So you wanna talk about redefining rock LPs of the 1980's? Ya just gotta include THE BLASTING CONCEPT VOLUME II in there, chief. Anyone who hoped those "difficult" mid-period BLACK FLAG and SACCHARINE TRUST records were just a fluke couldn't deny that, by 1985, SST Records had undergone a complete and total aesthetic overhaul. The HC punk had become heavy, found hippie, turned jazzy, gone fishin' and then . . . well, kids everywhere were shaking their heads in utter disbelief. This just wasn't what they wanted their oh-so precious punk rock to sound like. Ever.

THE BLASTING CONCEPT VOLUME II encapsulated those revelatory changes, and suggested a dozen more. It was a bold, powerful, collective artistic statement that directly challenged unexamined musical prejudices throughout punk & underground scenes at the time. While the first BLASTING compilation merely corralled previously released material on a handy 12", most of this stuff never turned up anywhere else, making it primary SST documentation. Yes it's got the most boring cover in SST's early annals; but do check out the original, unused Pettibon artwork in the backpages of Joe Carducci's Rock & the Pop Narcotic - a very different graphic representation to ponder when cracking an ear to this aural wonder. Blow by blow, it's

SAINT VITUS: "Look Behind You" - One of my fave early VITUS cuts. Carducci makes mention of a creeping paranoia floating around SST back then, and VITUS pins it here with a singularly leaden, dull-blade. Ouch. This version beats the slightly later, Wino-led version what with more inspired vocals by Scott Reagers and superior drumming from Armando.

DC3: "Theme From an Imaginary Western" - Dez the crooner, won't you take the mic? Oh my god, how I love this. It's hard, heavy, and poignant - brings tears to my eyes. And these eyes don't cry easily.

SWA: "Mystery Girl" - Not my fave SWA song, as it's got one of them distended, disjointed riffs that clutter up their early LPs. But Merrill sounds E. Bloomin' hot and raring to go-go-go, like he's about to whip his dick out in front of whatever loser audience ain't gonna be able to handle SWA this week. You might, but me? I don't ever fast-forward past this one.

BLACK FLAG: "I Can See You" - One of the more off-kilter melodies Ginn came up with in FLAG, and when he solos I start feeling a bit woozy. But lyrically it fits the rec perfectly, as if Ginn's responding to the VITUS track above. Who says he didn't grow eyes in the back of his head?

GONE: "Watch the 'Tractor" - One of GONE's defining moments: pure metallic punk/prog mayhem bliss. A buddy of mine always maintained GONE was responsible for the very best in-store performance ever in the greater Washington DC area, which is totally believable if they sounded anything like this.

WÜRM: "Death Ride" - I am one yahoo who actually digs Simon Smallwood's vocals and the BLUE CHEER bronco these guys saddled on their Feast LP. WÜRM were far too early in the scheme of Heavy Revival to be considered anything more than a joke. But like VOX POP, they helped reintroduce OTT metal to punkers in LA, back when you were still making excuses for owning Haysi Fantayzee records.

OVERKILL: "Over the Edge" - OVERKILL put out the best SST LP most of you never bothered with, and this singularly-great MÖTÖRHEAD bomb is an outtake from that crucial rec. Merrill's vocals are buried which makes him sound even more feral, and drummer Kurt Markham positively murders. I can't not bang my head hard when this one comes on.

SACCHARINE TRUST: "Emotions and Anatomy" - A short outtake from their Worldbroken live record, so it's got Mike Watt playing bass. At the time, this kinda deep searching, exploratory sound got me thinking there were absolutely no more limits to just how far out underground rock could be taken. You younger free-rock types oughta all come pay your respects.

PAINTED WILLIE: "The Big Time" - Not a bad bit of REDD KROSS-like sneer from guys who struggled to find their voice after the brilliance of their initial Ragged Army 7" 45. Most of their records suffer from shitty production, but as I always empathized with punkers who tried rocking it hard and heavy, no doubt I'd have paid to see em do it live if I could.

ANGST: "Just Me" - Depressive folk rock that nicely illustrates the strengths of this Bay-area band. Again I'll maintain that this is entirely in keeping with the vibe (if not the sound) of primo SLEEPERS/NEGATIVE TREND material.

MEAT PUPPETS: "I Just Wanna Make Love to You" - I prefer the PUPS covers of "Child of the Moon" and "No Quarter" but they're all zigzagging stripes off the very same three-legged zebra. I always laugh when Curt maintains she don't love you anymore/ she likes my love better.

MINUTEMEN: "Ain't Talkin' About Love" - Here you probably figured Merrill Ward or Henry Rollins would be the first to come out of the closet with a love for VAN HALEN. Nope: it was Boon who was the real Diamond Dave aficionado all along. I love that, in true MINUTEMEN fashion, they've parred this back to only the 3rd verse and the hey hey heys.

HÜSKER DÜ: "Erase Today" - a great New Day Rising-era outtake. This doesn't actually sound like much else here, but that just illustrates how distinctive these guys' sound actually was. I'm not a huge HD fan, but this is a classic midwestern barnburner anyway you wanna cut it.

OCTOBER FACTION: "I Was Grotesque" - Lifted from the their less-than successful second LP, wherein Dukowski, Ginn, Baiza, Stevenson et al tried to FACTIONalize within the unnatural confines of the studio. They couldn't pull it off and I admit it: I sometimes skip past this one. But I'll always admire their impulse to take the music one step beyond.

TOM TROCCOLI'S DOG: "Todo Para Mi" - A far from ideal cut to end things on, given the quality of all that came before. Me I woulda chose Tom's cover of ANDY & THE RATTLESNAKES "Patience" which ended his own DOG LP from this same year. But really, what better man to bring down these BLASTING curtains than the hippiest, deadheadiest SST roadie of them all? Anybody who couldn't deal would've given up loooong before this track; those who stayed to appreciate it no doubt went on to form all my favorite bands over the next couple decades.

--------

Paging Greg Ginn: re-release this lost treasure! It's one that'll blow minds, forevermore.

            My apologies for being a little MIA for a while with blogging.  I’ve been busting my balls looking to replace at least my one part time job.  They’ve been very lousy in making sure I have work as of late, and it is time for me to replace them. 

            So I’ve been quite situational depressed as of late since way too many things just are not working out in my favor as of late.  I did at least manage to consolidate a couple of my loans, making life just a little bit easier for me.  Still got a couple to manage and pull off.

            I was turn down to take on the employment roll with Pre-Paid Legal.  This begun my ugly depression stint.  I did send in a letter to get basically a response as to why they turn me down, even if I already know, and when I can re-apply.  This may help them change their minds sooner.  I shall soon see.

            But I like the strategy of letting people know that if they turn me down for employment services, that it is legal right to get a letter stating why, and asking when I can re-apply.  This will show importance of being a good worker, over being some ken doll from some Barbie collection just because my checklist is a bit stained for some people to ever care to deal with.

            I’m tempted to digress, but it really isn’t going to do me any further favors than I got going for me now.  We all need to stop trying to have society some unison doll collection world.  You just won’t get that type of world.  People make bad decision.  People need help and just won’t ever receive any.  People need answers to questions people won’t even acknowledge exist.  It truly just doesn’t matter if anyone is dealing with criminal charges, politics, dating and romance, religion, sex, etc.  Here is the bottom line.  The human race is just diverse.  There is nothing cookie cutter to any of us.

            We would be boring beyond belief if we were.

            I’m more interested now in making sure anyone in society has a guarantee one income source.  I’m a bit tired how much people practically demand money to be spent, but when it comes to earning the money they demand spent, they are no where to be found or heard.

            I only fear more that this wonderful steady passive uncaring pace eventually bites everyone when unexpected.  Our society has become too soft, too afraid to own up to anything, and too paranoid with the world around us.

            Let me make it this simple.  What will offend you the most ever: 1. The words or phrase, “In god we trust.” 2. Seeing someone naked when they should not be naked. 3. Somebody wronging you, being in the wrong themselves, even instigating being in the wrong, and still sue you for their illegitimate actions, and finally 4. Every square millimeter of this planet just became a target for fully automatic weapons fire, and there is no such thing as safe haven or sanctuary anymore.

            Hey, if American heritage offends you, stop being a citizen of our country then and good luck to you and your attitude in a country with a lot less freedom.  Let me know how that works out for you.  (My response if you choose 1.)

            Look people, you’ve made sex more offensive than murder practically.  Now, inappropriate actions just to get sex can be quite offensive, such as the rapes, misleading, lies, cheating, abuse, any other domination or blackmail factor you want to toss in here.  But all the other nonsense, over or under 18, too old with too young, any actions that are just actions of pure stupidity or something the show Jackass would use, this just has to stop.  Slap the people around a little to straighten them out and just let them be on their way.  I got my huge series of blogs on the many factions involved with sex offense.  They all apply somehow.  If sex was so bad, I doubt god would created human kind to ever have sex to begin with.  Let’s get the human sexuality priorities straight, appropriate, and with some manners and regulations that everyone can follow without argument.  That and stop being such assholes over it, on both sides of the coin!  Legal and illegal.  (My summary response if you choose 2.)

            Let’s face it.  If you don’t know how to live life, you need to keep your issues to yourself and not go out of your road to be destructive to others.  This is why it is important to teach discipline, be responsible for your own actions, be self reliable and have self ownership of your own life.  Instead of us protecting the fragile hatful egos who are the reasons why a lot of problems exist to begin with.  If no one went places to begin with, do you think we would even need laws written out for us that would be broken to begin with?  Let alone attack further the people you already were doing wrong to begin with?  If you are already in the wrong, you probably should not be allowed to use civil right for something, that if you were not taking such actions to begin with, would not even matter or pertain to the shallow life you are already living.  (My response if you choose 3.  Which for the record is offensive, but my point is number 4 in all of this.)

            I of course chose number 4.  The only thing that can offend me more than knowing all hell breaks lose and there is nothing safe or sacred anymore, is we all keep exercising the behaviors over and over and over again that will lead us there to begin with.  Welcome to mortality, welcome to earth, and welcome to what is called attacking people’s ability to survive.

            Try regaining a grip on this economy; starting with making sure everyone (no exceptions) is earning the money to begin with someone out there is demanding to be spent to begin with.  That alone will solve a fair amount of problem.  (Try running your campaigns politicians by simply promoting doing the math.)  Stop complicating everything we do have with so many rules that we cannot make heads or tails out of anything and everything.  Finally, stop pretending to be what we are not.  If we cannot learn to stop the need for oppression on all levels, and I do mean ALL LEVELS, stop trying to be more important than what we really are, stop hiding behind all these excuses in life, and just start sharing this planet better, start accepting people for who they are and what worth they can bring to the table, start being better cooperative and honest with others; you may be surprise what changes can be made.

            I guess I digressed anyway.  Welcome to my inner world.  Seriously folks.  Let’s get our heads out of our rear ends and start making things better on this planet.  Leaving no individual behind. 

            You have yet begun to understand what it truly means to be offended.  By the time you do, it is already too late.  Let’s understand what that means in a time of peace.

            Be good, be strong and be safe now.  Peace.

Takes place at concorde 2 brighton, 06/06/06 – Overkill special Halloween party backstage with some very cool people such as Mike Paradinas, Scotch Egg, Ned Beckett etc

Having briefly read through this again i see now its bit hard to follow sometimes i think... anyway - sorry if it is!

Venetian snares / Aaron Funk: whats your name?
A.D. Halliday: my name’s andi, Aaron is it? how are you doing?
V: im doing good – Im sweating, my name’s fifi!
A: ok – is it ok to ask you some questions… first question… written in about ten minutes Im afraid, well… – here we go
Mike paradinas (Aron’s label boss / boss of Planet mu recordings) Yeah, well  – none of it can be about music!
V: No! Its merely stipulation - !
A: oh, ok , nothing to do with music, right…
M.P.: (jokes) What’s your favourite colour?
V: Black crayons!!!
M.P. what’s your favourite sexual position?
V: I don’t know Ive never had sex…
MP: (and…) what’s your favourite pizza?
V: Mushroom… Double mushrooms…
A: Have you had pizza in England?
V: I think I’ve had pizza in England before.
MP: who’s your favourite member of girl’s aloud?
V: who’s that..whats that…
American woman: : they’re pretty bad. Fucking shite..
A: Girls aloud are pretty rubbish.
MP: girls aloud are fucking wicked.
A: OK… I beg to differ man… like…
MP: that one song they did that was good was good… there was a homo version they did… that was good.
A: I don’t know any girls aloud tracks…
V: (answer to previous question) doggy style is my favourite sexual position.
A: Ok its time for you to answer a rubbish question.. or rather an arty question.
Can You identify the sources of such extraordinary emotion in your music…
[general banter]
V: Pardon me? You want me to do what?
[general bafflement…struggling]
A:you know… your music is hard hitting but also very extremely melodic and beautiful…
V: I guess so. The music lately, that I make around my house is a little different. I don’t know, I make music when I’m crying,
MP: Sadness.
V: yes, sadness,
MP: Sadness but joyous sadness. Take your joy and be sad about it.
V: beautiful, but painful.
A: well, there we go – that’ll do!
[giggles of disbelief and wonderment]
A:ok – so, do you have a particular working process?
V:Don’t ask me questions like that man. (laughs)
A:ok. How has your music changed since you’ve been able to travel and play your music to ever expanding audiences?
V: I don’t know.
A: Before you started making music and played to people, did you ever have crap jobs? Like you know… I’ve been a bin man before, a dustbin man.
V: A what? You mean like… well my last real job (laughs a lot ‘my last real job hahaha’)
Was a delivery driver. It was fucking wicked man. I was a delivery driver for a bakery. I loved that job I got fired because I crashed the van. I was driving around this like massive stereo, cos this van had these massive speakers and so id listen to music all day, running around. Free cakes all day. I was backing up really fast. You cant get fired for that so… It was good when I crashed it actually, I got to go on unemployment and so I went on unemployment until it ran out… that was wicked.
A: how much you get for that?
V : you get like half your salary every two weeks. You fill out a form…
A: were you living with your parents during this time?
V: no I was living with my girlfriend, this was a long time ago – about five years ago. But she’s not my girlfriend anymore though…
A: haha has there been a few since then?
V: yeah, quite a few…!
A: An arty question: How do you interpret the musical landscape we live in today?
AW: fuck!!
V: Its like trying to avoid stepping in poo.
A: Avoiding the crap?
V:sure..
A: how do you do with that? You manage it ok..
V: sure
[enter brighton’s DJ Scotch Egg, Aaron’s part time touring buddy in UK/Europe]
SE: Hey!
V: Egg! Hey How are you?
SE: Hi How you?…..
V: just perfect.….OK next!
A: How powerful do you think music is politically?
V:I don’t know?
A: Are you interested in politics? As interested as you average man?
V: How interested in politics is your average man? Im not that interested in politics. Who fucking cares… Canada is where the politics are!
AW: that’s why I moved to England!
A: would you consider moving to England?
V: No, I don’t wanna live in England.
A:England’s a bit rubbish..
V:Its alright, you should see where I live. (laughs a dark laugh)
A: Im from the country. You ever been to dorset?
V: I dont know… I cant remember.
A: where have you been on tour?
V: I don’t know. Rome, France, Austria, Vienna, Cambridge and here. The one in the alps was the best. It was loud (MP agrees).
A:How do you think brighton’s gonna turn out?
V: looks good.
A: I read somewhere on the internet that you were a bit hesitant before joining forces with Mike and Planet – Mu. Has that turned out for the best after all?
MP: HA!! So that’s why you sent me a demo – cos you didn’t want to be on my label!
V: I never sent you a fucking demo!?!
MP: Yes you did
V: yeah but you asked me to – you said you’d bought my record and that you wanted to hear some more tracks.so I sent you a cd. And you sent me loads of planet mu records.
A: so that’s working out for the best then?
V: yep, the more I spoke to mike the more it sounded like a cool idea!
(general banter and laughter people coming in and out of backstage room)
A:cool.
V: yes, now were really special friends! Ha ha ha
I’m not like regular people man, I don’t sit down and think im gonna do this, I’m gonna go to school, and then college and then get a job and settle down and have a kid, then a house, have a kid, and then another kid, and at the weekends have a barbeque… I don’t know…
MP/OTHERS: “Your not like regular people…”
V: I AM NOT LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE!! –Your all fucked up!
A: Thanks very much.
V Your welcome!
MP/V: N>e>d> what time are we all playing? It’s n>e>d>’s birthday…

end.

Updated July 9, 2008

January
Drive By Truckers - Brigher Than Creation's Dark
Airbourne - Running Wild (U.S. Release)
Bullet For My Valentine - Scream Aim Fire
Gamma Ray - Land of the Free, Part 2
Ayreon - 01011001
American Speedway - Ship of Fools
Lillian Axe - Love and War (Reissue)
Lillian Axe - S/T (Reissue)
Sleeze Beez - Screwed Blued & Tattooed (Reissue)
Sleeze Beez - Powertool (Reissue)
Stonerider - Three Legs of Trouble
Thieves & Liars - When Dreams Become Reality
Tiles - Fly Paper
Saint Daemon - In Shadows Lost From the Brave
Pagan's Mind - God's Equation

February
DVD - Iron Maiden - Live After Death
DVD - Scorpions - Live at Wacken Open Air 2006
DVD - Overkill - Live at Wacken Open Air 2007
DVD - Thin Lizzy - Live and Dangerous
Three - End is Begun
Pillar - For the Love of the Game
Avantasia - The Scarecrow
UFO - Phenomenon (Reissue)
UFO - No Heavy Pettin (Reissue)
UFO - Force It (Reissue)
Type O Negative - Dead Again (Red Version)
Hurricane - Over the Edge (Reissue)
Hurricane - Take What You Want (Reissue)
Hurricane - Slave To the Thrill (Reissue)
Hericane Alice - Tear the House Down (Reissue)
Baton Rouge - Shake Your Soul (Reissue)
Baton Rouge - Lights Out on The Playground (Reissue)
Wrathchild America - Climbing the Walls (Reissue)
Tangier - Four Winds (Reissue)
Tangier - Stranded (Reissue)
Danko Jones - Never Too Loud
King's Call - No Alibi

March

Benedictum - Seasons of Tragedy
Inflikted - Cavalera Conspiracy
Saving Abel - S/T
Steve Stevens - Memory Crash
Firewind - The Premonition
DVD - Zebra
King Kobra - Ready to Strike (Reissue)
King Kobra - Thrill of a Lifetime (Reissue)
Icon - Right Between the Eyes (Reissue)
Black Tide - Light From Above
House of Lords - Come To My Kingdom
Warrior - Fighting For The Earth (Reissue)
Shannon - Angel in Disguise
Whitecross - 1987
Black Crowes - Warpaint
Diamond Head - Borrowed Time (Reissue)
Diamond Head - Canterbury (Reissue)

April
Fatal Smile - World Domination
Saints of the Underground - Love the Sin, Hate the Sinner
Theory of a Deadman - Scars & Souvenirs
Whitesnake - Good To Be Bad
Dominici - 03 A Trilogy Part 3
Asia - Phoenix
Testament - The Formation of Damnation
The Sword - Gods of The Earth
Dream Theater - Greatest Hit (And 21 other pretty cool songs)
P.O.D. - When Angels and Serpents Dance
Sevendust - Chapter VII: Hope and Sorrow
In Flames - Sense of Purpose
Kamelot - Ghost Opera: The Second Coming
Ministry - Cover Up
DVD - Axel Rudi Pell - Live Over Europe
Keel - Lay Down the Law (Reissue)
White Lion - Return of the Pride
Circle II Circle - Delusions of Grandeur
Crimson Glory - S/T (Reissue)
Crimson Glory - Transcendence (Reissue)
Tantric - The End Begins
Nine Inch Nails - Ghosts I - IV

May
Iron Maiden - Somewhere Back In Time: The Best Of 1980-1989
MSG - In the Midst of Beauty
3 Doors Down - S/T
Bombay Black - Psycho Magnet
Def Leppard - Songs From The Sparkle Lounge
Kip Winger - From the Moon To the Sun
Eden - Oblivion
King's X - XV
M.ILL.ION - Thrill Of The Chase
Dokken - Lightning Strikes Again
10 Years - Division
Jon Oliva's Pain - Global Warning
Flotsam and Jetsam - Cuatro (Reissue)
Gun Barrel - Outlaw invasion
Brother Firetribe - Heart Full of Fire
Circle II Circle - Delusions of Grandeur
Southern Gentleman - Valley of Fire
10 Years - Division
Glenn Hughes - First Underground Nuclear Kitchen
Souls of We - Let The Truth Be Known (Featuring George Lynch and London LeGrand)

June
Disturbed - Indestructible
Bret Michaels - Rock My World
Man Raze - Surreal
Motley Crue - Saints of Los Angeles
Judas Priest - Nostradamus (2 CD Set)
JORN - Lonely Are the Brave
Flotsam & Jetsam - When The Storm Comes Down (Reissue)
Clusterhead - Times of No Trust
Shinedown - The Sound of Madness
Harem Scarem - Hope

Valient Thorr - Immortalizer

July
The Dogs Divine - Way of Life
Stephen Pearcy - Under My Skin
Tesla - Comin Atcha Live - DVD
Hydrogyn - Deadly Passions
Gypsy Rose - S/T (Featuring David Reece)
Harem Scarem - Hope
Ritchie Kotzen - Live in San Paolo
Silent Rage - Four Letter World
Night Ranger - Hole in the Sun
Jet Black Stare - In This Life
Jesse James Dupree and Dixie Inc - Rev It Up and Go Go
Alice Cooper - Along Came a Spider
Black Sabbath - The Rules of Hell CD Boxset

August

Black Stone Cherry - Folklore & Superstition
Slipknot - All Hope is Gone
Trapt - Only Through The Pain (Aug 5th)
The Showdown - Back Breaker
Dragonforce - Ultra Beatdown
Extreme - Saudades De Rock (Aug 15th)
Asphalt Valentine?

September

Tesla?
Papa Roach - Metamorphisis
Evergrey - Torn
Bullet - Bite the Bullet
Buckcherry - Black Butterfly
Metallica - Death Magnetic
Iced Earth - The Crucible Of Man (Something Wicked Part II)

October
Anthrax?

November

Starbreaker - Love's Dying Wish

December

AC/DC?

Aerosmith?

Overkill em inglês é um gíria que significa ao pé da letra algo como 'supermatar'. Matar uma formiga com um canhão é overkill, mortes sangrentas em filmes de terror são overkill. Na verdade, exagero.

Overkill também é uma das músicas mais famosas do Men at Work lançada em 1983. Bem diferente das demais músicas da banda com uma pegada mais regueira, essa tem uma letra mais forte e um som mais pesado.

Overkill também foi o tema de um dos episódios de Scrubs, em que o vocalista do Men at Work Collin Hay aparece cantando a música na imaginação retardada do protagonista J.D.

Adoro essa versão acústica:

Aura Mastery:
Thistledown Liege
Twilight Shepherd

Overkill:
Mossbridge Troll
Prismatic Omen

Mortal Coil:
Grim Poppet
River Kelpie

Army of Entropy:
Ashenmoor Liege
Din of the Fireherd

Turnabout:
Rhys the Redeemed
Wilt-Leaf Liege

Ich denke, man kann sagen, dass alle 5 Lieges absolute Topkarten sind! Im Constructed werden sie sich irgendwo zwischen "allgegenwärtig" und "Ein Muss im richtigen Deck" einordnen, und ihr Appeal fürs Casual sollte gigantisch sein. Da finde ich es recht unschön, dass es drei, aber nicht fünf davon in den Theme Decks zu finden gibt!

Aura Mastery enthält neben einem Liege auch noch den Twilight Shepherd, die vielleicht beste weiße Kreatur, für die man auch tatsächlich 6 Mana zahlt (sonst wäre es Exalted Angel), mit der einzigen Konkurrenz in Yosei, the Morning Star, und für Casual-Belange wohl noch einmal deutlich attraktiver. Das ist so ein Deck, das wir früher bei Serious Games geöffnet hätten, um an die Rares heranzukommen und sie einzeln zu verkaufen!

Am anderen Ende der Skala dann Mortal Coil. Triskelion war zwar eine Turnierkarte, aber nie besonders wertvoll, da sie nur in bestimmte Decks ging und ihr der Oomph fürs Casual fehlte. Grim Poppet ist in der allgemeinen Wahrnehmung noch uninteressanter. River Kelpie ist fürs Constructed zu unhandlich und umständlich und wird als typische Johnny-Rare vermutlich für irgendetwas zwischen 50 Cent und 1 Euro bei den Online-Händlern angeboten werden. Darüber hinaus besteht es aus einer Kombination derjenigen Farben, welche Gelegenheitsspieler am wenigsten schätzen: Am beliebtesten ist generell Grün, gefolgt von Weiß und Rot, dann kommt Schwarz und abgeschlagen am Ende Blau.

Preconstructed Decks kann man als Händler nicht einzeln bestellen, muss sie aber einzeln verkaufen. Wenn die Kunden einem nun Aura Mastery aus der Hand reißen, während Mortal Coil wie Blei auf dem Tresen liegen bleibt, dann muss man reagieren, indem man die Preise anpasst. Das kann rasch dazu führen, dass ein Deck doppelt so teuer wie ein anderes ist, was wiederum Unmut bei den Kunden hervorruft.

Ich ärgere mich zwar generell darüber, dass WotC so gedankenlos ist und Theme Decks herstellt, die sich ganz offensichtlich höchst unterschiedlich verkaufen werden. Das finde ich generell unschön, da könnten sie sich mehr Mühe geben! Eigentlich ist das Problem aber doch, dass man als Händler die Dinger nicht einzeln bestellen kann.

Wenn ich mir als Einzelhändler die Themendecks selbst zuammen stellen könnte, dann würde ich es mit einer Erstbestellung in folgenden Mengenverhältnissen versuchen:

5 * Aura Mastery
4* Turnabout
3 * Overkill
3 * Army of Entropy
2 * Mortal Coil

Dann würde ich eine Chance sehen, alle Decks zum gleichen Preis anbieten zu können, ohne entweder von manchen gigantische Restbestände aufzubauen (Geldverlust) oder ständig bei einigen ausverkauft zu sein (Kundenunzufriedenheit).

Bei deutschen Themendecks würde ich übrigens ein bisschen variieren, da deutsche Decks tendenziell deutlich stärker von Anfängern gekauft werden. Overkill zum Beispiel würde sich hier, alleine weil es RG ist, vermutlich noch etwas besser verkaufen, und Turnabout als GW-Deck würde wahrscheinlich Aura Mastery einholen.

Os recomiendo también la versión acústica que hizo de Who can it be now?. Clasicazo de los 80.

Opening reception JULY 4th
6:00pm-10:00pm

• Click here for more Portland July 4th events
• Click here for more July art shows and other events in Portland, Oregon

And, for the last time, Waffle Overkill by Mr. Simon Goetz:

WAFFLE OVERKILL by Simon Goetz

When you walk up to Jace Gace, chances are you’ve got cars scraping past at nosebleed speeds and gargantuan condo-creating cranes looming overhead. Belmont breathes down the waffle restaurant’s neck, and with the intersection of 20th and Belmont within spitting distance, Jace Gace’s umbrella-swathed front patio is a great place from which to watch this sunny, imposing world. You might see fender benders and lovers’ spats, bike wrecks and singing pedestrians. But inside the gray brick building is where the real seeing is.

Forget the snazzy design of the place, with the endless white walls ripe for the hanging and the inverted skateboard ramp sweeping up like a wooden tsunami from the entrance. Forget the four young men who own the place, who form like Voltron to run it, who come out and sit down with you and high-five total strangers. Forget the staff, who are genuinely friendly and boisterous as well, and who will tease you after you have known them for two minutes. Forget the ever-expanding menus of beer, both refined and otherwise. Forget the arsenal of waffles on the menu, from asparagus and curry to cream and fruit to sausage gravy and chocolate and other more vegan options.

Forget all of that shit. Because tonight all of that already incredible stuff is kicking it into overdrive for Jace Gace’s “Overkill” art opening. It’s the most exciting art show to happen in Portland in ages, primarily because it’s a non-juried show. That means anyone could submit, and no one was turned away until the gallery ran out of room (which happened in less than two days).

And so tonight you will have the opportunity to see 98 artists showing over 200 pieces, all in one place. I was able to see part of the show while owners Nathan and Jason were hanging it. It’s at once eclectic and overwhelming and beautiful. Tonight it will bring together a healthy cross section of artists in Portland, and I look forward to surrounding myself with three things that bring be comfort: waffles, beer, and art.

In some placeholder text on the Jace Gace website, where the company’s mission statement will eventually go, it says (of what the mission statement should be) “This statement says something inspiring, not lame, not pretentious, and not shallow. Not too hip, but not ancient. Uplifting, but not spiritual. Inclusive and concise, but not terse. Welcoming, but not perverted. Artistic, but not alienating. Something like that.” Whomever wrote this unintentionally described the philosophy behind this non-juried art show, drawing parallels between the company’s overall mission and that of this “Overkill” show. And I think it will work well. I just hope no one gets any syrup on the artwor

From Jace Gace:

JÁCE GÁCE is excited to announce our 2nd annual all art accepted non-juried show! All are encouraged to submit artwork! Our goal is to fill every nook and cranny of our gallery.

We had such a great response last year with our Overkill show, we decided to do it again! We somehow had exactly 100 artists enter. So lets try to make Overkill #2 even bigger!

Opening reception JULY 4th
6:00pm-10:00pm

Submission information after the cut/jump

Here is write-up by Simon Goetz, former Mayor of Belmont, on the first Overkill Show...entitled: Waffle Overkill

WAFFLE OVERKILL by Simon Goetz

When you walk up to Jace Gace, chances are you’ve got cars scraping past at nosebleed speeds and gargantuan condo-creating cranes looming overhead. Belmont breathes down the waffle restaurant’s neck, and with the intersection of 20th and Belmont within spitting distance, Jace Gace’s umbrella-swathed front patio is a great place from which to watch this sunny, imposing world. You might see fender benders and lovers’ spats, bike wrecks and singing pedestrians. But inside the gray brick building is where the real seeing is.

Forget the snazzy design of the place, with the endless white walls ripe for the hanging and the inverted skateboard ramp sweeping up like a wooden tsunami from the entrance. Forget the four young men who own the place, who form like Voltron to run it, who come out and sit down with you and high-five total strangers. Forget the staff, who are genuinely friendly and boisterous as well, and who will tease you after you have known them for two minutes. Forget the ever-expanding menus of beer, both refined and otherwise. Forget the arsenal of waffles on the menu, from asparagus and curry to cream and fruit to sausage gravy and chocolate and other more vegan options.

Forget all of that shit. Because tonight all of that already incredible stuff is kicking it into overdrive for Jace Gace’s “Overkill” art opening. It’s the most exciting art show to happen in Portland in ages, primarily because it’s a non-juried show. That means anyone could submit, and no one was turned away until the gallery ran out of room (which happened in less than two days).

And so tonight you will have the opportunity to see 98 artists showing over 200 pieces, all in one place. I was able to see part of the show while owners Nathan and Jason were hanging it. It’s at once eclectic and overwhelming and beautiful. Tonight it will bring together a healthy cross section of artists in Portland, and I look forward to surrounding myself with three things that bring be comfort: waffles, beer, and art.

In some placeholder text on the Jace Gace website, where the company’s mission statement will eventually go, it says (of what the mission statement should be) “This statement says something inspiring, not lame, not pretentious, and not shallow. Not too hip, but not ancient. Uplifting, but not spiritual. Inclusive and concise, but not terse. Welcoming, but not perverted. Artistic, but not alienating. Something like that.” Whomever wrote this unintentionally described the philosophy behind this non-juried art show, drawing parallels between the company’s overall mission and that of this “Overkill” show. And I think it will work well. I just hope no one gets any syrup on the artwork.

SUBMISSION RULES:

BRING ARTWORK TO JÁCE GÁCE, 2045 SE BELMONT, PORTLAND, OR.
SUBMISSIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED MONDAY JUNE 30TH AND TUESDAY
JULY 1ST, FROM 10AM-6PM ONLY.
EACH ARTIST IS ALLOWED 2 ENTRIES.
ALL 2D WORK ACCEPTED WITHIN 5'X5'.
ALL ARTWORK MUST BE READY TO HANG.
WE WILL ONLY TURN YOU AWAY IF OUR WALLS ARE FULL.
ALL ARTWORK MUST BE PICKED UP MONDAY JULY 28TH BETWEEN 10AM AND 6PM.

I have been going with my boyfriend for two years. I love him a lot but lately he has been slacking off with his exercise routine and his buff is turning into sluff and I am having some problems with that. You see I am a fitness addict myself and we met at the gym and used to exercise together.  About four months ago he started slacking off saying he is too busy to go to the gym or he has to run an errand for his dad or something. I take pride in my body and I like to take pride in my boyfriend's body too but the way he is behaving I think I will soon be embarrassed to be walking around with him.

How can I get my boyfriend back to the gym? Should I threaten to leave him?

Fed up

Dear fed up,

Just ask your boyfriend why he is avoiding the gym? Maybe he has a simple explanation? Maybe he is not feeling well or maybe he is just not into the gym as he did before, maybe your "addiction" makes what was once fun to him into a chore.  It could be any one of those things but you will not know until you ask him. Do not threaten to leave him if you are not serious because you might just end up losing him. The truth is always the best route.  Perhaps you should check yourself to find out why you live in the gym? Is it for show or for health?  If you want to impress others - find out what are you lacking? Why is it so important to impress people? What would happen if you do not impress others?  How do you know when you impress others and how does that make you feel?  Answering these questions might give you some insight into your own actions and perhaps understanding your boyfriend's behaviour as well.

A nice new Supra Skytop has arrived at Overkill. They got in a new silver/turquoise colorway. Almost the entire upper is covered in silver, otherwise they used turquoise nubuck and white perforated leather for the details.

Ett klassiskt citat från Duke Nukem 3D och en attityd att eftersträva. Duke, i spelet, är ensam människa kvar mot en utomjordisk invasion. Alla hans vänner är döda, men istället för att duka under så ger sig Duke fan på att ge igen. Han plockar upp närmaste vapen och börjar producera utomjordisk köttfärs på löpande led.

Vad kan då ett ultravålds-spel som Duke Nukem 3D ge mig, som söker att utveckla min personlighet. Jo, flera saker faktiskt. Duke ger aldrig upp, oavsett hur mörkt det är eller hur svårt problemet kan verka - och han bevisar gång på gång att allt har att göra med vilja. Han överkommer alla sina problem, även fast det är jobbigt och svårt. Första lektionen - ge aldrig upp.

Hail to the King Baby!

Duke vägrar att se sig själv som ett offer för omständigheterna, utan väljer att högljutt uttala sitt förtroende för sig själv. Detta är ett extremt bra sätt att bygga upp sitt eget självförtroende - genom att högt säga att man är bäst. Allt för många idag är rädda för att sticka ut, för att vara bäst - men vem kan vara dig bäst, om inte du? Så HAIL to the King Baby! Bara så att ni vet - jag ÄR bäst!

I'll rip off your head and shit down your throat!

Pavlina kallar det "overkill", andra kallar det ultravåld. Saken är dock den att Duke aldrig gör något halvhjärtat - när han gör något gör han det med själ och hjärta. Om man lever sitt liv som så, att man alltid lägger 110% på att klara av något man förutsatt sig, så kommer man alltid att övervinna sina hinder. Det finns inga omöjliga problem, bara mer eller mindre svåra.

Hmmm, my kind of party! I wish I had time!

Duke spenderar mycket tid i spelet med att hitta roliga, men distraherande saker. Ovanstående citat kommer efter att ha hittat tre nakna strippor i ett hemligt rum. Men Duke har gett sig in på att göra slut på de utomjordingar som invaderat hans hem och har fokuset nog att inte bli distraherad. Detta är också en lektion att lära sig av - låt dig inte bli distraherad. När du valt ett mål, arbeta BARA mot det målet. Sätt inte upp tre-fyra andra mål som du också försöker uppnå. För "försöka" är allt du kommer att göra i slutändan. Fokusera på ett mål i taget, när du nått det, fortsätt mot nästa mål. På detta sätt kan du fokusera din mentala och fysiska energi istället för att sprida ut den.

I feel like drinkin' a gallon o' turpentine, and pissin' on a brush fire...

Så vad har detta med MIG att göra då? Jo, jag har ju inte bloggat på ett tag och mina blogginlägg har varit mer eller mindre förvirrade. Så jag tänker lägga fullt fokus nu på att skapa mig ett mönster, en vana, av att gå ut och gå innan jag går och lägger mig. Promenader brukar fokusera mina tankar, få mina sinnen att varva ner och är dessutom bra motion. Sommarvärmen innebär att jag har 3-4 månader av relativt varma sommarkvällar att promenera på innan jag måste bylsa på mig tjockare kläder, vilket ska vara gott och väl tillräckligt för att få en vana.

Jag kommer att skriva här VARJE dag om min morgonvikt, hur jag mår och hur det går - oavsett om det går bra eller inte. Detta kommer vara mitt enda "mål" för den närmaste tiden (jag tar 30 dagar och gör det till en trial - Soile klarar ju sin så otroligt bra!). Efter jag uppnått detta mål kommer jag som nästa mål att skriva 3 timmar om dagen för Dreamscarred Press.

Es algo complicado pensar en la carrera de medicina sin pensar en Dr. House, ER, Grey’s Anatomy o hasta Scrubs para que después alguien *coff coff* RaulMD *coff coff* rompa tu burbuja sobre lo que es medicina en realidad.

Es interesante mencionar que los médicos residentes en verdad son tan o mas malvados de lo que lo muestran en las series televisivas, que no por saber de medicina puedes salvar a un venado atropellado y que no por ser una eminencia en tu rama o especialidad vas a tener pacientes con enfermedades raras mientras todos te admiran por ser frio y malvado.

Así es, gran parte de lo que nos muestran no es verdad, nada que no sepamos, cierto?

Aun así, sigo la trama de Grey’s de vez en cuando, aun sigo admirando a House, pero si tuviera que elegir, la medicina seria como en Scrubs (mi serie favorita por el momento), porque? Bueno, he aquí unos ejemplos.

Beatbox para Impresionar al Jefe de Medicina.

Un guitarrista te sigue cantando (es Collin Hay, cantando Overkill; que canción tan buena, escuchen con atención la letra...).

Tu jefe quejandose de ti, cantando por supuesto gracias a una paciente loca.

Y por ultimo... la pelea por los puestos en el hospital, ahora entienden porque RaulMD es Cinta Negra en Tae Kwan Do? yo creo que la respuesta es obvia.

Próximamente un post de verdad!

EDIT: No se cómo olvide este:

Cirugía Exploratoria.

In a new attempt to streamline my blog a little I'm going to start using a "read more" link...So if you would like to see the rest of my post please click "read more." There will be videos/lyrics on the other side...

"Waiting for my Real Life to Begin"

Here are the lyrics (feel free to sing along):

Any minute now, my ship is coming in
I'll keep checking the horizon
I'll stand on the bow, feel the waves come crashing
Come crashing down down down, on me

And you say, be still my love
Open up your heart
Let the light shine in
But don't you understand
I already have a plan
I'm waiting for my real life to begin

When I awoke today, suddenly nothing happened
But in my dreams, I slew the dragon
And down this beaten path, and up this cobbled lane
I'm walking in my old footsteps, once again
And you say, just be here now
Forget about the past, your mask is wearing thin
Let me throw one more dice
I know that I can win
I'm waiting for my real life to begin

Any minute now, my ship is coming in
I'll keep checking the horizon
And I'll check my machine, there's sure to be that call
It's gonna happen soon, soon, soon
It's just that times are lean

And you say, be still my love
Open up your heart, let the light shine in
Don't you understand
I already have a plan
I'm waiting for my real life to begin.

"Beautiful World"

"Overkill"

Anything to do with Merlbourne underworld and Underbelly 
Fuel prices/Fuel Watch
Sam Newsman/Footy Show and women
Bill Henson's child "art"
Stabbing death of a Harry Potter movie bit part actor in London
The mole who reckons she was Wayne Carey's girlfriend
Mercedes Corby defamation trial
Sex and the City movie

News stories not getting the attention they deserve

Camden racists
Burma - cyclone aftermath and expanded Aung San Suu Kyi detention
Mars Phoenix mission
International fuel and food prices
Lindsay Lohan going lesso
Newly discovered Amazon tribe
Alan Bond back on the rich list after lying to courtsd and crediters
Two thirds of Melbourne's elite private schools overfunded
Casey Dellacqua kicking arse in the French Open
Matthew Hayden's injury and possible retirement
The fate of the Brazilian "balloon" priest
ANZ pullout of Gunns pulp mill funding (as compared to ANZ pull out of Footy Show advertising)
The new Australian Top Gear hosts (lucky bastards)
Foreign companies trying to buy Australian energy companies

Please feel free to  debate these or add more either way.

Gigantour 2 DVD (2008, Image Entertainment)

Concert footage - (66 mins):

1. The Smash-Up - 'Effigy'
2. Sanctity - 'Beneath The Machine'
3. Into Eternity - 'Severe Emotional Distress'
4. Overkill - 'Necroshine'
5. Overkill - 'Rotten To The Core'
6. Arch Enemy - 'We Will Rise'
7. Arch Enemy - 'Nemesis'
8. Opeth - 'The Leper Affinity'
9. Lamb Of God - 'Vigil'
10. Lamb Of God - 'Now You've Got Something To Die For'
11. Megadeth - 'Take No Prisoners'
12. Megadeth - 'The Scorpion'
13. Megadeth - 'Washington Is Next'

Bonus Material - (60 mins):

1. Behind The Scenes documentary
2. Megadeth - 'Peace Sells' (bonus track)

(Region 1, NTSC, Total Running Time = approx. 126 mins)

Gigantour official website
Megadeth official website

Megadeth mainman Dave Mustaine founded the Gigantour in 2005 to bring different styles of Metal, and some of the lesser known Metal bands, to more fans and bigger arenas annually. Currently the tour is in it's third North American run, headlined by Mustaine's Megadeth, and is bringing bands like Job For A Cowboy, High On Fire, and Children Of Bodom out of the underground and straight into the mass markets. That is now, what this DVD celebrates is the second Gigantour, featuring some of the big names in Metal: Arch Enemy, Opeth, Lamb Of God and Overkill, and most of the footage is from one of the tour stops in Florida in October 2006.

The DVD breaks down into two parts: the concert footage and the bonus behind the scenes documentary. The concert footage is pretty good.....both audio and video are flawless, everything is crystal clear and there are plenty of cameras. The only complaint I have, and it's a minor one, is the editing. The edits are fast and furious.....one second you're looking at the singer, then it's a quick hit to the drums, quick to the audience, fast to the drums, to the bass, to the audience again, to the singer.....you get the idea. The editing is as fast and frantic as some of the music. Personally, I prefer some long wide shots of the full stage and some lingering shots on band members for more than a couple seconds. That said though, the picture and camera work is well done. I did notice that some of the swearing in the onstage banter (watch Lamb Of God's set) is deleted, kind of odd for a Metal DVD.

The performances are top notch of course, each band is at the top of their game. The whole DVD is a sampling so it's not each band's full setlist but only a couple of songs. I have never heard the music of The Smashup or Sanctity and each only gets one song, as does Into Eternity who is a superb Metal band. I would have loved to get a couple more songs from Into Eternity but there is only so much room and 'Severe Emotional Distress' has to satisfy. Thrash legends Overkill sound just as good now as they did almost 25 years ago pumping out the classic 'Rotten To the Core' and the title track from 1999's NECROSHINE. Angela Gossow of Arch Enemy showed me that she has an intense vocal delivery, I knew that from the albums already but to see her on stage was pretty cool. This great singer delivers some of the most brutal, almost painful looking, growls and screams I have ever heard/seen over some serious guitar work.

I was a little disappointed to only get one song ('The Leper Affinity') from Opeth but it was a seriously long one from BLACKWATER PARK (2001). Only so much time on the DVD for every band but you could tell that Opeth had to have put on a great show because it was a flawless performance. Lamb Of God gets the audience up to a moshing frenzy with 'Vigil' and 'Now You've Got Something To Die For'. I remember when Lamb Of God debuted as Burn The Priest and now here they are second billing to the legendary Megadeth! The headliners get the most songs on the DVD with three barnburners in 'Take No Prisoners' (from 1990's RUST IN PEACE), 'The Scorpion' (from 2004's underrated THE SYSTEM HAS FAILED) and 'Washington Is Next' off the latest record UNITED ABOMINATIONS (2007). If you count the bonus track of 'Peace Sells', that's four big ones from the headliner!

The Bonus Material section breaks down into two parts: the 'Peace Sells' bonus track and a 60 minute tour documentary. The documentary is a behind the scenes look at the tour from load in to break down, from backstage drama to on the road hi-jinx. What is cool is the commentary from Dave Mustaine on each band and why he hand-picked them for Gigantour and the interviews with the other bands. It's a solid supplement to the actual performances and is something more than just a bonus.

Bottom Line:
I missed the tour last year (and now this year too!) but this DVD gives me a sample of what I missed. Audio and visual are professionally well done, the band's are all in top form, and the performances are brutal, headbanging, and amazing. Some of the bands on the tour I was only a casual fan of (Arch Enemy, Opeth, Lamb Of God) but now I will pay a lot more attention to them. Into Eternity and Overkill were already bands I enjoyed but seeing a bit of live stuff has me looking forward to their next tours. Megadeth never disappoints.....I've seen them live many times and they always put in a solid show. If you want to see some different bands, some heavy bands, some bands that are huge in the Metal scene then go pick up Gigantour 2 DVD.

There's also a CD version with a slightly different tracklisting but I haven't picked that one up yet.

Mentre un blog che non leggo quasi mai è www.soundsblog.it, forse un contro senso?

Tra le altre cose che amo, ci sono le hit parade, le classifiche, vuoi perché ti danno un senso di ordine, vuoi perché ti fanno subito diventare curioso, o più sottilmente, perché ogni lista altro non è che una scelta e come ogni scelta scarta a priori delle cose, degli oggetti, delle idee.

L'ultima lista che mi è capitato di vedere, proprio in soundsblog, è quella dei migliori 25 riff di chitarra, qui il post originale.

Il riff di chitarra è la struttura base di un brano che spesso viene ad essere il marchio di fabbrica del brano stesso potremmo dire che sono il "ritornello che esegue il chitarrista", come naturalmente tutti sapevate.

(Nota personale: molto bravi! io non lo sapevo!)

Mi sono quindi messo a leggere, con la mia solita avidità, la lista e mi son detto: perché non fare un post?

Ecco quindi: I migliori 25 riff di chitarra sella storia del rock (secondo soundsblog) (o in inglese Best 25 guitar riff of rock's history...più o meno)

(Nota personale: lo so! Starete pensando: quanto ci avrà messo a farla la lista? diciamo che ho iniziato il 2008-04-15)

25. Money For Nothing - Dire Straits (1984)

(Nota personale: il video è stato il primo a passare su MTV Europa. E forse è per questo che alcuni credono sia il primo video musicale della storia. I Dire Strais si formarono nel 1977. Componenti Mark Knopfler (chitarra, voce e autore di tutti i brani), David Knopfler (chitarra), John Illsley (basso) e Pick Withers (batteria). Come tutte le band, partenza in sordina, ma già nel 1980 arrivano al successo e toccano l'apice con "Brothers in Arms" che conteneva la canzone che avete sentito. Si sciolsero nel 1995.)

24. Eye Of The Tiger - Survivor (1982)

(Nota personale: canzone divenuta famosa per essere la colonna sonora del film Rocky IV. I Survivor sono una band americana formatasi nel 1977. Divennero famosi negli anni '80 grazie alle colonne sonore che composero. Tra di esse: "Eye of the tiger" (Rocky IV) e "The moment of Truth" (Karate kid - Per vincere domani). Sono ancora in attività anche se la band ha cambiato spesso componenti: 9 volte)

23. Voodoo Child - Jimi Hendrix (1967)

(Nota personale: Anche se non avete mai sentito nulla di Hendrix, lo conoscete. È un'icona della chitarra, e per un'icona non potevo che scegliere la sua esibizione a Woodstock. Hendrix nasce nel '42. Vita difficile: da piccolo affidato ad amici per problemi economici della famiglia che non passarono neanche quando il padre tornò dalla Seconda Guerra Mondiale. Iniziò a suonare la chitarra avvicinandosi alla musica blues grazie ai dischi del padre. Il successo inizia con la registrazione del blues di Billy Roberts "Hey Joe", potete sentirlo qui, fatto in modo "cattivo" alla Hendrix. Il sound che Hendrix elaborerà negli anni sarà fatto da quelle distorsioni di chitarra elettrica che diventeranno il suo marchio di fabbrica. L'abuso di droghe e alcool lo portarono ad un declino progressivo. Morì nel 1970. Memorabilia: bruciò una chitarra, una Fender Stratocaster, alla fine di una esibizione)

22. Paranoid - Black Sabbath (1970)

(Nota personale: I Black Sabbath sono un gruppo heavy metal britannico, formatosi nel 1968. Formazione storica: Ozzy Osbourne (voce), Tony Iommi (chitarra), Geezer Butler (basso) e Bill Ward (batteria). Come gruppo hanno fatto la storia del genere heavy metal contribuendone alla definizione e crescita. Una delle caratteristiche derivanti da loro è il lato "demoniaco" delle canzoni, così come il gesto delle corna molto usato tra gli amanti del genere, anche se la paternità è oggetto di contendere tra più cantanti e gruppi. Nella loro lunga storia, dal 1968 sino al 2000, hanno attraversato mode e stili arrivando a vendere qualcosa come 100 milioni di dischi. Memorabilia: sembra che durante un concerto Ozzy Osbourne abbia staccato con un morso la testa ad un pipistrello che qualcuno tirò sul palco: lo credeva un giocattolo di plastica)

21. Give It Away - Red Hot Chili Peppers (1991)

(Nota personale: Gruppo statunitense nato nel 1983, hanno al loro attivo 16 album e hanno venduto più di 60 milioni di dischi. Il disco che li rese famosi è il quinto Blood Sugar Sex Magik che oltre a "Give it Away" conteneva anche "Under the Bridge". L'album di maggior successo è "Californication", 15 milioni di copie vendute grazie a pezzi come "Californication" e "Scar Tissue", qui. Memorabilia: Frusciante fa parte di questo gruppo.)

20. Born To Be Wild - Steppenwolf (1968 )

(Nota personale: Fondato nel 1967 a Toronto, il gruppo divenne famoso proprio grazie a "Born To Be Wild", che faceva parte della colonna sonora del film-mito "Easy Rider". Il gruppo si sciolse nel 1971 per riunirsi nel 1974 e si sciolse nuovamente nel '76. Poco dopo vennero a crearsi due gruppi, gli "Steppenwolf" senza il vocalist e fondatore John Kay, che a sua volta creò un'altra band "John Kay and Steppenwolf" che si è sciolta nel 2007)

19. 7 Nation Army - The White Stripes (2003)

(Nota personale: grazie ai mondiali il pezzo è divenuto stra famoso; loro un po' meno. The White Stripes sono un gruppo statunitense di Detrit, formatosi nel 1997, costituito da Jack White ed ex moglie Meg White. Al loro attivo hanno 6 album. "Elephant", quarto album della band, che contiene "Seven Nation Army" è considerato il lavoro più rappresentativo e quello che ha venduto il maggior numero di copie. Il loro sesto, uscito nel 2007, album si intitola Icky Thump.)

18. My Generation - The Who (1965)

(Nota personale: Gruppo rock londinese formatosi nel 1964. La fama inizio con "My Generation" e continuò per gli anni seguenti. Punto fondamentale della loro storia è la pubblicazione dell'album "Tommy" (1969): in cui le canzoni non erano semplicemente accostate una dopo l'altra ma formavano un continuo, era la prima opera rock di successo, storicamente preceduto da altri due lavori uno dei Pretty Things e uno dei Kinks. Da molti sono considerati una band da vedere assolutamente dal vivo e il loro sound ha influenzato o permesso la formazione di band quali i Beatles, Led Zeppelin, The Clash, Blur, Oasis e altri. Memorabilia: erano usi distruggere gli strumenti a fine esibizione. Nel video scelto, se state attenti, ad un certo punto c'è una batteria che esplode!)

17. Highway to Hell - AC/DC (1979)

(Nota personale: Gli AC/DC sono un gruppo australiano nato nel 1973. Il loro stile punta molto sulla chitarra distorta e una voce stridente e aggressiva. Visivamente hanno una buona dose di ironia: visto il chitarrista-scolaretto? L'album che ci consegna un gruppo maturo con le sonorità che possiamo sentire ancora oggi è "Let There Be Rock" del 1977. Due anni dopo, 1979, esce l'album "Highway to Hell" che li conferma star mondiali. La canzone "Highway to hell" è compresa nella lista delle 500 canzoni che hanno formato il Rock'n'roll. La loro storia si può dividere in 2 momenti quando cantava Bon Scott (che avete visto nel video) e quella attuale con Brian Johnson. Brian prese la parte di Scott dopo la morte di quest'ultimo. Il suo primo lavoro con gli AC/DC è l'album "Back in Black": secondo come numero di copie vendute solo a Thriller di Micheal Jackson. Come tutti i gruppi longevi, la loro musica ha attraversato più di un stile anche se generalmente vengono etichettati come hard rock e precursori dello heavy metal.)

16. Wake Up - Rage Against The Machine (1992)

(Nota personale: gruppo rapcore statumotemse formatosi nel 1991 e scioltosi nel 2000. Si riformarono nel 2007. Le loro canzoni esprimono un impegno politico di sinistra e battaglie a favore delle minoranze. Lo dimostrano fin dai primi successi, o eccessi? Nel primo album che porta lo stesso nome della band era presente "Killing in the Name", qui, che ebbe notevole successo: una strofa della canzone era la frase "Fuck you I won't do what you tell me" ("Vaffanculo, non farò mai quello che mi chiedi"), ripetuta 16 volte. O ancora la loro esibizione di protesta contro il comitato USA per la censura delle canzoni: per 15 minuti si presentarono nudi sul palco e con la bocca tappata. O il concerto davanti alla borsa di Wall Street che fece chiudere il mercato per il troppo disagio creato! Al loro attivo ci sono solo 4 album: "Rage Against the Machine" nel 1992, "Evil Empire" nel 1996, "The Battle of Los Angeles" nel 1999 e "Renegades" nel 2000, quest'ultimo formato da sole cover.)

15. Immigrant Song - Led Zeppelin (1970)

(Nota personale: gruppo britannico nato nel 1968. Sono considerati la più importante formazione hard rock di tutti i tempi e la più importante per la storia del rock. Formazione: Jimmy Page (chitarra), Robert Plant (voce e armonica), John Paul Jones (basso e tastiere) e John Bonham (batteria). L'album più importante nella storia della band è il quarto. Non ha titolo e nella copertina sono riportati quattro simboli, uno per ogni componente della band. Da alcuni viene chiamato "Runes Album" ("Album delle rune") o ZoSo (dal simbolo scelto da Page. Secondo alcuni i simboli della copertina sono legati alla magia nera e al satanismo. Nello stesso album è contenuta la celebre Stairway to Heaven, qui tratta dal film documentario "The song remains the same", che contiene un backmasking satanico, idea rafforzata dai contatti di Page con Aleister Crowley. Famosi per il loro eccessi, distruzioni di camere d'albergo e consumo di droga si sono sciolti nel 1980 dopo la morte del batterista.)

14. Back In Black - AC/DC (1980)

(Nota personale: Gli AC/DC "seconda versione" con Brian Johnson per cantante)

13. Johnny Be Good - Chuck Berry (1958 )

(Nota personale: Charles Edward Anderson Berry , meglio conosciuto come Chuck Berry soprannominato anche "il primo ministro del rock and roll", classe 1926, è cantante, chitarrista e compositore americano. Viene considerato da molti l'inventore del rock. Dopo alcuni anni di riformatorio per una rapina, iniziò a dedicarsi alla musica e nel 1955 la canzone "Maybellene" vende oltre un milione di copie. Negli anni '50 pubblica canzoni come "Johnny Be Good", colonna sonora dell'omonimo film in cui appariva anche Berry, "Sweet Little Sixteen", qui, che arrivano nelle prime posizioni delle classifiche americane. Gli anni '60-'70 non furono molto fortunati. Cause: alcuni problemi con la legge, negli anni '60 per quello che potremmo definire sfruttamento e negli anni '70 per evasione fiscale e il cambio della casa produttrice. Nel 1979 sì esibì alla Casa Bianca su richiesta del presidente Jimmy Carter. Per tutti gli anni '80 si dedicò a concerti dal vivo facendo da 70 a 100 serate l'hanno; caratteristica: girava da solo e la band di accompagnamento la trovava sul posto. Attualmente si esibisce un Mercoledì al mese in un ristorante il Blueberry Hill di St. Louis. Memorabilia: il brano "Johnny Be Good" è in viaggio sulla Voyager I, la sua canzone "You Never Can Tell", qui, fa parte del film Pulp Fiction.)

12. Walk - Pantera (1992)

(Nota personale: gruppo statunitense originario del Texas fu fondato dai fratelli Dimebag Darrell (chitarra) e Vinnie Paul Abbott (batteria). I primi 4 dischi furono "autoprodotti" utilizzando la casa discografica fondata con l'aiuto del padre l'etichetta Metal Magic Records, e ottennero un buon successo, l'ultimo Power Metal, presentava un nuovo cantante Philip Anselmo. Ma è il quinto album Cowboys from Hell, che segna un definitivo salto di qualità, dovuto in parte anche al cambiamento di etichetta, e l'arrivo del successo mondiale che li porterà a suonare anche con AC/DC e Metallica. L'album successivo, Vulgar Display Of Power, che presentava un sound ancora più estremo, vendette un numero esorbitante di copie e conteneva la canzone simbolo del gruppo, quella che avete appena ascoltato, "Walk". Negli anni successivi iniziarono dei problemi nella band: il cantante, oltre che dedicare sempre più tempo a progetti in proprio, si drogava e rischiò di morire per overdose subito dopo un concerto. Si sciolsero nel 2000, il tour che stavano portando avanti in quell'anno fu interrotto a causa dei fatti dell'11 settembre e non appena tornati negli States Anselmo tornò a dedicarsi ai propri progetti. I fratelli Abbott fondarono un nuovo gruppo i Damageplan, che ebbe da subito un buon successo. Durante un concerto l' 8 dicembre 2004, lo stesso giorno dell'omicidio di John Lennon, un "fan" riuscì a salire sul palco e uccise il chitarrista Dimebag Darrell, e altre tre persone, con alcuni colpi di pistola.)

11. Run To The Hills - Iron Maiden (1982)

(Nota personale: Gruppo heavy metal britannico nato nel 1975, deve il proprio nome allo strumento di tortura conosciuto come verdine di Norimberga o vergine di ferro, chiamato in inglese iron maiden. Accusati di satanismo per il loro terzo album "The number of the Beast", qui il video preso sempre dal concerto Rock in Rio. La fama mondiale il gruppo la raggiunge con l'album "Poweslave" che li porterà in un tour di 11 mesi e 300 concerti. Le accuse di satanismo li accompagnarono anche in altri album come ad esempio "Seventh son of a Seventh son", di cui vi propongo "Can I play with Madness" qui, accuse rafforzate dal legame con il solito e sempre presente occultista Aleister Crowley. Gli album che seguirono non furono molto apprezzati dai fan a causa di un sound più intimista o comunque un po' meno aggressivo. Il rilancio iniziò nel 2000 con il ritorno ad un sound più vicino ai primi album grazie al rientro nella band di alcuni componenti. Attualmente sono impegnati in un tour. Memorabilia: Eddie the Head è un loro "simbolo" quel curioso zombie a cui fanno interpretare le copertine dei loro dischi e che riveste un ruolo importante nelle coreografie dei concerti. In "The number of the beast" il pezzo recitato all'inizio della canzone è letto da un imitatore di Vincent Price, e si tratta di un brano del libro dell' Apocalisse.)

10. Welcome To The Jungle - Guns N Roses (1987)

(Note personali: gruppo hard & heavy statunitense, formatosi a Los Angeles nel 1985. Il loro primo album, "Appetite for Destruction", vendette oltre 25 milioni di copie in tutto il mondo e contiene "Welcome To The Jungle", "Paradise City" e "Sweet Child O Mine". Gli album che seguiro "Use your illusion 1", "Use your illusion 2" furono rilasciati parallelamente allo "Use your illusion tour" e segnano un cambiamento nelle sonorità della band che le rendono più accessibili come ad esempio "Don't cry", qui. Il loro ultimo album è "The spaghetti incident?" e contiene solo cover si brani degli anni settanta e ottanta.)

9. Under The Bridge - Red Hot Chili Peppers (1992)

8. Enter Sandman - Metallica (1991)

(Nota personale: I Metallica sono un gruppo trash metal formatosi a Los Angeles nel 1981. Il loro primo album "Kill 'em All" (1983) vende di 5 milioni di copie ed è considerato rea i più importanti del genere thrash metal con canzoni come "Hit the Lights",qui, "The Four Horsemen", qui. Successo bissato dall'album successivo "Ride the Lightning", che presentando delle sonorità melodiche ed introspettive e dei testi con elementi più ricercati vendette 8 milioni di copie. Nel 1986 esce "Master of puppets", qui la titletrack, che vende 12 milioni di copie. È considerato da alcuni il miglior lavoro della band e per molti è un punto cardine del metal che ha influenzato molti altri gruppi. Dopo un periodo di pausa, dovuta alla tragica morte del loro bassista, i Metallica pubblicano nel 1988 il loro album più tecnico "...And justice for all" che vendette 14 milioni di copie. Nel 1991 uscì l'album di maggior successo commerciale denominato "Black Album" che vende 23 milioni di copie. Il cambiamento di stile iniziato con "...And justice for all" portò i Metallica a produrre album dalle sonorità più accessibili ma che furono criticati da molti: la motivazione delle critiche vedeva il gruppo come più attento a far soldi che a suonare heavy metal.)

7. Ace Of Spades - Motörhead (1980)

(Nota personale: formatosi nel 1975 è un gruppo hard e heavy metal britannico. I primi successi arrivarono nel 1979 con i dischi "Overkill", la cui titletrack, qui, è fondamentale per il genere heavy metal. e "Bomber". L'album "Ace of spades" lanciò la band in tutta Europa e grazie al successivo album live "No Sleep 'til Hammersmith" arrivò la fama a livello mondiale. Nonostante i successi avuti, solo nel 1990 una grande etichetta musicale si interessò al gruppo, il risultato fu il disco "1916", una riflessione sulla prima guerra mondiale e sui suoi massacri. Album che viene considerato uno dei migliori del gruppo ed ottenne anche la nomination ai Grammy Awards. Il matrimonio con questa etichetta durò poco e nel 1993 il gruppo pubblico in proprio il disco "Bastards": una definizione dell'ex casa produttrice. Nel 2004 esce "Inferno" disco che riportò la band al grande successo e che è uno dei più heavy metal della storia del gruppo. Memorabilia: da ricordare la "ö" nel nome della band che viene anche usata in alcuni titoli di loro canzoni.)

6. Paradise City - Guns N Roses (1987)

5. Sweet Child O Mine - Guns N Roses (1987)

4. Purple Haze - Jimi Hendrix (1967)

(Nota personale: Jimi Hendrix in pieno periodo psichedelico)

3. Walk This Way - Aerosmith (1975)

(Nota personale: il gruppo si forma nel 1970 a Boston e sono tra gli artisti che hanno influenzato la musica degli anni settanta nonché tra quelli di maggior successo: oltre 140 milioni di dischi venduti. Il successo arriva nel 1975 con l'album "Toys in the attic" che contiene canzoni come "Walk this way" e "Sweet emotion". Successo confermato con l'album successivo "Rocks" che è tra le fonti di ispirazione di vari artisti. Si dovrà attendere il 1987 per vedere ritornare gli Aerosmith ai massimi livelli, e lo fanno grazie a "Walk this way" questa volta cantata con il gruppo rap Run DMC. Negli anni '90 usciranno gli album "Get a grip" (1993) e "Nine Lives" (1997) entrambi ottimi lavori che portano la band verso nuove sonorità più pop. Mentre nel 1998 comporranno la colonna sonora del film Armageddon "I don't want to miss a thing", qui. Il loro ultimo studio album risale al 2004 "Honkin' on Bobo" e rappresenta un ritorno al blues rock dei primi tempi. Memorabilia: durante il tour del disco "Rock in a Hard place" Steven Tyler collas