Join us for little musical trip down memory lane (interspersed with news events from the year): Dio, Bon Jovi, Motley Crue, Magnum, Gary Moore, Eric Clapton, Asia, Uriah Heep, The Power Station, Heart, Pat Benatar, Kiss, Saxon, Dokken, Ratt, ZZ Top, Mike + The Mechanics, Dire Straits, Rush, Aerosmith, The Firm, Marillion, Night Ranger, Simple Minds, The Cult, AC/DC, with plenty more besides, it’s sure to be a bit of a belter.
Tune in from 7pm (2pm EDT) this Thursday, 21st May.
This Thursday night, from 7pm GMT, we’ll continue our journey through the 1980s with Part 3 in our series of ‘Specials’; three hours of great music from the year 1982.
‘Back To The 80s’ has been a bit of a trip down memory lane and it’s reminded us all, me included, of just how great the music scene was “Back in the day”.
This week’s show includes music from a time where Rock Music was an ever present on MTV, national radio and mainstream TV from the likes of Fleetwood Mac, Asia, Nazareth, Survivor, Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, REO Speedwagon, Tygers Of Pan Tang, Samson, Mama’s Boys, Judas Priest, Night Ranger, Gary Moore, Rush, Queen, Cheap Trick, Golden Earring, Tank, Gillan, Triumph, Motorhead, UFO, Magnum, Pat Benatar, Dire Straits, Status Quo, Uriah Heep, The Michael Schenker Group, Y&T, Krokus, Iron Maiden along with a few more besides.
On this week’s show we’ll be setting alight the New Year with a bang: ZZ Top, Status Quo, Shinedown, Def Leppard, UFO, Marillion, Tom Petty & Stevie Nicks, Coheed and Cambria, Cage The Gods, Slaughter for starters.
We’ll also be kicking out the jams from groups appearing on our ‘Top 10 Albums of 2014‘ – Bloody Hammers, Magnum, Uriah Heep, Nothing More, Kyng, Lionize, Massive, Hellyeah, Rival Sons and Blues Pills.
Top 10s of this, Top 10s of that spring up all over the place at this time of year and well, what the heck, we thought we’d get in on the action and share with you our Top 10 Albums of 2014.
Here’s what floated our boat this year.
10. Bloody Hammers – Under Satan’s Sun:
Dark Transylvanian fuzz.
9. Magnum – Escape From The Shadow Garden:
Stories and soundscapes that keep drawing you in.
8. Uriah Heep – Outsider:
45 years of ‘Classic Rock’ experience put onto one album.
7. Nothing More – Nothing More:
Tension-filled, attention grabbing.
6. Kyng – Burn The Serum:
Monster riffage leads to profuse headbanging.
5. Lionize – Jetpack Soundtrack:
Phat grooves and hooks.
4. Massive – Full Throttle:
‘Rock ‘N’ Roll’ with more than one schooner of beer added.
3. Hellyeah – Blood For Blood:
A full cartridge of amour-piercing metal.
2. Rival Sons – Great Western Valkyrie:
Hit their stride with ease and grace, pace and talent.
1. Blues Pills – Blues Pills:
All shades of blues, delivered with appeal and aplomb.
The albums that made it onto here, reflect well (we think) on what a thoroughly diverse and generally inspiring year for Rock Music 2014 has been; new kids on the block along with those out earning their stripes, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with some old-stagers.
We received some fantastic news this morning that our interview with Bernie Shaw of Uriah Heep has entered the Top 20 in Mixcloud’s Classic Rock Chart.
We doff our cap to all Heep fans the world over and say thank you for taking the time to listen to what Bernie had to say about their brilliant new album ‘Outsider‘. It’s a great interview with a good few laughs included along the way.
So, if you haven’t had a chance to listen, fear not, it’s still available:
We’ve got some more Uriah Heep lined up to play for you on this week’s show, 7pm Thursday.
Uriah Heep, one of the pivotal hard rock groups to emerge from England in the late 1960s, return with ‘Outsider’, the band’s 24th studio album and the first since 2011’s critically acclaimed ‘Into The Wild’.
Formed in London in 1969 by guitarist Mick Box and late singer David Byron as ‘Spice’, the group evolved into Uriah Heep (the name was taken from a character in the Charles Dickens novel ‘David Copperfield’) when they began conceptualising their first record. The album, ‘Very ‘eavy, Very ‘umble’, launched the band’s distinct sound in 1970, one that was built around layered harmony vocals, swirling keyboards, and heavy guitar riffs. Current lead singer Bernie Shaw and keyboardist Phil Lanzon have been ever present since the mid 1980s, while drummer Russell Gilbrook joined in 2007. Mick Box has remained a constant presence throughout.
From the opening chords of the album’s hard driving rocker, ‘Speed of Sound’, to the more introspective closer, ‘Say Goodbye’, ‘Outsider’ proves that Uriah Heep has remained a musical powerhouse, and one that can effectively balance its legendary sound with a distinctly contemporary approach. The record, which was produced by Mike Paxman (Asia, Status Quo), also introduces bassist Dave Rimmer, who joined the band in the summer of 2013 following the untimely death of long time member Trevor Bolder.
When we played ‘One Minute’ the other week, it got a terrific response. We’re looking forward to playing more tracks from the album.
We caught up with Bernie Shaw who had only just returned from the band’s recent tour of Brazil. We talked about the tour, his observations of everyday life out in Brazil and the World Cup, Uriah Heep’s work ethic, Dave Rimmer the new bass player and how easily he slotted into the band following the passing of Trevor Bolder, how they went about recording the new album and what fans of Uriah Heep can look forward to with the new album ‘Outsider’.
Listen to our interview with Bernie Shaw:
The release of ‘Outsider’ [EU: June 6th, UK: June 9th, NA: June 10th 2014] coincides with a Scandinavian tour and a number of summer festival appearances in mainland Europe, following which Uriah Heep will launch a world tour – including UK dates – as the band promotes the new album to an eager international audience.
This latest offering from THE hardest working rock band on the planet will not disappoint Heep fans. If you’re a fan of Classic Rock and straight up and down rock ‘n’ roll, then ‘Outsider’‘ is without doubt one of those albums that you simply must get.
Great to see so many requests in ahead of the show…and what quality they are too!
Along with your chosen tuneage, we’ve received new material from Uriah Heep, Mastodon, Linkin Park, Avenged Sevenfold and Die So Fluid (we’ll be interviewing DSF’s Grog soon!) which we’ll be playing on the show as well.
As if that’s not enough, playlisted for the show are Gillan, MILL.ION, Heaven & Earth, Bloody Hammers, Krokus, Steppenwolf, Deep Purple, Genesis, Clutch and Gary Moore.
