Michael Jackson Biography

Good Bye King Of POP Rest In Peace

BIOGRAPHY on Michael Jacksonmichael jackson, biography, bio, history, 5, book, lyrics, pictures ,videos ,songs ,gallery , micheal, photo ,thriller, pics, dance moves
The Bio History of Michael Joseph Jackson began when he was born on the 29th of August 1958 in Gary, Indiana. He was the 7th of nine children. (brothers: Sigmund "Jackie", Toriano "Tito", Jermaine, Marlon, Steven "Randy", and sisters Rebbie, Janet and La-Toya Jackson

Michael began his musical career at the age of 5 as the lead singer of the Jackson 5 who formed in 1964. In these early years the Jackson 5, Jackie, Jermaine,Tito,Marlon and lead singer Michael played local clubs and bars in Gary Indiana and moving further afield as there talents grew and they could compete in bigger competitions. From these early days Michael would be at the same clubs as big talented stars of there days, such as Jackie Wilson and would be learning from them even back then. In 1968 the Bobby Taylor and The Vancouvers discovered the Jackson five and from there they got an audition for Berry Gordy of Motown Records. The Jackson 5 signed for Motown and moved to California. Their first 4 singles, "I Want You Back", "ABC", "The Love You Save", and "I'll Be There" all made US No1 hits. The Jackson 5 recorded 14 albums and Michael recorded 4 solo albums with Motown.

The Jackson 5 stayed with Motown until 1976, wanting more artistic freedom they felt they had to move on and signed up with Epic. The group name Jackson 5 had to be changed as it was owned by Motown, so they reverted to The Jacksons as they had be known in the early days. Brother Jermaine married Berry Gordy's daughter and stayed with Motown. Youngest brother Randy joined in his place. The Jacksons had a number of hit recordsand in total made 6 albums between the years of 1976 and 1984.

In 1977 Michael made his first film debut when he starred in the musical 'The Wiz' playing Scarecrow with Diana Ross in the lead role of Dorothy. It was at this time Michael met Quincy Jones who was doing the score for the film.

Michael teamed up with Quincey Jones as his producer for his first solo album with Epic Records. The album titled "Off The Wall" was a big success around the world and the first ever album to release a record breaking 4 No1 singles in the US.

In 1982 Michael Jackson released the world's largest selling album of all time, 'Thriller'. This album produced 7 hit singles, breaking yet again more records, and went on to sell over 50 million copies worldwide. Michael was keen to use music video or short films as he called them to promote his singles from the album. He worked with the best directors and producers, using the latest technology and special effects.for the hit song 'Billie Jean' The short film 'Thriller' used the latest make-up artists technolgy combined with fantastic dancing and cherography, to produce a 14 minute video, with a start, a middle and an ending. So successful was this video that 'The Making Of Michael Jackson's Thriller' became the world's largest selling home video combined with soaring album sales. In 1983 Michael performed the now legendary moonwalk for the first time on the 'Motown 25 years' anniversary show. This performance alone set Michael undoubtable into the realm of a superstar.

In 1984 Michael won a record breaking 8 Grammy awards in one night. The awards were for his work on the 'Thriller' album and his work on the narrative for the 'ET Storybook'.

On December 9th 1984 at the last concert of the Jackson's Victory Tour, Michael announced he was splitting from the group and going solo.

In 1987 Michael released his much awaited third solo album, titled 'Bad', and lauched his record breaking first solo world tour. 1988, Michael wrote his first autobiography talking for the first time on his childhood and his career. At the end of the 1980s Michael was named 'Artist Of The Decade' for his success off of his 'Thriller' and 'Bad' albums.

In 1991 Michael signed with Sony Music the largest ever recording contract and released his fourth solo album, 'Dangerous'. He toured world again in 1992, taking his concerts to countries that had never before been visited by a pop/rock artist. Also Michael founded the 'Heal the World Foundation' to help improve the lives of children across the world.

In 1994 Michael married Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of rock legend Elvis Presley. The marriage only lasted for 19 months, as they divorced in 1996.

1995 saw Michael release a fifth solo album, 'HIStory', which was a double album, first half new material and second half half greatest hits. Michael toured again over a legs covering a 2 year period. In between legs of the tour on November 14th 1996, Michael married for his second time to Debbie Rowe who was a nurse that Michael had met in the treatment of his skin pigment disorder. Together they had their first child Prince Michael Joseph Jackson jr born on February 13 1997 and a daughter Paris Michael Katherine Jackson born on April 3rd 1998. In 1997 Michael released the remix album 'Blood On The Dance Floor' which also contained 5 new song linked with a 38min film "Ghosts". This film Michael played 5 roles using the latest special effects and make-up artistry, combined with his dance and music.


In September, 2001 Michael celebrated his 30th anniversary as a solo artist with two concerts to be held in New York, USA. Many artists such as Whitney Houston, Usher, Destinys Child, Shaggy and many more performed there own and Michael Jacksons past songs. Michael then reunited with all of his brothers performed there biggest hits. Michael then went onto perform solo some of his biggest hits. In October 2001 Michael released the album 'Invincible' so far releasing only 2 singles including the big hit "You Rock My World". Since the release of this first single the album has been surrounded by rumours of a rift with Sony Music and a clear lack of promotion of the album.

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Yngwie J. Malmsteen Biography

Yngwie J. Malmsteen arrived on the scene in 1983 when he emigrated to America from his native Sweden. Malmsteen created a style - an ear-searing blend of metal bombast and classical beauty that is one of the most immediately recognizable of ALL guitarists. He elevated classical chops to new heights, adding a definite European stamp both dark-sounding and blindingly fast.

"I've been exposed to classical music since I was five years old," says Yngwie, who was born in Stockholm on June 30, 1963. "My mother listened to Bach so much, and I grew to really love his music. Bach's chord progressions and melodies are the most beautiful things ever written.

"My family was very musical," he adds. "My sister played flute and piano and my brother played guitar, drums, piano, violin, and accordian. My father even played guitar."

Malmsteen maintains that his biggest classical influence is 19th-century violin virtuoso Nicolo Paganini. "I was in my early teens the first time I heard his music," recalls Yngwie," and he's been my idol ever since. I got turned on to him through a Swedish TV show. A Russian violinist was playing some Paganini stuff on the program, and I freaked. I quickly put a portable tape recorder in front of the TV to get it on tape. When I found out later what the guy was playing, I went out and bought Paganiniâs "24 Caprices," which is my all-time favorite thing to listen to.

"Thatâs how I wanted to play guitar. He did with his instrument what few have ever come close to doing. He was a rock and roller-very wild and very extreme."

Yngwie's work overflows with classically influenced playing. His Grammy-nominated debut solo album, "Yngwie J. Malmsteen's Rising Force," is regarded by many as the definitive document of neoclassical rock guitar.

"Those compositions ["Black Star" and "Far Beyond the Sun"] sort of sum up my style," says Yngwie. "There are fast runs, slow harmonies, and some really nice arpeggios in them. Those songs are like icons for me. I'll probably play them until the day I die."

Malmsteen first picked up a guitar on September 18, 1970-the day Jimi Hendrix died. "Hendrix did inspire me to play," Yngwie affirms, "but I was more influenced by his image than his music. He looked so cool and was a fantastic performer."

Says Yngwie: "I don't think anyone can actually teach someone how to play guitar. The desire should come from inside. Guitar is at a stage where one has to do oneâs own innovations. Playing electric guitar is not like playing classical violin, which has been around for hundreds of years. To play classical violin, one has to be taught the specific skills needed to perform that particular kind of music. Once you get past the basics needed to play guitar, the rest is up to you."

Guitarists with mind-boggling technique can be quite boring on stage, but Malmsteen impresses as well as entertains. He is always in constant motion, whether playing his Stratocaster with his teeth or twirling it around his body.

"When I play a song at rehearsals I often get bored with it," he admits. "But as soon as I get in front of an audience I'll get excited and everything comes alive. I'm not just playing for myself. I live for my audience-they're everything. It's the best feeling imaginable to go on stage and have the crowd love you. As long as there's an audience, I'll never lose the desire to play."

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Trivium Biography

There's no such thing as a band born to greatness. To succeed in the world of music there's a whole energy-sapping storm of hard work to plough through. Florida's Trivium has surely earned the major contender status that has been afforded them by the international media. After spending the last few years up to their necks in blood, sweat and tears, the formidable foursome, whose 2005 sophomore release (and Roadrunner debut) Ascendancy made them a hit with discerning music fans everywhere, have paid their dues. Relentless touring around the world with over 350 shows in the past two years has sharpened the band's live prowess, making their new album, The Crusade, one of the most hotly anticipated hard rock albums of 2006. The level of charisma and energy that they've harnessed since hitting the global gig circuit has built Matthew K. Heafy, Corey Beaulieu, Paolo Gregoletto and Travis Smith a huge international fan base that is as devoted as it is ever growing.

Formed in Orlando, Florida at the dawn of the 21st century, Trivium was soon picked up by small independent label Lifeforce Records, which released their debut album Ember To Inferno in 2003. One track from this album appeared on a magazine compilation CD, which fell into the lap of Roadrunner Records Senior VP of AnR Monte Conner (Slipknot, Sepultura) who immediately heard the potential in the band. "Monte heard the song, gave our manager a call," recounts the now 20-year-old Heafy. "Of course, we all know who Monte Conner is so we started freaking out. It felt like fate because every time I turned on the radio or the TV, there was a Roadrunner band playing. It felt like some kind of omen." To drive it home for Monte, the band recorded a new demo and shot a video for the song Like Light to the Flies" and sent them to him. "He almost immediately responded, saying 'This is what we're looking for. Let's do this!' It was pretty mind-blowing."

In March 2005 the band released Ascendancy a bold and dynamic statement of intent that confirmed the potency of these young men's precocious talents and charisma. The album garnered a large number of frothing, ultra-positive reviews throughout the music press around the world, including the NY Times, Stuff Magazine, Revolver, Decibel and Metal Hammer, Rock Sound and Kerrang! in the UK, who declared Ascendancy 2005's album of the year. Trivium soon graced the covers of a lot of these magazines and picked up a fistful of coveted awards in the UK, including 'Best International Newcomer' at the 2005 Kerrang! Awards ceremony and several Metal Hammer Golden God statuettes. Suddenly it seemed that the sky was the limit! "The UK just rocked, right off the bat," smiles Heafy. &quotIt all happened so quickly. The first show we had in Wolverhampton, we were the first of three bands. We took the stage to this huge Trivium chant, something we never experienced before. When we finished our set the whole room cleared out and people were running out to get our signatures. It was an amazing feeling. The next thing we know, we were given the offer to play at Download."

Globally renowned, the Download Festival takes place on the hallowed turf at Donington Park - one-time home of the legendary 'Monsters Of Rock' festival. Trivium were eager to make their mark in front of such a huge audience... "We were booked to play on the third stage, playing to maybe two or three thousand people," recalls Heafy. "Then they swapped us to the main stage. We were all really stoked, but I remember that at 10:59am there was no one there at all. 30 seconds after that, 40,000 people came swarming across the hill towards the stage. We were thinking 'What the fuck do we do now?' The next thing I know we've played the biggest show of our lives."

Trivium didn't slow down after that tremendous accomplishment. Instead they continued to traverse the globe seeking to spread their metallic gospel. Festivals and headlining shows around the world followed. They even returned to Download in June of 2006, this time as one of the festival's headliners. In the U.S. they were one of the headliners on the Sounds of the Underground Tour. Upon the release of The Crusade, the band will embark on their first U.S. headlining tour and later, be direct support to Iron Maiden on their world stadium tour. "The ride has been completely awesome," states Heafy. "

"Everything that's happened in America, everything that's happened in the UK, all that has allowed us to make an album like this," says Heafy. As we got to the end we realized we were making something really special. To me, The Crusade is still Trivium. As a band, you can either release the same album again, keeping the same number of people interested and not really branch out, or you can evolve. I feel that The Crusade is the next logical step in our evolution. We took one big step between the first two albums, but this time we've taken about ten huge leaps forward."

"Every album title has been a statement about the band and where we were at that time," furthers Heafy. "'Ember To Inferno' meant that we went from a spark to something special. Ascendancy was about the dream of domination and a gradual rise to success. The Crusade is literally what we've been doing for the last two years, crusading around the planet and getting our music out to everyone."

Recorded at Audiohammer Studio in Sanford, Florida, The Crusade is a faithful account of a great young band's swift and bewildering evolution, from up-and-comer to world-beating behemoth. With long-time engineer Jason Suecof at the controls sharing co-production credits with Trivium, the album is as distinctive and immense as any other metal record in recent memory. It is a dazzling explosion of neck-snapping riffs, grandiose scream-along choruses and outstanding musicianship from all four members of the band. Drummer Travis Smith underpins the sharp brutality of his band's songs with a startlingly dextrous percussive attack, all machine-gun kick drums and octopoid bursts of round-the-kit athleticism. Bassist Paolo Gregoletto reveals a hitherto unheard depth and maturity to his playing through the album as well his inspired note-heavy runs and earthshaking bottom end providing a devastating counterpoint to his band mates' deft compositions. Finally, both frontman Heafy and his six-string counterpart Corey Beaulieu have reached a new plateau of blurred-finger brilliance, with instantly memorable riffs and ear-searing fret-melting solos. Additionally, on the album, Heafy sounds more raw, aggressive and emotive than ever before.

From the opening future-thrash twin-blast of "Ignition" and "Detonation," with their anthemic refrains and blizzards of lacerating lead work, The Crusade is clearly a body of work that could raise the bar for rock bands around the world. There's the staggering, precocious &quotAnthem (We Are The Fire)," which blends the scathing thrash riffs of Megadeth with the infectious swagger of Motley Crue at their succinct best. The intricate, rumbling bludgeon of "Becoming The Dragon" has a pummelling, cyclical rhythmic drive and soaring, left-of-centre chorus. The doom-laden, emotion-stuffed "And Sadness Will Sear", reveals a new, darker, edgier side to Trivium's otherwise hook-laden chops. The deceptively accessible "The Rising" is a sumptuous hymn hewn from the juiciest licks that boasts a phenomenal crowd-rousing chorus... imploring the faithful to &amplsquoRaise your voices with me...and sing this song of unity!' This collection of gems culminates in the album's monumental, shape-shifting title track a nine-minute instrumental monstrosity that twists, turns and torments the listener with rapid-fire tempo shifts, immaculate musicianship and a thrilling sense of adventure. It's an obscenely brave and ambitious end to a glorious collection of songs that seems destined to cement Trivium's reputation as the heaviest, sharpest, smartest and hardest working band of their generation.

"We're four very determined people," concludes Matthew. "When I was 12 years old and got into metal, I wanted to be in a huge band. That will never change. We don't take anything for granted and will work hard to make that dream come true. And we've only just started."

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The Ramones Biography

In the mid-'70s the Ramones shaped the sound of punk rock in New York with simple, fast songs, deadpan lyrics, no solos, and an impenetrable wall of guitar chords. Twenty years later, with virtually all of their peers either retired or having moved on to forms other than punk, Joey and Johnny Ramone, the band's core, continued adamantly to parlay the same determinedly basic sound. The cultural importance of the Ramones became most apparent in 2001, when leader Joey Ramone was eulogized not only in the rock press but the New York Times and other general media.

The group formed in 1974 after the foursome graduated or left high school in Forest Hills, New York. The original lineup featured Joey on drums, Dee Dee sharing guitar with Johnny, and Tommy as manager, but they soon settled on their recording setup. Their name and pseudonym came via Paul McCartney, who had briefly called himself Paul Ramon back when the Beatles were the Silver Beatles. The Ramones gravitated toward the burgeoning scene at CBGB, where their 20-minute sets of rapid-fire, under-two-and-a-half-minute songs earned them a recording contract before any of their contemporaries except Patti Smith.

In 1976 Ramones was a definitive punk statement, with songs like “Beat on the Brat,” “Blitzkrieg Bop,” and “Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue”- 14 of them, clocking in at under 30 minutes. The group traveled to England in 1976, giving the nascent British punk scene the same boost they had provided to New Yorkers. Before the year was out, Ramones Leave Home had been released. As throughout its career, the band toured almost incessantly.

With their next two singles, the group began to soften their sound slightly. “Sheena Is a Punk Rocker” and “Rockaway Beach” made explicit their debt to ’60s AM hit styles such as bubblegum and surf music, and both made the lower reaches of the Top 100. They were included on Rocket to Russia, which also contained their first ballad, “Here Today, Gone Tomorrow.” At this point Tommy quit the group, preferring his behind-the-scenes activity as coproducer, “disguised” as T. Erdelyi (his real name).

His replacement was Marc Bell, henceforth dubbed Marky Ramone. He was formerly one of Richard Hell’s Voidoids and before that a member of Dust, who recorded a pair of albums during the ’60s. His first LP with the Ramones, Road to Ruin, was their first to contain only 12 songs and their first to last longer than half an hour. Despite their glossiest production yet, featuring acoustic guitars and real solos, its two singles, “Don’t Come Close” and a version of the Searchers’ “Needles and Pins,” failed to capture a mass audience. Neither did their starring role in Roger Corman’s 1979 movie Rock ’n’ Roll High School.

As the 1980s began, the Ramones tried working with noted pop producers Phil Spector (End of the Century) and 10cc’s Graham Gouldman (Pleasant Dreams), but commercial success remained elusive. After Subterranean Jungle, Marky Ramone departed, to be replaced by ex-Velveteens Richard Beau. As Richie Ramone, the drummer played on four albums, before Marky returned in 1987. Too Tough to Die, with Eurythmic Dave Stewart producing the pop single “Howling at the Moon,” recaptured some of their ’70s energy, and “Bonzo Goes to Bitburg” off Animal Boy offered cutting political satire. However, the remainder of the decade too often found them parodying their earlier strengths.

In 1989 the Ramones gained their widest exposure with the title track to the soundtrack for Stephen King’s Pet Sematary, but also underwent their most significant internal shift. Dee Dee departed, first to record, as Dee Dee King, a rap album, Standing in the Spotlight, and then to form the rock group Chinese Dragons. His post-Ramones career included publishing the autobiography Poisoned Heart: Surviving the Ramones and, in the late ’90s, playing with his wife, Barbara, and Marky Ramone in the Ramones spinoff unit, the Ramainz. A heroin addict and substance abuser for 14 years, Dee Dee had been the Ramones’ truest punk (going solo, he also joined AA); his departure signaled the end of an era, if not a style. AWOL from the marines at the time he enlisted in the band, C.J. Ramone infused youthful energy - he was 14 years younger than Joey and Johnny - but the band’s sound remained the same.

Mondo Bizarro, with a guest appearance by Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid and songs that attacked both drugs and the PMRC’s Tipper Gore, ushered the band into the ’90s, their influence by then apparent in such rowdy outfits as Guns n’ Roses and the Beastie Boys. In 1994 they persevered with Acid Eaters, a tribute to ’60s idols like the Animals and Rolling Stones. With Joey sober since the start of the decade and Marky in recovery from alcoholism, they continued their relentless touring for two more years until their final show in August 1996. Marky formed Marky Ramone and the Intruders and has released two albums to date. Joey went on to manage the Independents, a horror-punk-ska band, to act in the indie film Final Rinse, and, in 1999, to coproduce a Ronnie Spector EP, She Talks to Rainbows. In 2001 he announced he had been diagnosed with lymphoma six years earlier and was undergoing treatment for the disease. He died that year. Little Steven Van Zandt presided over an all-star party on what would have been Joey’s 50th birthday, a month after his death. The U.S. Congress proclaimed May 19, 2001, Joey Ramone Day. After being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in March 2002, fellow Ramones Dee Dee and Johnny soon passed away; Dee Dee from a heroin overdose on June 5, 2002 and Johnny from prostate cancer on September 15, 2004.

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The Lemon Tree Biography

were one of a coterie of psychedelic pop groups who sprang up in Birmingham, England, in the mid- to late '60s. Like the Idle Race, the Nocturnes, and most of their Birmingham compatriots, their music was close in spirit to the Move, a cheerful, celebratory, and upbeat account of life in a world lit by a psychedelic glow. The group -- Mike Hopkins (guitar), Mick Taylor (vocals), Gary Wortley (organ), Derek Arnold (bass), and Keith Smart (drums) -- actually had a pretty good pedigree from the get-go; Hopkins was previously a member of Denny & the Diplomats with Denny Laine (in the latter's pre-Moody Blues days) and Smart played with Danny King & the Mayfair Set, whence Roy Wood and Trevor Burton cut their teeth before forming the Move. The latter group wasn't too far in body or spirit from the Lemon Tree -- the quintet was signed by Parlophone Records in 1968 and made their debut with "William Chaulker's Time Machine" b/w "I Can Touch a Rainbow," the A-side of which was written by Ace Kefford, who had just exited the Move, and produced by Kefford, Trevor Burton, and the Amen Corner's Andy Fairweather-Low. It failed to chart, and only Fairweather-Low was aboard for their second and final single, "It's So Nice to Come Home" b/w "Come on Girl," in 1969. After their breakup in 1969, Mike Hopkins moved on to the Idle Race while Smart passed through the final lineup of the Uglys, who transformed themselves into Balls and also played with Roy Wood's Wizzard and the '70s progressive rock outfit Mongrel before disappearing. "William Chaulker's Time Machine" has resurfaced on several '60s psychedelic compilations, including See for Miles Records' mid-'80s era Sixties Backbeat.

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The Cure Biography

It all started in 1976 as 'Easy Cure', formed by Robert Smith (vocals, guitar) along with schoolmates Michael Dempsey (bass), Lol Tolhurst (drums) and local guitar hero Porl Thompson. They began writing and demoing their own songs almost immediately, playing throughout 1977 in Southern England to an ever growing army of fans. In 1978 the 'Easy' was dropped, along with Porl, and an eager trio now known simply as The Cure were quickly signed to Chris Parry's new Fiction label.

In May 1979 their debut album Three Imaginary Boys was released to great acclaim, and as the band toured extensively around the UK, the singles “Boys Don't Cry” and “Jumping Someone Else's Train” were released. Michael left the band at the end of the year, and Simon Gallup (bass) and Matthieu Hartley (keyboards) joined. In early 1980 the 4-piece Cure embarked on an exploration of the darker side of Robert's songwriting, and emerged with the minimalist classic Seventeen Seconds, along with their first bona-fide 'hit single' “A Forest.”

After an intense world tour Matthieu left the group, and in early 1981 the trio recorded an album of mournful atmospheric soundscapes entitled Faith, which included another successful single in “Primary.” The band then set out on a second global trek, named “The Picture Tour,” during which they released the non-album single “Charlotte Sometimes.” In 1982 The Cure went back into the studio, and their increasingly ugly fascination with despair and decay culminated in the unrelenting sonic attack of Pornography. An intensely volatile tour ensued, and the single “The Hanging Garden” was released just as Simon left the band.

After pushing the limits of excess, Robert felt he had to change things, and did so by 'going pop' again. Rejuvenated, the now 2-piece Cure released their first real dance single, the cheesy “Let's Go To Bed,” and during the making of the accompanying video forged a colorful and lasting relationship with director Tim Pope. The band continued into 1983 with the groovy electronic dance of “The Walk,” followed by the demented cartoon jazz of “The Lovecats.” In 1984 The Top was released, a strange hallucinogenic mix, which contained the infectiously psychedelic single “The Caterpillar.” The world ‘Top Tour’ saw the band expand to a 5-piece, with the addition of Andy Anderson (drums) and Phil Thornalley (bass), and the return of Porl Thompson (guitar).

The new Cure sound was captured live for the album Concert. Andy and Phil left soon after the end of the tour, and were replaced by Boris Williams (drums) and further returnee Simon Gallup (bass). This new incarnation started work on 1985's The Head On The Door with a very real sense of 'something happening'... The vibrant hit single “Inbetween Days” was followed up by “Close To Me,” and the ensuing world tour paved the way for the massive success of the singles collection Standing On A Beach in 1986. That summer saw the band headline the Glastonbury Festival for the first time, and a year of extensive gigs and festivals was crowned by Tim Pope's live concert film The Cure In Orange.

In 1987 The Cure brought out Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me, an immense double album of extreme and extraordinary stylistic range, and with the arrival of Roger O'Donnell on keyboards the 6-piece Cure traveled the world with the 'Kissing Tour', enjoying 4 more hit singles along the way. The wonderfully atmospheric Disintegration was demoed in 1988 and released in 1989, and despite being a work of powerful brooding grandeur, it too gave rise to 4 hit singles. The awesome 'Prayer Tour' that followed, with the band back down to a 5-piece following the departure of Lol Tolhurst, included some of The Cure's best performances to date, and was captured live for the album Entreat.

In early 1990 Roger O'Donnell left the group, and was replaced by long-time band friend Perry Bamonte, just in time for a series of headlining European festival shows that included the band's second Glastonbury headline slot. The album Mixed Up was released, supported by the re-mixed singles “Never Enough,” “Close To Me” and “A Forest,” and in 1991 The Cure at last won some long overdue “home” recognition with a Brit Award for “Best British Group.”

In 1992 they produced Wish, a richly diverse multi-faceted guitar driven album hailed by some as their best work to date. It spawned 3 fabulous hit singles, and the glorious ‘Wish Tour' that followed was a worldwide sell-out. The sheer power of the shows inspired the release of two live works in 1993, Paris and Show. Immediately after the tour ended, guitarist Porl Thompson left the band again (this time with a smile!), and The Cure headlined the XFM 'Great Xpectations Show' in London's Finsbury Park as a 4-piece. The band also contributed '”Burn” to the film ‘The Crow’ and covered “Purple Haze” for the Hendrix tribute album 'Stone Free'.

In 1994 Boris Williams decided to move on, and in early 1995 Jason Cooper took up residency behind the drum kit, with Roger O'Donnell rejoining once more on keyboards. Work on the next album was interspersed with recording “Dredd Song” for the film ‘Judge Dredd’, a cover of Bowie's “Young Americans” for an XFM album, and headlining several major European festivals, including the 25th Glastonbury. Wild Mood Swings was released in 1996, and went straight into almost every top ten around the world. The Cure hit the road once more with 'The Swing Tour', their longest to date, and released 4 more singles.

Galore, the follow up singles and video compilation to Standing On A Beach, was released in 1997, after which work took place in 1998 on a variety of projects, including “More than This” for the ‘X Files’ album, and a memorable appearance by Robert in the TV cartoon show ‘South Park’! In 1999 the band completed the recording and mixing of what many regarded as their best studio album so far, the Grammy Nominated Bloodflowers. With it's release in 2000 the band set off on the massive world-wide ‘Dreamtour' - playing to more than a million people in 9 months.

2001 saw the long awaited release of the Cure's Greatest Hits album, which featured all the band's biggest selling singles along with 2 new songs, the elegiac “Cut Here” and the ebullient “Just Say Yes,” a duet with Saffron. This year also saw the end of the group's relationship with Fiction Records, the label they had been instrumental in starting 23 years before.

In 2002 the band spent the summer headlining a number of European Festivals before going into rehearsals for two very special nights in November at the Tempodrom Berlin, where they performed all the tracks from Pornography, Disintegration and Bloodflowers plus encores! Both performances were shot in Hi-Def video on 12 cameras, and Trilogy DVD was released.

In 2003 as another chapter of The Cure story opened, the band signing a 3 album global deal with the Geffen label. 2004 saw the release of Join the Dots, a 4cd Box set compiled by Robert of all the B-sides and Rarities, followed by the widely acclaimed new album The Cure, co-produced with the renowned Ross Robinson. 3 singles, “The End Of The World”, “alt.end” and “Taking Off” all hit big, and another hugely successful world tour ensued, with the 23 date North American Curiosa Festival leg especially notable for seeing the band supported by a number of hand picked younger bands including Interpol, Mogwai, The Rapture and Muse. The year ended with an MTV Icon Award presented at a special televised London show.

In 2005 Perry Bamonte and Roger O’Donnell left the band and Porl Thompson joined for a third time. The quartet’s debut show was headlining Live 8 Paris, followed by a number of other summer European Festivals. The first four Cure albums (Three Imaginary Boys, Seventeen Seconds, Faith and Pornography) were re-released, with Robert providing 'rarities' for Deluxe Edition extras CD's, as part of an ongoing campaign to re-master and re-issue all the Cure albums. Immediately after closing a week of Teenage Cancer Trust Shows at the Royal Albert Hall in April 2006, the band started recording their 13th studio album, breaking off in June to allow Robert to work on a live DVD. In August the second set of re-releases (The Top, The Head On The Door, Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me) was released, each album as a 2CD Deluxe Edition, along with 1983’s Glove album Blue Sunshine. In November Festival 2005, a 155 minute 5.1 DVD comprising a 30 song selection of live performances captured the previous summer by a mix of fans, crew and ‘on-the-night-big-screen cameras’, was put out.

Spring 2007 saw The Cure headline the Miami Ultra Music Festival before heading back into the studio to continue work on new songs. The 11 show Australasian leg of ‘The Cure 4Tour 2007-2008’ kicked off in July with a headline slot at the Fuji Rock Festival, the band’s first performance in Japan since 1984, before moving on through Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand. In October the band headlined the San Francisco Download Festival, before playing 3 wild nights in Mexico City at the Palacio de los Deportes, followed by an outstanding performance at the MTV Latin America Awards.

In February 2008 The Cure kicked off the 23 date European leg of ‘The 4Tour’, and in May released “The Only One”, the first of 4 singles to be released every 13th of the month for 4 months. “Freakshow”, “Sleep When I’m Dead” and “The Perfect Boy” followed, and as the band continued ‘The 4Tour’ with a sell-out 27 date North American leg, all 4 singles reached #1 on the Billboard chart. Indeed, for one remarkable week in August, 4 Cure singles were in the USA Top 20 at the same time! In September the “Hypnagogic States” EP was released, featuring remixes of the first 4 singles by acclaimed younger artists Gerard Way (My Chemical Romance), Pete Wentz & Patrick Stump (Fall Out Boy), Jade Puget (AFI) and 30 Seconds To Mars. 4Tour support band 65 Days Of Static joined in the fun, remixing all four singles as one track. All artist royalties from this EP were donated to the International Red Cross.

In a radical move the new album 4:13 Dream was performed in its 13 song entirety by The Cure 2 weeks prior to release at a live broadcast MTV event in the Piazza San Giovanni in Rome before an estimated crowd of 75,000 and a potential TV audience of 200 million. The reaction to the event has been awesome, with many fans already acclaiming this new Cure album as a bona fide classic…

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Black Dahlia Murder Biography

From the complete waste of earth that is Detroit, Michigan, comes The Black Dahlia Murder. A venomous melodic death metal outfit named after the brutal unsolved slaying of temptress Elizabeth Short. Drawing influence from forefathers such as At the Gates, Dissection and Carcass, The Black Dahlia Murder has upped the speed and intensity of the style into a gore-soaked whirlwind all their own. They seeminglessly twist from destructively fast blast beats to beautiful and dark melodic textures, giving a soundtrack to the horror and insanity surrounding The Black Dahlia legacy. The only thing better than hearing this band on their new Lovelost Records debut EP is to catch them drawing blood in the live element. The stage presence of this band completely transcends the hair-swaying posing that this genre has become accustomed to, bringing an unbridled energy to such a widely sterile musical form. The Black Dahlia Murder are a band that is not to be missed, and once witnessed cannot be denied. Be on the lookout for The Black Dahlia Murder North American Tour this summer.

The Black Dahlia Murder
Brian Eschbach · Guitar
Cory Grady · Drums
David Lock · Bass
John Kempainen · Guitar
Trevor Strnad · Vocals

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The Bangles Biography

The saga of the Bangles begins back in 1980, when an add in the LA newspaper "The Recycler", lead Susanna Hoffs to the garage rocking Peterson sisters. It was December 9, 1980, just a day after the assasination of John Lennon, and Hoffs and the Peterson sisters had a lengthy discussion about the tragedy. They soon discovered that they had similar musical influences, from The Beatles to the Grass Roots to Mama's and the Papa's and more. One thing lead to another, and the trio decided to form a band. Debbi Peterson played drums, sister Vicki bass, and Susanna Hoffs handled the guitars. They all sang. Soon, they were gathering at each others houses with their instruments, favorite tapes, and writing utensils, writing and recording songs. In time, they recruited Annette Zalinskas to play bass and Vicki moved to lead guitar.

The addition of Annette to the lineup allowed the possiblilty of doing live shows. So they hit the club circut. They thought of a dozen names with which to call themselves. First they were "The Colours", then the "Supersonic Bangs", before they finally decided on the name, "Bangs." The Bangs played 1960s oriented indie music with lush and vibrant harmonies and tough, yet playful rock and roll. Soon, the patrons of the clubs were packing the chairs to see them.

The Bangs, along with other 1960s New Wavers such as the Dream Syndicate, Rain Parade, and Hoodoo Gurus, became the core of a 1960s inspired rock revival critics were dubbing the "Paisely Underground."

A self recorded and produced 7" single, "Getting Out Of Hand" garnered the band some attention and even some radio airplay. (The single was released on their own label, Downkiddie Records.) It also landed the band in hot water when another group from New Jersey, also called The Bangs, threatened to sue over the use of the name. The band then changed its name to "The Bangles". By 1982, The Bangs were well known in the Los Angeles club scene. Talent scouts for IRS President Miles Copeland, who was instrumental in the breakthrough success of the Go-Go's, were out looking for new talent, and found it in the Bangles.

They were weary of his overtures at first. Says Vicki Peterson, "I was very defensive at first. I thought, 'Oh, here it is: he wants to make us the poor man's Go-Go's,' and I wasn't interested in that at all."

Ultimately, The Bangles decided to sign with Copeland. The band then recorded a five song Ep titled simply, "The Bangles" in May 1982 and were booked as the opening act for the British group, The English Beat. That this extended play release sold some 40,000 copies soon drew the attention of other, larger record labels.

In 1983, the Bangles plans for stardom were almost derailed when the IRS subsidary label, Faulty Products, the label that released the EP, went out of business and Annette Zalinskas decamped for the country-punk outfit, "Blood On The Saddle." This touched off a search for a new bassist. They found one in Michael Steele, who had the distinction, (or misfortune, as she believes) of being The Runaways original lead singer. She won the audition through answering Vicki Peterson's question, "Describe your dream band" with "The Yardbirds with Fairport Convention vocals."

Later that year, The Bangles signed with CBS (Columbia) Records. Teamed with producer David Kahne, the band started recording is major label debut.

"All Over The Place", was released in April of 1984. The album was a critics gem, bouyed by the band's competent songwriting, rough and ranchy guitars, and those always brilliant and lush harmonies. With so many great songs on the album, it was almost impossible to pick favorites. AOTP didn't burn up the charts, but it won favor with the college radio crowds. The singles, "Hero Takes A Fall" and "Going Down To Liverpool", won extensive airplay on college radio stations. The band backed this LP up with dates ranging from being club headliners to the opening act for Cyndi Lauper.

The Bangles raw edge was smoothed over slightly for their second album, "Different Light". David Kahne also produced this album, which catapulted the band into superstardom. The disc was sent to the top of the charts, assisted by the Prince-penned "Manic Monday", Jules Shear's "If She Knew What She Wants", and the wacky, angular dance track, "Walk Like An Egyptian". All three were big hits, the latter reached #1 on the Billboard charts for a history making four weeks in a row. No other all-female band ever had that honor before. The band backed this album up with a sold out national tour. They also picked up several awards, including Single of The Year, Best MTV Video Performance, both for "Walk Like An Egyptian." They also were named Best International Artist at Brittan's own Music Awards.

In 1987, teamed with rap/heavy metal producer Rick Rubin, The Bangles recorded and co-produced and mixed a hard rocking cover of Simon & Garfunkle's "Hazy Shade Of Winter" for the soundtrack to the film "Less Than Zero." The song, released as a single on Rubin's Def Jam Label, became another huge hit - the song rocketed up the charts, settling in at #2 behind Tiffany's "Could Have Been". "We were all so surprised that it did so well," says Michael Steele. "We didn't expect it to be released as a single."

In between tours, Susanna Hoffs found the time to pursue her other interest: acting. She landed the lead role in the 1987 feature film, "The Allnighter." (The film was directed by her mother, award winning short film director and writer, Tamar Hoffs.) The movie was not a big box office draw, and failed to ignite a career in films for Hoffs. It did give Hoffs considerable publicity.


Following that 2 to three month interlude, The Bangles were back on tour for the summer of 1987. The tour was entitled the "Bitchn Summer Tour." The Bangles performed several songs off their first two albums, and also debuted four new songs, slated for their forthcoming new album. Michael Steele's "Happy Man Today", and early versions of "I'll Set You Free", "Be With You" and "Crash and Burn" were performed. The tour was a resounding success. Soon, the girls traded the stage for the confines of the recording studio.


In January 1988, the Bangles set out to record their third album. First, they had to make some changes. They fired producer David Kahne, saying that the producer pushed the band in musical directions they didn't want to go. In his place, they hired Davitt Sigerson, best known for making David & David's album "Boomtown" such a smash.

Before going into the studio, Vicki Peterson had vowed that the record would be more rock and roll, a return to roots. She told a reporter from "Rolling Stone" magazine, "I am perfectly willing to accept the fact that it won't be a hit."

So the band concentrated on writing and more writing. There would be no cover songs this time around. In October, the band's third album, "Everything", was released. The album featured a harder rock sound mixed in with more pure pop and blues numbers, an indication of the growing artistic differences within the band. All of the songs were written by the band members, though mostly in collaboration with outside writers rather than with each other.

Nonetheless, "Everything" almost did just that, following "Different Light" up the charts and producing two more big hits, the rocking "In Your Room" and a rare, orchestral ballad, "Eternal Flame", which went on to #1 on the Billboard charts and became the fifth biggest selling hit single for 1989. All the hidden tension and frustraitions came to a head during the Bangles' "Everything Everywhere Tour." The other Bangles were growing resentful of the "star treatment" given Susanna Hoffs by the media, the public, and by this time, the band's management and record label. This was doubly ironic because the band never had, or intended to have, one primary singer. The other members of the band saw their own contributions being overlooked. In addition, other pressures, including the girls inability to really communicate with one another, contributed to widely growing rifts in what was once a strong, unified friendship. Shortly after "Eternal Flame" hit #1, the Bangles decided to part ways with Miles Copeland's Fires

tars Management Company and signed with Stiffel-Phillips, a relatively new company out of Los Angeles. The switch came out of dissatisfaction with how Firestars was handling things, with the media and with the label. However, the management switch was not the quick remedy that everyone thought it was going to be. In the end, it made things worse and only lead to the inevitable...

While Miles Copeland had managed the Bangles as a band, more or less, Stiffel-Phillips was interested only in Susanna Hoffs as a solo artist. Weighed down by ever growing tension and alienation from each other, the Bangles abruptly cancelled the rest of their planned world tour. A fall/winter leg, and preparations for a possible new album and concert film were put on hold. At first it was believed that the time off would save the group from self destruction, but a month later, Susanna Hoffs and Michael Steele called a meeting of the band to announce that they were leaving the group. The Bangles were at the top of their game, but were shattered beyond repair.

Afterwards, the band issued a statement to the media, announcing that they were "going on haitus" after ten years together. However, the haitus soon became a more prolonged separation/divorce as band members moved into other projects.

"We were together nine years, you know," said Debbi Peterson in a 1992 radio interview. "We did all sorts of tours, and just done everything together, and it's just, you know, after a while it's time to move on. You just feel like - Ok I can't do this with these people anymore, I have to find myself."

Hoffs in particular seemed to want out for similar reasons.

"There was a quota system for every single thing we did," Susanna said in post-Bangles 1991 interview. "I thought it was really hurting the music, not to mention that it was very unappealing on an emotional level to work that way. It was like: "Your gonna make a record. You are gonna have three songs. And whose to say what impact your songs are going to have on everyone elses songs because everyone was very individualized in the way they were working. Compound that with all the tension that was going on and the stress everyone seemed to be experiencing because of all that since of compromise, it seemed that it wasn't worth it."

A "Greatist Hits" collection was released in May 1990. It contained all the Bangles hits plus three non album tracks. It sold well in the U.S., but broke sales records in Britain, charting in the UK Top 10 for an incredible 97 weeks and eventually becoming the #4 album in the country at that time.

In the meantime, while the other Bangles members have moved on to other projects, the four albums that the band recorded continue to sell well in catalog sales. In July 1994, "Different Light" was certified platinum four times over, the first of the Bangles' albums to reach that mark. Those four albums have also spun off at least 4 Best of Packages that have sold reasonably well. Those collections have featured special remixes, but no previously unreleased material.

In the years that followed, each Bangle continued on her own path. Susanna Hoffs would launch a solo career, and Vicki, Debbi and Michael would surface in many different bands over the years. During that time, they remained aquaintances. Every one in a while, a rumor would surface about an offer to get the group back together from some record company or charity group, but to one degree or another, the girls would not bite. However, as time progressed, these four friends gradually came back together, renewing their individual friendships as individual members started families. (By 1998, Susanna Hoffs and Debbi Peterson would become mothers.) The bonds of motherhood planted the seeds for what would follow:

In the fall of 1998, Susanna and Debbi took the first steps that lead to a Bangles reunion by getting together to work on songs - just to see what would happen. Those sessions worked so well, that Vicki Peterson later joined in the writing as well. This lead to talks about reforming The Bangles. This received a jump start when Mike Myers and Jay Roach (Susanna's husband, and film director of Austin Powers, and its sequel - as well as other films..) asked the three if they would write a song for the soundtrack to Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.

This became the perfect opportunity to bring Michael Steele back onboard. Soon, the new song was written and the four Bangles were in the studio. Over a three day session, they recorded the song, "Get The Girl." The song was penned by Susanna, Debbi and Vicki and it recaptured the vintage 60s oriented vibe and sound that punctuated the Bangles early recordings. The track has been described as sounding like something off the "All Over The Place " album. (And what a great song it is!!)

The ease at which everyone came into the studio pushed thing one final step, and by September of 1999, the girls decided to reactivate the Bangles. They began writing more songs, and even put in an appearence at the Hollywood Bowl in which they sang six Beatles songs in a Beatles Tribute conducted by ledgendary producer, Sir George Martin. Scheduling around each others individual projects and lives, the girls continued to quietly collaborate on new songs. In July 2000, The Bangles formally announced their return with a September club tour, to be followed by a new album and a much larger tour next summer.

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Sum 41 Biography

Sum 41 Members:
# Deryck Whibley
# Dave Baksh
# Steve Jocz
# Jason McCaslin

Sum 41 Is Born
The crazy Canadian foursome from Ajax, Ontario all used to play in rival bands when they were in high school. They decided to join forces in 1996 and formed their own band made up of Deryck Whibley (Bizzy D) on vocals and guitar, Dave Baksh (Brown Sound) also on guitar and vocals, Steve Jocz (Stevo 32) on the drums and Jason McCaslin (Cone) on the bass. The band chose the name Sum 41 cuz they formed the band 41 days into the summer before grade 12.

Sum 41's Big Break
Sum 41 was able to snag a record deal with Island Records in December of 1999 after Sum 41 gave the record execs an EPK (electronic press kit) jam-packed with videos of their live high-energy performances and even mischievous footage of the guys doing drive-bys with a super-soaker water pistol. Sum 41 released their first EP, Half Hour of Power in 2000 and have since landed some great gigs touring with The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Blink-182, The Offspring and Social Distortion.

Sum 41 - Did U Know?
# Before Jason "Cone" McCaslin joined Sum 41, he was an usher at a movie theatre.
# Jason McCaslin got the nickname "cone" in high school cuz he used to eat an icecream cone everyday at lunch.
# Steve Jocz is a vegetarian.

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Steve Lynch Biography

Stephen Lynch has enraged the witless and convulsed the enlightened…all in the sweetest tone of voice, with the most sensitive guitar picking on record since Gordon Lightfoot. He thinks of himself as a serious singer/songwriter and his inspirations, when he began playing guitar and writing songs, were people like Paul Simon and Joni Mitchell.
"I've always admired people who can tell a story with a simple song," he explains. "You don't need much more than a guitar or a piano and a voice. That's what I've responded to, even when I was a kid. Even now, I like to think that both Joni and I are expressing some sort of truth -- hers might be just a little deeper, that's all."

In fact, while he was growing up in the suburbs of Saginaw, Michigan, Lynch showed no sign of eventually becoming the neo-folk bête noire. He was a regular sort, into sports for a while, always drawn to music, vaguely aware of the great comedians but not especially fascinated by them. His first dream was to act: In high school he did the usual productions -- Jesus Christ Superstar, Fiddler on the Roof. He played some piano and every now and then tried to write a song -- none of them, at that point, a portent of impending derangement.

At Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo Lynch stayed on the acting track as a drama major. But at some point the door toward a life devoted to "sitting around the house, making my stoned friends laugh as hard as possible” cracked open. Maybe it was that time he saw Spinal Tap and came away a changed, if somewhat damaged, young man. It was there that he started to write songs.

"'Lullaby' was the first song I wrote where I felt like, 'Wow, I nailed it!' I don't want to say that people can relate to it -- actually, you kind of hope that nobody can relate to it. But it seemed to me that the style had become subtler. And I saw how to set a course at the beginning, turn ninety degrees, and then once you think you know what's going on, turn it around again. That's pretty much how I've worked ever since then."

Armed with 'Lullaby' and some other twisted material, Lynch hauled his guitar down to Catch A Rising Star for its weekly "Big, Bad Music Show." "I got a bigger response from those seven people in the audience than I'd gotten with other songs from a crowd of fifty. I went, 'Okay, now I know what I'm doing. I think I've got it from here."
Since that night in 1996 Lynch been writing prolifically, performing exhaustively -- at first around New York but within a few years on nightclub and college tours throughout America.

His radio appearances have become the stuff of legend ("He's radio gold," Greg Hughes, a.k.a. Opie of The Opie and Anthony Show, told The New York Times.) He blew the lid off of Comedy Central Presents in 2000 by racking up higher ratings than almost every other episode of the show. Then came the CDs: A Little Bit Special (2000), recorded in a Brooklyn basement, snatched up with no discernible promotion by thousands of fans, and labeled "an instant comedy classic" by CD-Now, and Superhero (2002), a pastiche of recordings made live at five different gigs around New York.

Which takes us to Live at the El Rey -- the first complete document of a "typical" Stephen Lynch performance. It's a bare stage -- stool, water -- and Lynch with his guitar. Put another way, Live at the El Rey grabs that door that Lynch pried open in college, rips it off its hinges, and pushes him through on his way to wider notoriety. It's packed with all the comic essentials -- herpes, abortion, creepy Catholic priests, all of it delivered with a pristine guitar style and a vocal range that manages to evoke both Jeff Buckley and "Stonehenge."

It's music. It's insane. It's a guy you wouldn't mind your sister dating … unless, of course, he’s…. (check out "Best Friend's Song"). Simply, it's Stephen Lynch. And he isn't going away.

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Steve Vai Biography

Along with his one-time teacher Joe Satriani, six-string wizard Steve Vai set the standard for rock guitar virtuosity in the '80s. Born on June 6, 1960, and raised in Carle Place, NY, Vai became interested in the guitar via such legendary artists as Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, and Alice Cooper as a teenager and, upon starting high school, took lessons with an older player from his high school, Joe Satriani. Playing in several local bands, Vai quickly picked up on the instrument, and by the age of 18 was attending the renowned Berklee School of Music in Boston. As a student there, Vai transcribed several of Frank Zappa's most technically demanding compositions for guitar, and even sent a copy of one such transcription, "Black Page," to Zappa himself. Zappa was so impressed with the young guitarist that upon meeting him, he invited Vai to join his band.

Subsequently, Vai toured the world with Zappa (giving Vai the nicknames "Stunt Guitarist" and "Little Italian Virtuoso") and played on such albums as 1981's Tinsel Town Rebellion and You Are What You Is, 1982's Ship Arriving Too Late, 1983's Man from Utopia, plus 1984's Them or Us and Thing Fish, before leaving to set out on his own. First off was a pair of self-financed, recorded, and released solo albums in 1984, Flex-Able and Flex-Able Leftovers, both of which showcased Vai's guitar playing and songwriting talents, yet were still heavily influenced byZappa.

With Van Halen all the rage by the mid-'80s due to their massive hard rock/pop crossover success, Vai replaced Yngwie Malmsteen in a similarly styled outfit called Alcatrazz (which featured former Rainbow vocalist Graham Bonnett), playing on their overlooked 1985 release Disturbing the Peace. The same year, Vai made a cameo appearance in the movie Crossroads (playing the devil's guitarist and shredding away in a guitar duel with Ralph Macchio) and got an invite from his friend/bass master Billy Sheehan to try out for the guitar spot in singer David Lee Roth's solo band (Roth had just split from Van Halen), and eventually landed the gig. 1986 saw the debut release from Roth and his stellar solo band, Eat 'Em and Smile, which went on to become one of the year's top hard rock releases. Both Vai and Sheehan were catapulted to superstardom due to their instrumental talents, as they took top honors in numerous guitar magazines for years afterward.

But although the quartet showed great promise, Sheehan jumped ship just after their sophomore album, Skyscraper, was issued in 1988. Although the album was more pop-based than its predecessor, it became another sizeable hit -- with Vai earning a co-producing credit on the album along with Roth. The same year, Vai issued his own line of snazzy guitars, the Jem 777 series, via the Ibanez company. After the ensuing tour with Roth wrapped up in late 1988, it was Vai's turn to jump ship. In addition to working on another solo album, he was invited to join up with chart-topping pop-metallists Whitesnake, an offer he accepted. His one and only album with Whitesnake, Slip of the Tongue, was issued in 1989, as was his third solo album overall, Passion and Warfare, a year later. The album was based on dreams that Vai experienced as a teenager, as the largely instrumental album became a sizeable hit, earning gold certification and solidifying Vai's standing as one of the top guitarists of the day. It was also around this time that Vai created a seven-string guitar through Ibanez. Although the instrument didn't catch on initially, it would by the mid- to late '90s, when the guitarists in such metal acts as Korn and Limp Bizkit would utilize the instrument to achieve super-low tunings.

After an extended hiatus, Vai formed his first conventional rock band (called...VAI) along with newcomer Devin Townsend on vocals, T.M. Stevens on bass, and Terry Bozzio on drums -- offering their one and only album in 1993, Sex & Religion. When the album proved to be a disappointment both critically and commercially, Vai returned back to all-instrumental work with the 1995 EP Alien Love Secrets. For the remainder of the decade, Vai continued to issue solo releases, including 1996's Fire Garden, 1998's Flex-Able Leftovers (a re-release of his long out of print second solo album, with added tracks), and 1999's The Ultra Zone. It was also during the late '90s that Vai and Satriani reunited for an annual co-headlining tour (with a different third artist added each year), called G3, unleashing a live album, G3: Live in Concert, in 1997.

The early 21st century saw a flurry of releases from Vai, including a compilation of instrumentals, The 7th Song: Enchanting Guitar Melodies Archive, in 2000, and his first full-length live release, Alive in an Ultra World, in 2001, as well as his mammoth career-encompassing ten-disc box set The Secret Jewel Box. In 2002, he collected several pieces that he had contributed to films through the years, including the guitar duel from Crossroads and the theme to Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey and put them together in a 40-track collection called The Elusive Light and Sound, Vol. 1. A series of compilations came next and after a five-year hiatus from the studio, Vai returned in 2005 with Real Illusions: Reflections. A tour with the Metropole Orchestra followed and he released a ambitious double live set documenting his performances, titled Sound Theories, Vols. 1-2, in 2007.

Over the years, Vai guested on countless albums by other artists, including Gregg Bissonette's self-titled debut and Submarine, Alice Cooper's Hey Stoopid, Randy Coven's Funk Me Tender, Al di Meola's Infinite Desire, Public Image Ltd.'s Album, Joe Jackson's Symphony 1, and Billy Sheehan's Compression. He can also be found on such additional Zappa releases as Jazz from Hell, Shut Up 'N Play Yer Guitar, Guitar, and on several volumes of the ongoing You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore series and the live tribute disc, Zappa's Universe. As if his busy schedule weren't full enough, Vai pursued a lifelong interest when he began harvesting honey among five bee colonies in the backyard of his home. Greg Prato, All Music Guide

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Simple Plan Biography

Simple plan consists of five members:
Pierre Bouvier- Lead vocals
Charles Comeau AKA Chuck- Drums
Jeff Stinco- Lead guitar
David Desrosiers-Bass and back vocals
Sebastian Lefebvre AKA Seb- Guitar and back vocals

These five amazingly good looking guys come out of good old Montreal Canada!! Jeff, Chuck, Seb, and Pierre all went to the same Highschool. They eventually formed a band, but they needed a new bassist. At the time, Pierre was doing vocals and playing bass, but wanted to just sing. So they recruited Dave from a band called Reset (Ironically Chuck and Pierre's old band). Together they formed Simple Plan.

Simple Plan is a pop/punk band and their inspirational music always gets you hyped and ready to party. They have accomplished so much in such little time, that the only way to go from here is up.
Good luck in the futur guys!

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Silverstein Biography

vocals - shane told
guitar - neil boshart
guitar - josh bradford
bass - bill hamilton
drums - paul koehler silverstein.

Acquiring the name from the famous children's author, Silverstein was formed in early 2000 in an attempt to tear down the boundaries between Hardcore, Emo and Punk. Originally started as a side project, the band was a chance for its members to try something new and get away from their current Punk, Metal, Ska and Hardcore bands.

Coming from the thriving scene of Southern Ontario, which includes such acts as Grade, Jersey, Moneen, and Maharahj, Silverstein was met with immediate success, and quickly self-released their first CD-EP, "Summer's Stellar Gaze" in Summer 2000. This release was met with huge local success and led to great responses from all over Canada about their new, powerful sound.

As their success grew, and Silverstein became the main project for all of the members, founding guitar player Richard McWalter left the band and was replaced by former Maharahj guitarist Neil Boshart. This brought a whole new batch of influences and ideas, and took the music to another level. With the new lineup in effect, Silverstein toured throughout Eastern Canada and Quebec, and found there was excitement all over about their music. In April 2002, their second EP "When the Shadows Beam" was released and found its way into the hands of Victory Records owner, Tony Brummel. After a meeting and showcase, Silverstein was quickly signed to Victory in October 2002.

With influences ranging from The Get Up Kids to Grade, Mineral to Cave-In, and even Pedro the Lion to Slayer, Silverstein is a true mix of everything at once. The powerful melodic singing and gut wrenching screaming of vocalist Shane Told evokes the pain, struggle and emotion of the lyrics, which represent true feelings of heartbreak and frustration. Silverstein finds a way to keep the music unique and interesting, but always catchy. Bringing a violin into the mix, and adding 6/8 meter melodic parts to screaming breakdowns help to achieve this. The sound is reinforced by the creativity of drummer Paul Koelher and the energetic playing of bassist Bill Hamilton. The shimmering clean, and singing distorted guitars of Boshart, and Josh Bradford complete the lineup, and capture the listener with their harmony and power.

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Sex Pistols Biography

Unabashedly crude, intensely emotional, calculated either to exhilarate or to offend, the Sex Pistols' music and stance were in direct opposition to the star trappings and complacency that, by the mid-'70s, had rendered rock & roll irrelevant to the common bloke. Over the course of their short, turbulent existence, the group released a single studio album that changed, if not the history of rock, at least its course. While the Sex Pistols were not the first punk rockers (that distinction probably goes to the Stooges), they were the most widely known and at least, to appearances, the most threatening. Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols unquestionably ranks as one of the most important rock & roll records ever, its sound a raw, snarling, yet mesmerizing rejection of and challenge to not only rock & roll music and culture but a modern world that offered, as Rotten sang in "God Save the Queen," "no future." Whether the Pistols were simply a sophisticated hype run amok or the true voice of their generation has been widely debated, yet, oddly, that neither matters nor explains how they came to spark and personify one of the few truly critical moments in pop culture — the rise of punk.

The Sex Pistols were the brainchild of young entrepreneur Malcolm McLaren. The owner of a London clothes boutique, Sex, which specialized in "anti-fashion," McLaren had conceived the idea of a rock & roll act that would challenge every established notion of propriety when, in 1975, he found himself managing the New York Dolls in their final months as a group. A part-time employee of Sex, Glen Matlock, played bass with Paul Cook and Steve Jones; he let McLaren know they were looking for a singer. McLaren approached 19-year-old John Lydon, whom he had seen hanging around the jukebox at Sex and who was known mainly for his rudeness.

Lydon had never sung before, but he accepted the invitation and thoroughly impressed the others with his scabrous charisma. McLaren had found his act; he named the group the Sex Pistols. Allegedly, Lydon's disregard for personal hygiene prompted Jones to dub him Johnny Rotten. Ten minutes into their first gig at a suburban art school dance on November 6, 1975, the school's social programmer literally pulled the plug. In the early months of 1976, McLaren's carefully cultivated word-of-mouth about the Sex Pistols made the band the leader of the nascent punk movement. Their gigs inspired the formation of the Clash, Buzzcocks, X-Ray Spex, Joy Division, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and countless other rebel groups in the second half of the '70s.

The press and the record industry ignored the Sex Pistols at first, but by the end of the summer the uproar — both acclamatory and denunciatory — was too loud to be ignored. In November EMI outbid Polydor with a recording contract worth £40,000. The Sex Pistols' first single, "Anarchy in the U.K.," was released in December. That month the band used the word "fucker" in a nationally televised interview; the consequent outrage led promoters and local authorities to cancel all but five of the dates scheduled on the group's national tour and EMI to withdraw "Anarchy in the U.K." — Number 38 on the U.K. chart in January 1977 — from circulation and to terminate its contract with the Sex Pistols.

In March Matlock left to form the Rich Kids and was replaced by John Richie, a previously nonmusical friend of Rotten, who named him Sid Vicious. That same month A&M signed the Pistols for £150,000; just a week later the company fired them for a balance payment of £75,000. In May Virgin signed the Pistols and released their second record, "God Save the Queen," timed to coincide with the Queen's Silver Jubilee that June. The song was immediately banned from airplay in England. Nonetheless it was a top-selling single (cited as a blank at the Number Two position on official charts, listed as Number One on independent charts).

When no British hall would book the Pistols, the group went abroad — to the Continent in July and to the U.S. in December, by which time the debut album had been released. In America the band found itself the object of a little adulation, considerable hostility, but mostly uncomprehending curiosity, which turned to scoffing when the group made only halfhearted attempts to live up to its reputation for savagery. Rotten was characteristically critical of the sensationalism and opportunism that had been attached to the Pistols (for which he blamed McLaren), and on January 14, 1978, immediately after a concert in San Francisco, he announced the breakup of the group.

Jones and Cook remained active in the punk movement and formed the Professionals; Jones materialized in the mid-'80s in Chequered Past, featuring former Blondie rhythm section Nigel Harrison and Clem Burke, ex-Iggy Pop sideman Tony Sales, and singer Michael des Barres. Vicious initiated a haphazard solo career, which ended when he was imprisoned in New York on charges of stabbing his girlfriend Nancy Spungen to death in their Chelsea Hotel room. He died of a heroin overdose while out on bail before he could be tried.

Dismissing the Sex Pistols as "a farce" and reverting to his given name, Lydon formed Public Image, Ltd. In 1986 the surviving members of the group and Vicious' mother won a lawsuit against McLaren, charging he had tied up their royalties in two management companies. The plaintiffs were later awarded approximately $1.44 million. That same year, the critically acclaimed Alex Cox film Sid and Nancy was released.

In 1996 all four original members reunited to embark on a world tour, including Europe, North and South America, Japan, and Australia, dubbed the Filthy Lucre Tour. The Sex Pistols, uncharacteristically "professional" onstage, nonetheless attacked the old repertoire with a fury. Filthy Lucre Live, which documented the re-formed band's London performance, was released in the States in time for the tour's U.S. arrival. In 2000 Julien Temple's The Filth and the Fury documentary on the Pistols included some of the footage originally released as The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle in 1980.

Jones debuted Jonesy's Jukebox, a successful L.A. radio show, in 2004; Rotten, meanwhile, appeared on a British reality show as well as his own Discovery Channel nature series. Though the group still reforms for the occasional short-lived tour, one live gig they didn’t make was the 2006 Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony: Before the Sex Pistols could be inducted, the band members posted a message on their website, saying “were [sic] not your monkeys.” The band reunited again to play a handful of shows in late 2007 and in 2008 embarked on a European summer festival tour called the "Sex Pistols: Combine Harvester Tour."

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Red Hot Chili Peppers Biography

Red Hot Chili Peppers were conceived in 1983 in a living room in Hollywood where four close buddies from Fairfax High School (Anthony Kiedis, Hillel Slovak, flea and Jack Irons) performed an acappella rehearsal for a performance to take place at the legendary Rhythm Lounge. The performance consisted of one song, "Out In L.A." which, traditionally, remained their opening song in every live show to date. [Up to November '89 definitely not for BSSM tour in '91, maybe not for '90 tour - lsh] The band soon developed a strong following in Los Angeles, something unheard of considering the fact that the band had only been in existence for a couple of months and had not yet pressed a single album.

It was at this point that Hillel Slovak and Jack Irons decided to continue their prior commitment in their former band, WHAT IS THIS?, while Flea (also formerly a member of WHAT IS THIS?) and Anthony Kiedis recruited Jack Sherman (guitar) and Cliff Martinez (drums). After being signed to EMI Records this line-up recorded the band's first and self-titled debut album. In 1985 Hillel Slovak rejoined the group while Sherman pursued a career as a studio musician.

The band recorded their second album, FREAKY STYLEY, in Detroit with the FUNK GOD, George Clinton, acting as producer.

In 1986 Cliff Martinez was replaced by Jack Irons, reuniting the original line-up. The band's third LP entitled THE UPLIFT MOFO PARTY PLAN was released in 1987 and, as always, the "Hardest working band in show business" followed it's release with a ridiculously extensive tour. They maintained as unusually huge (sold out) live audience, considering their record company had chosen to ignore them purely because of their confusion about the band's type of music. Nevertheless, the tour was great success.

In June 1988 Hillel Slovak died, leaving Anthony, Flea and Jack devastated at the loss of a beautiful friend. It was as that time that Jack Irons left the band, unable to continue with a constant reminder of such an intense loss. [He ended up playing with Pearl Jam -drexx@distrito.com (Andres Guevara)]

Anthony and Flea made the choice to continue on. Anthony says "Flea and I realized that we couldn't stop because of the death of our best friend. It was going to be a permanent source of sadness in our lives, but we wanted to keep the Red Hots going because, after five years, it had become our lives."

Anthony and Flea then set out to find two partners who would not only be top of the line musicians, but lifelong friends as well.

Enter John Frusciante, a then 18-year old guitarist who Flea knew from impromptu jams in those recent months. Anthony happened to be present while John was trying out with another Hollywood band, Thelonius Monster. It was via this try-out the John joined the Peppers. John recalls, "Anthony heard me that day and went home to tell Flea that I should be a Pepper, not a Monster. Anthony then called me and told me the same thing and that I was now an equal member of the Red Hots."

"They were my favorite band in the world. I knew every lyric, every guitar part, every solo, and bass part, and had always felt their music to be a source of peace and beauty in my life. I always felt very spiritually and philosophically connected with the band's ideals and way of life. The moment I joined the band was probably the most intense rush of pure happiness I will ever experience in my life."

Finding a drummer was more difficult. After auditioning, and playing with about 40 drummers, none of whom had the mind, body, spirit, and cock that was necessary to be a Pepper, the threesome found Chad Smith. "Chad is a human power plant behind the drums" says Anthony. "He gives it all he has and looks hysterical doing it." As Flea so eloquently puts it, "He has the soul of ten thousand soul monkeys from outer space."

Anthony, John, Flea and Chad jumped right into recording their most recent album, MOTHER'S MILK and, following it's release, began a nine month tour of the world and elsewhere.

MOTHER'S MILK was a success, both artistically and financially, bringing the band their first Gold Album.

On June 16, 1990, the band was introduced at the Greak Theater, (in L.A.) by none other than David St. Hubbins of the legendary group Spinal Tap, which the band apparently feels is the greatest honor a group could receive, in this day and age.

Now that this current line-up is, as Flea puts it, "Tighter than a mosquito's asshole," they are putting their bodies, brains and sexual organs to work to write and record the best music that GOD and the cosmic forces that be will allow them to make. About their direction John claims, "The funky stuff will be funkier, the heavy stuff will be heavier, and the melodic stuff will be more beautiful. Some of it will just be out. Our lives are based on our music and vice-versa and we just want to keep expanding while retaining the energy and flame of cosmicity that
this band has had from day one."

At the time this is being written (August 1990) Anthony is spending the better part of his time with his beautiful girlfriend - Carmen, John with his cigarettes, Flea with his confusion and Chad, in the presence of the Martocci moment. Red Hot Chili Peppers is not four individuals, but one Positive Mental Octopus. It is here to spread love and peace to whoever wants it.

For those of you in search of the meaning of life: find a good burrito place, eat there and be kind to your fellow man.

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RadioHead Biography

Radiohead emerged from the fading '90s Brit-pop invasion with a sound that was moody, melodic and explosive, with roots planted firmly in both alternative culture and the art-rock legacy of such classic rockers as Pink Floyd. With the release of 1997's OK Computer, Radiohead were among the most closely watched bands of the decade, drawing on influences as varied as Queen, R.E.M. and Miles Davis. The Oxford musicians were embraced as saviors of modern guitar rock, only to resurface in 2000 with a new sound heavy with electronics, minimal vocals and few guitars.

Singer-guitarist Thom Yorke first turned to music while growing up in Scotland and Oxford, England. Born with his left eye closed and paralyzed, Yorke endured five corrective surgeries before age six. He learned guitar while unhappy at boarding school, where he met bassist Colin Greenwood. The two formed a punk band called TNT. In 1987 they joined friends Ed O'Brien (guitar) and Phil Selway (drums) in a new band called On a Friday. Colin's younger brother, Jonny, was soon recruited on guitar. The band dissolved as members scattered to different universities. The quintet regrouped in 1991 as Radiohead, a name taken from a Talking Heads song.

Radiohead quickly built a following on the Oxford club scene, and soon drew record-company interest from London. The band signed to U.K. label Parlophone within a year, and in 1992 toured England and began recording a debut album, Pablo Honey (Number 32, 1993), released on Capitol in the U.S. That collection included "Creep" (Number 34), an intense anthem of self-loathing that blended Yorke's alternately anguished and gentle vocals ("I wish I was special... but I'm a creep") with Jonny Greenwood's raw spasms of guitar. It was a hit in both the U.S. and England, but Radiohead were labeled a one-hit wonder by critics. The band responded two years later with The Bends (Number 88), which demonstrated a growing musical scope and explored deeper levels of alienation on the songs "Fake Plastic Trees" and "High and Dry" (Number 78). Sales were significantly less than for the debut, but critics began to reassess the band.

With OK Computer (Number 21, 1997), coproduced by the band and Nigel Godrich (an engineer on The Bends), the band enjoyed wide acclaim. Though Yorke and the band denied any coherent theme to the album, various tracks — including "Karma Police" and "Paranoid Android" — examined encroaching technology and millennial anxiety. OK Computer topped many of that year's critics polls and won the Best Alternative Music Grammy. Though the album enjoyed no Top 40 singles, Radiohead built a committed following through incessant touring. (The '97-'98 tour was later depicted as a dehumanizing exercise in boredom and fatigue in Meeting People Is Easy, director Grant Gee's downbeat 1999 documentary.)

The members of Radiohead continued to work and reside in Oxford. While fans waited three years for a follow-up to OK Computer, a wave of Radiohead-influenced guitar bands (Travis, Coldplay) began to enjoy chart success in England and the U.S. — which made the long-awaited release of Kid A (Number One, 2000) and the band's new electronic and ambient leanings more surprising. Recorded during sessions with Godrich, Kid A sent guitars deep into the background while exploring long instrumental passages and sometimes incoherent vocals. The album won mostly positive, if sometimes puzzled critical notices and a second Best Alternative Music Album Grammy. The band released no singles from the album and played few shows. A second album featuring some tracks from the same sessions, Amnesiac, debuted at Number Two in June 2001. Five months later, the band released its third disc in 13 months, I Might Be Wrong: Live Recordings, taken from four performances in Europe. Radiohead returned to the studio for 2003's Hail to the Thief, their contract-ending release for EMI in which the band reached a natural balance between its earlier guitar-based music and more recent forays into electronics. Written and recorded after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, the pessimistic Orwellian nature of Radiohead's lyrics never seemed as relevant as on songs like "Go to Sleep." and "Sit Down. Stand Up." As with the previous two albums, Hail to the Thief reached Number Three on the Billboard album chart in spite of the difficult nature of the music.

Free from their obligations to a major record company after Thief, Radiohead next made a couple of history-making decisions about the distribution of their music. The band rejected Apple Inc.'s iTunes because of the powerful online music store's "unbundling" policy — selling individual songs separately from the albums. In 2007, the band announced it would digitally sell its music exclusively through the U.K.-based online music store 7digital, which allows for bundling. Then, in October, Radiohead made a momentous announcement: not only did the band have a new album ready to go, but it would sell In Rainbows on the Radiohead Website only, and fans could pay whatever price they wanted for it, including nothing. (The marketing gimmick nearly obscured the album itself, Radiohead's most accessible since OK Computer.) According to a November 2007 study released by Internet data analysts comScore, 38 percent of those who downloaded the album were willing to pay an average of $6 for the album; 62 percent chose to pay nothing for it. Radiohead denied the figures but declined to offer their own. In between the hoopla over Radiohead's industry-changing decisions, Thom Yorke quietly issued his first solo album, a characteristically dark, electronics-based outing called The Eraser that got mixed reviews, on the independent label XL Records. He made the songs available for download on iTunes.

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Queen Biography

FORMED: 1971, London, England
DISBANDED: 1995

1968: Smile
In 1968, Brian May and Tim Staffell, both students at Imperial College, decided they wanted to form a group. Brian placed an advertisement on the college notice board for a "Ginger Baker type" drummer, and a young medical student called Roger Taylor auditioned and got the job. They called the group Smile. Smile were signed to Mercury Records in 1969, and had their first experience of a recording studio in Trident Studios that year. Tim Staffell was at Ealing College of Art with Freddie Bulsara, and introduced him to the band. Freddie soon became a keen fan. Sadly, in 1970 Smile decided to call it a day, as nothing seemed to be happening for them. Tim went off and joined a band called Humpy Bong, and Freddie left his band Wreckage and joined up with Brian and Roger - it had all begun.

1970: Queen's birth
Freddie changed his name by deed poll to Mercury, changed the band's name to Queen, and John Deacon was asked to audition as their bass player (they had had three temporary ones so far in their short history). In February 1971, John Deacon was taken on as the fourth member of Queen. The band rehearsed tirelessly and played several small gigs at Imperial College, where they rehearsed for close friends. Then they were offered the chance to test a new recording studio called De Lane Lea. In return for trying out the new equipment, they could also make free demo tapes. They did. No one was interested! They had signed a recording contract and publishing and management agreements with Trident in 1972, and during that year were paid just ?0 per week. Queen were given the 'down time' - or out of hours studio time - at Trident Studios, where they began work on their first album.

1973: a recording deal
In 1973, Trident and EMI signed a contract for a recording deal for Queen, and July of that year saw the release of Queen, their first album. The band were offered a big break - their first major tour as support band to Mott The Hoople. It began in Leeds in November 1973, and it was said by many people during that tour that 'Queen were more than a support act ....' Queen II was finally released in March 1974 - it should have been earlier, but there was a minor printing error on the sleeve that Queen insisted on having corrected! The band embarked on their first headlining tour of Britain, starting in Blackpool in March 1974. In April 1974, the band embarked on their first-ever USA tour as guests to Mott The Hoople. But in May of that year, whilst on tour, Brian collapsed with hepatitis, and the band had to cancel the rest of their dates.

1974: Sheer Heart Attack!
Work on their third album began without Brian and with a lot of help from Roy Thomas Baker. Brian finally felt well enough to go into the studios to record his guitar parts, although he was still ill and spend much time between takes in the studio bathroom being very sick! But eventually, the album was finished, and Sheer Heart Attack was released in November 1974. It was a huge hit both sides of the Atlantic as the world came to realise that Queen were certainly a force to be reckoned with!

1975: the big tour
In January 1975, Queen left for the USA on their very first headlining tour. Ticket sales were phenomenal, and demand was so high that they had to add more shows, doing two shows in one day at some venues, both shows being sold out. Quite a few shows on that tour had to be cancelled, as Freddie had developed a severe throat problem, but he soldiered on and performed as many as possible, although doctors had advised him against it. Also in January 1975, Queen engaged the services of a Music Business lawyer, Jim Beach, to negotiate them out of their Trident agreements, as Trident were no longer being as supportive as they should have been, and the band were unhappy with the situation. Their first Canadian gig was in Edmonton on April 2nd, where they were joined on stage by support act Kansas. April of 1975 saw Queen set to pay their first-ever visit to Japan.

1975: Japan mania
When they arrived at the airport, there were over three thousand fans there to greet them, as Sheer Heart Attack was Number One in Japan at the time. It was a scene reminiscent of Beatlemania in the Sixties, and the band were quite surprised at their 'pop star' welcome! In May 1975, Freddie was presented with an Ivor Novello Award by the Songwriters Guild for Killer Queen.

1975: Bohemian Rhapsody
Queen began work on their new album in June. Links with Trident were finally severed - to the band's great relief - in August, and by September Queen had signed with new management: enter John Reid. When the band decided to release Bohemian Rhapsody in 1975, everyone told them it was far too long and just would not be a hit at 5 minutes and 55 seconds. But Freddie gave a copy of the single to friend and London DJ Kenny Everett, informing him that it was for him personally, and that he must not play it on air. But of course he did - fourteen times in two days!! From then on, every major radio station played the song in full, and not edited versions as was first thought. It was a colossal hit, and really established Queen as th?band of the era. The video for the single, directed by Bruce Gowers using ideas from the band themselves, was considered to be the one that began the whole video craze - they just didn't know what they were starting! The single stayed at Number One for an amazing nine weeks!

1975: A Night At The Opera
The album was, at the time, one of the most expensive ever recorded, but when A Night At The Opera was released in November 1975, it was a massive hit, and gave them their first platinum album. Freddie had designed a Queen logo for the Queen I album, which was re-worked and used as the cover for A Night At The Opera. The now-famous 'crest' features the band's star signs - two fairies for Virgo, a crab for Cancer and two lions for the two Leos. The launch party for the album was held in the exclusive Opera Bar at the London Coliseum Theatre.

1976: touring
In January 1976, Freddie was presented with another Ivor Novello Award, for Bohemian Rhapsody. Also in January, the band set off on their third American tour, which took them all over America and continued until the end of March. They then flew direct to Japan, arriving yet again to a riotous reception. By this time, all four Queen albums were in the UK Top Twenty, which was an unheard-of feat. They undertook an extensive tour of Japan, and then flew on to Austria. Their tour 'Down Under' began at the Perth Entertainment Centre.

1976: another new album
They flew back to the UK to begin work on their next album, A Day At The Races, but recording was halted while the band took off on a short UK tour. On September 18th, 1976, Queen decided they wanted to say thanks to their dedicated fans, and so - in true extravagant style - they staged a huge free concert in London's Hyde Park. The crowds were estimated at between 150 and 200 thousand people - the largest audience Queen had played to up to that time, and to date still the highest-ever attendance record for a concert in Hyde Park.

1976: A Day At The Races
It was September, and the band were hard at work on their new album. A Day At The Races was released in December 1976. The band all attended a special horse race at Kempton Park to promote the album, and in 'A Day At The Races Stakes', a special race sponsored by EMI, they all backed the same horse without telling each other - and it won! Five days before its release, the advance orders for A Day At The Races were in excess of half a million - the highest orders EMI had ever received for any album.

1977: Roger's solo single
1977 had only been around for four days before Queen jetted off to America to rehearse for their forthcoming tour. They were on the road constantly through January, February and most of March in the USA and Canada. Roger decided, at the end of all that, to record a solo single, which he paid for out of his own pocket. I Wanna Testify was released in August. In May of 1977, Queen flew out of Stockholm to begin an extensive European tour. Their concert at Earls Court in London featured the famous 'Crown' lighting rig. It was 54 feet wide, 26 feet tall and weighed in at 5,000 pounds. It cost the band ?0,000.

1977: We Are The Champions, the video
In October 1977, the fan club members were asked for the first time to take part in one of the band's videos. We Are The Champions was filmed at the New London Theatre. After initial filming was finished, the band remained on stage and played an impromptu gig to say thanks to the fans who had turned up and worked so hard. October '77 also saw the band presented with a Britannia Award for the Top British Single: Bohemian Rhapsody, of course!

1977: News Of The World
Queen released News Of The World on October 28th, 1977. The cover was a drawing that Roger had discovered, by Science Fiction artist Kelly Freas. Roger asked him if he would mind adapting his illustration for the album cover, and Freas readily agreed.

1977: another tour
In November they were off to the USA again for rehearsals for the forthcoming tour. For the first time, their finances enabled them to charter a private plane for the tour - it made life on the road that much more comfortable. The tour began on 11th November - their second USA tour that year. They all arrived back in the UK just in time to spend Christmas with their families. That Christmas, We Will Rock You was knocked off the French Number One slot after 12 weeks ...... by We Are The Champions!

1978: a new management
In February 1978, Queen decided they should set up their own management structure. They parted company with John Reid more amicably than their split with Trident - this severance agreement was actually signed in the back of Freddie's Rolls Royce during a break in filming We Will Rock You in the back garden of Roger's house in Surrey! A short (by Queen standards!) tour of Europe began in April 1978 - again in Stockholm. In July, the band started work on their new album. They recorded it in Montreux and France - the first time they had ever recorded outside Great Britain.

1978: Bicycle Race
As publicity for the forthcoming single Bicycle Race, the band hired Wimbledon Stadium, and fifty naked girls had their own bicycle race. The original cover of the single featured the rear view of one of those naked girls, but due to public outcry in some countries, panties had to be drawn on! More touring in the USA and Canada began in October. November 10th saw the release of Jazz, the band's seventh album. The sleeve was packed to contain a fold-out poster of the naked bicycle race. The Americans banned it from the actual album sleeve, and inserted an application form instead so that fans could send away for their poster. The launch party for Jazz was held in New Orleans, and has since gone down in history!

1978: the party
The band hosted the party themselves in order to invite both EMI, their American record company, and Elektra, their USA representatives. It was the first time that both companies' executives had met, and they both ensured that ALL of their directors attended, each to try to outnumber the other! The party was a completely over-the-top affair, featuring mud wrestlers, midgets, topless waitresses, and a host of other weird and wonderful characters.

1979: buying a studio
The North American tour finished in late December, and the band flew back to the UK for Christmas, but they didn't get too much time to rest, as by January 1979 they were off to Europe yet again. The tour kicked off in Hamburg, and by March were ensconced in Mountain Studios in Montreux, working on their 'live' album. The band enjoyed the peace of Montreux and liked the studio there, so they decided to buy it (the studio, not the town!) When Freddie was asked by resident engineer David Richards why they had bought it and what they intended to do with it, Freddie quipped '...dump it in the lake, dear'!!

1979: Live Killers
The band flew out to Japan for yet more touring in April 1979. In June, they approached the All England Lawn Tennis Club and asked if they could use the Centre Court at Wimbledon (after the tournament, of course!) for a concert. Permission was refused. The band's first live album (and their only double album to date), Live Killers, was released in June 1979. It was an album released by very popular demand. Queen were approached to write the musical score for the science fiction film Flash Gordon. When the idea was first discussed with producer Dino de Laurentis, he simply asked '...but who are the queens?'!! The band agreed to work on the score, and started work during June in Munich.

1979: Crazy Tour
The end of 1979 found Queen embarking on 'The Crazy Tour'. It included such illustrious venues as Tiffany's in Purley, the Lewisham Odeon, Alexandra Palace, and finally, the Hammersmith Odeon. They were one of many bands who performed at the venue to raise money for the starving people of Kampuchea. During that Crazy Tour, the bands' tour manager, Gerry Stickells, collapsed backstage and had to be rushed to hospital. Gerry had been with Queen on every tour since 1976 (and has done very one since!)

1980: synths
At the start of 1980, the band were working hard on their new album, The Game - it was the first album to use the electronic wizardry of synthesisers. In June they were off to tour North America - again! Roger also started work on his first solo album in 1980. The Game was released in June of that year, and it went five times platinum in Canada alone! Another One Bites The Dust became the band's biggest-ever, worldwide-selling single to date. It became a huge 'crossover' hit in the USA, topping the charts in Rock, Soul and Disco. The band received a 'Dick Clarke' award as best band; a top Billboard award for 'Top Crossover Single'; and was nominated for various other awards including Grammys and Canadian 'Juno' awards.

1981: touring
On December 8th 1980, the soundtrack album for Flash Gordon was released. At the end of 1980, Queen had sold over 45,000,000 albums worldwide. In February 1981, after another Far East tour, the band flew to Rio de Janeiro for the start of their first tour of South America. Queen were the first rock band to undertake a stadium tour of South America, paving the way for many more bands to follow. The band's equipment had to be flown in a privately hired 'Flying Tiger' 747 cargo plane from Tokyo - the flight between Tokyo and Buenos Aires is the longest air route between capital cities in the world.

1981: more touring
Their first South American gig was Buenos Aires, on February 28th 1981. They then filled three more Argentinean World Cup soccer stadiums, playing five sold-out stadium gigs in just eight days. They then played two nights at the massive Morumbi Stadium in Sao Paolo. On the first night, 131,000 people attended, and Queen created rock & roll history as it was the largest paying audience for a single band anywhere in the world. During those two nights at the Morumbi Stadium, 251,000 people saw the Queen spectacle - that's a larger audience than most bands can expect in their whole career! Every single one of Queen's albums was in the Top Ten in Argentina during their tour - a first for any band.

1981: Roger's solo album
Whilst they were in Sao Paulo, the band celebrated the fact that the single, Love Of My Life, had been in the Sao Paulo singles chart for over 12 consecutive months. In April 1981, Roger released his first solo album, titled Fun In Space. Queen were back in South America - it was a return trip, being hailed as 'The Gluttons For Punishment Tour'! Unfortunately, their last two Venezuelan gigs in Caracas had to be cancelled, as the ex-President of the country had died. So the band moved on to play in Mexico, in Monterrey and Puebla - just outside Mexico City. Whilst there, the band's promoter, Jose Rota, was arrested and jailed. Jim Beach had to pay over $25,000 bail money to release him so the tour could continue!

1981: Hits, Flix and Pix
Greatest Hits, Greatest Flix and Greatest Pix were released simultaneously in October 1981. Greatest Hits - the album - entered the charts as soon as it was released, and has rarely been out of the British charts since! Greatest Flix - the video - was the first real collection of promo videos released commercially by any band. Greatest Pix - the book - was compiled by Jacques Lowe, who was President Kennedy's personal biographer during his term of office. It was Jacques' personal selection of the greatest Queen pictures of the previous decade.

1982: Hot Space
The band's twelfth album, Hot Space, was released on May 21st, 1982 whilst the band was in the middle of an extensive European tour. On June 5th that year, they played the huge open-air Milton Keynes Bowl. The whole show was filmed by Tyne Tees Television, under the direction of Gavin Taylor, to be shown on Channel Four's The Tube programme at a later date. In September 1982, the Japanese company, Mercury Records (nothing to do with Freddie!) released an album called Gettin' Smile. It was at first thought to be a bootleg, but after listening to the album, Roger and Brian declared it to be the REAL Smile, although neither of them recalled having recorded so much with that band! In December 1982, Queen made it into the Guinness Book of Records as Britain's highest-paid executives.

1983: solo recordings
In January 1983, Freddie began work on a solo album, and Roger began work on his second solo album. During the early part of the year, Brian had flown out to Los Angeles and gathered together a few close friends in the Record Plant studios there. Brian had some basic ideas to work on, but it was generally a lengthy jam session. However, Brian had no intention of wasting the talents of Edward Van Halen, Alan Gratzer, Phil Chen and Fred Mandel - and so kept the tapes rolling throughout the whole session. The result was the mini album Star Fleet Project, which was released in October 1983.

1983: USA recordings
The band went back into the studios in August 1983 to start work on their next album. Work commenced at the Record Plant in LA - the first time the band had recorded in America. After a number of months, recording switched from LA to Munich - a city that the band spent so much time in during that recording session that they almost thought of it as home!

1984: The Works
In February 1984, the band released their thirteenth album - The Works. Radio Ga Ga, taken from that album, became a worldwide hit, reaching Number One in nineteen different countries. The video for the single, directed by David Mallett, featured fan club members again. The handclapping chorus became a favourite with live audiences all over the world. Another single from The Works was I Want To Break Free, and that had an even more outrageous video also featuring members of the fan club. It featured the band dressed as the characters of a popular British television soap opera - Coronation Street. When asked why, Roger said he had become bored with serious epic videos, and thought it was about time they had some fun and proved they could still laugh at themselves. MTV in America refused to show the video.

1984: Strange Frontier
In June 1984, Roger released his second solo album, Strange Frontier. Also in June, a company called Guild Guitars launched a special copy of Brian's home-made Red Special guitar. It was called the BHM1, and Brian had been closely involved in all the aspects of its production. Sadly, about a year later, Brian and Guild had some discussions about the design of the instrument which resulted in Guild ceasing production.

1984: tour problems
In August, Queen flew out to Belgium to start The Works tour in that country. October saw them in Bophuthatswana, South Africa, and a series of gigs at the famous Sun City Superbowl. The gigs themselves were fraught with problems, as Freddie had serious voice complications resulting in cancellations. But the problems were mild compared to what the band returned to. Their visit caused much public outcry, although the band defended their actions, saying they were a non-political band and that they had gone out to play music for the people, and for no other reason.

1984: first full-length video
Queen's first-ever full-length video was released in September 1984. We Will Rock You was filmed during the band's 1981 Montreal concerts. During September, Queen had no fewer than nine albums in the UK Top 200.

1985: Rock In Rio
1985 was the year of 'Rock In Rio'. It was billed as the biggest rock festival to be held anywhere in the world, and Queen were headlining the event. (Remember that bit about 'not being a support act for long...'?) The whole festival was recorded for broadcast throughout South America, but Queen were the only band able to obtain the rights to release their performance on video. Live in Rio was released in May 1985.

1985: Spandau Ballet?
The band performed their first-ever concert in New Zealand on April 13th, 1985 in Auckland. The band were met outside their hotel on arrival by a group of chanting anti-apartheid demonstrators. Tony Hadley, singer with British band Spandau Ballet, flew over from Australia where his band was on tour to see the Queen show, and was honoured to be asked to join Queen on stage for their encore.

1985: Mr. Bad Guy
Freddie's first solo album, Mr. Bad Guy, was released on April 19th whilst the band was on tour in Australia. The gig in Melbourne had to be played with no lighting rig at all, as the whole computer system that controlled the lights had broken down. After an Australian tour peppered with problems - not least being the incessant rain - the band flew across to Japan. Their concert at the Tokyo Olympic swimming pool was filmed by NHK to be shown on network Japanese television.

1985: Live Aid
July 13th 1985, was a day that went down in history as the Live Aid Global Jukebox took the world by storm from London's vast Wembley Stadium and from Philadelphia in the USA. Queen were just one of a multitude of top bands who all performed a short, 20-minute set. The world was watching, and Queen were unanimously voted - by press and public alike - as the band that stole the show. That event was a turning point for Queen.

1985: One Vision
They had decided some time previously to take a break from each other, but that day brought them together with renewed vigour and enthusiasm. One Vision was the first release to come from that new inspiration.

1986: Highlander
Queen were approached by Russell Mulcahy to record the soundtrack to his first feature film - a fantasy tale about an immortal Scotsman - called Highlander. In an interview, Mulcahy stated that Queen had been the first band he had thought of for the score.

1986: A Kind Of Magic
In March 1986, John formed a new band, called The Immortals, to write and record some of the music for a forthcoming film called Biggles. They recorded just one track - No Turning Back - and the band folded. On June 2nd, Queen released their fourteenth album, the soundtrack to Highlander, entitled A Kind Of Magic. The album entered the UK chart at Number One and remained in the top five for thirteen consecutive weeks.

1986: Magic Tour
On June 7th, the Queen machine was in action again as the band embarked on their 'Magic Tour of Europe'. The first UK gig was Newcastle's St James Park football stadium. The band, and promoter Harvey Goldsmith, donated all the proceeds from that concert to the International Save The Children Fund. On July 11th, the 'Queen Tornado' - as Freddie had dubbed it - hit London and two sold-out shows at the vast Wembley Stadium. During the set, four enormous inflatables, modelled on the characters from the Kind of Magic album, were released from amongst the audience into the night. The following night's show was filmed by Tyne Tees Television, again directed by Gavin Taylor, to be shown on TV at a later date.

1986: Queen on the tele
When that concert was finally shown on television, it became the first-ever simulcast between Channel Four and the Independent Radio network in Britain. This feat has never since been repeated - possibly because, in order to achieve this, a satellite dish had to be delivered to every single independent radio station in the UK so that they could receive the sound by satellite whilst receiving the pictures by the normal land lines.

1986: the Budapest performance
On 27th July, Queen made history again (something of a habit with this band!) when they played the beautiful Nepstadion in Budapest, Hungary. It was the first time a major rock band had played a stadium date in the Eastern Bloc, and it was completely sold out well in advance. The concert was filmed by the Hungarian State Film Agency, MAFILM, in connection with Queen Films - they had to commandeer every 35mm camera in Hungary to film it!

1986: Knebworth
On August 9th, the band flew into Knebworth Park, Hertfordshire, in a specially repainted helicopter featuring the characters from the Kind of Magic album cover. It was the final date on the Magic Tour, and the biggest audience so far - estimated at well over 120,000 people. It caused one of the biggest traffic jams in history as everyone tried to arrive in plenty of time! Over one million people saw Queen on that European Magic Tour - in excess of 400,000 in the UK alone.

1986: CD releases
In November 1986, EMI Records released the entire Queen catalogue of albums on the Compact Disc format - the first time any band's complete collection had been made available simultaneously. In December, Queen's fifteenth album - and their second live album - was released. Entitled Live Magic, it entered the British chart at Number Three. On 13th December, the band's film Live In Budapest opened in Budapest at 9 a.m., and proceeded to play to nine sold-out houses in that one day. Seven completely full screenings were shown each day for a week.

1987: The Great Pretender
During 1986, in the UK alone, Queen sold a staggering 1,774,991 albums. On February 3rd, Freddie released a cover version of the great old Platters song, The Great Pretender. In the video to accompany the song, Freddie recreated many scenes from his own and Queen videos, and actor Peter Starker, Roger Taylor and Freddie all donned wigs, made up their faces, and became the female backing singers! It was an expensive video!

1987: the meeting
One of Freddie's all-time heroines was opera diva Montserrat Caballe, and in March 1987, he met with her in her home city of Barcelona. An astonishing partnership was forged with Montserrat agreed to record an album with Freddie. He penned a song about Barcelona for her, and the two began to write and record that album. Freddie and Montserrat appeared on stage together for the first time in May 1987 at the Ibiza '92 festival, held at the famous Ku Club on the holiday island. They performed Barcelona.

1987: the forming of The Cross
In August 1987, Roger advertised for, auditioned and chose musicians to form a new band, The Cross. He wanted a band he could write with and, more importantly, tour with during Queen's increasingly lengthy 'quiet' periods.

1987: Barcelona, the single
The single Barcelona was released in Spain in September 1987, and 10,000 copies were sold in just three hours. The Spanish Olympic Committee adopted the song as the theme for the Olympic Games being held in the city in 1992 - then decided against it, which caused much anger amongst the fans.

1987: The Magic Years
Rudi Dolezal and Hannes Rossacher are an Austrian director/producer team who followed Queen all over Europe during the Magic Tour, filming them on stage, back stage, resting, playing and generally 'touring'. They then searched the archives for footage of live shows, interviews or out-takes from videos. After that, they interviewed the band, their friends, their fans and other 'stars'. Finally, in November 1987, a trilogy of documentary-style videos was released, called The Magic Years. The trilogy received numerous awards, including the famous Silver Screen award in the USA (the biggest film and TV festival in the world) and the IMMC award at the Montreux Golden Rose TV festival. Also during 1987, Queen were presented with the prestigious Ivor Novello award for their 'Outstanding Contribution to British Music'.

1988: Shove It!
In January 1988, Queen went into the studios to start work on their next album. On January 25th, The Cross released their debut album called Shove It. The Cross also embarked on their first European tour, playing club and university dates throughout the UK, then clubs in Germany.

1988: solo releases
Freddie and Montserrat appeared together again on October 8th at the huge La Nit event staged in Barcelona, which was held to celebrate the arrival of the Olympic Flag from Seoul. Freddie and Montserrat closed the event, held in the presence of the King and Queen of Spain, with Barcelona, The Golden Boy and How Can I Go On - tracks taken from their forthcoming album.

1988: Barcelona, the album
Barcelona, the duet album from Freddie and Montserrat, was released on October 10th, 1988. The launch party was a typically extravagant affair held in the Crush Bar of the beautiful Covent Garden Opera House - a fitting venue!

1988: The Cross - live
On December 4th, The Cross played a one-off gig at London's Hammersmith Palais, at a party held exclusively for fan club members. Special guests on stage were Brian and John.

1989: The Miracle
Queen released their sixteenth album on May 22nd 1989, entitled The Miracle. It entered the UK chart at Number One and went on to become a massive worldwide success, reaching Number One in most European countries. To promote the release, the four members of the band gathered in a Radio One studio and allowed themselves to be interviewed by DJ Mike Reid - a scoop for him, as the band had not given a joint interview in many years.

1989: best of the 80's
As it was the end of a decade, there were numerous 'Best of the Eighties' style programmes on television, especially in the UK, and Queen were voted the 'Best Band of the Eighties' by the viewers of Independent Television and readers of its magazine TV Times. It was an accolade they were immensely pleased with, and they all appeared together on the show to collect it.

1989: Queen in the studios
In late November 1989, Queen were already back in studios working on the next album - they had felt so inspired by the huge success of The Miracle.

1990: awards
On February 18th, 1990, Queen were honoured yet again when they were recognised by the British Phonographic Industry (at last!), and presented with an award for their 'Outstanding Contribution to British Music'. They all collected the award, and went on to host a huge star-studded party at London's Groucho Club.

1990: The Cross' second album
The Cross released their second album on March 26th, called Mad: Bad: And Dangerous To Know, a title taken from a quote used to describe the eccentric Lord Byron! The Cross also undertook a short German tour.

1990: Macbeth
Brian, meanwhile, wrote and produced the haunting music for a version of Shakespeare's Macbeth, performed at London's Riverside Theatre.

1990: Hollywood Records
In November 1990, Queen signed a major new recording deal in North America with the Disney-financed Hollywood Records. Hollywood immediately began the task of pushing Queen back up the popularity ladder, and plans were laid to re-master and re-release the entire back catalogue on CD - up till then, the collection had not been available on CD in North America.

1990: live performances
On December 7th, The Cross played their only UK date for some time at London's Astoria Theatre, at yet another Queen fan club party. Brian joined them on stage for the encore.

1991: Innuendo as a single
On January 14th 1991, the band released the six-and-a-half-minute long epic Innuendo as a single. It was a massive success, giving the band their third UK Number One single and ensuring them the Number One slot throughout Europe. The album of the same name was released on February 4th, and crashed straight into the UK chart at Number One, hitting the high spot again throughout Europe - and it even charted top thirty in America.

1991: Blue Rock
In March 1991, The Cross went into studios to start work on their third album, and Brian flew out to Montreux in July to continue work on his long-awaited solo album. The Cross album was completed in July, and release was schedule for early September for a great third album, entitled Blue Rock. The album was only ever released in Germany, on Electrola records. Queen went into the studios in London to begin work on their next album in late April.

1991: the final video
On May 30th, 1991, Freddie filmed what was to become his final video for Queen - the haunting Days of Our Lives. A version featuring Disney animation was made for the USA.

1991: Seville Guitar Legends
Brian organised the Rock section of the Seville Guitar Legends festival, and amongst those chosen by Brian to perform their music were Nuno Bettencourt, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani and Joe Walsh - to name but a few. The concerts were performed live in October on the site of the Seville Expo '92 exhibition.

1991: the second Hits album
Greatest Hits Two was released in October 1991, a double album featuring 17 tracks. They also repeated their earlier success by releasing Greatest Flix II and Greatest Pix II - this time compiled by Richard Gray. A special box was also released called Box of Flix, featuring Flix One and Two plus four bonus tracks. Needless to say, both Hits II and Flix II were Number One!

1991: Freddie's farewell
On November 23rd, Freddie announced to the world that he had AIDS. Just the next day, his fight was over, and he died peacefully at his home surrounded by friends and family. The world was in shock. Freddie had kept his illness very private, and only those closest to him had been aware of just how close to the end he really was. Fans from all over the world sent flowers and cards, and many even travelled to London to be at Freddie's house. A quiet family cremation service was held three days after his death, conducted in the Zoroastrian faith that Freddie's parents followed so strictly.

1991: Driven By You
In April, Brian had been commissioned by a London advertising agency to write a piece of music for an advertising campaign for Ford cars. The resulting track, Driven by You, was so good (and proved so popular) that Brian released it as his first solo single on November 25th. It made the top ten in the UK charts.

1991: BoRhap, the sequel
As a tribute to Freddie, and to raise funds for the Terence Higgins Trust to continue the fight against AIDS - as Freddie's last wishes requested - Bohemian Rhapsody/These Are The Days of Our Lives was released as a double A-sided single. It entered the UK chart at Number One, where it remained for five weeks, raising over one million pounds for the AIDS charity.

1991: popular than ever
In December 1991, Queen had no fewer than 10 albums in the UK top 100.

1992: award for Freddie
In February 1992, the annual BritAwards recognised Freddie with a special posthumous award for 'Outstanding Contribution to British Music', and - out of three Queen nominations - Days Of Our Lives won the Best Single of 1991 award. At that awards ceremony, Roger and Brian announced plans for a massive open-air concert at London's Wembley Stadium to celebrate Freddie's life and give him a send-off to remember.

1992: ticket sales
The tickets went on sale the next day, with no announcement of who was going to play apart from Brian, Roger and John, and all 72,000 tickets sold out in just six hours.

1992: Tribute Concert
On Easter Monday, April 20th 1992, many of the world's top stars joined Roger, John and Brian on stage at Wembley Stadium to pay an emotional tribute to Freddie. The stadium was packed to capacity, and it was televised live to over one billion people.

1992: more awards
In April 1992, Queen were awarded an Ivor Novello award for Best Single with 'Days Of Our Lives', and Brian also won an award for Driven By You for Best TV Commercial Music.

1992: Back To The Light
September 1992 saw the release of the long-awaited Brian May solo album, called Back To The Light. The album went into the UK charts at number 6 and achieved double gold status.

1992: Brian's tour
The Brian May Band was then formed. Having warmed up in Chile, Argentina and Brazil in November 1992. The Brian May Band embarked upon a World Tour, beginning in the USA and Europe as special guests to Guns N'Roses. They then went on to headline their own sell-out tour of North America, Japan and Europe, finishing in Portugal in December 1993.

1992: Mercury Phoenix Trust
In the summer of 1992 The Mercury Phoenix Trust was founded to distribute the money raised by the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS awareness. It is a registered charity.

1992: the results
Funds generated in the U.S.A. through Fox Television's prime time broadcast of the concert and the re-release of Bohemian Rhapsody as a single (a sum in excess of $1 million) were distributed to AIDS charities all over the United States. In the UK over ? million was donated to The Terence Higgins Trust from the re-release of Bohemian Rhapsody. In addition another ?.2 million has been distributed to date to over 100 different established charities and body Positive self-help groups in the UK, the rest of Europe and Africa.

1992: a Tribute on video
Prior to Christmas 1992, a double video of the Freddie Tribute Concert was released, with all proceeds being donated to the Mercury Phoenix Trust.

1992: The Great Pretender
The Freddie Mercury Album was released in November 1992 with the first single In My Defence on 30 November 1992. This single was followed by 'The Great Pretender' in January 1993 and Living On My Own in Spring 1993. This latter single won a posthumous Ivor Novello Award as the 1993 International Hit of the Year.

1993: Five Live
1993 saw the release of the George Michael / Lisa Stansfield / Queen mini album Five Alive. This mini album and the single Somebody To Love were released worldwide in aid of the Trust. They reached the top ten in 31 countries worldwide and the single reached number one in the UK on 22nd April.

1993: Live At The Brixton Academy
In February 1994 EMI released 'The Brian May Band Live At Brixton Academy' on album and video, the first live recordings of the band.

1994: Happiness?
In September 1994, Roger Taylor released his solo album Happiness?. This was preceded by the May 3rd release of a single, Nazis 1994, which addresses the issue of Europe's increasing rise of Neo-Nazism. The second single Foreign Sands was released throughout Europe at the end of September 1994. Roger Taylor's band toured the UK and Italy in November 1994 - January 1995.

1995: Made In Heaven!
After four years in the making, November 6, 1995 saw the worldwide release of Made In Heaven, Queen's twentieth and final album. Begun in April 1991, the album was the last work to be recorded by the band with Freddie Mercury, recording continuing through to the last months of Freddie's life.

1995: the dedication
The album, much of the finishing work undertaken by John, Brian and Roger after Freddie's death, carries a dedication to the 'immortal spirit of Freddie Mercury', in recognition of his request that the material be completed and be heard by the public.

1995: the songs
The finality of the album is underlined in two particular tracks, A Winter's Tale, the last song written by Freddie, and Mother Love a Brian and Freddie song which features the last vocal track Freddie laid down.

1995: Montreux
Much of the recording on Made In Heaven was carried out at Queen's studio in Montreux, Switzerland, the town where Freddie was also living at the time. This landmark point in the history of Queen is immortalised in the album sleeve - a landscape view across the lake which Freddie's home overlooked.

1995: personal album
To many, Made In Heaven represents not only Queen's most personal album, but also the band's finest.

1995: BFI project
Always recognised for their innovative music videos, Queen wanted to look at an entirely new way of presenting the tracks of the album in a visual form. This was achieved by joining forces with the British Film Institute in a unique venture to produce a series of short films based around each of the album tracks using the talent of new young directors working with the BFI. The first of these was Evolution, a film made by director Simon Pummell inspired by Heaven For Everyone. As well as being seen on television, the film is expected to be seen also on cinema screens. Under the BFI project, a further six-eight films are anticipated to be made.

1995: 20CD set
The release of the album also provided a fitting occasion to reflect on the highlights and achievements of Queen's 25 years. A week after its release, November 13, comes the release of Ultimate Queen, a deluxe box set of 20 Queen albums presented in a wall mounted presentation case. Available as a limited edition, Ultimate Queen contains the complete studio work of the group with the classic live albums Live Killers, Live Magic and Live At Wembley. Individually numbered, each case presents the album collection on high quality litho printed picture CDs accompanied by an embossed 12-page colour booklet.

1995: Champions Of The World
As a companion to the box set, Queen also released the definitive video documentary, Champions of the World. In two hours of film and music, the video contains a wealth of material not previously available. More than simply re-telling the band's history, Champions of the World also provides a rare insight into the lives of John, Brian, Freddie and Roger.

1995: Queen Phenomenon
The release of the album is also celebrated on television with two Channel 4 specials on Queen: a new one-hour documentary, The Queen Phenomenon, to air on December 4 at 10pm, and Queen At Wembley, a live recording of one of the highlights of the group's 1986 Magic Tour, to be screened on December 6 at 11:00pm.

1995: the website
On November 6 Queen fans worldwide were able for the first time to communicate with each other and connect with the band with the launch of the Queen web site on the internet. Considered one of the most advanced sites available, it incorporates seven locations offering audio samples, video clips, stills artwork, communication and information centres, as well as a shopping mall. The site address is: http://www.queenonline.com/

1995: the statue
On November 8 sculptor Irena Sedlecka commenced work on the full size version of the statue of Freddie Mercury to be unveiled in 1996.

1995: more broadcastings
December will see Queen back on the airwaves in a major way with a two hour documentary radio series being produced by Unique Broadcasting for broadcast on Radio One FM during the month.

1996: radio series
This will be followed in January by an even more extensive radio series of five hours to be broadcast across the Independent Radio Network.

1996: Freddie in a museum
November will also see Freddie's image on display at the Museum of the Moving Image on London's Southbank with the installation of a holographic movie created from his likeness; in essence, a 3-D image on film.

1997: Queen Rocks
1997 saw the release of Queen's third compilation album Queen Rocks. It became a big succes in many countries and featured a new song written by Brian and recorded by Roger, Brian and John.

1998: Another World
Another World saw the release in 1998. Brian's long awaited solo album. This became the last album with Cozy Powell; he died after a car accident just after the recordings had been completed. While On My Way Up got released in Europe, the UK had Business as a single. Business featured a special Cozy mix and a small message by Brian for Cozy. In August Why Don't We Try Again got released as a single in the UK, Holland released Another World as a single in September.

1998: Electric Fire
Right after this release Roger released his forth solo album Electric Fire. Two singles were taken from the album: Pressure On and Surrender. The latter got released in 1999 and featured a special Radio Mix. A short UK tour followed after this release.

1999: Hits three
The end of 1999 saw the release of Greatest Hits III and Greatest Flix III of Queen. A new mix was included on the compilation: Under Pressure, the Rah Mix and a unique live performance with Elton John and the three remaining Queen members.

2000: Furia
Brian released his own soundtrack album in August 2000 for the French movie Furia. It got later released in the UK, Japan and all over Europe.

2000: th?box set
The Solo Collection, a 10 CD and 2 DVD box set got released in October 2000 of Freddie. The box featured the three solo albums, two discs with single tracks, three CD's with rarities such as demos, unreleased takes and instrumental tracks. An interview and instrumental CD was also included plus 2 DVD's featuring all of Freddie's video clips plus a new documentary. A single was released in Holland and Italy to promote the box set.

2001: .....
2001 will hopefully see the first Queen rarities box set and perhaps some other surprising things, such as a live performance of Brian and Roger (and maybe even John) somewhere on the globe...

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