Blood Sugar Sex Magik - Red Hot Chili Peppers

Widely considered to be their best studio release. The 17 track fifith release employs a different set of riffs compared to their preceding album "Mother's Milk." John Frusciante's guitar is seemingly less noisier, allocating space for different layers of fine lines. Lyrically, Anthony Kiedis, as ever, incorporates sexual innuendos and references to drugs and death as well as themes of lust and exuberance, best seen in the 'infectiously funky singles' "Give It Away," "Suck My Kiss" and the title track"Blood Sugar Sex Magik." The album also showcased the band's effort in acoustic balladry, "I Could Have Lied," "Under The Bridge" and "Breaking The Girl." "My Lovely Man" is an ode to Hillel Slovak.
The album marked the band's popularity and critical acclimation, bringing them to the mainstream arena. It sold over thirteen million copies and peaked at number three in Billboard 200.

1. "The Power of Equality" – 4:03
2. "If You Have to Ask" – 3:37
3. "Breaking the Girl" – 4:55
4. "Funky Monks" – 5:23
5. "Suck My Kiss" – 3:37
6. "I Could Have Lied" – 4:04
7. "Mellowship Slinky in B Major" – 4:00
8. "The Righteous & the Wicked" – 4:08
9. "Give It Away" – 4:43
10. "Blood Sugar Sex Magik" – 4:31
11. "Under the Bridge" – 4:24
12. "Naked in the Rain" – 4:26
13. "Apache Rose Peacock" – 4:42
14. "The Greeting Song" – 3:13
15. "My Lovely Man" – 4:39
16. "Sir Psycho Sexy" – 8:17
17. "They're Red Hot" (Robert Johnson) – 1:12

THE ZEPPELIN DRUMS, GUITAR AND BASS

Led Zeppelin II the second studio album released in 1969 has always been a reference material for drummers. The album's sound was direct, wrought of the revised blues and rock & roll standard of the band on stage. Widely considered as one of the band's heaviest albums and as a blueprint for heavy metal bands that followed it. The album reached number one in the United Kingdom and United States and was certified 12x platinum. 

Led Zeppelin IV the fourth studio album released in 1971 will always remain  indisputably as a source of referral for guitarists. The monumental album's combination of mystical, rural English folk gave the record an epic scope. It encircled heavy metal, folk, rock & roll, blues and defined the sound and style of '70s hard rock. The album sold 37 million units and ranked 66th on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Houses of the Holy the fifth studio album released in 1973 is a definite citation for bass guitarists. The album portrays musical diversity and made up of compositions of original materials. Music critics has since regarded this as one of Led Zeppelin's finest albums. It has sold over 11 million copies in the United States and was ranked 149th on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

Extreme II: Pornograffitti

A concept album by metal outfits, Extreme who's music was never easy to be classified. And here they are again with their 2nd studio release experimenting elements of funk, heavy metal, hard rock, and pop as always. Virtuoso and band leader Nuno Bettencourt can be seen at his best. "Get the Funk Out" as the name suggests is incorporated with funky horn. The album is best known for it's ballads "When I First Kissed You." and acoustic-guitar-only hits "More Than Words" and "Hole Hearted." The album revolves around the struggle for genuine love and romance in a society of greed and corruption. Other notable tracks are "Decadence Dance" and "Song for Love."

1. "Decadence Dance" - 6:49
2. "Li'l Jack Horny" - 4:51
3. "When I'm President" - 4:21
4. "Get The Funk Out" - 4:24
5. "More Than Words" - 5:34
6. "Money (In God We Trust)" - 4:11
7. "It ('s a Monster)" - 4:24
8. "Pornograffitti" - 6:15
9. "When I First Kissed You" - 4:00
10. "Suzi (Wants Her All Day What?)" - 3:38
11. "He-Man Woman Hater" (with intro) - 6:20
12. "Song For Love" - 5:55
13. "Hole Hearted" - 3:39

Michael Jackson's Guitarists: It's About Damn Time We Show Them Some Respect!!!

"Slash, you're amazing... you're awesome!"
- Michael Jackson -

Whether or not you were a fan of the self-proclaimed "King of Pop", you can't dismiss Michael Jackson's ability to do things right. Even on his earliest recordings, Jackson's albums featured the best musicians money could buy. Although the album credits on even his last releases still read like a who's who of top session musicians, Jackson's philosophy of choosing guitarists to work with changed post-Thriller. More specifically, Jackson's approach became: identify the most popular guitarists on the face of the planet, and hire them to play on your record.

Jackson's 1979 release Off the Wall, featuring studio pro guitarists like Larry Carlton and Phil Upchurch, was the album which introduced Jackson to the world as a solo artist. That album marked the last recording Jackson would make with more obscure musicians. By the time Jackson released the landmark Thriller in 1982, his star-seeking approach to choosing guitarists was firmly in place. Guitarist Eddie Van Halen, a musician who had turned the rock world on it's collective ear, appeared on the recording, contributing a stunning solo on the song "Beat It".


It was a full five years before Jackson, a perfectionist in the extreme, managed to release his next album, 1987's Bad. Amidst the usual cast of studio musicians (including veteran Eric Gale) was guitarist Billy Idol's guitarist Steve Stevens. Thanks to Stevens' work on Idol's 1986 success Whiplash Smile, the guitarist could be found on the cover of almost every guitar magazine that year. Listen for Stevens' contributions to the Jackson hit "Smooth Criminal".


True to form, it was another five years before Jackson released his next album, 1992's Dangerous. For this release, Jackson decided on Guns n' Roses guitarist Slash (a move that left a lot of GNR fans scratching their heads). You can hear Slash wailing on "Black or White" and "Give it to Me".


The almost decade long stretch between Dangerous and 2001's Invincible has been well-documented, and needs no further analysis here. On a musical level, Jackson struggled in the studio for much of that time, trying to find a sound that would push him back to the forefront of the pop music world. While Invincible clearly failed in this regard, it did feature some nice contributions from Carlos Santana, who added a guitar and whistle solo to the latin-tinged "Whatever Happens".


Invincible proved to be Jackson's last attempt to live up to his self-appointed status as the "King of Pop". And, although he never managed to recapture the magic of Thriller, guitarists should still be able find something to appreciate in his later records.


Since the final Michael Jackson "This Is It" rehearsal videos have been released, people have been talking about the female guitarist featured alongside Jackson. Her name is Orianthi Panagaris, and she's barely 24 years old.
-courtesy of about.com-

Have Yourself A Rockin' Xmas

Blackmore's Night - 'Winter Carols'
Tracks:
01. Hark The Herald Angels Sing / Come All Ye Faithful
02. I Saw Three Ships
03. Winter (Basse Dance)
04. Ding Dong Merrily On High
05. Ma-O-Tzur
06. Good King Wenceslas
07. Lord Of The Dance / Simple Gifts
08. We Three Kings
09. Wish You Were Here
10. Emmanuel
11. Christmas Eve
12. We Wish You A Merry Christmas



Bob Dylan - 'Christmas In The Heart'
Tracks:
01. Here Comes Santa Claus
02. Do You Hear What I Hear?
03. Winter Wonderland
40. Hark the Herald Angels Sing
05. I'll Be Home for Christmas
06. Little Drummer Boy
07. T0he Christmas Blues
08. O' Come All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles)
09. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
10. Must Be Santa
11. Silver Bells
12. The First Noel
13. Christmas Island
14. The Christmas Song
15. O' Little Town of Bethlehem



Canned Heat - 'Christmas Album'
Tracks:
01. Deck the Halls
02. Christmas Song - Canned Heat, The Chipmunks
03. Christmas Blues
04. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
05. I Won't Be Home for Christmas
06. Christmas Boogie
07. Santa Clause Is Back in Town
08. Jingle Bells
09. Christmas Blues
10. Boogie Boy (Little Drummer Boy)
11. Christmas Blues [*] - Canned Heat, Eric Clapton, John Popper



Elvis Presley - 'Elvis' Christmas Album'
Tracks:
01. Santa Claus Is Back In Town
02. White Christmas
03. Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)
04. I'll Be Home For Christmas
05. Blue Christmas
06. Santa Bring My Baby Back (To Me)
07. O Little Town Of Bethlehem
08. Medley
09. (There'll Be) Peace In The Valley (For Me)
10. I Believe
11. Take My Hand, Precious Lord
12. It Is No Secret (What God Can Do)



Jethro Tull - 'The Jethro Tull Christmas Album'
Tracks:
01. Birthday Card at Christmas
02. Holly Herald (Instrumental)
03. A Christmas Song
04. Another Christmas Song
05. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (Instrumental)
06. Jack Frost and the Hooded Crow
07. Last Man at the Party
08. Weathercock
09. Pavane (Instrumental)
10. First Snow on Brooklyn
11. Greensleeved (Instrumental)
12. Fire at Midnight
13. We Five Kings (Instrumental)
14. Ring Out Solstice Bells
15. Bourie (Instrumental)
16. A Winter Snowscape (Instrumental)



Jimi Hendrix - 'Merry Christmas And Happy New Year'
Tracks:
01. Little Drummer Boy / Silent Night / Auld Lang Syne
02. Three Little Bears
03. Little Drummer Boy / Silent Night / Auld Lang Syne






Lynyrd Skynyrd - 'Christmas Time Again'
Tracks:
01. Santa's Messin' With The Kid
02. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer
03. Christmas Time Again
04. Greensleeves
05. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
06. Run, Run Rudolph
07. Mama's Song
08. Santa Claus Wants Some Lovin'
09. Classical Christmas
10. Hallelujah! It's Christmas
11. Skynyrd Family



Moody Blues - 'December'
Tracks:
01. Don't Need A Reindeer
02. December Snow
03. The Quiet Of Christmas Morning (Bach 147)
04. On This Christmas Day
05. Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
06. A Winters Tale
07. The Spirit Of Christmas
08. Yes I Believe
09. When A Child Is Born
10. White Christmas
11. In The Bleak Midwinter



Peter Cetera - 'You Just Gotta Love Christmas'
Tracks:
01. Let It Snow
02. The Christmas Song
03. Santa Claus is Coming to Town
04. Blue Christmas (with Claire Cetera)
05. Deck the Halls (with Alison Krauss)
06. I'll Be Home For Christmas
07. You Just Gotta Love Christmas
08. Jingle Bells
09. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
10. Winter Wonderland (with Claire Cetera)
11. Something That Santa Claus Left Behind
12. Alone for the Holidays



REOREO Speedwagon - 'Not So Silent Night'
Tracks:
01. The First Noel
02. Winter Wonderland
03. Silent Night
04. Deck The Halls
05. Little Drummer Boy
06. The White Snows Of Winter
07. Angels We Have Heard On High (Gloria)
08. Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
09. I'll Be Home For Christmas
10. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
11. Blue Christmas
12. Children Go Where I Send Thee
13. Joy To The World



Steve Lukather - 'SantaMental'
Tracks:
01. Joy to the World - features Eddie Van Halen
02. Greensleeves - features Edgar Winter
03. Jingle Bells - features Sammy Davis Jr.
04. Carol of the Bells - features Steve Vai
05. Broken Heart for Christmas
06. Angels We Have Heard on High
07. Winter Wonderland - featuring Edgar Winter
08. Look Out For Angels - featuring Mike Landau
09. Silent Night
10. The Christmas Song/Chestnuts Roasting - Bonus Track



The Ventures - 'Christmas Joy'
Tracks:
01. Jingle Bells
02. We Wish You a Merry Christmas
03. Winter Wonderland
04. Joy to the World
05. O Christmas Tree (O Tannenbaum)
06. Silent Night
07. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
08. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
09. O Holy Night
10. Christmas Song, The
11. Sleigh Ride
12. Medley: Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree
13. We Three Kings
14. What Child Is This?
15. O Come All Ye Faithful
16. Deck the Halls
17. Feliz Navidad
18. Christmas Joy

Angel Dust - Faith No More

The fourth studio release by heavy metal, funk, hip-hop, and progressive rock 'fusionist' Faith No More. Released in 1992, predecessor to and had them burst into mainstream 'The Real Thing'

What was thought a follow up to Faith No More's mainstream success, Angel Dust proved otherwise. An ambitiously off-the-wall and misrepresented masterpiece which may not cater to the average rock fans. But it was truly an inspiring effort at it's finest.

The album opens up with "Land Of Sunshine" a catchy mesmerizer baseline written by front man Mike Patton during his sleep deprivation experiment. My pick "Everything's Ruined" a rising charged track, Billy Gould at his best once again. The album closes in with a cover of John Barry's "Midnight Cowboy", a theme song to the TV Show.

Angel Dust is by far regarded as one of the greatest releases in the 90's. It set new grounds for future bands and styles namely Nu-Metal. Truly an album for the more adventurous listeners.

1. "Land of Sunshine" - 3:44
2. "Caffeine" - 4:28
3. "Midlife Crisis" - 4:21
4. "RV" - 3:43
5. "Smaller and Smaller" - 5:11
6. "Everything's Ruined" - 4:33
7. "Malpractice" - 4:02
8. "Kindergarten" - 4:31
9. "Be Aggressive" - 3:42
10. "A Small Victory" - 4:57
11. "Crack Hitler" - 4:39
12. "Jizzlobber" - 6:38
13. "Midnight Cowboy" - 4:12

Growing up with Led Zeppelin

"Ooh now my body is starting to quiver
An' the palms of my hands gettin' wet oh"
-Fool In The Rain-

Plant is swaying away with that mic stand while Page strums his 'born for strings' fingers on his Gibson, Jones stands mesmerized by his own groove tapping and Bonham swings the sticks before crashing them on the sets.

Rockin' with Led Zeppelin was very early as I was growing up thanks to my father who was also not spared of Led Zep's reign. Even though my old man wasn't an ardent fan of Led Zep, but he literally made sure to have some of their records the shelves. Everybody was about Led Zeppelin...

When I was away in college and only came back home during weekends, my father took the opportunity to have the posters in my room removed, the first that got ripped off was a human sized, scantily dressed Janis Joplin and the monstrous 'Eddy' of Iron Maiden. He let me keep Led Zeppelin but not the ones with the forsaken angel. My mother had my rip 501 thrown away., and my aunt who lives with us would always encourage me to listen to classical music instead.
My urge to collect every Led Zep releases resorted me to secretively skip tuition classes so that I could save up the fees to buy them. (I hope my parents doesn't see this) Seemingly impossible, I did however manage to get through the papers and I thanked not the teachers but Led Zeppelin! The moment I heard "Whole Lot Of Love" when I was lazy to get up for exams, I sprang up from the bed fully energized and motivated. I even skipped piano lessons my aunt initiated and took up guitar. I used to hold up the guitar facing the mirror for hours trying to achieve Page's flick.

I had equal headed friends during my teen years especially Richard. We would jam in our garage studio where almost often had the neighbors calling the cops. Both of us would neat our long kept hair beneath the collar to school which was definitely not permitted. Disciplinary action was taken when I had the school's anthem CD in the AV room changed to Led Zeppelin IV and for reciting "Black Dog" to a lady teacher. The faith educator on the other hand insisted I go for confession and counseling for scribbling the lyrics of "Stairway To Heaven" on the church's community hall.



Likewise the feud between the mods and the rockers in the UK at that time, we often led a warfare on posers and rappers alike.
I recorded 'Stairway To Heaven' back to back on both sides of the cassette so that I needn't rewind it frequently. That track had something, sort of a vibe that will make your mind and probably your soul to wander far away, to a strange land...

I must tell you that I'm proudly wearing my Led Zep t-shirt as I'm writing this.
They were without doubt, one of the biggest band of all time!

LED ZEPPELIN RULES