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IZIA, Wu-Tang Clan, Suprême NTM, Assassin, Nirvana, IAM, Bob Marley & The Wailers, La Spirale, Django Reinhardt, Squarepusher, The Prodigy, Necro, Ill Bill, Cypress Hill, Craig Armstrong, Heather Nova, La Coka Nostra, Scala & Kolacny Brothers, Keny Arkana, Bérurier Noir, Birdy Nam Nam, System of a Down, dead prez, Le Peuple de l'Herbe, Beastie Boys, Busta Rhymes, Alpha & Omega, House of Pain, Seth Gueko, Aphex Twin, Profecy, DJ Krush, Prefuse 73, R.A. the Rugged Man, Rage Against the Machine, Laurent Garnier, Dead Can Dance, Kool Keith, High Tone, Hildur Guðnadóttir, Erik Truffaz, Portishead, Wax Poetic, Johnny Cash, Foreign Beggars, Lady Sovereign, Sinéad O'Connor, Vitalic, Radikal Dub Kolektiv, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Jan Garbarek, Svinkels, Love Spirals Downwards, KRS-One, Dave Clarke, DJ Cam, The Doors, Clint Mansell, Lisa Gerrard, Fat Jon, Les Gourmets, The Beatles, Johannes Heil, KoЯn, Sleater-Kinney, Wax Tailor, B-Real, J Dilla, Filastine, Two Fingers, Asian Dub Foundation, Eminem, Jefferson Airplane, Autumn's Grey Solace, Gym Class Heroes, Shpongle, Herbie Hancock, Radiohead, Rockin' Squat, Mike Patton, Björk, Esbjörn Svensson Trio, Waldeck, Millencolin, Massive Attack, This Ascension, Lordz of Brooklyn, Ensemble Badila, Snoop Dogg, The Problemaddicts, Dub Syndicate, Groundation, Wolf Myer Orchestra, Beth Orton, Oh No, Edward "Kid" Ory, The Offspring, Venetian Snares, Alexander Kowalski, Rageous Gratoons, Noir Désir, Ben Harper, Nas, Ideal J, Verbose, Micropoint, The Black Seeds, Metallica, General Elektriks, Buraka Som Sistema, The Chemical Brothers, Thom Yorke, Lisa Gerrard & Pieter Bourke, Ayọ, EZ3kiel, Amon Tobin, Mano Negra, King of Conspiracy, Bob Marley, Moondog, 25G, Jimi Hendrix, Bauchklang, Moderat, Sigur Rós, DJ Muggs & Planet Asia, Louis Armstrong, Son Doobie, Tryo, Kronos Quartet, Iration Steppas, Looptroop, Mysa, Nine Inch Nails, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Olympic Gramofon, Leftfield, Fairy, Joy Division, 2Pac, Peace Orchestra, Eek-A-Mouse, Snowgoons, Heiko Laux, The Temptations, Le Trio Joubran, Omar Faruk Tekbilek, Guru, Flunk, Earl Hines, Erykah Badu, Burning Spear, Mary Lou Williams, Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers, Oi Va Voi, 80kidz, Infected Mushroom, Animal Collective, The Quantic Soul Orchestra, NOMAK, Year of No Light, Horace Andy, The Cinematic Orchestra, Red Snapper, Nneka, Leila, NOFX, Lucky Thompson, Cal Tjader, Le Klub des 7, Jeff Buckley, Manu Chao, Wagon Christ, Drummers of the Societe Absolument Guinin, Barney Wilen, Ol' Dirty Bastard, UNKLE, Erik Truffaz & Sly Johnson, The Blue Stars, Underworld, Shurik'N, Arsonists, Madeleine Peyroux, The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble, Nostalgia 77, Terry Callier, Medine, Fingathing, Big Daddy Kane, Macka B, Keith Jarrett Trio, Iration Steppas Meet D. 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For the past two days, I have literally only listened to The Mars Volta. It made me think about other times i've listened to just one artists all day, and then how I felt after that day had ended. So, without further ado, the following list of artists are ones I've spent all day listening to and how I felt afterwards.

The Mars Volta: It was as though I just finished a marathon (some songs are in the 13-16 minute range). It was hard for me to focus on each track at a time. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat.

Radiohead: Felt like I wanted to kill myself. Maybe I wasn't listening to the right songs to stay in a cheery mood (who am I kidding, of course I was listening to sad songs), but Radiohead has a way of picking away at my heart like no other artist does. That's what I love about them.

Incubus: An all day Incubus session is the equivalent of a day-long pep talk. I felt like I could climb a fucking mountain/tree/ a certain comcast building, etc. It gives you the warm feeling of loving relationships, hating them once they end, and you just feel on top of everything.

White Stripes I felt like a professional drummer, that's for sure. It gave me hope that I could actually amount to something in my little drumming experimentation. And the White Stripes definitely jack me up, much like Incubus does.

Jimi Hendrix: One Word: Enlightenment. What a great day that was. Just a perfect time appreciating greatness at work. I felt better for having listened to him.

Regina Spektor: What a pleasant day this was. Yeah, she can rip my heart out, but she has such a beautiful voice that i sometimes forget how sad a song of hers can be. So if i'm in a bad mood, i focus on how depressing it is; if i'm in a good mood, I focus on how beautiful her voice is. Can't go wrong, really.

I guess I could keep going, but I think I'll leave it at that. Like anyone reads this anyway.

I've read, and heard, time and time again over the years how some Jimi Hendrix fans consider Band of Gypsys their least favorite of his albums. And I'm on the complete opposite side of that argument. Personally, Bandy of Gypsys is far and away my favorite of his albums. Is it because of the different lineup he plays with as opposed to those in,say, The Jimi Hendrix Experience? Perhaps, in part. Is it the fact that it's a completely live album? Again, that fact helps to make it a damn fine listen but it's not the real reason. I don't think so. Nope, what I really love most about Gypsys is the fact that it's a genuine rock and roll album. Okay, yeah, you're right. It's got a lot of funk and blues rock in it. But more than that: it doesn't have hardly any of the psychedelic sounds of the Experience albums and - perhaps this makes me a traitor to my fellow wannabe-hippies- but I Iove it all the more for that very reason. It's an album that after only one listen of the first song I said to myself: "They've really got their shit together"...which is something I can't always say about the other albums Hendrix worked on.

Now, don't get me wrong. I love to sit back with a j and get lost in 1983...(A Merman I Should Turn to Be) but there's only so much psychedelica I can enjoy before my head space wants to be filled with some down and dirty rockin' music. I love the fact that Jimi Hendrix was such an innovator. I love that much of what we call modern rock would not be what it is without his monumental input and impact. I think it's awesome that Hendrix was such a learned, genuine, dedicated musician and songwriter that he wrote songs using the formulae of what we call classical orchestral music. I find it fascinating to compare his works with the great compositions of the past. I recognize all of this and completely respect the man for it. But I'm sure I can't be the only person out there whose favorite song on Electric Ladyland is Crosstown Traffic.

And why is that? Because Crosstown Traffic is what could be called a more "traditional" rock song. It's a rock song that works within the parameters of a tried and true rocker: Intro, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, guitar solo, chorus, chorus, jam, jam, jam or similar. Is it old and played out, cliche or passe? It may be now but it certainly wasn't then. Is it limiting? I don't know and I don't really care. I love the experimental stuff, I really do. But I'm a rock n' roll girl at heart and sometimes I get tired of the existential, hallucinatory, mind expanding hippie stuff and I want to rock out! That's why I'll usually take Machine Gun over Merman. And like so many Hendrix fans I can only wonder: as Band of Gypsys is so good and recorded only three months before Jimi Hendrix died, what could he have gone on to do? Like so many of us who would love to enjoy the brilliance and passion of the rockers who died so young, one day I hope to attend The Great Gig in the Sky and find out for myself.

In Svezia nei primi anni 70 bands e artisti nascevano come funghi dopo la pioggia in agosto ed ogni cantina o garage aveva la sua versione di Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin o Rolling Stones. Nel sobborgo di Stoccolma, Bromma, i compagni di classe Björn Aggemyr (chitarra) e Björn "Nysse" (guitar) Nyström cominciarono a strimpellare i loro strumenti quando erano appena dodicenni. Il tastierista Christer Sjöborg si unì e Kurt Persson suonò la batteria con loro per un breve periodo. Fu presto sostituito da Peter Sandberg e decisero di chiamarsi Goda Vänner & Musik (Buoni Amici & Musica). Questi quattro ragazzi provavano in una piccola stanza di 3,5 X 3,5 metri nello scantinato del padre di Nysse, e principalmente facevano pezzi delle band britanniche di hard rock del periodo come Deep Purple o Uriah Heep. Björn e Nysse riuscirono a persuadere il loro insegnante alla scuola Riksbyskolan di Bromma a permettergli di mostrare il loro talento agli altri scolari. La proposta fu accettata, ma avrebbero dovuto portare la propria strumentazione, problema che fu risolto invitando il fratello di Björn, Jan Aggemyr, nella band. Jan aveva la patente ed un'auto, una chitarra elettrica e la capacità di usarla, il che era proprio ciò che serviva. Poco prima del loro debutto i ragazzi avevano trovato un pacchetto di pane raffermo nella sala prove. La marca era Wasa Bröd e l'etichetta "ger råg I ryggen" (dà forza e coraggio) catturò subito la loro attenzione, e fu così che nacque il nome Råg I Ryggen.
A quel tempo, nel 1974, i ragazzi nella band avevano tra i 15 ed i 20 anni, ma avevano già equipaggiamento musicale e attrezzature da non sfigurare di fronte a band ricche e famose, come Yes o King Crimson. I chitarristi Jan e Nysse suonavano chitarre Gibson o fatte da loro, Björn aveva un basso Rickenbacker, e Peter suonava un drum kit Rogers completo. Il tastierista Christer aveva una dozzina di tastiere, tra cui uno dei primi Mini Moogs svedesi e un Hammond A-100 con 2 speaker Leslie da 150 watt! Il suo materiale da solo avrebbe riempito per metà il pullman dei Råg I Ryggen, senza contare il problema di averlo sempre stipato nella cantina del padre di Nysse mentre provavano.
Nel 1974 la band suonava regolarmente a Stoccolma e nei sobborghi nelle vicinanze, e parteciparono anche ad un concorso che serviva per scoprire nuovi talenti musicali. In quel periodo era Nysse il cantante della band, anche se circa metà del loro repertorio era strumentale. Nederlaget è il nome di un'altra band che si esibì quella notte e il loro vocalist, Jonas Warnerbring, fu notato dai Råg I Ryggen. E' il figlio del famoso cantante Östen Warnerbring che ha rappresentato la Svezia all'Eurovision Song Contest negli anni 60, tuttavia i loro stili vocali non sono né simili né comparabili. Jonas fu avvicinato da Nysse e Björn quella sera e fu presto convinto a lasciare i Nederlaget in favore dei Råg I Ryggen. Con il nuovo vocalist, la band si poteva concentrare maggiormente sul proprio materiale e riprese a suonare nella piccola cantina, a dispetto del fatto che i Råg I Ryggen adesso erano in 6 e più orientati verso sonorità progressive, pur non tradendo le loro radici che affondavano nell' hard rock. I genitori di Nysse non si lamentarono mai della musica pesante che veniva da sotto, nemmeno quando una finestra si ruppe a causa del volume esagerato.
Una sera quell'autunno Peter era uscito a bere con alcuni amici, e mentre aspettava il treno per tornare a casa fece amicizia con Kjell Gradin, un anziano gentleman che guarda caso gestiva un'etichetta discografica! Nel loro stato di alterazione alcolica si accordarono subito per un test recording e solo poche settimane più tardi la band aveva ordinato tutto il suo equipaggiamento in un piccolo studio di Sundbyberg. Råg I Ryggen aveva suonato Spångaforsens Brus ed una canzone ormai sconosciuta, ma né Kjell Gradin né il suo piccolo studio erano preparati per l'assalto musicale e questa registrazione fu rovinata dal suono pesantemente distorto. L'etichetta Rondo aveva precedentemente registrato solo Göingeflickorna ed altre band vocali molto soft, ma questo non scoraggiò Kjel che fece un altro tentativo di registrare i suoi nuovi apprendisti appena scoperti. Prenotò l'EMI-studio di Skärmarbrink - che era uno dei più moderni studios a 16 canali della Svezia a quei tempi - per due giorni interi per registrare un album con la band. Le date erano il 22 ed il 23 di febbraio e presto si presentò un altro problema. I testi di alcune canzoni erano di solito improvvisati sul palco, ma la band pensò che non avrebbe funzionato in studio. Il testo per Naked Man fu scritto il giorno prima della registrazione e il tocco finale per Queen Of Darkness fu dato nelle ore precedenti l'arrivo allo studio alle 09.00 AM. L'album fu registrato in 16 ore. Tutti gli strumenti, tranne il sintetizzatore, furono registrati live il primo giorno, mentre tutte le parti vocali e il mixaggio furono fatti il secondo giorno. Fu scoperto qualche piccolo errore, ma non c'era tempo per il redub, e tuttavia ascoltando l' album oggi queste piccole cose danno autenticità al groove ed alla musica.
L'album eponimo uscì nell'aprile 1975 e qualcuna delle canzoni in lingua svedese fu trasmessa in radio. Rondo sembrava credere nella musica dei Råg I Ryggen così distribuì tra le 8000 e le 10000 copie dell'album e prenotò la partecipazione al Gröna Lund per il 3 luglio. L'album fu distribuito da EMI in Svezia ma non all'estero. Nel periodo in cui l'album fu preparato la band aveva almeno 2 esibizioni dal vivo alla settimana e provava 2 o 3 volte alla settimana mentre ognuno lavorava anche a tempo pieno (quattro di loro lavoravano in negozi di musica!). I fan dei Råg I Ryggen a Stoccolma crescevano sempre più e a volte loro regalavano dischi alle persone del pubblico che avevano il coraggio di salire sul palco e cantare con loro e questo accadeva abbastanza frequentemente. La band aveva il proprio tecnico del suono ed un amico che si occupava delle luci allo stesso modo di un rigido codice morale: non era permesso l'uso di alcol prima e durante l'esibizione, anche se il pubblico ne faceva uso per essere "carico". Le esibizioni di solito consistevano di 2 sessioni di 45 minuti, e di solito loro erano l'unica band della serata, anche se una volta ebbero un concerto assieme alla blues rock band Nature.
Quando arrivò il giorno del concerto al Gröna Lund, l'arrangiatore disse che sarebbe stato loro permesso di suonare per mezz'ora al massimo, e dovettero pianificare una lista di canzoni adatta. Il volume fu regolato dalla stessa band e la loro performance fu la seconda più rumorosa mai registrata al Gröna Lund (solo i Wishbone Ash erano stati più rumorosi). Tutto fu molto bello con una grande connessione col pubblico, ma quando mancava solo il coro finale di Sanningsserum qualcuno tagliò la corrente! Questo era già accaduto a Jimi Hendrix circa sette anni prima, e quell'evento fa ormai parte del folklore del Gröna Lund, ma questo lasciò sia i Råg I Ryggen che il pubblico sbalorditi. Gli elettricisti del Gröna Lund inizialmente dichiararono che un fusibile era saltato, ma in seguito ammisero che avevano effettivamente tagliato la corrente per evitare che i Råg I Ryggen suonassero anche solo un secondo in più del consentito.
La band suonava anche fuori Stoccolma, in posti come Norrtälje, Orsa e Gävle. La distanza non era mai esagerata e la band tornava a casa dei genitori di Nysse dopo ogni concerto, dove la attendevano dei panini o una tarda cena.
Il contratto tra i Råg I Ryggen e Rondo diceva che sarebbero dovute essere registrate più canzoni, ma essere week end rockstar e allo stesso tempo avere lavori a tempo pieno - combinato con la crescita di differenze musicali - alla fine ebbe un effetto negativo sulla band. All'inizio del 1976 il cantante Jonas Warnerbring ed il batterista Peter Sandberg lasciarono il gruppo e furono sostituiti rispettivamente da Bo Lantz e Jonas Edgren. Questo portò nuove influenze e una nuova direzione musicale. Le canzoni divennero più complesse e i testi spiritosi vennero eliminati per lasciare il posto a discorsi più seri. Tristemente questo non funzionò molto bene e la band fece solo pochi concerti prima di sciogliersi circa sei mesi dopo. Non esiste materiale scritto dall' ultima line- up della band in studio, e c è solo un live di qualità mediocre. Questo è triste, anche perchè l' LP originale si può trovare ad un prezzo oscillante tra i 100 ed i 150 dollari, e l'album è considerato un classico tra i conoscitori del progressive e dell hard rock svedese.

[Dal booklet del CD Råg I Ryggen scritto da Tobias Petterson]

Here is a list with all albums I own, I’ll update it every time I buy a CD.

Aerosmith

Aerosmith
Classic Aerosmith: The Universal Masters Collection

Alice Cooper

The Beast of Alice Cooper

Amy Winehouse

Back To Black

Avantasia

The Scarecrow

Black Sabbath

Vol. 4

Bon Jovi

Slippery When Wet

Bruce Dickinson

The Best Of Bruce Dickinson

Cinderella

Once Upon A...

Cream

Disraeli Gears

Deep Purple

Fireball
30 : Very Best Of.

Def Leppard

Pyromania

Depeche Mode

Violator

Edguy

Rocket Ride

Extreme

Extreme II: Pornograffitti

Franz Ferdinand

Franz Ferdinand

Godsmack

Faceless

Green Day

American Idiot

Guns n’ Roses

Appetite for destruction
Use your Illusion II
Greatest Hits
The Spaghetti Incident?
Use Your Illusion I

Hamlet

Insomnio

Iron Maiden

The Number of the Beast
Somewhere in Time
Brave New World
The X Factor
A Matter of Life and Death
Powerslave

Jimi Hendrix

Electric Ladyland

Led Zeppelin

Mothership
Led Zeppelin IV

Maroon 5

Songs About Jane

Metallica

Ride the Lightning

Mötley Crüe

Generation Swine
The Best Of Mötley Crüe 20th Century Masters The Millennium Collection

Moulin Rouge

Moulin Rouge

Mudhoney

Superfuzz Bigmuff plus Early Singles

Muse

Black Holes & Revelations

Nirvana

Nevermind
Nirvana
MTV Unplugged In New Yourk

Opeth

Watershed

Ozzy Osbourne

Blizzard of Ozz

Radiohead

OK Computer

Rainbow

The Very Best of Rainbow

Ramones

Ramones

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Californication
By the Way
Stadium Arcadium
One Hot Minute
Blood Sugar Sex Magik
Greatest Hits
Mother’s Milk
Freaky Styley
What Hits!?
Out In L.A.

Scorpions

Gold Ballads

Skid Row

Skid Row

The Black Crowes

Shake Your Money Maker
By Your Side
The Southern Harmony And Musical Companion

The Darkness

Permission to Land

The Doors

The Doors

The Trivials

The Trivials

Van Halen

Best of Van Halen, Volume 1

In Sweden in the early 70s bands and artists sprang up like mushrooms after an August rain and every other cellar and garage had its own version of Bob Dylan, Led Zeppeli or Rolling Stones. In the Stockholm suburb Bromma classmates Björn Aggemyr (bass) and Björn "Nysse" (guitar) Nyström began banging away on their instruments when they were just twelve years old. Keyboard player Christer Sjöborg soon joined in and Kurt Persson played drums with them for a short while. He was soon replaced by Peter Sandberg and the band named themselves Goda Vänner & Musik (Good Friends & Music). These four kids rehearsed in a 3,5 X 3,5 metres small room in Nysse's father cellar, and mostly played songs by british hard rock bands like Deep Purle and Uriah Heep. Björn and Nysse managed to persuade their teacher at school (Riksbyskolan in Bromma) to allow them to show their talents in front of the other pupils. The proposal was accepted, but they had to bring their own musical equipment, a problem which was solved by bringing in Björn's older brother Jan Aggemyr into the band. Jan had a driver's license and a car, an electric guitar and the knowledge to use it, thus fitting the bill perfectly. Shortly before this début performance the boys found a package of old bread in the rehearsal room. The brand was Wasa Bröd and his tag line "ger råg I ryggen" (gives strength and courage) immediately caught the band's attention, and the name Råg I Ryggen was born.
At this time, in 1974, the boys in the band were between fifteen and twenty years old, but the band had assembled musical equipment and gear like a rich and famous groups like Yes or King Crimson. Guitarists Jan and Nysse playing Gibson guitars or homemade ones, Björn had a Rickenbacker bass and Peter thundered away on a full-fledged Rogers drum kit. Keyboard player Christer had six pairs of keys, including one of Sweden's first Mini Moogs and a Hammond A-100 with two 150 watt Leslie speakers! His gear alone would fill half of Råg I Ryggen tourbus, not to mention the trouble of having it all stashed in Nysse's parent's cellar while rehearsing.
In 1974 the band would perform regularly at youth centres around Stockholm and its suburbs, and they also entered a talent hunt at Jarlateatern. Nysse was the vocalist around this time but about half of the band's repertoire was instrumental. Nederlaget was another band that performed that same evening and that band's vocalist Jonas Warnerbring caught the attention of Råg I Ryggen. He is the son of famous Swedish singer/performer Östen Warnerbring, who had represented Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest in the sixties, although their vocal styles are neither comparable nor alike. Jonas was approached by Nysse and Björn that evening and was soon persuaded to quit Nederlaget in favour of Råg I Ryggen.
With a new vocalist on board, the band concentrated more on their own material and kept rehearsing in the small cellar room despite the fact that Råg I Ryggen now consisted of six members and more progressive sound developed, although the band still had his roots in hard rock. Nysse's parent's never complained about the heavy music almost coming from below, not even when a window broke due to the high volume produced in the enclosed quarter.
An evening that autumn Peter had been out drinking with some friends, and while he waited for the train ride home he befriended Kjell Gradin, an elderly gentleman who appened to run a record label! In their drunken state they immediately agreed on a test recording, and only a few weeks later the band had lined up all their equipment in a small studio in Sundbyberg. Råg I Ryggen performed Spångaforsens Brus and a now unknown song, but since neither Kjell Gradin nor his small studio was prepared for the musical assault and this recording was ruined by a heavily distorted sound. The Rondo label had previously only recorded the likes of Göingeflickorna and other very soft vocal acts, but this didn't deter Kjel from making another attempt at recording his newly discovered apprentices. He booked the EMI-studio in Skärmarbrink - which was one of the most modern 16-channel studios in Sweden at the time - for two full days to record a full-lenght album with the band. The dates were the 22nd and 23rd of February, and suddenly a new problem came up. The lyrics for some of the songs where usually improvised on stage, but the band figured that it would not work out in the studio. The lyrics for Naked Man were written the day before the recording and the final touch on Queen Of Darkness were made in the early hours before Råg I Ryggen arrived at the studio at 09.00 AM. The album was recorded in 16 hours. All instruments, except for the synthesizer, were recorded live the first day, while all vocals and mixing was made the second day. Some small errors were soon discovered, but there was no time for overdubs, but while listening to the album today these small things only add authenticity to the groove and general feel of the music.
The eponymous album was released in April 1975 and some of the Swedish-language songs were aired by the Swedish radio. Rondo seemed to believe in Råg I Ryggen's music and issued between eight and ten thousand copies of the album, as well as booking a gig at the big scene at Gröna Lund on the 3rd of July. The album was distributed by EMI throughout Sweden, but not abroad.
At the time the album was released the band performed live at least two times a week, rehearsed two or three times while everyone held full-time jobs (four of them actually worked in music stores!). Råg I Ryggen's following in Stockholm grew bigger and sometimes they woul give records to people in the audience i they dared to ascend the stage amd sing with the band, and this would occur quite frequently. The band had their own sound technician and a friend doing the lightning, as well as a strict moral codex: no alcohol was allowed before or during a gig, although the audiences used to be loaded. The gigs would usually consist of two 45-minute sets, and usually they would be the only band of the evening, although they once performed alongside the blues-rock act Nature.
When the day of the Gröna Lund gig came, the arranger told the band that they would be allowed to perform for half an hour at the most, and had to plan the track list accordingly. The volume was set by the band themselves and the performance was to be the second loudest ever measured at Gröna Lund (only Wishbone Ash had been louder). All went very well with a great connection between band and audience, but with only the final chorus of Sanningsserum left to play someone cut the power! This had previously happened to Jimi Hendrix some seven years earlier and that event is now part of Gröna Lund folklore, but this left both Råg I Ryggen and the visitors flabbergasted. The electricians at Gröna Lund initially claimed that a fuse has gone, but later admitted that they had actually cut the power to prevent Råg I Ryggen from playing as much as one second more than agreed.
The band also played outside Stockholm, in places like Norrtälje, Orsa and Gävle. The distance was never too great though and the band always returned home to Nysse's parents after every gig, where sandwiches or a late dinner awaited them.
The contract between Råg I Ryggen and Rondo stated that more songs should be recorded, but being week-end rock stars and full-time employees at once - combined with growing musical differences- finally took its toll on the band. In early 1976 vocalist Jonas Warnerbring and drummer Peter Sandberg left the band and they were replaced by Bo Lantz and Jonas Edgren respectively. This brought fresh influences and a new musical direction. The songs became more complex and the witty lyrics were brushed aside for more serious topics. Sadly this did not work out too well and the band made only a few live performances before breaking up about half a year later.
None of the material written by the band's last line-up was ever recorded in a studio, and only a live performance with mediocre sound quality exists. This is sad, since the original vinyl version of Råg I Ryggen's only album currently swaps hands for about $ 100-150, and the album is generally considered a classic among connoisseurs of swedish progressive and hard rock.

[From the booklet of the CD Råg I Ryggen written by Tobias Petterson]

Riff de Jimi Hendrix é eleito o melhor de todos os tempos. O guitarrista Jimi Hendrix teve o riff de uma de suas músicas "Voodoo Child" eleito o melhor de todos os tempos, de acordo com votação do "Music Radar", da qua participaram mais de cinco mil pessoas. A faixa está presente no álbum "Eletric Ladyland".

"Voodoo Child" bateu concorrentes de peso como "Sweet Child O' Mine", do Guns N' Roses, que ficou na segunda posição e "Whole Lotta Love", que veio em seguida. "Smoke On The Water", do Deep Purple, e "Layla", do Derek And The Dominos completam o top cinco.

O editor-chefe da revista, Mike Goldsmith, parabenizou a música, para ele, o riff de "Voodoo Child" é um "indiscutível campeão dos pesos pesos pesados da guitarra".

"Da atual geração das estrelas das seis cordas, apenas Jack White do White Stripes e o vocalista do Muse, Matt Bellamy estão entre os 50 primeiros", completou.

Confira os 25 melhores riffs de todos os tempos, segunda "Music Radar":

01 - "Voodoo Child", Jimi Hendrix
02 - "Sweet Child O' Mine", Guns N' Roses
03 - "Whole Lotta Love", Led Zeppelin
04 - "Smoke On The Water", Deep Purple
05 - "Layla", Derek and the Dominos
06 - "Back in Black", AC/DC
07 - "Enter Sandman", Metallica
08 - "Day Tripper", The Beatles
09 - "Smells Like Teen Spirit", Nirvana
10 - "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction", The Rolling Stones
11 - "Paranoid", Black Sabbath
12 - "Plug In Baby", Muse
13 - "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love", Van Halen
14 - "You Really Got Me", The Kinks
15 - "Seven Nation Army", The White Stripes
16 - "Highway to Hell", AC/DC
17 - "Heartbreaker", Led Zeppelin
18 - "Iron Man", Black Sabbath
19 - "Black Dog", Led Zeppelin
20 - "Beat It", Michael Jackson
21 - "Paperback Writer", The Beatles
22 - "Purple Haze", Jimi Hendrix
23 - "Whole Lotta Rosie", AC/DC
24 - "Johnny B Goode", Chuck Berry
25 - "Sad but True", Metallica

ps: Really? I think we need to hear more blues! :-)

Intro

Well, a few days ago I realised it was my 3rd anniversary. Unfortunately, it was my 3rd birthday back on the 9th October. So, in true Martinesque fashion this journal is well over a month late. So I apologise for this very late journal, hopefully the content is worth the wait.

My 3rd Year

It’s been a bit of a funny old year really. I am sure I haven’t bought as many albums as I had this time last year. Were as last year, I was largely filling in the gaps of my music collection, this year almost all of my purchases have been new artists (except from a few new releases from bands already on my ipod). This seems to have largely been based around my attendance to a few gigs and trying to get as much of the bands back catalogue as possible both before and after the gigs. As well as new artists been added to my charts, there has been some movement in amongst my charts for the more established artists. From about 6 downwards, there has been movement. The top 5 still remains, but below there has been major movement which is an encouraging sign. The top 5 looks like it could finally get broken in the near future too. I feel this is last year’s purchases taking effect which have established some artists into higher positions.

The Gigs

Well since October last year, I have been to some cracking gigs. My first of that period was Priest Feast back in February of this year, were I saw Judas Priest, Megadeth and Testament. Now I had seen Megadeth before and was quite familiar with they’re material (see my charts ;-)) but I hadn’t had the pleasure of seeing Judas Priest or Testament or hearing they’re material. I checked both bands material and frankly both of them were very good. Testament were my favourite of the two though, but I must say that Judas Priest were the best of the bunch live. I have bought almost of each bands material now, which just demonstrates how gigs are a great way of finding great music.

My next gig was in April, with The Prodigy supported by Dizzee Rascal playing at Sheffield. I knew all of The Prodigy material however wasn’t expecting much of Dizzee Rascal and wasn’t intending to check out his material. But despite my low expectations for the bloke, he was brilliant. He had so much energy and he pulled off the beats brilliantly. In fact the whole venue was rocking, including myself! Despite Dizzee Rascal been somewhat of a positive surprise, The Prodigy would truly blow me away. They were absolutely phenomenal and remain the best act I have ever seen. They were so intense and I think I must have lost about a pint in sweat! I came out absolutely fucked and was still fucked in the morning.

The next gig was Progressive Nation in October. This was a good gig, but it wasn’t as good as it could have been. Despite me boning up on some Opeth, the majority of their set was from other albums. The same problem happened with Dream Theater, though this time it was even worse as I actually owned quite a few of their albums, yet they still barely played any material from them! Very disappointing, but just bad luck I suppose.

As a result of these gigs, I have checked out some quality bands who will make an impact on my charts within the next year or two. I am going to see Rammstein next year too, so I am checking out they’re material as we speak :-)

Hip-Hop: A Youtube Phenomenon?

One of the more bizarre events of this last year on Last FM was my “discovery” of Hip Hop via You Tube. Don’t ask me why, but one day I decided I would check out some Hip Hop/Rap on You Tube. I was at work and was a little bored. I decided rather than spend my time browsing the internet; I would design a signature for another site I post on. I started having a go, but couldn’t concentrate. I needed some music, but unfortunately my ITunes library at work was out of action. So I turned to You Tube and sat they’re thinking what I could listen to. I didn’t want to listen to rock/metal, I wanted something different or maybe something I hadn’t heard before. In the end, I thought of what was the opposite of metal. In a split second I thought Rap and decided to check some out. I instantly thought of Wu Tang Clan because I had heard Gravel Pit a few times and kinda liked it. That was the beginning of the end and I started checking out other Wu Tang Clan stuff. In a strange way, it helped me concentrate; I could appreciate the intelligent word play as well as the subtle beats in the background. Amongst my favourites of Wu Tang Clan were Protect Ya Neck, Da Mystery of Chessboxin' and Triumph. I then checked out some N.W.A, BodyCount and some Skee-Lo. So, for a genre I once hated, I discovered stuff I liked within a week. I haven’t bought any Hip Hop stuff, but it’s certainly a genre I would want to check out in future. So, watch this space guys!

Stats

As with the last “Last FM Birthday” journal I will analyse my top 10 and what’s happened well since last October/November within my top 10.

1. Megadeth

Overall Plays – 4,312
Plays Since Last Birthday – 1,193
Summary – Still top by a comfortable margin and frankly not much has changed. A new album gave these guys a boost but I think by and large these guys are living off the sheer amount of material I have of theirs already. They’re large discography allows them to have a heavy presence in the shuffles I play, so it’s certainly going to be a long time before these guys from the top spot. Not saying they are not a great band, but I have been listening to them a while and I am not as much of a fan boy as I used to be.

2. Iron Maiden

Overall Plays – 3,658
Plays Since Last Birthday – 1,078
Summary – Much the same as the Megadeth situation really. No new material for a while now and I say they are less likely to release new material than Megadeth are. Iron Maiden are, unsurprisingly, another non mover.


3. Red Hot Chilli Peppers

Overall Plays – 2,981
Plays Since Last Birthday – 862
Summary – Yet another band who have “stagnated” really. A new album is supposedly on its way. But I can’t see it making enough impact to move the RHCP’s into the top two. The only way is down really, especially as I have been listening to them even longer than I have Iron Maiden or Megadeth.

4. Led Zeppelin

Overall Plays – 2,445
Plays Since Last Birthday – 779
Summary – A band that I hold in higher esteem than RHCP’s but not Iron Maiden or Megadeth. I have by and large got they’re material except the odd live album and session album which I would be interested in. Unfortunately that’s not going to happen, because frankly I want to concentrate on either new bands or artists near the bottom of my charts who have little material. Another band I expect to go downhill in my charts, despite the new material I feel this will be of minimal impact.

5. Thin Lizzy

Overall Plays – 1,984
Plays Since Last Birthday – 586
Summary – Man o man, I cannot remember the last time I bought an album by these guys. A cracking rock band too. Despite been one of the more established artists in my charts, I still have plenty of material to purchase of theirs. I am very surprised they are still in the same place in my charts to be honest, they are obviously still relying by and large on the plays from the double disc greatest hits album I bought ages ago. Expect them to maybe fall before making a rise again once I get more material.

6. Madness

Overall Plays – 1,836
Plays Since Last Birthday – 791
Summary – A great year for these guys, they have moved up three places in my charts. They even have had more plays in the last 12 months than both Led Zeppelin and Thin Lizzy. Frankly it’s deserved after they have released what must be one of the albums of 2009 in Liberty of Norton Folgate. I still have plenty of material to check out and they are looking increasingly likely to be the first band to break the “big five”.

7. Jimi Hendrix

Overall Plays – 1,832
Plays Since Last Birthday – 741
Summary – Hot on heels of Madness, Jimi Hendrix is another artist that will break into the top five in my opinion. The man is an absolute genius and produces music that is simply out of this world. I still have a few more albums to purchase of his and like Madness, he has had more more plays in the last 12 months than Led Zeppelin and Thin Lizzy.

8. Black Sabbath

Overall Plays – 1,783
Plays Since Last Birthday – 505
Summary – A terrible 12 months for Black Sabbath. They have dropped like a stone by two places and could drop even further. However, like Thin Lizzy, there is hope. I do not own the majority of their albums, so hopefully they guys might “recover” if you like. Black Sabbath are another band who have been riding high on a greatest hits package and a few albums, only for the plays to dry up as other bands have developed and they haven’t. In fact, they are only rated 22nd out of 36 bands with regards to plays for the last 12 months. I think that tells its own story.

9. The Prodigy

Overall Plays– 1,761
Plays Since Last Birthday – 835
Summary – Well, the electro punks have finally gate crashed the party. I can’t think of many bands that I rate higher right now. The wall of noise they produce is downright astonishing and they are certainly trailblazers in my charts. They are the only electronica band in my charts and for them to even reach the top 10 is fantastic. They’re live show is fantastic and they’re new album is a return to form. I must say the amount of brilliant b-sides which I downloaded from ITunes recently won’t exactly have hindered they’re progression. Expect them to overtake Black Sabbath.

10. Electric Light Orchestra

Overall Plays – 1,703
Plays Since Last Birthday - 724
Summary – Certainly the nicest band in my top ten, and I can’t help feeling they’re feeling the benefit of been great revising music. But, let’s not take anything away from them. They make lush, layered, progressive rock music. They are innovators and they’re whole sound fits in well together. It helps having a cracking front man and songwriter in Jeff Lynne too. They have produced classic albums and I have barely scratched the service with these guys really. Potentially another band who could find themselves moving up my charts.

Conclusion

Boy, I never realised what an interesting year on Last FM it has been until I actually sat down and thought about it. It’s been a nice surprise really, rather than simply filling in gaps in my music collection I have found myself integrating new bands into my music library. This is down to the gigs mainly, which have forced me to discover some cracking music. Judas Priest, Testament and Opethall have exciting futures ahead of them in my charts. I am checking out Rammstein as we speak because I am seeing them in February, which should be cool. While I am in the mode of checking out new stuff, I thought I might as well action some recommendations that Stubbsy67 gave me aaaggeesss ago - Machinae Supremacy and Soulcage. So do not despair Shaun, I have been listening ;-) So another exciting year of music beckons and frankly I can’t wait to get my teeth into it. Keep your eyes peeled for my next journal by the way, which will be my top 10 album discoveries of 2009.

Hope you enjoyed reading this journal, your comments would be much appreciated :-)