LAMONT’S MUSIC NOTES-MAY 25, 2019…36 YEARS AGO DIO RELEASED THE ALBUM ‘HOLY DIVER’

IT WAS THE DEBUT STUDIO ALBUM FOR THE BAND DIO. RONNIE JAMES DIO HAD JUST LEFT BLACK SABBATH ( FOR THE FIRST TIME) AND PUT THE BAND DIO TOGETHER WITH VINNIE APPICE (WHO ALSO LEFT BLACK SABBATH TO FORM THE BAND DIO).

THE GROUP WAS ROUNDED OUT BY JIMMY BAIN ON BASS ( WHO PLAYED WITH DIO IN RAINBOW), AND A YOUNG VIVIAN CAMPBELL, WHO LATER WOULD GO ON TO HUGE FAME IN DEF LEPPARD.

THIS IS A KILLER ALBUM. ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE RANKED IT AS 16TH ON THEIR LIST ON THE “100 GREATEST METAL ALBUMS OF ALL TIME”

HOLY DIVER TRIVIA:

-Ronnie James Dio wrote or co-wrote all the songs on the album and produced it as well.

-The album cover features the band’s devil-looking mascot, Murray, whipping a chain at a priest who is bound by chains. However, Ronnie once pointed out that appearances are misleading and the cover could just as well depict a priest killing a devil.

-Following the September 11th attacks, “Holy Diver” was placed on a list of tracks with inappropriate titles.

-The lyrics of “Holy Diver” are about Revelations 12:9, which describes Satan being cast to the earth.

-“Rainbow in the Dark,” the second single from the album, is about an inability to release tremendous potential, and Dio once said it was inspired by his time fronting Black Sabbath.

-RJD wanted to cut “Rainbow in the Dark” from the album, thinking it was too poppy and didn’t belong on the album. The rest of the band persuaded him that wasn’t the case.

-The original vinyl release had a photo montage in the liner. It included pictures of Dio during his time with both Rainbow and Black Sabbath.

-The album was certified Gold for sales over 500,000 in 1984, then Platinum for sales over one-million copies in 1989.

HERE’S DIO LIVE FROM THE EDGE IN PALO ALTO !

LAMONT’S MUSIC NOTES-MAY 25, 2019…ON THIS DATE 49 YEARS AGO FREE RELEASE ONE OF THE GREAT ROCK SONGS OF OUR TIME ‘ALL RIGHT NOW’.

THE SONG ACTUALLY CAME ABOUT BECAUSE THE BAND HAD JUST PLAYED A GIG AT A COLLEGE, AND EVERY ONE OF THE GROUPS SONGS AT THE TIME WAS VERY SLOW TEMPOED. DRUMMER SIMON KIRKE EXPLAINED:

“All Right Now' was created after a bad gig in Durham, England. Our repertoire at that time was mostly slow and medium paced blues songs which was alright if you were a student sitting quietly and nodding your head to the beat. However, we finished our show in Durham and walked off the stage to the sound of our own footsteps. The applause had died before I had even left the drum riser. When we got into the dressing room, it was obvious that we needed an uptempo number, a rocker to close our shows. All of sudden, the Inspiration struck (bass player Andy) Fraser, and he started bopping around singing ALL RIGHT NOW... He sat down and wrote it right there in the dressing room. It couldn't have taken more than 10 minutes."

THE SONG WAS A MEGA-HIT, AND WAS SO SUCCESSFUL, IT MIGHT HAVE ACTUALLY CONTRIBUTED TO THE EVENTUAL BREAK-UP OF THE GROUP.

ACCORDING TO SINGER PAUL RODGERS:

“Really it was just a one-off for us, and when the follow-up to 'All Right Now' died a death – it was called "The Stealer" – and the album that followed, Fire and Water, from which 'All Right Now' was taken, when that didn't do very well, we took it to heart and the band broke up. So, in an indirect way, 'All Right Now' was not very good for the band, I have to say.”

HERE’S A GREAT LIVE VERSION OF ‘ALL RIGHT NOW’

LAMONT’S MUSIC NOTES-MAY 24, 2019…ON MAY 24 1986 AC/DC GAVE US THE SINGLE ‘WHO MADE WHO’. THE SONG IS THE TITLE TRACK FROM THE AC/DC COMPILATION ALBUM THAT WAS ALSO THE SOUNDTRACK FOR THE STEPHEN KING MOVIE ‘MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE’ WHICH WAS OFFICIALLY RELEASE THE PREVIOUS DAY. THE SONG IS ONLY ONE OF THREE NEW SONGS THAT WERE ON THE ALBUM.

THE SONG PEAKED AT #23 ON THE BILLBOARD ROCK CHARTS AND STAYED ON THE CHARTS FOR 12 WEEKS.

THE SONG HASN’T BEEN PLAYED LIVE ON ANY TOUR SINCE 1994.

HERE’S A LIVE VERSION FROM A CONCERT IN 1990.

AND ONCE AGAIN, HERE’S THE OFFICIAL VIDEO.

LAMONT’S MUSIC NOTES-MAY 24, 2019…15 YEARS AGO THE BAND JET CAME OUT WITH THE SINGLE ‘ARE YOU GONNA BE MY GIRL’

THIS WAS THE BAND’S FIRST HIT SONG. IT WAS ALSO THE FIRST SONG TO BE USED IN THE POPULAR IPOD COMMERCIALS (REMEMBER THE IPOD ?). IN THE COMMERCIAL A BLACK SHADOW OF A PERSON, LISTENING TO A WHITE IPOD

DANCED TO THIS SONG IN FRONT OF COLORFUL BACKGROUNDS. THESE ADS HELPED BOOST SALES OF IPODS AND JET ALBUMS.

THIS IS EASILY JET’S MOST SUCCESSFUL SINGLE IN THE U.S. IT HAS SOLD OVER 1.3 MILLION COPIES TO DATE.

AND HERE’S A COPY OF THE IPOD AD FEATURING JET

LAMONT’S MUSIC NOTES-MAY 24, 2019…31 YEARS AGO VAN HALEN RELEASED OU812 (PRONOUNCED “OH YOU ATE ONE TOO”). THIS WAS VAN HALEN’S STUDIO ALBUM, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY THE SECOND TO FEATURE THE RED ROCKER SAMMY HAGAR AS THE LEAD VOCALIST.

THE GROUP WORKED ON THE RECORD FOR 8 MONTHS, AND FINISHED RECORDING IT JUST ONE MONTH BEFORE ITS RELEASE.

THE ALBUM WAS HUGE FOR THE GROUP, SPAWNING 3 HIT SINGLES ‘WHEN IT’S LOVE’ ‘BLACK AND BLUE’ AND ‘FINISH WHAT YOU STARTED’ AND SELLING OVER 6.4 MILLION COPIES WORLDWIDE. THE ALBUM WAS ALSO DEDICATED TO JAN VAN HALEN, EDDIE AND ALEX’S FATHER, WHO DIED ON DECEMBER 9,1986 AT THE AGE OF 66. THE INNER LININGS OF THE ALBUM INCLUDE THE WORDS, “THIS ONE’S FOR YOU PA”.

HERE’S VAN HAGAR ON THE “OU812 TOUR”. AN ENTIRE CONCERT FROM JAPAN.

Knotfest Roadshow with Slipknot, Volbeat, Gojira and Behemoth will be at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View on Friday, July 26th.

Tickets are on sale now through: www.livenation.com

Click here more info.

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LAMONT’S MUSIC NOTES-MAY 23, 2019…BEFORE YOU READ THIS, THERE’S ONE THING YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND. THE RECORD INDUSTRY IS MADE UP OF SHADY DOUCHEBAGS. CREATIVE ACCOUNTING AND HORRENDOUS, ONE SIDED CONTRACTS HAVE ENABLED RECORD COMPANIES TO KEEP PERFORMERS IN PERPETUALLY IN DEBT FOR YEARS, AND YES, EVEN SOME TOP SELLING ARTISTS.

HERE'S HOW IT WORKS. A RECORD LABEL ADVANCES AN ARTIST MONEY AGAINST FUTURE EARNINGS FROM ROYALTIES. BUT BECAUSE THE COST OF THINGS LIKE STUDIO TIME, MARKETING SUPPORT, ACCOUNTING FEES, ADMINISTRATION FEES AND TOUR EXPENSES MUST BE RECOUPED TO THE LABEL BEFORE AN ARTIST EARNS ANY ACTUAL MONEY, MANY ARTISTS NEVER SELL “ENOUGH” TO REPAY THE RECORD COMPANY FOR THE EXPENSES THAT THEY CONTROL. THUS, YOU HAVE AN ARTIST THAT SELLS MILLIONS OF RECORDS AND HE STILL “OWES THE RECORD COMPANY. THIS IS WERE TOM PETTY COMES INTO THE STORY.

IT WAS ON THIS DATE IN 1979 TOM PETTY FILED FOR BANKRUPTCY IN AN EFFORT TO FREE HIMSELF FROM SHELTER RECORDS.

AT THE TIME OF HIS BANKRUPTCY, PETTY HAD NOTHING TO SHOW FINANCIALLY, DESPITE HAVING 2 HIT ALBUMS TO HIS CREDIT ( 1976 “TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKER’S AND 1978’S ‘YOU’RE GONNA GET IT!’), AND 2 HIT SINGLES ‘BREAKDOWN’ AND ‘AMERICAN GIRL.’

UNHAPPY WITH THE TERMS OF HIS CONTRACT, AND SEEING AN OPPORTUNITY WITH THE SALE OF HIS RECORD COMPANY TO MCA RECORDS, HE DECLARED BANKRUPTCY IN AN EFFORT TO FREE HIMSELF FROM SHELTER RECORDS.

THIS WAS AN ACT OF GENIUS ON BEHALF OF TOM PETTY., HAVING A BANKRUPTCY COURT EVENTUALLY RULE HIS CONTRACT WAS EXTREMELY UNFAVORABLE AND RULE IT NULL AND VOID BASED ON THE FACT HE SIGNED IT UNDER DURESS. A WIN FOR THE GOOD GUYS !

HERE’S TOM PETTY FROM 2017. IT WAS PETTY’S 2ND LAST CONCERT BEFORE HE PASSED AWAY AND IT WAS HERE IN THE BAY AREA.

photo thanks-Amber

LAMONT’S MUSIC NOTES-MAY 23, 2019…THIRTY THREE YEARS AGO AC/DC RELEASED THE SOUNDTRACK ALBUM ‘WHO MADE WHO’. IT WAS THE SOUNDTRACK TO STEPHEN KING’S MOVIE ‘MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE’.

THE SONG ‘WHO MADE WHO’ WAS WRITTEN SPECIFICALLY FOR THE MOVIE.

THE THEME OF ‘MAXIMUM OVERDRIVE’ WAS BUILT AROUND MACHINES COMING TO LIFE AND KILLING PEOPLE. THUS IT WAS VERY APPROPRIATE THAT THE VIDEO FOR THE SONG ‘WHO MADE WHO’ FEATURED A ROBOT BUILDING AN ARMY OF ANGUS YOUNG CLONES.

THE WHO MADE WHO ALBUM WAS HUGELY SUCCESSFUL COMMERCIALLY, SELLING OVER 5 MILLION COPIES IN THE USA.

HERE’S THE OFFICIAL VIDEO FOR AC/DC’S ‘WHO MADE WHO’

Yesterday in the San Fernando Valley a suspect who led California Highway Patrol officers on a wild high-speed chase has been arrested.

Watch the video below.

Dead & Company will be at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View on Friday, May 31st and Saturday, June 1st, 2019.

Tickets are on sale now through: www.livenation.com

Click here for more info about the May 31st concert.

Click here to purchase tickets for the May 31st concert.

Click here for more info about the June 1st concert.

Click here to purchase tickets for the June 1st concert.