Tampa Calling

The crowd cheers as a tattooed man with shaggy hair and a British accent belts out Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath tunes. An hour later, a blonde singer tears through a set of Motley Crue classics while his bandmates pound their instruments into submission. An hour after that, a grown man in a schoolboy outfit duck-walks across the stage and his cohort growls from under his cap while AC/DC riffs blast through the speakers.

Is this a dream team concert lineup of rock ‘n’ roll legends? Not quite, but the crowd is enthusiastic and it sounds pretty close to the real thing. In fact, the only part that’s completely unrealistic is the price, since admission to see all the bands ($10) cost less than parking at major rock concerts.

On June 30, three tribute acts performed at Jannus Landing at the Monsters of Mock show while fans sang along to the familiar sights and sounds. It’s not the real thing, but according to Martyn Jenkins, frontman for AC/DC tribute act Highway to Hell (and the evening’s headliners), the next best thing is pretty satisfying in its own right.

Read more

Check out CL’s main music site

Few names resonate more with heavy metal fans than Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath. Interestingly enough, Ozzy’s time in the band represents only a small portion of Sabbath’s legacy. Black Sabbath now has 40 years and 18 albums under its belt. Ozzy was around for eight albums, and two of them are so awful they damage his own legacy and justify his termination from the group in 1979.  Drummer Bill Ward and bassist/lyricist Terrence “Geezer” Butler left and rejoined before bolting for good in 1984. Through all the substance abuse, through turbulent, revolving door lineups, and through parts of five decades — only guitarist Tony Iommi remained an original member.

Why, then, is Ozzy suing Tony Iommi for ownership of the “Black Sabbath” trademark? And why now? Ozzy’s statement:

“It is with great regret that I had to resort to legal action against my long-term partner Tony Iommi, but after three years of trying to resolve this issue amicably, I feel I have no other recourse.

“As of the mid-1990s, after constant and numerous changes in band members, the brand of ‘BLACK SABBATH’ was literally in the toilet and Tony Iommi (touring under the name BLACK SABBATH) was reduced to performing in clubs.

First of all, ten bucks says that’s not Ozzy’s statement — it’s his harpy mouthpiece wife, Sharon’s.

Secondly, listening to a Black Sabbath album — whether a legendary Ozzy- or Dio-fronted LP, or the easily forgotten Tony Martin — there’s no doubt for a second who stars. Ozzy’s vocals rarely deviated from directly following Iommi’s riffs!

If Ozzy wants to argue about legacy, he should pop in a DVD of The Osbournes and look inward — or better yet, at his wife.

The Black Sabbath lawsuit made me wonder about other great bands – not just in heavy metal, but over all of rock ‘n’ roll, where similar debates may rage.

What’s more important? The Frontman or The Riff? The debates and classic Sabbath video after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

The good news: if you couldn’t make it to Fort Lauderdale last Thursday for the first Iron Maiden show in Florida since ‘95, frontman Bruce Dickinson swore up and down multiple times Maiden would return to our state in 2011.

The bad news: the classic Powerslave-era stage decor and the old-songs-only mantra of the Somewhere Back In Time tour are now a thing of the past … again.

I waited half my life to see this band in person. Were you to peruse my apartment, you would find no less than three dozen Maiden releases. Multiple copies of studio albums due to varying reissue bonuses. Rare singles.  Multiple live albums — some on both CD and DVD.  Even the ridiculous Eddie’s Archive metallic casket of rarities.  It’s silly and excessive(ly awesome), I admit. Given the band’s lengthy absence from Florida, I’m positive many others shared my situation. But would the British Heavy Metal legends live up to years of expectation?

Before the band could answer that question I had to sit through the worst case of rock ‘n’ roll nepotism since I saw The Poor open for AC/DC at what used to be the Thunderdome (Angus Young’s nephew played drums): the rock star aspirations of Iron Maiden bassist Steve Harris‘ daughter.

Read the rest of this entry »

AC/DC, which plays the St. Pete Times Forum on Sun. Dec. 21, is one of the few classic rock acts that steadfastly refuses to peddle the obligatory “greatest hits” CD  — or offer their music as digital downloads, for that matter. And I’m proud of my hard rock heroes for not selling out … Well, for not selling out to anybody except Walmart, with which the band did do a most dirty deed.

Anyway, if AC/DC ever OKs a best-of CD, I want to produce the compilation. Here’s how it would go: 18 tracks in chronological order spanning the years 1976 to 2008, with nine songs each for singers Bon Scott and Brian Johnson. The disc has been quite popular with my friends and coworkers — yes, I’ve made several. The Johnson tracks and greatest 1970s promo music video ever(!) after the jump.

AC/DC: Greatest Hits

1. “It’s a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock ‘N Roll)”
2. “T.N.T.”
3. “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap”
4. “Big Balls”
5. “Let There Be Rock”
6. “Whole Lotta Rosie”
7. “Rock ‘N Roll Damnation”
8. “Highway to Hell”
9. “Girls Got Rhythm”

Read the rest of this entry »

• 12/19 Update: Top 10 albums of 2008.

• 12/17 Update: Check out “Honorable mentions: More best songs of 2008.”

OK, here’s my list. Look for the CL music team’s Top 10 album lists to be posted Dec. 22-24, to coincide with our Top 10 issue that streets Christmas Eve.

Also, I’ve been seeing M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes” popping up on other best-of lists. The song topped my 2007 tally, so I decided to leave her off this year’s – or else the Sri Lankan sensation would have definitely given Weezy a run for his cash money.

1. “Mr. Carter,” Lil’ Wayne (pictured) w/Jay-Z
Lil’ Wayne, the self-proclaimed greatest rapper on earth, lives up to the claim on this amazing free-word association with a world-class hook. Weezy’s distinctive Nawlins locution is wonderfully raspy as he bounces from brilliantly wacky pop-culture references (”Hector Camacho Man Randy Savage”) to outstanding boasts like: “Two words you never hear, ‘Wayne Quit?’/ ‘Cause Wayne win, and they lose/ I call them April babies, ’cause they fools.” Jay-Z’s guest verse is boss, but it’s Weezy’s dramatic delivery and mad genius lyrics that make this song my top pick for ‘08.

2. “Highly Suspicious,” My Morning Jacket
Genre-hopping rockers My Morning Jacket’s foray into funk is a stone-cold winner. Frontman Jim James pulls a Prince, singing falsetto about sexy mysteries like “peanut butter pudding surprise” – without a discernible hint of irony. Oh, yeah, and the thumping, make-you-wanna-hump backbeat is irrepressible.

3. “Slapped Actress,” The Hold Steady
This isn’t the first song in which the indie rank’s fiercest bar band name-checks Ybor City, but it is The Hold Steady’s finest. And that’s saying something considering the gutter glory of “Killer Parties.” On “Slapped Actress,” the band has concocted a guitar-centric, articulate rush of adrenaline that rises and falls like a first-rate arena-rock offering – minus the gloss and lyrical goofiness.

Read the rest of this entry »