as well as Rock in a Hard Place, the album showed that the band was revitalized.

After the release of Done with Mirrors, Tyler and Perry completed rehabilitation programs. In 1986, the pair appeared on Run-D.M.C.'s cover of "Walk This Way," along with appearing in the video. "Walk This Way" became a hit, reaching number four and receiving saturation airplay on MTV. "Walk This Way" set the stage for the band's full-scale comeback effort, the Bruce Fairbairn-produced Permanent Vacation (1987). Tyler and Perry collaborated with professional hard rock songwriters like Holly Knight and Desmond Child, resulting in the hits "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)," "Rag Doll," and "Angel." Permanent Vacation peaked at number 11 and sold over three million copies.

Pump, released in 1989, continued the band's winning streak, reaching number five, selling over four million copies, and spawning the Top Ten singles "Love in an Elevator," "Janie's Got a Gun," and "What It Takes." Aerosmith released Get a Grip in 1993. Like Permanent Vacation and Pump, Get a Grip was produced by Bruce Fairbairn and featured significant contributions by professional songwriters. The album was as successful as the band's previous two records, featuring the hit singles "Livin' on the Edge," "Cryin'," and "Amazing." In 1994, Aerosmith released Big Ones, a compilation of hits from their Geffen years that fulfilled their contract with the label; it went double platinum shortly after its release.

While Aerosmith was at the height of their revitalized popularity in the early '90s, the group signed a lucrative multi-million dollar contract with Columbia Records, even though they still owed Geffen two albums. It wasn't until 1995 that the band was able to begin working on their first record under the new contract — nearly five years after the contract was signed. The making of Aerosmith albums usually had been difficult affairs, but the recording of Nine Lives was plagued with bad luck. The band went through a number of producers and songwriters before settling on Kevin Shirley in 1996. More damaging, however, was the dismissal of the band's manager, Tim Collins, who'd been responsible for bringing the band back from the brink of addiction. Upon his firing, Collins insinuated that Steven Tyler was using hard drugs again, an allegation that Aerosmith adamantly denied.

Under such circumstances, recording became quite difficult, and when Nine Lives finally appeared in the spring of 1997, it was greeted with great anticipation, yet the initial reviews were mixed and even though album debuted at number one, it quickly fell down the charts. The live A Little South of Sanity followed in 1998. Three years later, Aerosmith strutted their stuff on the Super Bowl halftime special on CBS with the likes of Mary J. Blige, Nelly, *N Sync, and Britney Spears, just prior to issuing their heart-stomping Just Push Play in March 2001. Next up for the band was a blues album, Honkin' on Bobo, released in 2004, along with two live album/DVDs, You Gotta Move and Rockin' the Joint. Another greatest-hits collection, Devil's Got a New Disguise: The Very Best of Aerosmith arrived in 2006.

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BIO: (from krokusonline)

Over a period of 3 decades KROKUS have recorded a total of 15 studio albums, 2 "live" albums and 3 "Best of..." (some remastered) albums with various line-up's.

The breakthrough came in 1980 with Triple Platinum selling METAL RENDEZ-VOUS. Fernando Von Arb on lead-guitar, Chris Von Rohr on the mighty bass and drummer Freddy Steady established an International identity for the band and instant recognition with the powerful vocals of Marc “the voice” Storace. Three Rock Classics were born (“Bedside Radio”, “Heatstrokes” and “Tokyo Nights”) and caught the attention not only of the Swiss fans but also the British and American public as well as the press. In fact, “Heatstrokes” shot up to first place in the British Heavy Metal charts.

Their follow-up record HARDWARE in 1981 shot straight to GOLD in Switzerland ! It contains the big hits “Winning Man”, “Celebration” and the ultimate anthem for their hard rocking fans, “Easy Rocker”. All remain regular staples in their live set-list to this day.

The Line-Up consisted of: Marc Storace - Fernando Von Arb – Chris Von Rohr – Freddy Steady – Tommy Kiefer [during the US Tour of 1981 Mandy Meyer replaced Tommy Kiefer]

Then in 1982 followed the album ONE VICE AT A TIME. That album contains the hits "Long Stick Goes Boom!", "Down The Drain", "Bad Boys, Rag Dolls", "Playin’ The Outlaw" and the song that opened the doors to Canada : "American Woman". Another GOLD Record Award.

The 1983 HEADHUNTER release was their biggest selling album Worldwide to today. The songs for this album were written in the USA and recorded in Florida. It earned Platinum status in America (over one million copies sold), Gold Record Awards in Switzerland and Canada respectively! “Screaming In The Night” became their biggest hit so far, and still can be found today on radio play lists all around the world as a timeless classic rock ballad. Other songs like “Eat The Rich”, “Stayed Awake All Night” or the title track “Headhunter” are steadily requested by live audiences and the band obliges!

In 1984 THE BLITZ was released. Yet again the band did their song writing in the USA, which by now was practically their second home. They wrote the hits “Midnite Maniac”, “Out Of Control” and the ballad that won young ladies’ hearts, “Our Love”! The rocked up version of “Ballroom Blitz” served not only for the album title but led to a sought after VHS/LaserDisc bit called “The Video Blitz”. The recordings were made in Canada and produced by the late, great Bruce Fairbairn.

1988 the album HEART ATTACK was released and time would tell that this was the last transatlantic concert tour for a long time. This album also featured the only song (“Winning Man”) that was recorded on a studio album twice (first time recording was in 1981 on the “Hardware” album). Musically, “Rock ‘n’ Roll Tonight” showed great live potential but promoting it on the radio waves brought its challenges due to changing music trends! Years of writing, recording and touring endlessly drained the band’s energy ...disheartened and burnt out they did what so many other bands in the eighties did as well: the "ORIGINAL" line-up went on a hiatus “until further notice”.

Now let's "fast forward" to the fall of 2007. The Swiss TV show "Die Grössten Schweizer Hits" ("Greatest Swiss Hits Of All Times") ran a six-part series, each broadcasting on Sunday evenings with different topics to record numbers of viewers. On November 18th KROKUS performed for the first time in 23 years in the classic line-up (minus Tommy Kiefer RIP), featuring Marc Storace on vocals, Fernando Von Arb on guitar, Chris Von Rohr on bass and Freddy Steady on drums. The medley consisted of the songs “Tokyo Nights”, “Bedside Radio” and “Heatstrokes”, all originally released on KROKUS’s 1980 album “Metal Rendez-Vous”.

During the Swiss TV Show the musicians, much to their surprise, were presented by BMG (record label) with the “Diamond Record Award” for overall record sales in Switzerland during their tenure with the label (mainly in the early to mid 80’s). This is an extremely rare award to be handed out. To put this into perspective, the “Diamond Record Award” equals receiving 40 “Gold Record Awards” or 20 “Platinum Record Awards” in comparison.

“Bedside Radio”, originally released in November of 1979 as a single in Switzerland, was back in the “Swiss Hitparade Charts” (equivalent to the US “Billboard Charts”). It shot from zero to 58 immediately in its first week after the broadcast. This originally promoted "one time reunion" would become the overture to the "impossible".

April 20th, 2008 KROKUS announced the comeback of the "originals" that created hit after hit in the early 80's while playing stadiums in the States and Worldwide. KROKUS has come full circle!

The reformed original line-up will only play one concert in 2008 at the "Stade De Suisse" Football Stadium in Bern/Switzerland on August 2nd. Fans from all over the world plan to be part of rock history in the making! After that the band will work on a comeback album to be released sometime in 2009, followed by a tour.

The creation of the "Globe Club", led by longtime friend Peter Waelti, broadens the communication with our fan base in the meantime and offers regular news updates as they become available.

If you have not done so by now, join the free "Globe Club" and receive news on a regular basis. And we'll see you "in concert" in the very near future!

The stage for the glorious return of the "originals" is set! As Marc’s T-shirt during a radio live performance at a classic rock station in Denver/Colorado rightfully reads: "THE PAST IS BACK TO KICK YOUR ASS"

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Bang your head every Friday with the Hairbanger's Ball.

BIO: (from nazarethdirect.co.uk)

In the early 1960’s there were many fledgling Scottish bands struggling to create a unique sound of their own. A major factor holding them back was their remoteness from the main hub of the UK music business. London was where you had to be and frankly nobody was interested in what was happening north of Watford let alone in Scotland

 But maybe that was how Dan, Pete, Manny and Darrell developed the knack of stamping their very own identity on somebody else's hit song, something which for Nazareth in the mid-1970s proved to be the key to the world highway. Whereas their breakthrough in Britain was down to the strength of their own original songwriting on the Razamanaz album - especially Broken Down Angel it was their knack of coming up with totally fresh covers of strong songs written by other people that broke them abroad. They became huge in Canada after This Flight Tonight soared up

 

Dan McCafferty's take on pressures in the music industry was characteristically blunt and to the point: "It's a funny business because you've got to work your balls off for two years to get

Close Enough For Rock'n'Roll - Naz's seventh album - came out in early 1976 and was their first on the Mountain label, as well as the first to be recorded in Canada. The opener 'Telegram' is a musical diary entry by a successful hard rock band who are growing a tad weary forever slogging it out on the road. The album achieved little in Britain - no big surprise there - but helped to consolidate Nazareth's hold on Canada where they became one of the biggest British acts ever, notching up no less than fifty gold and platinum albums there during the 1970s. America also beckoned, big time, as their US label A&M Records increasingly regarded them as a priority act. Mountain had the rights to the old material and naturally was determined to milk it for what it was worth. The Greatest Hits album was out in the shops in time for Christmas '75 but didn't chart.

A year later in November 1977 came album number nine – Expect No Mercy – and a definite shift by Nazareth to the AOR market. Adult Oriented Rock was newly created around that time mainly by two bands – the Eagles, and Fleetwood Mac with their monster Rumours album - and on songs like Manny Charlton's 'Shot Me Down' you can hear a big Mac influence. Typical of eclectic Nazareth is a funky 12-bar version of the Ray Charles' classic ‘Busted’; and an equally strong cover of Randy Newman's 'Gone Dead Train' from the album reached number 49 in the singles charts. The other single 'Place In Your Heart' got no further than a bubbling under 70.It was high time for a change.

Soon after they entered the studio and began writing new material for the new album that was to become NO JIVE.

Touring throughout 1992 to promote the album, including their first UK dates for 8 years, The album sold well, with virtually no airplay!

Revitalized and rocking'1995/96 saw the band touring the world in support of MOVE ME. The tour has taken the band to Russia (twice), Europe, Brazil, USA, and Canada. Upon returning from their RussiaManaz Part I Tour, the long awaited break Naz had been looking for happened, a signing to a major label! SPV has picked the band up for a three record deal! It seems both SPV & CASTLE recognised the fact that NAZ still draws well at concerts and that their back catalogue has sold well, not to mention their two latest CD's kick some serious ass. After the MOVE ME World Tour ended, the boys headed home to Scotland for a well-earned rest. The band didn't rest too long before they began rehearsing new material for their 20th studio album! They began recording in March of 1997. Darrell said "the new stuff is heavier than No Jive, but it wouldn't be a Nazareth album without a ballad." The band began a world tour in July of 1997 to Sweden, Czech Republic, Canada and US.

BIO:

The Joe Perry Project was essentially Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry’s solo project, which Perry started working on shortly before his departure from Aerosmith in 1979. Perry signed a record deal almost immediately after his exit from the band with Aerosmith’s label, Columbia Records, who were disappointed with the chaos in the Aerosmith camp and hoping to maneuver Perry back into Aerosmith.
The original band line-up consisted of Perry, singer Ralph Morman, bassist David Hull and drummer Ronnie Stewart. This line-up recorded The Project’s 1980 debut album, Let the Music Do the Talking, which was produced by long-time Aerosmith producer Jack Douglas. The album was fairly well received and sold a respectable 250,000 copies in the US.
During the tour in support of the album, Morman was fired and replaced by Joey Mala, who lasted until the end of the tour, when he in turn was replaced by singer and rhythm guitarist Charlie Farren. This line-up recorded one album, I’ve Got the Rock’n’Rolls Again, which was released to little attention in 1981. Columbia’s reluctance to promote the album combined with Perry’s continuing drug problems led to Perry’s firing the entire band in 1982.
Equipped with a new record label (MCA Records) and three new band members in singer Cowboy Mach Bell, bassist Danny Hargrove and drummer Joe Pet, the band released Once a Rocker, Always a Rocker in 1983. The album met the same fate as its predecessor, selling a meager 40,000 copies without any promotion whatsoever. Despite the poor sales, The Project went out on a final tour in support of the album, adding then ex-Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford to the line-up. The following year, both Perry and Whitford would rejoin Aerosmith for a very successful reunion, at which point The Project had been disbanded.
A compilation album, The Best of the Joe Perry Project, was released by an Australian Indie Record label in 1999. 

Discography

• Let the Music Do the Talking (1980)
• I've Got the Rock'n'Rolls Again (1981)
• Once a Rocker, Always a Rocker (1983)
• The Music Still Does the Talking: The Best of the Joe Perry Project (1999)

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