(Don't Worry, I AM Alive) Bonzo Brad's Bitchin' Musician: John Sykes

Hello, one and all, I AM BACK. Did you think I really went away? No way! Bonzo been busy! Starting up a new semester of college and getting settled into my new casa has been keeping me pretty busy. I haven't had time to actually sit and write something for this blog because of the busyness, but now, I have decided to get it going again. What's a better way to kick this blog off again by writing something about one of my favorite guitarists who happens to be sorely underrated? NOTHING! So, here we go dudes and dudettes!

Most of you guys may not know the man above, but you actually do if you are a fan of Whitesnake, especially songs like "Here I Go Again," "Is This Love?," and "Still of the Night," basically, the band's biggest songs, then you DO know the man above: Mr. John Sykes. You see, HE was the one that wrote the music to those tunes. In fact, he pretty much wrote the music to the whole self-titled record that sent 'Snake into superstardom in 1987. But, you know what blows? David Coverdale let this talented fucker go AFTER the biggest album of his career is released, due to "clashing of egos," and other bullshit like that. You think that things would get worse for Mr. Sykes after this happens, but, it only gets better for this talented six-string shooter. I'll get to that later and give you some background on this mammajamma.

Born on July 29, 1959, John Sykes would go on to be a prominent force in the hard rock and heavy metal world with his lightning-fast and technical guitar playing. He would first become known in a band that was very pivotal in the NWOBHM movement in the early 1980s called Tygers of Pan Tang, to which the band made their two best albums with Sykes in 1981's "Spellbound" and "Crazy Nights." He would contribute 2 tracks on 1982's "The Cage," but then he would either leave or get fired from the band. Sykes would try his hand in a band called Badlands (not the band I've talked about with Jake E. Lee), but the band did not even get their feet off the ground. Sykes would then go and try out for Ozzy Osbourne's band as a replacement for Randy Rhoads, but would prove unsuccessful in his attempt to try out (imagine how THAT would've worked out if he joined his band. Fucking INSANE!) Things started to look up for Sykes as he was recruited at the ripe young age of 23 by the one and only Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy to play in, well, Thin Lizzy. He would record "Thunder and Lightning," the band's final studio album, with them, as well as a live record, but after the tour that promoted the record, the group disbanded, and Sykes was bandless yet again. But, not for long!

A man that goes by the name of David Coverdale came and took Sykes and brought him along for the ride he calls Whitesnake. Sykes would rerecord guitar parts for the US release of the band's breakthrough, "Slide It In," and then go on to tour with the band supporting the record. When they went on to record what would become the self-titled monster of an album, Sykes would wind up contributing a hell of a lot of stuff to the record, co-writing the majority of the album, along with recording the guitars, as well as backing vocals, for the tracks on the record. I mentioned the tracks that he helped write on this record above, which basically, were the band's biggest hits. He had a knack for writing mammoth fucking arena hard rock songs, and he did them with style, as the whole album that was released in 1987 proved. So, when Coverdale decided to scrap the entire band that played on the self-titled record, including Sykes, it was quite insane to hear, but not real shocking too. Sykes was now on his own, again, but things looked good for him though, with the "Whitesnake" record selling like hot-cakes and the singles off the record being played nonstop. But, Sykes was ready to start something new. Something of his own...

After being fired from the 'Snake, Sykes decided to form a band of his own. This monster of a band is referred to as Blue Murder, and they are EASILY one of the most underrated hard rock bands ever! Even though they only had about three records to their name, the talent was there, as well as the power and melody. Sykes would recruit powerhouse drummer Carmine Appice and The Firm bassist Tony Franklin for the group, which was a four-piece for a time with future Badlands vocalist Ray Gillen on vocals for the demos, but the band decided that Sykes was better off singing the tunes themselves. Releasing one of the best hard rock records of the 80s in their self-titled record, the band would go on with some moderate success off of that record alone, scoring hits like "Jelly Roll" and "Valley of the Kings." But, Appice and Franklin would leave the group, resulting in a break for awhile until a freshened up Blue Murder released "Nothin' but Trouble" in 1993. The album though was not a success, and this led to Sykes going on and making music as a solo artist. He would release plenty of studio solo records, along with doing a lot of touring, playing not only his solo work, but songs from Whitesnake, Blue Murder, and Thin Lizzy, which he would reform in 1996 taking over lead vocals, along with doing guitar work. He would resign from Lizzy in 2009, saying he wanted to make music on his own now.

Things are looking real good for Sykes again, as I just heard that Sykes was teaming up with one of my favorite drummers and musicians, Mike Portnoy, for a super group of sorts with no name and an unnamed bassist. I can already tell how insane that group is gonna be, and they haven't released SHIT yet. Putting those two together is going to result in something magical, just like the man himself. The guy would influence many with his amazing, tasteful, and stunning guitar playing, song writing, and vocals, like Zakk Wylde and Doug Aldrich (a current member of Whitesnake now!) He had a great set of pipes, and not a lot of people realize that so much. More people think of his guitar playing and songwriting, which is understandable, but man oh man, the dude could belt it! This guy shall be remembered as one of the all-time greatest guitarists. If he doesn't, well, a big FUCK YOU to who doesn't think this.

Here's a rip-roaring solo from Mr. Sykes (Watch all nine minutes and be educated, you bad mothers!):

Bonzo Brad's Recommended Sykes Records:
"Spellbound" - Tygers of Pan Tang
"Thunder and Lightning" - Thin Lizzy
"Whitesnake" - Whitesnake
"Blue Murder" - Blue Murder

Bonzo Brad's Insane Sykes Playlist:
"Love Don't Stay" - Tygers of Pan Tang
"Gangland" - Tygers of Pan Tang
"Cold Sweat" - Thin Lizzy
"Someday She's Gonna Hit Back" - Thin Lizzy
"Crying in the Rain" - Whitesnake
"Still of the Night" - Whitesnake
"Bad Boys" - Whitesnake
"Valley of the Kings" - Blue Murder
"Runaway" - Blue Murder

Enjoy this legend, my friends, cause he is one of the most kick-ass guitarists, EVER!

Cheers,
Bonzo Brad

Bonzo Brad's Underground Classic Album: Badlands' "Badlands"

One of the best bands you don't know about, Badlands came onto the hard rock/heavy metal scene around 1989. Guitarist Jake E. Lee was fired from Ozzy Osbourne's band by, of course, Ozzy's manager/wife/cunthole Sharon Osbourne. Baffled at this, he decided he should start a little band of his own that would be something totally different from what he did with Ozzy. Lee enlisted former Black Sabbath singer Ray Gillen and, at the time, former Black Sabbath/current Alice Cooper/future KISS drummer Eric Singer, along with bassist Greg Chaisson. This band would be the bluesy, groovin', hard rock band that is Badlands. The band released their debut record in May of 1989. This album is easily one of the best hard rock albums of the 80s. I gave it a listen today as I was doing my cardio workout, and hot damn, was this album a ripper! It really got me going and headbanging along while I was getting all fit and shit. From start to finish, this album is just nonstop hard rock n' roll. The riffs are absolutely killer, especially "Devil's Stomp." That riff is just so fucking greasy and dirty, it makes me want to cleanse myself after listening to it. The melodies are top notch, like on "Dreams in the Dark," the band's most successful single. The singing is very superb from Mr. Gillen, who is a man I would want to check out more of, especially his work in Sabbath. The bass and drums are thunderous, pounding, and heavy, courtesy of Chaisson and Sir Singer, who is a drummer I have a lot of respect for, because he's got fucking chops out his ass! I really dug the whole bluesy hard rock thing the band had going on, because, outside of Cinderella, AC/DC, GN'R, and the Cult, there were not a whole lot of bands doing the whole bluesy-tinged hard rock thing. Badlands had a unique spin on the whole bluesy hard rock genre, and this debut album of theirs is a perfect example of that certain spin they put on the genre. The band would go on to release one more record, "Voodoo Highway," before inner band tensions, death, and band members leaving to bigger and better things split the band apart. It is rather unfortunate the band didn't release a lot of music, because the band was so god damn talented and had killer musicians in the group that brought their thing to the table. But, at least the band did make some music, and some real fucking killer music at that. I HIGHLY recommend you check out this record, because, like I said earlier, it is one of the best albums you probably have not heard.

Album Info:
"Badlands"
Released: May 11, 1989
Recorded: One on One Studios, Los Angeles, CA and the Record Plant, New York City, NY.
Label: Atlantic
Producer: Paul O'Neill
Billboard US Peak: 57
US Record Sales: 400,000

Track Listing:
All songs written by Lee, Gillen, and O'Neill, except where shown.
1. High Wire (Lee, Gillen)
2. Dreams in the Dark
3. Jade's Song (Instrumental) (Lee)
4. Winter's Call (Lee, Gillen)
5. Dancing on the Edge
6. Streets Cry Freedom
7. Hard Driver
8. Rumblin' Train
9. Devil's Stomp
10. Seasons
11. Ball and Chain (Lee, Gillen)

The Band:
Ray Gillen - Lead Vocals, Blues Harp
Jake E. Lee - Guitars, Keyboards
Eric Singer - Drums
Greg Chaisson - Bass

Bonzo Brad's Favorite Tunes:
"High Wire," "Dreams in the Dark," "Rumblin' Train," "Devil's Stomp," and "Ball and Chain."
But, I recommend you check out the whole fucking album bros and broettes!

Download Links:
http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/3403383/Badlands_-_Badlands_%281989%29

http://btjunkie.org/torrent/Badlands-Badlands-1989-320kbps/4486adaaacad9edefce6a18b13e4772bccbbe4b6ef75

http://www.4shared.com/file/KFkWTjGA/Badlands_-_Badlands__1989_.html

http://www.mediafire.com/?3azzd2e2qtz

Seriously fuckers. Check this album out! You will not regret one bit of it. One of the finest hard rock records to come out of the 80s, and there were definitely plenty of them!

Until I type on here again,
Bonzo Brad

Happy 30th Birthday to a Dying Breed that is MTV!

30 years ago today, a little contraption on the cable television called MTV debuted. Little would the VJs and crew of this contraption know what kind of effect MTV would have on the world…and also what dramatic changes the channel would have within 30 years. The channel would become a way to get your music news and finding out about new bands to becoming a way to get the new drama on a teen and her baby to finding out about who is next in line to get the face fucked up. MTV is nowhere near a music channel anymore, which is unfortunate, because that was what the channel was all about at the time. Hell, even their cartoons showed videos! (Beavis and Butthead, you guys fucking rule.) So, my way of saying happy birthday to a dying breed that is MTV is to give you my top 5 favorite music videos that first aired on August 1, 1981. How I found these was, one, a list online of all the first videos to be aired on this day today in 1981, and two, from what I watched of the very first hour of MTV aired at midnight of August 1, 1981. So, as MTV said at the launch of the channel at midnight of this day, “Ladies and Gentleman, ROCK AND ROLL.”

5. Rainbow – “Can’t Happen Here”

Gonna start backwards and go from 5 to 1, starting with a little band that former Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore put together called Rainbow. His little band happened to have 2 videos air this day in 1981, which was quite the deal for them, but also, it was because the channel only had some odd videos in their collection. This video is well, very 80s. With its footage of everyday life and the cartoon images of oil in the city popping up here and there, the video is definitely trying to get it’s message out about how people are getting greedy about their oil, a message that is still very clear today. This song happens to be one of my favorite Rainbow tunes, and the video isn’t half bad. It’s just…again, very 80s.

4. April Wine – “Just Between You and Me”

April Wine was a great little Canadian hard rock band that was having a grand little time in the states at this time in 1981. Not only did they have a monster of an album in “The Nature of the Beast”, but they also had 2 hit singles here in the US with “Sign of the Gypsy Queen” and this tune here. These 2 songs happened to have videos that accompanied them, and both of those videos happened to air on the day MTV debuted, which is pretty rad for them, I’d say. I decided to choose this video just because it is one of my favorite power ballads and also, the video is extremely simple: A band in a live setting playing their instruments and keeping it real as possible. Not many videos like this anymore. Hell, not many VIDEOS anymore.

3. Iron Maiden – “Wrathchild”

I was rather surprised to find that Iron Maiden was played on the very first day of MTV. I was also surprised they had not only 1, but 2, videos played on this day, one being “Iron Maiden” and the other this one. Iron Maiden was starting to become somewhat successful here in the States, with a “killer” new album out at the time (pun intended, since their album at the time was called “Killers.” I make myself piss my pants in laughter.) and a successful tour with Judas Priest. So, to get this kind of exposure would definitely be a helpful thing for them, especially later on in their career. Again, another simple ass video with a band and their instruments playing their asses off. You don’t get shit like this anymore.

2. Pat Benatar – “You Better Run”

I know what you are thinking. “This is a hard rock/heavy metal blog, dude! BENATAR? Not even close, my friend!” See, that is where you are fucking wrong! She definitely is a rock singer, and her music is pretty hard rockin, and she also happens to make me pretty hard too, especially in this video with her leather pants and sex faces. Why I picked this video was because, one, it was the second video to ever air on MTV, which, well, still cool, even though it is not the first, and two, this song actually rocks pretty fucking hard. The drums are bitchin’ in this tune (always was a fan of her drummer, even though I do not know the name of him at the moment) and the guitars are rippin’, along with a pretty killer chorus. Again, videos, so simplistic back in the day! Too fucking cool, and rare, to see.

1.   REO Speedwagon – “Don’t Let Him Go”

Here we go again! You may be thinking, again, not a hard rock band! Oh, yes they are! Look past the radio hits, kids! These guys could really rock if they wanted to! (Check out the “Nine Lives” record or anything before that for proof of this.) This band had a few videos air this day, all of the album “Hi Infidelity,” a monster fucking album they released 30 years ago that is known as their magnum opus and one of my all time favorite albums. I put these guys at number one because they were a big deal when MTV first started out. They had a number of videos aired the first day, they had a commercial on the first day, and they also had the first concert to be aired on MTV. Yeah, they contributed a lot to the upbringing of MTV and really helped them out to become a popular music channel. I chose this song out of the 5 or so that aired of theirs just because simply, this song grooves. ‘Nuff said. 

So, there you go! Yeah, not many metal and hard rock videos aired the first day of MTV, but there would be many metal and hard rock videos to come on the channel. Hell, the genres would eventually get their own show on MTV called “Headbanger’s Ball” (A real killer show that was at its best with sir Riki Rachtman at the VJ spot.) A lot of bands found massive exposure through this channel, like Def Leppard, Motley Crue, and any other 80s band you could think of. It’s a shame that the channel is nowhere near what it was 30 years ago, because, from watching the very first hour of MTV aired on this day in 1981 on Vh1 Classic (weird, eh?), I found that first hour to be WAY more entertaining and awesome than the last 5 years of programming on MTV. It is really fucking sad and pathetic that MTV has become what it is today and that they pretty much refuse to celebrate their birthday. So, because of the asshats at MTV, I’d like to thank VH1 Classic for actually stepping up and showing what MTV used to be: a big, bad, kick ass music channel, and a great format for musicians to show their stuff, and look real cheesy or kick ass doing it. Happy 30th birthday MTV, and may you rest in peace while total tools and trashbag teens with kids ruin your name.  

Good riddance,

Bonzo Brad