Sabbath, that is. Yes, Black Sabbath announced today that their new album will be coming out in June. Titled 13, the album will feature original Black Sabbath members Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler, according to Rolling Stone.
Apparently, it’s the first studio album together since 1978′s Never Say Die!, although it’s not quite a full-on reunion: Bill Ward dropped out of Black Sabbath projects last May, and drummer Brad Wilk from Rage Against The Machine will step in.
The album was mostly recorded in Los Angeles, with renowned producer Rick Rubin. And the band is slated to go to New Zealand, Australia and Japan to tour in advance of the album.
Tag Archive for 'album'
IF one needs proof of the healing power of music, one need just look at Melody Gardot, who in 2003, was hit by a vehicle and suffered physical and mental trauma. But thanks to music therapy, the 27-year-old singer not only recovered, but has gone on to become one of the shining lights in the jazz scene.
She recently released her third album, The Absence, and TODAY got a chance to talk to the lovely lass about what it means to be Melody Gardot when she previewed her album in London. (Thanks, Tom Kihl, for helping us ask the questions!) Continue reading ‘Unexpurgated: Melody Gardot’
PJ Harvey needs no introduction. But if you really want one, then go check out the introduction in this cool story. Or Wikipedia.
PJ Harvey is as cool a musician as they come. And her album, Let England Shake, is one of the coolest albums of last year. We managed to get time with her in Melbourne, and here’s what she had to say.
(Thanks to Universal Music and Balvinder Sandhu for arranging, conducting and transcribing the interview.) Continue reading ‘The exclusive and totally unexpurgated PJ Harvey interview’
CURIOUSLY enough, while this album by The Beatles often ranks high on critics’ polls of top rock albums of all time, many still forgo this in favour Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band as the artistic height of The Beatles’ creativity.
Sorry – wrong!
Here’s why: Every musical aspect that the Beatles would be known for is encapsulated here (and to some extent, the predecessor, Rubber Soul).
There was tons of experimentation:
- John Lennon and George Harrison’s backwards lead guitar solos on I’m Only Sleeping;
- Tape loops for Tomorrow Never Knows, itself a musical exploration into atonal depths (Paul McCartney, for example, plays only one note throughout).
- The use of automatic double tracking or ADT (which John dubbed “the flange”),a process by which you can automatically double up your voice so you didn’t have to sing the same parts again. This would lead to the development of the flanger and the artificial chorus effects of today.
- Even some of the curious sounds heard on Yellow Submarine were created in the studio and not taken off some special effects record.
- The Beatles circa ’65/’66: going from cutesy pop band to cultural icons
Aside from the experimentation, The Beatles were delving deeper into their musical journeys:
- For George, it was the influence of Indian music: Love You To is obvious enough, but even Paul has said he put some Indian styling on his solo in Taxman (yes, it’s Paul playing on that one) to suit George’s fascination with Indian music.
- Paul continued to master the art of melody with ballads like Eleanor Rigby, For No One and Here, There And Everywhere.
- John’s writing became more experiential (She Said She Said, Dr Robert) while still maintaining his ability to churn out some of the best pop melodies (And Your Bird Can Sing).
- Ringo Starr sang Yellow Submarine.
And through all that they still kept what made them famous: Nice melodies, , close harmony singing and catchy choruses – plenty of them. Don’t forget The Beatles hadn’t yet given up touring yet. The recording was sandwiched between April and June of 1966, they didn’t have the time and luxury they had on Sgt Pepper.
The sounds and scenes painted in Revolver reflected the sign of the times too: The world was changing, the swinging Sixties was all but over. Social commentary, cultural consciousness and disenchantment with the establishment were rife.
This has since been heralded as one of the first psychedelic albums, not least aided by cover art from their old friend Klaus Voorman, but also by the unconventional nature of the album.
Having had a chance to sample the remasters released last month, I have to say that if you wanted a Beatles album that could be definitive of what The Beatles were, this is it.
