on your electric guitar... what gauge and why? which brand (I see in a previous thread a lot of people preferred Ernie Ball and others D'Addario). I read on a different board that someone was complaining that thin strings ripped up his fingers...I started replacing my strings with thinner strings and I've noticed I now have a dent in my calluses...which causes problems when playing acoustic guitar. Otherwise don't see why thinner strings would be bad for your fingers...come to think of it maybe the dents have nothing to do with the gauge of the strings...

http://www.tenementtv.com/artists/rival-sons/

Of course they would have had to take a break after Bonham's death. It was unexpected and his role was essential to their live shows. They were facing other issues including Page's drug use and Plant's declining vocal abilities. But the O2 show demonstrates that it didn't have to be over in 1980. I know Page has said they couldn't possibly have replaced Bonham because it would have been impossible to perform their old hits live with a different drummer. He was thinking in the short term. Over time, as Jason's performance demonstrated, of course someone could have learned the old songs. It would have been different, but does that mean it wouldn't have been any good? I have wondered if they also had doubts about the direction that rock music in general was going at that time. I know I did. I thought rock music, or hard rock/blues rock music anyway, was finished in 1981...it seemed to be being replaced by punk and pop rock. Van Halen was the only decent new hard rock band that had come on the scene after 1977. Maybe they were wondering if there was any future in rock music and if it was worth their time to write new tunes and to try to find a new drummer who could fit with the band plus learn the old tunes. I have also wondered at the role PTSD might have played. One of the common reactions is to avoid anything that is associated in any way with the traumatic event. Bonham's death was a trauma; it happened right in front of them. On top of Robert's son's death. Their reactions and decision to break up is totally understandable, but was it the best idea? I think they could have pulled it together and put out another album. It would have been a better album than 90 percent of the new music on the airwaves in 1981-1987. Their solos careers didn't compare and in my opinion after Van Halen (whose output imo declined in quality after their first couple of albums) the next decent hard rock band was Guns and Roses in 1987.

On an unrelated, your avatar, "lipslikecherries," is really creeping me out.

Of course; this is so familiar! Although I don't think it really sounds like STH.

I would be interested to hear this; can you upload a sample of it? Stairway to Heaven is in A minor.

Thanks, SlavetoZep. Melbourne is a bit small compared to NYC but it is a lovely city. I'm leaving tomorrow to spend some time in California. Definitely a fan though and may be back!

I'm in Australia on vacation. Enjoying Melbourne, and spent 3 days touring the Great Ocean Road and Grampians Park. The coastline was spectacular and the birds and other wildlife in the Park were so interesting and different from what we have in the US. Australians seem mellow!

It's going to be on Nov. 16.

Well, it is epic, but I still don't like the singing. I've been trying to figure out what I like better about Ozzy than most "metal" singers, and I think it's his sincerity. He was inspired by the Beatles, and never "tried" to sound metal-y. Most of them do and end up sounding pretentious. Here's my fave part of Black Sabbath:

Thanks for the pics, Wally. Tony looks hot in the first one! The group pics are pretty funny. I don't like Ronny James Dio's singing so I mainly listen to the 70s albums. My favorites now are the eponymous debut album, Paranoid and Vol. IV which I prefer slightly over Masters of Reality. I also like the last one, Never Say Die! even though apparently a lot of people didn't. It's different from the earlier albums, but in an interesting way. I've been slowly getting into 13. Don't really like some of the tunes but others are ok. They're supposedly going to do another album but now Ozzy is going to do two months more of reality tv...why oh why? It was awful enough the first time! Maybe it's an excuse to spend more time with his kids.

It is puzzling, but here are some possibilities: Confidential Informant passed the info onto police, who did a prompt arrest due to the seriousness of the allegation.Confidential Informant then recanted story. Why? Maybe he was just trying to screw with Rudd for some reason and made up a story to create hassle or to put pressure on Rudd for...something. And, since no murder took place, and no hitman was hired, there is no case anyway, just hearsay. Maybe the prosecutor just took a look at the case and said "not prosecutable." Probably these things happen fairly often but we only hear about it when a celebrity is involved.

Just speaking for myself of course...I probably should not have bought the new HOTH as it has never been among my fave albums (I, II, III, IV and Presence are my faves). Still glad I bought the IV package because it's interesting to hear the alternate versions, but there's nothing really new here on either, that I can see. Pondering whether I will buy the new PG; not sure...in my opinion this latest batch of remasters/alternate versions is for the hardcore fan only and only those who count these among their favorite LZ albums (probably most of us include IV in that category, but I don't think I'm alone in not putting HOTH among my faves.)

The weirdest documentary I have ever seen is Metallica's "Some Kind of Monster," which I just found out is being re-released with "additional footage." It was too long already! I'm not really a Metallica fan and rented it because I had thought it showed sessions with their therapist, but that's not what it's really about; it's mainly about their album "St. Anger." But it does have a lot of footage of James Hetfield crying, an uncomfortable conversation between Lars Ulrich and his father, and some other embarrassing moments. Why they wanted the public to see this isn't completely clear to me.

Not a big fan of Bowie or Foo Fighters, but I will definitely check out Lightning in a Bottle, which I had not heard of; thanks.

Saw via Netflix two really good, fairly recent music documentaries: "Muscle Shoals" and "Sound City." They are both about recording studios, needless to say, but they were really about so much more. I thought the story of the founder of Muscle Shoals was very dramatic. Dave Grohl did a great job as a first-time director on "Sound City." Great interviews in both. On the other hand, I did not like at all the doc that won the Academy Award, "20 Feet from Stardom." I thought it was kind of boring and had a whiny tone to it. There were one or two good stories in it, though. Did anyone else see them and what did you think? Have there been other recent docs you recommend?

In my experience, lawyers' agendas are their own profit and will drag out anything for as long as possible in order to rack up their fees. I wish people in the music business who have disputes with each other would sit down and work it out person to person, man to man. I predict this lawsuit will drag on, but I hope I'm wrong. I have solved a number of disputes in my life without the use of an attorney, including contractual disputes, libel/defamation, car accidents etc.

It was a rhetorical question, Wally; I wasn't asking for an answer. Feel free to listen to bad covers of Black Sabbath tunes. I found the Biohazard one particularly egregious, but whatever floats your boat. I'm sure the members of Black Sabbath are all for it, not because it's flattery but because they get royalties. I can't resist a debate however, so let me add that in addition to trying to take the black out of rock and roll, I also think metal is an attempt to masculinize it. Hence the posturing of groups such as Metallica with their smirky innuendos ("Load", "Cunning Stunts" etc). Edited to note that I do like a few metal bands, mostly foreign, such as Rammstein. They have a sense of humor.

I'm sorry; I could not listen to the "Hayseed Dixie" version beyond five seconds. The Faith No More version is ok, but I don't see the purpose in doing a cover version of a song unless you're going to make it different...for example what Jimi Hendrix did to Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" or what the Talking Heads and Foghat respectively did to Al Green's "Take me to the River" (3 totally different versions of that tune, all of which are great!). Why would you listen to Faith No More imitate Black Sabbath when you could just listen to Black Sabbath? I really loved the candor and humor in Iommi's memoir, as well as the information. I've come to the realization that I don't like metal. I don't consider the early Sabbath to be metal and as far as I'm aware neither does Iommi; he calls them a rock band. I believe "metal" has been an attempt to make rock music more white and get rid of its soul, which I find both offensive and boring in its results. I think the reason I haven't liked the later Sabbath as much is it starts to sound more metal-y.

Perhaps the lyrics are above his literacy level?? I thought it was criminal. "War Pigs" has some of the best rock lyrics...not to be screwed with. Dave Grohl can't sing; should stick to playing drums. Too many guitars and needless to say none of them sounded like Tony Iommi. They couldn't do an original song? I don't even know who Zac Brown is actually.

Did you...like this??

To be honest I really love the first four albums, and haven't been so crazy about the more recent stuff...13 is ok. On another subject, has anyone else read Iommi's memoir? I read it recently and thought it was wildly entertaining!

Just got my wearyourmusic bracelet, made from one of Iommi's guitar strings! I think it's pretty and I'm also wearing it as a good luck charm (I don't really believe in luck, but I the symbolism has meaning, and that is powerful, imo). Sorry the photos are out of focus--can't figure out how to do the closeups. The strings are wound around the little copper coils and there's a silver fastener stamped T.I. Also a guitar pick charm.

You have the burnt-out romantic look.

Been getting more into Black Sabbath lately. Own Paranoid and the first album and Master of Reality. I've been wondering for awhile, how do you pronounce Tony Iommi's last name? I'm pretty sure I've heard it pronounced different ways.