2017 – Page 3 – Green and Black Music

Alice Cooper – From the Inside: Revisiting the Asylum

June 2, 2017June 7, 2017 Green and Black Musicalice cooper the quiet room, bernie taupin, jackknife johnny, the strange case of alice cooper2 Comments

Alice Cooper soared to incredible heights in the seventies. As his solo career eclipsed the original Alice Cooper band, the shock rocker became a bona fide star. Alice appeared on talk shows, hung out with celebrities and even hosted The Muppet Show. Alice Cooper had transcended the role of rock star to infiltrate American popular culture. Behind the scenes Alice was unraveling. Nearly a decade of alcohol abuse had taken its toll. Rumored to drink a case per day, Alice coughed up blood each morning before cracking open his first…

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10 Creepiest Alice Cooper Songs

May 19, 2017December 20, 2019 Green and Black Musicalice cooper dead babies, alice cooper killer, the ballad of dwight fry4 Comments

Alice Cooper has been creeping out audiences since the early seventies. With topics ranging from insanity to necrophilia, the following songs demonstrate why Alice Cooper is the undisputed king of shock rock. BLACK JU JU Love it to Death was a pivotal album for Alice Cooper. It was the first record released on Warner Brothers, but more importantly, it marked the start of an enduring collaboration with producer Bob Ezrin. The new relationship brought a tightened approach to songwriting. Although “I’m Eighteen” became a smash hit, a series of darker…

Album Art Exploration Articles

Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention: The Freak Out Gatefold

May 2, 2017July 20, 2017 Green and Black Musicfrank zappa freak out, freak out gatefold, freak out hot spots map, freak out liner notes, freak out list0 comment

The Mothers of Invention released the double LP, Freak Out in 1966. Frank Zappa and his band of misfits took full advantage of having four album sides at their disposal. A mix of psychedelic rock, doo-wop, kazoo solos, and avant-garde soundscapes, Freak Out is not an easy album to process. A carefully designed gatefold helps listeners grasp the eclectic debut. Extensive liner notes provide a mix of humor, social commentary and biography. As a package, Freak Out is a veritable crash-course in all things Zappa. Freak Out introduced the Mothers of Invention…

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Don’t Look Back: Bob Dylan vs. Donovan

April 22, 2017October 20, 2017 Green and Black Music5 Comments

D.A. Pennebaker’s documentary, Don’t Look Back, captures Bob Dylan during his 1965 tour of England. Bringing It All Back Home had peaked at number 1 in the UK. Teenage girls stalk his hotel, fans chase his limousine, and newspapers feed the frenzy with endless Bob Dylan articles. Pop singer Donovan was also enjoying a surge of popularity in 1965. Throughout the film, Dylan is preoccupied with the local press. Seemingly every time he opened the paper, Donovan’s name appeared. Our first hint of jealousy arrives early on. Dylan reads a…

Album Art Exploration Articles

Meet Buffalo Springfield

April 11, 2017April 12, 2017 Green and Black Musicbruce palmer, dewey martin, neil young buffalo springfield, richie furay, stephen stills0 comment

1966 was an exciting year for rock music. New acts like Cream and The Mothers of Invention issued debut albums. The Beatles released Revolver while Bob Dylan unleashed the double-LP, Blonde on Blonde. Into this sea of creativity emerged an unknown band by the name of Buffalo Springfield. Exactly who was this new group that had taken over the airwaves with the hit song, “For What’s It’s Worth?” Curious record buyers needed only to peruse the rear sleeve. A short bio of each musician is printed beneath a group photo. Listeners…

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Walk on the Wild Side: An Introduction to Lou Reed

April 8, 2017April 8, 2017 Green and Black Musiclou reed berlin, lou reed songs, rock n roll animal0 comment

Exploring Lou Reed can be a daunting task. It’s a given to start with the Velvet Underground. If you haven’t internalized those albums, STOP reading and immerse yourself in the entire VU discography. Ponder the position of Lou Reed. Ask yourself, how does one follow such a flawless run of rock and roll brilliance? What follows is a simple introduction to Lou Reed’s solo material in ten songs. By no means exhaustive, this list offers a simplified introduction to a complex catalogue. BERLIN Lou Reed’s first solo album largely consisted…

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The Ramones – Revisiting Too Tough To Die

March 29, 2017September 1, 2017 Green and Black Musiced stasium, richie ramones, tommy ramone0 comment

The Ramones had gotten too far from their core in the early eighties. Fruitless efforts to win over radio had transformed the boys from Queens into a pop band. It was time to recapture the inspired simplicity of their formative years. Hailed as their comeback record, Too Tough To Die recaptures the excitement of the early days. It was like 1978 all over again. Not only had Tommy reprised his role as producer, The Ramones also had a brand new drummer. Replacing the recently fired Marky, Richie Ramone seemed determined to…

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Ten Punk Rock Movies

March 6, 2017October 20, 2017 Green and Black Musicanother state of mind, cbgb movie, penelope spheeris, repo man punk, rude boy clash, sid and nancy, slc punk, suburbia punk, the decline of western civilization punk, zander schloss0 comment

As punk rock surfaced from the underground, representations of the genre crept into popular culture. Movie studios promptly produced cartoonish caricatures of punk rock. Invariably, the best film portrayals of punk are documentaries that take their cameras directly to bands and fans. This list features a mix of punk movies ranging from classic documentaries to the rare mainstream work that accurately mirrored the punk aesthetic. ANOTHER STATE OF MIND In 1982, the Better Youth Organization organized a 6-week tour with Youth Brigade and Social Distortion. Both bands and crew piled…

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This is Spinal Tap: Greatest Spinal Tap Moments

February 16, 2017October 20, 2017 Green and Black Musicblack album, david st hubbins, derek smalls, exploding drummer, hello cleveland, ian faith, lick my love pump, nigel tufnel, smell the glove, spinal tap, spinal tap stonehenge, these go to 110 comment

The “rockumentary,” This Is Spinal Tap, catches the iconic group as they release the Smell the Glove album. With cameras trailing the band at each turn, moments of triumph are captured. Unfortunately so are blunders. Join us, as we revisit the ten greatest Spinal Tap moments. GETTING LOST BACKSTAGE Early in the film we witness the exciting moments before Spinal Tap takes the stage. Chants of “Tap” echo through the arena. Filled with adrenalin, the band begins a triumphant march to their adoring audience…until it all goes hilariously wrong! Arenas…

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Heavy Metal Parking Lot: Judas Priest 1986

February 3, 2017May 31, 2020 Green and Black Musicdokken under lock and key, fuel for life tour, zebra man0 comment

Judas Priest released the divisive Turbo in 1986. Despite alienating core fans with synthesizers and pop hooks, Turbo became the band’s highest charting album to date. The subsequent “Fuel For Life” tour was equally successful. Fans turned out in droves to see Priest live. Although Judas Priest filmed the tour for home video, two filmmakers provided documentation of a different sort. Armed with equipment borrowed from a cable access studio, John Heyn and Jeff Krulik interviewed tailgating fans outside the Capital Centre in Largo, Maryland. Aptly titled, Heavy Metal Parking Lot, the…