Posted by Steve.

November 17th. The first song I heard this morning - well technically second as I heard half of a Rolling Stones song before this one, but for the life of me I can't recall what it was!

"Bad Seamstress Blues/Fallin' Apart at the Seams" is the first track from the bands second record Long Cold Winter, this was never released as a single (as far as I am aware) but was a popular track with their fans back in 1988.

The video is taken from their appearance at The Moscow Music Peace Festival held (obviously) in Moscow at the Lenin Stadium. One hundred thousand Russian fans were there to see a line up which included Gorky Park (now there's a band I've long forgotten!), Scorpions, Skid Row, Ozzy Osbourne, Motley Crue and Bon Jovi.

I can't remember the exact details, but I do recall this had something to do with the then Bon Jovi manager Doc McGee being arrested for some drugs offence. As part of his sentence he put on this show in aid of drink and drug awareness! Would you really pick some of those bands to play an alcohol and drug benefit concert? Not really!! And what a meeting of egos it must have been!





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Posted by Steve.

We got Guitar Hero World Tour on Friday and it feels like it's been on the go non stop for the last 70 hours!!! I commandeered the drum set - it's fun but I'm completely useless at it! As Snowy pointed out, she can't believe someone that listens to as much music as I do can't hear the beat in a song!

I did really well with "Hail to the Freaks" by a band called the Beatsteaks (only missed 4 beats) and I'm pretty good at "Beat It" by Michael Jackson. I say pretty good but that is below average compared to the scores Snowy was getting - but I can do awesome drum fills!!!

And boy did I struggle to finish "Trapped Under Ice" by Metallica, on the forth attempt and I nearly crashed and burned on that one too. And I'm telling you now, it won't matter how much practice I get I will never complete Motorhead's "Overkill", "B.Y.O.B." by System of a Down or the video on display here!

With this song I can't even get to the vocals - I have a complete lack of hand to eye co-ordination! I love the mini Van Halen in this video and all my teachers at school looked like that!! How uncomfortable does 3/4 of the band look doing the dancing about half way through the video? It reminds me of a dance sequence from Red Dwarf, and I'm sure somebody will come up with the name of the episode!



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Posted by Steve.

This weekend I'm off on a road trip to Leeds for the Damnation Festival. This festival is a one day event over three stages featuring 17 bands, there is no way you will see all of them, so you have to be a bit picky on who you see! Possibly the 2 main draws for most people at this years event seems to be Sigh - a black metal band all the way from Japan - and Liverpool grind core legends Carcass playing their one and only UK show after splitting up back in 1995. This is their first UK show in 14 long years and rumoured to be their last gig ever.

I saw Carcass years ago at the Wheatsheaf down in Stoke - that place used to be my second home. When it was owned by a guy who loved live music it was an awesome venue. Over the years I saw bands like Napalm Death, Life of Agony, Wolfsbane, Skyclad, Xentrix, Green Day, Hellkrusher, DIRT, Anathema, Clawfinger, Cathedral, Refused, Madball, Dog Eat Dog, Kyuss, Snuff, Dub War, Skunk Anansie, Sham 69, Eddie and the Hot Rods, GBH, UK Subs, The Exploited.... the list is endless. I even put my own shows on there!

Anyway, back to 2008!

Four bands I saw there are playing this weekend in Leeds. One of them I have seen several times away from the Wheatsheaf (Napalm Death), one I couldn't really care less about (Cathedral) and the other 2 I have only seen once and both times at the 'Sheaf - Carcass and Pitchshifter. I want to see them both but they are both on stage at 9.35pm!

Both bands are no longer a going concern (Pithshifter split in 2003 but have played odd shows and festivals since then) so it maybe the last time I see either band ever again - Carcass for sure. But I know I will enjoy Pitchshifter more - but how can you miss Carcass after 14 years? Too many decisions!

Here's the first of 2 Damnation 2008 videos for you - maybe I'll let you decide who I see for me!

Carcass formed in 1987 and due to the covers and titles from their early albums it was always suggested that the band were student doctors! (Reek of Putrefaction, Symphonies of Sickness and Necroticism - Descanting the Insalubrious were their early releases), By the time Heartwork came out they had mellowed out but the end was near for the band.

Refering to Red Dwarf again - vocalist Jeff Walker Walker and Bill Steer appeared in an episode Red Dwarf. Walker performed as 'Gazza', a 'neo-Marxist nihilist anarchist', the bassist of the band 'Smeg and the Heads' in the 1989 episode "Timeslides" and Steer was the "whacked-out crazy hippy drummer" 'Dobbin'.



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