'Panama'

Happy Leap Day!

Michael Anthony and Robert Mason teamed up to perform "Panama" at a radio show anniversary party. It's really good.

David Lee Roth, 'Ain't No Christmas' -- New Song

David Lee Roth has a new solo track out and you can hear it below. It's called "Ain't No Christmas." Some are speculating this song signifies that Roth is leaving Van Halen again. We'll see I suppose. Regardless, Roth sure does sound good on this track.

Motley Crue: Going Out On 'Not'

Today's post is by our friend HIM.

Readers of BBG! are a fickle and passionate lot.  We squabble. But, most times, we make up. And, even when we don’t, we keep at it and keep posting . . . and squabbling.  

No subject in recent memory brought out as much passion and side-taking as Motley Crue’s final tour. We all know the sides that people took. We all know the jabs that people, myself included, made.   

Case in point: I argued that the whole PR nonsense of the Crue “going out on top” was just that, nonsense. It was as calculated as most of the recent music that they put out. It was sterile and devoid of real grit as, well, anything that the Crue had done in the last decade or so.  

Oh, the responses! Defenders bashed fair-weather fans. They overlooked the spectacle that was that final tour, spectacle that covered a host of sins that went on each and every night. Mind you, not sins in the classic “This is sleazy, so take it easy” sorta’ way. Bad singing. Mechanical performances. Stage gimmicks that seemed more energized—except when they weren’t—than the musicians on the same stage. 

So imagine my surprise when the conductor of this closer finally came out and said what I had been thinking. Nikki Sixx, in a recent Classic Rock interview teasing the band’s off-stage final show interview (to be released at a later date) had this to say about the as-yet-unseen discussion:  

“It’s interesting, because we talk about each other in a way that’s endearing – but not. We say where we’re really at. We talk about the drama and the pain of being in a band that has ceased to run on creativity, just on pure, mechanical motions.”  

I am not going to push this farther than it actually goes, even if it confirms what I already said. “Going out on top” is about creativity; it isn’t a mechanical act. Sixx knew that. So did the other members of the band. That we are getting a sense of where they might be headed suggests that the creative spark that once pushed the Crue to great heights is now better found in other bands and ventures.  

I also won’t begrudge those fans who bought into the hype. If they heard it differently and loved it all the same, who am I to judge? I’ve done that too. If they saw a band that didn’t really exist and found passion in their projections, that is all well and good. Again, I am guilty.  

All I say is this: when our idols are honest, we need to own up to our own lies. Even then, we can feel some comfort in knowing that, as fans, we are willing to put up with a lot because of the music we love. No amount of calculation can take our memories away from us.  

The Crue is dead. Long live the Crue!

This Is The Coolest Tour Opener Ever

Iron Maiden is back and on the road. The Book Of Souls world tour kicked off Wednesday night in Florida. Iron Maiden is a band I've still never seen live. Maybe someday. For now, check out this amazing show opening video. This must have cost a fortune.

New Jani Lane Album Out Next Week

Jani Lane died in 2011. Now Deadline Music is preparing to release an album of covers that Lane recorded between 2004 and his death. The new album is called Catch A Falling Star and features covers of some of our most favorite songs. I should note a lot of these recordings have been released in the past.

There are famous guests on Catch A Falling Star like Jake E. Lee, Chris Holmes, and former Warrant bandmates Erik Turner and Jerry Dixon. Here is the track listing:

I Want You To Want Me 
Panama
Photograph
The Ocean
Doctor, Doctor
Electric Eye
Free For All (feat. Jake E. Lee)
No Surprise (feat. Chris Holmes)
Lay Your Hands On Me (feat. Erik Turner, Jerry Dixon)

I haven't decided if this is cool, creepy, just a cash grab or a litle of all three. Regardless, I'll probably get this album. I assume this is the last Lane recording we'll ever get... unless another vault of songs is discovered a decade from now. 

Here's "Photograph." Have a listen:

First Listen: SIXX: A.M. 'Rise'

Here's a first listen to the new SIXX: A.M. track "Rise."

The band did an informal, acoustic show and premiered their new track "Rise" during the gig. What do you think?

Update on Wednesday, February 24, 2016 at 01:28PM by Allyson B. Crawford

Sorry - video is gone. I guess Nikki Sixx didn't like his song premiering this way!

'Right Now'

I watch a lot of news. I mean, just a ton of CNN. And all they talk about these days is American politics, specifically Donald Trump. I'm not a Trump supporter or a Republican, but I'll be darned if CNN doesn't show his rallies every night.

Trump has taken to using Van Halen's "Right Now" as his campaign song (a brilliant choice, honestly). That song just sounds damn killer on a loud PA. So, after watching the news last night, I had to jump to YouTube and check out the video for "Right Now." Good stuff. Reminds me of my childhood. And all the little word phrases on the screen are basically still true. I do love Van Hagar. Sue me.