CD Review: ZZ Top - Live in Germany

CD Review: ZZ Top -  Live in Germany
Eagle Rock
All Access Review: A+

The tread on ZZ Top’s tires was showing a lot of wear by the time that little ol’ band from Texas put out 1976’s uninspired burr under the saddle Tejas. Compared with the thick, rubbery, insatiably delicious blues-rock boogie of Tres Hombres and Fandango, from 1973 and 1975, respectively, the bald and flat Tejas rolled along almost completely on its rims until being sent out to that album scrap yard where disappointing records go to be dismantled for parts. As for ZZ Top, it was time to go back to the shop for a tune-up.

Lying low for three years, the durable trio of Frank Beard, Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill triumphantly returned in 1979 with the nitro-burning funny car Deguello, as rowdy and raunchy a record as ZZ Top would ever make. Their propulsive rhythms and Gibbons’ growling guitar licks never sounded so lean or mean as they did on Deguello, with the bubbling hot bluesy stew “I Thank You” and the snarling pit bull of a single “Cheap Sunglasses” leading the charge. It was a strutting, vice-ridden tour de force that would set the stage for the even more lusty and powerful Eliminator in 1983, an album that would transform ZZ Top into the toughest rock-and-roll outlaws on the planet.

But, let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Already bad and nationwide, having poured its whiskey-soaked, boogie-rock down America’s gullet and gotten the country blind drunk on its shots of its heavy-duty, Chicago-by-way-of-Texas blues moonshine, ZZ Top set out to search Europe for some accommodating “Tush” and new fans thirsty for their brand of barroom rock, at the behest of Warner Bros. And they found it all on the famed TV show “Rockpalast.” In 1980, ZZ Top roared into the Grugahalle in Essen, Germany, and raised more than a little hell, the live mayhem caught on camera for the acclaimed “Double Down Live” DVD released in 2009. Here, is the musical documentation of that unforgettable night and it is street-legal, complete with vintage concert photos of the band and informative liner notes from “Rockpalast” executive producer Peter Ruechel that tell the fascinating story behind this historic performance.

Riding in to the sound of spaghetti-western horns of the intro “El Deguello,” ZZ Top launches into a wicked, side-winding version of “I Thank You,” one of nine Deguello tracks in the concert set, and follows up with the rugged, earthy grooves of a brass-knuckled “Waitin’ For The Bus” that kicks like a mule. Hill’s bass registers 7.0 on the Richter scale throughout Live in Germany, but on “Jesus Just Left Chicago,” it simmers slowly and seductively, until reaching a boil during Gibbons’ fuel-injected solo, just one of seemingly a thousand sharp, stinging leads the guitar legend clawed his way through that night so long ago. Going deeper into the catalog, ZZ Top rumbles and rages through “Precious and Grace” and “Manic Mechanic,” before working out the kind of sweaty, nasty grooves usually found in strip joints in “Lowdown in the Street” and the radiation burn of “Cheap Sunglasses.”

And Gibbons and company are just warming up, their earthy, gritty aesthetic sounding so dynamic and full of vitality. On “Heard it on the X,” ZZ Top presses the accelerator to the floor and simply runs over the clapping, cheering crowd, prior to cooking up a steaming hell broth of boogie-based blues and proto-metal on “Arrested for Driving While Blind.” Many of ZZ Top’s most salacious hits are set on fire in this scorched-earth, 16-track set, including a riotous “Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers” and a down-and-dirty medley of “La Grange/Sloppy Drunk/Bar-B-Q,” where Gibbons wrings every bit of sinful, aggressive energy his guitar can muster out of those hot-wired six strings. It’s the highlight of an incredibly exhausting thrill ride that concludes with tasty, swaggering takes on Elmore James’ “Dust My Broom” and Elvis’ “Jailhouse Rock,” before driving the bruising, brawling closer “Tush,” in all its tawdry glory, straight into a house of ill repute. Confident, lively and full of testosterone, ZZ Top’s Live in Germany is a sensational concert album, maybe one of the best ever. It never lets up, not for a minute, and in the end, it’s a full-blown package of dynamite that will blow you to kingdom come. Don’t worry, you’ll die happy.

Peter Lindblad

Artist Official Page: ZZ Top

CD Review: Iggy Pop's Roadkill Rising: The Bootleg Collection 1977 - 2009

CD REVIEW: Iggy Pop's Roadkill Rising: The Bootleg Collection 1977 - 2009
Shout! Factory 
All Access Review: A

Pleading for quiet, Iggy Pop is having no luck convincing the crowd of mangy curs at Bookie’s in Detroit in 1980 to settle down and stop screaming. Worked into a frothy, rabies-infected lather, the audience, pressing dangerously against the stage, wants blood. They demand that Iggy and the band punch them in the mouth with the kind of grimy psychedelia and brass-knuckled garage rock his old band, The Stooges, used to dish out with violent glee. Iggy, on the other hand, is intent on serenading them with a soft, jazzy old standard, “One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)” written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer and popularized by Frank Sinatra, of all people.

In the end, the stubborn and confrontational Iggy, spewing a stream of expletives amid entreaties for sanity, reason and safety, gets his way, and unexpectedly, he croons the song with great reverence. It’s one of the most disarming moments on the sprawling new four-CD, 66-track collection of unreleased Iggy Pop live recordings Roadkill Rising, setting them up for the kill that is the brawling, propulsive, furious ball of energy “Take Care of Me” from 1980’s Pop solo effort Soldier.

Spanning four decades of Iggy’s solo years, Roadkill Rising bulges with more than four hours of well-chosen concert audio – more than 60 tracks in all of Stooges and Iggy solo material, and a clutch of interesting covers – from some 20 different shows, like the four-song snippet from the show at Bookie’s, with its sweaty, intimate atmosphere, that includes a creeping version of “Nightclubbing” or Iggy’s performance at the huge Glastonbury Festival in England, where the classic Stooges’ growler “Down On The Street” is burned and beaten to within an inch of its life and “Real Cool Time” whips around in a cyclone of riffage.

Another in a series of “official” bootleg collections from Shout! Factory, which has featured artists like Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Todd Rundgren, Roadkill Rising might just be the cream of the crop. Stooges’ material such as “I Wanna Be Your Dog” and “Loose,” from Disc 2’s 1987 gig at New York City’s Club 1018, jump out of the speakers like a mugger from the shadows, while Iggy’s “Kill City” is a muscular, turbo-charged thrill ride and covers of the “Batman Theme” and “Hang on Sloopy” are fun-filled rock-and-roll romps that celebrate rock-and-roll’s past. Disc 1 sees Iggy digging into The Stooges’ past with seething takes on “Raw Power,” “1969,” “Search And Destroy” and “Gimme Danger,” and Disc 3 – from the ‘90s – presents a rousing survey of Iggy’s best-known solo work, with “Lust for Life,” “China Girl,” “Butt Town,” “Candy” and “The Passenger” rumbling menacingly and snarling with anger.

Iggy’s fingerprints are all over these recordings. Like other artists in the series, Iggy not only has given the collection his stamp of approval, but he’s also been involved in the remastering. And the sonic quality, tough, full-bodied and electric, of Roadkill Rising is pure Iggy. There’s nothing weak sounding or lethargic. Take “Corruption,” “Howl” and “The Jerk” from Disc 3’s 2001 Bizarre Festival performance in Germany.  The guitar wrangling is viciously clear, the stomping bass is thick and powerful and the drums hit like wrecking balls – as they all do throughout Roadkill Rising. Even comments, such as “Iggy is God” and other less complimentary utterances, from the peanut-gallery crowd come through loud and clear. The only drawback the set has is its packaging. Although the comic-book artwork is cool and the accompanying booklet features vintage photos, it lacks liner notes about how these bootlegs were found or even chosen for this collection. A minor complaint, though, as Roadkill Rising is a must-have for Iggy completists or anybody with a healthy respect for ballsy, take-no-prisoners rock and roll.

Peter Lindblad  

Artist Official Page: Iggy Pop

Shout! Factory Link: Roadkill Rising: The Bootleg Collection 1977 - 2009

Rock and Roll Limited Edition Lithographs

THE BEATLES, ROLLING STONES & BON JOVI LIMITED EDITION LITHOGRAPHS

In the mid 1990s, the music memorabilia community responded with excitement to the release of a most impressive series of a strictly limited quantity, museum-quality lithographs, featuring works of the worlds' best known graphic artists, such as Giger, Van Hamersveld, Volmer, Dean, Warhol and others. Combined, they produced rocks' most memorable album art for the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Yes, Eagles, Genesis, The Who, ELP and many more. Available for a limited time only, these fully authorized works-of-arts sold out quickly (worldwide) and have since become highly collectible. 



Currently in the Backstage Auctions Store, a selection of Bon Jovi, Rolling Stones and The Beatles lithographs are available for direct purchase. The limited edition lithographs range in price from $35.00 - $150.00. 

"These are truly beautiful pieces of artwork and look absolutely stunning framed and displayed. We recently sold an entire set of Rolling Stones lithographs to a customer that was had them framed and then hung in their media room at home," says Backstage Auctions owner, Jacques van Gool. "And make no mistake,  these fine pieces of art will not break the piggy bank - they are all moderately priced."


The entire collection can be view by clicking on this link: Limited Edition Lithographs

ONE OF KIND FIND: CHRIS CORNELL CUSTOM MADE GUITAR

SOUNDGARDEN CHRIS CORNELL'S SILVER CUSTOM GRETSCH GUITAR

There are lots of cool and collectible guitars in the world - but rarely do you find an opportunity to actually own one as cool and significant as THIS silver (pre-Fender) Gretsch 6128 DuoJet with Bigsby that belonged to none other than Chris Cornell of Soundgarden. !!! Yes, you read that correctly. THE Soundgarden, one of the pioneering bands at the epicenter of the "Seattle sound" known as Grunge that emerged from the Great Northwest in the early 1990s. Soundgarden were - beyond question - at the forefront of that movement, along with the likes of Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Alice In Chains, and this Gretsch DuoJet was undeniably involved in the creation of that sound. 

The Gretsch 6128 (DuoJet) is a solid body electric guitar manufactured since the mid 1950s. Made of a chambered mahogany body, the DuoJet model 6128 is one of Gretsch's most sought after guitars. The difference between the DuoJet and comparable guitars, is in its configuration variations. While it shares the same two pickup, single cutaway style of the popular Gibson Les Paul guitar, the 6128 DuoJet models have more controls for shaping the tonality of the instrument. 

The DuoJet has been popular with anyone from Chet Atkins to David Gilmour, and is still in demand to this day. The most famous example of a DuoJet being played was by George Harrison during the Beatles' early days in Hamburg, and first few albums. In fact, he used that exact guitar on the cover for his 1987 "come back" masterpiece, "Cloud Nine." Clearly these guitars have impacted all types of music and players - including Chris Cornell and Soundgarden! 

Soundgarden achieved their biggest commercial success with the release of their 1994 album "Superunknown," spawning mega-hits "Black Hole Sun" and "Spoonman" which won Grammy Awards and helped Soundgarden reach mainstream popularity. In 1995, the album was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rock Album. 

The album has been certified five times platinum by the RIAA in the United States and remains Soundgarden's most successful album. In 2003, the album was ranked number 336 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time! Their follow-up album "Down on the Upside," their last studio album to date, produced a few successful singles as well. The video to one of these singles, "Pretty Noose Live" shows Chris Cornell playing the Gretsch as offered here. In addition to this video there are numerous pictures and videos floating around of him playing it, and you can rest assured knowing that there is no other single guitar on the planet that will match this one.

Specs: 
Gretsch 6128 DuoJet: 
* Custom Silver Finish 
* Solid Body 
* Two Humbucking Pickups 
* Bigsby Tremolo 
* Silver Pick Guard 
* Two Volume/Tonal Controls 
* Neck/Bridge Pickup Switch 
* White Pearl Fret Inlays 
* White Pearl Gretsch and Horseshoe Inlay in Headstock 
* Chrome Hardware 
* Serial Number: 9411129.301 (11/1994) 



For more information on how to acquire this super rare and unique guitar, visit our website for more information: CHRIS CORNELL SILVER CUSTOM GRETSCH GUITAR







Here is an awesome clip of Chris playing the guitar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8nkHrv_4Mg (Pretty Noose Live 1996)

DVD Review: David Byrne "Ride, Rise, Roar"

DVD Review: David Byrne "Ride, Rise, Roar"
Eagle Vision
All Access Review: A-

The iconic "big suit" David Byrne wore to arty, and somewhat comic, effect in the classic Talking Heads concert film "Stop Making Sense" is nowhere to be found on the idiosyncratic artist's newest performance documentary "Ride, Rise, Roar." In that exquisitely tailored, yet enormous, the rail-thin Byrne seemed like he was drowning in colorless fabric. It wouldn't have fit anybody, let alone the stick-like frame of Byrne, and yet, it told us much about contemporary living.

To anybody paying attention, it was hardly a great leap of imagination to make a connection between that suit, so devoid of personality in and of itself and yet so strangely compelling to look at, and how the frenetic, soul-stealing activity of modern life and work can swallow a person whole. And yet, there was nothing obvious or ham-handed about Byrne's unforgettable theatricality. As outsized as that suit was, the statement Byrne made with it was subtle and small, just a little tweak at the self-important business man wanting to become a master of the universe and losing himself in the process. Then again, to Byrne, maybe it was just a funny-looking, clown-ish get-up, a way to get a laugh — not bloody likely, though.

Whatever the case, it's Byrne's ability to dissect the human condition and all its mundane preoccupations, its underlying tensions, as if the world were a biology class's fetal pig — be it through enigmatic lyrics or his own strangely compelling visual artistry, and do so with a sly wit and a scientist's curiosity — that's made Byrne such a consistently interesting figure in pop music and other arenas.

"Ride, Rise, Roar" only adds to the mythology. Though not one inclined to revisit the past often, in 2008, Byrne did re-connect with Brian Eno for the LP Everything That Happens Will Happen Today, his first collaboration with Eno since 1981's My Life in the Bush of Ghosts. Informed by a decidedly un-ironic love of gospel music and its effervescent hopefulness, plus a healthy interest in electronica, Everything That Happens Will Happen Today was a triumph of man and machine. Then came the tour, the 2008-09 celebration of the music Eno and Byrne have made together over the years, starting with Eno's production and writing work with the Talking Heads, when they were a new wave, art-punk oddity that somehow forged a connection with the masses through the power of nerdy funk.

Wanting to make the experience more of a dazzling show, Byrne dreamed up an unlikely marriage of pop music and modern dance — reflecting his growing interest in the interpretive power of group movement — that could have been a train wreck. Unbelievably, it worked. The tour received glowing reviews, and "Ride, Rise, Roar" shows why. Decked out all in angelic white, the band and the small cadre of darting, twirling dancers — not the usual posse of break-dancing, hip-hop athletes you see on MTV — have a synergistic bond that adds spiritual weight and uplifting joy to performance segments that are thrilling, thought-provoking and full of boundless energy.

Cringe if you must at the thought of combining "interpretive dance" with the straightforward ethics of a traditional rock concert, but be prepared also for a visceral religious experience that mixes Talking Heads classics with selections from other Byrne-Eno works, including, of course, Everything That Happens Will Happen Today. It is beautifully shot by filmmaker David Hillman Curtis, with multiple camera angles and instinctual editing making the action even more intense and profound.

Though there's an awkwardness to the choreography surrounding Byrne in an otherwise electric version of "Once In A Lifetime," the concept comes together in the reflective "Life Is Long," with dancers wheeling fluidly and expressively across the stage on office chairs. Wonderfully abstract and moody, "I Feel My Stuff" shifts from jazzy, jungle-like atmospherics to sinewy, driving rock and then back again, the deceptively tricky choreography growing more and more anarchic. Taking on Talking Heads' favorites "Burning Down The House," "Road to Nowhere" and "Life During Wartime," Byrne and company attack them with an intoxicating, wild-eyed fervor and a snake-handler's belief that every note they're playing and every mapped-out dance step they take is full of meaning.

Sprinkled in between the concert footage are black-and-white, behind-the-scenes segments that reveal much about Byrne's creative process and how the experimental choreography developed. It's a fascinating look at an art form that doesn't get a lot of exposure, and the part where Byrne and Eno share a moment describing what influenced them musically on their latest collaboration offers fresh theories on inspiration and how they've channeled it into their more recent creations.

Boldly innovative, "Ride, Rise, Roar" gives "Stop Making Sense" a run for its money. Once again, Byrne's artistic sensibilities win out, and this grand experiment captures the best of what pop music and dance can accomplish when boundaries are pushed to the limits of imagination.

— Peter Lindblad

CD Review: Rory Gallagher's Irish Tour 74

CD Review: Rory Gallagher's Irish Tour 74
Eagle Records
All Access Review: A-

Though he lived and breathed American blues and was beloved worldwide for his raw talent and fiery passion, blues-rock guitar god Rory Gallagher belonged to Ireland. And that meant Northern Ireland, too. At a time when the place was a battleground, when “The Troubles” were far more disturbing than that euphemism would imply and ethno-political tensions always seemed on the verge of exploding in violence, most artists avoided it like the plague, but not Rory. He went willingly, and for an all-too-brief period when he played, he brought a little peace and unity to a land most people considered a powder keg.

In 1974, Rory Gallagher made stops throughout Ireland, and the tour was filmed by Tony Palmer. Originally, it was a project developed for the small screen, but Palmer instinctually knew that the TV was too small to contain such an epic musical journey. Eventually, Palmer’s shootings were transformed into a movie that was played all around the U.K. and parts of Europe. It would then go with Gallagher on a tour of America, and now, Eagle Rock Entertainment has reissued the film on DVD and Blu-ray. Audio evidence, collected from concerts at Belfast’s Ulster Hall, Dublin’s Carlton Cinema and Cork’s City Hall, of Gallagher’s powerful magic was also captured and released on what many consider to be one of the greatest live albums ever, Irish Tour.

This reissue doesn’t do anything to alter anybody’s opinion of Irish Tour. It has the same track listing from top to bottom, with nothing new in the way of bonus recordings added, except new, laudable liner notes and chunks of historical insight to each song by Shu Tomioka and Charles Stanford. The music is spectacular, with Gallagher cutting through the swirling keyboard smog of the wall-of-sound opener, “Cradle Rock,” with piercing, penetrating solos and lifting Muddy Waters’ “I Wonder Who” to smoky new heights with arrows of bluesy notes of truth shot with conviction and sharpness that other guitarists can only dream of flinging. Shifting into high gear, “Tattoo’d Lady” drives along at an urgent pace, with Gerry McAvoy’s bass galloping hard, Lou Martin electric keyboard firing like pistons and Rod de’Ath’s drums providing the rhythmic horsepower and Gallagher soaring at the end. Gallagher and company give the J.B. Hutto composition “Too Much Alcohol” a mean blues workout, before Gallagher straps on a Dobro 1932 National guitar for the Tony Joe White number “As The Crow Flies” and holds an acoustic séance with ghosts of the Mississippi Delta that dances and moans with religious fervor.

And Gallagher and his mates are far from done. From his own Tattoo album comes “A Million Miles Away,” where Rory and his band exhibit patience in letting the song build and burn away at the same time. His touch and creativity are sublime, as are the fireworks he displays on a feverish “Walk on Hot Coals,” where the band simply lets it all hang out. As the audience grows more and more hungry, Gallagher feeds them a multi-dimensional meal of different guitar textures, stylistic virtuosity, fearless exploration and playful experimentation with the templates of hallowed songs. To immerse yourself in the full experience of Irish Tour, get the DVD of the film and save the CD, if you don’t already have a copy, for lonely reflections on a back porch or a study with a glass of fine whisky or a wild, belated Irish wake for one of the most reveredand brilliant musicians from a tortured country’s painful past.

-         Peter Lindblad

CD Review: Duff McKagan's Loaded - Sick

CD Review: Duff McKagan's Loaded - Sick
Armoury Records
All Access Review: A

There’s nothing unhealthy about this reissue of Sick, the 2009 predecessor to Loaded’s grungier cousin, the 2011 release The Taking. Two years removed, it hardly seems like enough time has passed for a second bite at the apple with Sick, still in its toddler stage as far as music history is concerned. But, The Taking has apparently taken off, gaining favor even with many who’ve forgotten, or no longer even care, that McKagen used to be in Guns ‘N Roses. So, in keeping with the “strike while the iron is hot” line of thinking, the timing couldn’t be better to revisit Sick and Armoury Records gives us good reason to do so.

On balance, where The Taking is unexpectedly heavy and tilting more towards Soundgarden-like grunge – and therefore, a bit more lethargic in spots – Sick takes its cues from punk and maintains stronger, more aggressive tempos, while still managing to traffic in the thick, punishing rhythms and riffs of metal. Really, when it comes right down to it, it’s a matter of taste in comparing The Taking with Sick. Either you’re a fan of the more metallic dynamics and crushing heaviness of The Taking or it’s the sharper songcraft, faster pace and stylistic variety of Sick that heats your blood. Place your bets on Sick if you want an album that’ll stay with you for a long, long time.

From the nasty grooves and stinging guitars of the title track – and its great line, “You’re like Typhoid Mary mixed with the Asian flu” – that opens the 13-song set, plus two bonus tracks, and shoots right on through the wailing kiss-off “Flatline” and its meat-and-potatoes plate of ‘70s hard-rock and straight into the frantic energy of “The Slide,” to the marriage of surprisingly sweet harmonies and strong melody that is “Translucent,” Sick is relentless in its approach. That is until the touching “Mother’s Day” comes along. Beautifully written, this is Loaded’s Paul Westerberg moment. A wistful lament and treatise on loss and aging that’s neither cloying nor saccharine in its treatment of those themes, it’s the best thing Loaded has ever done. And then comes the runaway freight-train of “I See Through You” and, later, the hyper pogo-stick bounce of closer “No More” to remind everyone that Loaded doesn’t dwell on sentiment for very long.

As for the bonus tracks, one is an acoustic version of Sick’s “Wasted Heart,” the original a slow-building beauty that gets only prettier when stripped down to its essential structure. The other is “Roll Away,” a winning mix of contemplative lyrics and guitars that burn like dying embers in a fire. Throw in a 90-minute DVD featuring the scintillating “Live at the Garage” concert filmed in Glasgow in 2008, a promo video for “No More” and various webisodes, and you’ve got a rich, full package of everything you could want in reissue. Loaded? Yes, this version of Sick truly is just that.

- Peter Lindblad

Official Artist Site: http://duff-loaded.com/thetaking/

The Rock 'n Pop Summer 2011 Auction

Backstage Auctions Offers Up Investment Opportunity with Photos, Image Rights

By Patrick Prince

One of the main attractions at Backstage Auctions’ Rock ‘n’ Pop Summer Auction on June 4-12, 2011, will be more than 350 auction lots of negatives and slides — classic rock artists ranging from Eric Clapton to The Doors — with a full transfer of rights.

Ted Nugent 

One hundred auction lots will be from the archives of rock ‘n’ roll photographer and author Philip Kamin. Backstage Auctions claims that Kamin only sold his photographs to the bands he toured with, the bands’ managers, their public relations firms, record companies, or bands’ merchandisers. The Kamin images up for auction have never been sold to newspapers, magazines or photo agencies. As a result, these photographs and their original rights have remained in Kamin’s possession for decades.

“I have had a lot of time to enjoy these images,” Kamin says, “and I want to make sure they end up in the hands of individuals who will cherish them as much as I have. Bringing them to avid collectors seems to make the most sense.”

The real golden nugget of this auction is that all of these images will be offered with a full transfer of image rights. According to Backstage Auctions, purchasing photographs, negatives and slides with the transfer of rights is becoming increasingly popular, as it represents a fantastic investment opportunity for any music collector.

Bob Dylan

“We have customers that have purchased similar lots from us in the past to produce limited prints for resale, larger-scale book projects in concert with the artists and hosting of the images with various agencies, such as Getty and Corbis,” says Jacques van Gool, founder of Backstage Auctions.

What should not be overlooked is the inclusion of negatives and slides (with full transfer of rights, of course) of lesser-known photographers, such as the late Jim Townsend and the late Larry E. Lent. And many of these images have never been used.

“Jim Townsend and Larry E. Lent were both Houston-based, independent, concert photographers, who were mostly active during the 1970s and 1980s,” van Gool explains, “and are locally best known for their contributions to Music News, Houston’s longest running local music magazine.”

Some of the Houston venues where Townsend and Lent took photos were Hofheinz Pavilion, Sam Houston Coliseum, Music Hall, The Summit, Astrodome and Rockefeller’s. 

Faces

“In the ’70s, concert photos were typically used by the existing music press,” van Gool says, “and all of those magazines — whether it was Creem or Hit Parader or Rolling Stone — either had offices on the East Coast or West Coast, and as a result, live photos that were used were typically from East or West Coast venues. Photos from venues in the middle (of America) were hardly used or seen, for that matter. These two photographers in Houston were really the only two who archived almost every band that came through town — and every major band made a stop in Houston just as much as they stopped in any other major city. The irony and the sad part of it was that there was no outlet for it. The Houston media was hardly interested in it. I would say that a good 99 percent of these images had never been seen.”

The auction also will include a number of vintage concert posters and signed memorabilia, including signed artwork by The Rolling Stones’ Ron Wood.

Other types of music memorabilia featured in the auction include:

Artist Signed Items

Concert Photos, Negatives and Slides

1960s & 1970s Concert Posters

Recording Reels & Dat Recordings

Record Awards & Plaques

Vintage Amps, 1960s Gibson-EB Bass Guitar

Unique Woodstock 1969 Memorabilia

Acetates, Test Pressings, Vintage Vinyl

Amazing collection of Ron Wood signed Rolling Stones Artwork

The line up of artist memorabilia reads like the who's who of rock and roll royalty, including but not limited to Jimi Hendrix, Rolling Stones, The Who, Janis Joplin, The Doors, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Queen, Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, The Beatles, Elvis Presley, Aerosmith, Yardbirds, Kiss, Ted Nugent, Journey, Boston, Kansas, Styx, Molly Hatchet, Rory Gallagher, Van Halen, Fleetwood Mac, Johnny & Edgar Winter, Jethro Tull and 100s more legendary 1960s, 1970s and 1980s artists and bands. Even the 1990s is represented by A-list pop artists such as Mariah Carey, Celine Dion and Jennifer Lopez.

For more information about the auction or to obtain your VIP All Access pass, visit our auction page on our site. http://www.backstageauctions.com/catalog/auction.php

(This article originally featured on the Goldmine Magazine website. To view the original follow the link: http://www.goldminemag.com/?s=backstage+auctions&x=0&y=0 )
 

Philip Kamin – Not Your Average Rock Photographer

Philip Kamin, one of the world’s leading rock photographers, entered the music scene like so many of his peers, because of his passion for the music. It is with this passion that he amassed the largest single fully copyrighted collection of its kind. 

Unlike most of his peers, Kamin kept most of his collection from the public and copyrighted the images. Some of these he provided to the stars he toured with, others went into 35 music titles his publishing company produced. But thousands of amazing rock and roll images stayed archived in his personal collection. 

Kamin picked up his first camera decades ago and his natural talent was readily evident, and in short landed him the coveted gig as tour photographer for the band Genesis. His artistry met instant success, and Kamin became one of the most in-demand music photographers on the United Kingdom’s rock ‘n’ roll circuit. 

Jim Morrison

Over the years, Kamin also has worked with Paul McCartney and Wings, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Bob Dylan, Phil Collins, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Peter Gabriel, Yes, Mick Jagger, The Clash, AC/DC, Rush, Queen, King Crimson, Van Halen, Motorhead, Roxy Music, Bill Bruford, Black Sabbath, The Cars, Madonna and John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd’s Blues Brothers, but who's name dropping here? 

There are over 100 auction lots featuring original classic rock negatives and slides, including 1964 Yardbirds with Eric Clapton, 1965 Yardbirds with Jeff Beck and a stunning 1965 Rolling Stones in Paris. Equally impressive are never before seen images of The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, Genesis, Grateful Dead, Boston and Dire Straits, just to name a few. "Kamin's photographs are collectively rare and unique glimpses of days past. It is truly an honor to represent such an amazing collection of photographs, negatives and slides which capture a front row view of rock and roll history," says Jacques van Gool, founder and president of Backstage Auctions.

Jimi Hendrix

But there’s more to the “wow” factor of these iconic images that sets them apart. They’ve never been sold to newspapers, magazines or photo agencies, and both the photos and their original rights have remained in Kamin’s possession for decades. Kamin only sold his photographs to the bands he toured with, the band’s manager, their public relations firms, record companies, or the band’s merchandisers. As a result, these photographs and their original rights have remained in Kamin’s possession for decades. “I have had a lot of time to enjoy these images and I want to make sure they end up in the hands of individuals who will cherish them as much as I have,” said Kamin. “Bringing them to avid collectors seems to make the most sense.”

Kamin's collection, which will be featured in the Rock 'n Pop Summer Auction at Backstage Auctions, is being offered with both images and copyrights. The real value of the images is priceless. Whether purchased as art or an investment – the potential is enormous.

Yardbirds - Jeff Beck

The Rock 'n Pop Summer 2011 auction goes live on June 4^th and will run for one week, coming to a close on June 12^th. To receive your VIP All Access Pass for the auction please register at www.backstageauctions.com.

Philip Kamin:  is one of the world's leading rock photographers .Philip has also published over 90 books, including 40 in music, plus novels, non fiction, trade paperbacks and coffee table books in a variety of subjects.

CD Review: Duff McKagan's Loaded - The Taking

CD Review: Duff McKagan's Loaded - The Taking
Armoury Records
All Access Review: B

A financial whiz now, with a money column on playboy.com and many irons in all different kinds of fires, Duff McKagan has finally emerged from the long, black shadow cast by Slash, Axl and the whiskey-drowned mythology of Guns 'N Roses to say, "Here I am world. Remember me?" Until recently, McKagan seemed content to stay out of the spotlight while Axl's long, tortured Chinese Democracy saga played out and he played second fiddle to Slash and Scott Weiland in the supergroup Velvet Revolver.

But, the man with the strongest punk pedigree — The Living and The Fastbacks are listed on his resume — of all the Guns has, once again, turned the ignition on Loaded, the project McKagan formed in 1999, after years spent picking up such rock and roll hitchhikers as Jane's Addiction, the Presidents of the United States of America, 10 Minute Warning, former Screaming Tree Mark Lanegan and a host of others. Along for The Taking's agonizingly slow, metallic, death ride are Loaded veterans Jeff Rouse on bass and guitarist Mike Squires, with relative newcomer Isaac Carpenter in the back seat on drums and McKagan driving, taking lead vocals and rhythm guitar.

Smartly, no attempt is made to exhume Appetite For Destruction here. The raw, screaming energy and sleazy, outlaw spirit of that hallowed record is still lying in a crack house somewhere nursing a knife wound and killing the pain by downing a bottle of vodka. No, The Taking is more Black Sabbath or Alice In Chains than the shotgun wedding of the Rolling Stones, the Sex Pistols, Johnny Thunders and L.A. metal that was Guns 'N Roses, and it is dark and crushingly heavy in parts. Ponderous and woozy, "Lords of Abbadon," with its beehive of buzzing guitars, and "Executioner's Song" feel hung over as they stomp and crash into everything in their path, including anything resembling a melody.

Then, Loaded's head clears ... somewhat. The shutters fly open to reveal the glorious, if a little weak, morning-after sunlight of "We Win," a thick, life-affirming anthem that moves with purpose and full-on power, and "Easier,"  . Everything comes into focus on "Indian Summer." perhaps the best song the foursome has ever written. Its bittersweet hooks dig through the tough fabric of The Taking and catch the ear with a flood of sugary acid. The momentum continues with "Wrecking Ball," another winning track that sees Loaded finding the right mix of hard rock and tough melodies that should be more prevalent in The Taking.

Every so often, McKagan, who successfully fought off alcoholism and a dangerous episode of pancreatitis a while back, and company do revisit their demons. The seedy "Cocaine" explores the sick underbelly of addiction, and the guitars sound as if they about to crash and head off to rehab. Political corruption and corruption of the soul are two subjects Loaded studies with great depth on The Taking. It's not exactly an uplifting record, although "We Win" seems to capture McKagan's sincere lust for life and all the good that is waiting out there in a future without drugs, booze and hopelessness. Loaded is getting closer to fully realizing its potential, and there are moments on The Taking that rise above the muck and garbage at its silty bottom. One day, perhaps, McKagan will replace the engine on this machine and increase Loaded's horsepower.

— Peter Lindblad 

Artist Official Website: http://duff-loaded.com/thetaking/

March Madness - Rock 'n Roll Style!

March 27th - April 3rd, 2011

"This is one auction you can't afford to miss!"

We are serving up our first-ever March Madness Auction featuring over 1,000 previously featured auction lots with insanely low opening bid prices. 

If you like vinyl, we've got tons of vinyl. If you like concert posters, we've got those, too. If you're more in the market for signed items, we've got plenty of signed items. 

Fantastic Deals on Rare Vinyl

If you're more of a band-specific collector, we've got loads of Beatles collectibles and amazing memorabilia featuring The Rolling Stones, Yes, Grateful Dead, Journey, Frank Zappa and Genesis...just pick a band from A- Z . We've got it all. 

The idea for the auction came about after we found ourself in a position to which most collectors can relate: Too many goodies, not enough room. Over the holidays, we took stock of physically how much we've got and started to look at our auction calendar for this year and next year (which by the way good things are on the horizon), and we started to realize that if we continue to put stuff on our shelves, we'd need a bigger place. Well that wasn't going to happen. 

So here are a few highlights: 

Grateful Dead Photos by Herb Greene

Vinyl records, primarily from the 1960s and 1970s, will comprise roughly half of the featured lots. The majority of the vinyl came from disc jockeys or record company executives and is in immaculate condition. Vinyl collectors who want to upgrade their collections but need to stick to set budgets will be pleasantly surprised.

It's a perfect opportunity to pick up a lot of attractive mementos and collectibles and keep what they want, or trade the rest or resell it. To put it simply, you can buy the large vinyl lots, break up the lots, and if you want to, sell or trade them and perhaps make a bit of pocket money for yourself, and possibly then some. The opening bid prices that are set for each of the lots featured in the auction are really going to excite everyone and we mean really excite you. 

Vintage Posters

The auction will also feature a variety of signed pieces, a collection of cool concert posters from the mid-1970s, gorgeous backstage passes, obscure recording reels from the original Agora in Cleveland and a handful of oversized photos of the Grateful Dead, taken in the 1960s by renowned San Francisco photographer Herb Greene. 

If you collect Beatles memorabilia then get ready to be amazed. The auction will feature nearly 100 Beatles lots, including rare vinyl, posters, toys & collectibles, magazines and books. 

It'll be awfully hard for collectors and fans to overlook lots featured in the March Madness Auction, especially when the opening bid prices are in most cases up to 75 percent off the original store price or previous auction price.

There are literally 1000s of amazing collectibles at a fantastic price, and if you have been eyeing a particular item for awhile and you haven't really been able to bite the bullet on it, now is your chance to buy that piece, and most likely, get it for a really great price.

100's of Beatles Lots

But that window of opportunity won't stay open forever. The one promise that we will make is that once the auction is over, we are not going to put any of the unsold items back in the store. This is it, last and final encore for these items. Once the auction ends, the items will no longer be available. 

We still have hundreds of awesome items in our online store featuring quite a selection of hard rock and heavy metal memorabilia from the private collections of Al Jourgensen of Ministry and heavy metal manager Walter O'Brien. 

The March Madness Auction event is scheduled to go live on Sunday, March 27th at 2:00 pm EST and run for a week, coming to a close on Sunday, April 3rd. See our website for more details and the Auction Rules. 

There will be NO PREVIEW so when the auction goes live it will be open for immediate bidding. 

With prices slashed up to 75% percent off the original price you simply can't afford to miss this opportunity. This auction is going to be a lot of fun and we are just as excited as you. If there are questions you need answered or if we can be of personal assistance, please let us know. 

We are looking forward to seeing you at the auction block!

If you are not registered for your FREE VIP Access - Click here: Full VIP Access! 

DVD Review: Phil Collins "Going Back: Live at Roseland Ballroom, NYC"

DVD Review: Phil Collins "Going Back: Live at Roseland Ballroom, NYC"
Eagle Vision
All Access Review:  C+

In the news recently for his on-again, off-again “retirement from music” saga and an acknowledgement that he’s felt the barrage of slings and arrows flung his way from Genesis worshippers who wanted him to be Peter Gabriel, rather than the mega pop star he became, Phil Collins must have taken a great deal of comfort in shutting the recording studio doors and remaking the Motown and soul classics he’s always adored from afar for his 2010 album Going Back. Never one to hide his affection for the songs of his youth, Collins turned The Supremes’ “You Can’t Hurry Love” into a blue-eyed soul winner in 1983, scoring a #1 hit for the drummer turned pop crooner. So, it’s hardly surprising that he would follow Rod Stewart down this well-worn path and do a credible job of it … at least on record.

For the 26-track, 126-minute concert DVD “Going Back: Live at Roseland Ballroom,” Collins enlists the aid of Motown’s revered house band, the Funk Brothers, four strong male and female background singers and a powerful horn section to bring the spirit, and many of the songs, of Going Back alive onstage. The results are mixed. Lush and vibrant, the music is stellar, with bright, solar-powered horns, rich backing vocals and Chester Thompson’ drums providing thick support and full-bodied drive to the sublime rush of Daryl Stuermer and Funk Brothers Eddie Willis and Ray Monette on guitars that make “You’ve Been Cheatin’” flow like a river and “(Love is Like a) Heatwave” emit warm rays of sunshine. And Collins delivers gracefully nuanced vocals on the aforementioned “You Can’t Hurry Love” and bittersweet readings of Stevie Wonder’s “Blame it on The Sun” and the set closer “My Girl.”

Unfortunately, it is Collins who, on occasion, doesn’t rise to meet the soulful musical surge going on behind him. From his stiff, slow movement around the stage, it is clear Collins is not physically up to the task. Once a charismatic live performer, it almost seems to pain Collins, who reportedly has suffered from health problems in recent years, to walk, much less dance. Bled of the emotion Collins brings to “The Tears of a Clown” and “Papa was a Rollin’ Stone,” his weak vocals turn “Going to a Go-Go,” “Too Many Fish in the Sea” and “Nowhere to Run” into anemic, pale caricatures of once great soul and R&B charges up the hill for Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, The Marvelettes and Martha and the Vandellas. Watching the interview with Collins that accompanies the DVD, plus the rehearsal footage, there’s no doubt Collins loves and cherishes this material. His work on the arrangements is meticulous and smart, and as he says on the DVD, if he looks over at the Funk Brothers and sees them smile, then he’s done his job. And one wonders what he would do with it were Collins 10 or 15 years younger. 

Perhaps it’s best that Collins takes some time off. A few years away from business might re-energize the singer and allow him to polish these musical diamonds to a lustrous glow. As a celebration of the universal appeal and of Motown’s most incredible songs, this concert is infused with joy and, for the most part, a fun, loving ode to one of music’s finest ages. It’s just a shame that Collins doesn’t always seem in the mood for a party.

-           Peter Lindblad

Official Site: Phil Collins

If you are a fan or collector of Phil Collins or Genesis memorabilia be sure you visit the Backstage Auctions Online Store, you never know what treasures you will find.