From Guitar World..

Led Zeppelin IV, 1971 (Led Zeppelin)

Call it Led Zeppelin IV, Four Symbols, Runes, Sticks, Zoso, Four or even Untitlted. By any name, Zeppelin's fourth effort is widely considered rock's Holy Grail, fusing hard rock, Celtic folk, boogie-woogie rock and roll and blues into one staggering, beguiling, epochal, masterpiece. (For the record, Jimmy Page has been known to refer to it as simply Led Zeppelin IV.)

The album was released in the States on November 6, 1971 (November 19 in the U.K.), and for Led Zeppelin, the timing couldn’t have been better. The public’s tepid response to the folky, acoustic-drenched Led Zeppelin III was a letdown, considering the wild reception that greeted the band’s smash-hit predecessors. (And forget the music press, which famously hated the band.) Zeppelin needed to come back strong.

Led Zeppelin IV was rehearsed and partly recorded at Headley Grange, a two-story, mostly stone structure, built in 1795 and located in the village of Headley in eastern Hampshire, England. While the rest of the band initially balked at the less-than-luxurious conditions, Jimmy Page was smitten: “Right from the early days of working at Headley Grange, it was very, very spooky. It had been a workhouse. The whole place was very grey and damp. There was no heating...I thought it was fantastic!”

While the old country workhouse undoubtedly influenced laidback numbers like "The Battle of Evermore" and "Going to California," Jimmy Page found that the 18th-century structure's acoustics perfectly suited rockers like "Black Dog," "Rock and Roll" (featuring an uncredited Ian Stewart on piano) and "Four Sticks." When it came time to track "When the Levee Breaks," Page had John Bonham set up his drum kit in the stone stairway that connected the floors. The resulting sound is one no studio in the world has been able to replicate.

Of course, the album’s apogee is “Stairway to Heaven,” renowned as much for Robert Plant’s curlicue poetry as for Jimmy Page’s fluid compositional structure. Remarkably, what has become radio’s most-requested song came together late one night in the most relaxed of settings. As Robert Plant recalls, “It was done fairly quickly… Jimmy and I just sat down by the fire and came up with a song which was later developed by the rest of the band in the studio.”

Thirty-five years after its release, Led Zeppelin IV stands as a marvel of rock record making. The music comes at you from all directions: Jimmy Page’s limitless array of riffs, Robert Plant’s air-raid screams, John Bonham’s chest-pounding drumming and John Paul Jones’ Rock of Gibraltar bass playing. It is as powerful, magical and oddly elusive today as when it first appeared.

WHAT THEY SAID Jimmy Page: “We were recording something else—I can’t remember what it was...and John Bonham just started playing the opening bars of ‘Keep a Knockin’,’ by Little Richard. I heard that and just started playing what you know as the riff of ‘Rock and Roll.’ The other song was just totally forgotten about and we did ‘Rock and Roll’ in a matter of minutes.”

Zakk Wylde Flying V

Here are the specs for this guitar:

• Solid mahogany body
• Ebony finish with white bullseye
• Nickel hardware
• Grover kidney tuners
• Floyd Rose tremolo
• 3-piece maple neck with no finish
• Rounded neck profile
• 24 3/4″ scale length, 1 11/16″ nut width
• 22 fret ebony fingerboard
• Pearl block inlays with single-ply white binding
• Custom-style headstock inlay
• Gold Zakk profile on back of headstock
• EMG-81 and EMG-85 pickups
• 2 volume, 2 tone, 3-way selector switch
• Includes Custom Shop case and care kit
• Certificate of authenticity

I am proud to be a Malaysian because...

.... largely because of our mouth watering food spread...(yummy)

But mainly because of Tun Dr. M, CeriaTone and because this is the best, most safe place on earth.

Founded in 2002, CeriaTone has grown from just selling circuit boards on eBay to a multi-million business that exports complete vintage amplifier kits to more than 50 countries.

CeriaTone started using DHL's logistic service in 2004 when it was shipping only 10 amplifiers per month. Today, it exports more than 100 amplifiers, excluding parts and components.

Managing director Nik Shazwan Azam said: “It is important to work with a partner that can deliver products not only on time but also safely to our customers.”

Well, Tun Dr M doesn't need any intro.

From blabbermouth

The cover story in Guitar World's April 2009 issue features two hard rock guitar gods — METALLICA's Kirk Hammett and TOOL's Adam Jones — reminiscing about surfing together in Hawaii, obsessive fans, and occult symbols. A couple of excerpts from the article, which doesn't go on sale until next Tuesday, February 10, follow below.

Jones: "We opened for METALLICA in Korea and decided to hit Hawaii on our way back to do a couple shows. Kirk was heading to Hawaii, too, but I didn't see him on our plane. After we landed, I was getting my luggage and I felt this tap on my shoulder. It was Kirk, and he said, 'Are you the guitarist in TOOL? I love your band. Would you like to come to dinner?' And I was like, 'Yeah!'"

"He lent me a long board and took me out to this spot where all the old-timers surf. I'm from California, so I've never had to paddle 30 minutes anywhere. [laughs] And you have to go out real far in Waikiki to catch the good waves. My arms were getting so tired, and I was so worried I was gonna look like a pussy!"

Guitar World: I'm wondering what, in your opinions, are the upsides and downsides to becoming a cult phenomenon?

Jones: "[laughs] I know, sorry. I think the downside is that there's a real potential to forget your roots and why you started playing in the first place. It's important to remember where your head was when you first started, because when you get successful and spoiled it's easy to forget the excitement of when you were first writing songs. And that's why his band and my band go into hiding­to write songs and try to find that spot again. We do this so we don't just keep writing what we wrote last time that was successful and start sounding like a cover band of ourselves. We have to constantly go back and find ourselves."

Hammett: "I guess you can say 'Death Magnetic' is METALLICA reaching back to our cultish days, as well. I don't know if you can even call us a 'cult band' now, because we're a very popular band. Can you be a cult band and still be popular? I don't know."

Jones: "It probably depends on who you ask. I think the word 'cult' comes from an outsider's perspective. When someone on the outside looks at METALLICA, they would say they have a cult following. Because METALLICA have had years of success and have a dedicated fan base, it could almost seem like people are following them out of blind faith, but I don't think this is exactly correct. TOOL has had that too. I've heard stuff like, 'How can a band that a lot of people never heard of have gold and platinum records?' That's when they'll say, 'It's because TOOL has a weird cult following.' To me it's just a term people use to describe something they don't quite know how to explain…which is not necessarily a bad thing."

Guitar World: It also seems a cult band can become an easy target for disgruntled fans when it grows beyond being their "pet band."

Hammett: "I know that a lot of people who are cultish types are really obsessive. They really want a certain thing, or feeling, and they find this thing in a band. When the band grows bigger­and maybe more personally inaccessible as a result­these cultish people try even harder to get this thing or feeling from the band. There's a certain type of person who is obsessed with METALLICA who spends all of their time trying to get this one thing outta our music, and when they don't get it they become passionately pissed off. [laughs]"

Jones: "For me, there's nothing wrong with obsession as long as you're getting something out of it that's positive. And when your expectations are let down because you didn't like this record as much as the last record…well, you just have to be a little more forgiving, or move on."

Hammett: "'Forgiving' is totally the right word, because after all it is just music. You can live through it."

Guitar World: Speaking of mysterious subject matter, Kirk, you brought a pretty tripped-out ESP guitar with you today, which goes well with this issue's cult heroes theme.

Hammett: "More like occult heroes. [laughs] Basically, for this guitar, I gave the artist [American painter] Mark Ryden a list of topics, and I said, 'Translate these ideas into your vision and paint it onto the guitar.' There's a bee, which is symbolic of knowledge; the raven, symbolizing secret knowledge; and then the all-seeing eye, symbolic of universal knowledge. Caduceus [a symbol formed by a short staff entwined by two serpents] symbolizes the tree of life, but if you notice it also resembles a DNA strand [a double helix]. Then there's the hand from heaven, the Rosicrucian rose and my astrological sign, Scorpio, as well as assorted skulls and a yin-yang. It's full of numerology, astrology, occult and religious symbolism."

Jones: "It's an amazing-looking guitar. I love all the light sources beaming off of the female shape, and the design at the center, over the pickups, which I see as a life-and-death thing. Mark Ryden is really the icon of this current underground, up-and-coming art movement, and he's paved the way for a lot of people who have similar approaches. I've seen his paintings in person in Seattle, and he is a master at what he does. I'm glad he's now getting the recognition. And Kirk's going to play it and scratch it all up? He should just put it under glass and hang it on his wall. Or better yet, give it to me. [laughs]"

Hammett: "It's gonna see some wear and tear, but that's its purpose. Plus, Mark said he'd do touch-ups when they're needed."

Guitar World: It seems you're both very thoughtful when it comes to studying hermetic philosophies. Do you find them useful in adding order to your lives outside of the musical realm, too?

Jones: "The order is already there. It's just that we're making ourselves aware of it. Sacred geometry is basically studying anything and breaking it down to its purist form, be it a symbol, shape, color, vibration or sound. That's what our life is. It goes outside who we are as people, the earth or the universe, into the spiritual realm or even an unconscious collective realm."

Guitar World: Going back to your guitar, Kirk, what specifically fascinates you about symbolism?

Hammett: "Well, as far as symbolism goes, there are different schools of thought, like how colors can influence your mood or perspective. Different symbols, like the all-seeing eye or the rose, will trigger different things in your psyche or unconscious. All this stuff is influential on some level and has an impact on the person surveying it, whether on a quantum level or a more overt level. I'm really interested in that sort of thing. Another good example of this is Jimmy Page's use of the ZoSo sigil, which he had written on his outfit. [A sigil is a word or symbol of supposed occult power. Page's ZoSo symbol first appeared on the packaging of 'Led Zeppelin IV' and later on his stage outfits.] He thought that it helped his music and artistic direction. I'm totally into how certain images can influence the subconscious mind. On a very basic level, if this guitar was stark white I would feel completely different about it. The fact that it has this amazing graphic on it inspires me and moves me."

SuperGroup !!!!!

HI,
I kinda like to discuss about supergroups. What is supergroups? According to wiki "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups. Supergroups tend to be short-lived, often lasting only for an album or two. Additionally, supergroups are often formed as side projects that are not intended to be permanent.
Among the one I love are cream,derek and the dominoes, newer ones like audioslave and velvet revolver. And the one everyone is waiting is chickenfoot, comprising Joe Satriani, Sammy Hagar, Chad smith and bassman Michael Anthony. I think it is going to be awesome. Here is some press about it -

By MICHAEL CHRISTOPHER Times Music Columnist

What group is just as good as Led Zeppelin and ten times what Van Halen ever was? If you believe Sammy Hagar, who used to front the latter, it’s his new band, Chickenfoot.

And despite the terribly unfortunate moniker, there are some instantly ready for primetime players involved that could make this a rock act for the ages.

Joining Hagar is his fellow ex-Van Halen bandmate, bassist Michael Anthony, Red Hot Chili Pepper Chad Smith on drums, and guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani.

“When people hear the music, it’s Led Zeppelin,” Hagar told the Canadian Press last year. “I know that’s a mighty bold statement, but it’s as good as that – we could rival Zep.”

The tequila entrepreneur later distanced himself from the statement, saying he might’ve been indulging a bit the day of the interview, which was during a press day in Toronto to discuss the selling of his majority share in Cabo Wabo Tequila.

“I got (expletive) ripped and I said something stupid,” Hagar later told Guitar World magazine.

“I told (Satriani), ‘I’m so enthusiastic about this band, I might’ve said something.’ But I was buzzed up. What are you gonna do?”

He seems to be sticking beside his other statement though, that, “It’s 10 times Van Halen, because it’s functional — we all like each other.”

The Chickenfoot debut is due to drop at some point this spring, possibly in April, with a rumored nine songs already mixed and ready to be pressed.

The first snippet of music that has been released on the still-under-construction Chickenfoot homepage is a moody, grinding beat that isn’t short on providing instant goosebumps.

Hagar doesn’t do any singing, instead speaking over the riff he asks, “Is that that new thing Joe? It better be. Huh? Talk to me chief — is that it Joe? Well that’s cool Joe … we like it.”

Satriani, while highly respected in music circles and drooled over by guitar geeks everywhere, has never been part of a group that attained any degree of mainstream success. Sure, there was a brief stint in Deep Purple after Ritchie Blackmore bailed for the umpteenth time in the early ’90s, but this will be the first time that he’ll join a true cast of heavyweights in creating something from scratch.

“For years now I’ve wanted to do something with a real vocalist and a real band, and I came close a few times but nothing really panned out,” Satriani told MusicRadar recently.

“This time is different. What I’m doing with Sammy and the rest of the guys feels right. We get together, we have a lot of laughs, and great things happen musically.”

The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ current hiatus, or “disbanded for the moment” status, according to singer Anthony Keidis, leaves Smith free to bring the funky grooves which have distinguished that band from any other out there.

But the real secret weapon is Michael Anthony, who besides his solid abilities on the bass, is hands down one of the best backing vocalists in rock and roll.

His missing harmonies were the only thing that kept Van Halen’s reunion with David Lee Roth last year from being truly amazing as opposed to just great.

Anthony has always been in lockstep with Hagar, whose voice still sounds youthful and full of energy at the age of 61.

The only worry is whether or not the lyrics by the Red Rocker, which in the past have ranged from deep and insightful to embarrassing and bland, will equal what has the potential to be a truly great supergroup.

Defining a supergroup

The union of the musicians in Chickenfoot has the word “supergroup” popping up in most articles. But some people are saying that it can’t possibly be worthy of the title, because it’s really just a second tier former member of Van Halen, a solo singer who got lucky in having success with that same band, a guitarist that while technically brilliant, most people haven’t heard of, and a drummer whose main gig may or may not have closed for business.

Make no mistake about it: Chickenfoot is a supergroup —- at least for the time being. The definition of a supergroup is any gathering of artists already well-known for being in another act that combine their individual talents to create an album or two of material. The rule of thumb is that at least three quarters of the group come from somewhere recognizable.

Blind Faith from the late ’60s is a good example, with Steve Winwood, Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker, all no strangers to playing arenas, with bassist Ric Grech the only real unknown at the time. Only one record resulted from the collaboration, the self-titled “Blind Faith,” and it’s considered a classic to this day.

The members of Blind Faith went on to have even more success in the wake of the dissolution of the group, but the question is, why start them in the first place?

First of all, it’s a no-brainer, especially when there’s the instant money making machine factor to be considered.

Look at Audioslave, which dropped ex-Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell in front of the mic for the core of Rage Against the Machine, whose singer Zack de la Rocha split in 2000.

Fans of both artists flocked to shows, and were rewarded for their interest, but it was limited to three studio recordings, and an unceremonious end fraught with tension and, according to Cornell, “personality conflicts.”

Still, the group was a cash flow for everyone involved, with chart topping singles, videos and tours around the world packed into an intense five years.

Then there’s the case of the artists that just need to step away from their respective bands to further express creativity, sometimes out of a common interest.

Such was the case with Mad Season, a Seattle-bred ’90s supergroup that had Alice In Chains’ Layne Staley linking up with fellow grungesters Barrett Martin, drummer for the Screaming Trees, and Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready, who had met bassist Baker Saunders in rehab and decided to form the outfit.

The common interest in that case was drugs.

Unfortunately, it was also responsible for its downfall.

After a near masterpiece of a debut, “Above,” Saunders checked into the hereafter after a relapse while battling a long addiction heroin. Staley followed him a few years later.

Most supergroups tend to muster up enough common ground to last just two albums though, it seems like that is the standard shelf life no matter how strong the intentions; and the second one is almost never as good as the first.

The Firm, with Jimmy Page and Paul Rodgers, managed just two records, the second which didn’t even hit shelves, passing go and heading directly into the dreaded cut-out bin.

An all-star cast of top-tier musicians created The Traveling Wilburys, but the combined talents of George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne could only sustain for a pair of albums. They get a pass though; despite Orbison’s death in 1988, the group soldiered on, but it just wasn’t the same.

More recently, Velvet Revolver completed a successful world tour for its sophomore release and celebrated by parting ways with vocalist Scott Weiland, who went back to his original group, Stone Temple Pilots.

Ex-Guns ‘N Roses members Slash, Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum, along with guitarist Dave Kushner, are supposedly still looking for a new frontman, but haven’t found one yet, and might come to the conclusion that that sort of lighting only strikes once.

But sometimes it happens twice – sort of.

Crosby, Stills and Nash were an example of a traditional supergroup, where all the members come from reasonably successful bands. Then Neil Young of Buffalo Springfield joined the ranks in 1969, and the supergroup arguably became a super-duper group.

CSN, and sometimes Y, ended up releasing a fair number of studio albums; over a half-dozen at last count, and that alone is a rarity.

And what happens when a supergroup makes it past the two albums? Well, then they become a full-fledged band — but that’s harder than it sounds.

Bad Company pulled its members from Free, King Crimson and Mott the Hoople for a string of successful albums and charting singles in the ’70s, but when Paul Rodgers went off to join The Firm in 1984, the group continued on in various incarnations, leaving its legacy as nothing more than a band with its best days 30 years ago.

It’s clear that eventually, all supergroups come to an end. Then what?

For the most part, the individual musicians end up on their feet, often becoming more prolific.

Cornell is currently prepping the release of his second solo album since leaving Audioslave in 2007, and routinely performs the group’s hits “Like a Stone” and “Cochise.”

Weiland completed a successful reunion tour with STP and is now on the road to support a solo effort. Rodgers isn’t missing Bad Co.; he’s doing quite well as the current singer for Queen.

And the members of Crosby, Stills and Nash regularly play together, with the ever busy Young still joining them on occasion.

Music columnist Michael Christopher appears Thursday nights at 9:45 on 1210-AM “The Big Talker” with Dom Giordano. To contact him, send an e-mail to rockmusicmenu@hotmail.com