If you like Long Way To the Top be sure to check out the Nantucket album of the same name. They toured for quite sometime with both incarnations of AC/DC, the title track was done as a tribute to Bon Scott. Guitarist Tommy Redd contributes some very compelling stories about Nantucket's AC/DC touring days to the new book Let There Be Rock: The Story of AC/DC. Nantucket on tour with AC/DC

Both my vinyl and CD collections are most likely well in excess of 1,000 copies each but then again, I've never tallied them up. It isn't part of the question but I also have a good stash of cassettes, most of them being of the homemade mixtape variety.

R.E.M. Reborn Michael Stipe photographed in New York in January Their last three albums dismantled their reputation as the world's greatest band, but REM are returning to full speed with a new record, Accelerate. Craig McLean asks them how they got their mojo back. Photographs by Jim Goldberg REM have just emerged from a sex shop. Babeland is one of the Lower East Side's finest emporiums of kinky toys and accessories. Accompanied by a tiny camera crew the band thrashed out a song then swiftly withdrew. They would repeat the performance in a restaurant, two wine bars and a deconsecrated synagogue. It is a bright, cold morning in late January and all over New York city, singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck and bass player Mike Mills have been conducting themselves like fleet-footed guerrilla musos (who just happen to be 50-year-old multi-millionaire rockers). Twenty-eight years after forming and 12 years since they last released a wholly satisfying and critically acclaimed record, REM are back with a bang. A video that shoots from the hip (band rush in and out of commercial establishments, tailed by a lo-fi camera crew) to accompany an album that does the same? 'We tried not to overthink this one and tried to make it short and sweet,' Mills says. You can read the rest of the article here.

Except for maybe in the case of Van Halen and AC/DC. Both of those groups went on to greater success than ever before after they replaced their respective lead singers. Still, I prefer Bon Scott and Diamond Dave to their successors.

HARP Exclusive: Looting the Bins with Patterson Hood http://www.harpmagazine.com/news/detail.cfm?article=12372 Andy Tennille A walk through the used record bins of some of the country’s finest music stores with musicians, both famous and infamous. “$2.99? Shit, I might buy another copy for $2.99. That album’s well worth it.” Patterson Hood shakes his head in disbelief at the deal in his hands. Considering the gritty rock ‘n roll that Hood makes fronting the Jack Daniels-guzzling Drive-By Truckers, you might think any album that he believes merits repurchase would run along the lines of the Stones’ Exile on Main Street or The Replacements’ Let It Be. But with Hood –a known vinylholic with diverse musical tastes - all bets are off. “Anyone that grew up when I did that says they weren’t influenced by Elton John is just flat-out lying,” he decrees, hoisting Sir Elton’s glorious 1973 triple-fold, double-album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road into the air at Amoeba Music in Berkeley. “The guy was ubiquitous. He was huge, and he wrote some amazing songs with these melody lines that I’ll hear in my head ‘til I’m dead. Dark Side of the Moon and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road were two of my very first records I ever bought.” Hood’s right, of course. The man with the pseudonym Sir Horace Pussy rode a creative peak, from 1970s Tumbleweed Connection to Captain Fantastic and the Dirt Brown Cowboy in ’75, that is the stuff of legend. Stevie Wonder’s extraordinary mid-‘70s albums - Music of My Mind, Talking Book, Innervisions, Fulfillingness’ First Finale - come to mind as well, as does the recent run by Radiohead culminating in release this past fall of the industry-shattering, pay-what-u-want In Rainbows. “I think the whole thing was cool as shit,” Hood says, fingering the band’s new box set. “I downloaded it for free and then bought the vinyl when it came out. I figured that was fair enough. If people did the same thing with our music, that’d be fine by me. I’m all about deconstructing the business, burning it down and then rebuilding. It can’t be much worse. “As far as the music, I love everything about that record. It’s like a soul record to me. It’s so soulful and the songs are so good. You can hear ‘em counting stuff off. It sounds a lot more live and not as processed as some of their other work. The songs hold up on just an acoustic guitar and that’s always a good measure for me – if something can be stripped down to just an acoustic and still sound good, it’s passed the test in my book.” Another band that’s passed Hood’s litmus test is The Kinks. While critics constantly compare the Truckers to Southern rock icons Lynyrd Skynyrd, the group’s punkier side was born of a collective love of the twitchy riffs and primal simplicity of tunes like “You Really Got Me.” “I just love the fuckin’ Kinks,” he says. “I’ve been listening to Village Green Preservation Society a lot recently, but I hadn’t heard Ray Davies new one yet. I hear he wrote a song about being shot down in New Orleans. If I got shot, you better believe I’d write a song about it too. It’d be called ‘That Motherfucker Who Shot Me…I’m Gonna Kill Him.’” Movies run a close second to music with Hood, who loved “No Country for Old Men” enough to see the Coen Brothers’ Oscar-winner twice. Wandering through Amoeba’s extensive DVD section, the Alabama native grabs The Stanley Kubrick Collection (2001: A Space Odyssey / Dr. Strangelove / A Clockwork Orange / The Shining / Lolita / Barry Lyndon / Full Metal Jacket / Eyes Wide Shut) before bolting down the aisle toward the concert films. “You know what I need? I’m looking for The Best of the Johnny Cash TV Show,” Hood says, searching high and low. “It came out last year and has all the best musical guests from the show - Dylan, Kris Kristofferson, Hank, Waylon, Neil Young and Loretta Lynn. We watch a ton of concert DVDs while we’re on tour riding around on the bus and I’ve been looking for this one ever since I read about it.” Seeing Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers rock the Super Bowl halftime show has revived a serious Petty jones in me. When I mention this to Hood, he’s dumbfounded that I haven’t seen Peter Bogdanovich’s amazing, four-hour documentary, Runnin’ Down a Dream. “Buy it immediately,” he says, handing me the DVD. “It’s amazing, really great. The concert footage they have from back when the Heartbreakers started as Mudcrutch is incredible. I’m a huge Petty fan, always have been.” “You really never see any old Tom Petty records for sale in record stores,” I say, flipping through the scant few in the Used Rock bin. “I guess people hold on to their Petty when they get it.” “For good reason: Petty’s built to last,” Hood guffaws. “Landfills are too full to make disposable records. The trick is to make something worth keeping.” With the recent release of their catalogue on 180-gram vinyl, it’s safe to say Hood and the Truckers have been considering their own legacy of late. Hood, for one, is happy fans can finally drop the needle on Truckers classics like “The Living Bubba” and “Box of Spiders.” “It’s crazy seeing these records pressed to vinyl with the covers so big,” Hood says, signing a freshly-pressed copy of the band’s 2003 album, Decoration Day. “It’s been a long-time coming, I’ll tell ya. I’m not sure when the new one will come out in vinyl, but I’m real excited about that. I usually can’t listen to the records too much after they come out, but this one’s held up better for me than most. We’re real proud of it. It’s my favorite record we’ve ever done.” As Hood waxes nostalgic about the Truckers’ latest, Brighter Than Creation’s Dark, his long-time running partner and Truckers guitarist Mike Cooley appears with a mischievous grin on his face. “This can’t be bad,” Cooley says, excitedly handing Hood a DVD copy of “Pervert!”, Jonathan Yudis's 2005 slasher skin flick starring porn star turned California gubernatorial candidate Mary Carey. “Look at the quote on the front: ‘Sex, death and gore – is this the best movie ever!’” “Goddamn,” Hood exclaims. “What a recommendation!”

Bono Real Name: Paul David Hewson Supposedly named after a Dublin hearing-aid shop called Bono Vox -- Latin for "good voice." His U2 bandmate the Edge got his own nickname from either his sharp facial features or his fearlessness of heights, depending on which version you believe. Snoop Dogg Real Name: Cordozar Calvin Broadus Jr. Snoop Dogg was nicknamed "Snoopy" by his mom for his love of the 'Peanuts' comic strip. If the original Snoopy was, in fact, a little bit gangsta, 'Doggystyle,' we presume, was not quite what Charles Schulz had in mind. Marilyn Manson Real name: Brian Hugh Warner Marilyn Manson combined Marilyn Monroe with Charles Manson, of course. His bandmate Twiggy Ramirez (Jeordie White) combined the names of the slender '60s fashion icon and the serial killer Richard Ramirez. Most of the various band members have taken similarly titillating monikers – Daisy Berkowitz, Madonna Wayne Gacy, Gidget Gein... Tina Turner Real name: Annie Mae Bullock Tina Turner got the last name, of course, by marrying her bandleader, Ike Turner. But he also changed the soul queen's given name as well, appropriately yet obliquely inspired by his fandom of comic-book wildwoman Sheena, Queen of the Jungle. Billy Idol Real name: William Michael Albert Broad A teacher once marked a report card for young Bill with the comment, "William is idle." After his career went multiplatinum in the 1980s, this textbook bad boy fell off the map, going 12 album-less years before a 2005 comeback. Once again, Billy was, in fact, idle. Elton John Real name: Reginald Kenneth Dwight Sir Reg's early band was Bluesology, featuring saxophonist Elton Dean and frontman Long John Baldry. In 1972, he legally changed his name to Elton Hercules John, despite never having shared a band with any Hercules. Sting Real name: Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner Playing in a jazz band, the young Gordo once wore a black-and-yellow striped shirt that made him look like a bumblebee. "My children call me Sting, my mother calls me Sting," he once joked, after being addressed by his given name. "Who is this Gordon character?" Moby Real name: Richard Melville Hall Childhood nickname bestowed by his parents; Richie's great-great grand-uncle was 'Moby-Dick' author Herman Melville. Sadly, this connection to the great whale tale had nothing to do with Moby's brief stint in the band Flipper. Iggy Pop Real name: James Newell Osterberg Jr. His first high school band was called the Iguanas, earning Iggy Pop another colorful nickname – the Rock Iguana. Unhappily credited as Iggy Stooge on the Stooges' first few records. Freddie Mercury Real name: Farrokh Bulsara Born in Zanzibar to a Zoroastrian family of Indian descent, the man who would be Queen began calling himself Freddie while at boarding school near Bombay, where he started a band called the Hectics. Johnny Rotten Real name: John Joseph Lydon The head Sex Pistol is said to have earned his nickname through the dubious distinction of his prematurely decaying teeth. Rotten's nickname for his pal John Simon Ritchie was dentally inspired, too -- "Sid Vicious" was borrowed from a particularly nippy pet hamster. Nico Real name: Christa Paffgen When she was a teenage model in Europe, the German-born singer was redubbed by fashion photographer Herbert Tobias. He must have been quite taken by her beauty, as he was inspired to give her the name of his friend (and rumored ex-lover), filmmaker Nico Papatakis. Flea Real name: Michael Peter Balzary Like Sting, another product of the Flying Pest school of rock nicknames. The Red Hot Chili Pepper's stage name was bestowed for his high-strung nature by high school buddy Anthony Kiedis on a ski trip. Sun Ra Real name: Herman Poole Blount The eccentric jazzman, who claimed he was from Saturn, named himself after the ancient Egyptian sun god. Also answered, somewhat less exotically, to the childhood nickname Sonny. Elvis Costello Real name: Declan Patrick McManus Originally performed as D.P. Costello, using his great-grandmother's surname (not inspired by the American comedian Lou Costello). Costello later took his manager's advice and adopted the first name Elvis. Further confusing the matter, he legally added Aloysius to his given name in the '80s Cat Power Real Name: Charlyn Marie Marshall Chan Marshall didn't adopt her Cat Power alter ego in solidarity with feline empowerment. The indie vocalist once spotted the phrase "Cat Diesel Power" on a trucker hat advertising Caterpillar heavy machinery. Alice Cooper Real name: Vincent Furnier Original band the Spiders switched their name to Alice Cooper, conjured, according to the record company, through a Ouija board encounter with a medieval witch of the same name. In 1974, Furnier legally adopted the name, keeping it for his solo career. Engelbert Humperdinck Real name: Arnold George Dorsey The crooner of 'Release Me' and 'After the Lovin'' swiped his stage name from the 19th-century German composer of the opera 'Hansel and Gretel,' which was described by the original Engelbert as "a fairy opera." Meat Loaf Real name: Marvin Lee Aday The 'Bat Out of Hell' blockbuster's first band was called Meat Loaf Soul; he debuted, oddly, with Motown, as half of a duet called Stoney and Meat Loaf. Recently changed his given first name, which no one knew anyway, to Michael. Ol' Dirty Bastard Real name: Russell Tyrone Jones Wu-Tang Clan founding member nicknamed after a kung-fu film known as 'Ol' Dirty & the Bastard'; Jones's unique flow struck his bandmates as having "no father." And while a few people have one good alter ego, ODB rocked about 15 or so great ones, including Dirt McGirt, Peanut the Kidnapper, Freeloading Rusty and Big Baby Jesus.

Why? When each of us signed up here we agreed to the Forum Guidelines, the #1 of which is: Please SEARCH the board before posting and use existing thread for similar topics. Several of us have politely mentioned why that is a rule for good reason only to be bitched out by fellow board members for even mentioning it. Or even worse, we were accused of "trying to run the board". Neither of things were our intentions at all. To me it's just common sense not to have multiple topics on the exact same subject. Not trying to start another shitstorm, I'm merely making a suggestion. Last I checked this wasn't your site.

The guitarist for the Del-Lords, Eric "Roscoe" Ambel was also in Joan Jett's Blackhearts and went on to be the guitarist in Steve Earle's Dukes. These days he plays in his own band, aptly titled The Roscoe Trio and the all star bar band supergroup The Yayhoos that includes Dan Baird (Georgia Satellites) on lead vocals/guitar, bassist/vocalist Keith Christopher (Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Shaver, early version of the Georgia Satellites) and drummer/vocalist Terry Anderson (Fabulous Knobs, the Woods, Backsliders, Olympic Ass Kickin' Team).

I believe his next project will be to tackle the life of Bob Marley. I enjoyed No Direction Home as well and hope it turns out to be in the same league as that very excellent documentary.

I just bought Warpaint over the weekend, it's good but if you're doubtful you should be able to sample it online somewhere prior to purchasing.

Steve Perry wasn't even in the original version of Journey but it is pretty pathetic they have to keep finding Steve Perry clones for Journey these days though. If Journey weren't pitiful enough already it's completely laughable that they found their new lead singer via auditions submitted via YouTube.

I've never been a huge fan but if I want to put on something that I know is going to rock my ass off one of the first things I reach for is AC/DC. Not too fond of the Brian Johnson years but I do like Back In Black. I saw them back in the late 70s just before Bon Scott died when they shared a bill with Cheap Trick and Nantucket, Cheap Trick did the opening honors. Oh and I'd take the Trick or AC/DC over Journey any fucking day of the week. Dropped acid, Blue Oyster Cult concert, fourteen years old, And I thought them lasers were a spider chasing me. On my way home, got pulled over in Rogersville Alabama, with a half-ounce of weed and a case of Sterling Big Mouth. My buddy Gene was driving, he just barely turned sixteen. And I'd like to say, "I'm sorry", but we lived to tell about it And we lived to do a whole lot more crazy, stupid, shit. And I never saw Lynyrd Skynyrd but I sure saw Molly Hatchet With .38 Special and the Johnny Van Zant Band. One night when I was seventeen, I drank a fifth of vodka, on an empty stomach, then drove over to a friend's house. And I backed my car between his parent's Cadillac's without a scratch. Then crawled to the back door and slithered threw the mail hole, and sneaked up the stairs And puked in the toilet. I passed out and nearly drowned but his sister, Dee Dee, pulled me out. And I never saw Lynyrd Skynyrd but I sure saw Molly Hatchet And the band that I was in played "The Boy's are Back in Town". Skynyrd was set to play Huntsville, Alabama, in the spring of '77, I had a ticket but it got cancelled. So, the show, it was rescheduled for the "Street Survivors Tour". And the rest, as they say, is history. So I never saw Lynyrd Skynyrd but I sure saw Ozzy Osbourne with Randy Rhoads in '82 Right before that plane crash. And I never saw Lynyrd Skynyrd but I sure saw AC/DC With Bon Scott singing, "Let There Be Rock Tour". With Bon Scott singing, LET THERE BE ROCK! Let There Be Rock by Drive-By Truckers Words by Patterson Hood, music by Drive-By Truckers From the album Southern Rock Opera "A pretty damned autobiographical account of my teenaged years, and how partying and going to arena rock shows kept me from going off the deep end in high school. -Patterson Hood

Dylan: My Hat's Off to You, Lady SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP) — If at first you don't succeed at stealing Bob Dylan's hat, try a kiss instead. A young Brazilian woman rushed onstage during Dylan's encore in Sao Paulo on Thursday night, hugging and kissing him and trying to swipe his Cordoba hat before three bouncers whisked her away. When he finished the encore, the normally untalkative Dylan thanked the audience and said he wanted to meet the woman so he could give her his hat. It was not clear whether they met. Local media later reported that the woman was seen after the show with a group of friends singing: "I kissed Bob Dylan, la, la, la." Currently on a Latin American tour, Dylan is scheduled to perform in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday.

Chatham County Line is the type of band that appeals to a wide swath of music fans. On the surface, the bluegrass elements are obvious, but digging just a little deeper will reveal plenty of alt. country, roots and other Americana elements. The band released its fourth LP, IV, this week and will give it a proper celebration Friday at Cat's Cradle. Assistant Diversions Editor Jamie Williams chatted with CCL frontman Dave Wilson in advance of that show about Tift Merritt, bluegrass as a genre and the good manners of Dutch audiences. Read the rest of the interview with Dave here.

I like what little I've heard but haven't invesigated much further myself. By the way they have a priceless scene in the movie Elizabethtown in case you haven't seen it and speaking of Pearl Jam, Eddie Vedder joins them for a very kick ass version of the Who's A Quick One While He's Away, one of the bonus features on their new concert film Immagine In Cornice.

http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/articl...t_id=1003721991 My Morning Jacket Jonathan Cohen, N.Y. My Morning Jacket throws fans another sonic curveball on its new studio album, "Evil Urges," due June 10 via ATO. The 14-track set sports the most adventurous music of the Kentucky-bred rock act's career, beginning with the title track, a falsetto-driven groove-fest that opens the disc. MMJ is uncharted territory with songs like "Highly Suspicious," whose robotic funk beats and falsetto singing wouldn't sound out of place on a Rick James or Prince album. Strident rockers like "Touch Me I'm Going To Scream Part 1" boast unusual touches, from fluttering synth lines and multi-tracked vocal parts to chopped-up beats and electro effects on the bass and guitars. Appearing near the end of the disc, "Part 2" of the track is an eight-minute-plus mash-up of disco drumming and grandiose production unlike MMJ has ever attempted. Elsewhere, "Thank You Too" conjures a lost soft rock classic from the '70s, as frontman Jim James tenderly croons, "You really saw my naked heart / you really brought out the naked part." James and his acoustic guitar are also at the forefront of "Librarian," while "Remnants" and "Aluminum Park" will satisfy fans of MMJ's straight-ahead, double-guitar attack. The group is expected to unveil new material during shows next week in Houston and Austin, Texas, the latter one of the most anticipated sets at the South by Southwest festival. Here is the track list for "Evil Urges": "Evil Urges "Touch Me I'm Going To Scream Part 1" "Highly Suspicious" "I'm Amazed" "Thank You Too" "Sec Walkin'" "Two Halves" "Librarian" "Look At You" "Aluminum Park" "Remnants" "Smokin From Shootin" "Touch Me I'm Going To Scream Part 2" "Good Intentions"

http://blogs.newsobserver.com/beat/index.php? Drew Glackin Tribute Show The Silos aren't from the Triangle, but they've always had a lot of friends here. So the news went down hard when Silos bassist and all-around good guy Drew Glackin died in January of heart damage from a thyroid condition. Some of Glackin's fellow travelers from here and elsewhere are getting together to play a tribute show May 3 at Raleigh's Pour House -- a bill that includes Tres Chicas, Chip Robinson, Chris Mills and Lou Ford, in addition to the remaining Silos. Proceeds will go to cover Glackin's funeral expenses.

I need to expand my Alejandro collection myself but he definitely goes back a long way in the history of alt.country. I love Whiskeytown's cover of The Rain Won't Help You When It's Over from his True Believers days that was first available on a Whiskeytown EP and is now included on the Deluxe edition of Strangers Almanac.

On the Wrong Side of Ryan Adams' Whiskeytown By Jesse Hughey Before Ryan Adams recorded every half-baked song idea he ever had, before he scored the model-actress girlfriends, before A.A., he was a mean, drunken son of a bitch. He was also a hell of a lot more interesting. March 4 will herald the release of a two-disc deluxe version of his former band Whiskeytown's sophomore album, Strangers Almanac. It will include the original album plus live songs, B-sides, covers and demos. Whiskeytown's performance at Trees on January 23, 1998, was a perfect example of just how powerful the band sounded during that era. It also showed what a self-destructive and vicious asshole Adams was. You can read the rest of the article here.

Thanks for the heads up. I know the DBTs crowd has really been talking them up. They were just in Wilmington, NC this week but I missed 'em. Looks like they'll be back through here soon with Justin Townes Earle though. I may have to catch them then.

To each their own. My main point through all of this has been that I don't hear the rap you seem to hear in the Rolling Stones song from A Bigger Bang nor do I share your belief that anyone that incorporates an element of rap into their music is automatically going have a million seller on their hands. If there was some secret formula to success like that everyone would be doing it. Using rap in one's music is no way any guarantee of that sort of success. Not now or ever.

More with Alejandro here in this Creative Loafing article where he discusses his new album, the demise of No Depression magazine and how he felt about George Bush, Jr. having his tune Castanets on his iPod. Alejandro Escovedo: Back to living again Musical journeyman dodges death to continue his quest By James Kelly NO TWO WAYS ABOUT IT: Alejandro Escovedo has come full circle. Bloodshot Records The last five years have been excruciating and enlightening for Austin, Texas-based artist Alejandro Escovedo. As his health deteriorated due to previously diagnosed hepatitis C, he collapsed backstage in 2003 after a performance and spent close to a year in treatment for advanced cirrhosis and other vascular problems. A working musician with no health insurance who depended on steady gigs to make a living, Escovedo saw his life falling apart around him. You can read the rest of the article here.

The Sounds of David Barbe By James Calemine David Barbe’s studio magic renders him a highly sought after engineer. His musical expertise proves essential to some of the south’s finest contemporary groups and artists such as The Drive By Truckers, Vic Chesnutt, Kevn Kinney and Bloodkin to name a few. Barbe, an accomplished musician, can play various instruments and his golden ear provides a vital asset to the aforementioned artists. Barbe earned his engineering break from John Keane (R.E.M., Widespread Panic) which eventually led to opening his own recording studio in Athens, Georgia, called Chase Park Transduction Studio. Barbe’s sonic mojo can be heard on Drive By Truckers albums such as Southern Rock Opera, Decoration Day, The Dirty South and their latest, Brighter Than Creation’s Dark, set for release on January 22—as well as Bettye LaVette’s Scene of the Crime and Bloodkin’s last five records. Barbe also recorded hundreds of other musicians including Michael Houser, Johnny Jenkins, Son Volt, Kevn Kinney, Amy Ray, Barbara Cue, Jack Logan, Southern Bitch and Tishamingo. Barbe remains of pillar of the Athens music and baseball (that’s another story) communities. You can read the remainder of the interview here.