The Rocky Movies have given us some of the best music of the past three decades. Bill Conti’s beautiful symphonies of Going The Distance and Gonna Fly Now, Eye Of The Tiger by Survivor, Hearts On Fire by John Cafferty, Take You Back by Sly’s baby brother (Frank Stallone), and No Easy Way Out by Robert Tepper (I’m saving this one for a future article!) Yet of all of the classics we’ve heard in Rocky […]
Ric Ocasek is probably the most recognizable member of legendary rock group The Cars thanks in part to MTV giving him a lot of exposure during the early 80s and the fact that he’s also married to a super model. Most rock fans know that the guy who really gave the band substance was Benjamin Orr. Originally born as Benjamin Orzechowski (which is as good a reason as any to change his last name), he was the bassist who also happened to share lead vocal duties and write many of the hits. If you listened to the tunes without knowing the band’s history, you would think that all songs were sung by one guy. When I was young and learning about rock & roll, I always assumed Ric Ocasek sang lead on every song. It wasn’t until years later that I realized Benjamin Orr actually sang lead vocals on many of the songs I assumed were sung by Ocasek. Many of the Cars biggest hits including Let’s Go, All That You Needed, and their biggest hit Drive (peaked at #3 in 1985 on the Billboard Top 100 chat) were sung by Orr.   He was the band member that brought the ladies to the shows. With his moppy blonde hair, dimpled chin and baby face rock star image, he was the best looking guy in the band. It was a shock that most of the videos that showed on MTV featured Ric Ocasek instead of Orr.
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As I get older, a lot of things I used to enjoy simply don’t mean much to me anymore. Things like baseball cards, professional wrestling, and going to the movies are just three examples that just don’t measure up like they used to. But there is still one event that always brings me a smile to my face when it occasionally happens. That special occasion is when the new album of the band you love hits the the market. And it’s so much more special when you hold the album in your hands because the band has made you wait eight long years for it. Finally, on October 20th of 2008, AC/DC released their long awaited new album, Black Ice. I’m still shaking with excitement as I write this article while listening to some new rocking tunes from the greatest hard rock band of all time. With AC/DC, you know what you are getting. They aren’t going to surprise you with a concept album, a political album about their thoughts on George Bush and the war, or a surprise collaboration with Bono. The only thing you have to be concerned with is how many of the songs will include legendary melodies that will compares to classics like Highway To Hell, Whole Lotta Rosie, and Back In Black. Even though there will be a lot of filler material, you are still going to get your dozen or so rock and roll themes. The album was released exclusively at Wal-Mart, which means you ain’t getting it on Amazon, itunes, Best Buy, or your local indie record shop (well, unless they are willing to buy and sell at a loss!). Although I hate giving Wal-Mart my hard-earned money, in a case like this, do I really have a choice? I was at Wal-Mart at 8:00 this morning right before work ready to get my hands on the new album and experience that feeling which other passionate music fans know all about.   So you probably want to know what I think about the record, huh?
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