Quiz #73 - The Sisters of Mercy "This Corrosion"

Here it is, last video of this month. You can provide the answers for it til next Friday - Sept, 7.

UPDATED:

One of England's leading "goth" bands of the 1980s, the Sisters of Mercy play a slow, gloomy, ponderous hybrid of metal and psychedelia, often incorporating dance beats; the one constant in the band's career has been deep-voiced singer Andrew Eldritch. (There is some disagreement as to whether the group took its name from an order of Catholic nuns or from the Leonard Cohen song of the same name.)

While the goth scene in England was picking up commercial steam in the mid-'80s, the Sisters of Mercy may have seemed quiet, but they roared back with 1987's "Floodland". Opening with the driving two-part hymn "Dominion/Mother Russia," Sisters leader Andrew Eldritch (along with bassist Patricia Morrison) creates a black soundscape that is majestic and vast. While the earlier Sisters releases were noisy, sometimes harsh affairs, Floodland is filled with lush production (thanks to Meat Loaf writer/producer Jim Steinman and the New York Choral Society) and lyric imagery that is both scary and glorious. The slower tracks, like "Flood" and "1959," are some of the best ethereal sounds goth has to offer, and the downright regal "This Corrosion" is one of the best songs of the genre. A definite milestone.

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The Sisters of Mercy "This Corrosion"
Album "Floodland" - 1987

Quiz #72 - Van Halen "Why can't this be love"

Some of the best live performers ever...

UPDATED

With their 1978 eponymous debut, Van Halen simultaneously rewrote the rules of rock guitar and hard rock in general. Guitarist Eddie Van Halen redefined what electric guitar could do, developing a blindingly fast technique with a variety of self-taught two-handed tapping, hammer-ons, pull-offs, and effects that mimicked the sounds of machines and animals. It was wildly inventive and over the top, equaled only by vocalist David Lee Roth, who brought the role of a metal singer to near-performance art standards. Roth wasn't blessed with great technique, unlike Eddie, but he had a flair for showmanship that was derived as much from lounge performers as Robert Plant. Together, they made Van Halen into the most popular American rock & roll band of the late '70s and early '80s, and in the process set the template for hard rock and heavy metal for the '80s.

When Roth was fired from the band, most observers were taken by surprise when Sammy Hagar was named as his replacement. The former lead singer of Montrose, Hagar's solo career had been sporadically successful, highlighted by such arena metal hits as "Three-Lock Box" and "I Can't Drive 55." Though many critics suspected Hagar wouldn't be able to sustain Van Halen's remarkable success, his first album with the band, 1986's "5150", was a huge hit, reaching number one and spawning the hit singles "Why Can't This Be Love", "Dreams," and "Love Walks In."

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Van Halen "Why can't this be love"
Album "5150" - 1986

Quiz #71 - The Cure "Boys don't cry"

Some of you were not even born - I suspect :)

UPDATED:

Out of all the bands that emerged in the immediate aftermath of punk rock in the late '70s, the Cure was one of the most enduring and popular. Led through numerous incarnations by guitarist/vocalist Robert Smith (born April 21, 1959), the band became notorious for their slow, gloomy dirges and Smith's ghoulish appearance. But the public image often hid the diversity of the Cure's music. At the outset, they played jagged, edgy pop songs and they slowly evolved into a more textured outfit. As one of the bands that laid the seeds for goth rock, the group created towering layers of guitars and synthesizers, but by the time goth caught on in the mid-'80s, the Cure had moved away from the genre.

read more about The Cure



The Cure "Boys don't cry"
Album "Boys don't cry" - 1980

Quiz #70 - Lynch Mob "Tangled in the web"

Thank God for re-runs :) My VHS tape presented serious damage where this video was... and who can blame me? They had a catchy tune, they had bluesy-jazzy influences, they showed nice moves and they were topless :P The kind of song one can listen to in a loop, the kind of song one can strip to. Even men :))

UPDATED:

With internal tensions tearing Dokken apart in the late 80s, guitar virtuoso George Lynch and drummer "Wild" Mick Brown created Lynch Mob in an attempt to recreate the platinum triumphs of their previous band. Despite some incredible music and mild success, it was obvious that Lynch Mob would never reach the huge audience Dokken had.

Lynch put the band together with bassist Anthony Esposito and unknown vocalist Oni Logan (whom he wrestled away from Marc Ferrari's upstart called simply Ferrari). The group entered the studio and produced the excellent "Wicked Sensation" that reached the top 50 behind the single of the same name. However during the tour for the debut Logan left the band to work with Dio's Rowan Robertson.

Lynch Mob soldiered on with new singer Robert Mason for 1992's self-titled release. The album also faired well, but sold considerably less than the debut, and by 1993 Lynch Mob disintegrated. Lynch and Brown returned to Dokken while Mason resurfaced in Cry Of Love.

By 1998 the original Lynch Mob line-up had reformed for the Syzygy EP, but the music had taken a completely different approach and alienated many fans. Logan ended up backing out of the band for a second time and John West was brought in to tour. "Smoke This" was released by Lynch with an entirely new band and was a huge disappointment for many. Regrouping yet again with Mason and new drummer Michael Frowein, the Lynch Mob hit the road and re-recorded some classics for "REvolution". This is a band that will likely never go away, and that is a good thing.

Lynch Mob bio courtesy of Sleaze Roxx



Lynch Mob "Tangled in the web"
from 1992's "Lynch Mob"

Quiz #69 - Badlands "Dreams in the dark"

"Sing me a sweet sweet song"...

UPDATED:

As I was saying...

"Sing me a sweet, sweet song
Turn out the lights and my love will burn on and on
Hold me until tomorrow
Dreams in the dark..."

Led by former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Jake E. Lee and one-time Black Sabbath vocalist Ray Gillen, Badlands was one of the most talented bands to spring from the fertile hair band scene of the late '80s.

After a half-decade spent in the employ of metal legend Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Jake E. Lee decided it was time to strike out on his own after the conclusion of 1988's wildly successful the Ultimate Sin Tour. Wishing to distance himself as much as possible from his former boss, the guitarist set about looking for a charismatic frontman with which to launch his new project. The seeds of Badlands were sown when Lee met singer Ray Gillen, who had been looking for work after a brief touring stint with Black Sabbath.

With their bluesy brand of heavy metal, their eponymous debut was a welcome throwback to the tough, gritty sounds of '70s hard rock titans like Led Zeppelin. But in an era where glam metal gloss was king, their unpolished image and sound ultimately failed to connect with a wider audience, and despite receiving much media attention and even respectable MTV exposure, the album underperformed by everyone's expectations — especially their record company, Atlantic.

read more about Ray Gillen's cruel faith on allmusic.com


Badlands "Dreams in the dark"
Album "Badlands" - 1989

August - Third Week's Chart

1. Cassandra = 110 points
2. objectValues = 90 points
3. Joeri = 30 points
4. Petrica the Cat = 10 points

Finally, someone beats objectValues at this game - at least for this particular week.

Go Cassandra, go :))

Quiz #68 - Warlock "All we are"

Fronted by former model Doro Pesch, the German metal band Warlock consisted of guitarists Rudy Graf and Peter Szigeti, bassist Frank Rittel, and drummer Michael "Micha" Eurich. Originally formed in 1983, the group was heavily influenced by such fellow European metal outfits as Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and Accept, both musically and with their lyric/subject matter.

The quintet issued their debut album in 1984, "Burning the Witches", following it up with 1985's "Hellbound", 1986's "True As Steel" (the same year Warlock played at England's annual mammoth metal festival, Castle Donnington), and 1987's "Triumph and Agony".

Warlock called it quits by 1988, as Pesch launched a solo career.

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Warlock "All we are"
Album "Triumph and Agony" - 1987

Quiz #67 - Flotsam & Jetsam "Swatting at flies"

This video is shot entirely in a boxing ring.

Y'now... just like Rocky...

UPDATED:

Flotsam and Jetsam initially showed a lot of promise within thrash metal circles and, though they've continued to record over the past 15 years, their talent and professionalism never quite translated into significant sales or mainstream recognition. Formed in Arizona by vocalist Eric A. K., guitarists Michael Gilbert and Edward Carlson, bassist Jason Newsted, and drummer Kelly David-Smith, Flotsam and Jetsam were part of the second wave of thrash bands.

After signing with Metal Blade Records, they recorded their rough, but ambitious 1986 debut, "Doomsday for the Deceiver", which betrayed a huge Metallica influence. Ironically, the metal giants would soon recruit Newsted to replace bassist Cliff Burton, who had recently died in a tragic tour bus crash.

In another strange twist, Flotsam and Jetsam then signed with Metallica's label Elektra, for whom they recorded their second album, 1988's "No Place for Disgrace". Though the band supported the record by touring relentlessly, all their efforts barely made a dent in the now crowded thrash scene.

Switching to MCA, the band issued three more albums (1990's "When the Storm Comes Down", 1992's "Cuatro", and 1995's "Drift") which sold progressively less and added little to their original thrash metal recipe.

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Flotsam & Jetsam "Swatting at flies"
Album "Cuatro" - 1992

Quiz #66 - Stiltskin "Inside"

Another "new" song turned "old". From 1994 - to be precise...

UPDATED:

Stiltskin was a short lived grunge rock quartet that lasted for only a single album, 1994's "The Mind's Eye". Although they remain virtual unknown in the U.S., the group scored a big hit in the U.K. with the track "Inside" (used at the time in a commercial for Levi's), which was criticized by many for being too similar to the Smashing Pumpkins — Pumpkin leader Billy Corgan went as far as announcing from the stage at a 1994 show in Munich, "Hi, we're Stiltskin".

The group broke up before a second album could be issued, as their singer, Ray Wilson, went on to replace Phil Collins in Genesis (appearing on the lukewarm received album "Calling All Stations"). Two years later, Wilson's new group, Cut, issued their debut album, "Millionairehead".

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Stiltskin "Inside"
Album "The Mind's Eye" - 1994

Quiz #65 - Evanescence "Lithium"

Nirvana has a song with the same name...

UPDATED:

The goth-inspired Arkansas rock band Evanescence, with its "Linkin Park-meets-Tori Amos" sound backed by chugging guitars, easily made it to the top of the charts in 2003 with its Wind-Up Entertainment debut album, "Fallen". Singer/pianist Amy Lee and guitarist/songwriter Ben Moody formed the band at the end of the '90s after meeting in their early teens during a "youth camp," Moody said in a statement. "I heard Amy playing Meat Loaf's 'I'd Do Anything for Love' at the piano. So I went over to meet her, and she started singing for me. I was pretty much blown away, so I suckered her into joining a band with me."

The soundtrack to the 2003 Ben Affleck action movie "Daredevil" brought success to Evanescence; the begging "Bring Me to Life", which appeared on the soundtrack along with the ballad "My Immortal", became a hit.

"The Open Door", finally appeared in early October 2006. Spearheaded by the single "Call Me When You're Sober", the album displayed a broader emotional range amid the band's evolving sound. Evanescence played several intimate theater dates immediately following the record's release before moving on to larger arena shows.

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Evanescence "Lithium"
Album "The Open Door" - 2007