History of Hard Rock/Heavy Metal: BTO II

Here's another video from hard rock/boogie rock masters Bachman-Turner Overdrive or BTO for short.

This is a video from their number one smash of 1974 - "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet." I love the stuttering of Randy Bachman.

History of Hard Rock/Heavy Metal: BTO

Following his 1970 departure from the Guess Who, guitarist Randy Bachman recorded a solo album (Axe) and planned a project with ex-Nice keyboardist Keith Emerson (later canceled due to illness) before forming Bachman-Turner Overdrive in 1972.

Originally called "Brave Belt," the metal group was comprised of singer/guitarist Bachman, fellow Guess Who alum Chad Allan, bassist C.F. "Fred" Turner, and Randy's brother, drummer Robbie; after a pair of records (Brave Belt I and Brave Belt II), Allan was replaced by another Bachman brother, guitarist Tim, and in homage to the trucker's magazine Overdrive, the unit became BTO.

While their self-titled 1973 debut caused little impact in the U.S. or the band's native Canada, Bachman-Turner Overdrive II was a smash, netting a hit single with the anthemic "Takin' Care of Business." Prior to the release of 1974's Not Fragile, Tim Bachman exited the group to begin a career in production, and was replaced by Blair Thornton; the album was a chart-topping success, and notched a number one single with "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet."

After 1977's Freeways, Randy Bachman left the group for a solo career and formed another group, Ironhorse. Bachman-Turner Overdrive continued on in his absence with replacement Jim Clench for two more albums, Street Action and Rock n' Roll Nights (both 1978), eventually changing their name to simply BTO. At the tail-end of the decade, the band dissolved, but there was no denying the mark BTO left on the hard rock scene.

History of Hard Rock/Heavy Metal: MC5 II

Here's another tune from the hard rock, proto-punk band the MC5.

Some considered them hard rock, some the beginning of punk. No matter what side your on there's no denying the raw power and energy that the group had, albeit for a short time.

They were definitely different from many of the late 60s groups and were a major influence on many bands to come down the pike nearly 25 years after disbanding.

History of Hard Rock/Heavy Metal: MC5

Alongside their Detroit-area brethren the Stooges, MC5 essentially laid the foundations for the emergence of punk; deafeningly loud and uncompromisingly intense, the group's politics were ultimately as crucial as their music, their revolutionary sloganeering and anti-establishment outrage crystallizing the counterculture movement at its most volatile and threatening.

The Motor City Five formed in Lincoln Park, MI, in late 1964 by vocalist Rob Tyner, guitarists Fred "Sonic" Smith and Wayne Kramer, bassist Pat Burrows, and drummer Bob Gaspar; at the time, its members were still in high school, appearing at local parties and teen hangouts while clad in matching stage uniforms.

In time, however, Smith and Kramer began experimenting with feedback and distortion, a development that hastened the exits of Burrows and Gaspar during the fall of 1965; adding bassist Michael Davis and drummer Dennis Thompson a year later, MC5 landed a regular gig at the famed Detroit venue the Grande Ballroom, building a fanatical local fan base on the strength of their increasingly anarchic live appearances.

Their debut album, the classic Kick Out the Jams, was recorded live at the Grande Ballroom on October 30 and 31, 1968; although the album reached the national Top 30, retailers, including the Hudson's chain, refused to carry copies due to its inclusion of Tyner's trademark battle cry of "Kick out the jams, motherf*ckers!" The controversy spurred MC5 to run advertisements in the underground press reading "F*ck Hudson's!" Against the band's wishes, Elektra also issued a censored version of the album, replacing the offending expletive with "brothers and sisters."

When the dust settled, MC5 was dropped by Elektra; when Sinclair was subsequently jailed for possession of marijuana, the band was left without their manager and without a contract. They signed to Atlantic, where producer Jon Landau was installed to helm their second album, 1970's Back in the U.S.A.

The group released High Times in 1971, but it failed to find an audience and didn't make the charts. The group, facing mounting drug problems and bankruptcy issues - called it quits in 1972.

As the years went by, however, MC5's influence expanded; punk, hard rock, and power pop all clearly reflected the band's impact and by the 1990s, they were the subject of a steady stream of reissues and rarities packages.

Listen to the raw power of "Kick Out the Jams."

History of Hard Rock/Heavy Metal: Humble Pie II

Here's another video from blues-rock icons Humble Pie.

It's the "Sad Bag of Shakey Jake."

Nice solos and a great, great sound.

History of Hard Rock/Heavy Metal: Humble Pie

A showcase for former Small Faces' frontman Steve Marriott and one-time Herd guitar virtuoso Peter Frampton, the hard rock outfit Humble Pie formed in Essex, England in 1969.

Also featuring ex-Spooky Tooth bassist Greg Ridley along with drummer Jerry Shirley, the fledgling group spent the first several months of its existence locked away in Marriott's Essex cottage, maintaining a relentless practice schedule. Signed to the Immediate label, Humble Pie soon issued their debut single "Natural Born Boogie," which hit the British Top Ten and paved the way for the group's premiere LP, As Safe as Yesterday Is.

After touring the U.S. in support of 1969's Town and Country, Humble Pie returned home only to discover that Immediate had declared bankruptcy. The band recruited a new manager, Dee Anthony, who helped land them a new deal with A&M; behind closed doors, Anthony encouraged Marriott to direct the group towards a harder-edged, grittier sound far removed from the acoustic melodies favored by Frampton.

As Marriott's raw blues shouting began to dominate subsequent LPs like 1970's eponymous effort and 1971's Rock On, Frampton's role in the band he co-founded gradually diminished; finally, after a highly charged U.S. tour which yielded 1971's commercial breakthrough Performance: Rockin' the Fillmore, Frampton exited Humble Pie to embark on a solo career.

Humble Pie continued on before disbanding in 1975. Over the years the band would reunite (with the exception of Frampton) and record and tour.

At the dawn of the 1990s, Marriott and Frampton made tentative plans to begin working together once more, but on April 20, 1991, Marriott died in the fire which destroyed his 16th century Arkesden cottage. He was 44 years old.

Humble Pie's blues-tinged, boogie rock inspired a generation of followers, including Foghat and many others. Here is the video for the first hit - "Natural Born Boogie."

Chart History: Led Zeppelin

Chart History is a feature that highlights a hard rock/heavy metal act and how well the duo/group or individual performed on the Billboard charts.

This week we focus on the group Led Zeppelin. Here is a rundown of all singles and albums that charted while the group was together. Greatest hits and other compilations are not included - only studio and live albums are.

Albums
1968: Led Zeppelin (No.10)
1969: Led Zeppelin II (No.1)
1970: Led Zeppelin III (No.1)
1971: Led Zeppelin IV (No.1)
1973: Houses of the Holy (No.1)
1975: Physical Graffiti (No.1)
1976: Presence (No.1)
1976: The Song Remains the Same (No.2)
1979: In Through the Out Door (No.1)
1983: Coda (No.6)
2003: How the West Was Won (No.1)

Singles
1. Good Time Bad Times (No.80)
2. Living Loving Maid (No.65)
3. Whole Lotta Love (No.4)
4. Immigrant Song (No.16)
5. Black Dog (No.15)
6. Rock And Roll (No.47)
7. D'yer Mak'er (No.20)
8. Over the Hills and Far Away (No.51)
9. Trampled Under Foot (No.38)
10. Fool In The Rain (No.21)

Note: In case you were wondering about "Stairway to Heaven." The song was never released as a single, because Led Zep refused to have the song cut. Back in the old days, (I know I was around), record companies wanted singles to be less than four minutes in length and would cut the song to make it so-called radio friendly. The band wouldn't do this so the song was never released. If it had, you could say pretty safely that "Stairway to Heaven" would have hit number one.

Merry Christmas!

Today is not a day to be doing any kind of work and if you are stop what you're doing right now.

Christmas is a time to be with loved ones and to give thanks for all the good things that have happened in your life in 2006.

Believe me, even if you think this year was unkind to you, you're still better off than most. Many in the third world don't even have any food to eat or a place to call their own.

Give thanks for your family, friends and all that you have. Merry Christmas to everyone and a very happy new year as well!

Here's a little Christmas cheer from Slade:

History of Hard Rock/Heavy Metal: Blue Oyster Cult II

Here's another video from the mystic hard rockers Blue Oyster Cult.

This is a real cool tune that sounds really good when BOC plays it live. The song is a staple of their set and one of the favorite tunes of Blue Oyster Cult fans.

"Oh no! There goes Tokyo...Go Go Godzilla!"

History of Hard Rock/Heavy Metal: Blue Oyster Cult

Blue Öyster Cult was the thinking man's heavy metal group. The literary tone of their lyrics coupled with a touch of mysticism, spawned a generation of followers and copy-cat bands.

The band that became Blue Öyster Cult was organized in 1967 at Stony Brook College on Long Island by students (and later rock critics) Sandy Pearlman and Richard Meltzer as Soft White Underbelly and consisted of Andy Winters (bass), Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser (guitar), John Wiesenthal — quickly replaced by Allen Lanier — (keyboards), and Albert Bouchard (drums), with Pearlman managing and Pearlman and Meltzer writing songs. Initially without a lead singer, they added Les Bronstein on vocals.

This quintet signed to Elektra Records and recorded an album that was never released. They then dropped Bronstein and replaced him with their road manager, Eric Bloom, as the band's name was changed to Oaxaca. A second Elektra album also went unreleased, though a single was issued under the name the Stalk-Forrest Group.

Cut loose by Elektra, they changed their name again, to Blue Öyster Cult, and signed to Columbia Records in late 1971, by which time Winters had been replaced by Albert Bouchard's brother Joe. Blue Öyster Cult, their debut album, was released in January 1972 and made the lower reaches of the charts.

The band finally broke big in 1976 with the release of Agents of Fortune featuring the smash hit and instant classic, "Don't Fear the Reaper."

From there BOC released a string of gold and platinum albums through the rest of the 70s and into the early 80s. The band, despite numerous lineup changes, continues to tour and record sporadically.

Here's Blue Oyster Cult and its one-of-a-kind classic:

History of Hard Rock/Heavy Metal: Slade II

Here's another video from Glam Rock legends Slade.

This video is from the 1984 album Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply and featured the first Slade tune to reach the American Top 40.

Don't you just love those sing-a-long choruses. "I like black and white...."

History of Hard Rock/Heavy Metal: Slade

Slade may have never truly caught on with American audiences, but the group became a sensation in their homeland with their anthemic brand of glam rock in the early 70s, as they scored a staggering 11 Top Five hits in a four-year span from 1971 to 1974 (five of which topped the charts).

Comprised of singer/guitarist Noddy Holder, guitarist Dave Hill, bassist Jim Lea, and drummer Don Powell, the group originally formed in the spring of 1966 under the name the In-Be-Tweens. By the end of '60s, the group had changed their name to Ambrose Slade and signed on with the Fontana label.

Soon after, the quartet hooked up with Animals bass player-turned-manager Chas Chandler (who had discovered Jimi Hendrix a few years prior), who promptly suggested the group shorten the name to just Slade.

After several albums featuring few original compositions from the quartet came and went (1969's Beginnings, 1970's Play It Loud), the group began to write their own tunes, grew their hair long, and assumed the look of the then-burgeoning glam movement, joining the same cause championed by such fellow Brits as David Bowie and T. Rex.

Slade went on to enormous success in Europe and Japan, but never quite cracked the U.S. market - except for a brief time in the early 80s. Slade had a profound influence on many bands like Kiss (they were Gene Simmons' favorite band), Motley Crue and many of the Hair Metal bands that came along in the 80s.

As a matter of fact, Quiet Riot made a career of covering Slade tunes. "Cum on Feel the Noize," and "Mama Weer All Crazee Now," became huge hits for the group with many of their fans not even knowing who Slade was.

Slade was the epitome of the spirit of Glam Rock and it's borderline tragic that many American kids don't know who they are.

Here is a classic video for "Mama Weer All Crazee Now."

History of Hard Rock/Heavy Metal: Iron Butterfly II

Here's another video from Acid rock pioneers Iron Butterfly.

It's the Butterfly's version of "Easy Rider."

Love the spaced out video, man.

History of Hard Rock/Heavy Metal: Iron Butterfly

The heavy, psychedelic acid rock of Iron Butterfly may seem dated to some today, but the group was one of the first hard rock bands to receive extensive radio airplay, and their best-known song, the 17-minute epic "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida," established that more extended compositions were viable entries in the radio marketplace.

The track was written by vocalist, organist, and bandleader Doug Ingle, who formed the first incarnation of Iron Butterfly in 1966 in San Diego with drummer Ron Bushy. After the group moved to Los Angeles and played the club scene, it secured a recording contract and got national exposure through tours with the Doors and Jefferson Airplane.

Following the release of their 1968 debut album, Heavy, original members Jerry Penrod (bass), Darryl DeLoach (vocals), and Danny Weis (guitar) left the band and were replaced by guitarist Erik Braunn and bassist Lee Dorman.

The new lineup recorded In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida later that year, which sold four million copies and spent over a year in the Top Ten. (The title has been translated as "in the garden of Eden" or "in the garden of life.") A shortened version of the title track, which contained extended instrumental passages with loud guitars and classical/Eastern-influenced organ, plus a two-and-a-half-minute drum solo, reached number 30 on the singles charts.

Iorn Butterfly never matched the success of "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" and broke up in 1971.

Sorry people, the only video out is the shortened version.

Chart History: Deep Purple

Chart History is a feature that highlights a hard rock/heavy metal act and how well the duo/group or individual performed on the Billboard charts.

This week we focus on the group Deep Purple. Here is a rundown of all singles and albums that charted while the group was together. Greatest hits and other compilations are not included - only studio and live albums are.

Albums
1968: Shades of Deep Purple (No.24)
1969: Deep Purple (No.162)
1969: The Book of Taliesyn (No.54)
1970: Concerto for Group and Orchestra (No.149)
1971: Deep Purple in Rock (No.143)
1972: Fireball (No.32)
1973: Machine Head (No.7)
1973: Made in Japan (No.6)
1974: Burn (No.9)
1975: Stormbringer (No.20)
1976: Come Taste the Band (No.43)
1976: Made in Europe (No.148)
1984: Perfect Strangers (No.17)
1987: The House of Blue Light (No.34)
1988: Nobody's Perfect (No.105)
1990: Slaves and Masters (No.87)
1993: The Battle Rages On (No.192)

Singles
1. Hush (No.4)
2. Kentucky Woman (No.38)
3. River Deep-Mountain High (No.53)
4. Black Night (No.66)
5. Smoke On The Water (No.4)
6. Woman From Tokyo (No.60)
7. Might Just Take Your Life (No.91)
8. Knocking at Your Back Door (No.61)

History of Hard Rock/Heavy Metal: Blue Cheer

Blue Cheer, along with Cream, were the first power trio to play hard rock/heavy metal music and while the band has drifted off into obscurity for most, they had a profound influence on hard rock in the 70s and beyond, especially in the extreme metal of the new century.

The San Francisco band was made up of Dickie Peterson (bass, vocals), Paul Whaley (drums), and Leigh Stephens (guitar). They played what later would be called heavy metal, and when they debuted in January 1968 with the album Vincebus Eruptum and a Top 40 cover of Eddie Cochran's hit "Summertime Blues," they sounded louder and more extreme than anything that had come before them. As it turned out, they were a precursor of much that would come after.

Numerous personnel changes doomed the group and Blue Cheer split up in 1971. The band re-united in 1985 and recorded the album, The Beast is Back. Blue Cheer continues to get together every so often and tour.

Here's the classic video from Blue Cheer - "Summertime Blues."

History of Hard Rock/Heavy Metal: Steppenwolf II

Here's another video from Steppenwolf, the counter-culture group of the late 60's and early 70s.

It's hard enough to come up with one classic, let alone two, but that's exactly what leader, songwriter and vocalist John Kay did.

After "Born to Be Wild" became a huge smash, Steppenwolf followed that up with its second instant classic - "Magic Carpet Ride."

Enjoy...with a little Doctor Who thrown in.

History of Hard Rock/Heavy Metal: Steppenwolf

The band that coined the term Heavy Metal was Steppenwolf, the psychedelic, counter-culture group that exploded onto the world stage with the classic, "Born to Be Wild."

Led by John Kay (born Joachim Krauledat, April 12, 1944), Steppenwolf's blazing biker anthem "Born to Be Wild" roared out of speakers everywhere in the fiery summer of 1968, John Kay's threatening rasp sounding a mesmerizing call to arms to the counterculture movement rapidly sprouting up nationwide.

German immigrant Kay got his professional start in a bluesy Toronto band called Sparrow, recording for Columbia in 1966. After Sparrow disbanded, Kay relocated to the West Coast and formed Steppenwolf, named after the Herman Hesse novel. "Born to Be Wild," their third single on ABC-Dunhill, was immortalized on the soundtrack of Dennis Hopper's underground film classic Easy Rider.

The song's reference to "heavy metal thunder" finally gave an assignable name to an emerging genre. Steppenwolf's second monster hit that year, the psychedelic "Magic Carpet Ride," and the follow-ups "Rock Me," "Move Over," and "Hey Lawdy Mama" further established the band's credibility on the hard-rock circuit.

By the early '70s, Steppenwolf ran out of steam and disbanded.

Despite Steppenwolf's short stay at the rock forefront, the group gave us memorable songs that will last a lifetime. Here's one of them.

Sing along to the classic opening lines....."Get your motor running."

History of Hard Rock/Heavy Metal: Free II

Here's another video from 70s hard rock act Free.

The blues was evident in the groups sound right from the get-go and this has all the makings of what would become the signature sound of Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke's next band - Bad Company.

Paul Kossoff was an amazingly tight player. Too bad that drugs destroyed so many great rockers. This is "Fire and Water."

History of Hard Rock/Heavy Metal: Free

Famous for the hard rock masterpiece "All Right Now," Free helped lay the foundations for the rise of hard rock, stripping the earthy sound of British blues down to its raw core to pioneer a brand of proto-metal later popularized by 1970's superstars like Foreigner, Foghat and Bad Company.

Free formed in London in 1968 when guitarist Paul Kossoff, then a member of the blues unit Black Cat Bones, was taken to see vocalist Paul Rodgers' group Brown Sugar by a friend.

After deciding to form their own band, Kossoff and Rodgers recruited drummer Simon Kirke and 16-year-old bass phenom Andy Fraser from the ranks of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers; with the aid of Alexis Korner, who also suggested the name Free, the fledgling band signed to the Island label, issuing their bluesy debut Tons of Sobs in 1968.

1970's Fire and Water became a tremendous hit on the strength of "All Right Now," a Top Five smash powered by Rodgers' gritty vocals. After headlining 1970's Isle of Wight festival, the group appeared destined for superstardom, but the LP Highway did not fare nearly as well as anticipated, and after a grueling tour which yielded 1971's Free Live, the band dissolved amidst ego clashes and recriminations.

The original lineup of Free re-formed to record 1972's Free at Last, which launched the hit "Little Bit of Love." However, drug problems nagged the group, as Kossoff's longtime battle with heroin continued to worsen; soon Fraser exited to form Sharks with Chris Spedding, leaving Rodgers and Kirke to record the majority of 1973's Heartbreaker while a drug-addled Kossoff watched from the sidelines.

Soon, the group disbanded again, this time for good: while Rodgers and Kirke went on to found Bad Company, Kossoff formed Back Street Crawler before dying of a drug-induced heart attack on March 19, 1976.

Rogers has recently been performing with the re-formed Queen on a world tour.

Here's Free's classic slice of hard rock delight:

History of Hard Rock/Heavy Metal: Alice Cooper II

Here's another video from shock rock legend Alice Cooper, the founding father of theatrical metal.

The telephone is ringing......

History of Hard Rock/Heavy Metal: Alice Cooper

Alice Cooper brought theatricality and the stage show to hard rock and his influence on the world of heavy rock has affected everyone from Kiss to Mudvayne.

Originally, there was a band called Alice Cooper led by a singer named Vincent Damon Furnier. Under his direction, Alice Cooper pioneered a grandly theatrical and violent brand of heavy metal that was designed to shock.

Drawing equally from horror movies, vaudeville, heavy metal, and garage rock, the group created a stage show that featured electric chairs, guillotines, fake blood, and huge boa constrictors, all coordinated by the heavily made-up Furnier.

By that time, Furnier had adopted the name for his androgynous on-stage personality. While the visuals were extremely important to the group's impact, the band's music was nearly as distinctive. Driven by raw, simple riffs and melodies that derived from '60s guitar pop as well as show tunes, it was rock & roll at its most basic and catchy, even when the band ventured into psychedelia and art rock.

After the original group broke up and Furnier began a solo career as Alice Cooper, his actual music lost most of its theatrical flourishes, becoming straightforward heavy metal, yet his stage show retained all of the trademark props that made him the king of shock rock.

According to band legend, the name came to Furnier during a ouija board session, where he was told he was the reincarnation of a 17th-century witch of the same name. Comprised of vocalist Furnier — who would soon begin calling himself Alice Cooper — guitarist Mike Bruce, guitarist Glen Buxton, bassist Dennis Dunaway, and drummer Neal Smith, the group moved to California in 1968.

After a string of unsuccessful albums the band broke in 1971 with the Bob Ezrin-produced Love It to Death which produced the hit single, "Eighteen."

The group followed Love It to Death with more hit albums throughout the early seventies: Killer, School's Out, Muscle of Love and the No. 1 album Billion Dollar Babies.

Cooper went solo in 1975 with Welcome to My Nightmare, which was a huge hit. Alice stayed popular all throughout the 70s and 80s with his shock rock brand of hard rock.

Alice Cooper continues to make records but has achieved most of his success lately from his syndicated radio show, "Nights with Alice Cooper," which began in 2005.

Check out this classic Alice Cooper tune:

Chart History: Jimi Hendrix

Chart History is a feature that highlights a hard rock/heavy metal act and how well the duo/group or individual performed on the Billboard charts.

This week we focus on Jimi Hendrix. Here is a rundown of all the singles and albums that charted for Jimi. Greatest hits and other compilations are not included - only studio and live albums are.

Note: Jimi had so many albums released after his death that charted and they are too numerous to mention. Only albums that were released during his lifetime are included here.

Albums
1967: Are You Experienced? (No.5)
1968: Axis: Bold As Love (No.3)
1968: Electric Ladyland (No.1)
1969 Smash Hits (No.6)
1970: Band Of Gypsys (No.5)

Singles
1. Purple Haze (No.65)
2. All Along the Watchtower (No.20)
3. Crosstown Traffic (No.52)
4. Foxey Lady (No.67)
5. Up From The Skies (No.82)
6. Dolly Dagger (No.74)
7. Freedom (No.59)

History of Hard Rock/Heavy Metal: Black Sabbath II

Here's another video from the Godfathers of Metal: Black Sabbath.

Say it with me children: I AM IRON MAN!!!!

History of Hard Rock/Heavy Metal: Black Sabbath

Thundering out of Birmingham, England in the late 1960s came a band that was to re-define hard rock and create a whole new style of music that would influence generations of bands all the way to the present day.

The band was Black Sabbath and the musical genre they created was Heavy Metal. Sabbath were the first true metal band - the template for every other group that followed.

Black Sabbath has been so influential in the development of heavy metal rock music as to be a defining force in the style. The group took the blues-rock sound of the late '60s to its logical conclusion, slowing the tempo, accentuating the bass, and emphasizing screaming guitar solos and howled vocals full of lyrics expressing mental anguish and macabre fantasies.

If their predecessors clearly came out of an electrified blues tradition, Black Sabbath took that tradition in a new direction, and in so doing helped give birth to a musical style that continued to attract millions of fans decades later.

The group was formed by four teenage friends from Aston, near Birmingham, England: Anthony "Tony" Iommi (guitar); William "Bill" Ward (drums); John "Ozzy" Osbourne (vocals); and Terence "Geezer" Butler (bass).

The group released their debut album, Black Sabbath, in 1970 and followed that up with a string of wildly successful albums.

After the self-title debut an onslaught of great material followed throughout the early to mid-seventies: Paranoid; Master of Reality; Black Sabbath Vol. 4; Sabbath Bloody Sabbath; and Sabotage.

After Ozzy was fired in 1979, Sabbath continued on through the eighties with Ronnie James Dio, Ian Gillan and many other manning the vocal duties. The original Black Sabbath reunited in 1997 for a world tour which spawned the live album, Reunion, a two-CD set featuring two new studio tracks. The original lineup continues to get together for concert gigs, but no new material has yet to be released.

Here they are. The Godfathers of Metal: Black Sabbath!

History of Hard Rock/Heavy Metal: Led Zeppelin II

Here's another video from hard rock legends Led Zeppelin.

I don't have to tell you what it is do I?

Only one of the most famous songs in the history of music. Enjoy this live version from the Song Remains the Same movie.

History of Hard Rock/Heavy Metal: Led Zeppelin

Of all the hard rock/heavy metal bands that have come down the pike, none were bigger and had a more lasting impact than Led Zeppelin.

Led Zeppelin was the definitive heavy rock band. It wasn't just their crushingly loud interpretation of the blues — it was how they incorporated mythology, mysticism, and a variety of other genres — into their sound.

Led Zep formed out of the ashes of the Yardbirds, a band that once featured Jimmy Page. After recording one album with the group, Page met bassist John Paul Jones in the studio during session work and decided to record together.

The guitarist went to work finding a singer and it wasn't long before he did. Singer and friend Terry Reid suggested Robert Plant, who was singing with a band called Hobbstweedle.

After hearing him sing, Page asked Plant to join the band in August of 1968, the same month Chris Dreja dropped out of the new project. Following Dreja's departure, John Paul Jones joined the group as its bassist. Plant recommended that Page hire John Bonham, the drummer for Plant's old band, the Band of Joy.

Bonham had to be persuaded to join the group, as he was being courted by other artists who offered the drummer considerably more money. By September, Bonham agreed to join the band. Performing under the name the New Yardbirds, the band fulfilled the Yardbirds' previously booked engagements in late September 1968.

The following month, they recorded their debut album in just under 30 hours. Also in October, the group switched its name to Led Zeppelin. The band secured a contract with Atlantic Records in the United States before the end of the year.

And the rest is history.

The band released a string of multi-platinum albums throughout the late 60s and into the seventies. Classic albums like Led Zeppelin II, Led Zeppelin IV, Houses of the Holy and Physical Graffiti.

The band was such a phenomenon that Led Zeppelin IV has now sold over 20 million copies just in the United States.

Everything came to a crashing end when on September 25, 1980, John Bonham was found dead in his bed — following an all-day drinking binge, he had passed out and choked on his own vomit. In December of 1980, Led Zeppelin announced they were disbanding, since they could not continue without Bonham.

Robert Plant and Jimmy Page have worked together off and on since and Plant has had a successful solo career. John Paul Jones is a producer who has worked with many major artists. But what they'll be remembered for will be the incredible music they made together as Led Zeppelin - the first hard rock superstars.

Indie Spotlight: Recycled America

Every Thursday here at Denim and Leather we will showcase an unsigned or independent label band and showcase them.

If your band would like to be featured on the blog, send me a media kit or any type of mini-biography of the group. I also need your best tune on mp3 to feature on the site and your webpage/myspace URL if you have one. In addition, you can send a picture of the band and a touring schedule and we will review and post it.

The address to mail your stuff is:

Denim & Leather c/o Brian Carson
6 Green Tree Lane
Lewistown, PA 17044

Or send your materials by email at: brian5499@verizon.net

Remember, this is a hard rock/heavy metal site. So if you sound like some boy band, please DO NOT send your stuff to us.

Our first spotlight is on the band Recycled America. Recycled America is a duo comprised of Aaron Bossinger (guitar, vocals) and Alex Griffith (bass, background vocals). They are currently looking for a drummer and a keyboard player.

The duo, originally from Central Pennsylvania, are now in LA working on material and going to music school.

They have some cool stuff, a sort of amalgamation of many different styles - hard rock, metal, acoustic, pop and even a little jazz thrown in from time to time. The song they sent is only a demo - but it's still solid stuff. A very good tune you all should check out.

The song is called, 'Say No More.'

Click here to listen

You can also check them out on the Recycled America myspace page. Click here to go there.

History of Hard Rock/Heavy Metal: Deep Purple II

Here's another video from hard rock legends Deep Purple.

Here's the modern day Purple, along with some friends, playing their most famous song live.

You all know what it is don't you? The most well-known opening riff in rock history. Enjoy!

History of Hard Rock/Heavy Metal: Deep Purple

After the emergence of Cream and Jimi Hendrix set the stage for what became known as hard rock, three bands from England set out to emulate that same sound with a touch of psychedelia and blues thrown in for good measure.

The first of these British bands to record an album and burst on the scene was Deep Purple.

Purple started out as a psychedelic band with pop overtones, but after a lineup change that saw the original singer and bass player leave, the classic lineup of Deep Purple began recording their brand of hard rock at the start of the seventies and quickly became a worldwide phenomenon with the classic song, 'Smoke on the Water.'

Deep Purple was formed in Hertford, England, in 1968, with an inaugural lineup that featured guitarist Blackmore, vocalist Rod Evans, bassist Nick Simper, keyboardist Jon Lord, and drummer Ian Paice. Originally called Roundabout, the group toured Scandinavia and recorded their debut LP - Shades of Deep Purple - in 1968.

After releasing their third album, Evans and Simper were dismissed and the band started anew, recruiting singer Ian Gillan and bassist Roger Glover from the ranks of the pop group Episode Six.

Blackmore took creative control of the band, steering it towards a heavier, guitar-dominated approach which took full advantage of Gillan's powerful vocals. The gamble worked as Deep Purple released a string of commercially successful and now classic seventies hard rock records - In Rock, Machine Head, Fireball, Who Do We Think We Are, and Burn - which introduced David Coverdale to the world.

Despite numerous lineup upheavals during their career, Deep Purple remains alive and well in the 21st century.

Chart History: Cream

Chart History is a feature that highlights a hard rock/heavy metal act and how well the duo/group or individual performed on the Billboard charts.

This week we focus on the group Cream - fronted by Eric Clapton. Here is a rundown of all singles and albums that charted while the group was together. Greatest hits and other compilations are not included - only studio and live albums are.


Albums
1966: Fresh Cream (No.39)
1967: Disraeli Gears (No.4)
1968: Wheels of Fire (No.1)
1969: Goodbye (No.2)
1970: Live Cream (No.15)

Singles
1. Anyone For Tennis (No.64)
2. Sunshine of Your Love (No.5)
3. White Room (No.6)
4. Badge (No.60)
5. Crossroads (No.28)

History of Hard Rock/Heavy Metal: Jimi Hendrix II

This is another video from the legendary Jimi Hendrix, the man who defined hard rock guitar and style.

This is arguably the most famous song in Hendrix's catalog: "Scuse me, while I kiss the sky." It's 'Purple Haze.'

History of Hard Rock/Heavy Metal: Jimi Hendrix

Cream may have been the first hard rock band, but it was Jimi Hendrix who defined and created the basic template of the hard rock sound.

In his brief four-year reign as a superstar, Hendrix expanded the vocabulary of the electric rock guitar more than anyone before or since. Hendrix was a master at coaxing all manner of unforeseen sonics from his instrument, often with innovative amplification experiments that produced astral-quality feedback and roaring distortion.

His frequent hurricane blasts of noise and dazzling showmanship — he could and would play behind his back and with his teeth and set his guitar on fire — has sometimes obscured his considerable gifts as a songwriter, singer, and master of a gamut of blues, R&B, and rock styles.

With classic albums like Are You Experienced?, Axis: Bold as Love, and Electric Ladyland, Hendrix created the hard rock, distortion sound that so many have copied and still do till this day.

This video is from the famous Woodstock concert with Hendrix performing 'Voodoo Child (Slight Return).' Awesome stuff.

History of Hard Rock/Heavy Metal: Cream II

This is another video from the legendary rock band Cream, considered by many to be the first hard rock band ever.

Check out the original power trio in a live performance of 'White Room,' a song that reached the American and British top 10.

History of Hard Rock/Heavy Metal: Cream

This is the beginning of a series that will focus on the origins of Hard Rock/Heavy Metal and continue on to the Nu Metal and Death Metal that prevails today.

Today, we start with a band considered by many critics and music historians as the first hard rock band - Cream.

Although Cream was only together for a little more than two years, their influence was immense, both during their late-'60s peak and in the years following their breakup. Cream was the first top group to truly exploit the power-trio format, in the process laying the foundation for much blues-rock and hard rock of the 1960s and 1970s. It was with Cream, too, that guitarist Eric Clapton truly became an international superstar.

Cream consisted of Clapton on guitar and vocals, Jack Bruce (bass, vocals) and Ginger Baker (drums). The band formed after Eric left John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and Baker and Bruce split from the Graham Bond Organisation.

With their amped-up blues and driving psychedelic rock, Cream would release only four albums, but their impact was immense. Disraeli Gears released in 1967 and the double album Wheels of Fire are classics and produced material like 'Sunshine of Your Love,' 'Strange Brew,', and 'White Room.'

Their decision to disband in late 1968 — at a time when they were seemingly on top of the world — came as a shock to most of the rock audience.

Here's a video for 'Sunshine of Your Love.' The song climbed as high as No. 5 on the Billboard charts. Listen to the classic Clapton riffs that set the stage for future hard rock and heavy metal bands.