Top 5 KISS Songs

One year ago I discovered the Music of KISS (the rock band not love songs). Even though I had known about them for a Long Time I did not consider myself a fan but on discovery of their music I became a fan and for about 3 to 4 months I was listening to their music and almost nothing else (no Metallica, Saxon or Black Sabbath). Now that a year has passed I thought I would give you my top 5 KISS Songs.

For those of you not in the know KISS are a Legendary American Rock Band and while their music is not Metal is sometimes considered it but they are more Heavy/American Rock. However if you look at them you will see that they are not an ordinary band. KISS are well known for wearing face paint and Dark (Black and White) Flamboyant Costumes. They also introduce some theatrics to their shows (inspired by Alice Cooper), mostly from the Bass Player which includes blood spitting and fire breathing. While they may be odd compared to other bands around the world, they are one of the most successful acts in the world. They have also been featured in several Music Top Lists. Not only this but they have one of the largest Fan followings in music (referred to as the KISS Army). They are:

Paul Stanley – Lead Vocals and Guitar

Gene Simmons – Bass and Vocals

Eric Carr/Peter Criss/Eric Singer – Drums and Backing Vocals

Mark St. John/Bruce Kulick/Vinnie Vincent/Ace Frehley/Tommy Thayer – Lead Guitar and Backing Vocals

Together they are KISS.

5. Detroit Rock City – Not to be confused with one of their films Detroit Rock City is usually used as the opening song for the band when performing live. The song begins with a heavy riff and then turns into a loud vibration before once again entering the riff. For most of the song it is just a vibration but during parts there is some riffing. Then about halfway through there is a sweet and not so heavy riff before the song re-enters its combination of riffs and vibration while also combing some more of the solo. Detroit Rock City while not being as heavy as some songs is in itself an Amazing Song.

4. God Of Thunder – Possibly The Heaviest of Heavy Songs, and that is not just for KISS. The song is sung by Simmons and is almost telling a story as it is sung. While it could be considered a song about Thor it is technically a song about Zeus because it does mention a lot of stuff from Greek Mythology. The song is mostly Heavy through riffing instead of vibration even though it does feature some but the solo this time around is a lot more dark but that does fit in with the style of the song. I have said many times that if I was a Professional Wrestler I would use this song as my Entrance Theme. It is a Great Song.

3. Rock and Roll All Nite – What is seen of as more of an anthem to both Rock and Roll and KISS, Rock and Roll All Nite really shows what kind of music KISS is, not metal just Good Old Rock. While many fans consider this to be KISS’s Best Song and their favourite as a result I think it does not compare to some other songs. But that does not mean it’s bad. While still featuring some vibration like with Detroit Rock City it is more riffy and is music that gets you off your feet and want to move, sing, shout, dance, scream to the power of the guitar when it’s used in this context (genre wise) and like all Good KISS songs it features a Solo. Enough stalling let’s just hear some Good Old Rock.

2. Psycho Circus – Back in February and March when I was mostly Angry I thought about doing a Top 5 Songs That Gets The Anger Out, and this was always going to be in it. Very riffy, Very heavy and some vibration. The song is a combination of different styles so such as you get lots of acts at a circus you get lots of styles of music in this, there is some Heavy and later on there is some calm. The song also features one of the best Guitar Solos in Music (particularly when you combine it with the images in the music video). The song has an amazing Music Video which combines many images with the music that is accompanying it (like the circus again). All in All it is an incredible song (the song is also featured in an amusing video involving Michael Jackson) and well worth a listen even if you are not a fan of KISS or this genre of Music. Go on Treat yourself and Listen to this Fantastic Song, also keep an eye out for the Rocket Powered Guitar (apologies if an advert pops up, just skip it).

1. I Was Made For Loving You – While more like a disco track than a rock song, I Was Made For Loving You is a Fantastic Song. It is quite possibly the most viewed Music Video on YouTube. It is very hard to describe how it is played because of its disco sound. There is hardly any vibration and is very riffy, but very quick. The music’s opening has a great sound which sets it up ready for Stanley’s intro which brings the heaviness. The song continues like this for most of the song then goes into a heavy solo in two parts, opening with a Fantastic Bass Solo and then into a Great Guitar Solo. The song’s lyrics also make it a fantastic Love Song too (so in some way it works with the band name). The chorus in particular is something anyone can join in with. But more than that the sound of the music has a sort of Je ne sais quoi (something you can’t put your finger on) about it. Something about this song which makes it Fantastic, but I don’t know what. Well at least it is there, because without it it would not be my Favourite KISS Song.

GENEPOOL (That rocket powered Guitar did inspire me for an idea for Arbitrary Stopframe).

Top 5 Heavy Metal Bands That Did Not Appear At The Olympics (Either Ceremonies Or In General)

From the title you may be thinking “There was Metal at the Olympics?” to which the answer is NO, THERE FLIPPING WASN’T. Apologies if this turns into a rant but the point has to be made that while the Olympic Ceremonies in London this year had a broad range of Great Music including The Who, Queen and Madness, some of the music presented were from useless/pathetic bands. There was of course Paul McCartney singing that Nanananaa Song (Which is Rubbish, someone had to say it) as well as bands like The Arctic Monkeys, Museli and worst of all One Direction. Why was there no Metal, The british invented Heavy Metal and some of the great Legends of Heavy Metal reside in England (Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Motorhead and Saxon). Ok, you may want more independent and perhaps lesser known groups to play, well in that case why not DragonForce. Why do waste our times with nonsense like One Direction when we could have had Motorhead. Why did we finish with Paul McCartney when we could have had Black Sabbath. It does not make sense.

Because of this Lack of Metal I have chosen the Top 5 Metal Bands which should have appeared at The Olympics, anyone of them will have greatly improved the Olympics. The list is not a case of best Metal Band it is a case of which had the best songs and would have made the best impact for the London Olympics. Also, all of the following bands are from Britain.

So for all those disappointed Metal Fans (which includes me) lets show what this country is made of, Heavy Metal Fans UNITE.

5. DragonForce – While there are plenty of other Big Name Metal Bands, DragonForce is a lesser known band when you compare them to Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath. However due to their independent status they become a perfect choice for the Olympics. If they want lesser known acts why not DragonForce. Not only that but their song Through the Fire and Flames is possibly the most watched video on YouTube (if you know of any that has more views than it, please let me know). Much like bands such as Manowar and in someway Brocas Helm their lyrics are all based on Mythology and that theme does fit into Britain’s Strong Medieval History. So with all these positive points I do not see why they were not chosen (I am using Cry Thunder because Everyone has already heard Through the Fire and Flames).

4. Motorhead – One of the greatest legends in the world of music with the God-Father of Heavy Music on Bass and Vocals, these guys are Loud, Fast and Dangerous. They do show that Working Class style of music which started in Britain with Black Sabbath. Motorhead‘s music is more in your face home-made style instead of following certain codes of how music of certain genres needs to be played for most bands. There is not much more than to say but just listen to the music and you will see what I mean, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR, LISTEN TO THE MUSIC.

3. Saxon – Regarded as one of the Best and Greatest Metal Performers and with a name which is strong in British History, SAXON would be a perfect choice for the Olympic Ceremonies. Very few bands these days do sing along sections or get people involved with the Music, Saxon does though. With songs like Strong Arm of the Law (a song about the British Police), And The Bands Played On (a song about the first Download Festival/Monsters Of Rock) and other songs which have a sense of Mythology and Medieval History to them it does not make sense to why they were not chosen to perform. Perhaps the organisers were not too big on English Medieval History, Who Knows (well except for them of course).

2. Black Sabbath – While Black Sabbath is my favourite Band, in terms of the Olympics, their songs  would have been great for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, their songs would not really work for the Olympics as a Whole. If they were at the Opening Ceremony it would have been a whole lot better, ”that’s McCartney out of the way and now Ladies and Gentlemen, BLACK SABBATH”. Even if Ozzy was by himself and sang Crazy Train (which would explain the London Underground) that would have been Fantastic, But NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. So Ladies and Gentlemen here for your entertainment (unlike Paul McCartney), here is BLACK SABBATH.

1. Judas Priest – Since the start of the Olympics I have said (CONSTANTLY – IF ANYONE LISTENED IS ANOTHER THING) that Hellion Electric Eye would have been a perfect choice for Olympic Theme as well as Breaking The Law which would have been a great way to explain what a Chav is. While Black Sabbath is the better choice for the Ceremonies, Judas Priest is a Perfect choice for the feel and look of the London Olympics. So without further a do here they are. The Top Metal band for the London Olympics – Judas Priest.

GENEPOOL (I wonder if Danny Boyle is reading this?)

Matt’s Music Question

During the last couple of weeks I have answered questions submitted to me by some friends and one person I have not met. A couple of weeks ago it was Pope’s Question, Yesterday it was Mysterious Tim’s Question and today is the first of 2 questions from Matt. In a recent e-mail he posted these 2 (colourful) questions to me:

“The main reason it’s taken me so long to send you a question was because it’s a lot harder to choose just one than it is to think up 10 or 20, and I didn’t want to waste my opportunity on a naff question. The two I like best at the moment are:

• · “Who do you think is the greatest superhero, and why?”
• · “What, to your mind, makes the difference between a good piece of music and an exceptionally brilliant one?”

I was busy trying to make up my mind which I preferred, but if I can have both then that neatly solves the problem, doesn’t it”.

The question I am going to answer today is ““What, to your mind, makes the difference between a good piece of music and an exceptionally brilliant one?””. Come back on Thursday to see me answer the other one.

My music taste usually involves a lot of Hard Rock/Heavy Metal as you may know as well as some other things including music from Pendulum, The Prodigy and The Bee Gees (and anything else that takes my fancy), but in order to answer this question I have decided to use just one band as an example instead of referring to several others; the band in Question is Led Zeppelin. A Good piece of music is anything you like which really sticks in your mind, memorable to you and this can be achieved in many ways. Of course it could be through something experimental in the music or come down to how the tune is played out.

Led Zeppelin is one of those bands who have played music you have more than likely heard even if you don’t know you have. There are three songs in particular, Whole Lotta Love, Immigrant Song and Moby Dick. These songs are widely used because of their popularity which also helped to cement Zeppelin as one of the Top 5 Greatest Bands in the history of music.

Whole Lotta Love is used as part of the opening track for TOTP2. Whole Lotta Love has a nice guitar riff which stays the same throughout the song and does not really get higher or lower. It is not used all the time in the song but when you hear it you can’t help but enjoy it and get involved either through some sort of dance or air guitar. There is also the nice inclusion of the bass at the end of the riff to give it some depth. When the drum section is on and no riff it builds up your excitement so when the riff returns you want to thrash out with the tune and join in, but it still surprises you when it returns because you can hear it coming but then it doesn’t, then a little bit more tune and then it comes back with full force with some personalization from Jimmy Page on guitar.

Moby Dick has a similar style, it is more drum focused than guitar based though. The drum becomes the only instrument and it is not till later that the guitar returns. Another tune worth mentioning is Dazed and Confused which is wackier in its tune. It starts off with a heavy slow thrash from all band members, that’s one of Zeppelin’s main features which is to make you want to thrash but without the music becoming thrashy. The tune for D, a, C, later speeds up and almost gains a new tune which is faster but less thrashy as a result. The music has some anger in it wanting to be released but it is trying to control itself.

Finally there is the Immigrant Song which has the most thrashy, heavy sound out of all these songs and while the other songs had combinations of different tunes this has more or less the same tune throughout while still keeping some quitter parts to let Robert Plant sing before Page releases another loud part from the guitar.

To really answer the question you need to think about the different reasons why people listen to music. Some people may just want to listen some other may use music to fill or perhaps release something. I enjoy music as something to listen to but to me Music also helps me to let out the part of me which wants to shout and scream and stomp the ground and make a noise of my own instead of dancing. If the song fills all of these characteristics (enjoyment and the screaming, stomping, shouting, noisy stuff which I have just explained) then it is a Good piece of music to me and Led Zeppelin is a good example because it fills all the right criteria.

GENEPOOL (Do you like my Picture at the top of the post?)

Sam’s Rant – I Don’t Like Art, I Like Guitars: Part 2

Previously on Sam’s Rant – I Don’t Like Art, I Like Guitars: I came to the conclusion that all Art is Rubbish and the lights at the National Portrait Gallery are far more interesting than the pictures and the whole experience could be improved through the use of a Chainsaw.

So now I will explain the second part of the title. While Music can be counted as Art in most cases it is not because you don’t look at it (as well as the fact that some forms of Rock apparently don’t count despite the fact that they are a type of Music). But while Music is not Art and Art is Rubbish I do like looking at Guitars. Since a few years ago I have always thought about learning to play Guitar or Bass, and I don’t mean acoustic. In more recent times I have started to look at Guitars in music shops because I like looking at them.

The building I am usually in when I am at UCLAN has a music shop across from it and usually when I come out of the building I go and look at the instruments through the window and there are loads of Guitars on display. You can usually see some Stratocasters and some Gibson Guitars like Tony Iommi uses but you can also see an incredible Guitar called The Beast which is produced by B. C. Rich. While a guitar like a Stratocaster is a curved shape which leads to two horns one bigger than the other. The Beast has sharp corners all around it mixed with curves. The Guitar looks like an outcast like it does not conform with what has become the standard but a Beast is a Monster and it is a Monster of a Guitar.

When I watch music videos I like to look at the Guitars being used and in most cases I can tell what type of Guitar they are using because some Guitars are used more than others like Gibson’s and Fenders. But in some cases I don’t know what they are but these Guitars are still awesome to look at, like the Flying V from Gibson or the ESP Eclipse. I also like to look at Bass Guitars and I know about some Bass Guitars too like the Precision Bass and Mustang Bass, both from Fender.

Guitars are more interesting to look at because they both look good and sound good while Art can only be looked at. They produce some amazing effects when you put them in the right hands; people of note include Tony Iommi, Kirk Hammett, Jimi Hendrix and Seasick Steve. They can also produce some visual effects, particularly if you consider Hammett’s Wave Caster or Ace Frehley’s light up guitar from I Was Made For Loving You.

While I find Art Rubbish I suppose you could class looking at Guitars as my Art and so While I will not understand the moody, sad, depressing world of art I am happy looking at Guitars (and also dreaming of maybe learning to play one day). They look Good, sound Great and overall are Fantastic.

GENEPOOL

Top 5 Black Sabbath Songs

Today is a very special day, firstly it is 23 years since I was Born and secondly it is the Last day of the 2012 Download Festival in Donnington and for all of those who are going to be there you have a special treat. The Main Event of the day and the festival, forget all those rubbish rap and pop bands that will have been playing during the festival because Black Sabbath are playing. Yes for the first time in 6/7 years Black Sabbath are playing live. OK, they recently played at the O2 Academy in Birmingham but that is nothing compared to tonight. Now I myself will not be there because I don’t like the idea of a festival with tents and stuff and would prefer to go to somewhere like the Manchester Arena. So while I will need to wait before I can see the Greatest Band in the world, all of you at Download have a very special treat, don’t miss it because you will regret it. To celebrate something like this I have compiled together a list of my Top 5 Favourite Black Sabbath Songs. Look out for these songs tonight, I just hope the show gets televised (you may also be interested in my Top 5 Saxon Songs because I know they were scheduled to appear).

5. War Pigs – War Pigs was the original title for the album Paranoid, the record producers decided to rename it Paranoid though when they feared a possible backlash from Vietnam Supporter, however the song War Pigs kept its name. War Pigs is one of Black Sabbath’s most well-loved songs with it being featured in several Heavy Metal Lists. The Song itself is very Anti towards the Vietnam War. When it is sung live it calls for people to join in with things like clapping and singing, almost like protest marching and camp fire singing. The noise the song gives out is very loud like most Black Sabbath songs but it does not have the normal speed, it is quite slow and has a nice pace which probably helps when asking people to join in. Whereas most songs include a lot of Guitar War Pigs has a nice combined tune of Bass and Drums which produce the nice loud noise, so for once it is The Guitar supporting the noise and not the Bass, but it would not be the same without Tony Iommi’s riffs which finally make if a somewhat slightly slower sound.

4. Iron Man – One of the most recognizable riffs in music, well not just a riff but the whole tune. The beginning of the song is the most well-remembered part but the rest of the song is not as impersonated, which is a real shame due to the songs later part getting faster and heavier. The song has been used in numerous TV shows and films, more recently in the Iron Man film series (I wonder why). The song has a generally slow start and keeps this going with Ozzy singing in time with the Riff. Much like his later song Crazy Train in which Ozzy starts off with “ALL ABOARD”, Iron Man has something very similar with “I Am Iron Man”. The Song then develops 2 really fast parts, one about half way through the song, much like Fade to Black but that keeps going fast, whereas Iron Man slows down again, but then it eventually hints that it is about to speed up again and that’s is when Tony Iommi takes centre stage and plays this amazing fast Riff and that riff keeps playing until the song finishes. Iron Man is not only the name of a Song it has now become the nickname of Tony Iommi himself and in a recent performance at the O2 Academy in Birmingham Ozzy did not say “I Am Iron Man” but instead pointed at Iommi and said “He Is Iron Man” which is a magnificent tribute to the long-lasting Tony Iommi, the real Iron Man.

3. Symptom Of The Universe – What I think is one of their lesser known tracks, Symptom of the Universe was written by Geezer Butler after a dream he had about the creation of the Universe. The Song is a nice Heavy and Fast feel with a nice combination of Drums and Guitar with Guitar leading the Charge. The Song begins with a great fast pace that will get the listener bashing and thrashing around, almost like an Air Instrument (a bit like the Air Drum with War Pigs). The song does change about half way through and while it keeps its main tune style it does alter around in several different ways, almost like the diverse nature of the Universe.

2. Paranoid – Paranoid is widely regarded as one of the greatest Metal Songs of all time, it even reached number 4 in the UK Singles Chart. Technically the song was created to simply add an extra 4 and a half minutes onto the album, so the band just went and jammed and then they came out with this. The name Paranoid works well with the song because the style of the music is really fast and a bit frantic, the lyrics were made up as the song was being made and while Ozzy was able to get a song together eventually in a short space of time it could take other bands a long time to do so and could drive them paranoid, you could also state that having to find a 4 and a half-minute song could have driven them paranoid, the name Paranoid also stands out. This is another example of the pioneering work of Tony Iommi who would simply just strap on a guitar, play something random and it would become a hit. When the band went to America following Paranoid the band became an Instant Success.

1. Children Of The Grave – When I first became a fan of Black Sabbath the only song I knew about was Paranoid, I did some searching on YouTube and found songs like War Pigs but eventually I discovered this song. I also heard it in the video game Brütal Legend in the opening level. It had this nice Pounding Sound, Aggression, Speed and Anger like the song was furious about something and was going to kick a door in. While some songs change around things here and there this stays the same and has many of the elements that would become the critical factors for later Heavy Metal Songs include Big Pounding Noises and Screaming Electric Guitar Sounds. While some people prefer Paranoid and other War Pigs and some Iron Man, my favourite Black Sabbath song is Children of the Grave.

 GENEPOOL

Eurovision Reaction 2012

This past weekend saw the return of one of my favourite events of the year, The Eurovision Song Contest. Since 2004 it has been a major part of the year for me and I am always looking forward to it. This year it was held in Azerbaijan with me still remembering Sweden’s entry from last year which is the one I voted for last year, well it is one of my favourite songs from the contest since I have been watching.

First off let me just point out something about the UK entry. The last few years have not been so good for Britain with us usually appearing somewhere near the bottom. This year we had Engelbert Humperdinck who came second to last with 12 points. Now this does look bad but on the bright side we did get more than 10 which is pretty good for us since the 2003 incident. So in a way the UK is starting to come back with some recent entries including Jade Ewen and Blue even though it could be a while until we win again (to be fair I do think the tune was a bit grim, if it was lighter we may have done better). I did see a bit of the second semi-finals and did like Belarus’s song (which failed to get into the final), this is the second time a Rocky/Metalish from Belarus did not get into the final as far as I can remember, the other time was the brilliant 2009 song which I would have voted for if it got into the final. Several songs in the final looked like competition for Engelbert Humperdinck. The first song that stood out for me was Iceland’s entry which looked almost like a folklore song, a bit like the Bulgarian, Finnish and Moldova entries from 2007 (Apologies if the below video is not working, it was playing up on my computer, here is a link for you).

Then came the Sweden Entry, I saw a bit of this earlier in the week and I was unsure about it, there was something about it. It was one of the favorites of the contest this year and so when it came to voting it was hard to choose between Iceland and Sweden, so I voted for both. While Iceland did not do so well, Sweden won and this was a big moment for the country and for me. It is the 5^th time Sweden has won and the third time since I have started watching that I have voted for the winner, the last time I voted for the winning song was 6 years ago for Finland (it was nice to see the lead singer calling out the results for Finland). The first time was in 2004 when I voted for Ukraine. The Swedish entry is actually one of the most successful in the contest history achieving 372 points. So with another year gone I now have to wait just less than 365 day until the next one, already looking forward to it (now I have voted for Sweden 2 years in a row, previously I voted for Finland 4 years in a row).

GENEPOOL

Breaking The Law

It is one of the Best Metal Songs in music history, It is one of the Best Music Videos in music history and it is from one of the Greatest Heavy Metal Bands in music history. The Band are called Judas Priest, the song is called Breaking The Law.

There must be something about Birmingham and Heavy Metal. In 1969 Black Sabbath appeared. Then in the following year Judas Priest appeared. Both bands started in Birmingham and both of them were pioneers. Black Sabbath was the first Heavy Metal Band and made the music scene working class for the first time. Judas Priest pioneered the use of 2 guitars in a Metal band (Lead and Rhythm) and as such most Metal bands since have had a similar look to Judas Priest. Such bands include Saxon, Diamond Head, Iron Maiden, Scorpions and Metallica (even though some of those bands have more than or less than 5 members). So there must be something about Birmingham which makes a heavy metal band become such a Huge success. Anyway, back to the song.

Breaking the law is an amazing song. It has an incredible riff all the way through the song and even though the song is only about 3 minutes long it is packed with so much content that it is really good value for money. The song talks about the struggles of life when you have no work and think that no one cares about you. You are so frustrated that you decide to break the law to try and improve your life. The song continues with the idea that you may have a bright future but you can’t get it moving and the idea that people just don’t understand you and those that do will also break the law as well. OK I have managed to come out with a description of the song just by listening to the words.

The live versions of the song are pretty Good (this coming from someone who has not seen the band live). I found one video which had an amazing start where all the members of Judas Priest (except the drummer) played the instruments together (click the link). But in my opinion the video is still the best version. The video shows Rob Halford in the back of a Cadillac singing the first parts of the song. He then breaks into the bank with Glenn Tipton and K. K. Downing (who have been dressed up as priests in the early parts of the video) and are then joined by Ian Hill and Dave Holland. The band holds up the bank with Guitars instead of guns and incapacitate the customers with the sound of the music (another showing of how powerful Heavy Metal is). They then steal a gold record for the album British Steel (which Breaking the law  originally came from). The Band get back into the Cadillac and then drive away with footage of their concerts on the CCTV camera footage and the bank’s security guard playing along to the music on a fake guitar. One interesting thing to point out is that at the very beginning of the video when the man flicks the bread at the birds, the moment it touches the floor the music starts.

The song is a fantastic Heavy Metal song and a real treat for fans of Heavy Metal as well as music fans in general. If you have not heard it before watch the video now (you will not be disappointed) and if you have heard the song before, then listen to it again, because it is Awesome (All of the above pictures were taken from the video, because the video is Fantastic).

GENEPOOL