Live Aid; July 13, 1985

Hey, any of you heard of that guy from Dublin? The one who always wears the shades? Fights AIDS? That’s right, long time Joshua Tree enthusiast and immunodeficiency fighter Bono has just become the richest rock star in the world. Take that Paul McCartney! The U2 frontman isn’t technically the richest rock star just yet, but by tomorrow, May 18, he will be. Tomorrow, a social networking site that you might have heard of will go public, meaning you can buy and trade stocks for those of you who don’t watch enough Mad Money. That’s right, back in 2009, Bono’s equity firm, Elevation Partners, bought 2.3 percent of the shares in Facebook for a cool $90 million. How much has Facebook grown since then you ask? Can’t be that much, right? I mean, is it that popular? Alright, enough sarcasm. As it turns out, it is VERY popular, making Bono’s $90 million investment worth $1.5 billion when Facebook hits the public stock exchange tomorrow, with a total estimated value of the company at over $100 billion. All in all, can’t say it could have happened to a better rocker as the man seems to be making more headlines for his humanitarian efforts than for his music (which is honestly better than most rockers who seem to get more attention for their private life shenanigans instead of their music). In honor of Mr. Bono’s achievement, we will be looking at some of rock’s most friendly philanthropists, those that chose to use their fame and fortune for the good of humanity instead of just the for the good of their lawyers. Read on and find out more about some of the most egalitarian musicians in rock (and pop, if you want to get technical)!

David Gilmour of Pink Floyd

Long time rich man and Pink Floyd guitarist/co-songwriter, David Gilmour may not be as famous for his charitable work as he is for his music, but it’s kind of hard to top Dark Side of the Moon. In May of 2003, David and wife Polly Samson sold their Little Venice home to another fellow rich guy, Charles Edward Maurice Spencer, better known as 9^th Earl Charles and the brother of the late Princess Diana. Rather than taking that cool $7.5 million and lavishly spending it on themselves or even another home, the Gilmours instead chose to donate the entire amount to Crisis, a British charity that helps the homeless. Not only is he a helper of downtrodden fellow Brits, Gilmour has given back to our friends in the animal kingdom as well. Before the release of the Pink Floyd’s triple-platinum album, The Division Bell, the band members where stuck on what to title the album. Author Douglas Adams offered to give Gilmour the title he was looking for if only he would donate about $40,000 (or £25,000) to the Save the Rhino foundation, which Gilmour gladly did.

Bob Geldof of The Boomtown Rats

Although some of you out there might not have heard much of him as of late, Bob Geldof is a giant when it comes to rockers that give back. Made famous by his band The Boomtown Rats, Geldof’s first major charitable involvement took place way back in September of ’81 where he performed as a solo act for the Amnesty International benefit concert The Secret Policeman’s Other Ball, which would eventually lead to a life of helping others. Soon after in 1984 after watching a BBC report about the famine in Ethiopia, Geldof teamed up with Midge Ure of Ultravox to write “Do They Know it’s Christmas.” The song would go on to be recorded by various artists under the name Band Aid and became the fastest selling single in UK history at the time and raising over $12.5 million towards the cause, but that was only the beginning. As Geldof learned more about the plight of African nations, he soon learned that the root cause of their hardships was the staggering amount of debt these nations owed to western banks, so much so that for every pound raised for them, they would have to pay back ten towards their loans. A single song wasn’t about to do the trick so on July 13, 1985, Geldof and Ure organized what would become at the time the single largest benefit concert ever, Live Aid. The huge event took place at both London’s Wimbley Stadium and Philadelphia’s John F. Kennedy stadium, bringing together an unprecedented 16 hours of rock which was further bolstered by the BBC’s unprecedented decision to clear out its regularly scheduled programming to broadcast the entire concert live on UK television. The Live Aid benefit concert rose over $237 million dollars which earned Geldof the honor of knighthood at the young age of 34.

Bono of U2

FL: Bill Gates, Bono and Micheal Dell

Not to be outdone by his fellow Irishman, Bono is undoubtedly the king of rock philanthropists. What makes Bono universally recognized as the most important humanitarian in rock isn’t the amount of money he gives, it’s about the time and effort. The U2 frontman was first inspired to take a more direct stance on humanitarianism after seeing one of the Amnesty International Secret Policeman’s Ball benefit shows, stating in a 1986 interview with Rolling Stone "I saw 'The Secret Policeman’s Ball' and it became a part of me. It sowed a seed.”  In that same year, Bono and U2 performed at Amnesty International’s Conspiracy of Hope tour along with Sting as well as performing for Bob Geldof’s Live Aid projects, including the single “Do They Know its Christmas?” More recently, Bono has focused his efforts on fighting the global AIDS epidemic through a variety of projects, most notably Project Red, which partners with various companies such as American Express, Apple, Dell, Microsoft, Converse, Motorola, The Gap and Giorgio Armani. As part of Project Red, each company creates a product that features a Product Red logo and a percentage of the profits from the sales go towards the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. He is also a co-founder of DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa), EDUN and the ONE Campaign. Among his several endeavors, Bono has also received numerous awards and honors for his philanthropic efforts including a Nobel Prize nomination, an honorary knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II as well as being named Time’s “Person of the Year” in 2005.

Other Notable Philanthropists

Justin Timberlake

Shakira on behalf of her foundation

JT is the head of his appropriately named Justin Timberlake Foundation which was initially created to fund music education programs but has since grown to include several other causes. One of the foundation’s most notable deeds came in the form of a charity golf tournament which helped raise millions for children’s hospitals.

Michael Jackson

All personal feelings aside, Michael Jackson was always ready to help the children. He donated millions of dollars to countries around the world to help fight hunger, disease, war and poverty and successfully used his status as a famous musician towards his Heal the World foundation which would take dozens of underprivileged kids from around the world to his private amusement park in Never Land Ranch.

Shakira

Many know the Colombian songstress as much for her gyrating hips as they do for her songs, but what many probably don’t know is her proficiency in five different languages and her IQ of 140, meaning she’s technically a genius. Using her combination of fame, intellect and superior looks, Shakira formed the Pies Descalzos Foundation which helps raise money for schools in her native Colombia.

One thing that can be said to an aspiring rock band is that making it won’t be easy. Not only do you have to be an awesome performer, write a slew of hit songs, get those songs heard and sign a record deal, but you have to actually stand out among the hundreds out there pawing for that top of the mountain – then once you get there you have to find a way to stay there! With that said… what better way to stand out in music than to set a new world record! That’s right, whether it’s something downright amazingly difficult like having the best selling album ever (which belongs to Thriller, by the way) or something a bit on the strange side like shortest band by height (honors held by KISS cover band Minirockerz aka Minikiss), setting a new world record is definitely going to get you into that history book – or at least that Guinness Book of World Records. Read on and check out some of music’s more interesting accomplishments.

Highest Annual Earnings Ever for a Girl Band

For those of you who we’re around any woman between the ages of 13- 25 (or if you yourself were a woman of that age) during the ‘90s, you will have undoubtedly come across the holders of this record. Think for a moment… who would you say was the biggest girl group of the ‘90s? If you said anything other than The Spice Girls, maybe it’s time for some of those memory pills because bar none, no other girl group was as dauntingly successful as Geri Halliwel, Melanie Chishom, Victoria Beckham, Emma Burton and Melanie Brown during that decade. They even had a that one movie! Although I never did succumb to “Spicemania” myself, enough did (such as both of my sisters… fanatically I should add), garnering the group the title of highest paid girl group ever with reported annual earnings of $49 million in 1998, ranking 20^th that year in Forbe’s list of the 40 richest entertainers. Hard to imagine just how huge they were now that we are over a decade separated from their record breaking paycheck but it’s even harder to imagine any other group surpassing these ladies anytime in the foreseeable future –talk about girl power!

First Unsigned Band to Reach the UK Top 40 Singles Chart

Koopa-first unsigned band with top 40 hit

It’s difficult enough to get a hit song on the top 100 if you’re a signed band but getting into the top forty without any proper deal to speak of is downright a miracle! Well, that’s exactly what the Colchester, Essex, England band Koopa did with the release of their song “Blag, Steal and Borrow,” peaking at number 31 on January 14, 2007 on the UK top 40. Although the group honestly did have a good little song on their hands, it must be said that part of their record creating chart position was due heavily to change 2007 saw in rule regarding eligibility for singles, allowing downloads for the first time to count towards chart position. Seeing as how the Koopas sold their song exclusively as a download, they might just have had the right single at the right time for an unsigned band. Although they went on to sign a deal with Pied Piper Records, they have yet to attain the same amount of success as they did during their earlier unsigned years.

First Licensed Video Game to Include a Rock Band

Back in the ‘80s, video games were not only a new cutting edge form of entertainment, it was creating the foundation of what would become a gigantic billion dollar industry, so it comes as no surprise that sooner or later, a rock band endorsed video game of their likeness was bound to appear. Although many out there have fond memories of games such as Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker or the Aerosmith arcade shooter Revolution X, it was Journey Escape that holds the title of the first ever officially licensed video game to feature a rock band. Released in 1982 by Data Age, the Journey endorsed game featured plenty of clever fan friendly band references throughout this Atari 2600 space shooter/racer, such as naming the vehicle used in the game after an album. As far as the plot goes, this is what the official manual had to say: You're on the road with Journey, one of the world's hottest rock groups. A spectacular performance has just ended. Now it's up to you to guide each Journey Band Member past hordes of Love-Crazed Groupies, Sneaky Photographers, and Shifty-Eyed Promoters to the safety of the Journey Escape Vehicle in time to make the next concert. Your mighty manager and loyal roadies are there to help, but the escape is up to you! Enough said.

Youngest Band to be Banned from the Radio

It’s just like those young’ins, isn’t it? Smoking their cigarettes, crashing their cars, and getting banned from the radio. But with a band name like Who’s Ya Daddy? and a single like “I Like Fat Chicks,” it was kind of sort of inevitable, don’t you think? These Australian tykes hold the honor of being the youngest band banned from the radio, with an average age of 12 years and 26 days, when ZZZ FM decided to officially blacklist the single from its Lismore, New South Wales audience on December 23, 2004. Although the eldest member was still nine years away from being able to legally drink, he and his band mates were apparently old enough to be deemed too hot for the Australian airwaves. 

Oldest Band

I know what you’re thinking, and no, the honor does not belong to the Rolling Stones, although they might be a close second. The honor of the being the world’s oldest active band falls to the appropriately named Peace Hotel Old Jazz Band of China. With an average age of 80, the six guys that make up the band are all famous veteran musicians that are still at it after 20 continuous years of daily performances in Shanghai, China.

And now, some random accomplishments and feats on the Billboard US charts…

Multiple record holder Elvis Presley

Most Entries on the US Hot 100 Singles Chart – Top 5

Glee Cast (203)

Elvis Presley (108)

Lil Wayne (101)

James Brown (91)

Ray Charles (74)

Most Top 40 hits – Top 5

Elvis Presley (80)

Elton John (57)

Lil Wayne (55)

The Beatles (50) tie

Glee Cast (50) tie

Most Top 10 Singles –Top 5

Madonna (38)

Minirockerz - made for lovin' you

Elvis Presley (36)

The Beatles (34)

Stevie Wonder (28) tie

Michael Jackson (28) tie

Most Number One Hits – Top 5

The Beatles (20)

Mariah Carey (18)

Elvis Presley (17)

Michael Jackson (13)

Madonna/The Supremes tied @ (12)

Multiple record holders The Beatles

Most Consecutive Weeks at Number One – Top 5

79 – Elvis Presley

79 – Mariah Carey

59 – The Beatles

50 – Boyz II Men

47 – Usher

Songwriters with Most Number One Hits – Top 5

Paul McCartney (32)

John Lennon (26)

Mariah Carey (17)

Barry Gibb (16)

Brian Holland/Sean Garrett tied @ (15)

Simultaneously Occupying the Top 5 Chart Positions

The Beatles – April 4, 1964

 From February 22, 1964 until April 25, 1964 the Beatles held the top two positions, with various singles. In some of the weeks, the band held the top three or top four slots, the only act in chart history to do so. On April 4, 1964, The Beatles occupied the entire top five.

1. "Can't Buy Me Love"

2. "Twist and Shout"

3. "She Loves You"

4. "I Want to Hold Your Hand"

5. "Please Please Me"

Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward confirms he will not be taking part in the band’s recently announced reunion shows.

 An original member of the early heavy metal group, Ward insisted that his decision was not affected by financial reasons but from the lack of any “signable deal” with his former bandmates.

Ward expressed his discerning feelings with Black Sabbath over the “minimal” part the group had intended for him to contribute during their headlining slot at the upcoming Download festival – having an unnamed drummer play most of the set.

“In April I’d been asked to participate ‘minimally’ in the Download festival,” said Ward. “I believe I’d been offered no more than three songs, while another drummer played the rest of the show with Black Sabbath. I was not willing to participate. I was not prepared to watch another drummer play a Sabbath set while I was to play only three songs.”

Ward also states that the band had reached out to him to play at their Birmingham homecoming show for free. Although he will not be taking part of the band’s reunion, he adds that he is “heartbroken” at disappointing fans that will never be able to experience the original lineup.

Last year Black Sabbath announced plans for a new album – the first in over 30 years to feature the original lineup of Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward – as well as a supporting world tour.

“I couldn’t help feeling some resentment towards the failure to reach an agreement, the failure to remember where we came from – the failure to be brothers, as we once were,” added Ward.  

Original Source

There are plenty of overdrive pedals out there on the market so it comes as no surprise that a few of us may have a hard time trying to find exactly what we’re looking for. Although the overdrive effect is essentially achieved the same way it always has – by giving the amp more signal than it can cleanly handle – the sheer amount of added boosts and tonal customizations on some pedals are enough to make one pedal different enough from the rest to garner its own fans. Well, like the sound of vintage tube amps? How about that old blues or classic rock vibe? If you said yes to either, then the BBE Green Screamer is definitely worth the time to check out. Think Stevie Ray Vaughan, ‘60s Clapton or even B.B. King. This pedal boasts a warmer sound than most overdrive pedals and plenty of control complete with added versatility that you can rarely find on a pedal at this price range. While this won’t give you that harsh mega-distorted sound that fans of metal crave, those looking for more of a smooth classic rock sound will have plenty to like with the Green Screamer!

The Mechanics and Features of the Green Screamer

Compared to most pedal, the settings on the Green Screamer is as basic as you can get without having to lose any necessary control. You have you standard input and output jacks, the on/off stomp switch and most importantly, your three control knobs labeled Level, Tone and Gain. Although the pedal itself is fairly easy to use out of the box, those unfamiliar with overdrive pedals can take a look at the included manual to get started, although a few minutes of messing around with the settings will do you just as good. As far as power goes, the Green Screamer is powered by your standard 9 volt battery or the included AC adapter (which is always nice since most pedals tend to ship sans adapter). The battery life is actually pretty good and has yet to die on me after a good number of weeks with consistent use, although it’s always a good idea to keep a few 9 volts handy just in case this thing dies on you during a gig, or you can just plug it in, but if you’re like me, I feel like there are already plenty of cables running around a normal gig to add another. The Green Screamer is built pretty tough and feels like it can take a decent beating, although the paint job might suffer a bit as it does tend to scratch kind of easily. Those pedal aficionados out there who tend to use multiple pedals will be happy to know that the Green Screamer offers true bypass, meaning you can turn off the pedal and the signal will still run through, even if the battery completely dies.

The Sound of the Green Screamer

Before I go and talk about the sound of the pedal it should be worth noting that this is an overdrive pedal and not a distortion. Although both are technically speaking a type of distortion in the literal sense of the word, when it comes to pedals, distortion is heavier and harsher, fuzz heavy and very good for metal or hard rock while overdrive sounds like a tube amp with the settings all the way up, more vintage and warm, a little gritty and great for classic rock and blues. Another big difference is that overdrive pedals act more like an accompanying effect, like the icing on the cake that is your amplifier, unlike distortion pedals which pretty much over power most of your amps settings save for your standard high and low EQs. This means that you will need to set your amp up to work out most of the sound you want, whether it’s clean or distorted, bass heavy or plenty or treble, etc, with the pedal acting as a sort of tube amp sounding boost filter to add that final touch to your tone. While that may not sound at all that great to the newer musician unfamiliar with effects, the fact that the pedal can take care of certain aspects such as gain and tone BEFORE it even hits the actual amplifier will give you much better overall control of your sound and is especially helpful in making an alright amp sound like pretty good vintage tube amplifier – enough to warrant the purchase of an overdrive pedal unless you strictly play metal/heavily distorted rock. Alright, now that we have that out of the way, onto the sound!

Essentially, the Green Screamer is BBE’s version of the Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer overdrive pedal so those familiar with the latter will feel very much at home with this pedal although in my opinion, the Green Screamer bests it in that it doesn’t have any of the nasally sounds that the TS9  gave me. The three knobs of the pedal work exactly the way they do on the actual amp. The Level pretty much controls the volume of the effect or the amount of signal you want sent to the amp. The gain turned low will sound much more clean or turned up for more of a crunch. And finally, the tone controls how much presence you want from your sound. All in all, the amount of variety as far as overdrive goes will surprise you. The first impression I got when I plugged this baby in and set it to my go-to Clapton “Woman Tone” (gain at 12, tone at 1 on the amplifier) setting was how warm and smooth the pedal sounded when compared to the TS9. It sounds clear enough to hear every note but with enough growl for that classic rock vibe. All in all a very natural sound similar to that of Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love.” Give it a bit of distortion on the amp and you will get a crunchy ‘70s classic blues rock vibe similar to that of Stevie Ray Vaughan. It’s a bit hard to explain just how versatile this is for an overdrive pedal but if there’s a particular blues or classic rock tone that you are trying to achieve, chances are the Green Screamer can come close or will at least sound pretty good, especially when combined with another effects pedal, most notably distortion.

The Value of the BBE Green Screamer

Gus G of Firewind and Ozzy Osbourne

All in all, for about $100, you get a great sounding overdrive pedal with enough versatility to get the job done and then some, not to mention it’s fairly easy to use execution. Those fond of the Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer will definitely like the similar tones the Green Screamer will give you but will love the added versatility and much warmer end result. Whether you’re trying to find that last piece of the tone puzzle or are in the process of building your effects repertoire from the ground up, there’s plenty to like from the BBE Green Screamer – a great choice for any fan of blues and classic rock!

Actor Jack Black and bandmate Kyle Gass are at it again and will be releasing a brand new Tenacious D album next Tuesday according to a recent interview with Reuters.

The new album, entitled Rize of the Fenix, will be the duo’s third studio release and the first in six years. Both Black and Gass were adamant about trying to bring back “the majesty and genius of rock” by trying to save what they see as a dying genre.

"Since we had our last album, rock and roll completely died,” said Black. “Thank God for The D, riding in on their white stallions to rescue rock and roll. What killed it? Was it Axl Rose in the library with a wrench, or was it Lady Gaga in the pantry with the pliers? We don't know but we'll figure it out.”

Although they admit that critics are hard pressed to take the group serious due to their heavy comedy background, they claim to be completely serious about their latest endeavor, even going as far as to ask fellow famous friends for help writing a hit song, such as Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl.

"I've always wanted to have one of those hits on the radio, but we haven't really been able to crack that code,” Gass told Reuters. “I think we're trying this time a lot.”

The group was formed by Gass and Black back in 1994 where the two would perform their own brand of “mock rock” at bars in the Los Angeles area and rose to fame on the heels of Black’s successful comedy movies.

Catch Tenacious D’s new album Rize of the Fenix when it hits stores Tuesday, May 15.

Original Source

There’s a lot that goes into making an album. First things first, you have to write the songs, get them polished up, record the tracks, mix and master them… and when all that is done, you’re still not done. You will need a way to get your songs noticed… and what better way to get your memorable songs noticed than with an equally memorable album cover! Although the main part of rock will and forever be about the music, there is no doubt that an iconic album cover can go a long way in making great songs reach the masses, because for better or worse, it’s much easier to simply look at a picture than it is to listen to an entire 45 minute album. Sure, of course that’s not ideal and the songs should speak for themselves, but there are a lot of things that should happen that don’t. All that aside, read on and check out some of the most memorable album covers in the world of rock. These are among my favorites and are not necessarily the best of the best but won a spot on my list for not only being iconic representations of the bands themselves, but a perfect depiction of the songs within.

The Beatles – Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

Quite possibly the most iconic album artwork in the world of rock and roll, the cover is as well known as the songs it represents – the a truly artistic and revolutionary style that perfectly match the psychedelic and groundbreaking vision of classic rock’s most prolific group. At about one hundred times the cost of an average album cover at the time, the Beatles spent $62,500 equivalent in today’s cash on Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’s artwork. The cover featured a collage of life-sized cardboard cut-outs of several famous historical and artistic figures including writers, film stars, musicians and even Indian gurus – albeit at George Harrison’s request. Among the 70 people depicted on the album cover are Sigmund Freud, Edgar Allen Poe, Oscar Wilde, Karl Marx, Marilyn Monroe, Bob Dylan, James Dean, W.C. Fields, Marlon Brando, William S. Burroughs, Aleister Crowley and Aldous Huxley. John Lennon had requested that Adolf Hitler and Jesus Christ be included as well, although the idea was turned down for obvious reasons. Former Beatle’s bassist Stuart Sutcliffe was also among the cutouts. The Beatles themselves were outfitted in their now iconic psychedelic military-style uniforms, custom designed by Manuel Cuevas to portray the groups’ fictional band. Both McCartney and Harrison wore their MBE medals while Lennon chose to garner the Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom on his right sleeve. The cover’s art director was Robert Fraser, a famous London art dealer, with the design created by pop artists Peter Blake and wife Jann Haworth and photographed by Michael Cooper.

The Clash – London Calling

Yes, that old saying that I’m sure we’ve all heard before… imitation is the sincerest form of flattery… although I’d argue that if done right, it can be the sincerest form of making fun of somebody too, but I digress! It is not an uncommon thing for a band to pay homage to their past heroes by taking inspiration from their work, whether it’s their music or personal style. It is uncommon though for a band to surpass their inspiration’s original work in terms of cultural significance, which is exactly what the clash did with their London Calling album cover. Taking direct inspiration from Elvis Presley’s first album, London Calling featured the exact same pink and green lettering – albeit with a much more punk rock cover photo. Sure, Elvis is and will forever be the king of rock and roll, no argument there, but I’d say that Presley’s first record’s cover (strictly speaking of the cover, not the artist or the songs themselves) would not be as memorable as it is today if it weren’t for The Clash deciding on paying homage to the album’s simple artwork. The reason the album cover works so well despite the similarities to Elvis’ album was mainly due to the picture chosen; a shot of Paul Simonon smashing his Fender Precision Bass at New York’s Palladium – a stark contrast to the king’s youthful and straight forward shot of him wearing a dapper suit while holding his guitar. The Pennie Smith photograph, who did not want to use the shot since she felt it was too out of focus, went on to be named the most iconic picture in rock and roll history by Q magazine, stating that "it captures the ultimate rock'n'roll moment - total loss of control.”

Pink Floyd – The Dark Side of the Moon

Before I was even old enough to attain my own personal preference of music I was already familiar with the album design of Pink Floyd’s 1973 The Dark Side of the Moon. Simple in its execution yet deeply conveying of the album and the band itself, the cover features no words whatsoever and little to speak of as far as wide-reaching artistic endeavor, but it didn’t need that. Designed by the art group Hipgnosis and George Hardie, the album itself features a band of light going through a prism, dividing the single band into six separate colors. Pink Floyd’s previous two album covers had received mixed emotions by their label EMI, and although they were prompted to come up with something a little more conventional, the fact that Hipgnosis was hired by the band and not the label meant that they would not have to answer to previous criticisms of the band’s album covers by label heads. The lead designers Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey Powell had been instructed by Pink Floyd keyboardist Richard Wright to come up with something “smarter, neater – more classy,” and finally came upon the prism design after being inspired by a photograph that Thorgerson had seen during a brainstorming session with Powell. The group gave Pink Floyd a choice of seven designs, with the group ultimately all agreeing on the prism idea for its representation of three main elements: the band's stage lighting, the album lyrics, and Richard Wright's request for a "simple and bold" design. The artwork itself was created by an associate of Hipgnosis, George Hardie.

There you have it, my choices for the three most iconic album covers in rock and roll history. They were all original for their time, even the London Calling album in that it was willing to obviously mimic the cover art of a legend and give it their own spin. While there are certainly hundreds of clever album art concepts that genuinely capture the feel of the songs and the spirit of the era, these three are by far the standouts for me. From the simple yet abstract design of The Dark Side of the Moon to the famously psychedelic artwork on Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, these three albums prove that a good album cover can certainly go a long way.

As part of Mick Jagger’s end season Saturday Night Live hosting gig, SNL has just confirmed that Arcade Fire and the Foo Fighters along with Jeff Beck and Jagger himself will jam for the legendary sketch comedy’s musical performance.

Rumors began to surface about the show’s season finale performance after word spread that the Rolling Stones were heard to have been practicing recently in New York, prompting several to assume that the host’s band would be on tap to make a surprise appearance as guest performers – that is until the show solidified the two bands along with Jeff Beck this past weekend.

Both the Arcade Fire and the Foo Fighters have been vocal on Twitter about their excitement towards the gig, with the latter writing “What're you guys doing next Saturday Night? #SNL" and Arcade Fire posting, "We're extremely excited to be joining Mick Jagger on SNL next Sat, May 19!"

Before the musical lineup was confirmed, SNL teased the season finale during this past Saturday’s show, listing Jagger along with three musical guests as performers.

Although Jagger had appeared on the show before, this will be the first time the Rolling Stones frontman will be on helm as the host.

The Jagger-hosted Saturday Night Live season finale is set to air this Saturday, May 19 on NBC.

Original Source

When it comes to effects pedals, you have your certain staples depending on what kind of sound you’re going for. One of the more diverse effects in terms of style execution is the chorus pedal, used heavily in pop heavy rock. Think of ‘80s new wave like the Bangles or the power ballads of ‘80s metal bands like Guns ‘N Roses and Def Leppard, although you won’t have a hard time at all finding modern bands using the same effect. Essentially, a chorus pedal clones the input signal and repeats it at very close intervals to make the output sound like multiple "voices," or in the case of the guitar, multiple chords or notes. When you adjust the rate, it simply makes the cloned signal repeat closer together or farther apart. Anyways, for those of you out there on the market for an easy to use chorus pedal that gets the job done nicely for less than eighty bucks, you’ll be hard pressed to find a better overall deal than the MXR M148 Micro Chorus pedal.

The Mechanics of the MXR Micro Chorus

Those familiar with other offerings from MXR will be familiar with the size and execution of the Micro Chorus. Think of the Phase 90 and you’ll know exactly what I mean. The pedal itself is pretty light and the chassis feels like it can take a decent beating, although it doesn’t give you that same indestructible feel that some of the diecast pedals do. Even still, if this bad boy can last as long as my Vintage Phase 90, with all the drops and knocks it’s taken, it should easily last you well over ten years unless something with the electronics goes wrong, which is pretty rare anyway. As far as execution goes, it’s as straight forward as it gets. You have your standard input and output jack, the click switch to turn the effect on and off and a single knob labeled “Rate” for controlling the speed of the effect.

Just like your standard effects pedal, the MXR Micro Chorus can be powered by either a 9 volt battery or a 9V adaptor. It has decent amount of life when used with a battery but just like anything else, you risk having the pedal die on you during a gig, so make sure you have a spare or spring for the adapter if you don’t mind another cable. The Micro Chorus does offer bypass, so you’ll get your raw clean sound when the pedal is switched off but a little warning though, it’s bypass but it’s not TRUE bypass, meaning that if the battery dies or there’s no power, the signal is dead and you won’t get anything going to the amp (while a true bypass system will send the signal regardless).

The Sound of the MXR Micro Chorus

The chorus effect of this pedal sounds better than you would think for the price. The tone is clear and clean and will not wash the raw sound of your guitar at all. For having one knob, the MXR Micro Chorus is actually more versatile than most would think. Set the rate knob at zero and you will get a mellow slow phase type of effect. Set it towards the middle and it speeds up or crank it to 12 ‘o clock to have a very nice shimmering chorus sound. Basically, from zero to 12 it will go from a slow phase type of sound all the way to a bright and faster shimmer. If you like that clean ‘80s type of sound this pedal will give you exactly that, although players who like to micro manage their effects will probably be put off by the pedals lack of control in that regard as the pedal only lets you control the speed of the effect, not the volume of the effect, tone, treble, etc. With that said, I had no problem with the amount of effect the pedal gives off and it pretty much works great at any setting thanks to its easy to use execution.

The Value

While the pedal won’t give you as much control as some of the more pricier chorus pedals, MXR did a great job at making the pedal easy to use, sound great and extremely affordable. Compare it to pricier pedals like the TC Electronic Chorus and you’ll see that the Micro Chorus is no slouch when it comes to sound quality, pretty much on par with each other as far as I could tell, although it won’t have nearly the same amount of tweaking options (at a price though, the TC pedal is about $300). Alright, so all in all, the MXR Micro Chorus is a great little chorus pedal with a great sound at an even better price. The build is nice and strong and should last you years. While it doesn’t let you shape the chorus effect as much as pedals that cost three times at much, the straight forward dummy proof execution means that you won’t have to worry about selecting “bad” settings as the MXR Micro Chorus will sound nice and balanced no matter what. For $79.95, there’s a lot to like here!

And don’t forget to check out the rest of PAL’s huge selection of effects pedals at great prices right here!

In the aftermath of Adam Yauch’s death, several Beastie Boys albums have re entered the Billboard 200 chart including their seminal album, License to Ill, which broke into the top twenty this week. When the album was first released it became the first rap record to reach the top spot when it became the number one album in March of 1987, staying there for seven straight weeks.

Billboard also reports that 151,000 Beastie Boys songs have been sold through digital download this past week, up from 14,000 the previous week with the song “Brass Monkey” being the top seller, reaching number 48 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

The other Beastie Boys albums to make the Hot 200 include Solid Gold Hits (#51), Paul’s Boutique (#56), Hot Sauce Committee Part Two (#107), Ill Communication (#109), Check Your Head (#124) and Beastie Boys Anthology: The Sounds of Silence (#141).

Yauch, also known by his Beastie Boys’ stage name MCA, died earlier this month on May 4 due to complications from a cancerous parotid gland.

Original Source

Archimede – France

These guys may sing in French, but the sound they produce is signature British rock. Inspired by their neighbors to the north, brothers Nicolas and Frederic Boisnard started the band in 2004 and spent much of their early years touring profusely until 2008 when they paused to record their debut album, the self-titled Archimede. The album was completed a year later and the band soon found success with the release of their lead single, “Vinaile Canaiile,” bolstered by its popular music video which featured the band cleverly recreating iconic album covers. Their debut album also garnered the band a “Victoire de la Musique” award (French Grammy) nomination for Best Album by a New Artist. With a growing fan base in Germany, Australia, the U.K. and even Asia, they went back into the studio to record their follow up album, Trafalgar, which was released on September 5, 2011.

Songs to check out: “Vinaile Canaiile,” “Le Bonheur,” “Au Diable Vauvert”

JUDY AND MARY – Japan

While they have definitely made an impact here in the US among anime viewers, mainstream music fans are probably missing out on one of the most exciting and talented bands to come out of Japan in the last couple of decades. Formed in 1992, JUDY AND MARY (stylized in all capitals) quickly rose to fame as one of Japan’s premiere rock bands. Grounded in punk, rock and roll and pop, the band made a name for itself with their innovative melding of both noisy and melodic rock as well as their high energy live performances. By 1994, they cemented themselves as THE top rock band of the ‘90s due to the huge success of their No. 1 single “Sobakasu,” thanks in part to the song’s use as the theme song for the vastly popular anime series, Rurouni Kenshin. Although the group broke up by 2001, they remain a fixture on the Japanese music scene with all members subsequently attaining modest to high success with their ensuing projects, most notably singer Yuki Isoya, who has had numerous No. 1 singles and as of recently as, May 10, 2012, she sits at No. 4 on the Japanese top 100 with her song “Play Ball.”

Songs to check out: “Sobakasu,” “Over Drive,” “Classic”

La Oreja de Van Gohg – Spain

For those of you who are still nostalgic about ‘80s era bands such as the Bangles and the Cranberries, this band will be the perfect fit for you as this Spanish band has plenty of that reminiscent sound. Since their inception in 1996, the group has gone to create some of the best music around in Spain, not only winning numerous awards, such as a Latin Grammy for Best Pop Album by a Duo or Group, but have written hits for other artists as well. They first made a name for themselves early in their career by covering songs from well known international artists such as U2, Nirvana and Pearl Jam before creating a string of original hits with their first album, Dile al Sol (Tell the Sun), which went on to sell over 800,000 records. By the time they released their second album, titled El Viaje de Copperpot (Copperpot’s Journey, based off the character Copperpot from The Goonies), they had already gained much critical praise and several honors. The album itself would go on to sell the equivalent of 7X Platinum with over 2,000,000 copies sold worldwide. Their last release with original singer Amaia Montero, Guapa (Beautiful), became the bestselling album in Spain for 2006. By 2007, the group had hired replacement Leire Martinez and released their fifth studio album, A Las Cinco en el Astoria, which was also a commercial hit, going on to be the twelfth bestselling album in Spain for 2008. To date, they have become one of the most successful acts in their genre, selling more or less 1,000,000 albums with every release.

Songs to check out: “Rosas,” “Jueves,” “Cometas por el Cielo”

Rammstein – Germany

Although the band has attained a modest following here in the US, they are not nearly as popular as they should be. Taking elements from metal, industrial and groove while adding testosterone fueled operatic vocals, Rammstein has attained massive success in their native Germany and the surrounding area. Formed in 1993, the band got their name from the Ramstein airshow disaster in which 80 people were hurt or killed during an American Air Force show, although adding an M, making the name mean a battering ram made of stone. They made a name for themselves early on for their live stage theatrics, most notably frontman Till Lindemann’s propensity to sing entire songs while engulfed in flames. By the time they released their debut album, Herzeleid, they were already vastly popular. Their debut album remained on the German music charts until the release of the band’s second album about two years later. By the time their second album Sehnsucht was released, they were already headlining shows for crowds of over 30,000 people. Although the vast majority of their songs are sung in their native German, they have released several tracks sung in part or entirely in a different language including Spanish, English, Russian and French. To date, they have released six studio albums along with a live and compilations record.

Songs to check out: “Dus Hast,” “Feuer Frei,” “Ich Will”