Neil Young to Release Two New Albums with Crazy Horse

Neil Young has confirmed that he’s completed a new album with Crazy Horse, and that a second album with the band is “in progress.” The veteran rocker said he hopes to release both discs this year.

Young made the revelation at the Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, were he and director Jonathan Demme are presenting Journeys, their latest concert documentary, which was filmed in Toronto in May 2011.

Members of Crazy Horse last recorded with Young on his 2003 album, Greendale. The last Young album on which the entire band was featured was 1996’s Broken Arrow. In a 2005 interview with Performing Songwriter, Young described his work with Crazy Horse as “cosmic,” and as something he treated with “a special kind of respect.” “My work with Crazy Horse stands alone, in its own way,” he said. “Sometimes it needs to be replenished, sometimes it needs to be revisited, and sometimes it needs to be left alone.”

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‘Surrey Delta’: 5 Great British Blues Albums

Swinging London, James Bond, The Beatles, mini skirts and Mini Cooper cars… 1960s England was an unlikely place for a blues revolution, but it did happen. The young white English guitarists who embraced and super-electrified the blues in the 1960s were hardly of a similar background to their original inspirations – pioneering bluesmen such as Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and John Lee Hooker – but they took electric blues to new places.

Indeed, the “Surrey Delta” – jokingly named because Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck were all born within a few miles and a year of each other – remains a world away from the Mississippi. Surrey remains an opulent part of England to the west of London where the river Thames winds into verdant countryside. There were never cotton plantations and chain gangs in Clapton’s home village of Ripley.

But imported American blues records helped shape British rock. Early “skiffle” star Lonnie Donegan, a huge influence on The Beatles, regularly covered Lead Belly songs. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards formed their alliance when the guitarist spotted the singer clutching blues albums in his arms at Dartford railway station. Jimmy Page reworked quite a few Willie Dixon songs in early Led Zeppelin…

Britain’s young blues-loving guitarists soon morphed their own style into something recognizable as rock. But early on, their unique take on Amercian blues resulted in some remarkable recordings. Here are just five…

John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers: Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton

If there was one British blues album that punched hardest, it was 1966’s Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton album by John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers. Commonly known as the “Beano” album (due to Clapton reading the comic on the cover photo), it did much to reawaken guitarists to the majestic tone of single-cutaway sunburst Gibson Les Pauls.

Clapton told Guitar Player magazine that the famed six-string he played on Blues Breakers was “the best Les Paul I ever had… just a regular sunburst Les Paul that I bought in one of the shops in London right after I’d seen Freddie King’s album cover of Let’s Hide Away and Dance Away, where he’s playing a gold top. It had humbuckers and was almost brand new – original case with that lovely purple velvet lining. Just magnificent. I never really found one as good as that. I do miss that one.”

Clapton’s “Beano” Les Paul became near-mythical, after being stolen during rehearsals for Cream’s first gig in late July 1966. But the guitar lives on in Clapton’s stinging Les Paul/Marshall tone on the album, be it on Mayall/Clapton originals “Key To Love” and “Double Crossing Time,” to fiery covers of Willie Dixon/Otis Rush’s “All Your Love” and Freddie King’s “Hideaway.” This album remains a landmark of electric blues.

Fleetwood Mac: Fleetwood Mac

If there is a rival to Clapton’s guitar crown in the British 1960s blues pantheon, it is Peter Green. Londoner Green had briefly replaced Clapton in Mayall’s Blues Breakers when Eric formed the more psychedelia-tinged Cream, but it is Green’s work on Fleetwood Mac’s 1968 debut that impresses most. It’s a no-frills blues LP, with Robert Johnson, Elmore James and Howlin’ Wolf covers interspersed with Chicago blues-inspired originals.

And Green’s weeping Les Paul playing that sets it apart: B.B. King famously remarked, “He has the sweetest tone I ever heard, he was the only one who gave me the cold sweats.” Fleetwood Mac soon branched beyond “pure” blues to have pop hits with “Black Magic Woman,” (later a hit for Santana) followed by 1969’s #1 instrumental “Albatross.” Green had bailed out by 1970, after a binge of LSD left him fragile. Fellow guitarists Kirwan and Jeremy Spencer also left.

Peter Green still plays, but nothing quite recreates the sweet Les Paul sound he had on early Fleetwood Mac recordings. Play Fleetwood Mac’s debut album 44 years on, and you’ll still be amazed this is the blues guitar of Peter Allen Greenbaum, a 22-year-old Jewish man from a poor neighbourhood in East London.

Watch “Homework” from French TV in 1969, a song first recorded by the band on Fleetwood Mac in Chicago with Otis Spann on piano.

The Rolling Stones: The Rolling Stones

Even if held at knifepoint by Keith Richards, few would admit the Stones were ever a purist blues band. But alongside their love of high-tempo R&B and straight-ahead rock ’n’ roll, blues music was a touchstone for the Stones – from Jagger and Richards’ first alliance to their name (both indebted to Muddy Waters). Early leader Brian Jones, despite his dandy hair, was the real blues purist of the band and it’s his influence that stands proud on the Stones’ 1964 debut. Covers of Willie Dixon/Waters, Slim Harpo and Jimmy Reed are at the heart of the album, and if Jagger and Richards’ blossoming songwriting soon established their own sound, the blues never left them.

As Richards once said: “If you don’t know the blues, there’s no point in picking up the guitar and playing rock and roll or any other form of popular music.” The Stones’ debut, remarkably, stands the test of time. Mick Jagger is no Howlin’ Wolf, but getting this “alien” music to the top of the U.K. charts in 1964 was some achievement.

 “Little Red Rooster” from 1964.

The Yardbirds: Five Live Yardbirds

The Yardbirds were just as much a psychedelic R&B/rock band as “pure” blues, but their impact was huge. Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck all variously served as guitarists, and their early repertoire did much to introduce the blues to British teens – they covered songs by Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley, Sonny Boy Williamson II and Elmore James, including “Smokestack Lightning,” “Good Morning Little School Girl,” “Boom Boom,” “I Wish You Would,” “I’m a Man,” “Rollin’ and Tumblin’” and more. The various guitarists use of early fuzzboxes, feedback, backward echo and super-distorted amps foresaw heavy rock by years – it was no coincidence that Page originally called Led Zeppelin “The New Yardbirds.”

For the proto-sound of their “blues” rave-ups, seek out Five Live Yardbirds, recorded in March 1964 at London’s legendary Marquee Club. It’s a bridge between British beatpop and psychedelia, but with the blues beating strong at its heart. After all, The Yardbirds acted as Sonny Boy Williamson’s backing band on his 1963 U.K. tour.

But a few years on, The Yardbirds were rocking harder. Watch this great clip of The Yardbirds in 1966 with Jimmy Page on bass and Jeff Beck on lead guitar.

Ten Years After: Ten Years After

The “classic” British Blues Boom only lasted a few years. John Mayall kept going, moving in a jazzier direction with Mick Taylor joining on guitar. Jimmy Page formed Led Zeppelin. The Stones became their own people, though their remarkable cover of Robert Johnson’s “Love In Vain” (from 1969’s Let It Bleed) proved their blues mojo was still working. Clapton’s Cream lasted only two years. Fleetwood Mac’s Peter Green and Jeremy Spencer both left the music industry, after suffering mental health problems.

And as Brit Blues got harder and morphed into hard rock, there were few more aggressive than Ten Years After. Toting an ultra-amped Gibson ES-355, Alvin Lee turned blues tunes into proto-shred, paving the way – along with Jimmy Page – for blues pentatonic wigouts to form the basis of 1970s hard rock. Ten Years After’s version of “Spoonful” was surely not what writer Willie Dixon had in mind, but it and other cover songs kept the blues alive for a new generation of guitar blasters.

Here is Ten Years After’s version of “Spoonful” from 1968.

The notion of “British blues” pretty much disappeared with the dawn of the 1970s. But in its prime, the U.K.’s guitarists’ work revived old blues tunes and turned many fans on to the originals. The above players may not be your own “best.” And there may be others coming along. And we’ve had to omit a few worthy of mention, of course: Gary Moore, Mick Taylor, Paul Kossoff and Robin Trower all have their fans. Add your own favorites below!

More British blues:

John Mayall and the Les Paul Legacy of Clapton, Green, and Taylor

Get That Tone: Blues Breakers Era Eric Clapton

Peter Green, Gary Moore and The Holy Grail Les Paul

Andy Fraser of Free: Video Interview

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Coldplay, Noel Gallagher and Foo Fighters Have U.K.’s Top Selling Rock Albums of 2011

Coldplay only released their fifth album Mylo Xyloto in October but managed to top the 2011 U.K. rock album sales chart by some distance.

NME.com reports that according to The Official Charts Company in the U.K., Coldplay had the biggest-selling rock album of last year with Mylo Xyloto, at over 900,000 copies sold.

Noel Gallagher’s debut solo album wasn’t too close to Coldplay’s record, but it did come in second with 500,000 units sold. Trailing Gallagher were Florence and the Machine, Foo Fighters and Mumford and Sons.

The U.K.’s Top 10 selling rock albums of 2011:

1. Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto (908,000)
2. Noel Gallagher - Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds (492,000)
3. Florence and the Machine - Ceremonials (384,000)
4. Foo Fighters - Wasting Light (380,000)
5. Mumford and Sons - Sigh No More (373,000)
6. Elbow - Build A Rocket Boys (327,000)
7. Kasabian - Velociraptor (279,000)
8. Snow Patrol - Fallen Empires (269,000)
9. Noah and The Whale - Last Night On Earth (261,000)
10. Arctic Monkeys - Suck It and See (223,000)

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Lost! 10 Great Albums That Were Shelved or Abandoned

The rock and roll landscape is littered with album projects that have been abandoned, shelved or even stolen. Most such projects are lost forever, consigned permanently to the dustbin of history. In the case of major artists, however, these albums occasionally attain a near-mythic status, inspiring fans to wonder if in fact a heretofore unheard masterpiece might one day surface. To varying degrees, the “lost” albums below have acquired just that sort of reputation.

Bruce Springsteen – Electric Nebraska

Bruce Springsteen’s bleak, darkly acoustic Nebraska album was hailed as a monumental work upon its release in 1982. Fact is, however, The Boss’s original intent was that the disc be a full-on rock and roll effort. To that end, Springsteen recorded Nebraska’s songs with his E Street Band, replete with amped-up arrangements, before deciding his homemade demos would better serve the message he wanted to convey. Drummer Max Weinberg later described the electric versions of the songs as “hard-edged” and “killing.”

Neil Young – Homegrown

This mostly acoustic country-rock album – recorded by Neil Young in 1974 – was so close to being released, the cover art already had been designed. Young has described the album as “the missing link between Harvest, Comes a Time, Old Ways and Harvest Moon.” Many of Homegrown’s songs centered on the deteriorating relationship between Young and his then-girlfriend, actress Carrie Snodgrass. In the end, Young deemed the songs too personal and opted to release Tonight’s the Night instead.

Prince – Camille

In 1986, Prince began work on an album intended to showcase his strange (even for him) new obsession: speeding up his recorded vocals to make himself sound like a female. Dubbing his feminine alter-ego Camille, the Purple One is said to have recorded an eight-song LP that was even bawdier that the previous tracks that had drawn the ire of the Parents Music Resource Center. Prince shelved the disc, but several of the songs he had worked up, including “Housequake” and “If I Was Your Girlfriend,” surfaced on subsequent albums.

The Kinks – Four More Respected Gentlemen

The songs for this never-released Kinks album, recorded in 1968, were originally intended for a U.S.-only LP to be released in tandem with a Europe-only version of the band’s The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society. Instead, record label powers-that-be opted to shelve the former album, and instead released a longer version of the latter disc in both the U.K. and the U.S. Years later, with tongue planted firmly in cheek, Kinks leader Ray Davies said Four More Respected Gentlemen consisted of a song cycle about table manners.

Green Day – Cigarettes and Valentines

This intended follow-up to Green Day’s 2000 album, Warning, never saw the light of day for one simple reason: the master tapes were stolen from the studio. Frontman Billie Joe Armstrong later said the pilfered material was “good stuff,” while bassist Mike Dirnt remarked that the songs constituted a return to Green Day’s “hard and fast” punk roots. Nonetheless, instead of re-recording the album, the band decided to go a different route. The result was the acclaimed 2004 disc, American Idiot.

Pink Floyd – Household Objects

In 1974, in the wake of Dark Side of the Moon’s monumental success, Pink Floyd was casting about for a worthwhile departure. The idea the band came up with was to create music using nothing but household objects. Rubber bands, cardboard boxes and water-filled crystal wine glasses were among the tools employed in the effort, but alas, the challenges proved insurmountable. “It just got too difficult – and pointless,” David Gilmour later told writer Jim DeRogatis.

The Beatles – Get Back

Paul McCartney’s idea for The Beatles in 1968 was that they should “get back” to their roots, and make an album free of studio refinement and overdubs. He also wanted the band to get back to live performances, which in fact The Beatles half-heartedly did for their famous “rooftop” performance. In the end, however, tensions prevailed and the Get Back sessions grinded to a halt. Producer Phil Spector eventually pieced together the Let It Be album from the Get Back tapes, but that string-laden LP was a far different animal from what McCartney intended.

David Bowie – Toy

Prepped for release in 2002, this album featured new versions of some of Bowie’s earliest work. Recording with his Hours… touring band and longtime producer Tony Visconti, Bowie re-cut such obscure tracks as 1968’s “In the Heat of the Morning,” 1971’s “Shadow Man” and 1964’s rousing “Liza Jane,” which had been released originally in Bowie’s early incarnation as David Jones and the King Bees. For reasons unclear, Virgin Records shelved the disc, although several tracks surfaced later on other albums and as B-sides. A full version of Toy was leaked onto the Internet in early 2011.

The Who – Lifehouse

Simply put, Lifehouse was a project toppled by the weight of Pete Townshend’s grand ambitions. Conceptually, in the wake of Tommy, Townshend wanted to construct a multimedia extravaganza that would incorporate music that reflected the personalities and states of mind of The Who’s audience. The complications involved in the undertaking precipitated a nervous breakdown in Townshend, but not before he penned some of his finest songs. Fortunately, although Lifehouse was abandoned, much of the material found its way onto Who’s Next, one of The Who’s most triumphant albums.

The Beach Boys – Smile

This album – contemporary music’s most famous “lost” disc – was intended to be an ambitious follow-up to The Beach Boys’ 1966 pop masterpiece, Pet Sounds. Building on the epic sweep of “Good Vibrations,” Brian Wilson’s “pocket symphony,” Wilson and lyricist Van Dyke Parks envisioned an intricate tapestry of sound. Wilson wasn’t able to pull together his original vision for Smile, although years later, in 2004, he recorded a version on his own. The recently released Smile Sessions Box Set, which gathers material from the original sessions, offers a tantalizing aural portrait of what might have been.

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<em>Gibson.com’s</em> Top 10 Rock Albums of 2011

Who says rock is dead? With 2011 bringing monumental releases from Foo Fighters, Chickenfoot, Blink-182 and more, this year may go down as the year that rock was reborn, once again taking center stage! Gibson.com ran through the various rock releases that hit stores and online this year to assemble our Top 10 Rock Albums of 2011. Do you agree? What did we miss? Let us know in the comments section, below, and Happy 2012!

10. Beastie Boys, Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 2

It’s no secret that Beastie Boys have deeply dedicated fans. So, when the band’s long-awaited, eighth studio album finally arrived in April, it’s no surprise that Beastie fans were all a frenzy. The album’s release was delayed after founding member Adam “MCA” Yauch was diagnosed with cancer, and with the news that he’s doing well, this album serves as a sort of victory dance for Yauch and his fans. Musically, nothing comes closer to classic, Check Your Head Beasties than this set, with lead single “Make Some Noise” bringing a catchy groove, fuzz-toned instrumentals and explosive rap-rock vocals.

9. Chickenfoot, Chickenfoot3

Sammy Hagar-fronted, hard-hitting supergroup Chickenfoot yield plenty of mainstream, blues-infested rock with their sophomore album, Chickenfoot3. Hard rock ditties such as “Last Temptation” and “Something Gone Wrong” remind listeners that rock, indeed, is rooted in blues, with a blues-infested energy and rawness. Moreover, the album’s variety shows that Hagar and his troupe of bass player Michael Anthony, drummer Chad Smith and guitarist Joe Satriani know how to rock hard and turn it down a notch, if needed, leaving much for the classic rock connoisseur to enjoy.

8. Blink-182, Neighborhoods

Back in 2005, Blink-182 went on an “indefinite hiatus,” leaving fans to believe their favorite punk-pop trio would never regroup. Thankfully, the tiff between members dissipated in 2009, and the guys reunited for a North American tour. Still, new music was in order. Tom DeLonge , Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker at long last put together their sixth studio album, Neighborhoods, and popped it out in September. Buoyed by catchy lead single, “Up All Night” -- a three-chord punk limerick that packets energy and quirky, upbeat lyrics -- the album manifests all that is classic Blink-182: youth, fun and rebellion.

7. Black Country Communion, 2

A supergroup toting four famous British and American hard rock personalities was bound to draw major interest from the greater rock contingent. Black Country Communion -- featuring bass player and vocalist Glenn Hughes of Deep Purple, expert drummer Jason Bonham, keyboardist Derek Sherinian of Dream Theater and blues-rock guitar guru Joe Bonamassa – bring more than empty buzz with their second studio album, 2, which arrived in June. 2 carries catching, real-thing blues-rock, connecting the dots between delicate, intricate instruments and epic, classic rock bluster.

6. Staind, Staind

With Aaron Lewis taking a musical detour into the country life, fans weren’t sure quite what to expect for the band’s seventh studio album, out last September. What they got, however, was a set of the heaviest Staind tracks yet. “Not Again,” the first single off the self-titled release, maintains the kind of size and brutality of Staind’s 1999 debut, Dysfunction, and it might even be a tad heavier, carrying a set of alternative metal songs to please any disciple of post-grunge.

5. Evanescence, Evanescence

Goth-inspired starlet Amy Lee and her rock band Evanescence took five years between their sophomore album, The Open Door, and their self-titled, third studio release. At one point, there was even a question whether Mrs. Lee would just go solo and retire Evanescence for good. Instead, she decided to go the group route, and she sat down with her chosen band members and wrote a complete album, song by song, as a unified whole. The set carries grace and consistency, from the moody, gloomy alternative rock of “The Change” to the pulsating, driving heavy music of lead single, “What You Want,” making this a picture-perfect third album for the Arkansas troupe.

4. Primus, Green Naugahyde

Primus’ first full-length in 11 years, Green Naugahyde, has bass prodigy Les Claypool and company spitting out scatterbrained bass guitar and drum grooves, colorful lyrics and biting, madcap guitar lines. By now, Primus have nothing to prove when it comes to musicianship and proficiency. Instead, the focus is on the personality and persona that is Primus, with tracks that vary from psychedelic and almost menacing (“Green Ranger”) to uber-groovy and cool (“Last Salmon Man”). Of course, Claypool’s dizzying slap-and-pop bass leaves its stamp across the set. Green Naugahyde is the album Primus fans hoped Claypool would serve up, and it’s one of the band’s most notable LPs.

3. Sixx:A.M., This is Gonna Hurt

Motley Crue bass player Nikki Sixx’s outfit Sixx: A.M. delivers a classic, one-two punch with their sophomore album, This Is Gonna Hurt. As with the band’s debut album, The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack, this compilation resonates with deeply personal, confessional lyrics and a staggering, modern metal pulse. Between DJ Ashba’s coiling guitar work and Sixx’s classic, in-the-pocket hard rock groove, the set delivers both musically and emotionally. We love that Sixx is succeeding on his own, plus keeping his “day job” with ‘80s metal kingpins Motley Crue.

2. Red Hot Chili Peppers, I'm With You

When the Red Hot Chili Peppers unleashed I’m With You -- their first studio album since 2006’s double-LP, Stadium Arcadium -- the big question was, “What are the Peppers going to sound like without John Frusciante?” While fans will never forget Frusciante’s crucial influence, it came as a refreshing surprise that I’m With You, featuring the intricate guitar work of Josh Klinghoffer, still sounded, well, like the Peppers. The album is signature Chili Peppers, channeling a charming, funk-rock vibe that has the cool groove of the Chili Peppers’ catalog to a tee.

1. Foo Fighters, Wasting Light

Foo Fighters are possibly the only group in alternative rock to enjoy repeated success on the charts and on tour without any drop in popularity. There’s a good reason for that: Dave Grohl and his amazing knack for churning out elegant, hook-rich rock songs and melodies that stick in one’s head for days. On 2011’s Wasting Light, Dave Grohl and his counterparts prove that -- as Grohl often states -- “rock is not dead,” with a triumphant, colorful album that entered the Billboard 200 at a strong No. 1. Musically, Wasting Light delivers pure, memorable rock, with several tracks already scraping the top of the charts, including “Rope,” “Walk” and “These Days.” As for the Foos’ camaraderie, this album brings back Nirvana bass player Krist Novoselic, guitarist Pat Smear and producer Butch Vig for one historical effort. Wasting Light is everything that’s right with rock ‘n’ roll, and for that, it’s Gibson.com‘s #1 Rock Album of 2011.

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Machine Head’s Robb Flynn: My Top 10 Albums of 2011

As 2011 draws to a close we all start casting our minds back over the best music of the year. Mainstream or obscure, metal or country, rock or jazz, everyone’s got a Top 10 list in them. Gibson.com asked Machine Head’s Flying V playing guitarist Robb Flynn for his best-of list for 2011. Thanks to Robb for getting the ball rolling!

1. Times of Grace - The Hymn of a Broken Man

This record is unreal. Unbelievable album. SO inspiring. Goosebumps throughout. The passion, the vocal harmonies, the lyrics, SO meaningful and real. Songs about LOVE on a metal record... and they’re great??!! Crazy. What I’ve always loved about Jesse Leach’s voice is that it sounds like dude has PROBLEMS!! And I relate. I was really disappointed with where music was going when this came out... and this record literally saved me.

2. Ghost - Opus Eponymous

It took me about 4 listens, but when I “got it,” man, it hit me like a ton of bricks, this record simply RULES.

3. Ray LaMontagne & The Pariah Dogs - God Willin’ & The Creek Don’t Rise

Normally I hate this kind of music, but our drummer Dave McClain turned me onto this, and it’s seriously an absolutely incredible folk/Americana record. I could not stop listening to it. Ray’s voice has so much ache and sadness. “This Love is Over” is a masterpiece.

4. All Shall Perish - This is Where it Ends

Our Bay Area brethren deliver an ambitious and staggeringly heavy piece of work here. These guys are the undisputed kings of the Death-Core genre, and the main reason is the songwriting. This isn’t Tech-Death-Arpeggio-Core with a 3rd rate Meshuggua riff; these are songs, GREAT songs, with great lyrics. “The Past Will Haunt Us Both” is simply incredible. They just might be putting the nail in the coffin to this genre, while at the same time transcending into something greater.

5. Tyler, The Creator - Goblin

Sick, sick, SICK man!!! So dark, and [expletive] up. Warped! Underground rap at its finest. Thank you, Mark from Chimaira.

6. Trivium - In Waves

Best album since Ascendancy, hands down, and probably a better album overall. Great songwriting, great production, great hooks. “Watch the World Burn” is amazing. Love it.

7. Kanye West & Jay-Z - Watch the Throne

I love my mainstream hip-hop, I can’t help it. Going back to the “sound collage”-style of early ’90s east coast rap, this record, sonically, was incredible. Ridiculously good rhymes from both rappers, and the dark political undertones only deepened the beauty of it all.

8. The Beatles - iTunes Catalog

I’ve heard every one of these songs a million times, and yet getting them all together made me fall in love with The Beatles all over again. The guitar tone at the beginning of “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” is one of the heaviest, raunchiest things ever put down in history. And while many bands have tried to cover “Helter Skelter” and make it heavier, none have come close to the apocalyptic proto-punk, garage-rock feel they captured. “Eleanor Rigby,” forget it!

9. Anthrax - Worship Music

I wasn’t expecting much out of this to be honest – the long public train wreck that unfolded with our friends was a bummer. Plus, I really liked John Bush’s voice, but man, this record is just so unbelievably good it stopped me in my tracks. Great songs, great, production, great lyrics and [expletive] me if Belladonna didn't deliver the vocal performance of his life. Hands down the best he has ever sounded, and the freedom he was allowed (insisted on?) made it all the better, soaring vocal harmonies, power, the quality of his vocal tone, dude had to deliver a Hail Mary and he did. “In The End” and “Fight ’Em Til You Can’t” are TWO of the best songs Anthrax have ever written. GREAT job dudes!

10. Darkest Hour - The Human Romance 

Stop sleeping on this album!!  Metal done at its finest, by a bunch of dudes who are serious music freaks, and might be the craziest bunch of party animals alive. Do yourself a favor and buy this now.

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10 Rock and Metal Christmas Albums That Aren’t Horrible

Christmas and heavy music make for strange bedfellows. That said, a handful of rock and metal personalities have managed to knock out holiday sets that are actually really good, both placing their muscular stamp on Christmas classics and crafting entirely new yuletide tunes. Read on for 10 hard rock and metal Christmas albums that might prove the perfect fit for background music at Christmas dinner. Okay, maybe that’s a stretch, but, nonetheless, these releases sure rock!

10. The Vandals, Christmas with the Vandals

To say The Vandals’ Christmas with the Vandals is not your traditional Christmas album is an understatement. The California punk-rock outfit dish out cynical tracks such as “I Don’t Believe in Santa Claus” and “Thanx for Nothing,” in typical anti-establishment, punk rock tradition. This is a good bet for someone with a sense of humor and love for DIY punk.

9. We Wish You a Hairy Christmas featuring Warrant, L.A. Guns and more

Who says hair metal fans can’t have a merry Christmas? We Wish You a Hairy Christmas features glam-rockers Warrant covering The Kinks’ “Father Christmas,” Faster Pussycat putting their spin on “Silent Night,” L.A. Guns doing “Run Run Rudolph” and more amusing arrivals. Have a fan of ’80s metal glory on your Christmas list? This set might do the trick.

8. Smash Mouth, The Gift of Rock

Rock is really a wonderful gift, right? That’s the idea behind novelty rock band Smash Mouth’s The Gift of Christmas, which has the California group covering rock holiday classics (“Snoopy’s Christmas,” “Come on Christmas, Christmas Come On; “Zat You, Santa Claus?”) instead of strictly traditional yuletide tunes. Who you expect anything less from the quirky pop band?

7. Psychostick, The Flesh Eating Rollerskate Holiday Joyride

With a title like The Flesh Eating Rollerskate Holiday Joyride, it’s no surprise that this Christmas album is packed with flat-out crazy holiday tunes. From the heavy metal to the sardonic, song titles like “Holiday Hate” and “Jingle Bell Metal” get the point across.

6. Twisted Sister, A Twisted Christmas

On A Twisted Christmas, Dee Snider and his glam group riddle the cherished Christmas carol through a hair metal lens, putting their mark on traditional songs such as “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,”  “Oh Come All Ye Faithful,” “White Christmas” and “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.” While the songs no doubt carry Twisted Sister’s heavy metal edge and punk energy, Snider and company keep relatively close to the originals, and that makes this a surprisingly conventional score.

5. The Reverend Horton Heat, We Three Kings

We Three Kings is a group of 12 classic Christmas songs, plus one new original, flogged into an edgy lather of twang-y guitar and steady percussion by Jim Heath and posse. Fans of rockabilly, punk and blues will likely find charm in this set, which offers such classics as “What Child is This,” “Jingle Bells” and “Frosty the Snowman.”

4. Scott Weiland, The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Scott Weiland – the same guy behind ’90s grunge bastion Stone Temple Pilots – is doing a Christmas album? Really? That was the reaction when the news hit that Weiland was prepping a set of straight-laced Christmas traditionals! The set, titled The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, arrived this fall, and what’s perhaps more surprising is how Weiland captures the Christmas spirit with ease. His lush tenor proves a perfect fit with jolly, festival tunes like “White Christmas,” “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” and “What Child is This?” We give Weiland props for stepping outside of the grunge rock mold!

3. Halford, Halford III: Winter Songs

Heavy metal and Christmas make for unlikely buddies, but Judas Priest frontman Halford makes it work on Halford III: Winter Songs, approaching Christmas songs such as “Come All Ye Faithful” and “We Three Kings” with the same seriousness and conviction that he brings to Priest favorites. While the release still sounds very “metal” and may not be conventional enough for Christmas dinner, it’s a consistent and listenable release, and the metal genre should be happy to claim it under their roster.

2. Black Label Society, Glorious Christmas Songs That Will Make Your Black Label Heart Feel Good

Brawny guitarist Zakk Wylde’s Southern-fried metal collective, Black Label Society, show that they have the kind of sensitivity to melody that comes with years of honing their skills with this three-song, instrumental, acoustic Christmas EP. The set – Glorious Christmas Songs That Will Make Your Black Label Heart Feel Good (available on iTunes) – features the yuletide favorites “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” “Oh Little Town of Bethlehem” and “It’s a Wonderful World.” This one you might actually be able to get by your significant other to play at Christmas dinner!

1. We Wish You A Metal Xmas & A Headbanging New Year featuring ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons, Dave Grohl and more

On We Wish You A Metal Xmas & A Headbanging New Year, a collection of rock and metal greats put their talents together to pay tribute to the merriest time of year. Album highlights are plenty, including Motorhead’s Lemmy Kilmister, Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl and ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons rocking out together on “Run Run Rudolph” and Testament‘s Chuck Billy and Anthrax’s Scott Ian putting their spin on “Silent Night.” Further appearances include Alice Cooper, Ratt frontman Stephen Pearcy and Black Sabbath‘s Tony Iommi. It’s safe to call this the definitive heavy music Christmas album!

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No More Albums for Deep Purple?

Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover said there have been discussions in his band about whether or not to record a new album. It’s been six years since the hard rockers released a new full-length record.

“There’s been disagreement in the band about whether to do another album. They really don't make money any more,” Glover told QMI Agency. “My opinion is that we are an album band and should make them even if it costs us money, because that’s what we do. Maybe I’m a traditionalist, but I believe we should stay what we are.

“We can progress with our music, but the way we do it should be the way we’ve always done it. There’s nothing wrong with that. An album is like capturing a moment in time. And in a band with a history like ours, those moments mean a lot.”

Glover also discussed the band’s current orchestral tour.

“Well, it’s good to have a new hook to hang your coat on,” he said. “We’ve toured so much and so many people have seen us. So we thought this was a different kind of challenge. We’re best known for the old songs, so it’s about time to try something a little different.”

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Do it Yourself: The Top 10 One-Man-Band Albums

User-friendly technology and reasonably priced gear have made home studios a viable proposition for just about any recording artist. But playing almost all the instruments and performing nearly all the vocals on a full-length album requires an altogether different set of skills. Remarkably, some of the greatest “one-man-band” albums were made during the’70s, when the process was much more painstaking than it is today. Below are 10 of the very best.

10. Paul Westerberg, Folker (2004)

Paul Westerberg’s post-Replacements’ career sputtered at first, as his major-label solo albums seemed calculated ever-so-slightly to gain him the stardom he deserved. Beginning in 2002, however, he hunkered down in his basement and started making beautifully messy slop-rock fitted with sharp hooks, Keith Richards-inspired rhythm chops and the occasional ballad done in his classically disarming style. All of Westerberg’s DIY discs are winners, but Folker is a notch above the rest.

9. Prince, For You (1978)

Prince was already being hailed as a teen phenom before he released this stunning debut in early 1978. Having just signed a multi-million-dollar deal with Warner Brothers, the Purple One delivered a pop-funk roadmap for the direction he would pursue into the ’80s. Prince’s erotic suggestiveness was already in full bloom, as evidenced by the infectious “Soft and Wet,” a tune he described to one interviewer as a song about deodorant.

8. Steve Winwood, Arc of a Diver (1980)

Hard to believe, but former teen sensation Steve Winwood was contemplating leaving show business when he made this masterpiece, which he recorded in a home studio at his farm located north of London. Buttressed by the Top 10 hit “While You See a Chance,” the album framed Winwood’s blue-eyed soul in atmospheric arrangements and languid tempos. A heavy MTV presence later pushed Winwood’s career to further heights.

7. Grant Lee Phillips, Mobilize (2001)

Fans of Grant Lee Buffalo’s cinematic, heartland-drenched arrangements were likely surprised by the approach Grant Lee Phillips took with this do-it-yourself solo debut. Although the golden pop grandeur remained intact, Phillips achieved it in minimalist fashion, nestling 12-string acoustic guitars, bass and horns in a bed of digital percussion and treated keyboards. Michael Stipe, who snapped the cover shot, has long cited Phillips as one of his favorite songwriters.

6. Jason Falkner, Bedtime with The Beatles, Pt. 2 (2008)

Paul McCartney himself gave his blessing to this odd, but winning, collection of instrumental renditions of classic songs from the Fab Four catalog. A pop maestro in his own right, Falkner offered up hypnotic arrangements that could serve as lullabies for adults and children alike. Just prior to making the disc, Falkner had been recruited by McCartney to play guitar on Macca’s Chaos and Creation in the Backyard album.

5. Roy Wood, Boulders (1973)

As co-leader and co-founder of both The Move and the Electric Light Orchestra, Roy Wood demonstrated a supreme penchant for making commercially viable pop music. With this solo album, he also proved that great melodies could accommodate the most outlandish eccentricities. Delighting in absurdist humor and studio trickery, Wood sounds like he’s having the time of his life on this do-it-yourself disc.

4. Todd Rundgren, Hermit of Mink Hollow (1978)

Todd Rundgren’s eighth solo album saw him return to the dazzling pop smarts he had demonstrated on masterworks like Something/Anything? and Todd. Having experienced the collapse of his longstanding relationship with Bebe Buell (Liv Tyler’s mom), Rundgren wrote and recorded a clutch of richly melodic tunes, many of them tinged with heartbreak.

3. John Fogerty, Centerfield (1985)

John Fogerty rediscovered his songwriting mojo with this stunning effort, which earned the former Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman his first #1 album since leaving his old band. Sunny rockers such as “Rock and Roll Girls” and the title track, along with the swamp-guitar gem, “The Old Man Down the Road,” recalled the glory days of AM radio. Working from meticulously crafted demos, Fogerty made the album for a mere $35,000.

2. Foo Fighters, Foo Fighters (1995)

Few knew, but during his stint with Nirvana, drummer Dave Grohl was making home recordings that would form the foundation for his first post-Nirvana album. Recorded in just one week, the cannily titled Foo Fighters retooled the best of those songs into a pop-punk triumph. In a twist of irony, the disc was nominated for a Grammy in the “Best Alternative Music Album” category in 1996, but lost out to Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged in New York.

1. Paul McCartney, McCartney (1970)

Paul McCartney opted for a low-key approach on his first post-Beatles album. Working mostly in his home studio, Macca burnished a batch of pop rockers and ballads with an organic brush, eschewing polish in favor of charm. Perhaps the ex-Beatle was trying to minimize expectations, but tracks like “Maybe I’m Amazed” continue to dazzle even after all these years.

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Dave Grohl Wants to Record Albums in His PJs

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, by now you’ve heard the Foo Fighters decided to record their just-released album, Wasting Light, in frontman Dave Grohl’s garage. But, the real question is, “Why?”

Grohl told MTV News, he simply found the relaxed approach to recording refreshing, invigorating and fun.

“The making of this album was kind of the most fun we’ve ever had making a record, because it was so laid-back,” he said. “I wish every album was like this, where I didn’t even have to get out of my pajamas. Dude, it was in my house. ... I liked doing it this way. Let’s leave it at that.”

Listening to the raw-sounding album, it’s obvious the collection was recorded the lo-fi, old-school way: with tape, no computers and a lot of spirit.

“It was my idea to do it to tape, which nobody does it to tape anymore, everyone uses computers, and computers are rad and whatever, but tape, you have to actually play, and you have to be good. You can try to make it sound as good as it can, but at the end of the day, you get what you get on tape, that's it,” Grohl said.

The recording took Grohl back to the Nevermind days.

“When I first brought it up, I said, ‘Hey, I want to do this to tape,’ and everybody was like, ‘Well, can you do that?’ and I was like, ‘Yeah, that’s the way we used to do it,’ and Butch [Vig], the producer, he produced Nevermind, like, 20 years ago, and that was tape,” he said.

“…I basically said, ‘If I see one computer in my house, you’re fired.’ Why go 99.9 percent of the way? If we’re going to do it, let’s go all the way.”

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