Billy Thorpe R.I.P.

Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs were an Australian pop and rock group dating from the mid-sixties. The group enjoyed huge success in the mid-1960s, but split in 1967. They re-emerged in the early seventies to become one of the most popular Australian hard-rock bands of the period. Thorpe died from a heart attack in Sydney on February 28th, 2007.

Radio Moscow - Selftitled [Alive, Feb 27, 2007, REVIEW]

Although some describe them as "psychedelic blues rock," the Ames, IA, duo Radio Moscow is more of a throwback to the classic rock of the '70s. Their story is a true "being in the right place at the right time" tale, as the band's singer/guitarist/drummer, Parker Griggs, managed to get a demo tape into the hands of the Black Keys' Dan Auerbach after a gig. Auerbach liked the demo so much, he invited Griggs and bassist Luke McDuff to his home studio in Akron, OH, and produced their 2007 self-titled debut. The end result calls on several recognizable hits/bands of yesteryear. Highlights include "Lucky Dutch," which contains a beefy riff that's reminiscent of Ram Jam's "Black Betty," and "Lickskillet" begins as an acoustic blues ditty, before transforming into an Allman Brothers-esque dual-guitar fest (complete with slide guitar), while both "Mistreating Queen" and "Whatever Happened" are muscular riff rock à la the Jeff Beck Group.

Very Good Alternative Hard&Blues-Rock....Recommended

33 years have passed.... the Stooges are BACK !!

Iggy Pop was, and still is, the main offender. The walk, talk, bleeding cold blooded red stare adorned on the sleeve to 1973's 'Raw Power' outlines his every anarchic move. He was sectioned James Newell Osterberg from mid 1960s Chicago blues, through box demo 'Nuggets' 45s, into a full blown explosive and laboured rock hero that still deals dirty, punching hands through his punk spangled banner.

Stapled to his army the Stooges, his band that gorged a historic trilogy of albums between 1969 and 74 ('The Stooges', 'Fun House' and 'Raw Power'), Pop declared war on rock generics with his speed spun sound that would later spawn a fleet of safety pinned movers and shakers of the late 1970s punk and new wave scenes.

'The Weirdness' is the first Stooges album in 33 Years and is the crooked sound of durable band dynamic. Boarding original Stooges Scott and Ron Asheton, along with Minutemen bassist Mike Watt and the flick-knife sax of Steve Mackay, Its live, cranked to eleven escape doesn't stop for breath.

'Trollin' is a dog howling blues with Pop barking insanities ”..I see you're hair as energy, my dick is turning into a tree” to Ron Asheton's denting fretwork. 'You Can't Have Friends' is a scratched up speed jam with guileless chorus line into 'ATM' in all its reclaimed Pistols make up of 'EMI' and Pop proclaiming “Don't Bullshit a bullshitter” in growling stutter. The informal 'Idea Of Fun' is classic Iggy with broad vocals darting through glittering chords and splitting drums screaming “.. My idea of fun is killing everyone…” .The record breaks for breath with the drowsy title track and Iggy donning Bowie croon in this intoxicated blues de force. 'Free And Freaky' and 'Greedy Awful People' are Pop's playful poke at current USA profile through to the downhill run of 'End Of Christianity' a riff-ridden bridge of optimistic disorder. 'Mexican Guy' is a disjointed sparse love story with a Bo Diddley figure reminiscent of '1969' before closer 'I'm Fried' rips the rules in this cutting, all out contorted ride of mayhem” I can't tell if I'm dead or having fun” with Pop battling against bitter guitar and sax violence and then it's gone.

In a word, 'The Weirdness' is guts. The same guts that carved the bands celebrated output from the late 60s into a glam horizon. The record is not a daring attempt to rescue the old but to shake the new. At 60 Pop has again made a record that still shines back home, and seeks to search and destroy with nothing more than four guys in a room enamoured to overdrive. Pop still has that red stare and same raw power, but he's a little wiser now.