Engagement Ring, Wedding Ring & 1st Anniversary Ring

On July 25, 1980, AC/DC released the 'Back In Black' album. To celebrate its 30th birthday, here are 10 facts you might not be aware of.

1. 'Back In Black' is the biggest selling album by any Australian artist.
2. It is the second biggest selling original album of all time. Only 'Thriller', by Michael Jackson tops it.
3. Despite being the fifth biggest album ever in America, it peaked at a surprisingly low number four on the charts.
4. Although it was apparently performed during warm up shows Belgium and Holland, prior to the 'Back In Black' tour, 'Shake A Leg' has never re-appeared in the band’s live set. This is because it’s in such a high register.
5. The band shot videos for six songs on the album: 'Hells Bells', 'Back In Black', 'What Do You Do For Money Honey', 'You Shook Me All Night Long', 'Let Me Put My Love Into You' & 'Rock And Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution'.
6. In 1985, the infamous Parents Music resource Center (PMRC) published a list of the 15 filthiest songs. 'Let Me Put My Love Into You' made it in at number six. This was supposed to warn people against letting children hear such ‘filth’. Get the feeling the opposite happened? For the record, Prince’s 'Darling Nikki' was number one.
7. Among those to cover 'You Shook Me All Night Long' are Celine Dion, Six Feet Under and Aussie parody singer Richard Cheese.
8. The biggest UK single from the album was 'Rock And Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution', which got to number 15.
9. Malcolm Young actually came up with the riff for the song 'Back In Black' years before it became a song. He used to play it as a warm up.
10. Over the decades, there have been a lot of rumours about Bon Scott’s alleged involvement with the album. These include reports that demoed some of the tracks with the band and that he wrote some of the lyrics.

OK, that’s it. I suggest you now play the great album at annoyingly massive volume.

Camping

Re-aquainted myself with the joys of camping this week after a gap of several years. Must do it more often, but we need a bigger tent!

Ronnie James Dio, RIP

Ronnie James Dio has passed away, after a battle against cancer.In a statement, wife/manager Wendy Dio said: “Today my heart is broken, Ronnie passed away at 7:45 a.m. on May 16. Many, many friends and family were able to say their private goodbyes before he peacefully passed away.

“Ronnie knew how much he was loved by all.
“We so appreciate the love and support that you have all given us.
“Please give us a few days of privacy to deal with this terrible loss.
“Please know he loved you all and his music will live on forever.”

An all time great, Dio was born in 1942. He first released a record in 1958 under the band name of Rinnie & The Red Caps. But he first made his name in the early 1970s with Elf. From there, he achieved legendary status with Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio and Heaven & Hell. Dio was also the person who brought the devil horn sign into metal, when he joined Sabbath.

Last year, the iconic vocalist was diagnosed with stomach cancer, but it was felt this had been caught early enough to ensure successful treatment. And Heaven & Hell even booked a series of summer festival dates in the UK and Europe.

However, these were cancelled earlier this month, when it became obvious that Dio simply wasn’t well enough.

Tributes have poured in from the world of rock and metal. Here are just a selection:

Ritchie Blackmore – “Ronnie had a unique and wonderful voice. He will be sadly missed in the rock and roll world”.

Lars Ulrich – “Dear Ronnie,
“I just got off stage in Zagreb. I was met with the news that you’ve passed on. I’m kind of in shock, but I wanted you to know that you were one of the main reasons I made it onto that stage to begin with.
“When I first saw you in Elf, opening for Deep Purple in 1975, I was completely blown away by the power in your voice, your presence on stage, your confidence, and the ease with which you seemed to connect to 6,000 Danish people and one starry-eyed 11-year-old, most of whom were not familiar with Elf’s music. The following year, I was so psyched when I heard the results of you joining forces with my favourite guitar player. You guys sounded so right for each other and I instantly became Rainbow’s #1 fan in Denmark.
“In the fall of 1976, when you played your first show in Copenhagen, I was literally in the front row and the couple of times we made eye contact you made me feel like the most important person in the world. The news that you guys were staying in town on your day off somehow embedded itself in my brain and I made the pilgrimage to the Plaza Hotel to see if I could somehow grab a picture, an autograph, a moment, anything. A few hours later you came out and were so kind and caring… pictures, autographs and a couple minutes of casual banter. I was on top of the world, inspired and ready for anything. Rainbow came to Copenhagen a couple more times over the next few years and each time you guys blew my mind, and for a good three years were my absolute favourite band on this planet.
“Over the years I’ve been fortunate enough to run into you a half dozen times or so and each time you were as kind, caring and gracious as you were in 1976 outside the hotel.
“When we finally got a chance to play together in Austria in 2007, even though I may not have let on, I was literally transformed back to that little snot-nosed kid who you met and inspired 31 years earlier and it was such a fucking honour and a dream come true to share a stage with you and the rest of the legends in Heaven & Hell.
“A couple of weeks ago when I heard that you were not going to be able to make it to the Sonisphere shows that we would be sharing this June, I wanted to call you and let you know that I was thinking of you and wish you well, but I kind of pussied out, thinking the last thing you needed in your recovery was feeling obligated to take a phone call from a Danish drummer/fan boy. I wish I’d made that call.
“We will miss you immensely on the dates, and we will be thinking of you with great admiration and affection during that run. It seemed so right to have you out on tour with the so-called ‘Big Four’ since you obviously were one of the main reasons that the four bands even exist.
“Your ears will definitely be burning during those two weeks because all of us will be talking, reminiscing and sharing stories about how knowing you has made our lives that much better.
“Ronnie, your voice impacted and empowered me, your music inspired and influenced me, and your kindness touched and moved me. Thank you.
“Much love.”

Kiss – “We mourn the tragic passing of the great Ronnie James Dio. In addition to his powerhouse vocal ability, Ronnie was a true gentleman who always emanated great warmth and friendship to us and everyone around him. We will miss him.”

Judas Priest – “We are filled with great sadness at the terrible news about our friend Ronnie James Dio.
“Our condolences and love go to Wendy and Ronnie’s family.
“Ronnie was a wonderful man and will be sorely missed.”

Slash – “His music will live for eternity”.

David Coverdale – “So very sad to hear of Ronnie’s passing… My thoughts, prayers and condolence to his family and friends”.

Scott Ian – “Rest in peace, Ronnie James Dio. Horns at half mast. Such a huge loss…
“So many memories of Ronnie. Toured together many times. He always had a kind word and a smile and he LOVED the Yankees.
“In 2004 on the Dio/Anthrax tour I would get the Yankee score every inning for Ronnie while he was on stage. He was so into it.
“Saw Black Sabbath on the ‘Black & Blue’ tour (Black Sabbath and Blue Oyster Cult) at Madison Square Garden, in 1980. First row centre.
“Ronnie was king of the world. Top three shows of all time.”

Twisted Sister – “The members of Twisted Sister, along with millions of metal fans around the world, mourn the death of our friend Ronnie James Dio. Ronnie not only was a giant in the worldwide metal scene, but he was also one of the nicest people you would ever want to meet. Beginning in 1983 when we first toured with Ronnie in Canada, and continuing over the last seven years when we played dozens of festivals around the world, Ronnie was one of the most supportive and gracious members of the music community.”

Glenn Hughes – “It is a very sad day today… I have lost a very dear friend.
“Ronnie was a true leader of heavy metal… an icon and a visionary… There will never be another like him.
“Ronnie gave me wisdom, and showed me great compassion when he was in Elf, all those years ago, when we were on tour together in my time in Deep Purple. He was a beautiful soul, kind, considerate and a wonderful teacher.
“Some day I’ll be bringing your microphone up there with me, and we’ll sing a song, and share a Vindaloo together…
“I’ll miss, you mate.”

Sebastian Bach – “Crying right now in remembrance of my hero and friend, Ronnie James Dio.
“Dio died this morning and he was a major, major part of my life. I got to do shows with him and work with him and I loved Dio my whole life.
“Thanks so much.
“The world has lost one of the best.
“Your last album was your best. Of course.”

Tony Iommi - "Yesterday 16th May my dear, dear friend Ronnie James Dio passed away at 7.45am LA time. I’ve been in total shock I just can’t believe he’s gone. Ronnie was one of the nicest people you could ever meet, we had some fantastic times together. Ronnie loved what he did, making music and performing on stage. He loved his fans so much. He was a kind man and would put himself out to help others. I can honestly say it’s truly been an honor to play at his side for all these years, his music will live on forever. Our thoughts are with Wendy Dio who stood by Ronnie until the end, he loved her very much. The man with the magic voice is a star amongst stars, a true professional. I’ll miss you so much my dear friend. RIP - Tony"

Iron Maiden - “It is with huge sadness we hear that Ronnie has lost his battle against stomach cancer, and our heartfelt condolences go out to his wife Wendy and family at this terrible time. From his earlier years in Elf, Black Sabbath and Dio, right through to his most recent days fronting Heaven and Hell, Ronnie, time and again, proved his genius as a frontman, always giving his all to his fans and his music. Ronnie was not only an incredibly gifted singer but also a wonderfully warm, intelligent and generous person and this shone through both on and off stage leaving a positive mark on everyone he came into contact with. A longstanding friend of Maiden, we played many shows together over the years and we will all miss him greatly.
“The world has lost an irreplaceable talent and, first and foremost, one of the finest human beings you could ever wish to meet.”
Steve, Bruce, Adrian, Dave, Janick, Nicko and Rod

Lemmy - "I'm truly upset, especially since he seemed to be rallying at the Golden Gods show."Bon Voyage, Ronnie. Rest in peace. "I'm devastated"

Brian May - “It's a shock to hear that Ronnie has gone. Even though we had all known he was battling with cancer for some time, he was such a wiry fighter, and of such an amazingly optimistic nature, I think I assumed he would go on forever.
“Well, he fought to the very end ... was gearing up to go back out on tour ... I know this will be a very hard blow for my friend Tony Iommi. When I last saw Ronnie in Los Angeles, he was as full of life and positivity as anybody I've ever known ... and sang up a storm with Heaven and Hell in the Universal Amphitheatre. In my opinion, Ronnie was one of the creators of the genre of Heavy Metal. I'm not an expert on his work - there are many people much more knowledgeable than me ... but our paths crossed many times over the years, and I had clear glimpses of his unique spirit and personality. He was in many ways the antithesis of the current mould of TV-bred singers. He had no apparent desire for fame, in the sense that so many X-factor contestants seem to. He was not a TV face, a 'celebrity'. He just loved doing what he did. So, to his millions of fans, there was an unquestionable feeling of reality to his persona, his song-writing, and his performances. His lyric-writing was very distinctive, and set a style in Heavy Metal which has influenced many bands over the years. To me, it was as if his mind operated in layers - on the surface, a hard-working honest singer, with a great humanity and strong sense of humour - and underneath, in the world of his songs, his subconscious seemed to be populated by hobgoblins of all kinds, and palpable evil forever on the march. His lyrics, dark and mysterious, in tune with the Metal ethos, always represented the sword of goodness in triumph over evil. I don't know if he invented the Devil-Horn Salute, but he was certainly the man who, more than ever, made it a universal symbol, a world wide salute of Metal. He was universally loved in the community of Rock Music, and will be sorely missed.”

Nikki Sixx - “Rest in Peace Ronnie. You inspired millions of us.”

Steve Vai - "Dio was a shining light of rock/metal authenticity. He was a completely dedicated artist with massive talent. It's likely that his vital contributions will continue to inspire well into the future. He is now legend. But more than all this, Ronnie was a really cool guy. I mean reeeally cool.
"God bless you, brutha."

Ozzy Osbourne - "I was very saddened to hear of the passing of Ronnie James Dio. Metal has truly lost one of its greatest voices. My heart goes out to his family and to his many fans."

Graham Bonnett - "It was a horrible day yesterday.
"I want to thank him for being a good friend, and drawing the map for me, when I was in doubt of the role I would play in RAINBOW.
"My musical background was so different from his but I listened and learned the way to be a replacement, as such and followed the master of hard rock singing, and the name he used to call me — 'Gray'... the only American that abbreviated my name that way. It was funny to hear..."Thanks, Ron!! And Wendy, I know, will keep him in her heart forever."My love goes out to him and his family...
"Only one Ronnie!"

Queensryche - "Ronnie James Dio was undoubtedly one of heavy metal's greatest performers and will continue to influence the world of heavy metal forever. He was certainly a very big influence on QUEENSRŸCHE and along the way became a cherished friend too. We will all miss him greatly, but Ronnie will live on every time we raise our metal horns high! The man on the silver mountain will always be our rainbow in the dark."

Never eat fish unless it's the proper shape!

The elusive white crumbly

I saw a white crumbly today. The first one I've seen for many a year. It was on the unpleasant side of Mirehouse.

White crumblies were very common in the 70's, but are so rare these days that they are worth 15 points from Big Chief Eye-Spy in the Eye-Spy Book of Feaces.

It was a rare treat to see one again.

* I decided not to upload the photo!

Optimist, Pessimist, and Realist

What would you do?

What would you do if the company that you worked for required you to work on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day, but wouldn't pay you anything extra for it - and then called you ungrateful for even suggesting such payment?

What would you do if they made you work longer hours on weekend evenings, making your unsociable working hours even more so for no good reason, or even any advantage to themselves?

What would you do if they accused you of falsifying records, when you had actually written exactly what they told you to?

What would you do if they altered the equipment that you worked with every day in such a way that there was a possibility that using that equipment could result in an accident which could potentially injure or kill unsuspecting members of the public every time you operated it?

What would you do if the company that you worked for did all of these things without discussing it with you, and without notice, and refused to listen when you complained?

What would you do if the stress caused by all of this was beginning to take it's toll on your health?

I'm a 'househusband' now!

What should I eat?

Walking Again

So I decided that March was the time to try to get a bit fitter again for the summer. I did this last year and managed to loose a bit of weight and go down by two jean sizes. Fairly easy really - a combination of eating healthier, and walking every day.

I put about two thirds of the weight back on over the winter, so time to try again.

Two weeks in, I have walked 68 miles and lost half a stone so far. I have blisters on my feet, but it's going well.

Friday The 12th

Jason always weeps when this happens

Knives & Stabbing!

I had a strange dream last night. My friend Chris Baker was in WH Smiths buying a magazine. I asked him what he had bought and he showed me the mag which was called 'Knives & Stabbing'. I was surprised that there was a magazine about stabbing, and Chris led me to a section of the racks with more, similar titles - 'Practical Stabbing', 'Amateur Stabber', and others. I woke myself up laughing!

It fell on the floor - should I eat it?

Ten greatest albums

Choosing your favourite 10 albums of all time from the hundreds available to you is never easy. Different albums appeal in different ways and your choices change throughout your life. I found it even more difficult to put the 10 albums I chose into any kind of order of preference, so the order that they are in here may be subject to constant change...

1:
Guns N' Roses
Appetite for Destruction (1987)

Never before or since has there been a more complete album than "Appetite for Destruction". Every track is highlighted with the incredible talents of Slash, as well as the many tones of the talented but troubled Axl Rose. From beginning to end this album rocks, and you want to hear every song over and over again. Not a weak song in the bunch. "Appetite for Destruction" is possibly the best album ever released, and certainly the best debut album ever. It's difficult to understand how this bunch of drugged up drunken tramps managed to come up with this magic, but they did it somehow! This is two-fisted, in your face rock'n'roll that ranks up with any album song for song, lyric for lyric, distaste for distaste. This is rock 'n roll. Too bad the Boys tasted success and forgot how to be a rock band. This album reeks of Jack Daniels and brings back memories of many a drunken party night!

2
Deep Purple
Deep Purple in Rock (1970)

This is where it all began. In the early days of heavy rock, three bands took loud electric blues as their starting point and then went in three rather different directions. Black Sabbath took the "dark path" and arguably invented the grungy, occult obsessed side of metal. Led Zeppelin transcended the blues and became the fab four of the genre, inventing stoner rock. Deep Purple on the other hand were the jazzier bunch. They were the better musicians and this album proves it. Lord was formally trained, Paice had more swing than Bonham and Gillan was a more versatile vocalist than Plant. The interplay between the band members on "In Rock" is ferocious and their dexterity is outstanding. This album serves as a great reminder of just how talented a guitarist Ritchie Blackmore is (was?). His fret speed is a direct precursor to Van Halens blistering finger work, and influenced many of the great rock guitarists that emerged in the 70's. This album deserves recognition for the way its stunning power, volume and energy completely blew away practically anything people had heard at the time, and perhaps even more so for the fact that you can play it to modern metal/hard rock fans and they will often be still be blown away by the same qualities.

3
Thin Lizzy
Black Rose: A Rock Legend (1979)

Black Rose stands alone as a Lizzy album, being the only one that features Gary Moore on every track. Moore had just replaced Brian Robertson on lead guitar and his presence instils a more 'metallic' edge in their music than in previous recordings. "Do Anything You Want To" is the anthemic opening track with that memorable kettle-drum beat. "Waiting For An Alibi" is a classic rocker and "S&M" is a funk-laden satirical piece on you know what. After the mild ballad "Sarah", Lizzy crank it up again with the sadly autobiographical (for Lynott) anti-drug/drink song, "Got To Give It Up", the punkish "Get Out Of Here", the smooth "With Love" and finally, the multi-layered title track which was heavily influenced by Lynott's Irish roots. This was Lizzy's highest selling album, and the first one that I bought. Several years ago, I quit a job due to the boss being a complete arse. As I drove away, "Do anything you want to" aptly came on my car stereo. "Hey you... You're not their puppet on a string, you can do anything". Pure class!

4
Alice Cooper
Welcome to My Nightmare (1982)

This was the first Alice Cooper solo album and undoubtably his best. All eleven tracks are flawless and it's an album that just gets better and better with age. The title track is the perfect opening number, then Vincent Price works his horror magic on the track "Devil's Food" which segues brilliantly into "Black Widow". Track four is the jazz rocker "Some Folks" which delves into canniblism while "Only Women Bleed" is a beautiful sounding ballad that deals with spousal abuse. "Department of Youth" is an anthemic rocker which is essentially about rebelliance. The black humour of "Cold Ethyl" deals with necrophilia while the "Steven" trilogy ("Years Ago", "Steven" and "The Awakening") is fittingly creepy. Brilliantly wierd throughout. I was hooked on this from the moment I saw Alice performing the title track on the Muppet Show!

5
Rainbow
Rising (1976)

"Rising" was probably Ritchie Blackmore's finest creation. But Ronnie James Dio's contribution to this album cannot be denied, with his extraordinary power and range demonstrated at it's best on tracks such "A Light In The Black" and "Tarot Woman". And if there is a better 15 minutes or so of heavy rock ever recorded that the "Stargazer"/"Light in the Black" combination I have yet to hear it. "Rising" is six tracks of classics never again to be matched by post-Dio lineups. Despite the hit singles with Bonnet and Turner, every true Rainbow fan knows the power this mark 2 lineup had and if there ever is a reunion of Rainbow this (with the exception of Cozy Powell - RIP) can be the only line-up of Rainbow we want to see. My cat jumped onto my turntable when "Tarot Woman" was playing after I came home from school one day, making a scratch across the keyboard intro. The CD version does not sound complete without the regular 'crack' sound that this created!

6
Rush
A Farewell to Kings (1977)

Between 1976 and 1981 Rush released what were arguably their finest recordings. Starting with "2112" and ending with "Moving Pictures", Rush released music that was quite simply untouchable. The quality of the musicianship has to be heard to be believed and it was quite obvious that the group were giving everything in an attempt to create something special. Choosing the best of these albums is a hard task, but I choose "A Farewell To Kings". Intricate solos and amazing inventiveness that sound as fresh as ever 25 years on. The album starts off with the beautifully crafted title track, that shows what an underrated guitar talent Alex Lifeson is. Beginning with classical guitar, then progressing into a solid piece of trademark Rush, complete with thumping, Geddy Lee intricate bass lines and precision percussion from Neil Peart which is perfectly intertwined with the virtuoso guitar work. "Closer To The Heart" is classic song, that is still a mainstay of the live show, with a beautifully phrased classical guitar intro, that bursts into an intelligent anthem, which is both excellent and timeless. The musicianship and unit solidarity was in full flow on this epic masterpiece of an album.

7
Queen
A Night at the Opera (1975)

During the 70s Queen were one of the biggest bands around. With their shameless theatrical bombast and equal propensity for blistering hard rock and vaudevillian camp, not to mention their instrumental prowess and Freddy Mercury's otherworldly voice.. If you wanted a blueprint for a great rock band, Queen would be it. And 1975's "A Night at the Opera" was their crowning moment. The album's defining characteristic is its lofty operatic pretensions. This is most obvious and comes to a head in that overwrought masterpiece "Bohemian Rhapsody", but even in heavier ("like Death on Two Legs", the scathing opener) and lighter (such as the short-but-sweet "Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon") the operatic aspirations are evident. The songwriting itself is uniformly impressive as well. Freddie Mercury takes the spotlight with his vocal acrobatics and as the prime instigator of the album's bombast, holding the bulk of its song credits. But my favourite track is"'39", which is Brian May's baby. After "Bohemian Rhapsody" has faded away the album closes out with a histrionic, tongue-in-cheek performance of the British national anthem "God Save the Queen", and that about says it for the album, and for Queen themselves. "A Night at the Opera" is a masterwork of ostentation and an absolute classic.

8
Mötley Crüe
Dr. Feelgood (1989)

"Dr. Feelgood" belongs in the same category as AC/DC's "Back in Black". It's commercially appealing, yet tough enough and unique enough to stand out as a real gem in the metal band genre. Motley Crue were at their best on this album. Every song here is excellent. The title track and "Kickstart My Heart" were clearly two of the best metal songs made to date. "Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away) is a a hard-edged, melodic anthem which any modern rock band would be proud to have written. The Crue danced that fine line of not being too glam and not being too pop with just the right amount of excessive metal injected in to the music. This is a commercial masterpiece. A notable thing about this album is that it was the first album the Crue did after they sobered up. Commercial success and genre cred can be a result of cleaning up your act. Aerosmith did the same thing. The best night of my life was spent in The NEC at Birmingham watching the Crue performing these songs on the Dr Feelgood tour.

9
Judas Priest
Screaming for Vengeance (1982)

Judas Priest released a hot streak of classic album releases between the years 1976 and 1982 which secured their place in the Heavy Metal history books. "Screaming For Vengeance" was the best of the bunch to me, probably largely due to the fact that it's release coincided with the time that I left school and started to experience the freedom of the grown-up world. Opening the album is the classic pairing of "The Hellion"/"Electric Eye". Unbeatable as a live show opener, and featuring a killer guitar solo by Glenn Tipton. "Electric Eye" then leads seamlessly into "Riding On the Wind". Listening to the guitar trade off in this song, you can hear an incredible difference between Glenn and K.K.'s guitars. Both are on top form, creating a truly unique and great listening experience. "Bloodstone", "Take These Chains", "Fever", and the title track, which features another fantastic dual guitar solo, are all equally excellent songs. Widely different from one another, but all fully representative of the Priest sound. A classic album which Priest never bettered in my opinion. Although their 2005 comeback album "Angel Of Retribution" does come temptingly close.

10
Wednesday 13
Transylvania 90210: Songs of Death, Dying, and the Dead (2005)

Shock! horror! a modern album in my list of classics! If you're into artists such as Alice Cooper, Motley Crue, Twisted Sister and of course Murderdolls, you will probably find yourself reluctantly enjoying this album! Right from first track, "Look What The Bats Dragged In" Wednesday and his gruesome gang deliver the catchiest of guitar riffs and tongue in cheek horror film inspired vocals, and they come together to form what is these days sadly a rariety- a genuinely good rock n roll album. Great music, showing ghoulish charm from Wednesday 13. The album gives out a great vibe when you listen to it and you won't be able to stop! Sing along anthems such as "Bad Things", "The Ghost Of Vincent Price" and "I Walked With A Zombie" hark back to a better time, reminiscent of classic Alice Cooper or Motley Crue. This is feel good rock at its best, something we need alot more of these days!'

Harmonica hero

Bands at the old Whitehaven Whitehouse

Many thanks to Toddy for providing this gem.

Back in the mists of time, we Whitehaven headbangers used to get our fix of live rock music at the old Whitehouse nightclub in Whitehaven. Many top bands played there back in the 80's, but memories of exactly who, and when, were mostly fading from my memory.

Somehow, local rock stalwarts Toddy and Bob managed to come up with a comprehensive list:

• 11/02/1982 Berni Torme + Hammerhead
• 15/07/1982 Chinatown
• 30/09/1982 Rough Justice
• 24/02/1983 Saracen
• 19/05/1983 Solstice + Pendragon
• 23/06/1983 Wrathchild
• 07/07/1983 Chasar
• 04/08/1983 Martin Turners Wolfgang
• 18/08/1983 Shywolf
• 15/09/1983 Quasar
• 01/10/1983 Pendragon
• 01/11/1983 Engine
• 24/11/1983 Chasar
• 15/11/1983 Mamma Boys
• 30/12/1983 Engine
• 01/03/1984 Magnum
• 12/03/1984 The Enid
• 22/03/1984 Berni Torme
• 26/04/1984 Pallas + Warrior
• 15/06/1984 Grand Slam
• 21/06/1984 Dagaband
• 06/07/1984 Tysondog
• 11/07/1984 Spider
• 13/07/1984 Chasar
• 26/07/1984 Young Blood
• 01/08/1984 Spider
• 16/08/1984 Damascus
• 30/08/1984 Dumpys Rusty Nuts
• 14/09/1984 Baby Tuckoo
• 20/09/1984 Tobruk
• 27/09/1984 Breadline
• 12/10/1984 Nazareth + Black Angels
• 18/10/1984 Tysondog
• 24/10/1984 Tobruk
• 22/11/1984 Pauline Gillans Northern Dancer
• 29/11/1984 Girlschool + Jaguar
• 06/12/1984 Solstice
• 13/12/1984 Terraplane
• 20/12/1984 Engine + Groundhogs + Parfitt & Rossi
• 03/01/1985 Seducer
• 01/02/1985 Magnum + Carrier
• 28/02/1985 Dumpys Rusty Nuts
• 01/03/1985 Solstice
• 25/04/1985 Mammas Boys + Alaska
• 16/05/1985 Baby Tuckoo
• 30/05/1985 Magnum + Multi Story
• 24/07/1985 Breadline
• 12/02/1986 Breadline
• Summer 84 Rough Justice
• Summer 85 Angelwitch

There are some great memories on that list for me. One of my favourite being the night Angelwitch played for just six of us! There is an interview online ( http://hem.passagen.se/lillie/kevin.html ) where one of the band states that night in Whitehaven as the worst of his career - but those of us who were there thought such a personal performance was fab!

A few surprises on there too, especially Terraplane. Didn't realise that Danny & Luke from Thunder had played The Whitehouse. I don't know how I missed that one!

Did notice a couple of omissions, but they are both local bands, so I'm not sure if T&B intended to include all those.

I'm pretty sure that the first live band I ever saw was 'Original Sin' (John Young) at The Whitehouse. This was before my first 'proper' gig - (Saxon, Carlisle, December 1980) - so it would probably have been in 1980.

Also, 'Teacher', which was Aidan's old band. Not so sure about this one, and of course poor Aidan isn't around to confirm this any more :(

There was also 'Liquid Gold' (Dance Yourself Dizzy!) But I guess the guys were only listing proper music?!?!

Computer expert

Goodbye Aidan

I'm not very good at this.

My friend of over 25 years, Aidan Curwen, was found dead in his flat this week. At the moment, we do not know what happened to him. It doesn't make much difference really - he has gone.

Aidan was well known as a musician, and played guitar in a number of local bands. He would always pick up a guitar to entertain if he found himself near one at a party or in a pub. Recently, he was enjoying his position in the Whitehaven band, 'Telf'.

Lou and me got married in October last year, and Aidan was the one who thoughtfully arranged for Telf to play for free for us at our night do. I am so gratefull that he did this, because in doing so he has added to the happy memories that we have - not only of our wedding, but also of the times that we spent with Aidan. He also organised the gear for, and participated in, our wedding karaoki the previous day, which we have some great photos of.

I will also always remember him at the last party that he came to at our house last year, when he played my crappy guitar and amp and made it sound better than I ever thought it was capable of!

Aidan used to visit me at work for a chat when I was on night shift. He was a thoughtful person, and always carried his camera looking for an opportunity to photograph a beautiful sunset, or a busy scene on the fishing boats.

I suspect that Aidan was not aware of how popular he was, and I think that he would have been very surprised to see his death featured prominently in the local papers.

WHITEHAVEN NEWS - LOCAL MUSICIAN FOUND DEAD

Rest in peace Aidan. You WILL be missed.

Tesco announces plans for a store in every home

SUPERMARKET giant Tesco is to invest £300 billion in a major expansion plan which will see it build a mini-store attached to every home in Britain within the next five years. The retailing superstar said it would add on one of its new Tesco Extension branded outlets to the rear of every house in the country, even those which contained poor people. Tesco checkout supervisor Mr Tumnus Each unit, which will be the size of a large conservatory, will be erected overnight with the minimum of disruption to people's lives, and will be accessible from the family kitchen through the rear of the existing fridge. Customers will pass through the fridge into their own private Tesco wonderland, stocked with a full range of essential grocery products including hot dog sausages, pork and leek sausages, and cumberland sausages. Sir Terry Leahy, Tesco chief executive, said: "We wanted to bring back some of the magic and wonder of shopping for mums and their children. The new Tesco Extension stores will be the Narnia of the supermarket world." However, it does not look as if Tesco is going to have it all its own way. Rival Sainsbury is already planning a fightback with its own Dr Who themed brand of individual home-based stores. It is planning to attach a small police phone box to the rear of every British home, even those that already have a Tesco Extension. Even though the Sainsbury store will be smaller on the outside than the rival Tesco outlet it will be bigger on the inside, the supermarket claimed, allowing it to stock an even greater variety of sausages. In addition, Sainsbury said its stores will be able to travel through time thus ending forever the need to throw away food which has gone past its use-by date.

Nirvana ruined everything - Steel Panther can fix it!

Let's face it: rock'n'roll is inherently ridiculous. Rock stars make a living wearing clothes that would get them laughed at on the street and striking poses that would get them beaten up at the pub. If you don't believe me, watch any metal video from the 80s with the sound turned down.

Most of the greatest rock'n'rollers are total frauds - nice, middle-class boys pretending to be hoodlums (or revolutionaries, or sorcerers, or space aliens). Mick Jagger was studying economics before he decided to make a living imitating hard-luck bluesmen. Jimmy Page was a clock-punching studio musician. Jim Morrison's dad was an admiral in the US navy. Pretence became part of the package when glam rolled around. Alice Cooper - a minister's son from bible belt America - pretended to be the Devil's daughter. Then blew his cover when he started playing golf with Bing Crosby. David Bowie pretended to be a trisexual Nazi alien, but was actually a nice suburban lad with a wife and child. Freddie Mercury didn't spring out of a manhole on Carnaby Street, replete in chiffon and taffeta, he'd had a traditional Parsi upbringing in India.

Punk rock wasn't any more 'authentic' than glam. The New York Dolls pretended to be transvestites, then turned around and pretended to be communists. Feminist icon Debbie Harry was previously a Playboy bunny. Joe Strummer's father was not actually a bank robber, but a life-long paper shuffler at the Foreign Office.

All this hummed along quite nicely for decades. Kids paid their money to watch slightly older kids dress up like idiots, pose around on stage and repackage the same old chord progressions over and over again in cleverly marketed genres like acid, glam, metal, punk and new wave. Queen, Van Halen, Motley Crue, Poison, Whitesnake, Twisted Sister. It was big, dumb, loud and ridiculous - the way it should be.

No-one suspected that an army of party poopers were waiting in the wings to rain on rock'n'roll's parade. Despite what some people think, grunge didn't emerge fully formed with the release of Nirvana's 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' in 1991. It actually began in the early 80s when hardcore bands like Flipper, Butthole Surfers and Black Flag began playing dumbed-down versions of their favourite Grand Funk Railroad and Black Oak Arkansas songs through cheap, crap equipment.

Pretending to be hard-bitten social realists, the grunge-sters embraced the worst aspects of Jerry Springer Americana - from trailer-trash fashion statements (ripped jeans, ill-fitting plaid shirts, unfortunate facial hair), to bad drugs and piss beer, to drag racing and trash cinema. It was all meant to be ironic, but soon gave over to po-faced shoe-staring. And none of the grunge-sters received the memo that said that no one really listened to rock'n'roll' for social realism in the first place. But the world at large was happily unmolested by grunge for most of the 80s, until Nirvana came around with a multi-million selling phenomenon called 'Nevermind' and ruined everything.

Since no one in the business could figure out why kids liked 'Nevermind', the record companies went on a signing binge, blowing millions on legions of would-be Nirvanas. Soon the airwaves were clogged with earnest baritones moaning about how hopeless it all was. But after a diet of insta-grunge for a few years, America's pampered teenagers decided this mix of trashy garage rock and goodbye-cruel-world nihilism was icky. Overnight, grunge died. Once grunge's plywood casket was buried, The Sex Pistols and the Kiss rose from the dead almost immediately, as if summoned by our mass unconscious to reignite our belief in rock'n'roll's glamorously decadent past. It was as if we were begging daddy to put the Santa Claus costume back on so we could believe once again.

Since then we've had some truly exciting bands come along and relight the fire. But even the snazziest acts - all the ones who've come along in the past 10 years and tried to make us forget that we'd already peered behind the curtain - have had a vaguely disappointing character to them, like rain on your birthday.

Will rock'n'roll ever mean as much as it once did in the 60s and 70s? It's hard to say. Grunge really fucked things up good. We probably can't return to pretending that rock'n'roll can change the world. What we need is a period of total, outrageous decadence. We need bands that make Kiss look like Pearl Jam, and The Darkness sound like Coldplay. We need excess to the max: make-up, orchestras, dry ice, pyro, dynamite with a laser beam, you name it. Rock'n'roll needs to get really stupid again. But in a good way.

The whole idea of rock'n'roll is to temporarily relieve the shattering dullness of modern suburban life. After 10,000 years of human striving, what do we have to show for the sacrifices and labours of our forebears? Microwave TV dinners? Starsky And Hutch re-runs? You withstand acne, bullying and rejection in school and what do you get? If you're lucky you get more of the same in some miserable dead-end job - minus the acne. We don't need Nickelback's Chad Kroeger telling us about his stupid problems, We need the next David Lee Roth telling us he is hot for teacher!

In his suicide note, Kurt Cobain rued that he didn't live for the adulation of the crowd the way that Freddie Mercury did. Well, perhaps he would have done had Nirvana offered something other than adolescent 'Dear Diary' whining and moaning. Freddie revelled in the transformative possibilities of pure showbiz, which took him out of a dreary Indian public school and allowed him to stand in front of huge audiences and be adored. But Freddie knew that it's all fake. And that's what the audience need: a bit of escape from the boredom of the office or the classroom or the bedsit. If you're going to be a whore, act the part. After all, the best paid whores are the ones who can convince their clients that they enjoy their jobs.

Steel Panther - it's all yours for the taking!

Don't talk to strangers

Once upon a time there was a tavern

We visited The Tavern in Whitehaven for the first time last night (was Taylor's Tavern). It has been refurbished, and is very nice. They stock bottles of Crabbies Ginger Ale, so it's a thumbs up from me. The only problem is there are not enough seats. Did I just say there aren't enough seats? I must be getting old.

For The Tavern's Facebook page, with pics, etc. click here

Electricity - read and learn

As you probably know, electricity is the thing that happens when two clouds rub together. Lightening is produced, and in no time at all lightening conductors are sent by the Electricity Board to direct it to nearby pylons, enormous electrical lamposts found mainly in the countryside. Nowadays we think nothing of relaxing in an electric chair while electric ovens use 'microwaves' (tiny, invisible amounts of hot water) to cook our meals. We use electrocution to help us talk more properly, while in the bedroom electric blankets fold themselves. But things weren't always this easy.

It was of course Sir Issac Walton who invented the electric cable, while waiting for the kettle to boil. He decided to suspend an apple from a wire strung between two opposite poles in a magnetic field near his home. Cable or 'telegraph' poles like these are now an everyday sight in Britain. The invention of electricity, so named after the 'electricity meters' underneath the stairs in which it is kept, meant that previously 'wireless' radios could now be plugged in, giving them pictures. Almost overnight, television had been born. Electricity charges of 240 volts (about £5 per week) are common place today, but electricity had been free up until the time of the Norman Conquest. Norman's brother, William the Conqueror caused an electric storm when he announced that people would have to pay for their electricity. This earned him the nickname 'Electricity Bill', a term which is still in use today.

There are two main types of electricity. The first, which we use everyday to light our rooms, comes in bulbs, a special kind of onion grown in the soil (hence its name 'earth' electricity.) 'Live' electricity, which comes from animals, is far more dangerous, as King Canute discovered when a spider burnt his cakes giving him an 'electric shock'. But it was Dr David Livingstone, with his unusual ability to talk to animals, who first harnessed this form of electricity. His 'Davy' lamp, containing a bright yellow canary, was used to light coal mines, and these 'miner' birds are today a popular household pet.

As recently as 1966 Sir Stanley Matthews was awarded the World Cup for his discovery that the electric atmosphere found inside football stadiums could be used to power enormous 'floodlights' during periods of heavy rainfall. More recently 'Damns' (so named by an architect after he'd forgotten to leave a gap for the water while building a bridge) have been used to prevent flooding.

In Britain today there are millions of 'electric fans', people who prefer electricity to other forms of energy.

For further information send a SAE to your nearest Electrical Dealer or write to the Electricity Consumer's Council, a voluntary organisation set up to help people who have consumed large amounts of electric currants etc.

1980 - heavy metal's greatest year?

1980 was surely heavy metal's finest hour (year). My 15th year on the planet produced many of the heavy metal albums which are now regarded as the classics. Of the 28 albums listed below, I managed to get hold of 20, despite still being at school. I don't think much of my dinner money was spent on food that year!

• AC/DC - Back in Black
• Accept - I'm a Rebel
• Alice Cooper - Flush the Fashion
• Angel Witch - Angel Witch
• Black Sabbath - Heaven and Hell
• Blue Öyster Cult - Cultösaurus Erectus
• Def Leppard - On Through the Night
• Diamond Head - Lightning to the Nations
• Gamma - Gamma 2
• Gillan - Glory Road
• Girlschool - Demolition
• Iron Maiden - Iron Maiden
• Judas Priest - British Steel
• Kiss - Unmasked
• Krokus - Metal Rendez-vous
• Motörhead - Ace of Spades
• Ozzy Osbourne - Blizzard of Ozz
• Queen - The Game
• Rush - Permanent Waves
• Samson - Head On
• Saxon - Wheels of Steel
• Saxon - Strong Arm of the Law
• Scorpions - Animal Magnetism
• Thin Lizzy - Chinatown
• Tygers Of Pan Tang - Wild Cat
• UFO - No Place to Run
• Van Halen - Women and Children First
• Whitesnake - Ready An' Willing

How many did you buy? (if you were even born then!)

Annoying TV ad (Maltesers)

There is a current TV advertisement for Maltesers which puzzles me. It is shown on ITV at around the time when 'Loose Women' is on, and is one of a series of ads featuring a married blonde lady who gets up to various 'naughty' things whilst eating maltesers.

In the ad in question, she 'accidentally' turns on a tap, which soaks a handyman who she has presumably employed to work in her garden. Her and her friend then rush towards the man, fighting over which of them will 'help' him with his wet clothes. The ad then ends before we see the outcome.

What are we supposed to think happens next? Are they going to sexually molest him against his wishes? Or if he is up for it, are we missing out on some sort of garden porn scene? It is probably the former, because in another of the series of ads, the blonde lady nips the arse of a clown who is entertaining her children.

Is it just me, or do this woman's actions go slightly beyond 'naughty'? Look at it this way, if the advert featured two men who had deliberately wet a lone woman's clothes in order to make lecherous advances towards her, what would that look like? Would it be seen as humourous and deemed acceptable viewing for mid-day TV? Make your own mind up!

Twisted Sister now willing to 'take it'

In a stunning reversal of their long-stated reluctance to take it, members of heavy metal band Twisted Sister announced on Monday that, after 24 years of fervent refusal, they are now willing to take it.

"I acknowledge that we promised not to take it anymore, but things change. The world is a different place today, and with that in mind, we would like to go on record as saying that, starting right now, we are prepared to take it," read a statement released by the band's lead singer, Dee Snider.

"To clarify, we would still prefer not to take it, but as of now, taking it is an option that we would be open to. That is all."

Bassist Mark "the Animal" Mendoza also stated that, in regards to what he wants to do with his life, he no longer solely wants to rock, but would instead prefer doing other things as well, such as raising a family and working as a claims adjuster in Rye, NY.

45 is the new 25

Some people have noticed lately that there's a trend among middle-aged men to dress and act like 25-year-olds. And my response to that is: Duh... Who the hell wants to think of themselves as being middle-aged? Who wants to go through life looking and acting like a walking Viagra commercial? What do middle-aged men have to look forward to anyway, except things as appealing as redundancy, erectile dysfunction and prostate exams?

Perhaps there's something more than fashion to this latest outbreak of juvenility. A few years back, a Harvard University researcher ran an experiment. She gathered some old folks from a nursing home and took them to an abandoned monastery. There she recreated (as best she could) the world of the early 1950s. The music, the TV shows, the clothes, the appliances, you name it, it was like a Happy Days theme park. In her observations she noticed that her subjects became more lively and engaged - and were generally healthier - while in this nostalgic environment. In other words, they were becoming younger. When the experiment was over and the oldsters returned to God's waiting room, the effects reversed themselves.

If that study was accurate, then the generation that came of age in the early-to-mid 70s should be doing cartwheels and back-flips. Aerosmith, Black Sabbath, UFO, Rush, Deep Purple, Status Quo, Whitesnake, Alice Cooper, Nazareth, The Rolling Stones, Iron Maiden, Scorpions, Van Halen, Judas Priest, AC/DC and The Who have all toured in recent years, and many of these acts are playing the same types of large venues they did 30 years ago.

Rock'n'roll has never been known for its retirement benefits package, and a reunion tour or two or five might act as a nice pension program for ageing rockers. The days of living off your CD reissue royalty checks are long gone. But the reason that many older bands are still packing them in is that most can still rock harder than those a third their age. Who would have thought The Rolling Stones and The Who would still be alive in 2006, never mind selling out stadiums? Say what you will about the Queen/Paul Rodgers alliance, just don't say that it didn't rock. So how is it that these people are still out there, and in many cases playing better than they did in their supposed heyday? The fact that many of them have Betty Ford'ed or Priory'ed their various chemical dependencies away has a lot to do with it, but the secret also lies in the music itself.

I like a lot of different types of music, but I am most passionate about loud guitar music. Call it hard rock, heavy metal, punk, hardcore... labels don't matter. There's something not only stimulating but also rejuvenating about crunching guitars and pounding drums. I can be depressed and run down, and a great hard rock song can not only lift my spirits but also actually change my physical state. The music gets the endorphins and the testosterone flowing.

It's no accident then that the powers that be have always worked so hard to put down unruly music. When not buggering slave boys, Plato found time to propose that music should be regulated by the state. In the Middle Ages the Church banned the tritone - which Wagner and Tony Iommi later took to the bank. And slave owners forbade the use of drums in the Colonial era. The sporadic witch hunts against rock'n'roll are simply the latest chapter of this age-old story. Those with power want it all for themselves, and have always known there's something very dangerous about powerful music.

It's like this: if you sit around and smoke fags and eat crap food all your life, your body is going to respond in kind; it's going to bloat and break down and eventually fall apart. Read 'Hello!' and religeously watch trash TV like Big Brother regularly and the same thing will happen to your brains. If you sit around and listen to nothing but the latest Eric Clapton or Steely Dan mewlings all day — or James Blunt or Dido, for that matter — your body is going to slow down and get kind of sluggish and the aging process will eventually accelerate. I'm not saying you should subsist solely on a diet of Slayer and Soundgarden, but what has differentiated the rock'n'roll generation from their parents is the inherent power of the music to keep you vital. So make time to jump about your flat in your underwear with loud music on for 20 minutes a day and you'll trim down, feel less stressed, and more people will want to have sex with you. It's true, I read it somewhere.

They told us when we were growing up that rock'n'roll was just a phase; we would grow out of it and listen to 'serious' music. We'd get sick of head-banging, action movies and video games and get serious about our entertainment. But to my mind, 'serious entertainment' is an oxymoron. In a world of outsourcing, downsizing, global warming and 9/11, I don't need any more 'serious'. When I flick on the TV I want to see some babe in a rubber catsuit mowing down werewolves and radioactive mutants. If I blow 50 quid going to see a band, they damn well better blow me away, not feckin' enlighten me!

Escapist fantasy? You bet! Because this increasingly God-forsaken world is nothing if not escape-worthy. This world is too fucked up not to rock'n'roll.

Here comes the snow

Looks like the snow has finally reached Whitehaven this morning. It's a bit on and off, but it is snowing heavily and laying as I type.

David Coverdale’s rules for a happier life

David Coverdale has listed his top 5 rules for men to follow to achieve a happier life. They are:

1. It's important to have a woman who cooks from time to time, cleans and has a job.

2. It's important to have a woman who can make you laugh.

3. It's important to have a woman whom you can trust and who doesn't lie to you.

4. It's important to have a woman who is good in bed and who likes to be with you.

5. It's very, very important that these four women do not know each other.

"Who talkin’ abouta sex?"

Two Italian men get on a bus. They sit down and engage in an animated conversation.

The lady sitting next to them ignores them at first, but her attention is drawn when she hears one of them say the following:

"Emma comes first… den I come. Den two asses come together. I come once-a-more! Two asses… they come together again. I come again and pee twice. Then I come one lasta time.'

The lady can't take this any more. "You foul-mouthed sex-obsessed pig," she retorts indignantly. "In this country, we don't speak aloud in public places about our sex lives."

"Hey, coola downa lady," said the man. "Who talkin' abouta sex? I'm a justa tellin my frienda how to spell 'Mississippi'."

New year, new blog

Here we go... Gonna recycle a few old Myspace blog posts to kick things off and test the system.