Linkin Park Gig

The night started off with my brother Alex, four of my friends and I heading towards North Greenwich and the O2 Arena. All of us were eagerly anticipating seeing Linkin Park as each of us claims the band to be one of our favourites. We navigated our way through rush hour on the London Underground and arrived at North Greenwich at around 6pm. There was a sense of nostalgia when I arrived as I had not been to the old Millennium Dome since it was still known as that back in 2000 and I was 10 years old. 7 years on I was going to see my favourite band of all time play in this magnificently large structure and although my excitement was not apparent, I felt like it was Christmas again.

 

I didn’t really know what to expect inside the Dome. I was under the impression that the whole Dome was just one huge venue with a few shops and restaurants on the side. However I was dead wrong. The Arena itself is deep within the heart of the Dome and it is surrounded by an obscene amount of bars, restaurants, shops and even a Cineplex. It’s literally one huge leisure complex under one gigantic roof. After taking a moment to gaze in awe of what the Dome had become, we decided to find our way to our seating area. This proved to be a longer process than we thought. It took us about 10 minutes just to navigate our way anti-clockwise through ‘entertainment avenue’ (which, by the way, is like walking through a miniature West End street) to the section of the arena where our seats were. This put things into perspective about how big the complex is because we had only walked less than a quarter of our way round the Dome. If this wasn’t enough to convince us that the Dome was huge than arriving at the arena itself was more than enough evidence; the Arena is like a football stadium under an even bigger stadium. I kept joking that the outside of the arena bared resemblance to Arsenal Football Club’s Emirates Stadium. To be honest it wouldn’t surprise me if they actually managed to fit the Emirates underneath the complex roof as well.

 

We waited to get into the arena for around 15 minutes and after the usual security searches we walked up the stairs and into the lobby area and looked for our seats. As soon as we found our block we walked into the seating area and finally saw the spectacularly huge arena in all its glory. As thousands of people came pouring into the arena we took our seats and waited in anticipation. Some of us got a bit fed up of waiting by half an hour so a few of us went back into the lobby to check out some of the band merchandise that was on offer and get a few refreshments. I made a joke that the O2 arena’s fries and beer must have been real top-notch quality with the prices we paid for them. 

 

At around 7:30 the concert started with the sole support act Biffy Clyro coming out and performing such songs as ‘Living Is A Problem Because Everything Dies’. Before the concert I’d been a little bit disappointed with the selection of Biffy Clyro as the support act because I was never really into their music, plus the other support act that I did like, Julien-K, had pulled out due to personal reason, however Biffy Clyro weren’t bad at all and put on quite a decent performance. Unfortunately for them it was evident that very few people were interested in their music as 20,000 people were reasonably quiet throughout their whole set. Being a support act for a band with such a gigantic following such as Linkin Park is a tall order for anyone though and the fact that they actually put decent effort into their performance was good enough in my opinion.

 

After Biffy Clyros 45 minute set there was a half an hour break so to set up Linkin Park’s set. Waiting those 30 minutes was like torture because by that time I knew that I was going to experience a simply amazing show in this gigantic fortress of a venue. You could sense all the anticipation of 20,000 people in the air. I looked around and saw just how diverse Linkin Park’s fan base is in that I saw young kids, teens and middle-aged people patiently waiting for the same thing I was – an incredible show.

 

At 8:45 the wait was over and the lights dimmed to the roar of 20,000 people screaming for their favourite band. A creepy end of world style intro track played as the lights were directed on to a huge white curtain revealing the silhouettes of each band member. For a few moments this intro track played and then the familiar piano of ‘What I’ve Done’ began to play as the curtain dropped and the fans were ecstatic. The sound was almost perfect and my adrenaline was going crazy to the sound of this top 5 hit. Almost everyone was singing along as the noise levels were brought to a fever pitch. As soon as ‘What I’ve Done’ ended the band went straight into the fast tempo fan favourite ‘Faint’ – a song that everyone jumped up and down for. The band added an extended intro to this song in which Brad Delson performed a pulsating guitar solo that had the crowd staring in awe. ‘Faint’ was proceeded by the heavy, politically charged ‘No More Sorrow’ – an anthem in which everyone was screaming along to the words “Your time has come to be erased!”

 

After ‘No More Sorrow’ the band took a quick break in which front man Chester Bennington took the time to comment on how amazed he was at the size of the arena. His exact words were “Leave it to London to build the biggest, badest venue on the face of the planet”. The crowd hung on his every word. This was followed by the band performing Meteora songs ‘Somewhere I Belong’, ‘Lying From You’ and ‘From The Inside’ in succession. The band then performed a unique version of ‘Points Of Authority’ that contained a verse from ‘Petrified’, which was featured on vocalist Mike Shinoda’s hip-hop side project ‘Fort Minor’.

 

What followed next was simply amazing. The band performed the melodic, beautiful and political ‘Hands Held High’, which featured 20,000 people singing along to the ‘Amen’ chorus and a huge screen at the back of the set depicting silhouettes of oil pumps (I don’t think I need to signify what that was a metaphor for). In a simply amazing concert it’s hard to pinpoint highlights however this certainly was one of the key highlights of the concert.

 

The atmospheric Minutes To Midnight intro track ‘Wake’ came next which was quickly followed by the heavy and aggressive recent single ‘Given Up’. This song contained another key highlight of the show when front man Chester Bennington leapt into the crowd and sang while being practically mobbed by several screaming fans. What’s more is that he actually didn’t seem to be fazed by it and still managed to pull off the spectacular 16-second scream mid way through ‘Given Up’. The emotional and melodic ‘Valentines Day’ followed and then the fan-favourite, chart topping ‘Numb’. What proceeded is something I don’t think anyone would have guessed in a million years. Vocalist Mike Shinoda stayed on his keyboard and began to do a comedy cover of Rhianna’s number one single ‘Umbrella’ that had everyone singing along in amazement that the mighty alternative rock band Linkin Park was covering a Rhianna song.

 

 

‘Shadow Of The Day’, ‘Crawling’ and, perhaps the song that everyone knows Linkin Park for, ‘In The End’, followed this very strange performance. ‘Bleed It Out’ came next which featured in impressive 2-minute drum solo by drummer Rob Bourdon. This was intended to be the last song however the crowd wanted more and after 5 minutes of waiting and chanting Linkin Park Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda came out to play the beautiful piano track ‘My December’. This song had people holding their lighters and phones up in the air in appreciation. This was followed by the rest of the band coming out to play the emotional ‘Breaking The Habit’. The band then thanked everyone for coming to the show and left the stage and although some people took this opportunity to leave, most stayed and waited for a second encore. The band obliged and performed fan favourite ‘A Place For My Head’ that was then proceeded by the final song of the night and usual concert closer ‘One Step Closer’.

 

As the show came to an end and everyone began to leave there was a sense of awe among everyone in that they’d just seen one of the best shows they will probably ever see. I say this without trying to involve too much bias, but Linkin Park know how to put on one amazing show and I will eagerly be anticipating the next time I go and see them. One can only hope they continue putting on such awe-inspiring and fan pleasing shows for many years to come.

 

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An Independent article on The Doors by Alex Shennan

So many of the greatest bands in history came out of Los Angeles, The Doors are one of them; they have become something of a legend amongst college and university students all over the world, with new generations of fans discovering their music year after year. They are one of the most popular bands in history, and sell over one million records annually with a total of over 76 million albums sold worldwide.

They originally formed in 1965 in Los Angelis when Vocal Artist Jim Morrison, guitarist Robby Krieger, keyboardist Ray Manzarek and drummer John Densmore got together to form one of the most controversial groups of their time. The name for the group comes from a book entitled “The Doors of Perception”, written in 1954 by the infamous Aldous Huxley, author of books such as “Brave New World”, “The Genius and the Goddess” and “Island”. They book details Huxley’s experiences whilst taking a psycho-active substance known as mescaline, it is considered by many to be one of the most profound studies regarding the effects of mind-expanding drugs and what they can teach about how the mind works.

 The title for the book actually came from a book composed in London between 1790 and 1793 entitled “The Marriage of Heaven and Hell”, written by the brilliant poet, author and artist William Blake immediately after the French Revolution.  Quoted from the book is the famous line:  “If the doors of perception were cleansed, ever thing would appear to man as it is: infinite“ Given all the history and controversy surrounding the name, a band who would call themselves “The Doors” would have to live up to the name; and they most certainly did. Not only did they go down in history as one of the greatest bands of all time, they also inspired the notoriously successful film maker Oliver Stone, director of films such as JFK, Born on the Forth of July and Natural Born Killers, to release a film about their life, starring Val Kilmer, Meg Ryan, Kyle MacLachlan, Frank Whaley and Kathleen Denise Quinlan to name a few. The film was released on March 1^st 1991, and went onto to become hugely successful; Oliver Stone actually idolized Jim Morrison and jumped at the opportunity to make a film about his life.

The Doors where considered unusual amongst rock groups due to the fact that they did not use a bass guitar during live performances, but instead opted for the then recently invented Fender Rhodes bass keyboard, which was on offshoot of the Fender Rhodes Electric Piano. In 1966 they where noticed by Elektra Records president Jac Holzman, during a performance at the prestigious Whisky a Go Go club; they where subsequently signed to Elektra Records on August 18^th.  In January 1967 they released their self titled debut LP, which was recorded in a matter of days, almost entirely live with many songs captured in a single take. Morrison and Manzarek went on to direct a promotional film for their track “Break on Through (To the Other Side)“, which played a role in the development of music videos as we see them today. Their second single, “Light My Fire”, became a smash hit in 1967 and established the group as one of America’s leading counterculture groups, alongside major names such as The Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane.  

The Doors earned themselves a reputation as being a rebellious live act and Morrison soon became a sex symbol. During a performance on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1967, the band was ordered by Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) to change the lyrics of “Light My Fire” by altering the line “Girl, we couldn’t get much higher” to “Girl, we couldn’t get much better”. However when dealing with the likes of Morrison, one should never expect conformity, and to the delight of fans everywhere, Morrison sang the original line, and due to the fact that back then, live television had no delay, CBS was powerless to stop the performance. Ed Sullivan was furious and even refused to shake the band members hands at the end of the performance; the group where told that they would never again perform on the Ed Sullivan show, to which Morrision responded  ” So what? We just did the Ed Sullivan Show”. In the same year, on December 10^th, Morrison was arrested for badmouthing the police in front of an audience, which cemented his status as a rebel. Their second album “Strange Days” was released in 1967, and although far less spontaneous than the first, was still highly successful. The group forfeited their status as underground heroes and allowed “Sixteen Magazine” to portray them as teen idols.

The Doors performed at a number of events which led to frenzied scenes between Police officers and fans of the group, the most notable being their performance at the Chicago Coliseum on May 10. They began writing new material after exhausting their original style, and released a #1 album;  in 1969, Lilian Roxon from “Rock Encyclopedia” wrote that the album “strengthened dreadful suspicion that the Doors where in it just for the money.” On March the 1^st 1969, at the Dinner Key Auditorium concert in Miami, Florida, Morrison allegedly exposed himself in front of an over packed 6,900 seat auditorium. Manzarek claims that the incident never took place, and was more a case of mass hypnosis than anything else. Apparently he was only waving his shirt in front of his crotch, then proclaiming “See it? Did you see it?”, and audience saw what they wanted to see, although this has never been substantiated. Nonetheless the incident outraged local authorities and Morrison was arrested for obscenity, which led to the cancellation of performances all over the US; the rest of the band apparently confronted Morrison regarding his alcoholism, however the “Miami incident” remains inconclusive.

Jim Morrison received most of the media attention out of all the members of the group, however he was determined that the other members should get recognition as well. According to some sources, during one concert an announcer introduced the band as “Jim Morrison and The Doors”, which outraged Morrison, he refused to appear on stage unless they where re-announced as “The Doors”.  Morrison was actually very protective of his fellow band members, although never felt close to his real-life family. Apparently he never felt comfortable in a social setting unless he had at least one other band member with him, and also turned down many solo album opportunities.

Towards the end of his life he was involved heavily in drugs and alcohol; he put on weight and grew a beard, which caused him to look older than he actually was. In July 1969 the band released their fourth album “The Soft Parade”; the album was different from previous releases with an experimental feel to it, causing critics to question the group’s musical integrity, Morrison was becoming more and more unreliable and his drinking made him difficult to work with.They performed more events however Morrison’s stage persona seemed to dramatically change, becoming more subdued and musically orientated rather than being sexually ambiguous, as he was known for being in previous performances. They sang softer songs and Morrison even performed on the maracas. Some of the songs recorded during this period where featured on the “Absolutely Live” album.   

In 1970 they released their next album “Morrison Hotel”, which featured a return to form with a consistent hard rock sound for which the group had become synonymous with; the album went to #4 in the US charts. On August 29^th they performed alongside a number of headlining acts, including Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis, The Who, Joni Mitchell and Sly & The Family Stone. At their last ever public performance at the “Warehouse” in New Orleans on December 12, 1970, Morrison had a breakdown on stage, repeatedly slamming his microphone onto the stage floor. Nonetheless, they released L.A. Woman in 1971, which proved to be a success exploring the group’s R&B roots; it went down as one of their classic albums. After its release, Jim Morrison decided to take some time off and moved to Paris with his girlfriend Pamela Courson; he began drinking heavily again and on June 16^th, recorded his last known recordings along with two street musicians he befriended at a bar and invited to a studio. They where released in 1994 on a bootleg CD entitled “The Lost Paris Tapes”. On July 3^rd, 1971, Jim Morrison died under mysterious circumstances; the official story goes that he went to see a movie whilst in Paris, listened to some music then was found dead in his bath tub due to a heart attack, although it was later revealed that no autopsy had been performed on him; he was buried at Père Lachaise Cemetery four days later on July 7.  

There are many rumors circulating around the incident that suggest Morrison had faked his death in order to escape the spotlight; in the book “Wonderland Avenue”, written by a former associate of Morrison, Danny Sugerman states that in an interview with Pamela Courson, she confessed that she had introduced Morrison to heroine, and had injected him with a fatal dose. Pamela Courson actually died of a heroine overdose herself shortly after the alleged interview; although this is a very different story from what she told police officers. A man named Sam Bennett, a former manager of a Paris nightclub, suggests that Jim Morrison died in a toilet stall in his club, of what he believes was a heroine overdose; he also says that Morrison was dumped into his bath tub as a last attempt to revive him. The rest of the band continued for a few years after Morrison’s death; they initially considered replacing him however opted instead to use the vocal talents of Krieger and Manzarek. They released two albums, “Other Voices” and “Full Circle”, neither of which was anywhere near as successful as when Morrison was in the group. The latter album expanded into jazz territory and by the end of 1972 the band stopped recording and didn’t release another album until 1978, when they released “An American Prayer”. They had rediscovered some audio recordings of Morrison reciting his poetry, and added a musical track behind the verses; the album became a commercial success and was followed by a mini-album containing previously unreleased live recordings. The successful film director Francis Ford Coppola attended the UCLA film school with Jim Morrison, and in 1979 released the legendary “Apocalypse Now”, featuring the song “The End” prominently throughout the soundtrack.   Ray Manzarek and Robbie Krieger reunited in 2002 to create a new version of the band, “The Doors of the 21st Century”.

It was claimed John Densmore could not perform due to his sufferance with tinnitus, however Densmore later claimed that he had not even been invited to join the group, and sought to prevent Manzarek and Krieger from using “The Doors” in their name, however his motion was denied; Ray Manzarek publicly stated that there was still an open invitation for Densmore to join the group, however he declined the offer. Allegedly, with the backing of both Morrison’s family and Pamela Courson’s, Densmore and the Morrison estate won a permanent injunction against Ray Manzarek and Robbie Krieger in July 2007, causing them to change their name to “D21C”; they now play under the name “Riders on the Storm”. In July 2007, John Densmore stated that he would not rejoin the group unless it was fronted by Eddie Vedder, he stated: “I play with Jim. If there’s someone of that level, OK. I’m not gonna join them with Ian. That’s not to diss Ian, he’s a good singer – but he’s no Jim Morrison. Eddie Vedder? My God, there’s a singer.” He has also been adamant in refusing to license The Doors songs for use in any television commercials, and was even offered a $15 million deal with Cadillac, who wanted to use the track “Break on Through (to the Other Side)” in their adverts. Densmore Stated: “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” In 2004 the Doors where ranked at #41 on Rolling Stone Magazine’s Top 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, and in 2007 they received a lifetime achievement at the 2007 Grammy Awards, along with Joan Baez and the Grateful Dead; in the same year on February 28^th 2007, The Doors also received their own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It has been over four decades since The Doors first appeared on the music scene, and they are still as popular today, if not more so, than they ever where. With an army of fans in multiple countries all over the planet, the Doors have earned the title of one of the greatest musicians on the planet.

Due to the untimely death of Jim Morrison, their music has become immortalized within the pages of time, and will be remembered for a long time into the future. Its such a shame that so many legendary musicians meet their end before they should have; Jimi Hendrix, Janice Joplin, Buddy Holly, Bob Maley, John Lennon, Christopher Wallace, Tupac Shakur, Kurt Cobain etc, etc. But in doing so their music stands the test of time, and will echo throughout the ages ahead. I wonder how many children today will be sitting around the dinner table listening to the stories surrounding the legend known as Jim Morrison, only to discover the rebellious spirit of his music when they reach their teens. With a name based on the doors of perception, the group has certainly earned their title and will live on for a very long time to come.                                   S      Douglas ‘Jim’ Morrison(1943-1971)

Go to http://www.tagmydog.co.uk/shops/1_0_0_0_2_1 for band merchadise or click here for The Doors T Shirts

“It’s funny the way most people love the dead. Once you are dead, you are made for life.” Jimi Hendrix 1968

“It’s
funny the way most people love the dead. Once you are dead, you are made for
life.” 

Jimi
Hendrix 1968
(1942-1970)

Jimi Hendrix has become somewhat of a legend in modern day society; his music is admired and listened to by people of all different ages all over the world.   It has been over 35 years since his death in1970, yet he still remains as popular today, if not more so, than he ever was; and his music is still as strong a force within the music industry as it ever was.He was born in Seattle, on November 27 1942; his parents where African American and Cherokee Indian, and he was originally named Johnny Allen Hendrix until 1946 when his father changed his
name to James Marshall Hendrix. Jimmy taught himself to play the ukulele and later went on to buy an acoustic guitar for a mere $5. His first electric uitar was given to him as a present by his father, who was actually a single
parent, and he practiced regularly until he was good enough to play in bands. 

Whilst Jimi was in high school he started experimenting with drugs, he later dropped out of school to find work, lthough he later claimed that he was expelled. In 1961 he was arrested for joy riding nd enlisted in the US army as an exchange for serving time in prison. Jimi’s
military records where released in 2005 under the freedom of information act, in
which it was revealed that Jimi Hendrix was considered an “undesirable” troop.

The documents stated, that Jimi Hendrix was regularly distracted during his duties due to the fact
that he was constantly thinking about his guitar. The document also stated that Jimi was
“unable to conform to military rules and regulations”. I must say that I am rather pleased to hear this, not only did imi avoid serving time; he also managed to get himself discharged from the army.

Jimi Hendrix toured playing backup guitar for many famous musicians some of which included
Sam Cooke, Little Richard and Jackie Wilson. In 1965 he formed Jimmy kames and the Blue Flames; whilst erforming at a local coffee house he was noticed by Chas Chandler, guitarist for The Animals, who convinced imi to go to London in 1966 where he formed “The Jimi Hendrix Experience” with Mitch Mitchell on the drums
and Noel Redding on bass guitar. The group toured all over England where they released the album Are You Experienced” which contained the infamous “Purple Haze” relating to a
form of LSD which at the time was known as purple haze.In 1967 Jimi returned to the USA to play at the Monterey International Pops Festival; his
musical style and stage performance made him rise to number one in the charts.
In 1968 he released 2 more albums, “Axis: Bold as Love” and “Ladyland”.Jimi Hendrix also performed at the egendary “Woodstock” festival performing his alternate version of “The Star pangled Banner”; Jimi actually received a few death threats as a result of
creating this song. Later he moved on to New York City to build “Electric Lady
Studios” where he could develop and record his tracks.Jimi Hendrix was a legendary guitarist; some would call him the greatest guitarist to have ever lived, lthough this is debateable. Either way, Jimi Hendrix did completely change the face of rock
music and was certainly one of the most talented guitarists to have ever lived.Jimmy Hendrix was buried on October 1^st 1970; it is a popular misconception that he
died of a drug overdose, whilst he was a frequent user of many drugs such as LSD
and various pills, he actually died from choking on his own vomit whilst under
the influence of barbiturates, which are a form of depressants or more commonly
known as “downers”. They work by depressing the activity
of the central nervous system.   You can never overstate Jimi Hendrix’s importance within the world of music; he taught himself
to play the guitar and was unable to read music, yet he went down in history as
a musical genius, and one of the greatest guitarists to have ever lived.  His name will live on for many years to come, and he will always be remembered by those who
loved him. He has gone down in history as a truly great musician; along with Elvis Presley, Bob Marley, John Lennon and Tupac Shakur.

As Jimi himself stated in 1968  “It’s funny the way most
people love the dead. Once you are dead, you are made for life.”

The image of Jimi Hendrix is as much a part of the collective psyche of humanity just as much as the legendary anarchist symbol, the traditional peace symbol or the yin and yang symbol. Even if you do not know what those symbols mean, you will probably recognise them. They are painted all over the place, featured on T-shirts and pamphlets ad recognised by any child over the age of 10.

The same is true with the image of Jimi Hendrix, even those not aware of who he are still familiar with his name and face. Many people wear Jimi Hendrix t-shirts as a fashion statement, however the real fans wear them out of remembrance, to keep alive the name of a legend which changed the face of music and stood the test of time
We found some Jimi Hendrix T-shirts here  that capture Jimi Hendrix as we would like to remember him.
Long live Jimi.

Independent Article on Jimi Hendrix written by Alex Shennan

An Independent article on Public Enemy – By Alex Shennan

Public Enemy first emerged on the scene 20 years ago in 1987 and since its formation has gone onto become one of the most successful names within the Hip-Hop community. The group consists of four main members; Chuck D, Griff, Flava Flav and Terminator X. Chuck D, the most influential figure of the group, spoke out on political and social problems to the point that he was noticed by the C.I.A. who put the group under constant surveillance.   Public Enemy changed the face of hip hop and where the most politically controversial rap group of the 1980’s. Chuck D was the lead emcee for the group with pro-revolutionary and socially active lyrics; he stood out as a pioneer in an industry that would soon be home to the infamous “Gangsta” rap scene. He spoke of all kinds of political and social problems, particularly those affecting the black community of working class America and became one of the most respected rappers in history. With a militant stance against social injustice and powerfully raw lyrics, they became successful not only for their musical talents but also for their political views, which where considered to be highly controversial. The production team for Public Enemy where known as “The Bomb Squad” and created a new style of sound that synchronised with Chuck D’s lyrics incredibly well. Flava Flav, famous for wearing an oversized clock around his neck, became the visual focus point for the group whilst The Bomb Squad created chaotic beats in combination with funky baselines; together the group produced a new style and image that would go down forever in the history of Hip-Hop culture. They achieved phenomenal success with the release of their second album, released in 1988, entitled “It takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back”. The release of this album subsequently turned them into celebrities and was much more successful than t their first release, “Yo! Bum Rush the Show” released on Def Jam Records in 1987. Chuck D was born on August 1^st 1960 as Carlton Ridenhour; in 1982 he formed Public Enemy whilst studying graphic design on Long Island. He was also a DJ on a student radio station at Adelphi University where he met Hank Shocklee and Bill Stephney; all three shared a great love for hip hop and a deep interest in politics.  Public Enemy received their name when they met Rick Rubin of Def Jam who came to them with an offer of an album deal. The group where originally known as “Spectrum City” or simply “Spectrum”, Rick suggested that they call themselves Public Enemy as the name had already been used by the group in the track “Public Enemy # 1”. The logo for the group was drawn by Chuck D himself; he used a silhouette of E Love who was LL Cool J’s sidekick at the time.  Chuck D assembled a crew consisting of DJ Terminator X, Shocklee as head producer, Stephney as a publicist and Professor Griff as choreographer for the backup dancers, Security of the First World. Chuck D met Flava Flav, also known as William Drayton, when he was introduced as a guest at the studio where Chuck was working. Chuck’s first words to Flava when he met him at the studio where: “You can’t smoke up here, you have to go outside”. Chuck asked Flava to join the group as a fellow rapper.  Their first album was largely ignored by the mainstream music industry in 1987, however their second album was considered to be a revolutionary breakthrough by both rock and rap critics of the time; Hip-Hop music had moved from being a relatively obscure musical style into a revolutionary force for political and social change. As the group’s success grew, so did the amount of controversy surrounding them; Chuck D became infamous when he referred to rap music as “The Black CNN” relating what was happening in America’s ghettos in a way the mainstream media would not project. Their tune “Fight the Power” was used as the theme for Spike Lee’s highly successful film “Do the Right Thing”, released in 1989. The track received public uproar for lyrics such as: “Elvis was a hero to most, But he never meant s**t to me you see Straight up racist that sucker was Simple and plain, Mother f**k him and John Wayne.” On the album Chuck D recorded “Revolutionary Generation” as an attempt to rectify some of his previous lyrics with a negative attitude towards women. Later on Chuck D was forced to remove Professor Griff from Public Enemy due to an anti-Semitic statement he made in which he stated that Jews were responsible for the majority of the wickedness that goes on across the globe. This statement caused public outcry, especially from white critics who had previously praised the group. Chuck D later brought Griff back into the group however Griff then attacked Public Enemy and Chuck D in another interview, which led to his departure from the group indefinitely.  In 1990 Public Enemy released the single “Welcome to the Terrordome”; this single again caused controversy being labelled as anti-Semitic by some due to lyrical content such as “Still they got me like Jesus”. Nonetheless, their third album “Fear of a Black Planet” received good reviews and got into the top 10 when singles such as “911 Is a Joke” and “Can’t Do Nuttin’ for Ya Man” went into the top 40. The next album to be released was “Apocalypse 91: The Enemy Strikes Back”; Public Enemy re-recorded “Bring the Noise” with metal band Anthrax as an attempt to appeal once again to their white fan base. The album’s reviews where vastly positive and the album made it to number four in the pop charts. They toured along with U2 in their Zoo tour and released another album entitled “Greatest Misses” however the album received negative reviews and was nowhere near as successful as previous releases. Their next album “Muse Sick-N-Our Mess Age” was released in 1994 and unfortunately, also received negative reviews and as such did not do particularly well in the charts. In 1995 Public Enemy stopped touring and stopped producing tracks under Def Jam Records; Chuck D created his own record label and publishing company. In 1996 he released his first solo album entitled “Autobiography of Mistachuck” which had a 70’s vibe to it. Singer Isaac Hayes, famous for his role as “Chef” on TV’s South Park, appeared on one of the tracks. In 1997 Chuck D reassembled the producers from the early albums, The Bomb Squad, and made plans to create three new albums; in the same year Chuck D also released an autobiography.  Once again Public Enemy where to feature in a Spike Lee movie, the 1998 release “He’s Got Game”. They created the soundtrack for the film which seemed like more of an actual album release than a soundtrack, which received very good reviews. Their next album entitled “There’s a Poison Goin’ On” was released in July 1999 though public enemy deliberately uploaded the album to the internet as MP3 files for people to download a while before its actual release date. The next album to be released was “Revolverlution” and in 2005 “New Whirl Odor” was released. They also released a “Special Projects” album with Paris entitled “Rebirth of a Nation” and their most recent album “Sell Soul to a Soulless People Who Sold Their Soul” was released in the summer of 2007. Public enemy have a huge following in many different countries all over the world, they where the among the first to break through into the music industry with pro-revolutionary lyrical content and have since inspired many musicians to follow in their footsteps. They have toured with a number of successful groups such as the Beastie Boys, U2, Anthrax and Sisters of Mercy; and they have become so successful that a huge line of merchandise has been created featuring public enemy; in 1990 Chuck D even started his own clothing line, RappStyle.  Public Enemy are well respected musicians not only within the world of hip hop culture but are also very popular amongst fans of different musical styles, in fact Flava Flav is actually a classic pianist, and half of the songs recorded on the last album by “The Roots” where played by him. Flava Flav actually plays 17 instruments in total including bass, drums and guitar.  

Public Enemy are still as strong today as they ever where and I doubt that the world has seen the last of them. Their last album was recorded this year and we will probably see many more to come in the near future.
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Rage Against The Machine

Rage Against The Machine or RATM are a group consisting of four members; Zach De La Rocha on Vocals, Tom Morello on Guitars, Brad Wilk on Drums and Tim Commerford on Bass. The group formed in 1991 in Los Angeles and had their first public performance during the same year in a living room at Orange County, Florida. Their style is a combination of Heavy Metal, Hip Hop, Punk and Funk music. Before the formation of the group Zach De La Rocha was in a band called “Inside Out”, the title of their second album was to be called “Rage Against The Machine” and this is where the band got their name from. The group produced a 12 track album featuring including the original version of “Bullet In The Head”; they where able to sell over 5000 copies through their fan club and at performances during live events. On the 13^{th of} July 1992 the group supported “Porno For Pyros” in their debut LA performance and also performed at Lollapalooza in Irvine Meadows, LA, which is where they where spotted by Epic Records. On the 1^st of October 1992 they performed as a supporting act for Suicidal Tendencies; shortly after the tour they finished recording their first album release self titled “Rage Against The Machine” which received a lot of attention from critics; Timothy White from Billboard stated:  “On the strength of the album, they must be viewed as one of the most original and virtuosic new rock bands in the nation…” The album went onto go platinum and stayed on Billboard’s Top 200 for almost 90 weeks. It received critical acclaim and RATM where due to go down in history as one of the most successful metal/ hip hop groups of all time. A year later they toured alongside a very successful hip hop group “House of Pain” famous for their track “Jump Around”. In the same year they appeared at Lollapalooza III in the main stage, however remained silent throughout the performance as a form of protest against censorship. The basic premise for this protest was that if people became tolerant of censorship, then band’s such as RATM would never be heard.In 1994 the group orchestrated a benefit concert entitled “For the Freedom of Leonard Peltier” and featured appearances from both The Beastie Boys and Cypress Hill. The group also organised a second benefit show entitled “Latinpalooza”, which was a joint benefit concert for Leonard Peltier, United Workers and Para Los Ninos, a Los Angeles based non-profit agency that provides child care, schooling and other services to at-risk children and their families.Leonard Peltier was a citizen of the Anishinabe, Chippewa, Turtle Mountain Reservation in North Dakota and a citizen of the Lakota Nations; he has spent over 30 years in prison for a crime he did not commit and is considered a political prisoner by Amnesty International who has stated that he should be “immediately and unconditionally released.” Rage Against The Machine are not the only ones to have campaigned for his freedom; Jesse Jackson, Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama, the U.N. High Commissioner on Human Rights, the European Parliament, the National Congress of American Indians and the Assembly of First Nations are only a few who have campaigned for his release. He grew up in poverty and suffered at the hands of the US government due to their policies aimed to assimilate Native Peoples. For many years of his life he was a political activist protesting against the US government’s treatment of Indigenous Peoples and their culture. He was wrongfully imprisoned in 1975 yet still continues to help Indigenous people from behind bars; whilst in prison he helped to establish scholarships for Native students and has served on the advisory board of the Rosenberg Fund for Children. He has sponsored children in Central America and has also donated to battered women’s shelters. Leonard Peltier is an artist, writer as well as a grandfather. The band members Rage Against The Machine didn’t really have the time to get to know one another due to such a heavy tour schedule and rumours that the band where going to break up began circulating. The band then moved in together in Atlanta and attempted to record another album, due to unsuccessful attempts the band moved back to Los Angeles where they began recording their second album “Evil Empire” which in July of 96 entered the US top 200 charts at number one and lead to a tour across the US. In 1997 Zack De La Rocha and Tom Morello took part in a two hour radio show entitled “Radio Free LA” which was broadcasted on over 50 commercial radio stations and all over the web. It included two live sets featuring Zack performing on vocals, Tom on Guitar, Steven Perkins from Porno for Pyros on Drums and Flea from Red Hot Chilli Peppers on bass. In the same year the track “Tire Me” won best musical performance at the Grammy Awards, shortly after RATM began touring in a series of concerts as a supporting act for U2; the band donated their earnings from these concerts to organizations such as The International Concerned Family And Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal, FAIR and Women Alive.

Mumia Abu Jamal is a political activist who started a career in journalism with the infamous Black Panther movement, he was wrongfully imprisoned and sentenced to death, some would argue, due to his political beliefs. Whilst some strongly believe that he is guilty of murder, and an unrepentant killer, the controversy surrounding his case lies in the fact that his trial was grotesquely unfair and highly unconstitutional. On the 9^th of December 1981, Mumia was shot and brutally beaten by Police Officers for trying to help his brother, who was being beaten with a flashlight; he was found dangerously wounded only a few feet away from Officer Daniel Faulkner, Aged 26, who died of gunshot wounds. He was taken into hospital for emergency surgery in critical condition, and was subsequently charged for the murder of Daniel Faulkner and sentenced to death; the bullet found in Mumia’s body matched that of Faulkner’s gun. The events which led to his death are highly suspect; a female security guard working at the hospital claimed that Mumia had confessed to everyone at the hospital that he was guilty of the murder yet the surgeon who dealt with him stated that he was too weak to talk and Officer Wakshul, the man who took Mumia into custody and stayed with him the whole time stated that “’the defendant made no comment” and remained silent for the entire time he was with him. This statement was not included in court proceedings due to the fact that the Officer was on holiday at the time. The woman who stated that she had heard Mumia confess claimed that she suddenly remembered the confession two months after it had transpired, and it turns out that she was a friend of the deceased. The key prosecution witness was a prostitute with a long history of arrests whose statements did not correspond with that of her friend, and her friend, who now testifies in support of Mumia’s case, stated that she was threatened with the loss of her children if she did not support the police evidence. On top of this Mumia was given in incompetent lawyer who did not want his case. Mumia and his supporters, including Rage Against The Machine, only want a fair trial. Mumia has petitioned for a retrial and unless he gets a fair trial in the next few years, it is likely that he will be put to death.

In August 1997 Rage Against The Machine where scheduled to tour with the Wu-Tang Clan however this did not come about. Instead RATM performed alongside The Foo Fighters and The Roots. In 1998 they recorded the track “No Shelter” which featured on the soundtrack to the Godzilla remake. In January 1999 they organised a benefit concert for Mumia Abu Jamal which attracted a lot of media attention to the point that it wasn’t going to be allowed to go ahead, however in the end was allowed to transpire and included tracks from The Beastie Boys, Black Star and Bad Religion. On April 12^th Zach De La Rocha appeared before the United Nations regarding the case of Mumia Abu Jamal and the US Death Penalty, it was one of the few occasions in which Zach can be seen wearing a suit. The group then went onto play at the Tibetan Freedom Concert and then onto Woodstock 99, where they burned an American flag on stage whilst playing “Killing In The Name”.

RATM released their last album entitled “The Battle of Los Angeles”; it became available in US stores on November 2^nd 1999 which coincided with election day. On the same day the group appeared on the David Letterman Show performing the track “Guerrilla Radio” which subsequently led to an appearance on the Conan O’Brien show, which led to the National Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) to boycott the NBC network for allowing Rage Against The Machine to play. FOP boycott anything relating to support of Mumia Abu Jamal including Filmmakers Spike Lee, Oliver Stone and John Landis; Writers Norman Mailer and Joyce Carol Oates; Supermodel Naomi Campbell and Musicians Rage Against the Machine, The Beastie Boys, Sting, David Byrne and Michael Stipe of REM. Incidentally, in 2001 Mumia Abu Jamal had his appeal hearing and his conviction stands as it is. Unless an incredibly vast amount of support can be gathered for Mumia, it is likely that he will face the death penalty.

 To the great disappointment of many fans all across the globe, Rage Against The Machine split up in the year 2000. On Oct 18th, 2000, Zach De La Rocha issued this statement:

“I feel that it is now necessary to leave Rage because our decision-making process has completely failed. It is no longer meeting the aspirations of all four of us collectively as a band, and from my perspective, has undermined our artistic and political ideal. I am extremely proud of our work, both as activists and musicians, as well as indebted and grateful to every person who has expressed solidarity and shared this incredible experience with us.”

Zach went onto start a solo career and has performed with many successful artists including KRS-ONE, Dead Prez, Planet Asia, Roni Size and The Roots. The remaining members of the band went onto form another group known as “Audioslave” along with Chris Cornell, former member of Soundgarden. In April 2007 Rage Against the Machine performed together at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival for the first time in seven years, and have since gone onto perform at several other live events. They where one of the most popular and politically influential bands of the twentieth century and has made their place in history as one of the greatest pro-revolutionary groups of all time. They have won a number of awards including a Grammy for Best Metal Performance in 1997 and another Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance in 2001; they where also nominated for three MTV Video Music Awards however lost to groups such as Metallica, Aerosmith and Limp Bizkit.

With their pro-revolutionary lyrics and their fiery political attitude, it is easy to see why Rage Against The Machine has become such a worldwide phenomenon. In a war-ridden world and politically daunting times groups such as “Rage” come as a warm welcome against the music constantly churned out by the mainstream music industry. As of this year, 2007, the group are still performing together and I doubt that we have seen the last of them; I expect that we’ll see much more of Zach De La Rocha and Rage against the machine in the years to come.  
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