Gene Simmons confirms that Eddie Van Halen, frustrated over his relationship with David Lee Roth, approached him about joining Kiss in the early 1980s. The timing was right, too, as Simmons and Co. were working without a guitarist on Creatures of the Night. You May Also Like: Why Complaints AboutRead More

With the sad anniversary of Ronnie James Dio’s death some three years ago comes an opportunity to return to a muscular concert offering that finds him near the peak of his solo powers. You May Also Like: Dio’s Often-Forgotten ‘Magica’ Recalled Early Ronnie James Dio Triumphs Heart – ‘Live atRead More

The best peace, love and harmony anthem of 1985 didn’t come from the composing pen of Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, wasn’t produced by Quincy Jones and not sung by hordes of rock music’s biggest stars. You May Also Like: How the Isley Brothers Made Seals and Crofts’ ‘Summer Breeze’Read More

For a confirmed Beatlemaniac like Jeff Lynne of Electric Light Orchestra fame, working with members of the Fab Four had always been a dream. Beginning in the late 1980s, every one of them came true. You May Also Like: Jeff Lynne’s Dream to Work With Reunited Beatles Had Tense InitialRead More

Roger Waters’ relationship with The Wall, which begins a European stadium tour in July, has continued to change over the years — and, in no small way, because he’s presenting it without the other members of Pink Floyd. You May Also Like: Roger Waters Discusses the Beatles’ Impact on PinkRead More

A long time ago, I was with my cousin at some guy’s apartment and this guy pulls out an old Sarah Vaughan record, puts it on the turntable and the song he played just blew me away. You May Also Like: Jimmie Vaughan reached back for ’50s-style cool on PlaysRead More

This is the nexus point, for me, when Hall and Oates finally reached everything they had been grasping for in trying to blend their core R&B vibe with the too-cool nihilism of new wave. You May Also Like: Hall and Oates’ most complicated hit song might surprise you: ‘Very unusual,Read More

Like most fans, we were hoping the Rolling Stones would pull out some deep cuts as they convened to celebrate five decades of debauched rock. What we got, however, was “Emotional Rescue” You May Also Like: Keith Richards on the ’80s argument that saved the Rolling Stones: ‘He was takingRead More

Aside from the venerable opening riff of Metallica’s “Master of Puppets,” there may be no more recognizable melody in thrash than the main riff of Slayer’s “Raining Blood,” the sort-of title track of their landmark Reign in Blood album. You May Also Like: Slayer – Repentless (2015) ARO, “Raining Gold”Read More

From San Diego, California came the Monroes, whose impossibly infectious “What Do All The People Know” stalled at the #59 spot on the national charts in the spring of 1982. You May Also Like: Tommy Tutone – Tommy Tutone 2 (1981): On Second Thought Huey Lewis and the News –Read More