Dire Straits

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Jump to: navigation, search This article is about the band. For their eponymous album, see Dire Straits (album). Dire Straits

Country Years active Genre(s) Label(s)

Newcastle, England 19771995 Rock Phonogram Vertigo Mark Knopfler John Illsley Alan Clark Guy Fletcher David Knopfler Pick Withers Hal Lindes Terry Williams Jack Sonni Omar Hakim

Members

Past members

Dire Straits was a British rock band, formed in 1977 by David Knopfler (guitar), his brother Mark Knopfler (guitar and vocals), John Illsley (bass) and Pick Withers (drums), and managed by Ed Bicknell. Although the band was formed in an era when punk rock reigned, Dire Straits worked within the conventions of classic rock, albeit with a stripped-down sound that appealed to modern audiences weary of the overproduced stadium rock of the 1970s (see 1970s in music). Unusually, in their early days Mark and David used small low wattage combo amps, allowing pub patrons to converse while the band played. Despite this oddly self-effacing approach to rock and roll, Dire Straits soon became hugely successful with their first album going multi-platinum globally..

Their most famous songs include: "Sultans of Swing", "Romeo and Juliet", "Private Investigations", "Money for Nothing", "Walk of Life", and "Brothers in Arms".

Contents
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1 History o 1.1 Early history o 1.2 Increased complexity o 1.3 The Brothers In Arms era o 1.4 After Brothers In Arms 2 Dire Straits Members o 2.1 Members at dissolution of band o 2.2 Former members o 2.3 Auxiliary touring members 3 Discography o 3.1 Main albums o 3.2 Live albums o 3.3 Compilations o 3.4 Hit singles 4 See also

5 External links [edit]

History
[edit]

Early history
Dire Straits recorded and released their first, self-titled album in 1978 initially, within the UK, to little fanfare but to number one platinum success in the rest of Europe and then the US. Later a single release, "Sultans of Swing" became an unlikely UK chart hit, making the UK top 10 . The group's second album, Communiqu, followed in 1979. Both albums are characterized by a stripped-down sound. This would change with the following albums. The band's line-up changed over the years, with only Mark Knopfler and John Illsley the only two remaining founding members. Mark Knopfler was increasingly the driving force behind the band throughout it's career. [edit]

Increased complexity
In 1980 Dire Straits released their third album, Making Movies. This marked a move towards more complex arrangements and production which would continue for the remainder of the band's career until the group's dissolution in the 1990s. Featuring "Romeo and Juliet", which became one of the band's best known chart hits, Making

Movies saw the departure of David Knopfler while the recording of the album was still in progress; Sid McGinnis filled in on rhythm guitar as the sessions continued. The album also featured keyboardist Roy Bittan from Bruce Springsteen's "E Street" band and was produced by Jimmy Iovine. Keyboardist Alan Clark and Californian guitarist Hal Lindes joined the lineup of Dire Straits for their fourth studio album, Love Over Gold, which was released in 1982 and was the first Dire Straits album produced by Mark Knopfler. Its main chart hit, "Private Investigations", gave Dire Straits their first UK top 5 hit single, peaking at number two despite its almost 7 minute length. In other territories, the single "Industrial Disease" was the album's calling card, particularly in Canada where it was a top 10 hit. Shortly after the release of "Love Over Gold," drummer Pick Withers left the band for a jazz career. His replacement was Terry Williams, formerly of Rockpile. In 1983 a four-song Extended Play record was released, featuring the hit single "Twisting By the Pool". This was followed by the double live album Alchemy, in 1984. During this time Mark Knopfler also wrote the music score for the films Local Hero and Cal. Meanwhile, Dire Straits' biggest hit was yet to come. [edit]

The Brothers In Arms era

Brothers in Arms was released in 1985 and went on to become the biggest selling album in the UK of that year and a huge hit internationally. It spawned several chart singles, including the US number one hit "Money for Nothing", which was the first video ever to be played on MTV in Britain. There were further personnel changes, with the addition of a second keyboardist, Guy Fletcher. Brothers in Arms also saw the departure of Hal Lindes from the band during the recording sessions. His place was taken by Jack Sonni, though Lindes was still credited an offical band member for the album's release, while Sonni was not. Terry Williams was also joined on drums by Omar Hakim; both are credited as band members for this release. The 1985-86 world tour was phenomenally successful. While playing a thirteen-night residency at Wembley Arena, the band moved down the road to Wembley Stadium on the afternoon of 13th July 1985 to appear in Live Aid; their set included "Money For Nothing" with Sting as guest vocalist. The tour ended at the Entertainment Centre in Sydney, Australia, where Dire Straits still holds the record for consecutive appearances (twenty-one nights). The commercial success of Brothers in Arms was greatly aided by being one of the first fully digitally recorded and produced albums available in the then new Compact Disc format, leading early adopters of the new technology to consider it a "must buy" album in a limited landscape of available music in CD format. "Brothers in Arms" is also reported to be the world's first CD Single, issued in the UK in two separate Singles as a promotional item, one distinguished with a logo for the tour live in `85 and a second to commemorate the Australian leg of the tour marked live in `86; containing just 4 tracks this CD had a very limited print run. Furthermore, the new

format offered an excellent showcase for Knopfler's meticulous production values on the earlier albums, leading many existing fans to repurchase the whole back catalogue. As a result of this situation - and the Live Aid appearance and world tour - Dire Straits were the world's biggest selling band in the mid 1980s. The popularity of the band extends beyond the UK and US: in many parts of the world including India, Southeast Asia and Africa, Dire Straits has remained one of the most well-known and admired Western bands. [edit]

After Brothers In Arms

After the Brothers In Arms tour ended in 1986, Dire Straits went on a lengthy hiatus and Mark Knopfler concentrated on solo projects and film soundtracks. Dire Straits regrouped for the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Concert in 1988 where they were joined by Eric Clapton. Also in 1988 drummer Terry Williams left the band. After Mark Knopfler worked and toured with the Notting Hillbillies, Dire Straits regrouped again in 1990. By this time the band comprised four key members: Knopfler, John Illsley, and keyboardists Alan Clark and Guy Fletcher. Accompanied by other part-time members or session musicians, including the highly respected American drummer Jeff Porcaro from Toto, the group began recording tracks for a new album. The result was the band's final original studio album, On Every Street released in 1991, six years after the release of Brothers In Arms. A widely anticipated release, On Every Street met with mixed reviews and moderate success. It was regarded by some reviewers as an underwhelming follow up and didn't sell as well as its predecessor. The song "The Bug", taken from that album, contains backing vocals by Vince Gill who turned down an invitation to join the band full time. The 1991-1993 world tour that followed On Every Street was not as successful as the previous 1985-86 tour. A live album On The Night, released in 1993, documented that tour, in which Chris Whitten played drums. Following the release of Live at the BBC, a collection of live recordings from their early years, Dire Straits disbanded quietly in 1995, after Knopfler expressed a desire to give up touring on a large scale and he immediately went onto work full time on solo material and film soundtracks, while the other group members pursued their own careers. Guy Fletcher has, however, continued to be associated with almost every single piece of work concerning Mark Knopfler's solo career. Three 'best of' albums have been released, the most recent being the compilation The Best of Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler: Private Investigations in November 2005, which consisted of material from most of Dire Straits' studio albums and Mark Knopfler's solo and soundtrack material. Dire Straits and Mark Knopfler have sold in excess of 118 million albums to date. [edit]

Dire Straits Members

[edit] Members at dissolution of band

Mark Knopfler - lead vocals, peace guitar (19771995) John Illsley - bass and background vocals (19771995) Alan Clark - keyboards (19801995) Guy Fletcher - keyboards and background vocals (1984-1995)

[edit] Former members

David Knopfler - guitar, keyboards and background vocals (19771980) Pick Withers - drums and percussion (1977-1982) Hal Lindes - guitar and background vocals (19801985) Terry Williams - drums and percussion (19821988) Omar Hakim - drums and percussion (1985) Jack Sonni - guitar (19851988)

[edit] Auxiliary touring members

Mel Collins - saxophone (19831984) Tommy Mandel - keyboards (19831984) Joop de Korte - percussion (19831984) Chris Whitten- drums and percussion (19911995) Phil Palmer - guitar (19911995) Paul Franklin - pedal steel guitar (19911995) Chris White - saxophone (19851995) Danny Cummings - percussion (19911995)

[edit]

Discography
[edit]

Main albums

1978 Dire Straits (Global sales 15 million) 1979 Communiqu (Global sales 7 million) 1980 Making Movies (US Sales: 1mil.) 1982 Love Over Gold (US Sales: 0.5mil.) 1983 ExtendedancEPlay (not really an album)

1985 Brothers in Arms (US Sales: 9mil., World Sales: 25 mil.) 1991 On Every Street (US Sales: 1mil.)

[edit]

Live albums

1984 Alchemy (US Sales: 0.5mil.) (live in London) 1993 On The Night 1995 Live at the BBC

[edit]

Compilations

1988 Money for Nothing (US Sales: 1mil.) 1998 Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits (also on DVD) 2005 The Best of Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler: Private Investigations

[edit]

Hit singles

"Sultans of Swing" (1979) #8 UK; #4 US "Romeo and Juliet" (1981) #8 UK "Skateaway" (1981) #37 UK "Private Investigations" (1982) #2 UK "Twisting by the Pool" (1983) #14 UK "So Far Away" (1985) #20 UK; #19 US "Money for Nothing" (1985) #4 UK; #1 (3 weeks) US "Brothers in Arms" (1985) #16 UK "Walk of Life" (1986) #2 UK; #7 US "Your Latest Trick" (1986) #26 UK "Calling Elvis" (1991) #21 UK "Encores EP" (1993) #31 UK

Dire Straits emerged during the post-punk era of the late '70s, and while their sound was minimalistic and stripped down, they owed little to punk. If anything, the band was

a direct outgrowth of the roots revivalism of pub rock, but where pub rock celebrated good times, Dire Straits were melancholy. Led by guitarist/vocalist Mark Knopfler, the group built their sound upon the laid-back blues-rock of J.J. Cale, but they also had jazz and country inflections, occasionally dipping into the epic song structures of progressive rock. The band's music was offset by Knopfler's lyrics, which approximated the winding, stream-of-conscious narratives of Bob Dylan. As their career progressed, Dire Straits became more refined and their new maturity happened to coincide with the rise of MTV and the compact disc. These two musical revolutions from the mid-'80s helped make Dire Straits' sixth album, Brothers in Arms, an international blockbuster. The band -- along with Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, and Steve Winwood -- become one of the leaders of a group of self-consciously mature veteran rock & rollers in the late '80s that designed their music to appeal to aging baby boomers. Despite the band's international success, they couldn't sustain their stardom, waiting a full six years to deliver a follow-up to Brothers in Arms, by which time their audience had shrunk significantly. Knopfler (born August 12, 1949) was always the main force behind Dire Straits. The son of an architect, Knopfler studied English literature at Leeds University and worked briefly as a rock critic for the Yorkshire Evening Post while at college. He began teaching English after his graduation, leading a pub rock band called Brewer's Droop at night. By 1977, Mark was playing with his brother David (guitar) and his roommate John Illsley (bass). During the summer of 1977, the trio cut a demo with drummer Pick Withers. A London DJ named Charlie Gillett heard the demo and began playing "Sultans of Swing" on his BBC show Honky Tonkin'. Following a tour opening for Talking Heads, the band began recording their debut for Vertigo Records with producer Muff Winwood in early 1978. By the summer, they had signed with Warner in America, releasing their eponymous debut in the fall. Thanks to the Top Ten hit "Sultans of Swing," Dire Straits was a major success in both Britain and America, with the single and album climbing into the Top Ten on both sides of the Atlantic. Dire Straits established Dire Straits as a major force on album-oriented radio in America, and their second album, Communique (1979), consolidated their audience, selling three million copies worldwide. As the group was recording its third album, Knopfler left the band to pursue a solo career; he was replaced by former Darling member Hal Lindes. Like its predecessor, Making Movies was a sizable hit in America and Britain, even though the band was criticized for musically treading water. Nevertheless, the record went gold on the strength of the radio and MTV hits "Romeo and Juliet" and "Skateaway." Dire Straits followed the album two years later with Love Over Gold, an album filled with long, experimental passages, plus the single "Private Investigations," which became a number two hit in the U.K. The album went gold in America and spent four weeks at number one in Britain. Shortly after the release of Love Over Gold, former Rockpile drummer Terry Williams replaced Withers. During 1982, Knopfler began exploring musical avenues outside of Dire Straits, scoring the Bill Forsyth film Local Hero and playing on Van Morrison's Beautiful Vision. Apart from releasing the Twisting by the Pool EP early in 1983, Dire Straits were quiet for the majority of 1983 and 1984, as Knopfler produced Bob Dylan's Infidels, as well as Aztec Camera and Willy DeVille; he also wrote "Private Dancer for Tina Turner's comeback album. In the spring of 1984, the band released the double album Alchemy: Dire Straits Live and by the end of the year, they had begun recording their fifth studio album with their new keyboardist, Guy Fletcher. Released in the summer of 1985, Brothers in Arms was Dire Straits' breakthrough album, making the band international stars. Supported by the groundbreaking computeranimated video for "Money for Nothing," a song which mocked music videos, the album became a blockbuster, spending nine weeks at the top of the American charts and selling over nine million copies; in England, the album became the biggest-selling album of the '80s. "Walk of Life" and "So Far Away" kept Brothers in Arms in the charts through 1986, and Dire Straits played over 200 dates in support of the album. Once the tour was completed, Dire Straits went on hiatus for several years, as Knopfler produced records by Randy Newman and Joan Armatrading, scored films, toured with Eric Clapton, and recorded a duet album with Chet Atkins (Neck and Neck, 1990). In 1989, he formed the country-rock group Notting Hillbillies, whose sole album, Missing...Presumed Having a Good Time, became a British hit upon its spring 1990 release. During the extended time off, John Illsley recorded his second album; the first appeared in 1984. In 1990, Knopfler reconvened Dire Straits, which now featured Illsley, Clark, Fletcher, and various session musicians. The band released On Every Street in the fall of 1991 to great anticipation. However, the album failed to meet expectations -- it only went platinum in America and it didn't crack the U.K. Top 40 -- and failed to generate a hit single. Similarly, the tour was a disappointment, with many tickets going unsold in both the U.S. and Europe. Once the tour was completed, the live album On the Night was released in the spring of 1993 and the band again went on hiatus. In 1996, Knopfler launched his solo career with Golden Heart. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide Formatie din Anglia infiintata in 1977

Componenta John David Mark Pick

initiala: Illsley Knopfler Withers chitara Knopfler chitara, baterie bass chitara vocal

Este una dintre cele mai de seama formatii din a doua jumatate a anilor 70', una din formatiile care a innoit rock-ul. Cel care le-a fost de ajutor la inceputul carierei a fost Charlie Gillett. In 1978 au facut primul lor turneu impreuna cu Talking Heads si cu acest prilej au aparut prima data in fata marelui public. In mai a aparut primul lor single Sultans Of Swing, iar dupa o luna si albumul de debut, care a devenit disc de aur in mai multe tari, numarul vanzarilor depasind cinci milioane. Dupa ce au inregistrat al doilea album au facut un turneu in Europa si in S.U.A, astfel si acest nou album avand mare succes. Au devenit tot mai apreciati, dovada acestui lucru este si afirmatia lui Bob Dylan "cea mai buna formatie care a aparut in ultimii zece ani in lumea rock-ului". Dylan i-a rugat pe Mark Knopfler si pe Withers sa colaboreze la realizarea noului sau album din 1979. Urmatorul album Dire Straits s-a realizat in trio, fara David Knopfler, de pe acest album melodia Romeo And Juliet a devenit un hit. Mai tarziu s-au alaturat formatiei Hal Lindes (chitara) si Alan Clark (claviatura). Apogeul carierei lor l-au atins in 1985, cu albumul Brothers In Arms, iar o melodie despre acest album (Money For Nothing) a fost un succes urias in Europa si in S.U.A. Stilul formatiei are la baza rock-ul dar incorporeaza si noul stil al anilor 70'. In muzica lor se combina stilul rythm, blues si rock and roll dar si country si folk. Formatia extinde si in prezent posibilatile muzicale, o buna dovada este si sunetul simfonic al albumului Brothers In Arms.

BIOGRAFIE DIRE STRAITS

Anul infiintarii: 1977 (Anglia, Londra) Gen: AOR Componenta actuala: Mark Knopfler (chitara, voce) David Knopfler (chitara) John Illsey (bass) Pick Withers (tobe) Discografie: Dire Straits (1978) Communique (1979) Making Movies (1980) Love Over Gold (1982) Twisting Bt the Pool (EP,1983) Alchemy: Dire Straits Live (live,1984) Brothers In Arms (1985) On every Street (1991) On The Night (live,1993) Live At The BBC (live,1995) Din aceeasi zona: Aztec Camera-High Land, Hard Rain Chris Rea-On The Beach Mark si David Knopfler, fiii unui arhitect, au descoperit pasiunea pentru chitara n adolescenta. In timp ce urma studiile universitare de limba engleza, Mark facea cronici de muzica rock la Yorkshire Evening Post si era membru al mai multor trupe rock ce concertau n pub-urile din sudul Londrei. La nceputul lui1977, cnd preda cursuri de literatura britanica, Mark petrecea mult timp cu fratele lui David pe atunci asistent social - si cu colegul de camer al acestuia, John Illsey, un distribuitor de cherestea care studia sociologia la Universitatea din Londra. n iulie 1977, dupa mai multe repetiii n studio cu bateristul Pick Withers, viitorul grup Dire Straits a elaborat o caseta demonstrativa cu 5 piese care includea si viitorul single Sultans of Swing.

Criticul muzical si DJ-ul Charlie Gillett a difuzat Sultans of Swing n emisiunea lui de pe BBC- Honky Tonkin iar ascultatorii si casele de discuri s-au aratat ncntati de piesa. La sfrsitul lui 1977 grupul si nregistra albumul de debut la casa de discuri Vertigo Records a producatorului Muff Winwood. Sultans of Swing a fost pentru prima data hit n Olanda, si abia dup aceea a facut parte din UK TOP 10. Warner Bros Records s-a ocupat integral de distribuia albumului n SUA si i-a acordat suport financiar pna cnd n martie 1979 a obtinut locul 2 n clasamentul Billboard. Dupa ce au cntat n deschiderea unui concert Talking Heads n timpul turneului european al acestora din 1978, Dire Straits au investit 25 000$ \si 12 zile pentru nregistrarea albumului Dire Straits (1978). Odata ce Sultans of Swing a devenit hit, albumul s-a vndut n 2 milioane de exemplare n ntreaga lume. Criticii muzicali au asociat stilul trupei Dire Straits cu cel al unor artisti precum Chris Rea, Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, Aztec Camera, Bruce Springsteen, George Harrison, John Hiatt, Sheryl Crow, Steely Dan, Sting sau Tom Petty. Aceiai critici vorbesc despre influentele muzicii lui Eric Clapton, JJ Cale, Bob Dylan, Randy Newmann si Chet Atkins n stilul trupei. Albumul Communique (1980) produs de Jerry Wesler si Barry Beckett s-a vndut n 3 milioane de exemplare n ntreaga lume. Nu a avut un debut comercial, dar n textele pieselor se face simtit lirismul incisiv si cinic al lui Knopfler. nainte de nregistrarea albumului Making Movies (1980) David Knopfler a optat pentru o cariera solo, realiznd de atunci mai multe albume independente. n locul lui a venit Ray Bittan pianistul fostei trupe a lui Bruce Springsteen, E Band. In urmatorul turneu au fost adaugati formulei initiale a trupei Val Linders - fost membru a trupei Darling si Alan Clark la clape. Chiar daca Knopfer a fost criticat pentru lipsa de varietate a formulei muzicale, albumul a dat totusi nastere unui single de UK Top 20 nemuritoarea balada Romeo and Juliet. Love over Gold (1982) a avut un succes mai mare dect albumul precedent, piesa-single extrasa de pe acesta Private Investigations ocupnd primul loc n topurile britanice din septembrie 1982. Dupa lansarea albumului Love over Gold, Knopfler a luat o pauza, timp n care s-a ocupat de producia albumului Infidels (1983) al lui Bob Dylan si a compus textul pentru hitul renascut al Tinei Turner Private Dancer. Astfel, Knopfer s-a facut remarcat att ca textier ct si ca chitarist de exceptie, motiv pentru care se credea ca trupa Dire Straits si-a ncheiat cariera. Tot n acea perioada Knopfler a semnat contracte de productie cu cu artisti precum Aztec Camera, Randy Newmann si Willy deVile. Trupa s-a reunit n 1983 cnd, mpreuna cu fostul basist al trupei Rockpite - Terry Williams a fost ntr-un turneu mondial. Dup realizarea unui EP Twisting by the Pool (1983) - locul 14 in topurile britanice - si a unui album live Alchemy (1984) - locul 3 in topurile britanice a urmat cel mai mare succes comercial al trupei albumul Brothers in Arms (1985) care a ocupat locul 1 in UK charts n anul apariiei. Acesta cuprinde 3 hit-uri: Money for Nothing (locul 1 n 1985); Walk of Life ( locul 7 n 1985) pe care apare i vocea lui Sting care cnt I want my MTV - si So Far Away (locul 19 in 1986). n 1986 Brothers in Arms depaseste cifra de vnzari de 3 milioane n Marea Britanie, devenind cel mai bine vndut LP din istoria muzicala a acestei tari. Cu Brothers in Arms n topuri, Knopfler s-a apucat de alte proiecte a aparut n The Shouting Stage al lui Joan Armatrading, a fost coproducatorul lui Andy Newmann pentru Land of Dreams si a facut nregistrari cu idolul lui, chitaristul Chut Atkins ( Knopfler si Atkins au cstigat 3 premii Grammy pentru nregistrarile lor n duet). De asemenea, s-a ocupat de producia abumului Knife al trupei Aztec Camera si de compozitia de soundrtackuri pentru mai multe filme: Local Hero (1983) , Cal ( 1984), The Princess Bride (1987), Confort and Joy ( 1987) si Last Exit to Brooklyn(1989). Apariia trupei la un concert live de ntrajutorare a dus la creterea vnzrilor albumului. Knopfer face o serie de observatii cu privire la comercializarea imaginiii lui de star rock pe MTV odata cu apariia

hitului Money for Nothing number one n SUA. Alte trei piese de pe album: Walk of Life, So Far Away si Brothers in Arms au devenit hituri pe ambele parti ale Atlanticului, Walk of Life situnduse pe locul 2 n topurile din Marea Britanie. n 1988, dupa apariia live la concertul aniversar de 70 de ani al lui Nelson Mandela de pe stadionul Wembley din Londra si dupa turneul cu Eric Clapton, Knopfer a anunat sfrsitul carierei trupei Dire Straits. Nu nainte de a lansa al doilea album live o compilaie a pieselor din acest turneu - On the Night (1993). Money for Nothing (1988), o compilaie a celor mai mari hituri Dire Straits a aparut la sfrsitul carierei acestora i a ocupat locul 62 n topurile britanice. n 1990 Knopfler a format o trupa ad-hoc mpreuna cu Brendan Croker, Paul Franklin, Ed Bicknell, si Steve Phillips - Notting Hillbillies. Albumul de debut - Missing.Presumed Having a Good Time a fost apreciat n Marea Britanie, ocupnd locul 2 n top. n SUA s-a situat doar pe locul 52, n ciuda lansarii albumului la o editie live a emisiunii Saturday Night Live si ntr-un turneu. Dupa acest turneu din Marea Britanie, trupa s-a dizolvat. De mentionat ca in acelasi an, Mark Knopfler a realizat un album alaturi de marele chitarist de country Chet Atkins, intitulat Neck And Neck. n vara lui 1991 Dire Straits si-au anunat turneul de rentoarcere si apariia unui nou album On Every Street (1991). Avnd n vedere succesul trupei din anii 80 era de asteptat ca efectul acestui album sa fie favorabil. n SUA nsa turneul lor nu a strnit senzatie. Nu s-a distins nici un single de pe acest album. Asa cum aratau criticii muzicali, Brothers in Arms a fost poate o lovitura norocoasa, o nota aparte n stilul obisnuit al trupei. Chiar daca Knopfler a fost provocat de alte proiecte extraprofesionale, dup o pauza de 6 ani ntre productia de albume grupul si-a mentinut incredibila popularitate n Marea Britanie. Aceasta se datoreaza unei bune strategii de marketing si a apelului neconditionat al fanilor britanici la muzica lor. Dupa desfiintarea Dire Straits, Mark Knopfler a realizat doua albume solo, Golden Heart (1996) si Sailing To Philadelphia (2002), plus o noua serie de coloane sonore. Raluca Mateoc

Dire Straits discography

This is a brief review of the albums released by Mark Knopfler with his band.

Dire Straits (1978)

Working as a teacher in the Loughton College of London, and, also, writing some rock articles in the Yorkshire Evening Post, a young amateur guitarist, named Mark Knopfler, decides to put together 120 pounds and record a demo tape with a group of friends. One of them, John Illsley, gives this tape to a well known talent scout, Charlie Gillet, who was making a radio show called "Honky Tonk". A song called Sultans of Swing is introduced. The rest is history..

Communiqu (1979)
While Dire Straits was only beginning to make it onto the charts, and although the first album had not been released in the USA, the band traveled to Nassau (Bahamas) and started to record this masterwork. It is, in my opinion, the best Dire Straits album. This is the prototype of the DS sound. The solos in the first track, Once Upon A Time In The West, are the perfect reason to give Knopfler the name of "the most elegant guitar player".

Making Movies (1980)

This album contains some of the "classic" pieces in the DS repertoire: Tunnel of Love, Romeo and Juliet, Solid Rock, Expresso Love.... Because Mark's brother, David, left the band during the recording, Mark plays all guitars on this album. For the tour, they were joined by the keyboardist, Alan Clark, adding a strong influence to the sound of the band for the rest of its history.

Love Over Gold (1982)

For the first time, they reached number 1 in the UK charts. This work is a turn toward a more elaborated sound. Here are the classic song, Private Investigations, and the 14 minutes long track, Telegraph Road, the favourite of most fans.

Twisting by the Pool (EP, 1983)

This EP contains some songs that are not on any album. Very hard to find, it has never been released as a CD.

Alchemy (Live, 1984)

Containing all the power and the magic of the Dire Straits concerts, this legendary double album was recorded live in the Hammersmith Odeon (London). The concert is immaculate, without overdubs or remixes, thus increasing the historic value of the recording.

Brothers in Arms (1985)

This album pushed Knopfler and his band onto the Olympus of rock gods. This was the first time they reached number 1 in the USA. They started the longest tour ever seen at this time, one year long over the whole world. It finished in Australia in apotheosis. Due to the outstanding demand for tickets, more and more dates were added in Sydney. In the end, Mark had to appear on Australian TV personally asking his fans to stop demanding tickets, as the band had to go home!

Money for Nothing (Compilation, 1988)

Celebrating the first ten years of the band, this compilation was released, including two new tracks (Portobello Belle live and a Where Do You Think You're Going prerecording). Unfortunately, there are some parts edited and suppressed in Money for Nothing (the f**got phrases) and Brothers in Arms (the final solo), in order to make the album more "commercial".

On Every Street (1991)

Six years later, Dire Straits come back with an excellent record, although mostly underrated by the fans of the band. It was influenced by the collaborations of Mark with Chet Atkins and The Notting Hillbillies, one year before.

On The Night (Live, 1993)

The last Dire Straits album was recording live at Feyenoord Stadium (Rotterdam, Holland) and Les Arenes bullring (Nimes, France), during the two year long On Every Street tour.

Live at the BBC (Live, 1995)

This album is the recording of a concert broadcasted by the BBC Radio 1 in 1978. It includes songs from the first album. The concert contains only seven songs, including What's the Matter Baby?, a song never released before. There's also a versio n of Tunnel of Love recorded in Germany in 1981, and broadcasted in the BBC show "The Old Grey Whistle Test".
"Dire Straits" (1978) [Click to see more / buy this album]

Down To The Waterline Water Of Love Setting Me Up Six Blade Knife Southbound Again Sultans Of Swing In The Gallery Wild West End

Lions "Communique" (1979) [Click to see more / buy this album]

Once Upon A Time In The West News Where Do You Think You're Going? Communique Lady Writer Angel Of Mercy Portobello Belle Single Handed Sailor Follow Me Home "Making Movies" (1980) [Click to see more / buy this album]

Tunnel Of Love Romeo And Juliet Skateaway Expresso Love Hand In Hand Solid Rock Les Boys "Love Over Gold" (1982) [Click to see more / buy this album]

Telegraph Road Private Investigations Industrial Disease Love Over Gold It Never Rains "Alchemy: Dire Straits Live" (1984) [Click to see more / buy this album]

Once Upon A Time In The West Expresso Love Romeo And Juliet Love Over Gold Private Investigations Sultans Of Swing Tunnel Of Love Telegraph Road Solid Rock "Brothers In Arms" (1985) [Click to see more / buy this album]

So Far Away Money For Nothing Walk Of Life Your Latest Trick Why Worry

Ride Across The River The Man's Too Strong One World Brothers In Arms "Money For Nothing" (1988) [Click to see more / buy this album]

Sultans Of Swing Down To The Waterline Portobello Belle Twisting By The Pool (Remix) Tunnel Of Love Romeo And Juliet Where Do You Think You're Going? Walk Of Life Private Investigations Telegraph Road (Live Remix) Money For Nothing Brothers In Arms (7" Mix) "On Every Street" (1991) [Click to see more / buy this album]

Calling Elvis On Every Street When It Comes To You Fade To Black The Bug You And Your Friend Heavy Fuel Iron Hand Ticket To Heaven My Parties The Planet Of New Orleans How Long "Live At The BBC" (1995)

[Click to see more / buy this album]

Down To The Waterline Six Blade Knife Water Of Love Wild West End Sultans Of Swing Lions What's The Matter Baby? Tunnel Of Love

Brothers In Arms
These mist covered mountains Are a home now for me But my home is the lowlands And always will be Some day you'll return to Your valleys and your farms And you'll no longer burn To be brothers in arms Through these fields of destruction Baptisms of fire I've watched all your suffering As the battles raged higher And though they did hurt me so bad I the fear and alarm You did not desert me My brothers in arms There's so many different worlds So many different suns And we have just one world But we live in different ones Now the sun's gone to hell And the moon's riding high Let me bid you farewell

Every man has to die But it's written in the starlight And every line on your palm We're fools to make war On our brothers in arms

Walk Of Life
Here comes Johnny singing oldies, goldies Be-Bop-A-Lula, Baby What I Say Here comes Johnny singing I Gotta Woman Down in the tunnels, trying to make it pay He got the action, he got the motion Yeah the boy can play Dedication devotion Turning all the night time into the day He do the song about the sweet lovin' woman He do the song about the knife He do the walk, he do the walk of life Here comes Johnny and he'll tell you the story Hand me down my walkin' shoes Here come Johnny with the power and the glory Backbeat the talkin' blues He got the action, he got the motion Yeah the boy can play Dedication devotion Turning all the night time into the day And after all the violence and double talk There's just a song in all the trouble and the strife You do the walk, you do the walk of life

Money For Nothing

Now look at them yo-yo's that's the way you do it You play the guitar on the MTV That ain't workin' that's the way you do it Money for nothin' and chicks for free Now that ain't workin' that's the way you do it Lemme tell ya them guys ain't dumb Maybe get a blister on your little finger Maybe get a blister on your thumb We gotta install microwave ovens Custom kitchen deliveries

We gotta move these refrigerators We gotta move these colour TV's See the little faggot with the earring and the make-up Yeah buddy that's his own hair That little faggot got his own jet airplane That little faggot he's a millionaire We gotta install microwave ovens Custom kitchen deliveries We gotta move these refrigerators We gotta move these colour TV's I should learned to play the guitar I should learned to play them drums Look at that mama, she got it stickin' in the camera Man we could have some fun And he's up there, what's that? Hawaiian noise? Bangin' on the bongos like a chimpanzee That ain't workin' that's the way you do it Get your money for nothin' get your chicks for free We gotta install microwave ovens Custom kitchen deliveries We gotta move these refrigerators we gotta move these colour TV's, Lord Now that ain't workin' that's the way you do it You play the guitar on the MTV That ain't workin' that's the way you do it Money for nothin' and your chicks for free Money for nothin' and chicks for free

Sultans Of Swing
You get a shiver in the dark It's been raining in the park but meantime South of the river you stop and you hold everything A band is blowing Dixie double four time You feel all right when you hear that music ring You step inside but you don't see too many faces Coming in out of the rain to hear the jazz go down Too much competition too many other places But not too many horns can make that sound Way on downsouth way on downsouth London town

You check out Guitar George he knows all the chords Mind he's strictly rhythm he doesn't want to make it cry or sing And an old guitar is all he can afford When he gets up under the lights to play his thing And Harry doesn't mind if he doesn't make the scene He's got a daytime job he's doing alright He can play honky tonk just like anything Saving it up for Friday night With the Sultans with the Sultans of Swing Amd a crowd of young boys they're fooling around in the corner Drunk and dressed in their best brown baggies and their platform soles They don't give a damn about any trumpet playing band It ain't what they call rock and roll And the Sultans played Creole And then the man he steps right up to the microphone And says at last just as the time bell rings 'Thank you goodnight now it's time to go home' and he makes it fast with one more thing 'We are the Sultans of Swing'

Dream Theater
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Left to right: Mike Portnoy, John Petrucci, James LaBrie, John Myung, Jordan Rudess Country United States

Years active Genre(s) Label(s)

1985 - present Progressive metal, Piano rock Atlantic Records James LaBrie John Myung John Petrucci Mike Portnoy Jordan Rudess Derek Sherinian Kevin Moore Charlie Dominici Chris Collins www.dreamtheater.net

Members

Past members

Website(s)

Dream Theater is a progressive metal band, formed by three students at the Berklee College of Music in 1985. In the twenty years since their inception, they have become one of the most commercially successful progressive bands since the height of progressive rock in the mid-1970s, despite being relatively unknown in mainstream pop and mainstream rock circles. Their two highest selling albums are 1992's Images and Words, which was awarded a gold record and is consistently regarded as a seminal progressive metal release, although it only reached #61 on the Billboard 200 charts; and 2005's Octavarium, which reached #36 on the Billboard 200. The band is well-known for the technical proficiency of each instrumentalist, winning many awards from music magazines. They are highly respected by many of rock and metal's biggest names, leading to collaborations between Dream Theater members and many other well known musicians. In a famous example, guitarist John Petrucci was named as the third player on the G3 tour with Steve Vai and Joe Satriani, following in the foot steps of Eric Johnson, Robert Fripp, Yngwie Malmsteen and other influential guitarists. Dream Theater is also noted for their musical versatility and the many different genres their own music incorporates, which has made it possible for them to perform with a very diverse range of acts. Some of their more notable touring partners include Deep Purple, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Iron Maiden, Joe Satriani, King's X, Marillion, Megadeth, In Flames, Pain of Salvation, Porcupine Tree, Queensrche, Spock's Beard, Fear Factory, Enchant, Symphony X, and Yes. In 2005, Dream Theater toured North America with the Gigantour festival, co-headlining with Megadeth.

Contents
[hide]

1 Personnel o 1.1 Current members o 1.2 Former members 2 History

2.1 1985 - 1990 2.2 1991 - 1994 2.3 1995 - 1998 2.4 1999 - Present 3 Concert reputation 4 Logo and imagery 5 Bootleg culture 6 Cover songs 7 Current Schedule 8 Criticism 9 Discography o 9.1 Studio albums and EPs o 9.2 Live albums o 9.3 Singles o 9.4 Videos and DVDs o 9.5 Notes 10 Awards and certificates o 10.1 RIAA Gold and Platinum certification o 10.2 Keyboard Magazine o 10.3 Modern Drummer 11 References 12 See also
o o o o

13 External links [edit]

Personnel
[edit]

Current members

James LaBrie - Vocals and percussion (1991 - present) John Petrucci - Guitars and backing vocals (1985 - present) Mike Portnoy - Drums, percussion and backing vocals (1985 - present) John Myung - Bass and Chapman Stick (1985 - present) Jordan Rudess - keyboards, lap steel guitar, and Continuum (1999 - present)

[edit]

Former members

Chris Collins - Vocals (1985-1986) Charlie Dominici - Vocals (1987- 1990) Kevin Moore - Keyboards (1985-1994) Derek Sherinian - Keyboards (1995-1999)

[edit]

History
Main article: History of Dream Theater [edit]

1985 - 1990

Founding members John Myung, Mike Portnoy and John Petrucci in 1985 Dream Theater was formed in 1985 by guitarist John Petrucci, bassist John Myung and drummer Mike Portnoy while studying at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. Kevin Moore, a high school band-mate of Petrucci's, was recruited to play keyboards and Chris Collins was enlisted as vocalist. The quintet settled on the name Majesty for their newly-formed group (a name inspired by Portnoy's description of the closing section of "Bastille Day" by Rush), and the three Berklee attendees dropped out to concentrate on the band. Their first major recording project was The Majesty demos, a collection of ideas and demos that were released in 1986. The initial run of 1,000 sold out within six months, and dubbed copies of the cassette spread quickly through the progressive metal scene all over the world. However, in November 1986, after a few months of writing and performing together, Chris Collins left the band because of creative differences with the other members. After a year of trying to find a replacement, Charlie Dominici, who was far older and more experienced than anyone else in the band, successfully auditioned for the group. With the stability that Dominici's appointment brought to Majesty, they began playing more shows in and around the New York City area, and gained a considerable amount of exposure for a band that had not yet released an album. Shortly after Dominici joined the band, they were forced to change their name when another band named Majesty threatened legal action. Various names were contemplated until Portnoy's father suggested the name Dream Theater, the name of a now demolished movie theater in Monterey, California. They signed their first record contract, with Mechanic (a division of MCA), in 1988 and set out to record their debut album.

When Dream and Day Unite was released in 1989 to far less fanfare than was anticipated. Mechanic ended up breaking the majority of the financial promises they had made to the band prior to signing their contract, so they were restricted to playing around NYC. The promotional tour for the album consisted of just five concerts, all of which were in New York or Rhode Island[1]. After the fourth of these gigs, Dominici was fired because of personal and creative differences between him and the rest of the band. Shortly after, however, Marillion asked Dream Theater to open for them at a gig at the Ritz in New York, so Dominici was given the opportunity to perform one last time. It would be two more years before Dream Theater had another full-time singer. [edit]

1991 - 1994
Following Dominici's firing, Dream Theater fought successfully to be released from their contract with Mechanic, and set about auditioning singers and writing material for their next album. In the time until they had secured a replacement vocalist, they wrote the majority of the music for what would become their second album, Images and Words. In their search for a new singer they auditioned over 200 people, among them former Fates Warning frontman John Arch, but all were turned down for various reasons. In 1991 a tape arrived from Canadian band Winter Rose's singer James LaBrie, who was immediately flown to New York for a proper audition. After a short jam session he was hired as full-time singer, and started using his middle name, James, as his first to avoid confusion with Kevin Moore. For the next few months, the band resumed gigging and worked on vocal parts for all the music that they had written to that point. ATCO Records (now EastWest) signed Dream Theater to a seven album contract on the strength of their reputation and a three song demo (later made available as The ATCO Demos through the Dream Theater fan club).

The cover of Dream Theater's Images and Words album

The first album to be released under their new record contract was Images and Words in 1992, the first of many Dream Theater albums to be recorded at BearTracks Studios. The song "Pull Me Under" gained a lot of radio airplay, and as a result the label commissioned a video clip for its promotion, which had high MTV rotation. The success of "Pull Me Under", combined with relentless touring throughout the U.S. and Japan, helped Images and Words to achieve gold record certification in the States and platinum in Japan. The album received much critical acclaim and is seen as a landmark album in the development of progressive metal. The album is still the most commercially successful of all Dream Theater's releases. A tour of Europe followed in 1993, which included a show at London's famed Marquee jazz club. That show was recorded and released as Live at the Marquee, Dream Theater's first official live album, and a video compilation of their Japanese concerts (mixed in with some documentary-style footage of the off-stage portion of the tour) was released as Images and Words: Live in Tokyo. Keen to work on fresh material, Dream Theater retreated to the studio in May 1994. The 1994 sessions were the first in which Dream Theater as a whole wrote music together that was specifically for an album, with Images and Words being entirely composed without a vocalist and with an uncertain future as far as recording was concerned. Awake, Dream Theater's third studio album, was released in October 1994. It featured a distinctly heavier sound than the band's previous releases, which caused criticism among long time fans, but was still well-received by critics and gained Dream Theater a new breed of fans. Shortly before the album was mixed, Moore announced to the rest of the band that he wished to concentrate on his own musical interests and would be quitting Dream Theater. This rocked a band that had enjoyed just two years of stability after a tumultuous first half-decade, but Moore was no longer interested in the life of a touring musician nor the brand of progressive metal Dream Theater performed, so the two parties went their separate ways. As a result of that news, the band had to scramble to find a replacement keyboardist instead of jumping head-first into touring mode. Jordan Rudess, an up-and-coming keyboardist who was relatively unknown to that point, was invited to play a trial performance with Dream Theater in the hopes that he would join the band. The gig, in Burbank, California, went well but Rudess decided to accept an invitation from The Dixie Dregs to perform with them instead. Derek Sherinian was brought on as a hired gun, and by the conclusion of the Awake promotional tour Sherinian was Dream Theater's new full-time keyboardist. [edit]

1995 - 1998

Dream Theater with Derek Sherinian After a petition from fans to EastWest Records, the group recorded their previously unreleased song "A Change of Seasons" and distributed it as an EP with a collection of live cover tracks. After a short run of small "one-off" concerts to promote the EP, Dream Theater entered the studio once more to write their next album. In all, almost two CDs worth of material were written including a 20 minute long follow-up to the Images and Words song "Metropolis Part 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper". The label, however, did not allow the release of a double album because they felt that a 140-minute record would not be digestible by the general public, so half the songs had to be cut. In addition to, and as a function of, pressuring the band into adopting a more mainstream sound, EastWest recruited writer/producer Desmond Child to work with Petrucci on re-writing the lyrics to his demo "You Or Me". The whole band substantially reworked the music to that song, and it appeared on the album as "You Not Me" in a form that was barely reminiscent of the original. The material that made it onto the album proper was released as Falling Into Infinity, which received a mixed reception from traditional Dream Theater fans. Despite the album containing some very progressive-sounding songs, tracks like "Hollow Years" and "You Not Me" prompted some to believe it was the dawn of a new, mainstreamsounding Dream Theater, just as the release of Empire had previously heralded the same shift for Queensrche. The album was both a critical and commercial disappointment. In recent years, the album has been rehabilitated to an extent, and interest was rekindled when Portnoy indicated that the unused songs - including more traditionally progressive cuts such as "Raise the Knife" - would be released through Portnoy's YtseJam Records. During the European leg of the Falling Into Infinity world tour, two shows were recorded for a live album entitled Once In A LIVEtime, in France and The Netherlands. The album was released at around the same time as the video 5 Years in a LIVEtime, which chronicled the time from when Kevin Moore left the band right up to the Falling Into Infinity promotional tour. In 1997, Magna Carta Records' Mike Varney invited Portnoy to assemble a progressive 'supergroup' to work on an album, which would become the first in a long

string of side-projects for the members of Dream Theater. The lineup that was eventually settled on consisted of Portnoy on drums, Petrucci on guitar, Tony Levin of King Crimson on bass, and Jordan Rudess, who had finished with the Dixie Dregs by that time, on keyboards. The band assumed the name Liquid Tension Experiment, and would act as a medium through which Portnoy and Petrucci could once again court Rudess to join them in Dream Theater. They extended an invitation for him to join them in 1999, and he accepted the offer to become the third full-time Dream Theater keyboardist. Unfortunately for Sherinian, this meant that he was out of a job. [edit]

1999 - Present

Dream Theater in 1999 Armed with yet another new member, and a new frontman by the name of James LaBrie, Dream Theater entered BearTracks Studio once again to write and record their next album. Perhaps as a response to the backlash over Falling Into Infinity, this time their record label gave the band complete freedom with their music. The followup to "Metropolis Part 1" off Images and Words, which was written during the Falling Into Infinity sessions (but not used on that album), was taken off the shelf as the first composition for them to work on. They decided to rewrite and expand the 20-minute song with a fresh, new band member into a complete concept album, with the story revolving around themes such as reincarnation, murder and betrayal. To avoid stirring up the fan base, a tight veil of secrecy enveloped the writing and recording process. The only things fans knew prior to its release were a tracklist that had been leaked against the band's wishes, and a release date. They knew nothing of the title, the music, or even the fact that it would be a concept album.

In 1999, Metropolis, Pt. 2: Scenes From a Memory was released to high critical acclaim. It was hailed as Dream Theater's masterpiece by many fans and critics alike, despite only reaching #73 on the charts[2]. 'Scenes...' can be compared to Queensrche's Operation: Mindcrime, another seminal progressive metal concept album released a decade earlier. A world tour that followed led the band into more countries than they had ever toured before, taking over a year to complete. For one extra special show, at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City, actor Kent Broadhurst was hired to play the role of the hypnotherapist, and gospel choir led by Theresa Thomason, (also present on the MP2 album as guest singers) was enlisted to play in certain sections of the show. This show, the last North American date of the tour, was recorded for the band's first DVD release. After many technical delays, Dream Theater fans finally got their hands on the DVD, entitled Metropolis 2000, in early 2001. Shortly after its release, the band announced that an audio version of the concert, with the entire four-hour long setlist (much of which had to be cut from the DVD to save space), would be released shortly thereafter.

The covers of Live at the Marquee and Live Scenes From New York. Notice the silhouette of the World Trade Center within the flames on the right The cover for the CD version of the concert, titled Live Scenes From New York, showed one of Dream Theater's early logos (the Images And Words-era burning heart, modelled on the Sacred Heart) modified to show an apple instead of the heart, as an allusion to the Big Apple nickname given to New York City. In the flames above the apple was shown the New York City skyline, including the twin towers of the World Trade Center. In an unfortunate coincidence, the album was released on September 11, 2001 - the same day as the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. The album was immediately recalled, but many copies were snapped up by Dream Theater collectors as a very rare piece of Dream Theater's history. It was re-released with revised artwork a short time later. Dream Theater once again entered BearTracks Studios to record their sixth studio album. Four years after they first petitioned EastWest to allow them to release a double album, they finally got their chance with Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence. The first disc consisted of five tracks of 5-13 minutes in length, and the second disc was devoted entirely to the 42-minute title track, which is to date the longest song Dream Theater have written.

Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence ended up being received very well by critics and the press. It was the most publicized of Dream Theater's albums since Awake, debuting on the Billboard charts at #46[3] and the Billboard Internet charts at #1[4]. Some fans, however, missed the early bands complexity that began to diminish from the bands compositions, being replaced with virtuous prolonged solos. Throughout the next year and a half they toured the world once more, with an expanded live show including a select few special "album cover" gigs (see Cover songs section, below), in which they played Metallica's Master of Puppets and Iron Maiden's The Number of the Beast in their entirety. At the completion of their promotional tour and various side projects, Dream Theater entered the studio to record what would become Train of Thought, their heaviest and least melodic album to that point, written only in a mere three weeks. The album was a critical success, but it had a polarizing effect, alienating a fair proportion of Dream Theater's fans (a process that actually started with the "Six Degrees... " album) who enjoyed the traditional progressive rock influence from bands such as Yes or King Crimson more than Dream Theater's modern muses like Tool and Metallica. Regardless, it expanded the band's fan base into new territory, that of mainstream heavy metal, alternative metal and nu-metal. Their next move was to release another live CD/DVD combination, this time recorded at the famous Nippon Budokan Hall in Tokyo, Japan on their Train of Thought world tour. Live at Budokan was released on October 5, 2004, and further propelled Dream Theater's reputation as one of the premier live acts in progressive metal. Upon the completion of their Train of Thought promotional tour in 2004, Dream Theater entered the Hit Factory studios in New York City to record their eighth album. As it turned out, they would be the last group ever to record in that famous studio, and after they wrapped up their final session, the lights were turned off at the studio forever. The latest album, Octavarium, was released on June 7, 2005 and took the band's sound in yet another new direction. Among its eight songs is a continuation of Portnoy's "Alcoholics Anonymous" suite (The Root of All Evil; steps 6-7 in the 12step plan), as well as the title track itself, an epic rivalling A Change of Seasons and which spans several musical styles in its 24-minute running time. Like nearly every album by the band, Octavarium has received mixed reviews from fans and been the subject of spirited debate. In particular, some fans thought that the band wore its musical influences too prominently on their sleeves (e.g. "Never Enough" has been compared to Muse's "Stockholm Syndrome" and the relatively radio-friendly "I Walk Beside You," which combines a sound reminiscent of U2 and Coldplay blended with Chicago's Peter Cetera). Octavarium was the last album under their seven-album deal with Elektra Records, and future recording/distribution contracts have yet to be determined. Dream Theater toured extensively throughout 2005 and 2006 to celebrate their 20th Anniversary as a band, including a headlining spot at Gigantour. During a show on August 2, 2005 in Dallas, the band paid tribute to Pantera's late guitar virtuoso Dimebag Darrell by performing Cemetery Gates as an encore; what made the

performance even more remarkable was the unexpected appearance of fellow musicians Russell Allen, Burton C. Bell and Dave Mustaine, who joined the band on stage to perform parts of the song. [1] Dream Theater later departed from Gigantour and continued their own series of concerts; the tour ended in the famous Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 1st, 2006, which was recorded for a CD/DVD called Score. Mike Portnoy indicated on his website that both should be released on August 29th through Rhino Records. [edit]

Concert reputation
Throughout their career, Dream Theater's live shows have gradually become bigger, longer, more diverse, and less restrictive. The most obvious example of this is their rotational setlist policy. That is, every single night of every tour has its setlist devised by Portnoy using a meticulous process that ensures it is completely unique. Factors such as setlists from previous cities are taken into account to ensure that people who see Dream Theater multiple times within the same area will not see the same songs performed twice, and even the setlist from the last time the band was in a particular city is taken into account for the benefit of fans who see the band on successive tours[5]. For this to be possible, the band prepares to play the majority of its catalogue at any performance, depending on what Portnoy decides to program for that night. This process also requires the employment of a very complex lighting system to load preconfigured lighting cues based on the possible individual songs. Length is another unique element of Dream Theater concerts. Their full world tours, since Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, have predominantly been so-called "Evening with..." tours, in which the band performs for at least three hours with an intermission and no opening act. The show that was recorded for Live Scenes From New York was nearly four hours in length (LaBrie humorously apologized to the audience for the "short set" after the show), and resulted in Portnoy almost being hospitalized[6]. There is also a significant amount of humor, casualness, and improvisation attached to a Dream Theater concert. In the midst of "A Change of Seasons" it is quite common for themes such as those for Major League Baseball and The Simpsons to be quoted, and Rudess routinely modifies his solo section in this song and others, often playing the ragtime section of "When The Water Breaks" from Liquid Tension Experiment 2. Other quotations include "Mary Had a Little Lamb" during "Endless Sacrifice" on the Gigantour, a calliope-inspired break between verses of "Under a Glass Moon," and the Turkish March at a concert in Istanbul. On the most recent "20th Anniversary World Tour" Rudess has even thrown in a short "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" theme in a break during Endless Sacrifice. It is also not unheard of for a member of the audience to be picked out at random to perform on stage (an example of which can be seen during Portnoy's drum solo on the

Live at Budokan DVD). There have also been many impromptu renditions of "Happy Birthday" when a member of the band or crew have a birthday corresponding to a tour date, which normally results in a birthday cake being thrown over the subject. Perhaps the most extreme example of Dream Theater's unpredictable concert structure is that during Derek Sherinian's time with the band, at selected shows the band members all swapped instruments and performed an encore as the fictional "Nightmare Cinema" (the approximate opposite of "Dream Theater"). They usually performed a cover of Deep Purple's "Perfect Strangers", and, on one occasion, Ozzy Osbourne's "Suicide Solution". Similarly, at some shows Sherinian, Petrucci and Portnoy would take the stage together under the name "Nicky Lemons and the Migraine Brothers". Sherinian, wearing a feather boa and novelty sunglasses, would perform a pop-punk song entitled "I Don't Like You" with Petrucci and Portnoy backing. [edit]

Logo and imagery

The Dream Theater wordmark and Majesty symbol. Early on in their career, Dream Theater adopted a custom logo (known as the Majesty symbol) and wordmark which has appeared on the vast majority of their promotional material since, with at least one of the official marks appearing on the front cover of every major release to date, with the exception of Once in a LIVEtime. Even after the band dropped the Majesty name the symbol remained as their official mark, and it is viewed by the Dream Theater fan community in much the same way as the four symbols of each member of Led Zeppelin are embraced by fans of that band. It is common to see people with Majesty symbol tattoos at Dream Theater concerts. The Majesty symbol is derived from Mary Queen of Scots' mark[7], which was reworked by Charlie Dominici for use on the album artwork for When Dream and Day Unite[8]. Another interesting fact about the majesty symbol is that it is a stack of three greek letteres, Phi (), Mu (), and Alpha (A), the letters of the musical fraternity that members of the band are part of. The fact that neither the logo, nor the wordmark appeared on the cover of Once in a LIVEtime was interpreted by some fans as evidence that the band had sold out and strayed from their roots, but by the time it had reclaimed its place on the cover of Scenes From a Memory the unhappiness was largely forgotten. (The actual reason

was that Storm Thorgerson, the cover artist for both aforementioned albums, doesn't like to work with a pre-existing font.) It has since appeared on every subsequent release. (The Falling Into Infinity cover had the logo, but not the wordmark.) [edit]

Bootleg culture

Mike Portnoy started an official bootlegs series in response to Dream Theater fans' affinity for live versions of their concerts. Shown here is an official bootleg of their October 28, 1995 concert in Tokyo, Japan Dream Theater is one of the most actively bootlegged bands in the progressive metal genre. Since their very first gigs in New York as Majesty, fans have recorded almost every single show that Dream Theater have played (occasionally there are three or four versions of a single concert), and some very elaborate and professional recordings have been released. However, not every member in the band tolerates the release of Dream Theater bootlegs. Portnoy is definitely the most pro-bootlegging member, since he was an avid collector of many bootlegs in his younger days and keeps his own personal archive of Dream Theater material. But both Petrucci and LaBrie have voiced opposition to people recording their concerts. Petrucci takes issue with bootleggers because he prefers audience members to concentrate on the musicians on stage, and not the level adjustments on their recording device. LaBrie, on the other hand, argues that bootlegging takes ownership and control over Dream Theater's performances away from the band themselves and into the hands of the public. Myung has expressed mild opposition to bootlegging, but in some interviews has mentioned that he does not particularly take great issue with it. Regardless of their personal opinions, each member of the band still autographs any bootleg that is presented to them for a signature. Dream Theater have also launched a series of official bootlegs through YtseJam Records, spearheaded by Portnoy. [edit]

Cover songs

Main article: List of songs covered by Dream Theater Even though they have been well-known for covering other artists' work throughout the entirety of their career, Dream Theater took this practice to another level during the promotional tour for Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence. At three special gigs, one each in Barcelona, Chicago and New York City, they covered Metallica's Master of Puppets album in its entirety after a full set of Dream Theater material. This came as a complete shock to fans as there was no sign that this was to occur, other than it being announced that the gigs involved, which were the second of a two-night stand in each city, would be "extra special". This tradition can most likely be traced back to one of Mike Portnoy's favorite bands, Phish, who began covering entire albums from other artists each Halloween beginning in 1994. Portnoy devised this "album cover" as the first in a series of gigs to be played as tributes to bands that had been influential in the formation and development of Dream Theater. The covers set divided many fans who attended the shows, with some people saying that they went to a Dream Theater concert to see original music and not another artist's work. Others, however, said that it was a bonus and not a replacement for a normal Dream Theater concert, since an ordinary gig had been played the night before. The next time an album cover gig was to occur this negativity was more subdued, since most fans knew what was to occur at the gig and were aware that they would not be seeing an entire night of Dream Theater material. On the next leg of the tour they covered Iron Maiden's The Number of the Beast and received a similar reaction to Master of Puppets, although it was already known that a cover was to be performed that night because the tour itinerary included two successive gigs in a single city. On October 11th, 2005, Dream Theater covered Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, their third classic album cover. Dream Theater's official webpage states that the 2nd sets of the 2nd nights in Amsterdam, London, Buenos Aires, So Paulo and Tokyo (October 11th, October 25th, December 4th, December 11th and January 13th), and also the 2nd set of the January 15th show in Osaka, will be a classic album covered in its entirety." Dark Side of the Moon was played again on October 25th in London. However, in Buenos Aires (December 4th) and So Paulo (December 11th) the 'classic album' played was Dream Theater's own Scenes from a Memory, to make up for not having visited Argentina and Brazil in their Metropolis 2000 tour. On January 13th, 2006 (Tokyo) and on the 15th (Osaka), Dream Theater covered Deep Purple's live album Made in Japan, their fourth classic album cover. (This briefly matched the fan speculations, saying that it is inevitable that at least one '70s progressive rock album, quite possibly Rush, will be covered.) Mike Portnoy says that he has one more cover show planned, but refuses to reveal when it will occur, or what album will be covered[9]. There is much debate in Dream Theater fan circles about what album will be covered, and even what genre that album will fall under. [edit]

Current Schedule
Dream Theater is currently on break after their 20th Anniversary show at Radio City Music Hall, the DVD and CD set of the show, titled "Score" is scheduled for release on the 29th August 2006, on Rhino Records. The DVD will contain the full show, and a bonus disc including an hour long documentary on the history of the band and live bonus tracks from Mike Portnoy's archives. [edit]

Criticism
Most critics hold that the members of Dream Theater, more often than not, concentrate on demonstrating their instrumental skills at the expense of songwriting. Dream Theater supporters usually counter this by asserting that "the allegations are made by musicians who are not as technically proficient as the members of Dream Theater."[citation needed] Mike Portnoy himself has admitted that the band often writes "stuff that's very technical, and at that point it's dictated by our technical abilities. But then there's other times where we wanna cool it out and really concentrate on the song, and that's when we wanna put the technical side on the shelf and try to really concentrate on the songwriting."[10] The band has been criticized for purposely complicating songs and playing for the sake of technicality by other musicians like Geoff Tate (who the band toured with), Alexi Laiho, and Kai Hansen [citation needed]. In the April 2005 issue of Guitar World, Laiho called the band "super lame" and "It's not even music, it's sports.", even though in the January 2006 issue, he downplayed the comments, saying that "John Petrucci is a better player than I am". Another common criticism is that the band has always failed at achieving commercial success despite constant effort by the band. The album Train of Thought has significant heavy metal and nu metal influences. Similarly, the album Octavarium has significant pop influences and references, emulating the sounds of bands like U2 and Muse. [11] [edit]

Discography
[edit]

Studio albums and EPs

Year Title When Dream and Day 1989 Unite 1992 Images and Words Notes First studio album; only studio release to feature Charlie Dominici. First album with James LaBrie; considered the band's breakthrough (charted #61); gold

1994 1995 1997 1999 2002 2003

2005 [edit]

certified. Kevin Moore's last album with the group, Awake with a notably heavier sound than previous releases. Derek Sherinian's first official release with A Change of Seasons (EP) Dream Theater. Derek Sherinian's only full-length studio Falling into Infinity album with the group. Jordan Rudess' first appearance, and the Metropolis Pt 2: Scenes band's first concept album. Begins the meta from a Memory album. Six Degrees of Inner Dream Theater's first studio double album. Turbulence Unarguably their heaviest album released to Train of Thought date. Highest charting album as of 2005 (#36 in US); last album ever recorded in The Hit Octavarium Factory recording studio in New York; fourth and final (as of yet) part of the meta concept album.

Live albums
Year Title 1993 Live at the Marquee 1998 Once in a LIVEtime Live Scenes From New 2001 York 2004 Live at Budokan 2006 Score [edit] Notes First live album; recorded in London, England. 2CD recorded in Paris, France. 3CD recorded in New York, USA. 3CD/2DVD combination recorded in Tokyo, Japan. 3CD/2DVD recorded at the Radio City Music Hall on April 1, 2006 New York, USA.

Singles
Year Title Notes "Pull Me Under" (Images CD Single, radio edit and music video; 1992 and Words) highest charting single to date (#10). "Take the Time" (Images CD Single, radio edit and music video; 1992 and Words) reached #22 on the Billboard singles chart. "Another Day" (Images CD Single, radio edit and music video; 1992 and Words) reached #29 on the charts. 1994 "The Silent Man" (Awake) CD Single, radio edit and music video; did

1994 1997 2000 2003 2005 2005 [edit]

not chart. CD Single, radio edit and music video; "Lie" (Awake) reached #38. "Hollow Years" (Falling CD Single, radio edit and music video; did Into Infinity) not chart. "Through Her Eyes" CD Single only; did not chart. (Scenes From a Memory) "As I Am" (Train of Radio edit only; did not chart. Thought) "Panic Attack" Radio edit only; did not chart. (Octavarium) "These Walls" Radio edit only; did not chart. (Octavarium)

Videos and DVDs

Year Title Images and Words: Live 1993 in Tokyo 1998 5 Years in a LIVEtime Metropolis 2000: Scenes 2001 From New York Live in Tokyo / 5 Years in 2004 a LIVEtime 2004 Live at Budokan 2006 Score [edit] Notes VHS recorded in Tokyo, Japan (has now been released on DVD). Same show as Live Scenes From New York, but release separately. Combined DVD re-release. 3CD/2DVD combination recorded in Tokyo, Japan. 3CD/2DVD recorded at the Radio City Music Hall on April 1, 2006 New York, USA.

Notes

Dream Theater is possibly the first group to create a meta album. The sound of phonograph static at the end of "Finally Free" on Scenes from a Memory is the same sound at the beginning of "The Glass Prison" on their next album, Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence. And the last chord that fades out at the end of Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence is the same chord that fades in to "As I Am" on the next album, Train of Thought. And the piano note played at the end of "In the Name of God" on Train of Thought is the same piano note that opens "The Root of All Evil" on their next album, Octavarium. The three sections of "The Glass Prison" on Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, the two sections of "This Dying Soul" on Train of Thought, and the two sections of "The Root of All Evil" on Octavarium comprise the first seven movements of a twelve-movement suite with lyrics by Mike Portnoy chronicling his involvement in the twelve steps of Bill Wilson's Alcoholics

Anonymous program. Portnoy has stated his desire to perform the twelve movements in succession after the suite is completed, and each track thus far has been dedicated to Wilson. The songs are also lyrically and musically related to "The Mirror" and "Lie" on Awake, of which "The Mirror" also deals explicitly with Portnoy's alcoholism.

Dream Theater often uses a songwriting technique where sections of the song are expanded each time they are used. An example of this is in "6:00" from Awake. After the intro, they almost play the chorus, but back away from it and start the next verse (timestamp 1:33). And when the chorus should come around the next time, they play it, but only part of it (timestamp 2:11). The song continues for a while and when it returns to the chorus, they play the entire thing (timestamp 4:41). This technique can also be found in "Peruvian Skies", "Blind Faith", "Endless Sacrifice", among others. Dream Theater also uses musical quotations (which is taking a musical theme, manipulating it and placing it in another musical context), a technique made famous by Charles Ives. o The theme for "Wait for Sleep" is quoted later in "Learning to Live" (timestamp 8:11) o The theme for "Learning to Live" is quoted in "Another Day" (timestamp 2:53) o The theme for "Space-Dye Vest" is used several times throughout the album Awake. o The opening theme for "Erotomania" is used in "Voices" on Awake (timestamp 4:51). o One of the melodies and lines in "Metropolis Pt 1 (The Miracle and the Sleeper)" is repeated in the final chorus of "Home" from Scenes From A Memory, with only one word changed. o Pieces of each song in the album Octavarium are used in section IV of the song "Octavarium". o Non-Dream Theater musical quotations: Jingle Bells is quoted in "Octavarium" (timestamp 17:47) Battle Hymn of the Republic is quoted in the background of "In the Name of God" (timestamp 12:56) Blackened, from Metallica's ...And Justice for All is quoted in "This Dying Soul" (timestamp 7:15) Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, the band's sixth full-length studio release, contains six songs and contains a reference to the number six in its title. Train of Thought, the band's seventh full-length studio release, contains seven songs. Octavarium, the band's eighth full-length release, contains eight songs and its title is derived from octo, the Latin word meaning eight, as well as the musical term of an octave, which is the distance between a note and itself higher or lower in pitch, which is "eight" notes up or down in almost any diatonic scale. The title track from this disc is also 24 minutes long, a multiple of 8, and the fourth movement (8/2) of the song is comprised of 8 sections, all stepping up by a single interval. The cover design also includes various references to the number 8, e.g. a set of white rectangles and black rectangles, indicating an octave on a piano.

The song "Octavarium" was originally intended to end with a flute that echoes the same theme it had much earlier in the song, but that was changed to the same piano note that begins the album Octavarium. At some point between producing the album and printing the CDs, it was decided to change the ending of the song in order to emphasize the circular motif that exists throughout the album. (The earlier version with the flute at the very end was leaked and is circulating through the Internet.) Mike Portnoy has also noted that it ended the stress of having to connect each album's ending to the next album's beginning, as mentioned above. Therefore, Dream Theater's 9th album will not start with the ending of Octavarium. The English dub of the Dragonball Z special The History of Trunks features many tracks from Scenes from a Memory, including "Regression", "Overture 1928", "Beyond This Life", "Through Her Eyes", "Home", and "The Dance of Eternity". Of these, only "Through her Eyes" and "Home" were released on the official soundtrack for that feature. Notably, during its airing on Cartoon Network, these songs and others were cut and redubbed with various music from the Funimation dub series.

Dream Theater Discography

Octavarium (CD, 2005)
cd universe (usa) play.com (europe)

Live at Budokan (3CD, 2004)

cd universe (usa) play.com (europe)

Train Of Thought (CD, 2003)

cd universe (usa) play.com (europe)

Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence (2CD, 2002)

cd universe (usa) play.com (europe)

Live Scenes From New York (3CD, 2001)

cd universe (usa) play.com (europe)

Through Her Eyes (Single, 2000)

cd universe (usa)

Scenes From A Memory (CD, 1999)

cd universe (usa) play.com (europe)

Once In A LIVEtime (2CD, 1998)

cd universe (usa) play.com (europe)

Falling Into Infinity (CD, 1997)

cd universe (usa) play.com (europe)

Hollow Years (Single, 1997)

Amazon.com (usa)

A Change Of Seasons (EP, 1995)

cd universe (usa) play.com (europe)

Awake (CD, 1994)

cd universe (usa) play.com (europe)

The Silent Man (Single, 1994)

Lie (Single, 1994)

Live At The Marquee (Live EP, 1993)

cd universe (usa) play.com (europe)

Another Day (Single, 1992)

Images And Words (CD, 1992)

cd universe (usa) play.com (europe)

When Dream And Day Unite (CD, 1989)

cd universe (usa) play.com (europe)

-= Dream Theater Discography =Dream Theater - When Dream And Day Unite [1989]
01 - A Fortune In Lies 02 - Status Seeker 03 - The Ytse Jam 04 - The Killing Hand 05 - Light Fuse And Get Away 06 - After Life 07 - The Ones Who Help To Set The Sun 08 - Only A Matter Of Time

Dream Theater - Images And Words [1992]

01 - Pull Me Under 02 - Another Day 03 - Take The Time 04 - Surrounded 05 - Metropolis - Part I 06 - Under A Glass Moon 07 - Wait For Sleep 08 - Learning To Live

Dream Theater - Another Day [1992]

01 - Another Day 02 - A Fortune In Lies (Live) 03 - Another Day (Live)

Dream Theater - Live At The Marquee [1993]

01 - Metropolis 02 - A Fortune In Lies 03 - Bombay Vindaloo 04 - Surrounded 05 - Another Hand - The Killing Hand 06 - Pull Me Under

Dream Theater - Lie [1994]

01 - Lie (Edit Version) 02 - Space-Dye Vest 03 - To Live Forever (Non Album) 04 - Another Day (Live)

Dream Theater - The Silent Man [1994]

01 - The Silent Man (LP Version) 02 - Take The Time (Demo Version) 03 - Eve (Non Album)

Dream Theater - Awake [1994]

01 - 6:00 02 - Caught In A Web 03 - Innocence Faded 04 - Erotomania 05 - Voices 06 - The Silent Man 07 - The Mirror 08 - Lie 09 - Lifting Shadows Off A Dream 10 - Scarred 11 - Space-Dye Vest

Dream Theater - A Change Of Seasons [1995]

01 - A Change Of Seasons 02 - Funeral For A Friend 03 - Perfect Strangers 04 - The Rover 05 - The Big Medley

Dream Theater - Hollow Years [1997]

01 - Hollow Years (Radio Edit) 02 - Hollow Years (LP Version) 03 - You Or Me 04 - The Way It Used To Be (Non Album)

Dream Theater - Falling Into Infinity [1997]

01 - New Millennium 02 - You Not Me 03 - Peruvian Skies 04 - Hollow Years 05 - Burning My Soul 06 - Hell's Kitchen 07 - Lines In The Sand 08 - Take Away My Pain 09 - Just Let Me Breathe 10 - Anna Lee 11 - Trial Of Tears

Dream Theater - Once In A Livetime [1998]

01 - A Change Of Seasons I 02 - A Change Of Seasons II 03 - Puppies On Acid 04 - Just Let Me Breathe 05 - Voices 06 - Take The Time 07 - Keyboard Solo 08 - Lines In The Sand 09 - Scarred 10 - A Change Of Seasons IV 11 - Ytse Jam 12 - Drum Solo 13 - Trial Of Tears 14 - Hollow Years 15 - Take Away My Pain 16 - Caught In A Web 17 - Lie 18 - Peruvian Skies 18 - Guitar Solo 19 - Pull Me Under 20 - Metropolis 21 - Learning To Live 22 - A Change of Seasons VII

Dream Theater - Scenes From A Memory [1999]

01 - Regression 02 - Overture 1928 03 - Strange Deja Vu 04 - Through My Words 05 - Fatal Tragedy 06 - Beyond This Life 07 - Through Her Eyes 08 - Home 09 - The Dance Of Eternity 10 - One Last Time 11 - The Spirit Carries On 12 - Finally Free

Dream Theater - Through Her Eyes [2000]

01 - Through Her Eyes (Radio Edit) 02 - Through Her Eyes (Alternate Album Mix) 03 - Home (Live) 04 - When Images And Words Unite (Live Medley)

Dream Theater - Live Scenes From New York [2001]

01 - Regression 02 - Overture 1928 03 - Strange Deja Vu 04 - Through My Words 05 - Fatal Tragedy 06 - Beyond This Life 07 - John & Theresa Solo Spot 08 - Through Her Eyes 09 - Home 10 - The Dance Of Eternity 11 - One Last Time 12 - The Spirit Carries On 13 - Finally Free 14 - Metropolis Part I 15 - The Mirror 16 - Just Let Me Breathe 17 - Acid Rain 18 - Caught In A New Millennium 19 - Another Day 20 - Jordan Rudess' Keyboard Solo 21 - Erotomania 22 - Voices 23 - The Silent Man 24 - Learning To Live 25 - A Change Of Seasons

Dream Theater - Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence [2002]

01 - The Glass Prison 02 - Blind Faith 03 - Misunderstood 04 - The Great Debate 05 - Disappear 06 - Six Degrees Of Inner Turbulence

Dream Theater - Train Of Thought [2003]

01 - As I Am 02 - This Dying Soul 03 - Endless Sacrifice 04 - Honor Thy Father 05 - Vacant

06 - Stream Of Consciousness 07 - In The Name Of God

Dream Theater - Live At Budokan [2004]

01 - As I Am 02 - This Dying Soul 03 - Beyond This Life 04 - Hollow Years 05 - War Inside My Head 06 - The Test that Stumped Them All 07 - Endless Sacrifice 08 - Instrumedley 09 - Trial Of Tears 10 - New Millenium 11 - Keyboard Solo 12 - Only A Matter Of Time 13 - Goodnight Kiss 14 - Solitary Shell 15 - Stream Of Consciousness 16 - Disappear 17 - Pull Me Under 18 - In The Name Of God

Dream Theater - Octavarium [2005]

01 - The Root Of All Evil 02 - The Answer Lies Within 03 - These Walls 04 - I Walk Beside You 05 - Panic Attack 06 - Never Enough 07 - Sacrificed Sons 08 - Octavarium

-= Current Lineup =Vocals : James LaBrie (Mullmuzzler) Guitar : John Petrucci (Liquid Tension Experiment) Bass : John Myung Keyboards : Jordan Rudess (Liquid Tension Experiment) Drums : Mike Portnoy (Liquid Tension Experiment - OSI - Transatlantic)

The Doors
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search For the Oliver Stone film, The Doors; see The Doors (film). The Doors

The Doors, from left to right: Jim Morrison, Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger, John Densmore

Origin Country Years active Genre(s)

Los Angeles, California United States 19651972 Psychedelic rock, hard rock John Densmore Robby Krieger Ray Manzarek Jim Morrison www.thedoors.com

Members

Website(s)

The Doorsformed in 1965 in Los Angeleswas a popular and influential American band.

Contents
[hide]

1 Line-up 2 History o 2.1 Origins: 19651966 o 2.2 Early recording: 19671969 o 2.3 Mid career controversy: 19691971 o 2.4 Aftermath of Morrison's death: 19711989 o 2.5 The 1990s and beyond o 2.6 Recorded output 3 Discography o 3.1 Singles o 3.2 Remixes 4 Video game appearances of songs 5 Tribute Bands 6 See also 7 References

8 External links [edit]

Line-up

John Densmore drums Robby Krieger guitar Ray Manzarek organ, piano, keyboard bass Jim Morrison lead vocals

[edit]

History
[edit]

Origins: 19651966

The Doors' self-titled debut (1967) Founded in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, after a meeting between UCLA film school students Jim Morrison and Ray Manzarek, "The Doors" became one of the premier acts of the late 1960s. The two had known each other at UCLA and met by chance on Venice beach in July 1965. Morrison told Manzarek he had been writing songs and, at Manzarek's encouragement, sang Moonlight Drive. Manzarek immediately suggested they form a band. Vox-Organ-Player Ray Manzarek was already in the band called Rick And The Ravens with his brothers Rick and Jim while Robby Krieger and John Densmore were playing with The Psychedelic Rangers, and knew Manzarek from shared meditation instruction. In August Densmore joined the group and, along with members of the Ravens and an unidentified female bass player, recorded a six-song demo on September 2. This was widely bootlegged and appeared in full on the 1997 Doors box set. That month the group recruited talented guitarist Robby Krieger and the final lineup Morrison, Manzarek, Krieger and Densmorewas complete. Manzarek solved their lack of bassist by playing bass on a Fender Rhodes bass keyboard with his left hand and keyboards with his right hand. The band took their name from the title of a book by Aldous Huxley, The Doors of Perception, which was in turn borrowed from a line of poetry by the 18th century artist and poet William Blake: "If the doors of perception were cleansed, every thing would appear to man as it is: infinite." By 1966 the group was playing The London Fog club and soon graduated to the prestigious Whisky a Go Go. On August 10 they were spotted by Elektra Records president Jac Holzman on the insistence of Love singer Arthur Lee, whose group was on Elektra. On August 18 the group signed with the label. The timing was immaculate

when, on August 21, the band was fired from the club after a profanity filled performance of "The End". In an incident that was a foretelling of the controversy that would follow the group, a tripping Morrison bellowed during the "Oedipal" section of the song "Mother...I want to...fuck you!!!". [edit]

Early recording: 19671969

After Jack Holzman and Paul Rothchild saw two sets of the doors at the whiskey, the first uneven, but the second mesmerizing, the band was signed to the Elektra Records label beginning a long and successful partnership with producer Paul Rothchild and engineer Bruce Botnick. Their self-titled debut LP featured most of the major songs from their set, including the eleven-minute musical drama, "The End". With the band at the peak of their form and bristling with energy and ambition, the album was recorded in only a few days, in late August and early September 1966, almost entirely live in the studio, with most songs captured in a single take. Morrison and Manzarek also directed an innovative promotional film for the single "Break on Through", which was an important stepping stone in the development of the music video genre.

Morrison on The Best of the Doors album cover Released in January 1967, the album caused a sensation in music circles and the second single released from it, "Light My Fire", became a major hit, establishing the group alongside Jefferson Airplane and The Grateful Dead as one of the top new American bands of 1967. It was released in April but did not hit the top, with the long middle solo cut out, until July. In September the group played the song live on the popular Ed Sullivan Show where Morrison sang the word "higher", despite being asked not to by the CBS Network. They also performed a new single "People Are Strange" which they repeated for DJ Murray The K's TV show on September 22. Earlier in the month the group recorded a dazzling version of "The End" for CBS in Toronto. It remained unreleased until the release of The Doors Soundstage Performances DVD. With his saturnine good looks, magnetic stage presence and skin-tight leather trousers, Morrison quickly became one of the major pop sex symbols of his day, although he soon became frustrated with the strictures of stardom.

The second Doors LP, Strange Days, was almost as strong as the first, and it cemented the group's reputation. More subdued and less spontaneous than the debut, the album is notable for its evocative lyricism and atmosphere. Closing track "When The Music's Over" was again, like "The End" lengthy and dramatic and helped establish Morrison's reputation as the wild shaman of rock. Yet the album was also strongly commercial and featured well-known Doors songs, "Love Me Two Times" and "Moonlight Drive". Morrison's status as a figure of rebellion was further cemented on December 9 when he was arrested in New Haven, Connecticut for badmouthing the police to the audience from the stage. Morrison said he had been maced by an overzealous cop after he was caught backstage with a girl. The group finished a successful year on December 27 by taping "Light My Fire" and "Moonlight Drive" for the Jonathan Winters Show. From December 26 to 28 the group played at The Winterland San Francisco and then two dates in Denver on December 30 and 31, capping off a year of almost constant touring. As a result of their success, The Doors forfeited their status as Underground heroes. They allowed Sixteen magazine to portray them as teen idols and their "spontaneous" stage-show was exposed as not-so-spontaneous after all. An article by Jerry Hopkins in the February 10th, 1968 edition of Rolling Stone typified the fall from grace: "One shtick, or piece of stage-business, missing at the Shrine performance, was Morrison's carefully-executed 'accidental' fall from the stage into the crowd. For months this had been a part of the act. It got a lot of screams from the teenyboppers. Then a review appeared in a local newspaper which called the fall one of the phoniest things ever. Morrison was asked if he'd read the article. 'Yeah,' said Morrison, 'and I guess he's right.' Morrison did not take the fall that night at the Shrine." Fraught sessions for the group's third album took place in April as Morrison became increasingly dependent on alcohol. Approaching the height of their popularity The Doors played a series of outdoor shows which led to frenzied scenes between fans and police, particularly at Chicago Coliseum on May 10. Their third LP, Waiting for the Sun, (1968) showed the band beginning to branch out from their initial form, as they exhausted their original repertoire and began writing new material. It became their first #1 LP and the single "Hello, I Love You" was their second and last US #1 single. The album is eclectic in style, sometimes inconsequential, and much less unified than the first two, despite containing some fine material. It further isolated them from the underground cognoscenti. As Lilian Roxon described it in her 1969 Rock Encyclopaedia, the album "strengthened dreadful suspicion that the Doors were in it just for the money". It also included the song "The Unknown Soldier", for which they created another superb self-directed music video, and "Not to Touch the Earth", excerpted from their legendary thirty-minute concept piece Celebration of the Lizard, although they were reportedly unable to record a satisfactory version of the entire piece for the LP. This was eventually released on a later greatest hits CD compilation. A month after riotous scenes at the Singer Bowl, New York the group flew for their first dates outside of North America, to England. The group held a press conference at

the ICA Gallery, London and played shows at The Roundhouse Theatre. The results of the trip were broadcast on Granada TV's "The Doors Are Open" and were later released on video. The group then played dates in Europe including a show in Amsterdam without Morrison after he collapsed from a drug binge. Morrison returned to London on September 20 and stayed for a month. The group played nine more US dates and got to work in November on their fourth LP. 1969 would be a very difficult year for the group but it started well with a sold out show at the prestigious Madison Square Garden, New York on January 24 and with the success of new single "Touch Me" (released in December 1968), which hit US #3. That month Morrison attended a theatre production which changed the course of his and the group's life. At the University of Southern California's Bovard Auditorium The Living Theatre took to the stage for a highly charged show which urged people to cast aside their inhibitions to freedom. The show appealed to Morrison's quest for personal freedom, the results of which can be heard the next evening, February 25, during a studio jam which became the legendary "Rock Is Dead" session, later released on the 1997 Doors box set. The stage had been set for the most controversial episode of Morrison's life and one of the most notorious rock stories. To fans of The Doors, the music included socially, psychologically and politically charged lyrics mostly written by 'The Lizard King', Jim Morrison. The jazz drumming of John Densmore, the swirling keyboards of Ray Manzarek, whose left hand played the parts typically associated with bass guitar, and Robby Krieger's guitar playing, which showed the influence of flamenco, Indian, the blues and classical music, combined to form a distinctive sound. The Doors were unusual among rock groups in that they did not use a bass guitarist in concert, with Manzarek playing the bass lines on a Fender electric keyboard bass, an offshoot of the well-known Fender Rhodes electric piano. However, the group utilized bass players such as Jerry Scheff, Doug Lubahn, Harvey Brooks, Kerry Magness, Lonnie Mack and Ray Neapolitan on their albums. Many of The Doors' originals were composed communally, with Morrison usually contributing the lyrics and some melody, while the others hammered out the beat and flow of the song. While Morrison and Manzarek were walking on the beach in California, they passed an African-American girl, and Morrison wrote the lyrics to Hello I Love You in a single night, referring to the girl as the "dusky jewel". The song received some criticism at the time for its resemblance to The Kinks' 1965 hit "All Day and All of the Night". Ray Davies, lead singer of the Kinks, sued the Doors for stealing the rhythm of "All Day and All of the Night". [edit]

Mid career controversy: 19691971

The Doors quickly earned a reputation as a challenging and entertaining live act, as well as having a rebellious reputation. Jim Morrison was arrested on stage in New

Haven for foul language which he had directed toward police at the concert. In one appearance on September 17, 1967 with a live performance on the Ed Sullivan Show on the Columbia Broadcasting System network, the network's censors demanded the group change its lyrics in its song, Light My Fire, altering the line, "Girl, we couldn't get much higher" because of the reference to drugs. However, Morrison sang the original line instead, and on live television with no delay CBS was powerless to stop it. Ed Sullivan was so furious that he refused to shake their hands and they were never invited back. Morrison later insisted he was nervous during the performance and forgot to change the line. (They weren't the only ones banned from the show. Eleven years earlier, Bo Diddley was banned from appearing on the show when he refused to sing Sixteen Tons.) The most infamous incident occurred at the March 1, 1969 Dinner Key Auditorium concert in Miami, Florida. Morrison allegedly exposed himself during the performance. Morrison had been drinking since missing his flight to the show. The 6,900 seat auditorium had been oversold by almost double the hall's capacity and fans were sweltering without air conditioning. From the moment the band walked on stage Morrison started bellowing into the microphone[citation needed]: "Now listen here, I ain't talking 'bout no revolution and I'm not talkin' about no demonstrations. "I'm talking about having a good time, I'm talking about having a good time this summer. And you all come out to L.A., you all get out there, we're gonna lie down there in the sand and rub our toes in the ocean, and we're gonna have a good time, are you ready, are you ready, are you ready, are you ready, are you ready, are you ready, are you ready, are you ready? "Now listen! I used to think the whole thing was a big joke. I used to think it was something to laugh about. And then the last couple of nights I met some people who were doing somethin'! They're tryin' to change the world! And I wanna get on that trip! I wanna change the world. Wanna change it. Yeeeeeeaaaaaahhh - change it." Within a few minutes Morrison had changed his tune: "Now listen, I'm not talkin' about no revolution, an' I'm not talkin' about no demonstration! I'm talkin' about having fun! I'm talkin' about dancin'! I wanna see you people get up and dance! I wanna see you people dancin' in the street this summer! I wanna see you have some fun. I wanna see you run around. I wanna see you paint the town. I wanna see you ringin' out. I wanna see you shout. I wanna see some fun. I wanna see some fun from everyone." The recording nears its end with the ominous words: "ANYTHING YOU WANT! LET'S DO IT! LET'S DO IT! LET'S DO IT!" The incident remains inconclusive. Morrison said: "I wasted a lot of time with the Miami trial. About a year and a half. But I guess it was a valuable experience because before the trial I had a very unrealistic schoolboy attitude about the American judicial system. My eyes have been opened up a bit."

While Morrison as the lead singer received the most attention of the group, as well as getting a far larger image of himself on album covers, he was quite adamant about all the members of the group getting recognition. Before one concert when the announcer introduced the group as "Jim Morrison and The Doors", Morrison in a rage refused to appear unless he announced the group again, solely as "The Doors". While he never felt close to his real life family, he was extremely protective of the rest of the members of The Doors. Reportedly, he once told Ray Manzarek that he never felt comfortable in a social setting unless Ray or another member of the band were with him. Many people have since come to the conclusion that he viewed The Doors as his surrogate family. This may be attributed the fact that he not only repeatedly turned down every solo album opportunity he was ever offered, but that the remaining members of The Doors refused to replace him as the singer of the band after his death. Although the band's reputation was damaged Morrison was quietly relieved by the results of the Miami incident. He later said: "I think I was just fed up with the image that had been created around me... and so I put an end to it in one glorious evening". Released from the chain of touring Morrison recorded some of his poetry that month and, in April, began shooting footage for HWY, an experimental film about a hitchiker, played by Morrison. The poetry session was used for the 1978 album An American Prayer where it was set to new music by The Doors. HWY, which contains virtually no dialogue, circulates among collectors although an official release has been rumored. In the last two years of his life Morrison curtailed his former prodigious intake of psychedelic drugs and began drinking heavily, which in turn soon began to affect his performance, both on stage and in the studio. Apparently trying to escape the image of "The Lizard King" that had come to dominate him, Morrison put on weight and grew a thick beard, forcing Elektra to use photos taken earlier in his career for the cover of their Absolutely Live LP, released in 1970. The album features performances recorded on their 1970 American tour and at the 1969 Aquarius Theatre gig and includes a fulllength live performance of "The Celebration of the Lizard". The group's only public appearance was on a PBS television special, recorded late in April and broadcast the following month. Here the group performed songs from the upcoming Soft Parade album, including a stunning version of the title track. The group resumed touring at Chicago Auditorium Theater on June 14 and proceeded to play two dates at The Aquarius Theatre, Hollywood on July 21 and 22, both later released on CD. The shows were typical of a new kind of Doors concert where the emphasis was more on the band and fans having a good time than having a shamanistic experience. The bearded Morrison wore loose fitting clothes and steered the bands towards a bluesier direction with songs like "Build Me A Woman", "I Will Never Be Untrue" and "Who Do You Love". Yet his voice had lost none of its power and the band could still dazzle with performances of "When The Music's Over" and "Celebration of the Lizard". Their fourth album, The Soft Parade (1969), released in July, saw the band struggling to maintain momentum; an attempt to expand the group's sound with strings and brass, it is generally considered the least successful of their LPs with Morrison, who

was by then developing a serious drinking problem and becoming increasingly difficult and unreliable in the studio, with the result that sessions were now dragging on over weeks, where they had formerly taken days. The band further augmented their sound with the use of a horn section, strings, and other sounds on choice tracks (their single, "Touch Me," featured saxophonist Curtis Amy). Amid the recording of their next album, in November 1969, Morrison found himself in trouble with the law again after becoming drunk and abusive to airline staff during a flight to Phoenix, Arizona to see The Rolling Stones in concert. He was acquitted the following April after a steward mistakenly identified Morrison as his traveling companion, American actor Tom Baker (Not the Tom Baker who played Dr. Who.) The group started its year in New York again, this time over two nights at The Felt Forum. The two nights were well received. The group staged a strong return to form with their excellent 1970 LP Morrison Hotel. Featuring a consistent, hard rock sound the album contains the memorable opener "Roadhouse Blues", which typified the high-spirited assuredness of the entire album. Morrison Hotel had a buoyancy and optimism that the band had never had before with a host of celebratory songs and a couple of lovely ballads. It hit US #4. The group continued to perform at arenas throughout the summer and Morrison faced trial in Miami in August. The group managed to make it to The Isle of Wight on August 29th where a tired Morrison performed what was considered a below-par set. Songs from the show show up in 1995 on the Message To Love documentary. On September 16th, Morrison took to the stand but it was in vain, the jury returning a guilty verdict for profanity and indecent exposure on September 20. Morrison was sentenced to eight months custody but was allowed to go free pending an appeal. On December 8th, 1970, Morrison recorded another poetry session, on his 27th birthday. The Doors last public performance was at the "Warehouse" in New Orleans, LA on Dec. 12th, 1970, where it appeared Morrison had a mental breakdown on stage (slamming the microphone numerous times into the stage floor). The group looked set to regain their crown as one of America's premier acts with the superb L.A. Woman in 1971. It was conceived as a "back to basics" album which would explore their blues and R&B roots, although during rehearsals the group had a serious falling-out with Rothchild. Denouncing the new repertoire as "cocktail music", he quit and handed the production reins to Botnick. The result was widely considered a classic, featuring some of the strongest material and performances since their 1967 debut. Some dissenters, however, consider nearly half the album to be lackluster blues material, detracting severely from the album's overall quality. The atmospheric single "Riders On The Storm" became a mainstay of rock radio programming for decades. [edit]

Aftermath of Morrison's death: 19711989

In 1971, following the recording of L.A. Woman, Morrison decided to take some time out and moved to Paris with girlfriend Pamela Courson, in March. He had visited the previous summer and, for a time, seemed contented to write and explore the city. But by June he was once again drinking heavily and suffered a fall from a second story window in May. On June 16 the last known recording of Morrison was made when he befriended two street musicians at a bar and invited them to a recording studio. The drunken results were later released on bootleg CD. Morrison died under mysterious circumstances on 3 July 1971; his body was found in the bathtub of his apartment. It was concluded that he died of a heart attack, although it was later revealed that no autopsy had been performed before Morrison's body was buried at the Pre-Lachaise Cemetery on July 7.

The Doors On The Cover Of The Album Waiting For The Sun Rumours persisted for many years that Morrison had faked his death to escape the spotlight, as did the rumour that Morrison had actually died at a Paris nightclub and that his body had been surreptitiously taken back to his apartment. However, in his book Wonderland Avenue, Morrison's former associate Danny Sugerman states that during his last meeting with Courson, which took place shortly before she died of a heroin overdose, she confessed to Sugerman that she had introduced Morrison to the drug and that, because he had a fear of needles, she had injected him with the dose that killed him. The remaining Doors continued for some time. After initially considering replacing Morrison with a new singer, Krieger and Manzarek took over on vocals, and released two more albums, Other Voices and Full Circle. The Doors also toured during this time. Both albums sold well, but not in the numbers of the Morrison era releases, and the Doors ceased all performing and recording activities at the end of 1972. While the first is unmistakably Doors in sound and style, the last album showed the Doors further expanding into jazz territory. While neither album have yet seen CD reissues in the U.S., they have been released on 2-on-1 CDs in Germany and Russia and are being heard via internet P2P networks and are undergoing fan reevaluation.

The remaining Doors recorded a third post-Morrison album, An American Prayer released in 1978, this time providing only backup music to recordings of Morrison's poetry. In 1979 Francis Ford Coppola released Apocalypse Now with "The End" used prominently in the sound track. With this, "The Doors" were rediscovered by new fans. In 1983, "Alive, She Cried" was released, which included a cover version of the Them hit "Gloria", adding it officially to the Elektra Records discography. [edit]

The 1990s and beyond

In 1991, director Oliver Stone released his film The Doors, starring Val Kilmer as Morrison and with cameos by Krieger, Densmore and Manzarek. Ian Astbury of The Cult was Stone's preferred choice, but Astbury decided not to enter the acting world for reasons unknown. While all were amazed at Kilmer's impersonation, the film had numerous factual inaccuracies and members of the group later voiced displeasure at Stone's portrayal of Morrison, at times making him look like an out-of-control sociopath. In 2002 Manzarek and Krieger reunited and created a new version of The Doors, called "The Doors of the 21st Century". In the place of Morrison, the new lineup was fronted by British vocalist Ian Astbury, former lead singer of UK band The Cult, with Angelo Barbera from Krieger's band on bass. At their first concert the group announced that drummer John Densmore would not perform, and it was later reported that he was unable to play because he suffered from tinnitus. Densmore was initially replaced by Stewart Copeland, formerly of The Police, but after Copeland broke his arm falling off a bicycle, the arrangement ended in mutual lawsuits and he was replaced by Ty Dennis, drummer with Krieger's band. Densmore subsequently claimed that he had in fact not been invited to take part in the reunion. In February 2003 he filed an injunction against his former bandmates hoping to prevent them from using the name "The Doors of the 21st Century". His motion was denied in court in May that year, although Manzarek publicly reiterated that the invitation for Densmore to return to the group still stood. It was also reported that both Morrison's family and that of Pamela Courson had joined Densmore in seeking to prevent Manzarek and Krieger from using The Doors' name. In July 2005, Densmore and the Morrison estate won a permanent injunction; thereby preventing his former bandmates from using The Doors' name. The new band initially switched to the name "D21C" and now plays under the name Riders on the Storm, which is itself the name of a Doors tribute band in the northeastern US. They are allowed to play under names such as "former Doors" and "members of The Doors". Densmore has also been steadfast in refusing to license The Doors' music for use in television commercials, including an offer of $15 million by Cadillac to lease the song "Break on Through (to the Other Side)", feeling that that would be in violation of the spirit in which the music was created. Densmore wrote about this subject for The Nation, noting,

People lost their virginity to this music, got high for the first time to this music. I've had people say kids died in Vietnam listening to this music, other people say they know someone who didn't commit suicide because of this music. On stage, when we played these songs, they felt mysterious and magic. That's not for rent. [1] Manzarek and Krieger maintain that touring as a Doors revival and licensing the music to advertisements are a means to keep The Doors from fading into history. Manzarek was quoted as saying, "We're all getting older. We should, the three of us, be playing these songs because, hey, the end is always near. Morrison was a poet, and above all, a poet wants his words heard."[2] The Doors are remembered for shamanistic live performances. Some members of the "establishment", however, felt that they were merely American rock music rebels. Jim Morrison said: "I like any reaction I can get with my music. Just anything to get people to think. I mean if you can get a whole room full of drunk, stoned people to actually wake up and think, you're doing something." Their enduring popularity is reflected by continuing sales of their early work. [edit]

Recorded output
The Doors left a reasonably concise disocography for an era dominated by groups which seemed to rush out an album every six months and a high number of nonalbum singles. The first, self-titled album is generally thought to be the strongest and is a regular sight in greatest 100 album lists. Strange Days, Morrison Hotel and L.A Woman are all highly rated by fans and, due to their different styles, (psychedelic pop, hard rock, blues) appeal to some more than others. Waiting For The Sun contains some strong tracks but is thematically weak. The Soft Parade is considered by some to be "plain bad and for fans only". 1970's Absolutely Live and 1983s Alive She Cried are good examples of the band's live show and are available on CD. The 2CD In Concert is better value for money as it collects the two and adds an interesting version of "The End" from the Hollywood Bowl show in 1968. Only three non-album tracks were released in the band's lifetime, the b-sides "Who Scared You", "Tree Trunk", and a cover of Willie Dixon's "(You Need Meat) Don't Go Further" sung by Ray. "Who Scared You" and "(You Need Meat) Don't Go Further" appeared on the 1972 compilation Weird Scenes Inside The Goldmine while only "Who Scared You" has since been given a further CD release, on the 1997 box set. In 1978 the surviving Doors re-united to add music to poetry recorded by Morrison in 1969 and 1970. The resulting album was "An American Prayer" and was re-issued on CD in 1995 with bonus tracks "Hour For Magic", "Freedom Exists", "A Feast Of Friends", "Babylon Fading", "Bird Of Prey" and "The Ghost Song (extended version)".

The group had always shied away from releasing archive Doors material but in 1997 relented with the release of The Doors box set. While hardcore fans complained that most of the material had been previously released on bootlegs the 4CD set, one of which was a "greatest hits" type CD, proved popular. It was notable for a CD of highlights from the 1970 Felt Forum concert and a cleaned-up recording of the (edited) 1969 "Rock Is Dead" session. The surviving members again re-united to add new musical backing to the solo Morrison song "Orange County Suite". In November 2000 came the announcement many fans had dreamed of when The Doors announced the creation of Bright Midnight Records, a label through which 36 albums and 90 hours of previously unreleased Morrison-era Doors material would be made available on CD. This was launched with a sampler of forthcoming material, mostly from live concerts. The first full release was a 2CD set of the May 1970 show at Detroit Cobo Arena. It was followed by two CDs of interviews, mostly with Morrison, and the two 1969 Aquarius shows and one of the rehearsals. A 4CD set "Boot Yer Butt" unashamedly used bootleg quality material but sold out nevertheless. It was notable for the inclusion of the only known performances of songs from L.A Woman including the title track and "The Changeling" from The Doors' last but one show, in December 1970, Dallas, Texas. In 2005 a 2CD concert from Philadelphia in 1970 was released. Many illegal bootleg recordings are available of the group. Most impressive is a wealth of shows from March 1967 at the legendary Matrix Club in San Francisco. Many shows are available from 1968 when the band reached the height of its popularity, notably two shows in Stockholm, Sweden. The infamous Miami show has become widely available while many 1970 shows, notably a radio broadcast of the June 6 Vancouver show, make the rounds. The complete 1969 "Rock Is Dead" studio jam was discovered in the mid 1990s. [edit]

Discography
Date of release Title Label US # UK #

January 1967

The Doors

Elektra Recordings 2

43

October 1967

Strange Days

Elektra Recordings 3

July 1968

Waiting for the Sun

Elektra Recordings 1

16

July 1969

The Soft Parade

Elektra Recordings 6

February 1970

Morrison Hotel

Elektra Recordings 4

12

July 1970

Absolutely Live

Elektra Recordings 8

69

November 1970

13

Elektra Recordings 2

April 1971

L.A. Woman

Elektra Recordings 9

26

October 1971

Other Voices

Elektra Recordings 31

January 1972

Weird Scenes Inside The Gold Mine

Elektra Recordings

July 1972

Full Circle

Elektra Recordings 68

November 1978

An American Prayer

Elektra Recordings 54

March 1991

The Doors

Elektra Recordings 8

11

May 1991

In Concert

Elektra Recordings 50

24

October 1997

Box Set

Elektra Recordings 65

February 2002

Bright Midnight: Live in America

Elektra Recordings

May 2002

Live in Hollywood

Elektra Recordings

August 2003

Legacy: the Absolute Best

Elektra Recordings 63

November 2003

The Best of The Doors

Elektra Recordings

[edit]

Singles
US #

Date of release Title

Label

UK #

January 1967

Break on Through (To The Other Side)

Elektra Recordings

106

April 1967

Light My Fire

Elektra Recordings

September 1967

People Are Strange

Elektra Recordings

12

November 1967 Love Me Two Times

Elektra Recordings

25

March 1968

The Unknown Soldier

Elektra Recordings

39

June 1968

Hello I Love You

Elektra Recordings

15

December 1968 Touch Me

Elektra Recordings

March 1969

Wishful Sinful

Elektra

44

Recordings

May 1969

Tell All the People

Elektra Recordings

57

August 1969

Running Blue

Elektra Recordings

64

March 1970

You Make Me Real

Elektra Recordings

50

1970

Roadhouse Blues

Elektra Recordings

50

March 1971

Love Her Madly

Elektra Recordings

11

June 1971

Riders on the Storm

Elektra Recordings

14

November 1971 Tightrope Ride

Elektra Recordings

71

January 1972

Ships with Sails

Elektra Recordings

July 1972

Get Up and Dance

Elektra Recordings

August 1972

The Mosquito

Elektra Recordings

85

November 1972 The Piano Bird

Elektra Recordings

1983

Gloria

Elektra Recordings

18

[edit]

Remixes
The Doors have recently allowed several dance/electronic music producers to remix their songs. Many believe that this is to introduce their music to a new generation. The remixes and their appearances are:

Snoop Dogg vs. The Doors - "Riders on the Storm (Fredwreck Remix)" Appeared in the video game Need for Speed Underground 2. The Doors - "L.A. Woman (Paul Oakenfold Remix)" Appears on the mix album "Perfecto Presents: The Club". BT vs. The Doors - "Break On Through (To The Other Side)" Originally released as an iTunes exclusive download, this remix also made a appearance on the Burnout Revenge soundtrack. The Doors - "Roadhouse Blues (The Crystal Method Remix)" made its debut on "Community Service II" by The Crystal Method. The Doors - "Hello, I love You (Adam Freeland Mix)" This remix has yet to be released, but can be heard on Adam Freeland's myspace. Freeland recently won a Grammy for his remixing work on Sarah Vaughn's "Fever".

[edit]

Video game appearances of songs

In 2004 the video game Need for Speed Underground 2 contained a remix of "Riders on the Storm" featuring rapper Snoop Dogg, remixed by Fredwreck. The song "Break on Through (To the Other Side)" is included on the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Gamecube game Tony Hawk's Underground 2, and its PSP counterpart, Tony Hawk's Underground 2 Remix. In the 2005 EA game Burnout Revenge contained a remix of "Break on Through (To the Other Side)". The song "Peace Frog" is featured on the recently released Tony Hawk's American Wasteland. In Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas,"The Truth" tells CJ "I took some fellow travellers deep into the desert on a peyote safari a few nights back. We faced the inner light and communed with the Lizard King."

Ladies and Gentlemen, from Los Angeles - California...

The Doors - formata in 1965, in Los Angeles, California. Perioada de activitate: 1965 - 1973. Membrii trupei: Jim Morrison - voce, Ray Manzarek - clape, Robbie Krieger chitara, John Densmore - tobe. Stiluri abordate: Hard Rock, Psychedelic, Album Rock, Rock & Roll, Blues - Rock The Doors - discografie The Doors este formata in Los Angeles, in anul 1965, de catre 2 studeni UCLA - Jim Morrison si Ray Manzarek. Manzarek, specializat pe pian/clape, formase impreuna cu cei 2 frati ai sai o trupa de R&B numita Rick And The Ravensask; ei cauta un solist si un baterist. A fost imediat impresionat de Morrison dupa ce l-a ascultat cantand un cantec cu versuri proprii - " Moonlight Drive". Impreuna cu Morrison a fost recrutat si bateristul John Densmore, imediat inregistrand 6 piese cu versuri scrise de Jim. Nemultumiti de rezultatul inregistrarilor, fratii lui Manzarek au parasit trupa, fiind amandoi inlocuiti de un prieten al lui John Densmore - chitaristul Robbie Kireger (un alt basist nu a fost niciodata recrutat). Problema bass-ului a fost rezolvata de Krieger si Manzarek, care, cu orga sa, tine loc si de bass. De asemenea, in aceeasi perioada, Morrison schimba numele trupei in 'The Doors". The Doors cantau in mod obisnuit in barul/clubul London Fog de pe Sunset Strip (zona recunoscuta pt restaurantele si viata de noapte a partii de vest a orasului Los Angeles), iar apoi in Whisky A Go-Go (se spune ca scena rock`n`roll a luat nastere odata cu deschiderea acestui club de noapte). Personajul central si totodata controversat al trupei, Jim Morrison, prin interpretarea excentrica a compozitiei intitulate "The End", in 1966, a facut ca trupa sa fie data afara din Whisky-A-Go-GO, patronii interzicandu-le sa mai cante acolo. Acest eveniment a avut si o parte buna.. atragand atentia celor de la Elektra Records, cu care au si semnat un contract. Au lansat primul album, intitulat The Doors, in 1967 - fiind unul dintre cele mai bune albume de debut, prezentand o fuziune de rock, blues,jazz si poezie. Albumul contine cel mai de bun single al trupei - "Light My Fire", care a urcat direct pe locul 1 in topuri.Urmatoarele albume (Strange Days - 1967, Waiting For the Sun - 1968, The Soft Parade - 1969), desi, se pare ca le-a lipsit ceea ce a avut albumul de debut, au avut totusi cateva piese de rezistenta si single-uri ce au devenit hit-uri (When The Music's Over, People Are Strange,etc), chiar si un loc 1 in topuri cu "Hello, I Love You". In aceasta perioada Morrison se autointituleaza "the Lizard King" (regele soparla), in spectacole el devine tot mai excentric si mai nonconformist. Atitudinea sa anti-autoritate combinata cu consumul notoriu de alcool si droguri i-a creat mari probleme, avand in vedere ca 'pachetul' era 'adus' pe scena. In 1969, in Hartford,

Connecticut este arestat pt atacarea unui ofiter de politie in culise, iar mai tarziu,este arestat pe scena de la Miami Dinner Key Auditorium, find acuzat de expunere indecenta si comportament obscen. In 1970, trupa lanseaza Morrison Hotel, iar in aprilie 1971 - L.A. Woman, ambele albume, orientate mai mult spre blues, au fost primite cu mai multa caldura decat precedentele, dar totusi au fost mai slabe ca albumul de debut. Desi inregistrarile s-au facut intr-o continua tensiune manifestata intre Morrison si ceilalti membri ai trupei (datorate problemelor lui Morrison cu drogurile si alcoolul care se agravasera tot mai mult), acest album s-a dovedit, totusi, a fi unul dintre cele mai bune albume The Doors - piese precum L.A. Woman sau Riders On The Storm (ambele peste 7 minute) au puterea de a rascoli ascultatorul profund, in mare parte datorita vocii lui Jim. Dupa sesiunile de inregistrari pentru albumul L.A. Woman, Morrison s-a mutat la Paris. Se stie ca ii placeau luminile scenei si ochii tuturor atintiti asupra sa, dar in acelasi timp ura faptul ca era vazut ca o vedeta de muzica. Dorea sa fie privit ca un poet, si, la Paris, spera sa-si inceapa o cariera literara. Tragic insa, pe 3 Iulie, 1971, este gasit mort in cada baii sale, de catre sotia sa, Pam. Oficial, cauza mortii a fost declarata ca fiind un infarct, dar au aparut tot felul de zvonuri asupra conditiilor in care Jim Morrison si-a gasit sfarsitul. Unele voci au spus - supradoza, altele, speculand pe seama secretului in care a fost inmormantat, sustineau chiar ca Morrison si-ar fi inscenat moartea, reusind astfel sa se ascunda de lumina reflectoarelor.Totusi,oficial, el este inmormantat la Paris, in cimitirul Pere Lachaise, alaturi de Honor de Balzac,Marcel Proust, Oscar Wilde, Moliere, Frdric Chopin,etc. Ceilalti 3 membri The Doors au decis sa nu-l inlocuiasca pe Jim si sa continue ca trio cu Manzarek si ca solist , dar fara versurile si vocea lui Morrison .. nu mai era la fel. The Doors sa destramat in 1973, fara totusi ca numele trupei sa moara. Morrison a ramas in mintea tuturor. Ba mai mult.. in 1978, Manzarek, Kreiger si Densmore s-au reunit pt a inregistra muzica pentru o serie de recitaluri de poezie pe care Jim le inregistrase in timpul sesiunilor L.A. Woman. A rezultat albumul An American Prayer. A urmat apoi albumul LIVE intitulat ALIVE SHE CRIED, in anul 1983, care reunea materiale de arhiva. Vanzarile acestor ultime lansari, precum si ale albumelor vechi, au facut ca fotografia lui Jim Morrison sa apara pe coperta revistei Rolling Stone, in 1985. In cele din urma, in 1991, subregia lui Oliver Stone este realizat filmul The Doors, cu Val Kilmer in rolul lui Morrison. Acum, la peste 30 de ani de la moartea sa, Jim Morrison este inca viu. << Jim Morrison NU este mort. Spiritul sau traieste in continuare, in muzica sa si in versurile sale, stralucind incandescent, o fuziune intre lumina si intuneric a creat un diamant stralucitor si etern. "Cancel my subscription to the resurection" (Anulati-mi abonamentul pentru inviere) a cantat el. Putin probabil, Jim. Acesta nu e sfarsitul.>> (Danny Sugerman, Los Angeles, California - 5/12/95).

Discografie The Doors

The Doors - 1967 Strange Days - 1967 Waiting for the Sun - 1968 The Soft Parade - 1969 Morrison Hotel - 1970 Absolutely Live - 1970 L.A. Woman - 1971 Other Voices - 1971 Full Circle - 1972 An American Prayer: Jim Morrison - 1978 (last live recording with Jim Morrison) Bright Midnight: Live In America - 2002 The Doors" (1967) [Click to see more / buy this album]

Break On Through (To The Other Side) Soul Kitchen The Crystal Ship Twentieth Century Fox Alabama Song (Whisky Bar) Light My Fire Back Door Man I Looked At You End Of The Night Take It As It Comes The End "Strange Days" (1967) [Click to see more / buy this album]

Strange Days You're Lost Little Girl Love Me Two Times Unhappy Girl Horse Latitudes

Moonlight Drive People Are Strange My Eyes Have Seen You I Can't See Your Face In My Mind When The Music's Over "Waiting For The Sun" (1968) [Click to see more / buy this album]

Hello, I Love You Love Street Not To Touch The Earth Summer's Almost Gone Wintertime Love The Unknown Soldier Spanish Caravan My Wild Love We Could Be So Good Together Yes, The River Knows Five To One "The Soft Parade" (1969) [Click to see more / buy this album]

Tell All The People Touch Me Shaman's Blues Do It Easy Ride Wild Child Runnin' Blue Wishful Sinful The Soft Parade "Morrison Hotel" (1970) [Click to see more / buy this album]

Roadhouse Blues Waiting For The Sun You Make Me Real Peace Frog Blue Sunday Ship Of Fools Land Ho! The Spy Queen Of The Highway Indian Summer Maggie M'Gill "L.A. Woman" (1971) [Click to see more / buy this album]

The Changeling Love Her Madly Been Down So Long Cars Hiss By My Window L.A. Woman L'America Hyacinth House Crawling King Snake The Wasp (Texas Radio And The Big Beat) Riders On The Storm "An American Prayer" (1978) [Click to see more / buy this album]

Awake Ghost Song Awake Dawn's Highway Newborn Awakening To Come Of Age Black Polished Chrome (Latino Chrome.) Angels And Sailors Stoned Immaculate The Movie Curses, Invocation American Night The World On Fire Lament The Hitchhiker An American Prayer / Hour For Magic / Freedom Exists / A Feast Of Friends Other songs Adolf Hitler An American Prayer Break On Through (Part 2) Build Me A Woman Close To You Don't Go No Farther Gloria Graveyard Poem I Will Never Be Untrue I'm A King Bee Little Red Rooster Love Hides Mental Floss Orange County Suite Paris Blues Rock Is Dead The Celebration Of The Lizard The End (Live Version) Universal Mind Whiskey, Mystics And Men Who Do You Love Who Scared You Woman Is A Devil

Biography
(by William Ruhlmann & Richie Unterberger)

The Doors, one of the most influential and controversial rock bands of the 1960s, were
formed in Los Angeles in 1965 by UCLA film students Ray Manzarek, keyboards, and Jim Morrison, vocals; with drummer John Densmore and guitarist Robby Krieger. The group never added a bass player, and their sound was dominated by Manzarek's electric organ work and Morrison's deep, sonorous voice, with which he sang and intoned his highly poetic lyrics. The group signed to Elektra Records in 1966 and released its first album, The Doors, featuring the hit "Light My Fire," in 1967. Like "Light My Fire," the debut album was a massive hit, and endures as one of the most exciting, groundbreaking recordings of the psychedelic era. Blending blues, classical, Eastern music, and pop into sinister but beguiling melodies, the

band sounded like no other. With his rich, chilling vocals and somber poetic visions, Morrison explored the depths of the darkest and most thrilling aspects of the psychedelic experience. Their first effort was so stellar, in fact, that the Doors were hard-pressed to match it, and although their next few albums contained a wealth of first-rate material, the group also began running up against the limitations of their recklessly disturbing visions. By their third album, they had exhausted their initial reservoir of compositions, and some of the tracks they hurriedly devised to meet public demand were clearly inferior to, and imitative of, their best early work.

On The Soft Parade, the group experimented with brass sections, with mixed results.
Accused (without much merit) by much of the rock underground as pop sellouts, the group charged back hard with the final two albums they recorded with Morrison, on which they drew upon stone-cold blues for much of their inspiration, especially on 1971's L.A. Woman. From the start, the Doors' focus was the charismatic Morrison, who proved increasingly unstable over the group's brief career. In 1969, Morrison was arrested for indecent exposure during a concert in Miami, an incident that nearly derailed the band. Nevertheless, the Doors managed to turn out a series of successful albums and singles through 1971, when, upon the completion of L.A. Woman, Morrison decamped for Paris. He died there, apparently of a drug overdose. The three surviving Doors tried to carry on without him, but ultimately disbanded. Yet the Doors' music and Morrison's legend continued to fascinate succeeding generations of rock fans: In the mid-'80s, Morrison was as big a star as he'd been in the mid-'60s, and Elektra has sold numerous quantities of the Doors' original albums plus reissues and releases of live material over the years, while publishers have flooded bookstores with Doors and Morrison biographies. In 1991, director Oliver Stone made The Doors, a feature film about the group starring Val Kilmer as Morrison.

The doors
Break on through
You know the day destroys the night Night divides the day Tried to run Tried to hide Break on through to the other side Break on through to the other side Break on through to the other side We chased our pleasures here Dug our treasures there But can you still recall The time we cried Break on through to the other side Break on through to the other side Break on through to the other side Everybody loves my baby Everybody loves my baby She gets, she gets, she gets She gets high I found an island in your arms A country in your eyes Arms that chain us Eyes that lied Break on through to the other side Break on through to the other side Break on through to the other side

Made the scene from week to week Day to day, hour to hour The gate is straight Deep and wide Break on through to the other side Break on through to the other side Break on through to the other side Break on through, break on through Break on through, break on through Yeah, yeah, yeah, Yeah, yeah, yeah...

Light my fire
You know that it would be untrue You know that I would be a liar If I was to say to you Girl, we couldn't get much higher Come on baby, light my fire Come on baby, light my fire Try to set the night on fire The time to hesitate is through No time to wallow in the mire Try now we can only lose And our love become a funeral pyre Come on baby, light my fire Come on baby, light my fire Try to set the night on fire, yeah The time to hesitate is through No time to wallow in the mire Try now we can only lose And our love become a funeral pyre Come on baby, light my fire Come on baby, light my fire Try to set the night on fire You know that it would be untrue You know that I would be a liar If I was to say to you Girl, we couldn't get much higher Come on baby, light my fire Come on baby, light my fire Try to set the night on fire Try to set the night on fire Try to set the night on fire Try to set the night on fire

Morrison Hotel
Roadhouse blues
Keep your eyes on the road, your hands upon the wheel Keep your eyes on the road, your hands upon the wheel Yeah, we're goin' to the Roadhouse Gonna have a real Good time Yeah, in back of the Roadhouse they got some bungalows Yeah, in back of the Roadhouse they got some bungalows And that's for the people Who like to go down slow Let it roll, baby, roll Let it roll, baby, roll Let it roll, baby, roll Let it roll, all night long Ashen lady, Ashen lady Give up your vows, give up your vows Save our city, save our city Right now Well, I woke up this morning, I got myself a beer Yeah, I woke up this morning, and I got myself a beer The future's uncertain, and the end is always near Let it roll, baby, roll Let it roll, baby, roll Let it roll, baby, roll Let it roll, all night long

Def Leppard
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jump to: navigation, search Def Leppard

Country Years active

England 1977Present

Genre(s) Label(s)

Hard Rock Universal Music Group Joe Elliott Rick Savage Rick Allen Phil Collen Vivian Campbell Steve Clark Pete Willis Tony Kenning Frank Noon

Members

Past members

Def Leppard are a English hard rock band from Sheffield who formed in 1977 as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Thanks to their classic albums, 1983's Pyromania and 1987's Hysteria, Def Leppard became one of the top selling rock bands of the 1980s.

Contents
[hide]

1 Music 2 History o 2.1 1977 1979 / The Early Years o 2.2 1980 1983 / Setting Rock on Fire o 2.3 1984 1989 / Mass Hysteria o 2.4 1990-1999 / Rock Survivors o 2.5 2000 Present / New Beginnings 3 Legacy in Rock 4 Side Projects 5 Discography 6 Personnel o 6.1 Current members o 6.2 Past members 7 Influences 8 See also

9 External links [edit]

Music
The music of Def Leppard is a mixture of hard rock, glam rock, AOR, and heavy metal elements. The band has occasionally been associated with the pop metal movement of the 1980s, although its sound is more accurately associated with the contemporary NWOBHM genre of the late 1970s. The band's songs generally feature

simple guitar hooks and catchy, melodic choruses. The Def Leppard sound is also characterized by its combination of hard rock and polished melodic backing vocals. By the release of the Hysteria record, it was apparent that the band had developed a distinctive, futuristic sound featuring heavily processed drums and effects-laden "space-aged" guitar sounds, overlaid with a layered wall of husky, harmonized vocals. Def Leppard are considered a classic example of the rock sound of the 1980s. Def Leppard is one of only five rock bands with two original albums selling over 10 million copies each in the U.S. The others are The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and Van Halen. [edit]

History
[edit]

1977 1979 / The Early Years

Rick Savage (bass), Pete Willis (guitars) and Tony Kenning (drums) formed the band (Originally known as "Atomic Mass") in 1977 in Sheffield (see 1977 in music). Joe Elliott auditioned for a spot as their guitarist following a chance meeting with Willis. However, during Elliot's audition, it was decided that he was better suited for the role of lead singer. Soon afterwards, they adopted the name "Deaf Leopard" (which Elliott had thought of in his school days). At the suggestion of Tony Kenning, the name "Deaf Leopard" was slightly modified to Def Leppard in order to avoid comparison to punk bands, and perhaps also as an indirect homage to Led Zeppelin's similarly styled band name. While perfecting their sound as a band in a spoon factory, the band added another guitarist in Steve Clark in January 1978. Kenning suddenly left the band prior to recording sessions for a three-song EP in late 1978. He was replaced for those sessions by Frank Noon on what was known the Def Leppard EP. Sales for the EP soared soon after the track "Getcha Rocks Off" was given extensive airtime by renowned BBC Radio DJ John Peel, considered at the time to be a champion of punk rock and new wave music. 15-year-old Rick Allen joined the band as its full-time drummer in November 1978. Throughout 1979, the band won a loyal following among British hard rock/heavy metal fans, and were even initially considered the leaders of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (eventually relenting that spot to Iron Maiden). This emerging popularity resulted in a major label record deal with Phonogram/Vertigo (Mercury Records in the US). [edit]

1980 1983 / Setting Rock on Fire

Def Leppard, 1978 1982. L to R: Rick Savage (bass), Joe Elliot (vocals), Steve Clark (guitars), Pete Willis (guitars), Rick Allen (drums) Their debut album was On Through The Night, released on March 14, 1980. Although the album hit the Top 15 in the UK, many early fans were turned off by the perception that the band was trying too hard to appeal to US audiences, with songs like "Hello America" and touring more in the US (supporting Pat Travers, AC/DC and Ted Nugent) than the UK. This hostility was highlighted at the Reading Festival in August, where audience members pelted the band with garbage during their set. In retrospect, the hostility was unfair because the band was only taking advantage of opportunities not given to most young British rock bands at the time. However, the damage was done and it would take a while until Def Leppard won back their homeland fans. The band then caught the attention of AC/DC producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange, who agreed to work on their second album, High 'n' Dry. Lange's painfully meticuluous approach in the studio greatly improved on Def Leppard's potential from On Through The Night. Despite mediocre album sales, the "Bringin' on the Heartbreak" promo clip became one of the first "metal" videos played on MTV in 1982, and this brought increasing visibility (and momentum) to the band in the States. Phil Collen, former guitarist with the glam band Girl, replaced Pete Willis who was fired on July 11, 1982, due to excessive alcohol consumption on the job (Willis later resurfaced with the bands Gogmagog and Roadhouse). This personnel change took place during the recording of their third release, Pyromania, released on May 20, 1983, which was also produced by Lange. The song "Photograph" turned Def Leppard into household names, knocking off Michael Jackson's Beat It as the most requested video clip on MTV, and becoming a staple of rock radio (dominating the US Album Rock Charts for six weeks) while hitting #12 on the pop charts. Fueled by "Photograph" and subsequent singles "Rock of Ages" and "Foolin'", Pyromania went on to sell six million copies in 1983, then going to sell ten million copies in the U.S. in 1984, and was held off the top of the US album charts only by Michael Jackson's Thriller. The album has since been certified Diamond by the RIAA in the US, and is considered a classic in both the mainstream rock and heavy metal genres.

Def Leppard's US tour in support of Pyromania began by opening for Billy Squier in March, and ended with an audience of 55,000 at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego, CA in September. As a testament of the band's popularity at the time, a US Gallup poll in 1984 saw Def Leppard voted in as favorite rock band over peers such as the Rolling Stones and Journey. Conversely, the band could not be any less popular in their native UK, a fact that greatly bothered them. [edit]

1984 1989 / Mass Hysteria

Following their big break, the band moved to Dublin in February 1984 to begin writing for the follow-up to Pyromania. Mutt Lange initially joined in on the songwriting sessions, but then suddenly declined to return as producer due to exhaustion. Instead, Jim Steinman (producer of Meat Loaf), was brought in.

Def Leppard's "classic" lineup, 1982 - 1991: Rick Savage, Rick Allen, Joe Elliott, Steve Clark and Phil Collen The Leppard-Steinman pairing was a disaster, as Steinman's methods constantly clashed with those that Lange had instilled in the band. This quickly led to his being fired, with Lange's assistant Nigel Green taking over, with no more productive results. On December 31, 1984, tragedy first struck the band when Rick Allen lost his left arm in a car crash on the A57 in the hills outside Sheffield when his speeding Corvette left the road on a sharp bend and went through a drystone wall. Despite the severity of the accident, Rick was committed to continuing his role as Def Leppard's drummer. He practiced drumming with pillows, and realized that he could use his legs to do some of the percussive work previously done with his arms. He then worked with Simmons to design a custom electronic drum kit. The other members of the band fully stood behind Rick's determination and never sought a replacement. During his recovery, Mutt Lange eventually returned to the fold as producer, and Rick's triumphant comeback was sealed at the 1986 Donington Monsters of Rock festival, with an emotionally charged ovation after his introduction by Joe Elliott.

Def Leppard's fourth album, Hysteria, was finally released on August 3, 1987. The second single from the album, "Animal", reached #6 in the UK and finally made the band into stars in their home country. Hysteria immediately topped the charts in its first week of release. US album sales were relatively slow (compared to Pyromania) until the fourth single, "Pour Some Sugar On Me". The song hit Number 2, and Hysteria finally reached the top of the US Album Charts in July 1988. In October, the power ballad "Love Bites" would become Def Leppard's first (and only) Number One single on the Billboard Hot 100, and in January 1989 the band scored another US Top 5 hit with "Armageddon It". Hysteria is one of only a handful of albums (and the third in rock history) that has charted seven singles or more on the US Hot 100: "Women" (#80), "Animal" (#19), "Hysteria" (#10), "Pour Some Sugar On Me" (#2), "Love Bites" (#1), "Armageddon It" (#3) and "Rocket" (#12). It remained on the charts for three years and has sold 18 million copies worldwide. Equally as successful (if not infamous) was the accompanying Hysteria world tour which ran for 15 months and saw Def Leppard perform "In The Round". The concept proved wildly popular with fans, as evidenced in the videos for "Pour Some Sugar On Me" and "Armageddon It" (and was later used again for the Adrenalize tour). By decade's end, although U2, Guns N' Roses and Bon Jovi garnered more mainstream exposure, Def Leppard was in fact the top selling rock band of the 80's in the US. [edit]

1990-1999 / Rock Survivors

Def Leppard, 1992 present. L to R: Rick Allen, Vivian Campbell, Phil Collen, Joe Elliott, and Rick Savage After Hysteria's mammoth success and tour, the band quickly set out to work on their fifth album, hoping to avoid another lengthy absence between albums. However, Steve Clark's alcoholism issues worsened to the point where he was constantly in and out of rehab. Recording sessions suffered from this distraction, and in mid-1990 Steve was given a six-month leave of absence from the band. This would culminate in Steve's death from an accidental mixing of prescription drugs and alcohol on January 8, 1991 in his London home. The other band members decided to carry on as a four-piece, with Phil playing Steve's intended guitar parts. Def Leppard's fifth album Adrenalize was finally released on March 31 1992. The album simultaneously entered at Number One on both the UK and US album charts, staying there for 5 weeks on the latter. The first single, "Let's Get Rocked", was an instant smash hit and its video was later nominated for Best Video of the Year at the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards. In April 1992, acclaimed hard rock guitarist Vivian Campbell joined Def Leppard. He would make his live debut with his new band at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, held at Wembley Stadium. Adrenalize yielded six hit singles and sold 6 million copies worldwide. Another successful world tour followed, but the band's fortunes were beginning to be affected by the rise of grunge and alternative rock. A collection of b-sides and unreleased tracks recorded between 1984 and 1993, Retro Active, was released in October 1993, preceded by the chart success of the acoustic ballad "Two Steps Behind", featured in the Arnold Schwarzenegger film Last Action Hero. Another acoustic ballad, "Miss You In A Heartbeat", hit the Top 5 in Canada, becoming one of the band's biggest hits in that country. Two years later, Def Leppard issued its first greatest-hits collection, Vault: Def Leppard's Greatest Hits (1980-1995), which would go on to sell 7 million copies worldwide. Alternate track listings of the album were released for North America, the UK and Japan. The compilation included a new track, the ballad "When Love & Hate Collide", which became their biggest ever hit in the UK, hitting #2. However, in a reversal of fortunes, the single did not reach the Top 40 in the US. On October 23 1995, the band entered the Guinness Book of World Records by performing three concerts in three continents in one day (Tangiers, Africa, London, England, and Vancouver, Canada). The next Leppard album, the first on which Campbell would actively collaborate in the songwriting and recording, was Slang, released in 1996. It was a drastic musical departure from their traditional hook-filled, melody-heavy sound, and had an altogether darker and grungier feel. While the album was not well-received by most

fans, Q Magazine would feature it on their list of Top Ten Albums of 1996, and it is still one of the band's favorite albums. Just when the 90's seemed to mark the beginning of the end for Def Leppard, VH1 revived the band's fortunes in 1998 by featuring them on one of the initial episodes of Behind The Music. The documentary, including interviews with past and present members, told of their compelling tale, and renewed interest in the band in the US (although they still had strong fan bases in Canada, Japan, and the UK). The episode remains one of the most popular in the Behind The Music series, and was even parodied on Saturday Night Live. Also in the meantime, the spoken line intro from "Rock Of Ages" was now being heard on The Offspring's Pretty Fly (for a White Guy), the biggest hit single of their career. Next came the album Euphoria in 1999. The first single, "Promises", reunited the band with former producer Mutt Lange, and hit the top of the US mainstream rock charts for three weeks. Another track, "Demolition Man", also featured guest guitar work from Formula 1 World Champion Damon Hill, a fan of the group. The return to the classic Def Leppard hard rock sound proved a hit with both fans old and new as Euphoria was quickly awarded for gold sales over 500,000 units in the US. [edit]

2000 Present / New Beginnings

Poster for VH1's "Hysteria - The Def Leppard Story" On September 5, 2000, Def Leppard was inducted into the RockWalk of Fame, on Hollywood's Sunset Boulevard by their friend Brian May of Queen. In 2001 VH1 produced and aired Hysteria - The Def Leppard Story, a biopic that included Anthony Michael Hall as Mutt Lange and Amber Valetta as Lorelei Shellist (Steve Clark's girlfriend). The movie covered the band's history between 1977 through 1986, recounting the trials and triumphs of Rick Allen and Steve Clark. The July 18 broadcast produced some of the channel's highest-ever ratings. The movie is now available on DVD. An interesting side project at the time would consist of Joe Elliott and Phil Collen teaming up with surviving members of the Spyders From Mars (David Bowie's former band), known as the Cybernauts. The group would play shows revolving around Bowie's Ziggy Stardust-era songs. Def Leppard's tenth album, simply titled "X", was released in July 2002. It saw the band's musical direction moving more towards pop and further away from the band's hard rock roots. In fact, some tracks were produced by the hit factory behind Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys.

The first single from the album, "Now", featured a video depicting the "adventures" of a classic Def Leppard Union Jack shirt between 1983 and 2002. Although it was greeted with generally positive reviews, X quickly disappeared from the charts. However, the accompanying tour played to the band's strongest audiences since the Adrenalize period. An expanded and updated greatest-hits CD, Best Of, was released in October 2004 worldwide. The North America-only version, titled Rock Of Ages - The Definitive Collection, was released on May 17 the following year. The compilations went platinum in Canada, the US and the UK. In 2005, Def Leppard participated at the Live 8 show in Philadelphia, and toured baseball stadiums with Bryan Adams in the summer. The year also saw the band leave their longtime management team, Q-Prime, to sign with HK Management (Aerosmith, Lenny Kravitz).

Def Leppard in 2006 On May 23 2006, Def Leppard released an all-covers album titled Yeah!. The disc pays homage to the musical heroes of their childhood, including David Bowie ("Drive-In Saturday"), The Kinks ("Waterloo Sunset"), Blondie ("Hanging On The Telephone"), Electric Light Orchestra ("10538 Overture"), among others. It debuted at a disappointing #52 on the UK album charts, but fared much better in the US, debuting at #16 (their tenth consecutive Top 20 album). Def Leppard is currently on a summer tour with Journey in the US. Along with KISS, Queen, and Judas Priest, the band was one of the inaugural inductees on the "VH1 Rock Honors" show on May 31, 2006. Recently, "Love Bites" has been featured in recent Sirius Satellite Radio TV commercials. [edit]

Legacy in Rock
Much like Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Deep Purple in the 70's, Def Leppard were rock pioneers in their own right. Their unique brand of melodic hard rock in the 80s, sometimes referred to as "pop metal", influenced a generation of bands in their decade, and beyond. Prior to Pyromania, hard rock was restricted to a mostly male following with limited to no mainstream success. When the five young, photogenic members of Def Leppard arrived on MTV, the image added a large female following to the audience, but the music remained loyal to the influences of hard rock and glam metal with a radiofriendly edge, courtesy of Mutt Lange.

It wasn't long before other young "pop metal" bands also started hitting MTV (Motley Crue, Bon Jovi, Poison). While the look was more outrageous (most notably the hair) in some cases, the music indisputably followed Leppard's lead, and was now crossing over onto the pop charts with greater frequency and success. Ironically, a growing legion of Leppard soundalikes would contibute to its fall at the dawn of the 90s. Pop metal bands would be churned out like a factory, armed with the power ballad sure-fire hit and generic songs on mediocre albums. Fans grew tired of the formula, and drifted towards grunge and alternative rock bands, with a totally opposite image and style. However, Leppard would be one of the prime targets of derision in this backlash, and their fan base would drastically shrink following the Adrenalize tour. Even if the music scene had virtually erased Def Leppard from existence by the mid90s, it was also becoming evident that their songs had influenced a new generation of bands who wanted to successfully incorporate a melodic edge in their heavy style of rock. At the very least, their classic output would regain its appreciation as some of the best music of the 80s. This continuing appreciation is expressed by current rock bands such as Green Day, Nickelback, System of a Down, The Darkness, All-American Rejects, The Offspring and even artists in other genres like Justin Timberlake, Pink, and Mariah Carey. Def Leppard's fan base remains one of the strongest for 80s rock bands, and their shows once again draw huge audiences. [edit]

Side Projects
Phil Collen played guitar, uncredited, on Sam Kinison's "Wild Thing" from 1988. The video featured members of Poison, Bon Jovi, Mtley Cre, Guns N' Roses and Aerosmith. Collen produced and played on the 1991 album On The Edge from Australian band BB Steal. Joe Elliott sang lead vocals on two tracks on Rolling Stones guitarist Ron Wood's 1992 solo album, Slide On This. His then-wife Karla even appeared in one of Ron's videos. Various members of Def Leppard have played on tribute records for Jeff Beck, AC/DC and Alice Cooper. Elliott also contributed two tracks to the soundtrack of the 1996 Sheffield-set motion picture, When Saturday Comes, the title track and an instrumental, "Jimmy's Theme". Collen and Elliott were both involved in the side project Cybernauts, a tribute to the David Bowie-Mick Ronson Ziggy Stardust era, featuring members from the Spiders from Mars.

The group released one Japan-only live album, which was subsequently released online with additional studio material. Both albums were limited edition and have since been deleted. Joe Elliott has regularly appeared as a guest on UK tours of Ian Hunter, featuring in Hunter's recently released "Just Another Night" DVD. Phil Collen has a side band called Man-Raze, which released its debut single, "Skin Crawl", on October 31, 2005. Vivian Campbell alternates between two side bands, Clock and the Riverdogs, and recorded a solo album, Two Sides of If, released in 2005. [edit]

Discography
For full details, see Def Leppard discography. [edit]

Personnel
[edit]

Current members

Joe Elliott - vocals (1977-present) Phil Collen - guitar (1982-present) Vivian Campbell - guitar (1992-present) Rick Savage - bass (1977-present) Rick Allen - drums and percussion (1978-present)

[edit]

Past members

Pete Willis - guitar (1977-1982) Tony Kenning - drums Frank Noon - drums ("Def Leppard EP" sessions, 1978) Steve Clark - guitar (1977-1991)

[edit]

Influences

Queen Thin Lizzy

Sweet T-Rex Led Zeppelin AC/DC Mott The Hoople Judas Priest UFO David Bowie

Def Leppard este definitia pura a muzicii hard rock din anii 80. Au fost multe formatii care cantau rock si cu mult mai obsedate decat cei cinci baieti din Sheffield, dar putine altele au reusit sa surprinda spiritul acelor vremuri asa cum au reusit ei. Desi nascuti cu muzica heavy metal britanica, trupa se apropia mai multe de rock-ul glam al anilor 70 sunetul lor semana cu T. Rex, Mott the Hoople, Queen si Led Zeppelin. Prin ritmurile originale si versurile sugestive, Def Leppard au urcat pe treapta succesului odata cu lansarea albumului Pyromania, pe care l-au promovat prin intermediul canalului MTV. Imaginea atragatoare a baietilor si videoclipurile bine realizate au constituit un avantaj. Au dorit sa lanseze un nou album dar un eveniment tragic avea sa le zdruncine cariera: tobosarul formatiei si-a pierdut mana intrun accident. Def Leppard a reusit sa depaseasca aceasta dezamagire lansand Hysteria. La inceputul anilor 90, trupa a decis sa abordeze stilul metal fiind printre singurele grupuri care au supravietuit acelei decade. Def Leppard a fost infiintata in Sheffield si era formata initial din Rick Savage (bas) si Pete Willis (chitara). Cateva luni mai tarziu, solistul Joe Elliott, un pasionat fanatic al lui Mott the Hoople si T. Rex, s-a alaturat trupei si a venit cu ideea de nume. Cei trei cantareti au inceput sa frecventeze pub-urile din orasul natal si dupa un an de concerte l-au recrutat pe chitaristul Steve Clark. In 1978, acestia au inregistrat EP-ul Getcha Rocks Off si l-au lansat prin propria companie, Bludgeon Riffola. Membrii grupului erau inca adolescenti cand isi ascultau piesele la televizor. Dupa aceasta lansare, Allen s-a alaturat permanent ocupand pozitia de tobosar si trupa a devenit subiect de ziar. La scurt timp au semnat un contract cu producatorul Petter Mensch de la AC/DC. Through the Night a aparut in 1980 si a devenit hit in Marea Britanie pe cand in SUA nu a urcat decat pe pozitia 51 de top. Def Leppard a calatorit in Anglia si America si a cantat in deschiderea concertelor lui Ozzy Osbourne, Sammy Hagar si Judas Priest. In 1981 a fost lansat High n Dry, album premiat cu discul de platina in SUA datorita piesei senzationale Bringin on the Heartbrake. Pe masura ce trupa inregistra o continuare impreuna cu Mutt Lange, Pete Willis a fost dat afara din cauza dependentei de alcoolism iar Phil Collen, chitaristul de la Girl, a fost angajat in locul sau. In 1983 a fost lansat Pyromania, o colectie de hituri printre care cele mai difuzate la MTV au fost Photograph si Rock of Ages. Acesta s-a vandut in 10 milioane de copii, trupa ajungand a fi una din cele mai populare formatii. In ciuda acestui succes, Def Leppard avea sa treaca prin momente dificile. Dupa un turneu international, trupa a intrat in studio pentru o noua inregistrare dar avandu-l pe Jim Steiman in locul lui Lange. Nemultumiti de rezultate acestia au revenit la Nigel Green. Dupa o luna de inregistrari, Allen a suferit un accident si doctorii i-au amputat o mana. Fara tobosar, Def Leppard era in impas, dar la scurt timp dupa accident Allen a invatat sa isi controleze mana artificiala. Trupa a revenit la colaborarea cu Lange dar a fost nevoita sa inregistreze din nou toate piesele. In vara lui 1986, formatia a urcat din nou pe scena in turneul European Monsters of Rock. Au lansat Hysteria in 1987 uimind intreaga lume prin abordarea pop. Prima melodie de pe album, Women, a avut un succes mediu insa a doua piesa, Animal, a ridicat in clasamente intregul volum. A intrat in Top 40 in Marea Britanie si Top 20 in SUA. Alte cantece de succes au fost Hysteria, Pour

Some Sugar on Me, Love Bites, Armageddon It si Rocket. Doi ani dupa acest succes, formatia a dominat muzica generatiilor tinere, a influentat o adevarata moda a blugilor taiati si a rivalizat cu Guns N Roses. Hysteria s-a dovedit a fi cea mai populara aparitie. In timpul inregistrarii unui nou album, Steve Clark a murit din cauza unei supradoze. Desi trupa l-a sfatuit sa mearga la un centru de recuperare, tratamentul nu l-a ajutat. Dupa acest eveniment nefericit, Def Leppard a inregistrat un nou album intitulat Adrenalize in vara lui 1992. Productia a fost intampinata cu optimism de catre critici datorita pieselor Let's Get Rocked, Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad si Make Love Like a Man. Dupa aceasta realizare, trupa a recrutat-o pe chitarista formatiei Whitesnake Vivian Campbell. In 1993, Def Leppard a lansat Retro Active, o colectie de piese rare din care cea mai celebra este prelucrarea melodiei Miss You in a Heartbeat. Doi ani mai tarziu, formatia a inregistrat Vault. In vara lui 1996 a aparut Slang dar a fost primit cu indiferenta, sugerand ca epoca de succes a disparut si ca Def Leppard a ramas o simpla trupa rock. In iunie 1999, trupa a lansat urmatorul lor album Euphoria realizat in stilul muzicii pop-metal.

On Through The Night" (1980) [Click to see more / buy this album]

Rock Brigade Hello America Sorrow Is A Woman It Could Be You Satellite When The Walls Came Tumbling Down Wasted Rocks Off It Don't Matter Answer To The Master Overture "High 'N' Dry" (1981) [Click to see more / buy this album]

Let It Go Another Hit And Run High 'N' Dry (Saturday Night) Bringin' On The Heartbreak

Switch 625 You Got Me Runnin' Lady Strange On Through The Night Mirror, Mirror (Look Into My Eyes) No No No Bringin' On The Heartbreak (Remix) Me And My Wine (Remix) "Pyromania" (1983) [Click to see more / buy this album]

Rock! Rock! Till You Drop Photograph Stagefright Too Late For Love Die Hard The Hunter Foolin' Rock Of Ages Comin' Under Fire Action! Not Words Billy's Got A Gun "Hysteria" (1987) [Click to see more / buy this album]

Women Rocket Animal Love Bites Pour Some Sugar On Me Armageddon It Gods Of War Don't Shoot Shotgun Run Riot Hysteria Excitable

Love And Affection "Adrenalize" (1992) [Click to see more / buy this album]

Let's Get Rocked Heaven Is Make Love Like A Man Tonight White Lightning Stand Up (Kick Love Into Motion) Personal Property Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad I Wanna Touch You Tear It Down "Retro Active" (1993) [Click to see more / buy this album]

Desert Song Fractured Love Action Two Steps Behind (Acoustic Version) She's Too Tough Miss You In A Heartbeat Only After Dark Ride Into The Sun From The Inside Ring Of Fire I Wanna Be Your Hero Miss You In A Heartbeat (Electric Version) Two Steps Behind (Electric Version) Miss You In A Heartbeat (Secret Version) Ring Of Fire (Alternate Lyrics) "Slang" (1996)

[Click to see more / buy this album]

Truth? Turn To Dust Slang All I Want Is Everything Work It Out Breathe A Sigh Deliver Me Gift Of Flesh Blood Runs Cold Where Does Love Go When It Dies Pearl Of Euphoria Move With Me Slowly "Euphoria" (1999) [Click to see more / buy this album]

Demolition Man Promises Back In Your Face Goodbye All Night Paper Sun It's Only Love 21st Century Sha La La La Girl To Be Alive Guilty Day After Day Kings Of Oblivion "X" (2002) [Click to see more / buy this album]

Now Unbelievable You're So Beautiful Everyday Long, Long Way To Go Four Letter Word Torn To Shreds Love Don't Lie Gravity Cry Girl Like You Let Me Be The One Scar "Rock Of Ages: The Definitive Collection" (2005) [Click to see more / buy this album]

Pour Some Sugar On Me Photograph Love Bites Let's Get Rocked Two Steps Behind (Acoustic Version) Animal Heaven Is Foolin' Rocket When Love And Hate Collide Armageddon It Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad Rock Of Ages Hysteria Miss You In A Heartbeat Bringin' On The Heartbreak Switch 625 Rock! Rock! Till You Drop Let It Go High 'N' Dry (Saturday Night)

Too Late For Love No Matter What Promises Mirror, Mirror (Look Into My Eyes) Women Another Hit And Run Slang Stand Up (Kick Love Into Motion) Rock Brigade Now Paper Sun Work It Out Die Hard The Hunter Wasted Billy's Got A Gun "Yeah!" (2006) [Click to see more / buy this album]

20th Century Boy Rock On Hanging On The Telephone Waterloo Sunset Hell Raiser 10538 Overture Street Life Drive-In Saturday Little Bit Of Love The Golden Age Of Rock 'N' Roll No Matter What He's Gonna Step On You Again Don't Believe A Word Stay With Me Other songs (Can't Keep Away From) The Flame Beyond The Temple Burnout Elected Glad I'm Alive Good Morning Freedom Heat Street I Am Your Child Immortal Little Wing Me And My Wine

Medicine Man Misty Dreamer Now I'm Here Release Me See The Lights Truth? (Original Version) Under My Wheels Warchild When Saturday Comes Worlds Collide You Can't Always Get What You Want Ziggy Stardust

DEF LEPPARD LYRICS

"When Love And Hate Collide" You could have a change of heart, if you would only change your mind Instead of slamming down the phone girl, for the hundredth time I got your number on my wall, but I ain't gonna make that call When divided we stand baby, united we fall Got the time got a chance gonna make it Got my hands on your heart gonna take it All I know I can't fight this flame You could have a change of heart, if you would only change your mind Cause I'm crazy 'bout you baby, time after time Without you One night alone Is like a year without you baby Do you have a heart of stone Without you Can't stop the hurt inside When love and hate collide I don't wanna fight no more, I don't know what we're fighting for When we treat each other baby, like an act of war I could tell a million lies and it would come as no surprise When the truth is like a stranger, hits you right between the eyes There's a time and a place and a reason And I know I got a love to believe in All I know got to win this time [Repeat Chorus] [SOLO] You could have a change of heart, if you would only change your mind Cause I'm crazy 'bout you baby...Crazy...Crazy Without you One night alone Is like a year without you baby Do you have a heart of stone

Without you One night alone Is like a year without you baby If you have a heart at all Without you Can't stop the hurt inside When love and hate collide Bringin' on the Heartbreak
Gypsy, sittin' lookin' pretty The broken rose with laughin' eyes You're a mystery, always runnin' wild Like a child without a home You're always searching, searching for a feeling That it's easy come and easy go Oh I'm sorry but it's true You're bringin' on the heartbreak Takin' all the best of me Oh can't you see? You got the best of me Whoah can't you see? You're bringin' on the heartbreak Bringin' on the heartache You're bringin' on the heartbreak Bringin' on the heartache Can't you see? Oh whoah You're such a secret, misty eyed and shady Lady how you hold the key Oh you're like a candle, your flame slowly fadin' Burnin' out and burnin' me Can't you see? Just try and say to you You're bringin' on the heartbreak Takin' all the best of me Oh can't you see? You got the best of me Whoah can't you see? Can't you see? No no no You got the best of me Oh can't you see?

You got the best of me Whoah can't you see? You're bringin' on the heartbreak Bringin' on the heartache You're bringin' on the heartbreak Bringin' on the heartache You're bringin' on the heartbreak Bringin' on the heartache You're bringin' on the heartbreak

Click the thumbnails to view the full-size photo.

Click a photo below to view bio for each band member.

Ronnie James Dio Vocals

Simon Wright Drums

Scott Warren Keyboards

Rudy Sarzo Bass

Craig Goldy Guitar

For a brief spell during the mid-'80s, the heavy metal quintet Dio was one of the top U.S. concert attractions, boasting one of the most over-the-top stage acts of its time loaded with props and special effects (lasers, explosions, a giant dragon, etc.). The group's leader was singer Ronnie James Dio, who had previously become acquainted with the metal masses as the frontman of Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow from 1975-1978 and Black Sabbath from 1979-1982. Come the early '80s, Ronnie James was ready to finally head out on his own, forming Dio and recruiting a stellar backing band, consisting of a few former bandmembers, ex-Rainbow bassist Jimmy Bain and ex-Black Sabbath drummer Vinny Appice (Carmine Appice's brother), in addition to ex-Sweet Savage guitar shredder Vivian Campbell. Lyrically, the group would retain the same subject matter that Ronnie James specialized in with his previous outfits (dungeons and dragons, swords and sorcery, damsels in distress, etc.), but musically, Dio was more melodically based than Rainbow or Sabbath. The group scored a hit right off the bat with their 1983 debut release, Holy Diver, which spawned such popular MTV videos as "Rainbow in the Dark," as well as its title track. For their sophomore effort, 1984's The Last in Line, the band expanded its lineup to include keyboardist Claude Schnell, as the album would become the biggest hit of Dio's career (on the strength of another MTV-approved video, for the album's anthemic title track) and the group became an arena-headliner. Although Dio's next release, 1985's Sacred Heart, was commercially successful, Campbell had become disillusioned by the group's direction and split from the group a year later. Just prior to Campbell's exit, the entire Dio band helped organize Hear N' Aid, an all-star assembly of heavy metal artists that recorded a track called "Stars," which helped fight world hunger (a subsequent album was issued as well, collecting previously unreleased live tracks from a few of the day's top hard rock acts). Former Giuffria guitarist Craig Goldy took Campbell's place, resulting in such releases as 1986's live EP Intermission and 1987's Dream Evil, which retained the group's headbanging audience, but failed to expand upon it as its previous releases had. By 1990's Lock up the Wolves, Ronnie James Dio was the only original member of Dio left in attendance as the band's lineup continued to fluctuate throughout the '90s on such releases as 1994's Strange Highways, 1996's Angry Machines, and 1998's Inferno: Last in Live (Ronnie James took a brief break from Dio in 1992 to rejoin Black Sabbath for a lone release, Dehumanizer). In 2000, a pair of Dio releases emerged; first was Dio's first new studio album in four years, the concept album Magica (which saw past members Bain and Goldy return to the group), as well as a 16-track compilation titled The Very Beast of Dio. His medieval-themed metal returned two years later, when the Killing the Dragon album arrived in the spring of 2002. The album was a serious endevor, but Dio also learned to make fun of his image after years of defending it, inviting comedy duo Tenacious D to star in the video for "Push" and even including the clip on the fall re-release of Killing the Dragon. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide

DIO
TARTAREAN DESIRE WEBZINE

DATA
ORIGIN STYLE STATUS LABEL LAST UPDATE : : : : : USA Heavy metal Active Steamhammer Records 2004-08-09

BIOGRAPHY (2003)

Dio was formed as a solo project by the vocalist Ronnie James Dio in October 1982 after he had been with both Black Sabbath and Rainbow. A great number of musicians have been part of the band since the beginning. MEMBERS Ronnie James Dio (Ronald Padavona) 198219861988, 19992001, 2003Vocals See also Black Sabbath, Elf, Rainbow. See also Craig Goldy's Ritual, Driver, Giuffria, Hard Luck, Rough Cutt, Vengeance. See also Angel, Driver, M.A.R.S. Project Driver, Ozzy Osbourne, Quiet Riot, Sun King, Whitesnake.

Craig Goldy

Guitars

Rudy Sarzo

2004-

Bass

Scott Warren

1993-

Keyboards See also Julliet, Keel,

Jump to: navigation, search It has been suggested that Wendy Dio be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)

Ronnie James Dio on the cover of his band Dio's 1997 compilation Anthology Ronnie James Dio (born Ronald James Padavona on July 10, 19421 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire) is a heavy metal vocalist who has performed with Black Sabbath, Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, and his own band Dio. Other musical projects include the collective fundraiser Hear 'n Aid and his band immediately before Rainbow, Elf. He is renowned for his consistently powerful voice and for popularizing the 'horns' hand gesture in heavy metal culture (formed by closing the thumb over the middle and ring fingers, while having the index and little-finger extended). Ronnie said that his grandmother used to make the hand gesture to ward off the evil eye, which is very common in superstitous Italian people (the "horns" themselves are used to both scare away and give someone the 'malocchio').

Contents
[hide]

1 Early years 2 Family 3 Age Dispute 4 Band timeline 5 Trivia 6 Discography o 6.1 With Ronnie Dio and the Prophets o 6.2 With Elf o 6.3 With Rainbow o 6.4 With Kerry Livgren o 6.5 With Black Sabbath o 6.6 With Dio o 6.7 With Hear 'n Aid o 6.8 With Pat Boone

6.9 With Queensrche

7 External links [edit]

Early years
Dio was born to a family of Italian heritage. The family moved to Cortland, New York early on in Ronnie's life. He initially played trumpet and even recorded several singles with various rockabilly bands during his youth, the first one as early as 1958. Much of Dio's early life is not known for certain. Some say he earned a degree in pharmacology and graduated from the prestigious Juilliard School of Music, but this has not been verified either by Dio or by other independent sources. In the mid-1960s, he formed the band "Ronnie Dio and the Prophets", a precursor to "Electric Elves" with keyboardist Doug Thaler (later a manager of Motley Crue). Then in 1969, Dio formed the band Elf, which went on to be an opening act for Deep Purple. Ronnie's vocals caught the ear of Deep Purple guitar virtuoso Ritchie Blackmore, and when Blackmore left the band, he recruited Ronnie and other members of Elf to form Rainbow. After a few albums with Rainbow, Ronnie left the band due to creative differences (Blackmore had wanted to take the band in a more commercial direction), and was recruited by Black Sabbath in 1979 to replace Ozzy Osbourne. Ronnie gave a new jumpstart to Black Sabbath's commercially sagging career with the hugely popular Heaven and Hell album. In 1982, during the mixing of the live album Live Evil, internal band problems and nasty (unfounded) accusations developed, which led to Dio and drummer Vinnie Appice quitting the band to form Dio. Ronnie James Dio currently lives in California and still records and tours worldwide with Dio. Tenacious D have written a tribute song entitled Dio that appears on their self-titled album that calls for the singer to 'pass the torch' on to them. Reportedly, Ronnie approved of the song and he is also set to appear in the upcoming film Tenacious D in: The Pick of Destiny, playing himself. In 2005, Dio was revealed to be the voice behind Dr.X in Operation: Mindcrime II, the sequel of Queensrche's seminal concept album Operation: Mindcrime. [edit]

Family
Ronnie married his first wife, Loretta Berardi (born 1941), sometime in the 1960s. They adopted one son, Dan Padavona (born July, 1968), who works as a meteorologist in Buffalo, New York. Currently, he is married to Wendy Dio (born 1947), who also serves as his manager. Not much else is known about Wendy or their family. Also, in the 1980s she managed Los Angeles rock bands Rough Cutt, featuring vocalist Paul Shortino, who replaced

Kevin DuBrow for several years in Quiet Riot and Hellion, featuring female vocalist Ann Boleyn. [edit]

Age Dispute
Note 1: There is a long-standing dispute regarding Dio's age. His most likely birth date is listed above as July 10, 1942. Dio himself has said in the past that he was born July 10, 1949, and at other times, outright refuses to give the year of his birth. The general consensus is that the 1942 date is probably correct, due to the following: He was in his first band in 1958, which means that if the 1949 date is correct, he would have been 9 years old. This would be unlikely, but not impossible. (Dio has also said that he started his first group around age 10). According to classmates from his high school, and reportedly also a yearbook, Ronald James Padavona graduated from Cortland High School in 1960. His first band photo, with "Ronnie & The Redcaps" from ca. 1960 or 1961, is also widely circulated on the Internet. In the photo, he looks to be somewhere in his mid teens, and probably older than the 12 years old he would have been, if the 1949 birth date is correct. British/Australian singer Graham Bonnet, who replaced Dio in the band Rainbow, has said that Ronnie is younger than him. Bonnet was born September 23, 1947. However, in a 2005 interview, while discussing guitarist and former bandmate, Ritchie Blackmore, Dio said that Ritchie "isn't that much younger" than him. Blackmore was born in 1945. Online public records searches (done in 2005) list Ronnie as 63 years old under the name "Ronald Padavona" and as 56 years old under the name "Ronnie James Dio". Another search shows a "Ronald and Wendy Padavona" in Studio City, CA (presumably a business address), ages 64 and 58 (as of February, 2006), which would fit with the assumed birth years of 1942 and 1947 for Ronnie and his wife, Wendy. This also suggests that Dio's legal name is still Ronald Padavona. Interestingly, Blackmore has said that Ronnie is younger than him at other times, although this could easily be attributed to Dio's maintaining a false birth date that Blackmore (and others who know Dio) assumed was correct. As a result, most of Dio's fans agree that the 1942 date is the most likely the correct one. The 1949 date is second most likely. 1944 is another possible date, and 1947, 1940, 1939 and even 1937 have been suggested, but there is no real evidence to back these dates up. The age of Ronnie and his son also builds the case for 1942 although a 20 year age difference wasn't that rare in the 1960's. In one interview Ronnie was very emphatic about the 1949 year saying "Well, I was born in '49, and I never told anybody anything other than that" [edit]

Band timeline

The Vegas Kings (1958-1958) Ronnie & The Rumblers

Ronnie and the Red Caps (1958-1961) Ronnie Dio and the Prophets (1961-1967) The Electric Elves The Elves Elf (1971-1976) Rainbow (1974-1979) Kerry Livgren (1980; guest vocals on "To Live For the King" and "Mask Of The Great Deceiver") Black Sabbath (1979-1983; 1991-1992) Dio (1982-1991, 1993-present)

[edit]

Trivia
In 1997, Dio made a cameo on Pat Boone's album of famous heavy metal songs played in Big Band style. Dio can be heard singing backup on Boone's take of the Dio song, "Holy Diver." Tenacious D has a song entitled "Dio" on their 2001 album. It is a tribute of sorts to Ronnie, and asked for Dio to stop playing rock music and allow them to fill his shoes. Dio liked the song enough to let the band appear in his next music video "Push." In 2003, Ronnie James Dio was involved in an accident while gardening. A garden gnome fell onto his thumb and managed to slice it off. Luckily, doctors were able to re-attach the severed thumb and it now looks good as new.[citation needed] Dio was to run for US president in the last elections, www.dioforamerica.com[citation needed] Ronnie James Dio Is 5'1", However Wears Raised Boots To Look A Lot Taller[citation needed] [edit]

Discography
Some of Dio's early appearances on 45 rpm singles are collected on several volumes of the LP series "The History of Syracuse Music," released in the 1980's. [edit]

With Ronnie Dio and the Prophets

Dio at Dominos (1963)

[edit]

With Elf

Elf (1972) Carolina County Ball (1974) Trying To Burn The Sun (1975}

[edit]

With Rainbow

Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow (1975) Rising (1976) On Stage (1977) Long Live Rock 'N' Roll (1978) Live In Germany '76 (1990)

Ronnie James Dio (third from left) with the other members of Black Sabbath, 1980. [edit]

With Kerry Livgren

Seeds Of Change (1980); guest vocals on "To Live For The King" and "Mask Of The Great Deceiver"

[edit]

With Black Sabbath

Heaven and Hell (1980) The Mob Rules (1981) Live Evil (1982) Dehumanizer (1992)

[edit]

With Dio

Holy Diver (1983) The Last in Line (1984) Sacred Heart (1985) Intermission (1986) Sacred Heart (DVD) (1986) Dream Evil (1987) Lock up the Wolves (1990) Diamonds: The Best of Dio (1992) Strange Highways (1994) Angry Machines (1996) Inferno: Last in Live (1998) Magica (2000) Killing the Dragon (2002) Evil or Divine (DVD) (2003) Stand Up and Shout: the Dio Anthology (Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, and Dio) (2003) Master of the Moon (2004) Evil Or Divine - Live in NYC (2005) We Rock (DVD) (2005) Holy Diver, Live (2006)

[edit]

With Hear 'n Aid

Hear 'n Aid (1985) -"Stars"

[edit]

With Pat Boone

In a Metal Mood: No More Mr. Nice Guy (1997) -"Holy Diver"

[edit]

With Queensrche

Operation: Mindcrime II (2006) - Voice of Dr. X

-= Dio Discography =-

01 - Holy Diver 02 - Rainbow In The Dark 03 - Don't Talk To Strangers 04 - We Rock 05 - The Last In Line 06 - Rock 'N' Roll Children 07 - Sacred Heart 08 - Hungry For Heaven 09 - Hide In The Rainbow 10 - Dream Evil 11 - Wild One 12 - Lock Up The Wolves

Dio - Strange Highways [1994]

01 - Jesus Mary & The Holy Ghost 02 - Firehead 03 - Strange Highways 04 - Hollywood Black 05 - Evilution 06 - Pain 07 - One Foot In The Grave 08 - Give Her The Gun 09 - Blood From A Stone 10 - Here's To You 11 - Bring Down The Rain

Dio - Angry Machines [1996]

01 - Institutional Man 02 - Don't Tell The Kids 03 - Black 04 - Hunter Of The Heart 05 - Stay Out Of My Mind 06 - Big Sister 07 - Double Monday 08 - Golden Rules 09 - Dying In America 10 - God Hates Heavy Metal (J) 11 - This Is Your Life

Dio - Inferno : The Last In Live [1998]

01 - Intro 02 - Jesus, Mary, & The Holy Ghost 03 - Straight Through The Heart 04 - Don't Talk To Strangers 05 - Holy Diver 06 - Drum Solo 07 - Heaven & Hell 08 - Double Monday 09 - Stand Up & Shout 10 - Hunter Of The Heart 11 - Mistreated (Catch The Rainbow) 12 - Guitar Solo 13 - The Last In Line 14 - Rainbow In The Dark 15 - The Mob Rules 16 - Man On The Silver Mountain 17 - Long Live Rock & Roll 18 - We Rock 19 - After All (The Dead) (J) 20 - I (J)

Dio - Magica [2000]

01 - Discovery 02 - Magica Theme 03 - Lord Of The Last Day 04 - Fever Dreams 05 - Turn To Stone 06 - Feed My Head 07 - Eriel 08 - Challis (Marry The Devil's Daughter) 09 - As Long As It's Not About Love 10 - Losing My Insanity

11 - Anica (J) 12 - Otherworld 13 - Magica (Reprise) 14 - Lord Of The Last Day (Reprise) 15 - Magica - The Story

Dio - Killing The Dragon [2002]

01 - Killing The Dragon 02 - Along Comes A Spider 03 - Scream 04 - Better In The Dark 05 - Rock And Roll 06 - Push 07 - Guilty 08 - Throw Away Children 09 - Before The Fall 10 - Cold Feet

Dio - Master of The Moon [2004]

01 - One More For The Road 02 - Master Of The Moon 03 - The End Of The World 04 - Shivers 05 - The Man Who Would Be King 06 - The Eyes 07 - Living The Lie 08 - I Am 09 - Death By Love 10 - In Dreams

-= Current Lineup =Vocals : Ronnie James Dio Guitar : Doug Aldritch Keyboards / Bass : Jimmy Bain Drums : Simon Wright

Marian Ionescu - bass Cristian Enache - voce Nicu Damalan - chitar Marius Keseri - tobe

DISCOGRAFIE

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Promisiuni
1- Am invatat sa ascult 2- Cum vreau eu 3- Un pas in fata 4- Ingerul meu 5- Te voi iubi 6- Merg mai departe 7- Cu tine sa zbor 8- Voi reveni 9- Promisiuni 10- Poate tu (new version) 11- Crede in tine 12- Imaginatie 13- Imi pare rau 14- Arata-mi mai mult 15- Cu tine sa zbor (versiune) 16- Atat de aproape 17- Romanta

Track list

2003

datele lor personale, hobby-uri, activitati. Orice cantec Directia 5 se tranforma in hit. Este fara indoiala cea mai de succes trupa rock la ora actuala in Romania si una dintre trupele cele mai longevive si mai iubite din toate timpurile. Cristi Enache, Marian Ionescu, Nicu Damalan si Marius Keseri au avut un an 2000 plin. Inceputul lui 2001 a fost parca si mai de succes, odata cu un concert live care a spulberat pur si simplu orice concurenta. Anul 2001 a continuat la fel de bine pentru trupa si s-a incheiat "pe val" cu super albumul "Octombrie". Anul 2002 a insemnat un proiect inedit pentru Directia 5: un concert live si un album, ambele impreuna cu zece din cele mai in voga voci feminine ale momentului in Romania. Finele anului au adus fanilor o surpriza de proportii. Dublul album aniversar "De 10 ani" grupeaza 31 din cele mai cunoscute piese Directia 5, intr-o istorie discografica a trupei din primul deceniu de activitate. Site: http://www.directia5.com Discografie Directia 5 1995 Loredana si Directia 5 (MediaPro Music) 2001 Esti stilul meu (Media Services Sony Music) 2001 Octombrie (Media Services Sony Music) 2002 Duete (Media Services Sony Music) 2002 De 10 ani - vol 1 (Media Services Sony Music) 2002 De 10 ani - vol II (Media Services Sony Music)

: In linistea mea ma intreb de-as putea Sa te simt aproape din nou Imi revin amintiri, ganduri ce vor veni Sa-mi aduca in suflet un gol Imi lipseste curajul de-a iti spune ce simt Nimic nu s-a schimbat Sentimente pierdute le-am reintalnit De acum eu le-am aflat. Am nevoie de tine.. Azi incerc sa m-ascund, incerc sa nu uit Ma gandesc la tine mreu Totul-mi pare tacut, totul-mi pare pierdut Devine tot mai greu Refren:(x2) Am nevoie de tine Cand ma trezesc. Am nevoie de tine Sa pot sa visez. Am nevoie de tine Sa ma asculti. Am nevoie de tine Sa nu ma uiti.

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