The Golden Age of Hard Rock

09/06/2024

September 6, 1974...

The love affair with the music of Judas Priest begins 50 years ago with the release of the debut album, ROCKA' ROLLA!

The journey began with these 10 songs:

ONE FOR THE ROAD ⭐ ROCKA' ROLLA ⭐ WINTER ⭐ DEEP FREEZE ⭐ WINTER RETREAT ⭐ CHEATER ⭐ NEVER SATISFIED ⭐ RUN OF THE MILL ⭐ DYING TO MEET YOU/HERO, HERO ⭐ CAVIAR AND METHS

From that day until now, new fans continue to experience the music of JUDAS PRIEST for the first time, as the army of faithful continues to grow. That's 50 years of albums, tours and concerts with no stopping in sight, and it all started with ROCKA' ROLLA in 1974.

I hope you'll find the time this weekend to Crank it Up in celebration 🤘

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09/06/2024

September 6, 1972...

Alice Cooper released the first single, ELECTED, from the BILLION DOLLAR BABIES album. ELECTED along with three other singles, HELLO HOORAY, NO MORE MR NICE GUY and BILLION DOLLAR BABIES, supported by the largest tour ever embarked on by the band would propel the album to the number one position on the Billboard charts in 1973 in both the US and UK.

Which single sleeve artwork do you like the best?

09/05/2024

Remembering FREDDIE MERCURY today on his birthday. Freddie was born on September 5, 1946 in Stone Town, Zanzibar and he passed away on November 24, 1991 at the age of 45. So many great tours, live performances and epic albums in a career than spanned just shy of 20 years.

Anyone see QUEEN live back in the day? Where do you rank him as a vocalist and entertainer?

09/05/2024

What’s your favorite track off of this one…

Today’s release anniversary is for “Free For All” by TED NUGENT! Released on September 5th 1976, “Free For All” was the 2nd studio album from Nugent as a solo artist and the only one in his catalog to feature Meat Loaf. 5 of the 9 songs have Meat Loaf on vocals, for which, he was paid an even one thousand dollars.

Here are the tracks on this one:

FREE FOR ALL – DOG EAT DOG – WRITING ON THE WALL – TURN IT UP – STREET RATS – TOGETHER – LIGHT MY WAY – HAMMERDOWN – I LOVE YOU SO I TOLD YOU A LIE

Celebrating 48 years of motor city madness today, what’s your favorite track?

09/04/2024

September 4, 1978...

BLUE OYSTER CULT releases the live album SOME ENCHANTED EVENING. This would be the second live offering from BOC and it includes the following tracks:

R.U. Ready to 2 Rock ⭐ E.T.I. ⭐ Astronomy ⭐ Kick Out the Jams ⭐ Godzilla ⭐ Don't Fear the Reaper ⭐ We Gotta Get Out of This Place

This one is 46 years old today and it still ROCKS. What's your favorite track off of this classic album? 🤘

07/08/2024

Birthday Wishes going out to CARLOS CAVAZO today as he celebrates turning 67.

Carlos was born on July 8, 1957 in Atlanta, Georgia and played in a few SoCal bands before joining Quiet Riot. Carlos played for QUIET RIOT during their peak years and gave us those incredible solos on METAL HEALTH and CUM ON FEEL THE NOIZE.

Happy Birthday, Carlos!

07/06/2024

Do you still remember the first time you heard the guitar intro to LET IT GO off of HIGH 'N' DRY? It was a collective, Whoah... what is this?

July 6, 1981... Def Leppard releases their 2nd studio album HIGH 'N' DRY. In case you missed the debut album, there was no missing this one with great tracks light LET IT GO, HIGH 'N' DRY and of course BRINGIN' ON THE HEARTBREAK.

What an awesome year for Hard Rock & Metal in 1981! Take this one out for a spin today in celebration of 43 years and still going strong!

07/02/2024

July 2, 1984... The band DIO releases their second studio album THE LAST IN LINE making it 40 years old, today!

It's hard to believe that 40 years have come and gone since we all got our hands on a copy, took it home and played it for the first time, hearing the opening track WE ROCK... but that's exaclty how long it's been. One thing that hasn't changed is that It still sounds as good today as it did 40 years ago in the summer of 1984.

Rest in Peace, Ronnie and Jimmy. Thank you, Vivian Campbell and Vinny Appice for keeping the magic of those songs from the first three albums alive with your shows under the banner of Last In Line.

Tell me, what does this album mean to you, is it special? Do you remember the first time you heard it? Give me some tales from the Golden Age!

06/30/2024

On June 30, 1977, KISS released their 6th studio album, LOVE GUN. The album would debut as platinum and climb to number four on the charts making it the highest charting album of the bands career at that time.

The album would spawn two singles in CHRISTINE SIXTEEN and the title cut LOVE GUN. Of course, the album would also feature the first time that Ace Frehley would tackle vocals on SHOCK ME.

What's your take on this album, good, bad or ugly? What's your favorite track off of this one?

06/22/2024

June 22, 1981... Blue Oyster Cult releases FIRE OF AN UNKNOWN ORIGIN with the singles BURNIN' FOR YOU and JOAN CRAWFORD. There were some other good songs on this one also, most notably, VETERAN OF THE PSYCHIC WARS, which had appeared a year earlier on the soundtrack for the animated film HEAVY METAL.

The video for BURNIN' FOR YOU was on heavy rotation on MTV while you may have never seen the video for JOAN CRAWFORD. The reason being was that MTV had banned the video for a reportedly sexually suggestive scene. Until now, I had never seen this video, so I took a few minutes to research it. I'll include a link to the official video in the comments if you're interested in seeing what all the fuss was about.

One of other note on this album, it was produced by Martin Birch. Birch produced some of the hardest hitting, all-time great albums such as HEAVEN AND HELL and MOB RULES from Black Sabbath, KILLERS, THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST, PIECE OF MIND, POWERSLAVE and others from Iron Maiden, as well as, albums from Michael Schenker, Whitesnake, Rainbow and many more.

How about you guys, what do you think of this album? Anyone have this as their favorite BOC album?

06/21/2024

June 21, 1978... UFO releases their last 70's studio album with Michael Schenker with OBSESSION!

A freaking killer album with some monster songs in ONLY YOU CAN ROCK ME, CHERRY, HOT 'N READY and BORN TO LOSE to name just a few, who am I kidding, they're all great songs on this album.

They're all great... but which one is your favorite from OBSESSION?

06/20/2024

It's the 39th anniversary of the release of WORLD WIDE LIVE by the Scorpions. This double LP of frenzied madness was released on June 20, 1985 and the songs were taken from 5 performances in Paris, Cologne, Los Angeles, San Diego and Costa Mesa.

Powered by three MTV videos, ROCK YOU LIKE A HURRICANE, BIG CITY NIGHTS and STILL LOVING YOU, the LOVE AT FIRST STING tour of 84/85 was one of the hottest tickets to one of the most explosives shows of the 80's with a slew of great opening acts from Bon Jovi, RATT, Quiet Riot, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Fastway and others.

How about you... were you there? Did you see one of the shows on this tour, if so, what city and who opened?

06/19/2024

It was 40 years ago when the MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP released ROCK WILL NEVER DIE in June of 1984. A live album taken from two nights at the Hammersmith Odeon in London in October of 1983. The concert was also released in VHS format with the same title, ROCK WILL NEVER DIE!

The final track, DOCTOR DOCTOR, would feature a guest appearance from KLAUS MEINE of the Scorpions. The song, of course, comes from Michael's time with UFO.

Is there ever a day to not celebrate the music of Michael Schenker?

06/18/2024

It was 40 years ago on June 18, 1984 that Van Halen released the epic single for PANAMA. Not only does Eddie roar like a mighty engine on this cut, he literally roars. During the breakdown of the song when David Lee Roth says "I can barely see the road from the heat comin' off" Eddie can be heard revving up the engine of his 1972 Lamborghini Miura S in the background.

Diamond Dave has said that the title of the song comes from a car race that he witnessed in Las Vegas and a particular car called the Panama Express. I think all we heard was 'ease the seat back' and drew our own conclusions as to what the song was about.

What were you driving back in 1984? Stacy's mom is not a correct answer 🤣🤘

06/14/2024

In a world far away... in a time of Jensen tape decks, in the year of 1982, there existed a thing called cruising around with your friends on a Friday Night! Which album are you going to be cranking up with your friends as you cruise around town in 1982?

06/13/2024

June 13, 1985... LAY IT DOWN was released as the first single from RATT off of the INVASION OF YOUR PRIVACY album. Both, the album cover and the official video for LAY IT DOWN would feature Pl***oy model Marianne Gravatte. Marianne was the 1983 Playmate of the Year.

RATT's tour in support of the album in '85/'86 would feature newcomers BON JOVI as an opening act among others. It was a hot ticket for sure, anyone catch one of the shows?

***OY

06/12/2024

Birthday Wishes going out to Mister BUN E. CARLOS of Cheap Trick as he turns 74 today. Bunezuela Carlos is the stage name of one badass drummer extraordinaire, Brad Carlson. Bun was born on June 12, 1950 in Rockford, Illinois.

Bun is a founding member of CHEAP TRICK and he appeared on every album from the debut in 1977 up to 2012 when he left CHEAP TRICK. In 2016, Bun was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with Rick, Robin and Tom.

Bun has played on so many iconic albums with CHEAP TRICK... which one is your favorite?

06/11/2024

June 11, 1984... DIO releases the single for THE LAST IN LINE, taken from the album of the same name which would be released a few weeks later on July 2, 1984.

It's hard to believe that 40 years have come and gone since we all first heard THE LAST IN LINE on the radio or saw the video on MTV, or better yet, caught one of the shows on the supporting tour. The follow-up to HOLY DIVER was highly anticipated by metal fans. I know I couldn't wait to get my hands on a copy. It still sounds as good today as it did 40 years ago in the summer of 1984.

Rest in Peace, Ronnie and Jimmy. Thank you, Vivian Campbell and Vinny Appice for keeping the magic of those songs from the first three albums alive with your shows under the banner of Last In Line 🤘

06/10/2024

Here's the second clip from the Lita Ford show this past weekend at the Tally Ho Theater. This one is for CLOSE MY EYES FOREVER. I thought the lead guitarist, Patrick Kennison did a great job with the vocals. It's not easy to take on a vocal part that has been burned into our brains by such a presence as Ozzy Osbourne with the help of MTV. I think he did a great job, what do you think?

Welcome to LITA FORD's 2024 Tour! Check out her duet with lead guitarist Patrick Kennison on CLOSE MY EYES FOREVER. I think Patrick nailed his vocals on th...

06/09/2024

It's Sunday, time again for a short sermon down at the Church of Hard Rock & Metal. Today's message is simply, enjoy life folks, you only get one chance at this ride called life, and you just don't know how long the ride will last.

Today, we remember PAUL CHAPMAN of UFO. Paul had the monumental job of being tapped as the replacement for Michael Schenker. NO PLACE TO RUN would mark Paul's debut with UFO and he would go on to appear on THE WILD, THE WILLING AND THE INNOCENT, MECHANIX and MAKING CONTACT and the tours that supported those albums.

Sadly, Paul passed away on June 9, 2020, and as fate would have it, his passing would also be on his 66th birthday. So glad that I got the opportunity to see Paul on stage with UFO in the early 80's. Rest in Peace, Paul, thanks for the music and memories.

06/09/2024

What did you do last night? I caught the Lita Ford show in Leesburg, Virginia last night and I can say that Lita brought her "A" game to the Tally Ho Theater. For your viewing pleasure , I submit my cell phone video of the opening track GOTTA LET GO!

GOTTA LET GO is LITA FORD's show opener for the her 2024 tour. The song comes from her 1984 album DANCIN' ON THE EDGE. This performance was on June 8, 2024...

06/07/2024

Any ALICE COOPER fans out there?

It was 48 years ago today, on June 7th, 1976, when Alice Cooper released the single for I NEVER CRY. The song and the B-side, GO TO HELL were both taken from his second solo album, ALICE COOPER GOES TO HELL.

Alice has said that the song is an alcoholic confession and it was written a year before he would check himself into a sanitarium to fight his addiction to alcohol. Alice has also said that the song is his biggest selling single to date, one of only two gold record singles during his career, the other being the song POISON from the 1989 album, TRASH.

I guess you could call it the softer side of Hard Rock... what's your favorite ballad from a Hard Rock artist?

06/05/2024

Birthday Wishes going out to NICKO McBRAIN of Iron Maiden as he turns 72 today. Nicko was born on June 5, 1952 in London, England and joined IRON MAIDEN in 1983, first performing on the PIECE OF MIND album and every album since 1983.

By now, everyone knows that BRUCE DICKINSON is an accomplished pilot with multiple certifications, but did you know that he wasn't the first pilot in IRON MAIDEN. That honor would go to Nicko. Nicko's love of aviation rubbed off on Bruce and the rest is history as they say. Happy Birthday, Nicko!

Nicko has toured the world with IRON MAIDEN for the past 41 years! How many times have you seen IRON MAIDEN in concert?

Nicko McBrain's Drum One

06/04/2024

Back on June 4, 1979... It was the Closing Night as RUSH performed the final show on the HEMISPHERES Tour. The tour in support of the Hemispheres album was dubbed the "Tour of the Hemispheres" and it consisted of 137 shows in 9 different countries. Opening night was on October 14, 1978 in Kingston, Canada and the Closing Night was on June 4, 1979 in Geleen, Netherlands, specifically at the Pink Pop Festival 🤘

How about you, anyone out there catch one of the 137 shows on this tour that spanned 9 months in 1978-1979 or just wish that you had?

06/04/2024

Remembering STEVE PRIEST of SWEET today as we mark 4 years since his passing on June 4, 2020. Steve was born on February 23, 1948 in Middlesex, England and was a founding member, bassist and vocalist for the glam rock band SWEET.

The songs of SWEET have been covered by some notable rockers including Ace Frehley with FOX ON THE RUN, Def Leppard with ACTION and Krokus with BALLROOM BLITZ. The song SET ME FREE has been covered by Saxon, Heathen, Stryper and Vince Neil with Steve Stephens on guitar. Is it just me, or does anyone else hear a certain guitar riff from SET ME FREE in GNR's WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE 🤘

Any SWEET fans out there?

06/03/2024

June 3, 1970... DEEP PURPLE releases IN ROCK and the world of Hard Rock will never be the same. This would be the first DEEP PURPLE album with the Mark II line-up of IAN GILLAN on vocals, RITCHIE BLACKMORE on guitar, JON LORD on keyboards, ROGER GLOVER on bass and IAN PAICE on drums 🤘

In the holy trinity of Hard Rock pioneers, who is your favorite out of Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin or Black Sabbath?

06/02/2024

It's Sunday down at the Church of Hard Rock and today's sermon is Cheap Trick... the hardest working band in the business.

On June 2, 1980, CHEAP TRICK released a 10" EP titled FOUND ALL THE PARTS. The EP featured 4 songs, most notably a cover of DAY TRIPPER by the BEATLES, but it also came with a bonus promotional 7" single for EVERYTHING WORKS IF YOU LET IT. What could be a more fitting takeaway from today's sermon than those simple words, everything works if you let it... if you let it in your heart.

With so many to choose from, what's your favorite Hard Rock or Metal song with a positive life message?

05/31/2024

We all share this one unique experience... our very first time! What band or bands played at your first concert? What year, what city?

05/31/2024

Remembering the legacy of JOHN "BONZO" BONHAM today on his Birthday. John was born on May 31, 1948 in Redditch, England and was a founding member and drummer for Led Zeppelin.

As we celebrate the life of one of the most badass drummers to ever pick up the sticks, what's your favorite LED ZEP album?

05/30/2024

We've added a lot of new followers in the past week and I want to say both, Welcome and Thank You for following the page! The Golden Age of Hard Rock is also a YouTube channel and I invite you to check out what I'm doing over there also.

Just uploaded the latest WEEK in HARD ROCK video. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

We celebrate a ton of great anniversaries that happened in the past week from iconic albums and 45 singles to the birthdays of legends. Join me as I salute ...