#which member of zz top is this?

[serious-goose]

looks like he's about to release the worst boogie rock album ever

[athena-gunpla]

HGUC 1/144 A.E.U.G. Prototype Transformable Mobile Suit MSZ-010 "𝛧𝛧 Gundam"

The last member of the AEUG Gundam Team is finally in my collection!! I've been debating whether or not to get the HGUC 𝛧𝛧 for quite some time, due to the age and size of the kit, but in the end I decided it would be a really neat addition.

The 𝛧𝛧 is unfortunately a little old, being from 2010, and so suffers from a lot of the flaws of that era including a really high usage of polycaps and an overall lack of poseability and articulation. I was really disappointed as it made it almost impossible to achieve the classic ZZ opening: transformation pose.

However, the kit's colour separation is excellent, with black stickers for the inside of all the yellow vents (pieces which I half expected to require painting on). The only part that required colour correcting (apart from the inside of the booster nozzles) were the backpack missiles, which i masked with putty and painted grey with my airbrush.

Unfortunately, while building this kit, i spilled plastic cement on it (which I had been using to close up some of the seam gaps these older models suffer from).

I was afraid this would permanently fuse parts together and thus prevent me parts-forming it into the spaceship mode, however, luckily, I was able to pull everything apart in time to rescue it.

The 𝛧𝛧 can parts form into the separate Core Top and Core Base sections, the latter of which controlled with a Core Fighter not dissimilar to other 1/144 core fighter models.

The two core sections combine into the G-Fortress, which joins the torso and arms to the waist and legs, allowing you to remove and rearrange parts to reveal the Gundam 𝛧𝛧.

A neat part of this kit is the oversized Beam Saber, which necessitates a custom moulded hand that clips into it, and comes with matching oversized beam effect parts.

Unfortunately, the hand parts available are significantly lacking. There's only a single closed left fist, the beam saber/open right hand, and a pistol grip right hand. There's no right closed fist like you'd usually get with older kits like this. This isn't a major issue, as admittedly my spare hands often just end up in my optional parts bin, but it would've been a nice option for posing and photography.

Overall I'm really glad to add the ZZ to the rest of the team, and it fits in great with my Hyaku-Shiki, Mk-II, and Zeta. Maybe spring for the Ver. Ka. if you're interested in a ZZ kit though - I know I'm definitely planning on it.

ガンダム チーム!!

[rhapsodynew]

#On this day

On December 3, 1948, the British vocalist was born

Ozzy Osbourne

Happy Birthday!👍👏🎊🎉✨️💥🔥🎵🎶♥️

One of the founders and a member of the "golden line-up" of the band Black Sabbath.

Ozzy Osbourne: rock music legend, winner of many awards and iconic achievements

"The bat thought I was giving her the kiss of life..."

Osborne was born on December 3, 1948, at the Marston Green Maternity Clinic near Coleshill, but grew up in the Aston area of Birmingham. Geezer Butler founded his first band Rare Breed in late 1967 and quickly invited

Ozzy Osbourne as the frontman. After two shows, the band broke up. At Polka Tulk Blues, Ozzy Osbourne and Jeezer Butler reunited with guitarist Tony Iommi and drummer Bill Ward, whose band Mythology had recently disbanded.

In August 1969, they decided to call themselves Black Sabbath.

Ozzy Osbourne left Black Sabbath in 1979 due to alcohol and drug problems, but then had a successful solo career, releasing 12 studio albums, the first seven of which were certified multiple platinum in the United States.

He repeatedly returned to Black Sabbath. He returned in 1997 and took part in the recording of the band's last studio album, "13" (2013), before embarking on a farewell tour that culminated with a performance in Birmingham, Alabama, in February 2017. His longevity and success earned him the unofficial title of "Godfather of Metal".

Ozzy Osbourne has sold over 100 million albums worldwide thanks to his time in Black Sabbath and solo efforts. Osborne has been recognized for his contribution to the music industry by a number of awards. He won a Grammy Award in the Best Metal Performance category in 1994 for the song "I Don't Want to Change the World" from the album Live & Loud. Osborne received the Godlike Genius Award at the NME Awards in London in 2004.

As a solo artist and member of Black Sabbath, Osborne was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005. Along with Tony Iommi, Bill Ward and Jeezer Butler from Black Sabbath, he was inducted into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.

Osborne, along with Genesis, Heart and ZZ Top, was recognized at the second annual VH1 Rock Honors ceremony in 2007. A bronze star was erected in his honor on Broad Street in Birmingham, England. On May 18, Osborne learned that he would be the first to be inducted into the Birmingham Walk of Fame.

Osborne In 2008, Osborne was awarded the title of "Legend of Live Rock Music" at the Classic Rock n Roll of Honor Awards. Previous winners have included Alice Cooper, Lemmy and Jimmy Page. The award was presented by Slash, former Guns N' Roses guitarist. At the Guys Choice Awards in Culver City, California, in 2010, Osborne received the Literary Achievement Award for his autobiography, I Am Ozzy. The award was presented by Sir Ben Kingsley. The book opened the New York Times bestseller list in 2nd place in the hardcover non-fiction category.

Ozzy Osbourne is a talented musician who has made a huge contribution to the development of rock music. His unique voice and expressive singing style have won millions of fans around the world. In addition, Ozzy Osbourne is a celebrity who has always been open and honest with her fans and fans. He also became famous for his reality shows and participation in films.

The awards and honors that Ozzy Osbourne has received during his career highlight his importance and contribution to the music industry. His music and personality will remain in the memory and hearts of many people for decades to come.

[justforbooks]

Dickey Betts

Guitarist, singer and founding member of the Allman Brothers Band best known for writing their 1973 hit Ramblin’ Man

Dickey Betts, who has died aged 80, was a founder member of the Allman Brothers Band, one of the most influential US “southern rock” groups of the 1970s. The hard-living outfit blazed out of Jacksonville, Florida, in 1969 with a mix of rock, blues, country and jazz that defined the genre, also influencing artists such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, ZZ Top, the Black Crowes and Kid Rock. They scored several platinum and gold albums and were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Although the six-piece band was ostensibly led by the blond- haired Allman brothers, Duane and Gregg (guitar and keyboards/vocals respectively), as joint lead guitarist, singer and main songwriter Betts played a crucial role. A larger than life character with his cowboy hats, long moustache and gunslinger good looks, Betts wrote many of the band’s best loved songs, including Jessica, Blue Sky and the 1973 US No 2 smash Ramblin’ Man, inspired by life on the road.

The signature duelling of Betts’s and Duane Allman’s lead guitars rewrote the rule book of how twin guitarists play together - previously one had played lead and the other rhythm. The band’s huge fanbase included President Jimmy Carter, and in 2020 Betts even received the rare accolade of a mention in a Bob Dylan song, when Murder Most Foul contained the line “Play Oscar Peterson, play Stan Getz/Play Blue Sky, play Dickey Betts.”

He was also the inspiration for the rock star character played by Billy Crudup in the former rock journalist Cameron Crowe’s film Almost Famous (2000), the director having been drawn to Betts’s aura of “possible danger and playful recklessness behind his eyes”.

Betts was born in West Palm Beach, Florida, one of the three children of Harold, a carpenter, and his wife, Sarah (nee Brinson), who wrote poetry and played the cornet in a Salvation Army band. Although his father was also a keen fiddler, Dickey’s first instrument was the ukelele, which he started playing aged five, later graduating to the mandolin and the banjo.

He was at West Gate elementary school when he wrote his first song, Seven Years With Pamela, about his sister. He then attended various West Palm Beach schools until seventh grade, dropping out of high school when he was 16, by which time his pursuits included carpentry, hunting and listening to the Grand Ole Opry on the family radio.

Hearing Chuck Berry’s Maybellene in his mid-teens prompted another switch of instrument, as he “started realising that girls like guitars”. He dropped out of high school aged 16 to tour the US with a travelling circus in his first band, the Swinging Saints, but was playing in Second Coming with the bassist Berry Oakley when Duane Allman invited both men to join his new group.

The lineup was completed by the drummer Butch Trucks and – unusually in white-dominated 60s southern rock - a black second drummer, James Lee Johnson, who had previously played with Otis Redding and Percy Sledge.

Although sales of their first two albums were sluggish, Duane Allman’s appearance on Eric Clapton’s 1970 album Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs – which included the classic hit Layla – boosted the heavy-touring Allman Brothers Band’s rising profile. Their 1971 live album At Fillmore East sold 1m copies.

After Duane Allman and Oakley were killed in motorcycle accidents in 1971 and 1972 respectively, Betts led a rejigged lineup. The 1973 album Brothers and Sisters – featuring Ramblin’ Man and the instrumental Jessica, later the theme to the television motoring show Top Gear – topped the US charts for five weeks, while 1975’s Win, Lose Or Draw went into the Top five. By then the band were succumbing to a familiar music industry cocktail of success, drugs, alcohol and feuding.

Betts and Gregg Allman both made solo albums, before Betts felt betrayed when the latter testified against the band’s road manager in a 1976 drugs case and refused to work with him again. Nevertheless, they regrouped in 1978, splitting again in 1982.

A second comeback in 1989 proved more enduring, although in 2000 Betts was fired over his drinking. That third spell in the band had been dogged by alcohol and drug abuse, lawsuits and arrests, and in 1996 he was charged with aggravated domestic assault after pointing a handgun at his fifth wife, Donna (nee Stearns), whom he had married in 1989. The charges were dropped after Betts agreed to enter rehab.

In his later years he returned with his own Dickey Betts Band and played in the band Great Southern with his son Duane. True to his ramblin’ man credentials, he remained on the road to the last, even after brain surgery following a 2018 fall at home, and he released live albums well into his 70s.

He is survived by Donna and his children, Kimberly, Christy, Jessica and Duane.

🔔 Forrest Richard Betts, musician, singer and songwriter, born 12 December 1943; died 18 April 2024

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[accio-victuuri]

CPN : before i first met you.

this is my 3/14 anniversary post, it’s been 6 years and there are still bits that can be talked about and shared. consider this as yet another supplementary to the 2017 candies and a part of devil timeline + prelude to love at first sight. dates cover february & march upto the filming this ttxs episode.

same disclaimer applies, this is all cpn/interpretation/speculation through the eyes of a turtle. these are mostly galaxy brain and may not be for everyone. if anything, you can use this as a glimpse to what they were doing at that time and enjoy that part.

• 020917 - Yibo gets his motorcycle driving license. months after meeting yinzheng in November 2016, he really spent all his time on Motos. Then early the next year he finally gets his first one, A Ducati 1199 Panigale S. The fact that it is color red which is ZZ’s color is not lost on me. You would think he will get a green one but he didn’t. The more logical explanation would have to be that his idol Rossi rode this particular model so maybe that’s why he was drawn to it.

He was spending most of his time practicing with the moto and getting hurt. 🥲🥲🥲

• 021017 - He flies to Beijing and wore a Gucci Hoodie. Lol. The irony is not lost on me. Tho I have to say, this kind of GUCCI logo clothing was pretty popular at the time so this could be Bobo just going along with what was on trend. But like, this will never happen now. HAHAHAHAHA! He has completely changed his wardrobe staples. It’s just cute to see him wearing what is essentially ZZ’s brand. If you cpn, then he wore that specifically because it reminded him off ZZ.

• 021117 - ZZ posted for lantern festival and reminded people to eat. What’s interesting is the 4th picture is that of a pink pig. We know what WYB is jokingly and lovingly referred to as piggy by his fans.

on the same day, he recorded a weekly video diary and published it. people are saying that at this time, he already knew that they were gonna be guests @ TTXS. then he goes on to talk about the weather, the bit we are 👀 was when he said this:

"I heard from a friend that Beijing is extremely cold"

sure. he has lots of friends in Beijing. that is practically his home base already. but wait, who just arrived in Beijing yesterday? WYB. Also CPN here is since he knows that he will go to TTXS, they might have been communicating already (and it came up in conversation that it’s cold in BJ. Even today, with LRLG, them talking about the weather is a staple.

• 021417 - It’s valentines day and WYB posted on weibo with a caption alluding to he is by himself and this is what valentines is like. Actually the hashtag was related to valentines. So this is him throwing it out there that he is alone and playing video games. Also the use of a dog filter is not lost on me. He really is the puppy.

Then comes ZZ with his V-day special episode of his video diary and he said some really sus things on here. Never mind what he is wearing. A white hoodie that we didn’t really see in full but from the top half kinda looks like the GUCCI one WYB wore. Yes, there are lots of white hoodies in the world but this is the cpn brain working overtime. Also, I’ve said earlier that Bobo might have worn that to match ZZ. Couple hoodie 💛 or, ZZ was purposely trying to match Bobo, this is not GUCCI at all but he wants to match since it’s Valentines and Bobo is all alone.

Back to what he said on the video diary,

“Even if you don’t have a lover, your family members and best friends are still lovers, right? In fact, they are people you care about.”

This is classic ZZ. He is so kind to the single people, completely different to how he treated single dogs in 2020. lol. Maybe because he is not in a relationship yet at this time so he can relate and feels for the people who are alone on V-day. However the foreshadowing here is what he said that friends can be lovers. I wonder if he means that he is someone who wants to establish a solid connection and friendship with someone before crossing over to a romantic relationship.

In this timeline, they are casual friends who probably stalk each other on weibo sometimes + talk randomly. they are each other’s “special friend” but never have the time to actually take it a step further. This statement is like coaxing WYB, you might not have someone special this day but you have me, your friend. I care about you. and isn’t that so sweet? That’s what i love about them. They are friends first. No matter how much toxic people try to wash their friendship and twist it to fit their narrative — any sane person could see it. It was undeniable during CQL filming and promotion. It’s such a strong foundation of a romantic relationship and why we think they will last for a very very long time. 💛

021517 - ZZ posts in the secret garden and the time on the notes app is 11:08 ( 8 is Bo ) and you have a star too.

021917 - WYB was stuck recording in Changsha for TTXS and had to stay up till 7:00 AM the next day to finish his work.

Also on the same day, ZZ released a weekly video diary entry where he reminded people to take care of themselves and eat their meals. Since we’re on a cpn route and thinking that Web also watches ZZ’s content, he might have watched this. ZZ knows, so he added that bit in as a reminder. My favorite bit about this vlog tho is he was talking about his Happy Camp episode that just aired and he said hopefully the next time he comes on it will be more fun. Then years later, he does guest on HC with WYB and it was so much FUN. ☺️

Then he posted selfies with a drawing. I really think it’s him that he sketched but people are saying it looks like babie yibo too. Lol.

022017 - Early flight from Changsha to Beijing for Yibo and wore shoes with hand painter doberman on it. For all the lion-association we gave him, especially on the early days, it’s interesting to see how dogs/puppies appear.

022217 - Yibo posts on Weibo with a kadian of 43. This is really an excuse to explain what’s with the number 43. Again, it’s okay if you do not believe in Kadian — I struggle with it too and i’m very selective, but if you enjoy it and love trying to figure out potential hidden meanings then go ahead.

a simple explanation for the number is 43 means "I love you" in the Morse code (Morse code, regardless of the length of the signal point, L is pressed 4 times, u is pressed 3 times. So simple memory, 43 It is LU, which is the abbreviation of loveyou)

however the more romantic and yizhan biased is it’s involvement with the story “The Little Prince” especially the part about watching the sunset 43 times and how it relates to sadness / missing someone. So it’s like when the little prince is sad, he has to watch the sunset 43 times a day, because he misses you and is distressed because you are not around. So 43 means love you for a long time, I hope you will be with me in the future, you will never be alone~

022617 - ZZ posts on weibo saying that he will attend the event for Monster Hunt 2 soon. Then he says “ I want to meet you soon”. This is most probably for his fans but since we’re clowns, we know he is going to Beijing where Bobo is.

030117: Monster Hunt 2 press conference! You know how I can never get over the fact that ZZ’s designated number in x9 is 8. What kind of fate and coincidence is this tbh. He was wearing a ring with a star on it too. He has always loved stars and all the more when he finally met his lonely star.

Also a nice add on, Monster Hunt 2 stars Tony Leung and Bai Baihe. What are the chances that in 2023, Yibo’s movie with Tony will be in cinemas. ZZ on the other hand finished shooting a drama with Bai Baihe.

030217 - ZZ posts on weibo and was posted @ 12:38 , emphasis on the 38 which signifies zan bo. He also captions it with : “Let me give you a spoiler: Even today's hairstyle is in the shape of loving you guys.” because it’s a heart! he is too sweet!!!

030317 - WYB attends Private Shushan Academy press conference and he is wearing GUCCI. lol. This is so weird especially for me who knew Web after this and he was already wearing streetwear brands.

030417 - I wanna add this here cause WYB posted a selfie before starting work @ TTXS and their weibo account comments. This is a clue that the weibo account pays attention and may clown Yibo if they want. It’s a popular CPN that they alluded to Yibo being a fan of XZ after the 3.14 meeting so i’m archiving this moment. An example of the TTXS account loving Bobo.

030517 - On that day WYB flew to Beijing from Changsha, he looked very tired. At 18:06, he posted two selfies on the UNIQ official website , this selfie along with some captures from the airport looks like he was tired. The selfie seemed like it was taken specially for someone. He might have posted these 2 but who knows how many he took and sent others to ZZ.

In the meantime, ZZ also posts on Weibo about him being sick. LOL. how did you two become sick at the same time? 😂😂😂

The words ZZ also used and placed under quotation had the initials of WX = WANG XIAO or you can also assign WANGXIAN to it. Some next level coincidence right there if you ask me.

031217 - At the airport, Web wears a JW anderson striped neck thing ( idk what it’s called ) accessory that ZZ also wore for his X9 photoshoot.

AND FINALLY 03142017, we all know what happened. At the end of the day, ZZ was photographed leaving and WYB posted selfies for White Day. 🌹

There is really something so magical with this day. The moment WYB often answers as the “first time they met” and how it really stuck with him. How ZZ and that moment made an impression on him and vice versa. There is a reason why it’s such a favorite bxg holiday. 🌼 I have removed quite a few individual updates between them that have no cpn connection so this post can remain a candy-biased look into specific incidents.

-END.

P.S : Do not repost this CPN outside of tumblr without a credit to me and a link back to this post. Do not steal my words. Do not screenshot. In short, do not steal content that i made and claim as yours.

[serialadoptersbracket]

Full propaganda: Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu

1, Wen Kexing: Look this man shouldn't be adopting kids because he's kinda evil and also the leader of an army of criminals and outcasts, a position where he killed his way to the top at a young age, BUT when he was still just a kid he found Gu Xiang and knew that if he didn't take care of her that she would die and became her father/brother/master (it's complicated). And then many years later when he's off doing his revenge quest he basically ends up adopting Chengling who is freshly an orphan which was kind of Kexing’s fault (it's complicated), but Chengling doesn't mind that his new dads are a little evil (his other dad is Zhou Zishu who basically created the CIA in fantasy ancient China). And then Gu Xiang falls in love with Cao Weining which puts Kexing into protective father mode and he goes all overbearing father-in-law on Weining, but he comes around when he's sure that Weining will treat her right. And then when Weining's family/sect turns on him, Kexing becomes one of the few people left he could call family (also with the rest of the group).

2, Both: Wen Kexing- the man has his entire life planned around an evil revenge plot yet somehow while becoming the Ghost Valley Chief he manages to take Gu Xiang (who must of been a young girl at that point) under his wing. Sure the woman in the unfaithful manor probably helped him out with her, but still she manages to come out of the Ghost Valley probably the least messed up out of anyone. Also he goes total protective dad the second Cao Weining starts courting her, literally nitpicks everything the man does, yet in the end he gives them his support in the marriage and even holds it on his turf, opening up the Ghost Valley to normal (warrior/cultivating) people for their wedding. His positive interactions with Zhang Chengling are to a less extent, especially as the boy is so embroiled in his revenge scheme, but none the less he teaches him and treats him decently especially as the spend more time with each other.

ZZS- He gets tangled up in WKX’s whole revenge plot because he promises to protect and escort the boy, Zhang Chengling, to the safety of one of his martial uncles, and yet before we even hit the halfway point in episodes (at least I think it is) he’s taken the boy under his wing as what is essentially a disciple, even though he is the last member of his sect and was ready to let it die with him. Not to mention the fact that his whole plan was to waste away mostly unnoticed and yet he somehow gets dragged into the biggest drama of the decade and repeatedly puts himself in harms way to save the kid! And he planned on passing over the legacy of his sect to him! His relationship with Gu Xiang is less intense, but if I had to describe how they act it’s a constant back and forth, he annoys teases her and she gets all frustrated. She spends the first couple episodes literally thinking he’s a weird old man, cause their whole relationship is just like that. He’s also much more sympathetic to Cao Weining’s continuous courting struggle though that’s not to say he doesn’t pull a fast one or few on him.

3, Zhou Zishu: former assassin who literally just wanted to drink himself to death in peace but then in the span of like 2 day he suddenly obtained 2 kids and a husband(stalker)???? poor man Did Not want this and proceeds to spend the next few weeks/months in denial about it before finally coming to terms with the fact that he cares about all of them (not that he's gonna tell them that) and then he gets a son-in-law too??? the universe really refused to let him die alone and miserable and decided to drop and entire family on him out of nowhere

4, Both: “Submitting as a couple for maximum kid coverage. Also I saw that you already got show versions, so: this propaganda might sound contradictory to what you've got, but that's just because they changed stuff for the show.

In a vaguely chronological order: when Wen Kexing is about 12-13, living in a sort of no-laws land for people exiled from normal society, he picks up an orphaned infant girl, Gu Xiang, and decides to raise her (which btw to this day drives me severely insane because. he was just a kid! he was barely keeping himself safe!! he gave her a childhood he himself couldnt have!!!). Elsewhere, Zhou Zishu, also a teen at the time, gets saddled with looking after this kid, Liang Jiuxiao, by his shifu/teacher. Both Wen Kexing and Zhou Zishu act as a sort of parent/older brother figure to their respective kids. (Wen Kexing even puts it this way to someone, saying "we grew up together, so I'm a bit like her brother, but I also brought her up, so I'm a bit like her father too".)

Much later, when both Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing are in late twenties, they happen to run into each other. At this point, Liang Jiuxiao died in war a few years prior, but Zhou Zishu gets handed another kid - Zhang Chengling, a very recently orphaned 14yo. Zishu originally maintains that he's only helping the kid get to his extended family (kid's father's friend who's supposed to be like an uncle to him), but everyone gets attached. Zhang Chengling decides to become Zhou Zishu's disciple no matter what; Zishu is kind of seeing Jiuxiao in him, but also himself - because of how everyone is pressuring Chengling into taking responsibility for restoring his family's name/school while he is just a kid, when Zhou Zishu himself was only 15 when he had to take over his own school/organization because his shifu died - and Zishu is only now realizing this was maybe a lil bit non-ideal; Wen Kexing also partially sees himself... though a large part is also him just vibing with how much he, Zishu, and Chengling look like a nice lil' family together (he and Zishu are actually villain4villain but they rp normalcy so hard Chengling actually grows up well-adjusted); Gu Xiang and Chengling also develop a friendship.

So eventually Zhou Zishu goes "fuck it" and takes Chengling away, and he and Wen Kexing raise him together. They have a nice family vacation in the middle of the book and everything. The new year chapter is just *chefs kiss*

Zhou Zishu also looks out for Gu Xiang, and gives her some good advise. She doesn't spend as much time with the family because she's an adult at the time of the novel (by setting's standards) and is doing her own things, but Zishu clearly does take her as one of his own too.

The last two are not as clearly adopted but I figure I should mention them for completion's sake.

Cao Weining is a guy WenZhou run into on their travels, who they find a little silly but endearing. (the guy learned gay ppl exist and became an ally within like one conversation XD) He later falls in love with Gu Xiang, and she reciprocates after a while, so he is more son-in-law than outright adoptee - but at this point whos counting, hes also theirs in a way.

Meanwhile Gao Xiaolian is a girl whose dad was killed by the same people who killed Chengling's family, and she herself was kidnapped. Gu Xiang, Zhang Chengling, and Cao Weining rescue her and bring her to the family. She doesnt get a lot of interaction with WenZhou, but she becomes an important fourth member of no-braincells quartet with the rest of the 'children'. And she and Zhang Chengling also kill a guy together in a way that wasn't very honorable (deserved though), so clearly the influence of this particular found family is there 👍”

[music-addiction-disorder]

Last weeks poll ended with 16 votes, the winner (it was to be expected) was ZZ Top's 1983 "Eliminator" with 31,3%. It was a struggle for me aswell, but i ended up choosing "Afterburner" because it's the one that i keep going back to. It's must have something to do with that unique 80's sound...

The video for "Paranoid" was filmed in Belgium (1970), it was the first song i ever heard by Ozzy and Black Sabbath... i was hooked instantly! It's still my favorite Sabbath album to date, i mean... how can it not be with classics like "War Pigs", Paranoid", "Planet Caravan", "Iron Man" and "Fairies Wear Boots"?

Considered by many to be the first heavy metal band, Black Sabbath was formed in 1968 by��Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward in Birmingham, UK. The band's original name was the Polka Tulk Blues Band (later shortened to Polka Tulk) and later on changed to Earth before becoming Black Sabbath inspired by an Italian horror movie of the same name. The original line-up lasted until 1979, after which Osbourne was fired and replaced by Ronnie James Dio. The line-up changes would continue, with no line-up remaining intact for consecutive studio releases. Throughout the changes, only Tony Iommi and keyboardist Geoff Nicholls, who also joined the band in 1979, would remain with Black Sabbath, although Nicholls would not always be credited as a full member. In 1997, Iommi, Butler, Ward, and Osbourne reunited, touring and releasing a live album in 1998, although a long-rumored studio release did not appear (the group attempted to record a new album in 2001 with producer Rick Rubin but the sessions were scrapped). After that, the group periodically reunited to tour with Ozzy's "Ozzfest" tour. In 2004, longtime keyboardist Geoff Nicholls was replaced by Adam Wakeman for an Ozzfest tour. No reason was given for the replacement. In 2006, the original line-up was inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall Of Fame.

In 2007, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Ronnie James Dio, and drummer Vinny Appice (who were featured on 1981's "Mob Rules" and 1992's "Dehumanizer") announced that they would tour together as Heaven & Hell (with Iommi, who owns the Black Sabbath name, deciding to keep the Black Sabbath name solely for the original line-up in light of their Rock 'n' Roll HOF induction) to support a Dio-era greatest hits release, which also featured 3 new Dio/Iommi compositions. A brand new live album was released under the Heaven & Hell name that same year, followed by a studio album in 2009.

In 2009, Osbourne sued Iommi over control of the Black Sabbath name. The lawsuit was settled the following year. In late 2011, it was announced that the original line-up would be recording and touring. Shortly, afterward, Bill Ward dropped out, stating he had been given a contract that was "unsignable". The three remaining members opted to continue without him. In 2013, the band released "13", their first studio album with Osbourne in 34 years. The band played their final live show in Birmingham, UK, on February 4, 2017. Although the band has announced that full-scale touring is done, Tony Iommi has stated that the door is still open for future music and possible live appearances.

Ps, if you vote please also reblog, the more people will do so the more this post will spread and the better the outcome and results will be. A big "thank you" in advance to anyone who will partake in this! Yours truly: @necro69mancer 🤘🍻

Oh, and also... suggestions for future polls are always welcome! 😎

@goblinkleaver @beardedguy1369 @1000deleting @wayward-cat @wolvesofodinedinburgh @manuaani @moonstar-magic @gloria-glitter @maidenintexas1 @machetazos88 @inkedupblondie @very-old-biker ...

[joylinda-hawks]

See? This is the key to the arsenal you so desire. You can open it using this key. You don't need Glazed Armor for this. WOH, episode 32. There is a fight between WKX and members of the Alliance on the Bailu cliff. WKX fights armed men only with a fan. At the top of the cliff stands ZJ, the Scorpion King, with his assassins, SS and ZCL. There are also masters of other sects and their disciples. They watch the fight. When WKX manages to defeat the opponents, the sleeping warriors jump down from the top. The fight is still going on and WKX seems undefeated. ZJ and the others are approaching the edge of the peak. Below is WKX who defeated his opponents. ZJ tells WKX to stop fighting and to surrender. If WKX listens to ZJ, he promises that WKX's body will not be torn to shreds. WKX laughs ironically, asking what will happen if he refuses. Someone from the crowd shouts how dare WKX refuse, adding that even if WKX was the best martial artist, would he be able to beat them all. He explains that in WKX they do not have to follow any rules. Standing next to SS, ZCL looks intently at WKX. One of the men suggests that they attack together and kill WKX. The others support him. WKX replies that he will kill anyone who comes near him. ZJ looks at WKX with contempt in his eyes. WKX explains that they are right, that he will not be able to kill them all, but he will be happy to find out who wants to die first and who wants to live. WKX looks at ZCL and the boy looks at WKX too. WKX takes the key off his neck and shows it to the crowd. He explains that this is the key to the Arsenal which can be opened without Glazed Armor. WKX asks if they want the key and adds that if they kill him, the key will be theirs. There was consternation at the top of the cliff. Those gathered started shouting for WKX to be killed. The Scorpion King tells them not to be fooled by WKX. He says that he will kill WKX first and then they will share the contents of the Arsenal. There is nothing better than a well-placed trap. Only people who have been let in on the secret know what WKX is going to do. WKX, despite his great feelings for ZZS, wants to avenge his parents and knows that he can only do it this way. He doesn't want ZZS to get involved, but he doesn't expect that what he did was the worst choice. GJ here beautifully presented himself as the leader of Ghost Valley, undefeated, fearless, challenging the whole world. This scene is a real masterpiece in terms of visuals and acting.

[beardedmrbean]

I'm no metal maestro, however i remember someone told me it's a very challenging genre of music to learn.  IDK if it's true, but being more educated in music than myself, I'll take his word for it.  True or not, enjoy.

Submitted by @eggs-n-ham-sam

8 string, huh

Band called Nuclear Rabbit, been around forever, members have chosen to remain a underground band against the calls of many other bands that really like em and want them to be huge but the guys like their day jobs too iirc. Here's one of their bassists

No clue how to play that one, Guy that's filling in for Dusty Hill in ZZ top, Elwood Francis (guitar tech's guitar tech) has this one also a bass and likely the least practical instrument I've ever seen.

As for metal though yes, it can be a very challenging genre to pick up it's not all crunchy power chords and screaming like some would have you believe.

This is the Black Mages, 3 of the primary composers for Square and Enix got together and decided to do a instrumental metal band to cover Nobu Uemetsu's Final Fantasy music, which is all of the Final Fantasy music at least up to that point.

good stuff

[dustedmagazine]

Listed: Tørrfall

Photo by Iver Findlay

Tørrfall are a Norwegian trio who've been playing together since (at least) 2020, recorded their self-titled debut live in August 2021, but just released it this past March. Vocals and synthesizer are provided by Nils Erga (Noxagt, Burning Axis), bass by Kristoffer Riis (Golden Oriole, Staer), and drums by Thore Warland (Golden Oriole, Staer, Burning Axis). Dusted’s Ian Mathers summed up their self-described “psychedelic water music” as “a bad-trip, submarine cousin of the Necks’ Drive By.” Here, all three members talk about 10 releases that could have influenced the Tørrfall record.

Ivor Cutler and Linda Hirst — “Women of the World” (Rough Trade, 1983)

Nils: The Norwegian broadcasting company, NRK, used to have excellent radio DJs. I believe I only heard this song once upon release, and as a nine-year-old boy, I never caught who sang it, what it was called, or what the lyrics were all about. And then it was gone! But the impossibly catchy melody of the chorus – the song is essentially one single mantra-like, cascading chorus – never left me, and as I grew older, I would replay it in my head repeatedly, hundreds and hundreds of times. In 1999, Jim O'Rourke did a cover version, which I accidentally got to hear, and I was stunned. There it was again, finally! That song!  

Cocteau Twins — The Spangle Maker (4AD, 1984)

Nils: Growing up in the Stavanger region in the 1980s, the UK was never far away. Back then, you could hop on the ferry to Newcastle or fly directly to London or Aberdeen (you'd be there in an hour or so). My older sister brought this back from one of her trips to the Thatcher Empire. Back then, I loved all that 4AD stuff, but in hindsight, Cocteau Twins were the best of all the then-current acts she so generously introduced me to. And Elisabeth Fraser never sounded more lost, more gothic, more out-of-this-world than on this one (the Treasure LP that came out the same year is rather wonderful too). Dream pop, indeed.

Basic Channel et al. — Any 12" under any moniker (Basic Channel, 1990s)

Nils: I can't remember the first Basic Channel-related 12" that I heard, but I remember becoming instantly hooked – what is this sound? – so I started collecting everything I could find during those early days of the Internet. When listening to this music now, whether it's Main Street, Maurizio, Basic Channel or Rhythm & Sound (preferably loudly and on big speakers), I still feel like time is slowly dissolving. Or it bends and can no longer be trusted. And often, continuing down this path of truly psychedelic techno, I still find myself lost in the strangely lit woods of Wolfgang Voigt's late 90s GAS records, which are equally transcendental.

Steely Dan — Gaucho (MCA, 1980)

Nils: Hey Nineteen! I first heard this record in my early twenties, and back then, the whole Steely Dan vibe didn't appeal much, nor did it make much sense. But I knew they were named after a William Burroughs-invented "artefact", so I gathered there had to be something there. It turns out there was, in spades (check out Donald and Walter's open letters to celebrities whose careers they worry about for further reading). Anyway, Steely Dan is now my favourite band for watching waves roll by from the balcony, closely followed by early ZZ Top. And this is their magnum opus, in my humble opinion. The Royal Scam and Aja aren't far off, though.

Armando Sciascia — After the End (Suite For String Orchestra & Synthesizer) (Vedette Records, 1971)

Kristoffer: Armando Sciascia, the Abruzzese custodian of the whole-tone scale. While some of his output during the 60s and 70s is admittedly quite stylized with its particular and sometimes overstated tonality, this album strikes a balance between classical principle and impious mischief, while being texturally tantalizing with its fine Italian blend of acoustic and synthetic arrangements. A bit hard to come by, although some of the tracks were available on the 1972 compilation Infini alongside Fabio Fabor on the slightly more obtainable Musique Pour L'Image imprint.

Camille Sauvage — Fantasmagories (Editions Montparnasse 2000, 1974)

Kristoffer: In some ways, Camille Sauvage was a French counterpart to Armando Sciascia, but with a markedly different sense of melody all his own. Sauvage composed some richly decorated harmonic showpieces that characterize this period in his discography, either under his real name or one of several pseudonyms, notably Eric Framond—and the orchestration was almost always over-the-top with shrill Edda Dell'Orso-esque vocals and screeching brass that nearly couldn't contain itself. On Fantasmagories, however, he shows a more nocturnal and contemplative side, really damp and littered with fragments of this and that.

Marcos Valle — Vento Sul (Odeon, 1972)

Kristoffer: While there is no shortage of Brazilian contenders with Edu Lobo, Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Os Mutantes and the lot, I regularly return to this one. It's Marcos Valle's best in my opinion, and there's not much more to be said about it. A really strong and playful MPB album.

Philip Glass — Music with Changing Parts for Ensemble (Chatham Square Editions, 1971)

Thore: The relentless electric organ stuff that Philip Glass did in the late 60s and early 70s I really like. This one is with saxophones, trumpet, violin, flutes and voices.

Boyd Rice — Boyd Rice (Mute, 1981)

Thore: Hysterical and also quite calming, the loops never get boring.

Ike Yard — Ike Yard (A Second) (Factory America, 1982)

Thore: Minimal and catchy, I love this one. Seems to be a timeless classic.

[musicblogwales]

Frankie and the Witch Fingers - Futurephobic (Official Video)

Los Angeles psych-punk quartet Frankie and the Witch Fingers have shared new track “Futurephobic” alongside an official video. The song is taken from their seventh studio album Data Doom, due September 1 via The Reverberation Appreciation Society / Greenway Records. FLOOD Magazine gave the video an early debut, describing it as “in line with the album title’s vintage dystopian sci-fi connotations, swapping weed-smoke riffs for frigid new wave pulses and staccato vocal deliveries.”

“The main riff was an idea we came up with during the writing process for our album Monsters Eating People Eating Monsters… but we kept it in our back pockets, as it wasn’t quite fitting in with the theme of that album,” the band explains. “When we started writing Data Doom, it reemerged very organically and everyone latched onto the idea surprisingly fast and ran with it. We expanded on the main riff and came up with the other parts and overall arrangement while writing with our new lineup in our studio in LA. The whole process went surprisingly smoothly. We added backing vocals and overdubs while on tour last year in Europe, doing all the passes to complete the song from various apart-hotels, attics in France and Amsterdam.”

Though they’re currently in the midst of a massive trek across Europe, the band recently announced an extensive run of headline U.S. tour dates for this fall, which include performances at such esteemed venues as Warsaw in Brooklyn and The Troubadour in Los Angeles. See below for the full list of currently-announced dates.

Through six progressively expansive albums, innumerable live dates on an ever-expanding list of continents, and performances with the likes of Thee Oh Sees, Ty Segall, Cheap Trick, ZZ Top and more (to say nothing of their impressive headline dates), Frankie and the Witch Fingers have earned their throngs of global fans with their ecstatically wild live shows and layered, visionary recordings. With Data Doom, the band is poised to welcome even more uninitiated into the fold – it’s their most eclectic work yet, while remaining undeniably cohesive, and they’re supporting it with the biggest headline shows they’ve ever played. 

Over the past decade Frankie and the Witch Fingers have operated as an outright force of nature, offering up a revelatory form of psych-rock that hits on both a primal and ecstatically mind-bending level. In the making of their new album Data Doom, the Los Angeles-based four-piece forged a sublimely galvanizing sound informed by their love of Afrobeat and proto-punk—a potent vessel for their frenetic meditations on technological change run rampant, encroaching fascism, and corrosive systems of power. Animated by the explosive energy they’ve brought to the stage in sharing bills with such eclectic acts as Ty Segall and ZZ Top, the result is a major leap forward for one of the most adventurous and forward-thinking bands working today. 

Rooted in the cerebral yet viscerally commanding songwriting of co-founders Dylan Sizemore (vocals, guitar) and Josh Menashe (lead guitar, synth), Data Doom marks the first Frankie and the Witch Fingers album created with bassist Nikki “Pickle” Smith (formerly of Death Valley Girls) and drummer Nick Aguilar (previously a touring drummer for punk legend Mike Watt). In crafting their most rhythmically complex work to date, the band drew heavily from each new member’s distinct sensibilities: Smith tapped into her extensive background in West African drumming (an art form she first discovered thanks to her music-instructor parents), while Aguilar leaned into formative influences like longtime Fela Kuti drummer Tony Allen. Self-produced by the DIY-minded band and recorded direct to tape by Menashe, Data Doom ultimately took shape through countless sessions in their Southeast L.A. rehearsal space, with Frankie and the Witch Fingers allowing themselves unlimited time to explore their most magnificently strange impulses.

Once again showcasing the expansive and fantastically eccentric musicality of past efforts like 2020’s Monsters Eating People Eating Monsters..., Data Doom encompasses nine high-wattage songs constructed with both dizzying intricacy and unfettered imagination. On “Mild Davis,” for instance, the band shares a gloriously spaced-out track inspired by a piece from Miles Davis’s early-’70s electric period, cycling through a vast whirlwind of rhythms and textures and wildly spellbinding guitar parts. “We worked on that for two weeks straight, puzzle-piecing together different parts into one very weird and stream-of-consciousness song that’s mostly in a 7/4 time signature,” Menashe recalls. Meanwhile, Sizemore’s lyrics shift between savagely despairing the state of the world and resolutely dreaming of a brighter future. “I wrote the lyrics to ‘Mild Davis' in a moment of feeling pessimistic about what technology is doing to our society, especially as AI is creeping to the forefront more and more,” says Sizemore. “But then the bridge comes from a more optimistic perspective, where it’s questioning whether we could reboot the whole system and start all over.”

After opening on the epic majesty of “Empire,” Data Doom launches into the first song the band’s new lineup wrote together: “Burn Me Down,” an irresistibly jittery track that perfectly encapsulates the album’s transcendent collision of blistering riffs and polyrhythmic grooves. On “Electricide,” Frankie and the Witch Fingers unleash the LP’s most unabashedly punk offering, a bombastic rallying cry built on Aguilar’s breakneck drumming. One of several songs featuring Menashe on sax, “Syster System” slips into a hypnotically fluid tempo as Frankie and the Witch Fingers muse on the possibilities of partnership culture (a concept introduced by futurist Riane Eisler in her seminal book The Chalice and the Blade). “Riane Eisler talks about how our society has a very masculine energy that manifests as the need to exert power, which she refers to as dominator culture,” Sizemore explains. “The alternative to that is partnership culture, which has a feminine energy that’s more symbiotic with nature. The idea behind ‘Syster System’ is that if we could bring that energy into technology, it could help make everything more harmonious.” And on “Political Cannibalism,” Data Doom closes out with a dance-ready anti-anthem stacked with so many loopy details, such as a warped and otherworldly guitar part Menashe spontaneously composed in an attic in France.

To create the cover art for Data Doom (a co-release from Greenway Records and the Reverberation Appreciation Society), Frankie and the Witch Fingers reached out to Italian illustrator Carlo Schievano and UK-based graphic designer Jordan Warren, who then joined forces in assembling an elaborate mixed-media piece complete with its own language system and accompanying decoder. “It was really fascinating to see two different artistic voices working together to make something so unique, with all these hidden elements for people to figure out,” says Smith. Not only an echo of the album’s endlessly immersive quality, Data Doom’s visual component reflects the band’s devotion to unbridled collaboration in all aspects of the creative process. “There was no pressure and no real time constraint for this record, and because of that the creativity flowed in a very free way that probably wouldn’t have happened if we’d been on the clock in a studio,” says Sizemore. “It showed us that the more we take the time to communicate and share our ideas with each other, the more it feeds our creative energy and helps us to make something we’re all really excited about.”

[seyemvertisepra]

The one you've all been waiting for

After a stupidly long hiatus, I'm finally going to talk about The Centauri Reproductive System (TM). This is obviously not going to be sfw, so if you're a kid or don't want to see that kind of content, I recommend scrolling away now. That said, this topic will be done in a professional and clinical manor, the same as all the other pieces on this blog.

Last chance to duck out in 3...2...1...

One of the most iconic biological oddities of the Urcharisfauna is the presence of multiple sets of reproductive organs. However, this is not true for all members of the class, and the number tends to increase with body mass. The smallest species may only possess a single set of reproductive organs, topping out at the well-known six sets of the Centauri and other similarly-sized relatives.

Centauri are gonochoristic, with both child-bearing and fertilizing individuals. Somewhere between 65-70% of the population is child-bearing, a ratio which developed around the species' polygynous tendencies in combination with birth rates being limited by physical strain to one to three deliveries per individual. Because Centauri biology is highly malleable to the environment, this number can change over time depending on various factors, such as the size of a community and its demographics.

Out of respect for the historical and cultural significance of Centauri transness, for the purposes of this document, the sexes will be referred to as Sex ZZ and Sex ZW. However, it should be noted that it is still culturally ubiquitous for Sex ZZ to be assigned male at birth, and Sex ZW to be assigned female.

Sex ZZ possesses six prehensile penises, which can shrink and grow as needed and normally remain drawn up inside genital slits. There are three of these on each side of the lower spine. Each penis ends in a triangular head, and has a pair of internal testes. Fully extended, average length is around 3.5 to 5 feet. Due to their hydrostatic nature as well as the dual Centauri hearts and hyper-oxygenated blood, these organs can be used simultaneously or individually without risk of circulatory system collapse.

Fertilization can occur with only one penis, but sexual stimulation is difficult to achieve unless all six are engaged. Centauri produce semen from the orifice at the head of each penis, and ejaculation occurs simultaneously from all six. There are two large prostates, located closest in proximity to the two bottom pairs of reproductive organs but functioning for all of them.

The greater volume of semen produced helps to ensure more fertility per reproductive event, a vital trait due to most Centauri sex being non-reproductive. This is believed to be one of the primary functions of the multiple sexual organs. Other theories include a grappling function to lessen the clumsiness of mating in the high-altitude environments Urcharisfauna ancestors evolved, and high rates of homosexual behavior selecting for more organs to promote bonding between same-sex individuals.

Outside of sex and reproduction, these organs play several roles, some of which have become socially archaic due to the more conservative way in which Republic Centauri view their bodies. Ancestral members of the species may have used them as a threat display, waving them around in order to make one's self appear bigger. The intention also may be to invoke larger predators such as the Xon. They are also used to grasp and manipulate objects when hands are indisposed, though Centauri penises lack the extra digit of the Xon, making them clumsier at this.

Penile extension can be both voluntary or involuntary; when not being used for sexual purposes, they can be extended and withdrawn freely. However, stimulation results in involuntary extension, and extreme physical or psychological danger can cause them to lock down and be unable to extend as a form of protection. Sex ZZ's genital slits are able to be penetrated, and this is a common part of homosexual courtship.

At puberty, Sex ZZ typically begins to produce the hormones necessary for quill production, resulting in the gradual development of the crest structure. It can take well into adulthood for the crest to reach its full magnificence, and the size, shape and texture vary greatly from person to person. This sex also develops large, sharp canine teeth starting at around the same age.

Sex ZZ is not capable of producing urine from the reproductive organs; this is a distinct process.

Sex ZW possesses six genital slits that are externally indistinguishable from Sex ZZ. The clitoris is a small internal nub, a smaller version of the penis that lacks the ability to extend outside but sits roughly in the same area. Like in humans, these are extremely sensitive, and contact with them is enjoyable.

There is no external protective labia; instead the muscles around Sex ZW's genital slits remain closed until stimulation occurs. There are three pairs of potentially functioning ovaries, with each pair of genital slits corresponding to one set of ovaries each. Much like Sex ZZ, sexual stimulation is difficult to achieve without the engagement of all six genital slits.

Sex ZW does not have a menstrual cycle, and ovulation is induced through courtship and mating activity at any time of the year. It is worth noting that this can also be induced through courtship with a member of the same sex. During ovulation, one pair of ovaries will become fertile, while the others remain dormant. For unknown reasons, the top pair are permanently dormant in around 80% of individuals.

Gestation takes around 6 Earth months, and the umbilical cord attaches in the opposite direction from humans, causing the embryo to grow 'backwards', with its feet facing toward the parent's back. Labor can and often does last for up to three days. The child will then turn around to face head first before delivery, and is delivered from either the right or left bottom genital slit.

Pregnancy and childbirth is an ordeal for Centauri, due the proximity of the birth canal to the spine. Infants are born small to compensate, more than half the size of an average human infant. The last month of gestation typically involves a partial hibernation or torpor to protect both parent and baby. Birthing specialists employ techniques to influence which birth canal the baby will be delivered from. Twins are rare and dangerous, although it is not impossible to deliver them safely with advanced knowledge and medical care.

Sex ZW does not possess mammary glands (you will ignore the Babylon 5 propaganda ooo). Instead, they produce crop milk from a gland in their throat. Offspring are fed through regurgitation of this milk for up to the first year of their life, when they begin to grow teeth and eat solid foods.

Provided they don't transition, the child will remain with the parent of their assigned gender for around 25 years, staying dependent on their caregivers for slightly longer than humans and being considered full adults at around 30.

At puberty, Sex ZW typically begins to produce hormones that lead to head hair loss, aside from a small area on the back of the scalp where a mane will grow. This mane grows in quickly and will reach full length in only a few years. Due to genetics, some individuals may naturally lose all their head hair and remain fully bald as adults.

As an aside, the hair loss process is reversible with HRT, as ZW hormones merely suppress head hair growth rather than blocking the body’s capacity to grow it altogether.

Both sexes produce pair bonding hormones during courtship with members of the same gender; for trans individuals, this process can be accelerated with Hormone Replacement Therapy, but also occurs naturally over time due to Centauri bioplasticity. For Sex ZZ, this results in the formation of Clave bonds, typically between an individual and one or two of their lifelong partners. For Sex ZW, this results in the formation of Creche bonds, which tend to be spread more evenly through a complex polycule and are thought to be one facilitator for telepathic gestalts.

Intersex Centauri, though pushed to near extinction through modern eugenics, were historically incredibly common. Any variation upon chromosomes and genitals is possible. So is a spectrum of hair presentation between crests and manes. Keep an open mind; the above is meant to be a general guide, not a rulebook. Any kind of intersex person you can think of existing in humans could potentially occur, plus a few more that can't happen for humans, like true gynandromorphs.

[ear-worthy]

The True Story of the Fake Zombies Podcast Premieres

The British Invasion --musically not militarily -- in 1964 and for the rest of the decade brought with it more than The Beatles. Of course, The Rolling Stones, the Dave Clark Five, and The Animals were just part of that musical influx. 

One of the unique sounds of that invasion emanated from The Zombies.

The Zombies were an English rock band formed in St Albans in 1961. Led by keyboardist/vocalist Rod Argent and vocalist Colin Blunstone, the group had their first British and American hit in 1964 with "She's Not There". In the US, two further singles—"Tell Her No" in 1965 and "Time of the Season" in 1968—were also successful. Their 1968 album Odyssey and Oracle was ranked number 100 on Rolling Stone's 2012 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, and number 243 on Rolling Stone's 2020 list. The Zombies were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019.

In a time when there is a 24-hour global stream of information at our fingertips, some stories are impossible to imagine. On July 11, Talkhouse will launch its latest podcast, The True Story of the Fake Zombies, in which host Daniel Ralstonregales listeners with an expertly researched and unbelievable music industry scam that went untold for decades.

Throughout the historiographic 8-episode weekly series, Ralston dives deep into the tale of how, in 1969, a music promotion company in a tiny Michigan town sent out not one but two bands onto the road to pretend to be The Zombies, the recently disbanded British Invasion band who had just had a huge hit with their song “Time of the Season.” Fake band members included Frank Beard and Dusty Hill, who would go on to become legendary figures in their next band, ZZ Top!

Ralston, who discovered this stranger-than-fiction con a decade ago, dives deep into every aspect of this 55-year-old rock n’ roll mystery, uncovering the secret history of the shady managers who concocted the scheme, the hapless young musicians who were recruited for the scam, the unlikely town where the whole thing was cooked up, the impact of the scheme on the real Zombies (whose iconic music features throughout the show), and much more.

Ralston shares, “55 years ago, four guys from Texas toured North America pretending to be the British Psychedelic rock band The Zombies.Two of those incredibly talented young men ended up in ZZ Top. Eight years ago, I wrote a story that uncovered the names and faces behind the Texas Zombies. I am incredibly excited to take the story further. The True Story of The Fake Zombies traces the origins of the Texas band back to Bay City, Michigan, where two audacious managers put the whole thing together. This podcast was made possible by the local historians, legendary music writers and musical heroes who agreed to help tell the story of this truly wild rock and roll con. We are incredibly honored to have The Zombies voices and music included in the podcast.”

The True Story of the Fake Zombies is a production of iHeart, Nevermind Media and Talkhouse. Check it out. It's a wild story with an engrossing narrative and ingratiating host.

[justforbooks]

The guitarist Gary Rossington, who has died aged 71, was the last surviving original member of Lynyrd Skynyrd, who formed in Florida in the mid-1960s. He was a pivotal part of the group as both musician and songwriter, his most arresting claim to fame being his slide guitar work on the band’s imperishable theme song, Free Bird. He also co-wrote their most successful single, the US Top 10 hit Sweet Home Alabama, and wrote songs regularly throughout the band’s career, up to their final studio album, Last of a Dyin’ Breed (2012).

Lynyrd Skynyrd reached the US Top 30 with each of their first five albums, three reaching double platinum status, but the group was plagued by a horrific litany of tragedies. Rossington, under the influence of drugs and alcohol, had survived a road accident in 1976 in which his car hit a tree, prompting Skynyrd’s lead vocalist, Ronnie Van Zant, to write the song That Smell – “Ooh that smell / The smell of death surrounds you”.

Then, in October 1977, Rossington survived an air crash in Mississippi in which Van Zant, the guitarist Steve Gaines and his sister, the backing singer Cassie Gaines, died. The chartered aircraft in which they were flying had previously had engine failure; despite a mechanic having supposedly fixed it, both engines failed on the next flight.

“I remember most of it,” Rossington told Guitar.com in 2020. “The rapid descent, the screaming, my friends in pain like something out of Vietnam. Waking up with the plane door on top of me … The main thing is we lost our best friends – that’s the hardest part. Our motto when we started was ‘If we don’t make it we’ll die trying.’ And we made it but at a terrible cost.”

Rossington recovered, after having steel rods inserted in his right arm and right leg, but for several years fought an addiction to painkillers, acquired during his convalescence. He later formed the Rossington Collins Band with his fellow Skynyrd guitarist Allen Collins, but they split in 1982 after Collins’ wife died.

He then formed the Rossington Band with his wife, Dale Krantz-Rossington, before rejoining the rebuilt Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1987, with Ronnie’s brother Johnny Van Zant on lead vocals. The group continued to tour and make albums for the next three decades, despite the deaths of several members. They were due to embark on a 22-city tour with ZZ Top in July 2023, though Rossington’s participation was uncertain because of health problems.

He was born in Jacksonville, Florida. His father was serving in the US army but died shortly after Gary’s birth, leaving his mother, Berniece, to raise him single-handedly. He would later name his favourite 1959 Gibson Les Paul guitar “Berniece” in her honour.

A keen baseball player, he had an early ambition to play for the New York Yankees, but the arrival on US shores of the “British Invasion” bands, especially the Rolling Stones, fired in him a desire to become a musician.

His twin enthusiasms combined when he met Van Zant and the drummer Bob Burns while they were playing on rival baseball teams in Jacksonville. They formed a band, and the first song they attempted to play was the Rolling Stones’ hit Time Is on My Side. They added Collins on guitar and the bass player Larry Junstrom, and went by various names including the Noble Five, the One Percent and My Backyard, playing in clubs and bars across the south before becoming Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1969.

The name was adapted from their PE teacher, Leonard Skinner, at Robert E Lee high school in Jacksonville. The New York Times reported how Van Zant’s father, Lacy, had asked teaching staff to allow Rossington to keep his long hair, since his musician’s earnings helped pay the household bills and he could not rock successfully with short hair. On the other hand, as Rossington told Rolling Stone magazine, “some places we’d get into fights – they didn’t like us ’cause our hair was long”.

It was not until 1973 that they released their debut album, (Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-’nérd). They had been rejected by nine record companies before the musician and producer Al Kooper signed them to MCA, after seeing them play a storming live show at a club called Funocchio’s in Atlanta. It was Kooper who helped the group turn Free Bird into a nine-minute epic, which became their anthemic calling card.

They had already made a couple of attempts at recording the song, but Kooper added the hymn-like organ passage at the beginning, and helped Rossington to achieve the distinctive sound of his mournful slide guitar theme. “It’s actually me playing the same thing twice, recording one on top of the other, so it sounds kind of slurry, echoey,” he revealed. He had taken inspiration from the slide wizard Duane Allman, of the Allman Brothers Band, who had also formed in Jacksonville.

The band’s single Sweet Home Alabama (1974), co-written by Rossington, became their biggest hit, reaching No 8 on the US chart and 31 in the UK. It was an irresistibly exuberant riposte to Neil Young’s songs Southern Man and Alabama, which the group deemed unreasonably damning of the American south, and in his 2012 autobiography, Waging Heavy Peace, Young admitted he had been “accusatory and condescending”. The song was later used to promote tourism in Alabama as well as supplying the movie Sweet Home Alabama with its story and title.

The band scored four successive US Top 20 albums with Second Helping (1974), Nuthin’ Fancy (1975), Gimme Back My Bullets (1976) and Street Survivors (1977). Lynyrd Skynyrd were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. The event prompted Rossington to say: “I don’t think of it as tragedy – I think of it as life. I think the good outweighs the bad.”

In 2018, Stephen Kijak’s documentary about the band, If I Leave Here Tomorrow, was released. Street Survivors: The True Story of the Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash was a dramatisation of the Mississippi air disaster, released in 2020.

Rossington is survived by Dale, whom he married in 1982, and their two daughters.

🔔 Gary Robert Rossington, guitarist and songwriter, born 4 December 1951; died 5 March 2023

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at http://justforbooks.tumblr.com

[parkerbombshell]

A Breath of Fresh Air Aug 29 2023

A Breath of Fresh Air With Sandy Kaye bombshellradio.com Tuesdays 1pm EST and Fridays 8pm EST In the heart of the ‘Swinging Sixties’, a British rock band called Savoy Brown was born and almost immediately began to have a profound impact with their pioneering blues-rock sound. Energetic Blues has always been Savoy Brown’s calling card. In fact, Blues Rock became the catch-all phrase in the late 1960s to describe the band’s music along with that of contemporaries including Cream, Fleetwood Mac, and Jimi Hendrix. Even though the band was plagued with a constantly changing line-up, the group’s guiding hand from the outset in 1966 was held by its founder, the late Kim Simmonds. Unfortunately, Savoy Brown never reached the same level of commercial success as their contemporaries but despite this they were a huge influence on the blues-rock genre, which led to their long-standing legacy in the industry. The band’s discography is a testament to their enduring influence. Albums like "Shake Down," "Blue Matter," and "Street Corner Talking" showcased the band's exceptional song writing and instrumentals. Through the 60s, 70s and 80’s songs such as “I’m Tired”, “Train to Nowhere”, “Tell Mama” and “Lay Back In The Arms Of Someone” became Hot 100 entries. Savoy Brown has always toured relentlessly, making it one of the longest running blues rock bands in existence. They also provided other groups opportunity. Kiss opened the bill on a Savoy Brown national tour as did ZZ Top, The Doobie Brothers and many, many more acts. Former members, having cut their teeth under Simmonds’ leadership, have gone on to complete their careers with other bands. Among others, these include singer Dave Walker with Fleetwood Mac and Black Sabbath, Bill Bruford with King Crimson and Andy Pyle with the Kinks. Savoy Brown helped spawn the 1968 UK Blues Rock boom and later opened the eyes of many 1970s American teenagers to their own home territory blues artists. Today, more than 50 years later, Savoy Brown remains a formidable, progressive Blues Rock force. Today the band continues without its leader, Kim Simmonds, who passed away late last year and is led by my special guests today – bassist PAT DESALVO and drummer GARNETT GRIMM. Both have been in the line-up for more than 10 years. I hope you enjoy the amazing story that is SAVOY BROWN’s musical journey. Sandy Kaye sandy@abreathoffreshair.com.au www.abreathoffreshair.com.au fb: sandykayepresents tw:@sandykpresents podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/a-breath-of-fresh-air/id1618650164   Read the full article

[krispyweiss]

Song Review: Jethro Tull - “The Navigators - Single Edit”

There are some serious Eliminator-era ZZ Top vibes emanating from “The Navigators.”

And that’s a shame, for if Ian Anderson is intent on dragging the contemporary Jethro Tull - of which he is the only original/classic-period member - back in time, he should at least revisit the 1970s and his own band’s heyday.

Yet here we are listening to Anderson’s flute tangle with synths on this rapid-fire rocker and second advance cut - “The Navigators” follows “Ginnungagap” - from RökFlöte, which arrives April. 21.

The “Single Edit” addendum suggests “The Navigators” runs even longer on the LP. This, too, is a shame, for three minutes, 24 seconds is enough.

Grade card: Jethro Tull - “The Navigators - Single Edit” - D

2/24/23