December 2001 will go into AOR history as the month Spanish AOR bands released their Classic debut CDs. First off we have GOLDEN FARM, a fantastic new AOR band out of Madrid, and their debut CD 'Angel's tears' is maybe one of the best Spanish releases ever!…
Although not as well as known as some of their peers (the Clash, the Sex Pistols, the Damned, etc.), first wave U.K. punk rockers Generation X burst onto the scene at the same time as the others. And while they enjoyed some moderate success in their homeland, Generation X would become better-known as the launching pad for their singer, Billy Idol, who would go on to achieve great commercial success come the '80s. Originally formed in 1976, Generation X (which was named after a book that focused on battles between the Mods and the Rockers during the '60s) was comprised of guitarist Bob Andrews, bassist Tony James, drummer Mark Laff, and fronted by Idol. The group was eventually signed up by Chrysalis Records, resulting in a self-titled debut album in 1978 (the U.S. and U.K. versions contained different track listings), as Generation X became one of the first punk bands to appear on the popular British TV music program Top of the Pops.
Kai Hansen formed Helloween in 1984, playing guitar and singing on the speed metal band's first four albums. He left in early 1989, however, and founded Gamma Ray with vocalist Ralf Scheepers (formerly with Tyran Pace). The duo intended to record a one-off project that Hansen originated while in Helloween, so they recruited bassist Uwe Wessel, drummer Matthias Burchardt, and several other musicians…
Livin Blues are without doubt the greatest Blues Band to come out of Holland, and to be honest, they deserved greater acclaim…