ROCK BANDZ.......
Led Zeppelin were a British rock band who formed in 1968. Led Zeppelin consisted of Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Bonham, and John Paul Jones. With their heavy, guitar-driven sound, Led Zeppelin are regarded as one of the first heavy metal bands.[1][2] Their rock-infused interpretation of the blues also incorporated rockabilly,[3] reggae,[4] soul,[5] funk,[6] jazz,[7] classical, Celtic, Indian, Arabic, folk, pop, Latin and country. The band did not release the popular songs from their albums as singles in Britain, as they preferred to develop the concept of album-oriented rock.[8]
Over 25 years after disbanding in response to Bonham's 1980 death, Led Zeppelin continue to be held in high regard for their artistic achievements, commercial success, and broad influence. The band have sold more than 300 million albums worldwide,[9] including 109.5 million sales in the United States.[10] Led Zeppelin are ranked No. 1 on VH1's list of the 100 greatest artists of hard rock.[11]
The Beatles were an English rock band from Liverpool whose members were John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. They are the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed band in the history of popular music.[2]
The Beatles are the best-selling musical act of all time in the United States of America, according to the Recording Industry Association of America, which certified them as the highest selling band of all time based on American sales of singles and albums.[3] In the United Kingdom, The Beatles released more than 40 different singles, albums, and EPs that reached number one. This commercial success was repeated in many other countries: their record company, EMI, estimated that by 1985 they had sold over one billion discs and tapes worldwide.[4] In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked The Beatles #1 on their list of 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.[5] According to that same magazine, their innovative music and cultural impact helped define the 1960s,[2] and their influence on pop culture can still be felt today.
The Beatles led the mid-1960s musical "British Invasion" into the United States. Although their initial musical style was rooted in 1950s rock and roll and homegrown skiffle, the group explored genres ranging from Tin Pan Alley to psychedelic rock. Their clothes, styles, and statements made them trend-setters, while their growing social awareness saw their influence extend into the social and cultural revolutions of the 1960s.
The Rolling Stones are a British band whose blues, rhythm and blues and rock and roll-infused music became popular during the "British Invasion" in the early 1960s. [1] The band was formed in London in 1962 by Brian Jones, and eventually was led by the songwriting partnership of singer Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards. The Stones' image of unkempt and surly youth is one many musicians still emulate. [2] During their 1969 American tour, the Stones were introduced and have often since been referred to as "The Greatest Rock and Roll Band in the World."[2] The band have released 55 albums of original work[3] and compilations, and have had 37 top-10 singles.[4] In 1989 the Rolling Stones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 2004 The Rolling Stones[5] were ranked #4 in Rolling Stone Magazine's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.[6]. They have sold over 200 million albums worldwide. [2]
Guns N' Roses (abbreviated as GN'R) is an American hard rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985.[1] They have sold an estimated 90 million albums worldwide. Their 1987 major label debut, Appetite for Destruction, sold over 26 million copies worldwide and reached #1 in the USA a year after its release date.
The band's musical style, onstage presence and bad boy rock image helped usher in a new era of the dominant hard rock and heavy metal scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s. While glam metal was the leading genre in record sales, video charts and radio airplay, Guns N' Roses offered a grittier, more traditional take on rock music, and won many fans who admired their apparent authenticity. The band enjoyed worldwide success from 1987 to 1993, but clashing personalities of different band members brought about the end of the original line-up. Today, frontman Axl Rose is the only original member in the band's current line-up.
Guns N' Roses was founded in Los Angeles in March 1985 by Axl Rose and guitarist Tracii Guns, as an informal merger of Hollywood Rose and L.A. Guns, both of which Axl Rose had been a member, and the second of which Tracii Guns had been a member.[2] The original Guns N' Roses lineup included other members from both bands: from Hollywood Rose, Rose's longtime friend rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, and from L.A. Guns, Guns's former bandmates bassist Ole Beich and drummer Rob Gardner. The band's unique style integrated rock, hard rock, blues, punk.
When Tracii Guns (L.A Guns) and Rob Gardner could not appear at one of the band's first shows in Seattle, Stradlin and Rose recruited guitarist Slash and drummer Steven Adler for the performance. In early 1986 the pair joined full-time, fixing the lineup as Axl Rose (lead vocals), Slash (lead guitar), Izzy Stradlin (rhythm guitar), Duff McKagan (bass guitar) and Steven Adler (drums). On the way back to Los Angeles, they wrote the lyrics for "Welcome to the Jungle", which became one of their signature songs.
AC/DC are a hard rock band formed in Sydney, Australia in 1973 by brothers Angus and Malcolm Young. The band are considered pioneers of heavy metal, alongside bands such as Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath.[3] Its members, however, have always classified their music as "rock 'n' roll".[4]
AC/DC underwent several line-up changes before releasing their first album, High Voltage, in 1975. Membership remained stable until bassist Cliff Williams replaced Mark Evans in 1977. In 1979, the band recorded their highly successful album, Highway to Hell. Lead singer and co-songwriter Bon Scott died on February 19, 1980, after a night of heavy alcohol consumption. The group briefly considered disbanding, but soon ex-Geordie singer Brian Johnson was selected as Scott's replacement. Later that year, the band released their biggest-selling album, Back in Black.
The band's next album, For Those About to Rock We Salute You, was also highly successful and was the first hard rock album to reach #1 in the United States. AC/DC declined in popularity, however, soon after the departure of drummer Phil Rudd in 1983. Poor record sales continued until the release of The Razors Edge in 1990. Phil Rudd returned in 1994 and contributed to the band's 1995 album Ballbreaker. Stiff Upper Lip was released in 2000 and was well-received by critics. A new album is expected in Jan of 2008.
AC/DC have sold more than 150 million albums worldwide, including more than 68 million albums in the U.S.[5] Back in Black has sold 42 million units worldwide, including 21 million in the U.S.,[6] making it the second-highest-selling album ever internationally, and the biggest-selling album by any band.[7] The band are ranked fourth on VH1's list of the 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock[8] and were ranked by MTV the 7th "Greatest Heavy Metal Band Of All Time".[9]
Metallica is a Grammy Award-winning American heavy metal band formed in 1981[1] and has become one of the most commercially successful musical acts of recent decades. Metallica has sold more than 90 million records worldwide,[2][3] including 57 million albums sold in the United States alone.[4]
Metallica was formed in Los Angeles, California, 15th October 1981 by guitarist and vocalist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, after both placed classified advertisements in the publication The Recycler about forming a band.[citation needed] The duo recruited bassist Ron McGovney, and the early incarnation of the band went through a number of members, including Dave Mustaine and Ron McGovney. Metallica got its name when San Francisco-area metal promoter Ron Quintana asked Lars to help pick out a name for his new magazine to promote U.S. and British metal bands. Quintana came up with a list that included "Metallica," while Lars suggested "Metal Mania," or "Hesse," he decided to use "Metallica" for the band name.[citation needed]
The band's music was inspired by bands such as Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Diamond Head, Motörhead, Saxon, Thin Lizzy, Mercyful Fate, Venom and other, mainly British, metal bands. They also took inspiration from punk bands like the Misfits, Zeroption, and The Ramones and UK hardcore bands such as Discharge.
In early 1982, Ulrich convinced Metal Blade's Brian Slagel to include the song "Hit the Lights" on the first Metal Massacre compilation. Desperate for a full time lead guitarist, Ulrich posted an ad in a local newspaper. Dave Mustaine from Huntington Beach, California, who at the time was playing in the band Panic responded and met for an audition. Ulrich and Hetfield were so impressed with Mustaine's warm-up and equipment, they asked him to join before the audition even began. several demos were recorded with this lineup including Hit The Lights, Ron's Garage (which was recorded in McGovney's garage) and the Power Metal demo. A few months later the band recorded a full demo, No Life 'Til Leather, which quickly drew attention on the underground tape trading circuit. They then went on to release a live demo titled Metal Up Your Ass.
Later that year, Ron McGovney left the band and Metallica asked Trauma bassist Cliff Burton to join. Burton agreed if the band would relocate to his hometown in Castro Valley, CA. With Burton the band recorded the Megaforce Demo. After establishing themselves in the Bay Area thrash metal scene, Metallica traveled to the New York Tri-State Region in 1983 at the urging of promoters Jon and Marsha Zazula. After a few gigs the band signed with the Zazulas' new label, Megaforce Records. Shortly after being signed, Ulrich and Hetfield decided Mustaine's aggressive and disruptive behavior (related to alcohol and drug use)[1] was becoming too much to handle. Kirk Hammett was brought in from the band Exodus to replace Mustaine, who went on to his own fame by creating the thrash band Megadeth.
Iron Maiden are a British heavy metal band from east London. The band were formed in 1975 by bassist Steve Harris, formerly a member of Gypsy's Kiss and Smiler. Iron Maiden are one of the most successful and influential bands in the heavy metal genre, having sold 80 million albums worldwide.[1] The band won the Ivor Novello award for international achievement in 2002.[2]
The band have headlined several major events in its career, notably Rock in Rio, Ozzfest alongside Black Sabbath, Donington's "Monsters of Rock", "Download" Festivals and the "Reading and Leeds Festivals."
Although Iron Maiden are a heavy metal band, influenced by Thin Lizzy and Deep Purple, their earlier music had punk overtones mainly due to vocalist Paul Di'Anno and punk rock's influence on NWOBHM-era heavy metal as a whole.
Iron Maiden's mascot, Eddie, is a perennial fixture in the band's horror-influenced album cover art, as well as in live shows. Eddie was drawn by Derek Riggs until 1992, although there have been various incarnations by numerous artists including Melvyn Grant. Eddie is also featured in a first-person shooter video game from the band, Ed Hunter, as well as numerous books, graphic comics and band-related merchandise.
Van Halen is an American rock band formed in the 1970s. From their debut album, Van Halen (1978) they became an influential band in American hard rock, releasing eleven studio albums.[2] selling more than 80 million albums worldwide[3] earning the band the Guinness Book of World Records title for the most number one hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock List.[4] According to the Recording Industry Association of America Van Halen is #19 on the list of Top Selling Artists of all time (having sold more than 56 million albums in the U.S.)[5] and is one of only five rock groups that have had two albums sell more than 10 million copies in the U.S. The band and its best known former members were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 12, 2007.
In addition to being recognized for their artistic contributions and success, the band is known for drama surrounding the lead singer spot. Although the core instrumentalists haven't changed (Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen and until 2006, Michael Anthony on bass), the band has recorded studio albums with three different lead vocalists: David Lee Roth, Sammy Hagar and Gary Cherone. Each vocalist has departed (at least once) under cloudy circumstances. More recently Michael Anthony was replaced in the band by Eddie Van Halen's son Wolfgang, but this new lineup is not yet known to have performed or recorded.
Following their 2004 concert tour the band was on hiatus until September 2006, and since then the status of the band has been discussed by its individual members numerous times, though current details are vague. Other than three new songs in 2004, the band has released no new material since their album Van Halen III was released in 1998.
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