Billy Idol - Billy Idol

Happy fifty-sixth birthday today (November 30th) to Billy Idol.

After his four song debut EP Don’t Stop (click here for that review) in 1981, rocker Billy Idol was ready to release his first full-length solo album. In July of 1982, the ten song album Billy Idol was released. The record reached number 45 on the US Billboard 200, becoming a gold seller. It also generated a pair of top selling singles.

New Kids on the Block - New Kids on the Block

Happy forty-third birthday today (November 29th) to Jonathan Knight.

Boston producer Maurice Starr was attempting to recreate the magic of when he discovered the guys who would become New Edition a few years earlier. In 1984, Jonathan along with brother Jordan, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg and Danny Wood were chosen out of hundreds of audition to be assembled as a new musical group. Together, the five would become known as New Kids on the Block.

Once Upon a Time (episode 5)

Week five for ABC's Once Upon a Time. This week's episode was entitled "That Still Small Voice", where we get a more focused look at Dr. Hopper/Jiminy Cricket.

Let's get to the episode breakdown, shall we?

En Vogue - Born to Sing

Happy forty-third birthday today (November 28th) to singer Dawn Robinson.

In the summer of 1989, Robinson along with Cindy Herron, Maxine Jones and Terry Ellis came together in Oakland, California, to form the modern day R&B girl-group En Vogue. Combining strong voices with beauty and intelligence, the ladies made a strong debut with their 1990 album Born to Sing which reached number 21 on the US Billboard 200 and number 3 on the Billboard R&B charts. Within six months, the album had sold over one million copies in the US alone.

Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (soundtrack)

Welcome to another edition of Soundtrack Sunday, and a very happy seventy-second birthday today (November 27th) to the legendary Tina Turner.

In the summer of 1985, Turner starred along with Mel Gibson in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, the third film in the post-apocalyptic sci-fi series (the first film being Mad Max in 1979 which helped make the then-little-known Gibson an international star and Mad Max 2: the Road Warrior in 1981). Turner’s role in the film is Aunty Entity, the ruthless ruler of Bartertown.

Fleetwood Mac - Fleetwood Mac

Welcome to another edition of Seventies Saturday, and also a happy sixty-sixth birthday to bassist John McVie.

By 1975, the British-American band Fleetwood Mac had already been making records for eight years. Their tenth studio album Fleetwood Mac was a breakthrough record for them in a number of ways. It was their first album to go multi-Platinum and their first number 1 on the US Billboard Hot 200 album charts (after being on the charts for nearly a year). It was also their first album to feature Lindsey Buckingham on guitar and Stevie Nicks on vocals; the couple brought a lot to the band including writing six of the eleven tracks here (with Christine McVie involved in writing four solo herself).

Stacy Lattisaw - Let Me Be Your Angel

Happy forty-fifth birthday today (November 25th) to American R&B, dance and gospel singer Stacy Lattisaw.

Recording her first album Young and in Love at age twelve, the following year in 1980 she released her second Let Me Be Your Angel This record went to number 44 on the US Billboard 200 album charts and number 9 on the Billboard R&B charts. It also generated a trio of singles.

Happy Birthday, Clem Burke

Happy fifty-sixth birthday today (November 24th) to drummer Clem Burke.

When Chris Stein and Debbie Harry were forming the band Blondie in 1975, Burke was their choice as a drummer for the group. Though the band has broken up and reunited a few times, Burke has always been there to pick up the sticks again.

He has also played with other bands and artists like the Romantics, Pete Townshend, Bob Dylan, the Eurythmics, Dramarama, the Fleshtones, Iggy Pop and Joan Jett.

For my review of Blondie's self-titled 1976 album Blondie, click here

For my review of Blondie's 1978 smash Parallel Lines, click here

The band also appeared on the 1980 soundtrack for American Gigilo which I reviewed here

Johnny Hates Jazz - Turn Back the Clock

Happy forty-ninth birthday today (November 23rd) to keyboardist/drummer Calvin Hayes.

In 1986 Hayes along with Clark Datchler (singer/keyboardist/guitarist) and Mike Nocito (guitarist/bassist) formed the Anglo-American pop/rock band Johnny Hates Jazz (Hayes and Datchler had previously been in a band Hot Club together). The new group’s first single was “Me and My Foolish Heart”, released in 1986.

Later that year they were signed with Virgin Records and in early 1988 they released their debut album Turn Back the Clock. The album entered the UK charts at the number 1 spot, quickly achieving double platinum sales status. In the US, the album reached number 56 on the Billboard Hot 200 album charts.

Book Review: Hurt Machine

Reed Farrel Coleman is an award winning writer in the field of Detective Novels. He has published a dozen novels across three running series, including seven as part of the Moe Prager mystery series. Hurt Machine is the seventh and latest in that series, to be released in December of 2011.

Happy Birthday, Tina Weymouth

Happy sixty-first birthday today (November 22nd) to musician Tina Weymouth.

The California born Weymouth met up with future bandmates David Byrne and Chris Frantz at the Rhode Island School of Design. Frantz and Weymouth dated and eventually helped found the Talking Heads in 1975. Two years later, she and Frantz married.

To help cope with a long hiatus, the couple formed a side project called the Tom Tom Club in 1980. The bassist still is active in music.

For my review of the Talking Heads 1980 album Remain in Light, click here

For my review of the 1981 Tom Tom Club debut Tom Tom Club, click here

JoBoxers - Like Gangbusters

Happy forty-ninth birthday this week (November 23rd) to bassist/keyboardist/songwriter Chris Bostock. The English musician was a founding member of the rock and soul group called the JoBoxers.

The band released their debut album Like Gangbusters in 1983, and it made its way into the top 20 on the UK Album charts. It also generated a trio of singles.

St. Elmo's Fire (soundtrack)

Friday (November 18th) was the fifty sixth birthday of singer/songwriter John Parr.

In 1985, Joel Schumacher directed a coming-of-age film about seven Georgetown University graduates adjusting to their post-college lives and the responsibilities of adulthood. The cast was made up of prominent young actors and actresses that were part of the 80’s Brat Pack genre: Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy, Demi Moore, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy and Mare Winningham.

Film: West Side Story (1961)

Earlier this season on Glee, McKinley High School was mounting a production of West Side Story for the fictional-school's play. The auditions and show performances were used as a backdrop for ongoing storylines with the characters. Many of the play's songs (brilliant compositions by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim) were featured on the show, sung by the talented cast.

Having not seen the film in decades, I decided to see if I could track down a copy. After all, this year was the fiftieth anniversary of the film's release. How hard would it be to track down a copy?

Turns out in the podunk town we live, impossible.

Blood, Sweat & Tears - Blood, Sweat & Tears

Welcome to an edition of Sixties Saturday, and a happy birthday also to saxophonist/pianist Fred Lipsius whose 68th birthday it is today (November 19th).

Lipsius was part of Blood, Sweat & Tears when the band released their second studio album in December of 1968. The self-titled Blood, Sweat & Tears was a commercial success, spending seven weeks (non-successive) at the top of the US Billboard 200 album chart and generating three top 5 hit singles. The album received the Grammy for Album of the Year in 1970. It also spent eight weeks total (non-successive) at the number 1 spot on the Canadian album charts. In the UK the album reached number 15 on the charts.

Kim Wilde - Kim Wilde

Happy birthday to English pop singer/author Kim Wilde who today, November 18th, celebrates her fifty-first birthday.

In the summer of 1981, she released her self-titled debut album Kim Wilde on the RAK record label in the UK. All of the songs were written by Kim's father Marty Wilde and her brother Ricky; she was backed by the UK symphonic rock band names the Enid. The record went Gold in the UK after reaching number 3 on those charts and Gold in Germany after reaching number 1. It also generated a trio of singles that did well in many countries across the globe.

TV: Survivor South Pacific (ep. 10)

Week ten of the new season of Survivor was titled "Running the Show" and clearly there was some stand out performances in the game. Who is actually in charge and does someone try to take that power?

Let's take a look at the details of the episode.

Bell Biv DeVoe - Poison

Happy forty-third birthday today (November 17) to Ronnie DeVoe.

After New Edition broke up in the late 80’s, three of its members went on to form a group called Bell Biv DeVoe (taken from the last names of Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins and Ronnie DeVoe). Their debut record Poison was released in early 1990 was a multi-Platinum seller and went to number 5 on the US Billboard Hot 200 and number 1 on the US Billboard R&B charts. The record is one of those that pioneered the “New Jack Swing” sound of the early 90’s, by combining hip-hop, funk, soul and pop music together.

Spandau Ballet - True

Next week we celebrate Thanksgiving here in the US, so I thought it would be nice to review one of those records I’ve always been “thankful” for. Here is one of those albums.

On March 4th of 1983, UK band Spandau Ballet followed up their second album Diamond (click here for that review) with a record that would become a huge seller for them and finally give them a breakthrough in the US market. True, with a strong mixture of jazz, soul and R&B, went to number 1 on the UK charts, going Platinum there, number 1 on the New Zealand charts and number 19 on the US Billboard Hot 200.

TV: Pan Am (episode 8)

This week was the airing of the eighth episode of ABC's Pan Am. Looking at the ratings numbers from Sunday night, the show actually recovered some lost altitude over the previous weeks. There were 5.69 million viewers this week which is slightly better than week five. Could we be seeing a comeback here?

Episode eight is entitled "Unscheduled Departure" where in the crew has to alter their course from Venezuela to Haiti due to a medical emergency. Let's take a look at the details.

Alexander O'Neal - Alexander O'Neal

The American R&B artist was born November 15, 1953, in Mississippi and moved to Minnesota at age 20. Alexander O'Neal spent a number of years on the Minneapolis music scene including the early days of the funk band Flyte Time with Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis and Monte Moir. They combined sharply dressed suits with smooth R&B grooves that helped define the signature "Minneapolis sound". When Prince helped the group get signed with Warner Brothers and had them change their name to the Time, O'Neal and Prince had a disagreement that lead to his leaving of the band. While Morris Day stepped in, O'Neal went solo.

In 1984, he was signed to Tabu records. In April of 1985, he put out his self-titled debut album Alexander O'Neal which reached number 92 on the US Billboard 200, number 72 in the Netherlands, number 21 on the US R&B chart and number 19 in the UK. The record produced four singles which did well on the R&B charts.

Happy Birthday, Anni-Frid Lyngstad

Today November 15th, sixty six years ago, Anni-Frid "Frida" Lyngstad was born in Norway. She had been singing since age thirteen, mainly in jazz and cabaret styles. At age 22 she won a national talent competition where the prize was a recording contract in Sweden. In 1969, she eventually hooked up with her future bandmates that would form the international singing sensations ABBA, enjoying success for a decade from 1972 to 1982.

In 1982, she returned to solo work with an album in English. Something's Going On was produced by Phil Collins and sold very well. It also produced a hit single "I Know There's Something Going On" which was a number 1 hit in Belgium, Costa Rica, France and Switzerland, and a top five hit in Austria, Australia, Germany, the Netherlands and Norway. In the US the single reached number 13 and was the twentieth biggest selling single in the US that year. It features Collins' amazing drums.

Frida continues her music career to this day, showing few signs of slowing down. In September 2010 she released her most recent album Reconnection. She is also involved in charity work and in environmental protection efforts.

For their self-titled 1975 album ABBA, click here

For the group's final album from 1981 the Visitors, click here

Thompson Twins - Here's to Future Days

Happy birthday this week (November 15) to London born Joe Leeway, multi-instrumentalist member of the Thompson Twins.

Building upon the success of the previous two albums Quick Step and Side Kick and Into the Gap (reviewed here and here respectively), the Thompson Twins continued their run with the 1985 release Here's to Future Days. Released on September 17th of 1980, the album reached number 5 on the UK charts and number 20 on the US Billboard Album chart (with a thirty-five week run total). It was also a Platinum seller in Canada. The incomparable Nile Rodgers co-produced this one with Tom Bailey.

Happy Birthday, Joseph "DJ Run" Simmons

Today, November 14th, is the 47th birthday of Joseph Ward Simmons, known to many as DJ Run, a founding member of Run-D.M.C., Reverend Run (as he is a practicing minister). In 2005, he and his family starred in the MTV reality show Run's House.

Here is the links to reviews of Run's albums I have done:

For Run-D.M.C., click here

For Raising Hell, click here

For the Krush Groove soundtrack, click here

TV: Once Upon a Time (episode 4)

Week four for ABC's Once Upon a Time. This week's episode was entitled "The Price of Gold", where Emma meets a young woman named Ashley desperate to get out of Storybrooke. It seems there is someone in town she is suddenly very eager to get away from. How does this all tie into the tale of Cinderella?

Let's get to the episode breakdown, shall we?

American Gigolo (soundtrack)

Welcome to another edition of Soundtrack Sunday.

In 1980, Richard Gere and Lauren Hutton starred in a film about a self-centered, superficial male prostitute in Los Angeles. With a budget of around $4.8 million, American Gigolo returned a tidy domestic box-office of almost $23 million.

The soundtrack recording did fairly well too. The album went all the way to number 7 on the US Billboard 200 Album charts. The cuts also spent a number of weeks in the top positions on the disco/dance charts. That is no surprise since Italian dance maestro Giorgio Moroder had his hand in writing all the tracks on the album.

TV: Charlie's Angels (2011, ep. 7)

This week was the airing of the final episode of Charlie's Angels. And that's a shame because this one, "Royal Angels", was probably one of the more tightly written episodes of the bunch. It had a believable, relatable plot that was well executed. No over the top stuff, no hard-to-believe elements. Just a straight-forward investigative episode.

Bummer.

Let's break it down for one final time...

Andy Gibb - Shadow Dancing

Welcome to another edition of Seventies Saturday.

After a strong selling debut album in 1977, Andy Gibb followed that up with his second studio album Shadow Dancing in April of 1978. The record was a solid seller across the globe; it went to number 15 in the UK, number 8 in Norway, number 7 in the US and number 1 in Canada. It also generated a trio of hit singles.

The Beat / The English Beat - I Just Can't Stop It

In the late 1970’s, a music genre known as “2 Tone” was created in the UK; it fused elements of punk rock, Ska, reggae, rock steady and new wave. And one of the bands that exemplified that sound was the Beat (known in the US as the English Beat). The band included Dave Wakeling (lead vocals and rhythm guitar), Ranking Roger (vocals), Andy Cox (lead guitar), David Steele (base guitar), Everett Morton (drums) and Saxa (saxophone).

The Beat’s 1980 debut album I Just Can’t Stop It reached number 3 in their native UK; in the US the album went to number 142 on the Billboard Album chart (with a fourteen week total run). The record was very popular among the alternative movements on college campuses, and it was also critically well received.

TV: Survivor South Pacific (ep. 9)

Week nine of the new season of Survivor was titled "Cut Throat" and indeed the game has gotten that way. A big episode with lots of emotion and a double-elimination. Now that's how I like my reality competitions.

Let's take a look at the details of the episode.

Neneh Cherry - Raw Like Sushi

As the step daughter of American jazz trumpeter Don Cherry, Neneh Cherry always had a thing for music. Her earliest work was with a punk rock band in London. She also spent some time as a deejay, playing rap music on a reggae pirate radio station.

In 1989, at age twenty four, she released her debut album Raw Like Sushi which did well across the international charts (number 7 in Austria, 10 in Germany, 4 in the Netherlands, 3 in Sweden, 6 in Switzerland, 2 in the UK and 40 in the US). It also generated five singles.

Happy Birthday, Mario Cipollina and Bill Gibson

Today, November 10th, is the birthday of San Francisco Bay-area bassist Mario Cipollina. He started out his music career in the mid-70's playing with a variety of bands including Stoneground, Freelight, Rocky Sullivan, and Sound Hole. His most famous gig, though, were the years he was part of Huey Lewis and the News (1979 to 1994). In the past he's also worked with Bruce Hornsby, Bruce Springsteen, Foreigner, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Van Morrison, Nick Lowe, Bonnie Raitt and Dave Edmunds. He continues to record and tour with many acts today.

Sunday, November 13th, is the birthday of drummer Bill Gibson who has been with Huey Lewis and the News since the beginning. He's always felt that the highpoint of his career was when the band was asked to be part of the "We Are the World" project in 1985.


Here are the links to the reviews of a couple of albums Mario and Bill did as part of Huey Lewis and the News:

For the band's self-titled debut album Huey Lewis and the News, click here

For 1982's Picture This, click here

Salt-N-Pepa - Hot, Cool & Vicious

As 1986 was coming to a close, the cool winter months were heated up by the debut album from the all-girl rap group Salt-N-Pepa. The group was actually a trio consisting of Cheryl James (“Salt”), Sandra Denton (“Pepa”, whose birthday it just happens to be today November 9th) and Deidra “Dee Dee” Roper (Spinderella, the group’s deejay). Hot, Cool & Vicious sold very well, going Platinum in the US and Gold in Canada. Chart-wise, it reached number 26 on the US Billboard Hot 200, number 27 in Canada, and number 7 on the US Billboard R&B charts.

DVD: Lindsey Buckingham - Songs From the Small Machine (Live in LA)

American singer/guitarist/composer Lindsey Buckingham has enjoyed a successful career for nearly four decades, both as a member of Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist. In September of 2011, he released his sixth solo album Seeds We Sow on his own label. In April of 2011, he filmed a concert in support of that album at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills; this month that show has been released on DVD and Blu-ray.

Having the opportunity to review this two-disk package this week, I thought I would share my thoughts with you all.

TV: Pan Am (episode 7)

This week was the airing of the seventh episode of ABC's Pan Am. Looking at the ratings numbers from last night, the show seems to be holding strong at 5.24 million viewers. This leveling seems to support the network's cautious awarding of five more episodes to the run. That will likely get them up to thirteen, but do they have enough fuel to warrant the back nine? We'll have to wait and see.

Episode seven is entitled "Truth or Dare" which starts out with an entertaining game of that title between the four ladies. Sadly, it doesn't stay there that long. Let's take a look at the details.

DVD: Peter Gabriel - New Blood: Live in London

Last month, rock legend Peter Gabriel released his ninth studio album New Blood, a collection of re-recordings of tracks through out his musical career but done with a full orchestra instead of a rock band. The idea for the record came about when he was doing some orchestral work for the second half of 2010 tour. On the record he worked with arranger John Metcalfe.

To go along with the CD, Gabriel filmed two performances in March of 2011 at the Hammersmith Apollo in London to be released as a 3D film experience as well as on DVD and Blu-Ray. I had the opportunity to check out the DVD of the concert this week and thought I would share my thoughts with the readers here.

TV: Once Upon a Time (episode 3)

After only the second episode of Once Upon a Time, ABC has already green-lighted the show for a full 22 episodes for the seaons. Now that's a vote of confidence I like hearing. The ratings for week two held solid from the debut.

This week's episode was entitled "Snow Falls", as we get more details of the first meeting between Snow White and Prince Charming. Let's get to the episode breakdown, shall we?

Back to the Future (soundtrack)

Welcome to another edition of Soundtrack Sunday.

It was the summer of 1985 and I was working my college co-op job in Randolph, NJ. I spent a lot of my weekends at the local movie complex at the mall in Dover. One of the biggest films was the fantasy comedy-adventure Back to the Future starring Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover and Thomas F. Wilson. Little did I know then that this was the opening volley of a trio of films that would become all-time favorites of mine.

TV: Charlie's Angels (2011, ep. 6)

The ratings on dead-show-walking Charlie’s Angels has stayed consistent with the last episode (5.57 million viewers for episode 5, 5.31 million viewers for episode 6). I guess there are plenty of people like me who want to see how it all comes to an end.

This week's episode is "Black Hat Angels", written by Douglas Petrie who wrote episode three. The episode opens with the police in pursuit of a man on foot who they then arrest. Turns out the arrested party is Bosely who says he has been framed. Cue the theme music...

Eagles - Eagles

Welcome to another edition of Seventies Saturday.

Glenn Frey, who is celebrating a birthday tomorrow November 6th, first teamed with Don Henley, Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner as a backing band for Linda Ronstadt on her debut album in 1971. They performed with her once live before going off to form their own band the Eagles. By the summer of 1972, they were ready to release their self-titled debut record Eagles, an album that did very well. It reached number 22 on the US Billboard Pop Charts and number 13 on the Canadian charts, and it also generated three Top 40 hit singles. The record was also popular with the critics; Rolling Stone magazine has ranked it at number 374 on its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All-Time.

Kool & the Gang - Emergency

Formed in New Jersey in 1964, Kool & the Gang dabbled in many music styles over the decades: jazz, R&B, soul, funk and disco. The core of the group consisted of brothers Robert “Kool” and Ronald Bell (the later whose birthday was celebrated this week on November 1st), George “Funky” Brown, and Curtis “Fitz” Williams.

On November 15th of 1984, Kool & the Gang released Emergency, their eighteenth album and one of their best sellers. The Platinum selling record went to number 47 in the UK, number 45 in Australia, number 41 in New Zealand, number 26 in Germany, number 24 in Canada, number 13 in the Netherlands and on the US Billboard Album chart, and number 3 on the US Billboard R&B chart. It also produced four hit selling singles.

Novella: A Winter Discovery by Michael Baron

In an earlier work When You Went Away, author Michael Baron introduced the Rubato family. Father Gerry had lost his wife shortly after the birth of their second child son Reese. Since that time he has found new love with Ally whom Reese and college-aged daughter Tanya call “Millie”. This short story A Winter Discovery follows the family as they prepare to celebrate Christmas.

TV: Survivor South Pacific (ep. 8)

Week eight of the new season of Survivor was titled "Double Agent". Last week Ozzy and Savaii put a plan in place to upset the game. Ozzy gave Cochran his hidden immunity idol and had his tribe send him to Redemption Island. The idea was he would go and beat Christine, leaving the tribes equal at the upcoming merge. They would say Cochran betrayed them, allowing him to infilitrate Upolu as a double agent. Did that plan play out?

Let's take a look at the details of the episode.

A Flock of Seagulls - A Flock of Seagulls

A quartet of musicians came from Liverpool, England. No, I’m not talking about the Beatles. I am talking about keyboardist/singer Mike Score (whose birthday is later this week on November 5th), drummer Ali Score, bassist Frank Maudsley (whose birthday is next week on November 10th) and guitarist Paul Reynolds. Together, with their wild hair and new wave groove, A Flock of Seagulls made a lasting impression on the MTV Generation.

Their self-titled debut album A Flock of Seagulls, released in April of 1982 sold well. It went to number 32 on the UK charts and number 10 on the US Billboard Hot 200. It also generated a number of international hit singles. Musically, the song is a concept album about alien abduction with the songs forming a sequential story line.

Happy Birthday, Adam Ant

Today, November 3rd, is the birthday of Stuart Leslie Goddard, the musician all of us 80's music lovers know as Adam Ant. He started out in the late 1970's as the leader of the New Wave/post punk group Adam and the Ants. In 1982, when the band split, he embarked on a successful solo career. In the late 80's he took some time to pursue an acting career and in the 90's started a family with his second wife.

Since 2010, Adam Ant has been back in the music arena, performing live shows and working on a new album.

In the early part of 1984, during my freshman year of college, I very briefly dated a photography major who was very into Adam Ant. She had photo albums full of pictures she had taken of him from his music videos as they played on MTV on her television. I kid you not. Suffice to say that relationship didn't last too long. How could I compete with that devotion?

The following are reviews I have done of Adam's earlier albums:

For Kings of the Wild Frontier, his 1980 album with the Ants, click here

For Friend or Foe, his 1982 solo album, click here

Samantha Fox - Touch Me

Samantha Karen Fox started her public career at age 16 as a topless Page Three model in the Sun, a British newspaper. Three years later in 1986, she recorded her first studio album Touch Me which went to number 17 in the UK and number 24 on the US Billboard 200 charts.

The US version of the release had a slightly different track listing for the second side of the album. Two of the tracks from the European release were replaced with different songs. For this review I will focus on the US track listing.

TV: Pan Am (episode 6)

This week was the airing of the sixth episode of ABC's Pan Am. The ratings have stayed consistent now for three weeks now, clocking in at 5.46 million viewers. Is it enough to keep it from getting cancelled? We shall see.

Episode six is entitled "The Genuine Article" and we see that plotlines are continuing nicely from previous weeks. Let's take a look at the details.

Jim Steinman - Bad For Good

Happy birthday today, November 1st, to composer Jim Steinman.

After the successful collaboration on Meat Loaf’s debut album Bat Out of Hell (click here for that review), Steinman was ready to work on a follow up album. Unfortunately, Meat Loaf suffered some problems with his voice that made recording not an option.

Happy Birthday, Rick Allen

Happy birthday today to Rick Allen. Born on November 1st, 1963, the drummer for the English rock band Def Leppard is truly an inspiration to everyone the world over.

Despite a tragic car accident when he was just 21 years old, Allen overcame the complete amputation of his left arm and continued to be one of the best drummers in rock 'n roll history. He and his wife Lauren even co-founded the Raven Drum Foundation, a charity with a mission to serve, educate and empower veterans and people in crisis.

My son was born with a right brachial-plexus injury which basically was nerve damage to his right hand and the lower half of his right arm. Though he has had some nerve and muscle graft surgeries when he was a toddler, his usage of his right arm is much less precise than most of us. We've often used Rick Allen as an example for our son, to show him how someone can overcome a situation like this to pursue the career they love.

Here are a couple links to Def Leppard albums I have previously reviewed on the blog:

For Pyromania from 1983, click here

For Hysteria from 1987, click here