Author Archives: destroyerofharmony

Classic Songs to Be Discovered, Music

Silent Lucidity – Chris DeGarmo – Queensryche

Silent Lucidity is another Chris DeGarmo classic.  When Queensryche released the Empire album in 1991, the musical landscapes they explored on that album where exactly the same landscapes my head was in at the time.

I was starting to get tired of the hard rock / glam rock albums that the bands started to release.  A lot of hard rock journalists and artists blame Grunge for killing off the glam/hard rock scene, however, that is not the case.  The hard rock scene killed itself off, due to over saturation.  So when Grunge came in, it was different, it was raw and most importantly it dealt with what is real.  Of course, when Grunge came into the mainstream, every label wanted a Grunge band and by doing that, history repeated itself.

Silent Lucidity is about lucid dreaming. Chris DeGarmo has stated the same, in magazine interviews he was doing at the time of the release.  At the start of the song, it seems like a parent is consoling a child who just had a bad dream, and then they start telling them that they can control the things that happen in dreams.

Silent Lucidity was never meant to be a hit song.  It was never written to be a hit song.  The beauty of music is evident here in the way that a song connects with people from out of the blue.  The current pop charts these days, have songs written by a committee of writers.  Those songs are written so that they chart.  There is no soul in them, no life.  History will repeat itself here as well.

Silent Lucidity was written because Chris DeGarmo wanted to write it.  It was a topic that was special to him.

It’s a place where you will learn
To face your fears, retrace the years
And ride the whims of your mind

Commanding in another world
Suddenly, you’ll hear and see
This magic new dimension

Didn’t we all want that kind of place as children growing up.  When we played fantasy sports outside and we are always the winners.

I
Will be watching over you
I am gonna help you see it through
I
Will protect you in the night
I am smiling next to you
In silent lucidity…

Relax child, be safe, the guardian angel will always be there, next to you, to lead the way, to protect you, in silent lucidity.

Geoff Tate is the ring master in the way that he delivers the vocal line, with all the authority of a guardian protecting their child.  Listening to the song today, it sounds fresh and current.  It’s not dated.  It was a natural progression for Queensryche to move into.  If YouTube was around back in the day, this clip would have had a billion views.

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Classic Songs to Be Discovered, Music

Bridge – Queensryche

Chris DeGarmo really went to town on the 1994 Promised Land album.  His name is all over the song writing credits?

Bridge is a song written by DeGarmo and he is referencing his relationship with his father for inspiration.  Growing up he didn’t have the relationship with his father and now that he’s all grown up, his father wants to be in his life, however the only problem, is that the bridge was never built.

Time has made you finally realize
your loneliness and your guilt inside.
You’re reaching for something you never had,
turning around now you’re looking back,
and you know… I’m not there.

You say, “Son, let’s forget the past.
I want another chance, gonna make it last.”
You’re begging me for a brand new start,
trying to mend a bridge that’s been blown apart,
but you know… you never built it dad.

You can feel the anger, the disappointment.  DeGarmo is telling his dad, that he is not going to be there for him, in the same way his dad wasn’t there for him.  Stop trying to have a relationship, it was never there to begin with.  Geoff Tate nails the vocal for it.  This is the Queensryche that exists, not the poor imitations that they are now.

DeGarmo’s dad died during the recording of the Promised Land.

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Classic Songs to Be Discovered, Music

I Don’t Believe In Love – Queensryche

Queensryche were opening up for Metallica when Operation Mindcrime exploded.  It was a ballsy move to do a concept album as they weren’t really established yet.  In the history of concept albums (Coheed and Cambria and Madina Lake are exceptions here), the bands normally make the concept album once they become established and see a certain amount of success.

I Don’t Believe in Love was written by Chris DeGarmo and Geoff Tate.  It was on the Operation Mindcrime album that was released in 1988.  The album was produced by Peter Collins.  Although the song is part of a larger story, on its own this song tells its own story.

The female character in the story, Mary, has just died. Nikky the male character believes it was him that did it, due to his drug habit, he has black outs and struggles to remember. He was even given the mission to kill Mary by the villain of the story Dr X.  When Nikky refused to do it, Mary was brainwashed by Dr. X to kill herself.

Every open hand’s there to push and shove
No time for love it doesn’t matter

What a line.  That is life in a nutshell.  From the day we are born, people are pushing and shoving us into what they want us to be.  No wonder we are all damaged a little bit.  How can we love, when we don’t even know who we are.  The person we see in the mirror is the molded one, the imposter.

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A to Z of Making It, Music

Far From Being Normal – That Is Why We Love Them

I remember a band member once asking me, what do I believe needs to be done to make it.   I always had the viewpoint that successful people are far from being normal.  The ones that make it had something to prove to someone.  There could be abandonment issues, broken homes, mental issues, drug dependencies or some other X factor.  Of course, there are the 1 percents of the small 1 percents of people who make it, that just keep on persisting their way to the top.

Let’s look at Motley Crue.  Nikki Sixx was the driver of that vehicle and look at his childhood. 

Machine Head’s driver is Robb Flynn.  He was adopted.  He had something to prove. 

Metallica at the beginning was all Dave Mustaine.  He was the one that had something to prove as he had the abandonment issues from Mustaine Senior.  Once he was ousted, it was all James Hetfield.  His Christian Science upbringing was the catalyst.  Lars was the connections guy in the band, while James was the driver.

Van Halen had David Lee Roth, the troubled son from a renowned eye surgeon.  Yes, I know that Eddie Van Halen wrote the music and the riffs, however DLR was the show, the ideas man, the troubled teen that had something to prove.

Megadeth had Dave Mustaine.  Mustaine had something to prove when he was in Metallica and after his ousting he really had something to prove. 

Dream Theater had Mike Portnoy.  Portnoy’s mum died in a plane crash and his step dad was a prick.  Talented as John Petrucci is, if Mike Portnoy wasn’t there, Dream Theater would never have made it.  Portnoy delivered the X Factor.

Slipknot had Corey Taylor. Corey had even overdosed twice in his teens.

Something to think about when our heroes mess things up.

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Music

The Crazy Lifestyles of the Rockers and Metallers

The rock and metal music world that I love so much has had its fair share of controversies recently.

The most recent, is finding out that Jeff Hanneman’s liver failed due to alcohol related cirrhosis.  With so much focus on the flesh-eating bacteria, everyone forgot Jeff’s love of the demon alcohol. 

We all have those little demons that can either gives us the edge or destroy us.   Ozzy Osbourne has been battling them his whole life.  Nikki Sixx has gone to war with them and it looks like at the moment he has come out on top.  Robb Flynn from Machine Head has been more than open with his alcohol battles and depression.  Steven Adler the original GNR drummer is back in rehab.  Anthony Kiedis, Slash, Kurt Cobain, Duff and the lists just go on and on.  

Randy Rhoads battled his whole life to become famous and when he got it, he wanted to walk away from it.  It didn’t satisfy him, the touring, the bus trips and the hotel rooms.  Randy found solace in his instrument, others find solace in drugs and alcohol.  Surrounded by enablers and yes people, it’s very easy for people to get caught up in a culture that thrives on drugs and alcohol. 

Then you have the bad break up’s – Phil Anselmo still trying to reach out to Vinnie Paul with all that forgive and forget self-help mumbo jumbo.  To me it’s all just B.S.  My motto is to move on but never forget.  Let’s put the facts into context, if Pantera stayed together, Damageplan would not have been playing at the small crappy venue with terrible security, where Dimebag was killed. 

Bad break up number 2 – Geoff Tate and Todd LaTorre both operating as Queensryche.  They are further diminishing the great name of the band, with two incompetent releases.  What a dead set joke? 

Bad break up number 3 – Even though Jon Bon Jovi goes on to Ellen and says that Richie is still in the band and that he is just taking time out to deal with personal issues, it’s over.  The famed Bon Jovi Circle is broken.  Thanks Richie for writing some of the best songs, and I still think you got robbed by Jon for not getting a writing credit on Dry County.  The song was handed in by Jon at 4 minutes long, Richie made it a 9 minute epic however only Jon was listed as the songwriter.

Bad Break up number 4 – this one happened a while back, however it came back into the news a few weeks ago when the Breaking Benjamin band name was returned back to vocalist and main songwriter Benjamin Burnley.  This break up aired a lot of dirt, especially the recording contract type of dirt and the inner workings of a BAND AGREEMENT.    

On the other side of the spectrum, Tim Lambesis, the lead singer of As I Lay Dying, has just entered a not guilty plea for his alleged involvement in trying to hire a hit man to kill his estranged wife.  This one came from left field.  It was a WTF moment.  How stupid can someone be?  Has anyone seen how this dude looks.  I am sure he could have gotten any other chick.  I know it’s not a joke, but I couldn’t stop making comparisons to the Horrible Bosses movie.

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Music, Treating Fans Like Shit

Bon Jovi – The price of tickets for the Australian tour

Bon Jovi announced in April that they are touring Australia in December 2013. Backstage Jon Bon Jovi members, which is the Bon Jovi fan club had the first bite at securing tickets. It isn’t free to become a Backstage JBJ member.

To become a premium Backstage JBJ member for 2 years, it costs $300. To take out a Signature package for 1 year, it costs $160. To take out a Standard package for 1 year, it costs $80 a year and to take out an online membership package for 1 year, it costs $60. Of course, each package has different perks.

So if you are a Bon Jovi fan club member, you had first dibs at purchasing tickets. We will call this the pre (pre (pre(presales))).

If a Bon Jovi fan wanted to sit in Row 1 and purchase a Diamond VIP package, the price of one ticket is $1975 + $10 booking fee.
If a Bon Jovi fan wanted to sit in Rows 2 to 5 and purchase an Emerald VIP package, the price of one ticket is $1475 + $10 booking fee.
If a Bon Jovi fan wanted to sit in Rows 6 to 13 and purchase a Sapphire VIP package, the price of one ticket is $975 + $10 booking fee.

So it looks like the Bon Jovi fan club members didn’t want to purchase the VIP tickets, and they came up on sale via Showbiz which is a pre-sales seller.

For the Sydney show, the Diamond VIP tickets have been sold out, and the Sapphire VIP tickets have been sold out as well. The Emerald VIP tickets remained when I last checked. The other shows, still had all three VIP options available. I am sure that they will sell out eventually, as a fans devotion can yield unexpected results.

The next stage of the sales, is the Telstra pre-sales. The next stage is the Ticketek VISA pre-sales, then the final pre-sales and finally the public release. What a collusive, exploitive and unregulated process.

However, I still believe that what Jon Bon Jovi is doing is plain greedy. If he lowers the entry barrier to his fan club, he will get more people to join. It’s simply economics. Do you want 100,000 fans joining at the higher prices, or do you want 10,000,000 fans joining at the lower prices.

Let’s just say that 100,000 fans take out the $300 option for two years, that is $30MIL paid into his pocket right now and that covers a two year period.

If he lowers the price to $10 a year and have a lot of perks for that like concert recordings, sound check recordings and demos to entice people to join, he will get millions to join. So let’s say that 10 million fans join at $10 a year. This will bring in $100MIL per year. $10 is small change in a fans pocket. More people will part with it. This isn’t just for Bon Jovi to do, all the bands need to be doing this. Building fan to band connections isn’t just for social media. The first port of call is the fan club.

I know what I would want as a muso. It’s all about building connections. That is the new currency.

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Music

Bon Jovi – What About dropping 20 places to 96?

The Bon Jovi tour juggernaut continues to book shows around the world.  Richie Sambora is still out due to personal reasons or issues.

The Australian tour just had Kid Rock added to the schedule.  Big thumbs up to Kid Rock for selling $20 concert tickets to his U.S. shows, as well as taking a cut on merchandise, parking and other sales.

Interesting to note, that Bon Jovi’s tour of Australia will be offering $32 ticket prices to Telstra customers.  However, this doesn’t mean that Bon Jovi is taking a loss or a pay cut.

Bon Jovi still get paid the monies offered to them.

This is Telstra taking a hit, so that they can push their brand even more.  This is Telstra sending a message out to fans of live music.  Telstra is saying, “Hey check us out, we are a real game player in the selling of cheap tickets to great live shows.”

However in order for the music lover to purchase, they need to be a Telstra customer.  So Telstra will be expecting a surge in memberships, which in turn, will be a surge in revenue.  It will be a big win for Telstra.

As a Telstra shareholder, I can’t complain with that.  Maybe they will increase their dividend payments one of these days?  What kind of $32 tickets they will be for a venue that fits 40,000 plus remains to be seen.

In the meantime, What About Now, the album described as the best thing we have ever done, by both Jon and Richie, continues to fall away on the charts.  After 7 weeks it’s down to position 96.

In comparison, the Greatest Hits album that Bon Jovi released in 2010, is still charting and selling.

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Music, Treating Fans Like Shit

Queensryche is nothing without Chris DeGarmo.

I really, really, really liked this band.  Note the emphasis on the three really’s.  They started off as a normal metal band, with a singer in Geoff Tate that had a unique voice for the metal genre.  The musical style of the band evolved much the same way my musical tastes evolved during the Eighties, so it was perfect.

I have been forming an opinion on Queensryche, since Chris DeGarmo left in January 1998, after the 1997 Hear In The Now Frontier album.

After listening to what Geoff Tate has released recently with his Kings and Queens solo album and his F.U Queensryche offering, and also listening to the new song Redemption that the Queensryche/Todd LaTorre fronted version released, I can say without a doubt, that the star in Queensryche was Chris DeGarmo.

To be honest, I purchased all the Queensryche releases up to American Soldier.  That is what fans did once upon a time, and none of the new stuff stacks up.  The songs are forgettable and the music even more so.  I thought that Operation Mindcrime II would be a savior, however that failed to get my attention as well.  Who knew at the time that it came out, that session musicians played on it.

For those that don’t know the story so far, Geoff Tate was fired from Queensryche.  He countered that firing by saying that he is Queensryche, so how can they fire him from the band that he lived and breathed.

Stories continued to come out, about violent punch ups before a South American show, involving Geoff Tate vs the rest of the band members, about how the band members haven’t even played on any of the newer Queensryche releases even though they are credited and so on.  Just go to Loudwire, search for Queensryche and you will be filled in.

They have filed injunctions against each other and I am pretty sure if they could throw each other under a bus, they would.  This is one of those bad blood split ups, more controversial than Vince Neil’s ousting from Motley Crue or David Lee Roth’s ousting from Van Halen.

I saw Queensryche at the Metro Theater in Sydney back in 2009, August 31.  The band at the time was the original four, with Tate’s son in law Parker Lundgren on guitars.  What can I say, they killed it.  The Metro is a small venue, it was sold out.  1,200 people paid $90 to watch them.

They did songs from Rage For Order, Empire and American Soldier.  That was cool, because they promoted the shows that way as well, so people knew what they were paying for.   The American Soldier songs became toilet breaks.

Keeping bands together is a tough gig in itself.  Don Henley said that it was a horrible relief when the Eagles broke up.  That more or less sums it up.  On one hand, the break up feels like shit, you are sad and you are on the angry, but on the other hand, you are relieved its over, you are free, you can start over again.

What is pathetic in all of this, is that the fans are being treated like shit.  Both bands do not deserve the name of Queensryche.  They should have taken a new name, however both versions know, that they need the Queensryche name to sell themselves.

One thing is clear in my mind, Queensryche will always be Chris DeGarmo for me.

It looks even that is not working.   F.U debuted at #74, with 5,500 units sold, last week.  Week 2 saw it at #173 with 2,275 sold.  By week 3 it will be gone.  So expect Tate to start spitting out some controversial comments, so that he can get free press come his way.

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Classic Songs to Be Discovered, Music

Saraya – Love Has Taken It’s Toll and Runnin Out Of Time

The band was formed in New Jersey, by Sandi Saraya and keyboard player Gregg Munier.  One of the first names they had was Alsace Lorraine.  They then travelled to LA to make it.  They didn’t make it and returned home broke, ready to start over again.  In interviews from 1989, Saraya has stated that the other members didn’t have the same commitment.  This always leads to tensions.   So the band dissolves and the nucleus of Saraya and Munier start again.  They keep on writing new songs.  Then songwriting great Sandy Linzer came into the picture.

Linzer assisted the band in obtaining management with David Sonenberg.  Sonenberg then organised an audition for Saraya and Munier, with Polygram Records.  The rest is history.  Saraya and Munier secured a record deal.

Throughout all of this Linzer was still in the picture, assisting Saraya and Munier in fine tuning the songs they had been writing.

Guitarist Tony Bruno Rey joined during this period, bringing along with him his other Swift Kick band mates, bassist Gary Taylor and drummer Chuck Bonfante.

Songwriting for the album took over a year.  Before Saraya signed with Polygram, she turned down another major label deal, because the label said to her, that all she needs to do is wear a skirt and they will find the songs for her.

The first album was released in 1989.  It was produced by Jeff Glixman.

I actually made the decision to purchase the album because I saw Glixman as the producer.  He had produced albums that I liked a lot, like Leftoverture and Point of Know Return from Kansas, Corridors of Power and Victims Of the Future by Gary Moore, The Eternal Idol by Black Sabbath and the classic Odyssey from Yngwie Malmsteen featuring the talented Joe Lynn Turner on vocals.  So to me it was a no brainer, Jeff was the man.  I wasn’t disappointed.  Production was world-class.

Love Has Taken It’s Toll was the lead single, and it is the opposite of what Timeless Love is.  It’s a classic rocker.  The song is written by Sandi Saraya, Tony Bruno Rey and Sandy Linzer.  The vocal track you hear from Sandi, is the dummy vocal that she recorded as a guide for the rest of the band.  She did it so good, it was decided that it should be used as the final cut.

I remember reading in an interview, that one of her influences was Glenn Hughes and that he never got the attention he deserved.  Fast forward 24 years, and it is the same for Sandi Saraya, she never got the attention she deserved.  She had impeccable timing, a bluesy swagger and sex appeal to match the vocals.

Runnin Out Of Time has that Ritchie Blackmore feel, sort of like Speed King, Highway Star and Death Alley Driver from Deep Purple and Rainbow all merged into one.  It’s written by Sandy Linzer, Gregg Munier and Sandi Saraya.  The lead break by Rey is a song within a song composition.  The guitar work is unbelievable and the Saraya is pushing her voice to the limit.  It feels like it’s she’s going to blow her voice at any minute.  This is my favourite track on the album.  It was exactly what I was into at that time.   Sandi said that one of her favourite instruments is a Charvel Jackson RR Flying V.  I am assuming that she wrote quite a few riffs for the album.  

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Classic Songs to Be Discovered, Music

Saraya – Timeless Love – Classic Song Waiting to be Discovered

I was listening to Halestorm and when I heard Lzzy’s voice, three female voices came to mind immediately.  Ann Wilson from Heart, Pat Benater and Saraya’s.  It’s a tragedy that there isn’t more content on the web dedicated to Saraya.  Her voice is magical, soulful, bluesy, rocky and sexual.

It was Timeless Love from the Shocker soundtrack of 1989 that first got my attention.  It’s a ballad and for some insane reason, it isn’t included on the normal version of the self titled album released the same year, only on an overpriced import album.  Chalk that down to greedy record labels. 

In order to “OWN” the song, you had to purchase the Shocker Soundtrack if it was available, or order it in, where they charged you a bit more for it. That is what I needed to do to hear the music I liked back in eighties. Radio in Australia very rarely played the music I liked, so I needed to spend money on it. 

Timeless Love is another gem written by Desmond Child.  It is a bona fide hit. The melody is haunting and beautiful.  Desmond Child stated in a LA Times article, that Saraya had take after take at completing the song, however she just wasn’t getting the emotion across, that Child wanted to hear. So then an idea came to him.    

“I wanted a huge chain, like they use to tie up a mean dog,” said Child with an impish grin. “I told her that doing this song was like being in a play, where she was playing a character, a woman all tied up in knots over this guy.  Then I wrapped her up in the chains and she got the song on the first take.”

If it is true, he got the take that he wanted, as the vocals are dead set chilling.

There is no tomorrow in my heart
Only dreamers believe in time
So let’s leave no regrets behind

Does it sound like the run of the mill Bon Jovi style that Desmond was renowned for?  No chance.  This is a classic ballad in the vein of Heart’s – Alone.

Steve Lukather of Toto fame does the guitar work and the unbelievable guitar solo, Myron Grombacher from Pat Benater’s band is on drums and John Pierce from Huey Lewis and the News is on bass.  It’s a super group of seasoned musicians, that know how to deliver.

Jennifer Rush (from The Power of Love fame) covered the song and it was too perfect.  It was a great cover version, however Saraya’s version just has that special emotion in it, that special rawness that makes it perfect.

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