Love Song, AC - DC

Love Song, is some sort of a lost gem of the ones from AC-DC.
It starts with a fast paced rhythm, sending your mind to the AC-DC that you already know. Then the pace is dropping down to an actual love song. And the lyrics are perfect!
Enjoy!

I can tell by the look in your eye
I can tell by the way you sigh
That you know I've been thinking of you
And you know what I want to do

Oh, Jean!

When you smile I see stars in the sky
When you smile I see sunrise
And I know you've been thinking of me
And I know how you want it to be

Oh, Jean!

I can tell by the things you say
I can tell that you know the way
And I know what you want me to do
Oh, I've got hearts and flowers for you

If you leave me you'll make me cry
When I think of you saying good bye
Oh the sky turns to a deeper blue
That's - that's how I'd feel if I lost you

Oh, Jean!

When A Blind Man Cries - DEEP PURPLE

If you're leaving, close the door

I'm not expecting people, anymore

Here me grieving, lying on the floor

Whether I'm drunk or dead, I really ain't too sure

I'm a blind man

I'm a blind man

And my world is pale

When a blind man cries

Lord, you know

There ain't a sadder tale

Had a friend once, in a room

Had a good time, but it ended much too soon

In a cold month, in that room

We found a reason, for the things we had to do

I'm a blind man

I'm a blind man

Now my room is cold

When a blind man cries

Lord, you know

He feels it from his soul

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/deeppurple/whenablindmancries.html

DEEP PURPLE | Official Site

Leb i Sol

Once upon a time in Jugoslavija (Yugoslavia), now Macedonia (also named FYROM - Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia), was a band named Leb i Sol (Bread and Salt).

As Romanians (the lucky ones living near the RO-YU border), until the early 1990's, we were listening to YU rock music, no matter from which republic the band came from. After the wars that decimated Yugoslavia (and the borders are still in dispute now in 2014 - see Kosovo), each band states its republic of origin... Politics affects everyone's life, and life includes music!

LEB I SOL is an expression which symbolizes traditional hospitality.

Latest news on their official website dates back to 2008.

KEEP ON ROCKING, no matter where you are!

Riders on the Storm

I was listening to this masterpiece once again, and I've remembered Ray Manzarek's story of the Riders on the Storm!
Below the song and the story, there are a few lightnings shot during the last storm nearby my town.
There's also a post on this blog about The Doors - the Oliver Stone movie. You might want to take a look!

Rest in Peace, Jim Morrison!

Rest in Peace, Ray Manzarek!

The official site of Robby Krieger.

John Densmore - his website.

Iced Earth - Belgrade, Serbia

Belgrade, Serbia was on Iced Earth Tour list on the 4th of February, 2014.

Because there was a must do event on my schedule the previous day some 100 Miles away in the neighboring country, I couldn't buy the ticket in advance. I was lucky enough to reach Belgrade at noon right on the day of the concert. The first thing that I've had to do was to go to the booked apartment in order to park my car (if you think you will find a parking place in the very heart of Belgrade, well, you are a dreamer, like Ozzy!).

With my car parked, the very next stop was Dom Omladine Beograd (Youth Center in Belgrade) in order to check for tickets availability. Yes, the tickets were available, but the payment had to be done in RSD (Dinars). There are exchange offices (menjačnica) at every corner, and there was one right across the street. Money changed, ticket bought... and some seven hours to spend in Belgrade until the concert will begin!

Being the appropriate hour for shopping, and Knez Mihailova street at a rock throw (two corners towards West), a shopping session was about to begin, but this is not a topic for this blog.

I left the room of the apartment (Apartments Skadarlija) at 7 PM sharp in order to be there among the first to enter the show, because the tickets had no printed place numbers. According to the time printed on the ticket, the show was about to begin at 8 PM.

There were just a bunch of metal fans. According to my previous Belgrade experience (Ozzy and Friends), and other rock and metal concerts in Europe, it was curious for me to encounter such a few number fans.

They were few in number but the look in their eyes told all who beheld them that they would leave this day only in victory or death. Warriors Prayer - ManOwaR

Around 7:20 PM the tickets were checked, and we entered from the entrance hall towards another one at the next floor, the one adjacent to the concert hall. This has been probably chosen according to the low number of sold tickets (I don't think that more than 350-400 metal fans attended the show).

Lights for metal sounds

The stage is ready

At 8 o'clock sharp, a guitar sound announced that the show is about to begin. Elm Street from Melbourne, Australia, entered and entertained us with their heavy metal sound, Barbed Wire Metal being the album promoted at this concert.

Elm Street

Elm Street

Ladies and gentlemen! From Los Angeles, California: Waaaarrrbringeeerr!!!
Warbringer (warning: the website automatically starts an audio player!) was the second opening band, and their sound positively impressed me!

Warbringer

Warbringer

Warbringer

Not to mention that now I am the metal fan owner of a concert ticket signed by John Kevill!

With the autograph of John Kevill (upper left)

With John Kevill

The stage is now prepared for the ones we came here for: ICED EARTH.

Performing the settings

Waiting for ICED EARTH:
ICED EARTH! ICED EARTH! ICED EARTH!

They have played songs from their last album, Plagues of Babylon, and also from their older albums, among them Dystopia and The Dark Saga.

ICED EARTH

ICED EARTH

ICED EARTH

ICED EARTH

ICED EARTH

ICED EARTH

ICED EARTH

ICED EARTH

The song Watching Over Me must be mentioned here due to its strong emotional burden.

The name Iced Earth was suggested to Jon Schaffer by his best friend Bill Blackmon, who later died in a motorcycle accident. The song 'Watching Over Me' is dedicated to him.

http://www.metalstorm.net/bands/trivia.php?band_id=2&bandname=Iced+Earth

Speaking of John Schaffer, here's one of my posts about Demons and Wizards, the power metal band formed by Schaffer along with Hansi Kürsch from Blind Guardian.

I was very pleased of the performance of the opening bands, Elm Street, and Warbringer. I am looking forward for their evolution!

As about ICED EARTH... 

We stand tall with pure defiance

[...]

Standing tall with those who truly are aware 

We survived, is it really over?

The End? - Plagues of Babylon, ICED EARTH

Resolution

Today I received the following message within an email:

Hi! I see you like metal, I think it will be interesting for you)))

So I gave it (the link) a chance. I was stunned by the powerful sound, and the performance of the artist. The song was a cover of Emigrate's Resolution, and the name of the artist is Roman Varashev.

Below are both the original and its cover. Enjoy! I really did!

A Circus Full of Freaks and Clowns

You have to see the world for what it is:

a circus full of freaks and clowns

and you'll never please everybody,

it's a well established fact',

he said, 'I recommend a fifth of Jack

and a bottle of Prozac.'

ProzaKc Blues - King Crimson

Changes

I've received the other day an email related to a certain situation in my country. This situation is presented as new each time it comes into discussion. It is always about changes, but those kind of changes seems to be perpetual, and every time they start from the very same spot they've previously started...

Speaking of changes, here are two versions of Black Sabbath's song: the one played by the band, and another one performed by Ozzy Osbourne and his daughter Kelly Osbourne. You might want to listen to them on a rainy day...

Considering that Ozzy is the main voice in both versions, which is your favorite one?

Enjoy!

Child in Time

There were LPs, then cassettes and video tapes. A major change in sound quality was brought to us by compact discs (Philips and SONY), the famous CDs!

The very first song that I was listening to, played on a CD player, and using headphones, was Deep Purple's Child in Time. It was, and will be an everlasting experience!

Do you remember your similar experience?

Many of my posts on this rock blog bring together different performances of the same song, and this is no different. You'll find, below the original, Yngwie Malmsteen's cover with a homonym name in a characteristic (guitar) interpretation. Enjoy!

Avantgarde Acoustic

In order to experience at home a concert alike feeling, one may need some speakers. Well, not any speakers! Some Avantgarde speakers, where purity meets performance!
My mind is blown by this unique horn design, and as soon as my thinking was restored, I was willing to share this information with you!
Read more about Avantgarde Acoustic ™ Hornloudspeaker GMBH. You'll be surely amazed!

PURITY – Our mindset

PERFORMANCE – Our passion

Roger Waters - The Wall, Bucharest, August, 28, 2013

Some more pictures here: THE WALL

And here are some older (2007) pictures from DARK SIDE OF THE MOON

To France

Years ago, a colleague of mine used to listen to Mike Oldfield.
Nowadays, listening to Blind Guardian, I came across one of Oldfield's songs, To France, played by this German power/heavy metal band.
Mike Oldfield's version was interpreted by Maggie Reilly, and Blind Guardian's one by Hansi Kürsch (Demons & Wizards).
Usually the original is far better than the remake, only this case is some sort of a new interpretation, so I would say that both versions worth attention!

Demons and Wizards

Demons and Wizards is a power metal band, formed by the vocalist Hansi Kürsch from Blind Guardian and the guitarist Jon Schaffer from Iced Earth.

I have reached their song Fiddler on the Green while searching something related to folk metal.

Blind Guardian - The Bard's Song

Iced Earth - Anthem

Dropkick Murphys

I "discovered" the powerful sound of Dropkick Murphys while watching Martin Scorsese's "The Departed".

At first, Dropkick Murphys reminded me about Skyclad, then, some of their songs, about The Clash. Being from Quincy, MA, so Americans, results quite a mix: American Celtic punk!

Beauty and the Beat, Bucharest - postponed

We've received that sad news about Tarja's severe case of laryngitis in front of Sala Palatului, Bucharest, when we expected to enter to the show. Now we have a video confirmation from Mike Terrana. Fortunately this illness is temporary! I am glad that the show was postponed and not cancelled!

We are barely wait for The Beauty and The Beat, so get well soon, Tarja!

See you on the 7th of May!

Best health wishes to both of you!