Tag: Matt Sorum

My Sunday Song – “Fall To Pieces” by Velvet Revolver

Published on by 2loud2oldmusic15 Comments

For My Sunday Song #97, we will keep it into the more recent years of power ballads and do Velvet Revolver’s “Fall To Pieces”. The song was off the band’s debut album ‘Contraband’ and went to #1 on the Mainstream Rock Charts.  It was almost a crossover hit as it did reach #67 on the Billboard Hot 100.

For those that don’t know (and shame on you), Velvet Revolver consisted of lead singer Scott Weiland (Stone Temple Pilots) and Slash, Duff McKagan, Matt Sorum (all from Guns ‘N Roses) and Dave Kushner (played with Dave Navarro).  The song follows the typical power ballad formula of a slower temple with some heavier moments and all with a softer sound even though theirs was a little dirtier and grittier.

The song is based on Scott Weiland’s addiction to heroin and the impact it had on his life and his relationship with is wife.  The title of the song “Fall to Pieces” was exactly how Weiland felt.  Now with his passing years later, you wonder if he ever didn’t feel this way.  That to me makes the song a little sadder.

51HVHWQZ07L._SY300_

 

The music video for the song actually mirrors the events in Scott’s life and its impact.  It shows the spoils of rock & roll fame and the complete dark, scary side of fame.  It is a stark, disturbing picture of what a junkie can go through.

Continue reading “My Sunday Song – “Fall To Pieces” by Velvet Revolver” →

‘Slash’ by Slash & Anthony Bozza – Book Review

Published on by 2loud2oldmusic10 Comments

As a Guns ‘N Roses fan, this book was a no-brainer when it went on sale on Amazon.  You will notice a trend on my book reviews in that I always get the books when they are on sale, dirt cheap.  Best way to buy them.  Slash has always been this larger than life Guitar God with his trademark black Top Hat, long curly hair covering his face and a cigarette sticking out of his mouth.  And of course, that is why that picture is the cover of the book.  You instantly know who it is.

The book came out in 2007 and it covers the periods of his childhood, through Guns ‘N Roses rise and fall, Slash’s Snakepit and all the way up to his band at the time Velvet Revolver.  It is a journey filled with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows.  You get to see what influenced him in life and what drove him forward to succeed.  I would say you get everything as he lays it all out on the table.  He isn’t afraid to paint himself in a negative light either.

After reading this book, I am amazed that Slash is actually still alive.  He started doing drugs, drinking and having sex at an extremely young age.  His parental supervision was  interesting as his parents were very artsy and lived a very bohemian lifestyle.  At a young age, he was surrounded by famous people, including the late David Bowie.  He started out skateboarding and eventually discovered the Guitar and then his focus changed.  School was never important, but even less so when he started playing guitar.

91dl+B+t3UL

Continue reading “‘Slash’ by Slash & Anthony Bozza – Book Review” →

The Original Vs. The Cover – “Live and Let Die”

Published on by 2loud2oldmusic32 Comments

Welcome to the first installment of “The Original Vs. The Cover” for 2018.  We are going to start it off this year with the battle between Paul McCartney & Wings and Guns ‘N Roses with the song “Live and Let Die”.  The song was written by Paul & Linda McCartney for the James Bond movie “Live and Let Die”. The two versions aren’t really that different in my opinion.  Some of the orchestration is replaced with guitars, but other than that they are very similar.  But before we choose a version we like more, let’s talk about each version first.

Paul McCartney and Wings

Paul was given the Ian Fleming novel to read and then he sat down at his piano and wrote the song.  I am not sure Paul had ever had to write a song around a title before as he said it was not an easy thing to do.  Well, he wrote the song in an afternoon, so it must not have been that hard.  The song is one of Wing’s most popular songs and it received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song in 1973.  However, it did lose to Barbara Streisand’s song “The Way We Were”.  The song was also nominated for a Grammy in the same year.

Continue reading “The Original Vs. The Cover – “Live and Let Die”” →