An Interview With Greg Hampton of Science Faxtion and The New Czars!

GREG HAMPTON is a Renowned multi-talented singer, songwriter, musician and producer. He has worked with countless acts as varied as: Alice Cooper(featuring Slash) , Science Faxtion(along with BucketHead) , Lita Ford, Bootsy Collins, Tommy Bolin Whips and Roses I & II, Ron Wood; Rick Derringer, Bogert & Appice and lots more as well !


He has now released his album titled "Doomsday Revolution", done with the Trio Band called "The New Czars", featuring Greg Hampton himself along with Bassist Paul III and Drummer David "Chilli" Moreno, who have worked with Bruce Dickinson, Puddle of Mud, Courtney Love and many other artists too !



We got Greg Hampton himself to talk about his Latest Release, the Idea behind it, and share his past experiences as well as a Guitarist, Producer and a Song Writer !

Here's the full interview :
"

BeaRockr: How did "Science Faxtion" come up and how was the experience of working with Buckethead altogether ?

Greg Hampton: It was originally going to be an old school Bootsy solo funk record that I was going to produce & co-write, and Bootsy Came up with the idea to make it a band with me and those guys!

Buckethead is a very talented cat. We didn’t work very closely together, but we do share a few copyrights though!


BeaRockr: Did you talk to Buckethead about his "Guns n Roses" days ? What were his reactions on it ?

Greg Hampton: No not really, I don’t think he likes to talk about it. However, Slash and I talked about it ! Its Like talking about ex-wives, certainly not a very good topic of conversation ! Like asking a guy how his ex-wife was in bed. Not really a good campfire small talk!


BeaRockr: Slash played a solo for Alice Cooper's album "Along Came A Spider”(co-produced by you). We've seen Slash perform live innumerable times. How would you describe Slash in the Studio ?

Greg Hampton: Slash is the ultimate professional, He’s prepared, is a great guy to communicate with, and a lot of fun! He's just a great guy on a personal level too. And his new solo band is bad-ass! We have lots and lots of mutual friends. So its always kinda like a family reunion!


BeaRockr: So, how and when did the idea of forming "The New Czars" come up ?

Greg Hampton: I started writing tons of ideas that didn’t really fit into Science Faxtion or Alice Cooper or Lita Ford. And started stockpiling lots of ideas, musically that seemed to be turning into ‘their own thing’ !

It really started out as a solo record, because I had 80% of the basic riffs and song structure’s for the Record written long before I played it for anyone, at all!


BeaRockr: How would you describe Paul Ill and David Moreno as musicians and co-members of the band ?

Greg Hampton: They are amazing players! Some of the bass parts on the record are my original bass parts , and I wanted to keep it with my original feel that I had when I composed the song , and a few things. My assistant and I actually programmed the drums, but Chilli smoked some GREAT PERFORMANCES with the Kieth Moon, Neil Peart, Bonham & Pocaro influences !


BeaRockr: What’s your pick : “Science faxtion” or “The New Czars” and Why?

Greg Hampton: The New Czars sounds like a musically more complete sort of record/statement , It seems to have more depth, and musically has more integrity. And, it was all mine as far as the creative control is concerned ! Didn’t have to answer to anyone, nor compromising my original vision of how I heard the music in my head !


BeaRockr: Any Future plans in mind for "The New Czars" ?

Greg Hampton: Hope to do some shows behind this record, depending on who I have 'friend wise' going out on tour. And I'm always writing and recording, some of the upcoming songs will be Released Digitally( A new E.P. that will follow the European release on OCTOBER 18TH ), but the line up will continue to change some, so it stays fresh for me.

Frank Zappa & Prince are a perfect example of what I aspire to be, always evolve musically with different types of players interacting. So it stays sounding fresh and keeps my interest going!

And gives me the musical freedom to continue to grow. I don’t like boundaries, It’s a good ‘Day Job’ for producing. But can sometimes be a bit boring on a personal musical experience.

I Have hundreds of new Song ideas right now, that will find a home on my records, or whomsoever I will be working with, producing and writing with in the future. God Willing, I'm very very fortunate!
"

We'll soon be posting a Review of The New Czars' Album "Doomsday Revolution" too ! Stay tuned Guys!

Greatest Rock Frontmen

This list has been the toughest one for me to select and sort out the best amongst the best. Me being a vocalist too, feel that without a great frontman in a band a live performance cannot live up to the expectations of the crowd. Though how much good the music is but if the frontman is poor the crowd will hesitate to indulge themselves with the band. The list basically focuses on the stage performances done by these great vocalists and not on their vocal abilities.

I have also attached some of their live performances for all you rock fans to get some glimpses of some of these immortal artists who taught us How To Rock !


6. Roger Daltrey ( The Who) - Till date people want to rush to a concert of The Who not because of their music( no doubt about their music, Its legendary) but because of Daltrey's Stage performance which is still the same as it was during the 60's. He had been an icon for many modern rockstars and classic rockstars like Bono, Steven Tyler etc.













5. Bono (U2), Jimi Hendrix - I am compelled to put these rockers together because it was very difficult for me to exclude one frontman from these 6 sorted out vocalists. Coming to hendrix, he had been an on stage legendary rocker. People preferred to listen his live performances rather than his studio recordings because of his crazy and wild acts of guitaring on stage. When it comes to Bono, there is only one thing that is ignited in a concert of U2 among of all ages and that's: Emotions. Every concert of U2 has got an emotional touch. Bono is the man who can easily bring out tears in eyes of each of his fans.








4. Bruce Springsteen- Well, I earlier had completely forgot "The Boss", but my really kind friends notified me in the "Comments Section" below. Well, any such list without Bruce Springsteen would never be complete and creditable, and I honestly agree to that too. Bruce has been a great entertainer on stage, and he seems to have such ounces of energy , that its really difficult to get your eyes off him for even a moment. He bangs on his guitar so hard, and the audience is simply dancing to his tunes all the time ! The guy is simply a GOD on stage. What a pity I forgot to mention him !









3. Jim Morrison ( The Dorrs)- The poet, the legend, the icon and the greatest star. I think this man was the most weird performer and it was his weirdness only that became an acclaimed style. Girls were fond of his doped behavior and his hairstyle and his high IQ level. He was a versatile man and every kind of person adored him. Some liked him for his intelligence, some for his high doping attitude and some for his weird and censored acts on stage.











2. Freddie Mercury ( Queen) - What more a crowd would want if the vocalist himself is singing " we will rock you" for them. He had a unique quality of charging up the crowd and compelling them to sing with him. Definitely there had been a huge loss in the entire rock history by losing a man who had so much of versatility in music and frontmenship.










1. Elvis Presley / Mick Jagger (The Rolling Stones)- No comparisons with any other frontmen for these two rockers! They deserve this position For sure.

About Mick Jagger, I know he is not a great vocalist like Freddie Mercury and Roger Daltrey but when it comes to performance, then he is a God. The toughest job in a concert of The rolling Stones to handle the crowd. The crowd in their concert has always been huge and each person in the crowd had only one desire : to jump onto the stage and hug Mick Jagger!!






And Finally, about Elvis Presley : The King of Rock n Roll ! The man who started it all ! He had a really versatile voice and left his mark on almost all genres known, notably Rock n Roll, Blues, Pop, Country and Ballads. Right from his start, He has created innumerable records in terms of Concert Audience, Album Sales and Ratings. Not only as a Rock n Roll frontman, He is also known for his enchanting personality and has been honored with various Lifetime Achievement Awards too. He Set The Trend That Others Now Follow !

Top 5 powerful Hard Rock vocalists

The list is based on the voice power that they had during their active years. I'm not bothered about their vocal abilities/techniques. Here I'm just focusing on their vocal power (including their low notes too). The list also based on voice power showed in their respective live performances.








5. Eddie Vedder- Well obviously this man is highly notable only for his dominating powerful voice. He showed his power in many of his songs like Resolve, Jeremy. After covering The Who's song "Love Reign O'er me" Vedder showed the whole world his damn wide vocal range with a commanding high pitch voice.










4. Roger Daltrey- The first rock vocalist to scream so high without using the falsetto technique. When his song Love Reign O'er me was released the whole rock society was shocked to listen such kind of a powerful vocal performance. Daltrey was basically notable for his relaxing voice but by this song he showed that he is truly hard with his voice and a high pitch singer like no other.











3. Robert Plant- Best to hear Plant is in his live performances. He struggled a lot to reach his high notes but he did managed to do it. In some of his studio recordings it sounds very interesting to hear his voice and we can learn a lot. his low notes were pretty dominating and in high notes, well he is the king of G.











2. Ian Gillian- Joe Satriani commented "He can scream like no other". Its 100% justified. Yes, he is the man who never gets tired while screaming. His voice is so strong that even in his live performances he used to hit the high notes till the end of the show with the same perfection that he had during the beginning of the concert. Well nothing more to write about this man, everyone's knows him.










1. Freddie Mercury- When it comes to vocals no matter what the category is, Freddie is always seen topping the charts. The strongest vocal power that a vocalist had in the entire rock history is this man. Never used to struggle his high notes on live performances and never made a mistake while hitting a note. He had a very good control on his voice and that's why he is the best.







An honorable mention, that was recommended to me by a really kind friend blogger in the "Comments Section" below : Jimmy Barnes ( From the COLD CHISELS )

Greatest Metal Bands

I Found It Relatively Easy To Choose The Best Metal Bands Of All Time ... Though , Most Bands Today Claim That They Are Metal by their Genre , But Only Some Bands Have Been Able To Prove That They Definitely Are Worthy Bands Of This Genre ...

So , Here Are Some Of The Greatest Metal Bands ( In No Particular Oder):


Black Sabbath :-

Without any doubts , they have been the best and still are the foremost inspiration for all bands of today . Ozzy Osbourne , the Well Accomplished Vocalist of this band is also one of my favorite vocalists and what I find the most amazing feature of this band is the vocal-guitar Duo ... The riffs are just perfect and also , the bass is just as Fabulous... A perfect, and most importantly, a Unique Band of their Time and Now too!



Iron Maiden :-
The Big Daddys of Metal as I like to refer them ... Exquisite vocals by Bruce Dickinson also make him One of the Greatest vocalists of all time ... Such wonderful compositions like "Dance Of Death ", "Hallowed Be Thy Name ", "Tears Of The Dragon " are so much versatile that you just find it hard to miss any part of the song ...They put a lot of contrasting variations in their Songs too , like - 'Dance Of Death' and 'Tears OF The Dragon' ... Overall , a very tight and definitely The Most Versatile Metal Band !




Metallica :-
The most wonderful part of this Band is that it has just 4 members and still you dont feel something's missing !! ... Kirk Hamett has pulled it off with some great riffs like 'Master Of Puppets' And 'Seek And Destroy' , and the Drummer Lars Ulrich has been very much energetic too( Listen to St. Anger , for example! ) ... James Hetfield too has shown some great variation in his vocals in songs like 'Master Of Puppets' and then with a soothing heavy voice in 'Nothing Else Matters' ...





Judas Priest :-

Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band Whose Members Are bass player Ian Hill, vocalist Rob Halford and guitarists Glenn Tipton and K. K. Downing , But their drummer had been changing throughout the years ... Well , their songs have excellent heavy vocals backed by really wonderful riffs like that of 'painkiller' or 'Victim Of Changes' ... I really admire the tone of the guitar in the band too ... They have also been rightly called "Metal Gods" ( from a songs of theirs by the same name ) !



Slayer :-
Really heavy vocals and sound Too ... I would say that they are My Favorite if you consider other bands of their genre like Lamb Of God and the likes ... They have some really Awesome Drum techniques, with the Double Bass Been played really well . Then, the guitar riffs are also Exceptional too ...




Pantera :-
Definitely Really Good Riffs And Solos ... Their compositions are also interesting, As in, they were really very Heavy in Songs like "25 Years" Or "Shedding Skin" and then so much melody in "Planet Caravan " ... Also, the drums jell really well with the guitar...





Megadeath :-
Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1983, by Dave Mustaine following his departure from Metallica... The Band Is Really Very Original and have a distinctive guitar style, often involving complex, intricate musical passages, and Really Unique And Experimental Vocals Of Dave Mustaine



Dream Theater :-

They are a really sensible band with some actually very pure kind of sound ... and their line-up is also great ... With some exceptional drums, Exquisite Guitar, and really varied vocals ... The thing I like the most Is that the band is a Mix of a Very Melodious Synthesiser by Kevin Moore and the fast guitar playing of John Petrucci(also played In The G3)... The band was influenced by Rush and Iron Maiden ...




Motorhead :-
Well, Some Real Fast And Heavy Songs Define This Band .. They Are Also Famous For Giving various WWE Themes For The Wrestlers Too ...

Greatest Rock Guitarists

I Had Really A Tough Time On This One ...... There Are So Many Great Guitarists In The History Of Rock, And Picking Up Just The Better Ones Is a Much Difficult Job ....

**I Was Having a lot of trouble in finalizing a Top 5 List, And So I Have Given Some Guitarists The Same Spot Too.. But That Should Not Be Considered As If They Were Same In Their Skills And Ability ... It Was Just To Put Them In This List, Because They Deserve It .... So, Here Are The Top 5 ( In No Particular Order Though )



1. Jimi Hendrix :-
Undoubtedly , The Best Now And Forever . He Gave The World The Meaning Of Being a Rock Guitar Player . The Most Unique, Most Original And Innovative Guitar Player . His Solos Were Not Very Exceptional , Compared To Today's List Of Guitarists , But They Were Definitely Original. He Must Be Regarded As the Creator, the Inventor Of Today's Type Of Riffs And Solos . I Am Speechless To Describe Him Further .







2. Eric Clapton :-
A Very Exquisite Guitar Player. His Riffs And Solos Are So Much Expressive That You Feel His Emotions Into His Guitar. I Would Regard Him as The Best Living Legend In Rock. His Compositions Like Layla And Tears In Heaven Are So Much Beautiful And Emotional That Its Quite Impossible To Even Play These With Such a Feel And Expressions as Mr. Eric Clapton ...







3. Jimmy Page :-
A Complete Rockstar ! The Most Versatile Of The Lot . He Has Given So Deep And Soft Riffs Like "Stairway To Heaven " and Then You Hear The Hard Riffs AS in "When The Levee Breaks" And "Kashmir " . His Solos Are Also So Very Impressive and he is also Regarded As The Beginning Of The Era Of Hard Rock( Even Metal ) Music...










4. Stevie Ray Vaughan/ Steve Vai :-
Stevie Ray Vaughan Revived The Blues Genre OF The 80's .. His Songs were So Inspiring And So Magical That You Cant Omit Him From Any Such Rankings...
Steve Vai, The "Talking Guitarist " As I Call Him As Proved His Skills And Originality In Various Songs And His Live Performances At The G3 jams Were a Joy To Watch.. He Has Always Done Different Great Things With His Band And The Tremolo Has Been His Speciality ...




5. Ritchie Blackmore/David Gilmour :-
This Rank Was The Most Confusing Since There Are So Many Guitar Players Left... But Somehow I Made Up My Mind And Chose the above two...
"Smoke On The Water", "Highway Star" , "Space Truckin " And Lots More ! The List Is So Amazing That Its Difficult To Forget This Guitarist ... Blackmore Was Such An Extremely Talented Guitar Player That His Riff In Smoke On The Water Has Become The Best Guitar Riff In History , And So Does It Truly Deserve To Be ...

David Gilmour , What Can I Say About Him ! Such Beautiful Solos That You Feel That He Wants to Say Something To You via his Guitar . His Solo In Comfortably Numb And Also Time, Are Perfect Examples Of What I am Talking About... Definitely Deserves The Top 5 in any List...

Some Honourable Mentions :-

Jeff Beck, Carlos Santana, Brian May , Paul Gilbert, Joe Satriani, John Petrucci, Slash, BucketHead, Keith Richards, Eric Johnson And Kirk Hammett

Greatest Hard Rock Duo's

The initiative for the creation of a song is mainly done by the vocalist and the guitarist of a band. What mainly happens is the vocalist writes the lyrics and the guitarist gives the tune. Lets see in the hard rock genre who are the greatest duo's. Well the list is ranked on the basis of their originality, duo relation and the compilation of the songs done during their time. I've sorted out 5 greatest hard rock duo's who actually defined hard rock.


5. Ian Gillan and Ritchie Blackmore, (Deep Purple)- As a duo they were perfect but only in the music field, Their songs really proved their outstanding efforts but they ain't the greatest duo because Blackmore left the band after few years of working with Gillan. There had been many clashes between Gillan and Blackmore which doesnt make them to get a higher position in this list. Creating only music doesnt mean that you are a great duo but both the members should compromise also and keep their relations strong for the band. In the song Strange Kind Of Woman this duo has proved that musically they had been a perfect duo but when coming to live performances of Purple I could see less participation of Blackmore with Gillan and the whole band. I didn't want to put them in the greatest 5 duo's but belive me guys its for the work that they had done in a short period of time which is completely inevitable.




4.Ozzy Osbourne and Toni Iommi, (Black Sabbath)- One of my favourite hard rock duo's ever. We cant's consider their genre as hard rock perfectly as some songs came in the heavy metal genre and some in the hard rock. These guys have created some greatest hard rock masterpieces like War Pigs, NIB, Children Of The Grave etc. These two musicians have just dominated the charts with their massive hits. I really admire their works and the power that they had in every song, it just makes be to do a headbanging. Truly they have been one of the most influential hard rock duo's till date and especially for the heavy metal fans out there, this duo is considered to be the gods of heavy metal. They really rocked in their live performances.


3. Jon Bon Jovi and Ritchi Sambora, (Bon Jovi)- It has been 23 years that the duo has been working for their band. Apart from their professional relation they are good friends and have a real strong bonding that's why they have managed to complete 23 years of their band. Not every song of their band is hard rock but the work that these two guys have done are very touching. Jon has got a huge talent of writing. His songs are very emotional and that charm is much more ignited by Richie's work. Somehow I felt that this duo is out of the track for this list but after thinking about it extensively I thought they should rule. I feel its the only band who can write love lyrics very well. Very few bands I have heard who has got a punch of hard rock with the essence of love. Overall they have sold over 120 million albums.



2. Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, (Aerosmith)- A very energetic Duo when performing live. I just love to watch them on stage rather than their studio recordings. Their live performances really proves that they are a perfect duo. Apart from their live act their studio recordings are excellent. Some of their greatest works are Dream On ( probably the best work done by them), Crying, Amazing, Jaded, Love In An Elevator etc. I really like the lyrics of Steven and the way Joe adjusts his guitar according to the concept of the song, well that's an interesting thing to learn from this duo.






1. Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, ( led Zeppelin)- The most versatile artists in the rock history. From hard rock to acoustic skills both were able to create wonders in any genre. Songs like Stairway To Heaven, Since I've Been Loving You, HeartBreaker, Good Times Bad Times, Communication Breakdown, Achllies Last Stand were one of the greatest Hard Rock pieces. Plant's lyrics and page's guitar wonder together made a stairway to success for their band. I dont write much about Zeppelin as the whole world knows about them except some facts. Their skills are unchallengable and unbeatable That's what makes them the Greatest hard rock duo of all time.



Honourable mentions-
Eddie Van Halen and David Lee Roth, (Van Halen)
Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, ( Kiss)
Brian Johnson and Angus Young, (AC/DC)
Axl Rose and Slash, (guns n' Roses)
Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield, (Metallica)
Rob Halford And Glenn Tipton/KK Downing, (Judas Priest)

Well this was the list of the greatest hard rock duo's but there were many duo's better than these duo's If I remove the word "Hard" from Hard Rock. Some of them are-

John Lennon and Paul McCartney, (The Beatles)
Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, (The Rolling Stones)
Bono and The Edge, (U2)
Freddie Mercury and Brian May, (Queen)
Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshed, ( The Who)
David Gilmour and Roger Waters, (Pink Floyd)

Greatest Keyboard/Guitar combination Rock songs.

Well, this list is based on the keyboard solo as well as the guitar solo together in a single song. These songs are ranked not on the basis of vocals, bass or drums, but I'm just focusing on the keyboard and the guitar solo in it , And These Are Also A Must For All Keyboard Players Out There To Cover. Below is the list of top 5 such rock songs.

5. Tarkus (ELP)- If the list would have been of greatest keyboard solo's then maybe I would have ranked it no. 1 but the list is about the combination of guitar and keyboard solo's that's why I put it on the 5th position. The song sounds quite funny to my ears. I find it hard to tolerate this song often. There is so much variety of keyboard solo's in a single song that I miss the presence of the guitar. I deliberately waited for the guitar solo to come but after listening for 14 minutes I finally heard the guitar solo. The guitar solo is nicely done but the solo should have been longer as the whole song is of about 20 minutes which includes the guitar solo of just about 3 minutes and the keyboard solo of about 14 minutes. The song is overall good but not balanced if seen from the Rock point of view. Dont cover this song, it may upset your guitar player!

4. Light My Fire, (The Dorrs)- Not the best guitar solo but it will work for this list as I think this keyboard guitar combination song is a great work done by The Doors. Definitely the keyboard solo of this song is one of the greatest solo ever done but still, I think Its not upto the expectation of the category. I wanted to rank it at 5th position but the guitar solo is much more better than Tarkus so overall I rated this song in 4th position. To some extent I think this song is a balanced song to cover as there wont be any quarrel between the keyboardist and the guitarist. Both the players have enough parts and as well as a creative piece. And band's, I think you can try to cover this song.

3. Dance Of Eternity, (Dream Theater)- One of the finest progressive metal bands. A very powerful song which shows the deadly domination of the keyboard. I really love this song as both the solo's, the keyboard as well as the guitar run simultaneously. One of the best song to cover. Jordan showed a variety of his skills and expression in this song with a fabulous performance of 6 minutes. The keyboard playing in this song doesn't stop. It starts from the beginning and continues till the end with the guitar solo. You can get a huge variety of guitar riffs in this song and a must listen track for all the headbanging fans out there. Keyboardists can learn a lot from this song.

2. Lazy, (Deep Purple)- Thought to rank it 1st as both the solo's are awesome especially the keyboard. Song starts with the keyboard solo and ends with the guitar piece, Its really an innovative track but I was compelled to rank it on 2nd position as I think the song didn't show the combined rockability effect. I ain't saying that it lacked rockability but compared to the song which i've ranked 1st I think it deserves the second position. A very creative masterpiece done by Lord and Blackmore, well dont have much to say about them as everyone knows both are the legends. John Lord is the greatest rock keyboard player till date. Its the best song to cover and it will develop a very friendly relation with your guitarist...... lol. But yes, you both will be satisfied while covering this song as none of you can dominate on this, as both are equal. The best song to cover for a Rock Keyboardist.

1. Highway Star (Deep Purple)-Well this song includes one of the best guitar solos and one of the best keyboard solos. The most balanced rock song in this combination. A fast rocking keyboard solo played by John Lord and then comes an outstanding guitar solo by Ritchie Blackmore. A 6 minutes song and a well defined song, not so long and not too short. While listening to Tarkus I get bored after a while as so much of keyboard solo is becomes quite annoying after some time. But in this song Lord not only showed his originality but also a huge skills within a 1 min solo. Keyboard solo doesnt mean you have to play for a long time and show your best. If you are a good keyboard player then you can create wonders with your solo within a minute also and that's what John Lord proved with this Soundtrack. A tough job for the keyboardist to cover this song. Try it if you are well enough with your playing otherwise learn more skills then try to cover.Well If you are a hard rock Keyboardist then the best band to cover would be Deep Purple.

TOP 5 ROCK Keyboardists

This content is for all the keyboard players out there. I'm making a list of Greatest rock Keyboard Players who have proved that without a keyboard rock music can't be defined. Bands basically use keyboards as a filler but these keyboardists have dominated their songs with their keyboard solo's rather than the guitar. These keyboardists are basically ranked on their expression, originality, skills and popularity. Keyboard includes Organ, Synthesizer, Mellotron and Piano.


5. Jordan Rudess, Dream Theater- Its really difficult to search songs having keyboard solo's with the real punch of rock and thats why I have ranked Jordan in this list. After listening several keyboard players I found him very impressive and who can actually rock the Audience with his playing. His playing was original and creative and rocking. His solo's were not peppy which is the main problem I have faced while creating this list. Very few bands are there where you get to listen a dominating, rocking keyboard solo and Dream Theater is one of them.


4. Ray Manzarek, (The Doors)- He was the man during the late 60's who came up with his outstanding keyboard solo of "Light My Fire" and made people realize that its not only the guitar, even keyboards are well for solo purpose in the rock genre. His keyboard works are very creative. His solo's sounds peppy but if you want to learn keyboard then you must go through with his solo's. Must try to play his pieces. Some of his greatest works are Light My Fire, Riders On The Storm, Yes The River Knows, The End and Crystal Ship.


3. Rick Wakeman, (Yes)- Well I dont prefer to listen his tracks as I'm not that much interested in keyboards. Their songs dont have the charm of hard rock. Their keyboard solo's basically sounds peppy but I think its only his skills and creativity that he applied on his instrument for which I have ranked him at 3rd position. Well definitely this man deserves to be at the top because of his great expressions in his playing and I dont think there can be another keyboardist like him who can create such kind of masterpieces. Some of his greatest achievements were Close To The Edge, South Side Of The Sky, Roundabout, Siberian Khatru etc.


2. Keith Emerson, (ELP)- For me he is the best keyboard player!!!. If I remove the word rock from my mind then I would definitely rank him as the greatest keyboardist of all time but If I rank him according to the rock genre then I'll have to give him the 2nd place as he doesnt deserve to be the greatest in the rock genre. Though he belonged from the classic rock genre but his songs sounded very modern, like that of the space age. The only reason for which I have ranked Keith on 2nd position is because of his never ending originality. Greatest works- Tarkus, Karn Evil 9, Toccata, Take A Pebble etc.


1. John Lord, (Deep Purple)- The king of rock!!! The most unique rock keyboardist till date. The only rocker whose keyboard playing I can consider rock. His great skills and the sound that he used to create is outstanding and no other band is there who has created songs like Deep Purple. Very original very tough to cover. Players like Emerson, Wakeman, Manzarek had some kind of similarity but Lord is totaly different. He is actually the Lord of Keyboard. From child in time to Lazy, all the songs had different charm and if you are aspiring to become a great keyboard player then must listen Deep Purple. The most versatile, skillful and the most original keyboard player of all time and my Favourite too.

Greatest Rock Songs

Well this might gonna be the most controversial list but i'm ranking these songs according to its originality, musicality, creativity, instrumentality, impact and according to my music knowledge. Here it goes, the Greatest Rock songs that every rocker should listen and know about the musical depth of it.


10. Smoke On The Water(1972), Deep Purple- Well definitely I would say its not the greatest work done by this band. There are many other songs where they have showed their great musical abilities and skills but this song has really left the greatest impact on the rock generation, dont know why other songs were not able to do that. Whenever I talk about Deep Purple with people, they just start their talks about smoke on the water and specially the guitar intro. Though the song is excellent but i've ranked this song because of its guitar riff and a well balanced composition.

9. Smells Like Teen Spirit(1991), Nirvana- The Greatest song of Nirvana and one of the most memorable song for the rock history. The only part of this song which I admire is the drumming. Guitaring and vocals are fine as the solo of this song is not an exceptional one. The song gained much fame after Cobain's death. This song entered the alternative rock in the mainstream. The song has been critically acclaimed for its alternative charm and the lyrics. Overall, this song deserves to be on top ten.

8. Time(1973), Pink Floyd - Sometimes I find myself in a different world while listening to its intro. Honestly this band's musical sense is unbeatable. They have everything in this what a rock song should be compiled of. Gilmour's outstanding solo, Water's amazing lyrical work and the best part, the intro of the song makes it a great psychedelic rock song. This song has dominated the charts for over 14 years. So now you think why this song deserves to be on the list of top ten songs. Just listen to it guys and know about the greatest composition ever done by Pink Floyd.

7. Hotel California(1976), The Eagles- Two things that I really like about this song, the guitar and the vocal performance. No comparison in guitaring as one of the greatest guitar songs ever released and overall this song is a lovely masterpiece done by The Eagles. A great composition of country rock. The song's lyrical performance is well done. It topped the charts for abour 8 weeks in the early 1977. This song has now become a guitar lesson and its taught to every guitar learner.

6. Imagine(1971), John Lennon- When I say "Rock" the things that comes in my mind is a guitar, bass, drums, keyboard and vocals. But this song is quite different. I ranked this song because Sir. Lennon worked for a cause and made a change through his music. This simple song has left a deep impact on the world and Sir. John Lennon is the god for every human being. I wish this world could be the way Sir Lennon wanted. Not only for me but for the whole world this song is one of the most influential one. I want to rank this song at no. 2 but i'm ranking on the basis of everything not only on the basis of lyrics or impact.

5. Light My Fire (1967), The Dorrs- This song recieved success in many countries. The song is mostly Keyboard dominated having a very extensive solo. Lyrically very poetic, musicaly one of the finest and a great male vocal performance by the legendary Jim Morrison. This song rocked the charts everywhere and the cover version of Jose Feliciano's recieved grammy in 1969 for best male vocal performance and for best new artist. One of the best compositions of "The Dorrs".

4. Freebird (1973), Lynyrd Skynyrd - This Song featured on the debut album of this band and was the most successful song released by them. definitely its the best soft and hard rock comfination song. The song starts with a soft intro and ends with a long fast guitar solo. Its so energetic that I'm compelled to rank it on 4th as 95% it defines the rockabilty of a song. A heavy work done by the band members in this song. Their fast guitar solo is not notable only for their speed but for their musicality and its one of my favourite too. a song that every rocker must listen.

3. Like A Rolling Stone(1965), Bob Dylan- Lyrics, Lyrics and only Lyrics. I have mentioned earlier that I'm ranking the songs on the basis of everything not only on a specific field but I'm ranking this song only because of its lyrics. You will have to listen to this song for several times to understand its quality. I didn't like this song when I heard this song for the first time. I found Dylan's voice quite irritating but when I heard this song for about 15 to 20 times then I realised the lyrical ability that Dylan Showed. A simple song but a deserving rank.

2. Bohemian Rhapsody (1975), Queen ---- Well There's no one who can create a composition like Bohemian Rhapsody. The most unique song in the entire rock history. There are many rock songs where there is a sudden scale change or a sudden change in their music but no song is like Bohemian Rhapsody and that's why I have listed it at 2nd position. A unique song with unique lyrics and sound. I dont think the rock generation will get a song like Bohemian Rhapsody in future. An unforgettable song.

1. Stairway To Heaven (1971), Led Zeppelin- Just listen and know by yourself. I dont have to write on this legendary song. You know it or you will know it after you listen.

Freddie Mercury- The Greatest Rock Vocalist

The greatest rock vocalist of all time, no special technique used and no formal training done by this man but still he is considered as the greatest rock vocalist and the greatest male voice of this earth till date. Born on 5th September 1946 in Stone Town, Zanzibar and died on 24th november 1991 leaving a worldwide impact. His original name was Farrokh Bulsara. He had done his schooling in St. Peters located at Panchgani Near Mumbai(India) and his first school band was named as "The Hectics" where he played keyboard and vocals. He's Favourite subjects were History and English. After he had done his schooling he then moved to United Kingdom where he formed the band Queen with guitarist Brain May. He changed his name from Farrokh Bulsara to Freddie Mercury in UK to avoid discrimination.


This man is an inspiration for all the vocalists. Without having any legal training how can a man sing like this? Next to impossible but Freddie did it. He was best known for his voice throwing capability and the power that he had in his voice that made every song a superb song. He was one of the greatest live rock artists. Some of his greatest songs where he showed his best vocal abilities are Bohemian Rhapsody, Who Wants To Live Forever, Somebody To love, Under Pressure, Barcelona, Love Of My Life, Dont Stop Me Now, We Are The Champions etc. He had a vocal range of 4.5 octaves. His speaking voice was in the baritone range but most of his songs were of the tenor range.

The best song where Freddie showed his highest vocal ability is Bohemian Rhapsody where he showed an unusual style of singing. Starts with a clear and soft voice and changes to a choir singing with Brian May and Taylor where he shows his voice power and then again ends with a pleasant clear voice which is the most difficult part to sing. This song included too much of dubbing in its recording but its highly notable because of the excellence of Mercury's vocals.
Covering Freddie's songs is not only tough, but next to impossible. Even If you have a wide vocal range and you know too much of techniques, still it wont help you. I have heard many vocalists who can copy voices of legendary rockers but I have heard no one who can sing like Freddie Mercury. The way Freddie used to throw his words while singing, that was one of his greatest style and vocal ability.

One thing more that I would like to share about this legendary rockstar is that whenever he used to perform in a concert his vocals never gave up. In many Concerts of different bands after an hour or so the voice of the vocalist sounds tiring and is not able to manage his voice well but In the concert of Freddie Mercury you could never feel this. The way he starts at the beginning and the way he ends up the concert, after a long duration of performance his voice texture remained the same. You can never feel any tiredness in his voice. Thats what makes him an exceptional vocalist. He is also considered as one of the most influential Asian rockstar.

There's still no one who can challenge the voice of Freddie Mercury, and might never be too!

Top Ten Rock Debut Albums

Here is the list of top ten rock debut albums who made these artists to rock the world. List is based upon the popularity and impact it left on the rock genre.


10. Dire straits (1978), Dire Straits-

Well all of the songs in this album are not so fabulous but yes songs like Sultans Of swing, Water Of Love, Down To The Waterline had been quite influential. This album has been certified Gold, Silver, Platinum and 2X Platinum in different countries. The song Sultans Of Swing has been listed in the greatest rock guitar solo's. This debut album has been 131 weeks in UK album charts.

9. Aerosmith (1973), Aerosmith-

One song that comes in my mind when i listen to this album is dream on. Definitely this song has got such a power that this album surely deserves to be in the list of top 10. Album's genre is basically hard rock but much blues-rock. Nothing much to write about the rest of the songs in this album as it was only Dream On which made their album famous. But the works done in other songs are nice. This Album was certified Gold, Platinum and 2X Platinum

8. Kill 'Em All (1983), Metallica-

This debut album which was recorded in just 2 weeks on a small budget and only 1500 copies were sold initially and there was a bit of hope left in the members of Metallica that this ablum's gonna change their fate. But it did, now its been certified 3x platinum by the RIAA. The album is highly notable for songs like Motorbreath and Pulling Teeth which has a tempo of 168bpm and 200bpm bass solo. The sales of this album is about 3 million now in the US alone. This album is now one of the first and the most influential trash Metal albums.

7. KISS (1974)- Kiss-

definitely one of the greatest debut albums ever released. It took 3 weeks during the entire process of recording and mixing of this album. The band was just a year old when they released their first album in 1974 and the work done by them in this album is really awesome. Initially the album sale was about 75000 copies without holding any hit single from it. Later in 1977 it was certified as Gold as sales exceeded to 500,000 copies. Many of the songs in this album had became their permanent songs in their shows throughout the years.

6. Black Sabbath (1970), Black Sabbath-

This album is regarded as one of the first heavy metal album. Personally i feel its one of the finest albums of Sabbath. This album was released on Friday the 13th February 1970 by Vertigo Records and it reached no. 23 on Billboard 200 and stayed for over a year. Though the album was a huge sucess but it was crticized and was considered senseless. This album Somehow considered Black Sabbath as Satanists and the members were quite upset about it.

5. The Dorrs (1967), The Doors-

Light my fire, Break on through and The End were huge hits which were featured in this album. The songs Break on through and The End were released censored on the album. It was released in January 1967. Organ work in Light my fire is heavily done. About one million albums were sold worldwide. The album had been quite controversial after it was released due to Morrison's occult lyrics.

4. Appetite For Destruction (1987), Guns N' Roses-

Well, well, well... what a kickass debut made by this band. Every song of this album is worth listening. This album definitely highlights the essence of hard rock. The album topped the american Billboard 200 and has been certified Diamond by the RIAA. Till date more than 28 million albums has been sold and still its the fastest selling debut album in history. This album included many songs of GnR as their greatest hits like "Sweet Child o' Mine", "Welcome To The Jungle", "Paradise City", "My Michelle" etc. This album was considered as one of the heaviest and greatest classic rock album of all time.

3. Ten (1991), Pearl Jam-

Initially when it was released, success was lacking but in 1992 it had reached no. 2 on billboard 200. The lyrics of this album makes it a totaly different and unique album. Vedder mainly focussed on topics like abuse, lonliness and depression. The album has been certified 13 times platinum by the RIAA. Most of the hits of Pearl Jam were from this album only like Alive, Jeremy, Even Flow and Release. In 1993 it was the 8th best selling album. Around 9.6 million copies have been sold only in US. Undoubtedly I would say its a hard rock masterpice work done by this band. Its my favourite debut album.

2. Led Zeppelin (1969), Led Zeppelin-

The first album released by the legends and yes one of the legendary and notable albums of all time. This debut album went on to gross more than £3.5 million, just short of 20,000 times more than they invested!. During that time people were unware of heavy sounds and it was the Zeppelin's who introduced songs like Good times Bad Times and Communication Breakdown. This album is worth buying as varitey of songs are featured in it. Zeppelin really showed their skills in their first recording. By 1975, the album had grossed $7,000,000.

1. Are You Experienced? (1967), Jimi Hendrix Experience-

Definitely the best debut album till date. Not only as the best debut album but also its one of the greatest rock albums. And yes, its ranked 1 in the list of most influential guitar albums of all time. This album included Hendrix's R&B-based, Psychedelic, distortion- and feedback-laden electric guitar playing. This album has left the deepest impact than any other debut album in history. A must have album.

10 Greatest Rock Songs Of The 70's

Now this may be a controversial list, but I've been completely honest with it. So , here are the 10 greatest rock songs of the 70's that every rock fanatic should have heard. These songs are ranked on the basis of their originality, skills and creativity and not on the basis of their popularity. During the 70's there was indeed a huge competition and sorting out 10 songs out of thousands, was quite a herculean task. Here goes:

10. Love Reign O'er Me-

One of the finest compostions ever done by the Who. Most of the people would not agree with me and would instead want 'Don't get cooled away' over here, but this song's composition is unchallengeable and obviously the quality of Roger Daltray's vocals' is outstanding in this one. Daltray's vocals have changed this song into a power-packed masterpiece and why not, its the best rock vocal performance song till date. Keeping the vocals part aside, the intro of this song is also unique. All of the instruments had been used at their best. A fabulous song all together!

9. Highway Star-

During the 70's era, Deep purple rocked the charts but it was 'smoke on the water' which made them heavily famous because of its riff and the song was related to an incident that happened with Frank Zappa. But I consider 'Highway star' as one of the most skillful songs of the 70's. The skillful keyboard solo by John Lord, an exceptional guitar solo by Blackmore and a tight vocal performance by Gillan. This song proves to be a great hard rock piece and very few hard rock bands are there having such exceptional keyboard solos.

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8. We will rock you/We are the champions -

The anthem of the 70's and till date. They definitely rocked it in every concert and in every song. And this song has definitely rocked the 70's. Not only the 70's, even now, everybody sings this song and its the most common and amazing Rock Anthem ever.

7. Dream on-

I would say this is the best song of Aerosmith. They rocked the 80's and gave huge hits but I dont think any of their hits can be compared to 'dream on'. One of the finest lyrical, vocal and instrumental piece ever. A different song that emerged during the 70's with a great message; that's why I ranked it 7th in this list of the greatest rock songs of the 70's.

6. La Villa Strangiato-

5. Free bird -

One of the longest guitar solos in rock history. The song goes on and on and on, so fast that I feel they shouldn't stop! Boundless energy and enthusiasm fills the song completely. I 've heard many long guitar solos in many other songs, which start sounding monotonous after a while, but 'Free Bird' is sheer magic. It makes me go crazy everytime I listen to it.

4. Hotel California-

Now this is one song that every guitar player dreams to cover. Well yes, the acoustic version of this song outplayed its original studio recording. A wonderful intro and an amazing guitar solo! The guitar plucking in this song throughout is also commendable. The bass is also worth a mention. It deserves to be at No.4 for being a "Complete Composition" in terms of the instruments which are actually ahead of the vocals.

3. Bohemian Rhapsody-

How about this question : Is there any band out there that can create a song like Bohemian Rhapsody? For me, it is the most unique song in the history of rock. I'm probably at a loss of words on this one. An excellent masterpiece of of Freddie's wonderful vocals. Creativity, uniqueness and originality: this song has got everything. The Guitar Solos and the synthesizer are also very touching. What more can I say. Freddie rules !

2. Comfortably Numb-

A Wonderful Composition altogether and you can feel some kind of magic as the song progresses . While listening to Gilmour's solos, I just travel into a different world. I can feel the pain, the joy and the agony while listening to his solos. This is undoubtedly his best guitar solo. So are the vocals so mesmerizing.

1. Stairway To Heaven-

Now this one certainly needs no description. Simply the best!

Special Mentions :-

Born To Run-Bruce Springsteen, Brown Sugar- Rolling Stones ( I Really Wanted to include these two, but then, I also found it hard to remove any of the above songs in the list! ), Black Magic Woman-Santana, Fleetwood Mac- Go Your Own Way and Lots More.

*** Solo Players Like Eric Clapton and the likes have not been included in this list.

Rush- The greatest trio band ever

Formed in 1968 this Canadian band is composed of Geddy lee( vocals, bass and keyboards), Alex Lifeson( guitars) and Neil Peart (drums).This band is higly notable for their instrumental skills and has been considered as one of the most influential bands of the 80's. Their songs contained social and environmental concerns.

This band's main genre is Hard rock and progressive rock. Some of their songs were also considered as metal.

This band influenced bands like Metallica, Dream Theater and Symphony X. Some of their greatest hits are 2112, La Villa Strangiato, Anthem, Xanadu, Spirit Of Radio, Limelight, YYZ etc.


Geddy Lee's bass works are higly acclaimed. Some of Rush's songs where he had shown his Bass skills are YYZ, La Villa Strangiato, Anthem, Cygnus X1, Freewill, Xanadu, Animate, The big money, Distant Early Warning, Limelight........ the list in'st ending. Geddy Lee is ranked 7th in the list of world's greatest bassists. Apart from his bass works he served the band with his high pitched vocals which was once compared with the vocals of Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin. His low notes were not so strong but he was able to sing at a damn high pitch. He was also recognized for his creative synthesising works.


Coming to Alex Lifeson, his guitar riffs and solo's are quite impressive and skillful. His live performances are unforgettable. Some of his greatest works includes songs like La Villa Strangiato, Working Man, Freewill, YYZ, 2112 etc. His guitar pieces are awesome but yes not comparable to the solo's of Zeppelin's and Purple's. He is ranked 38 in the list of greatest rock guitarists. Its a hard task to cover the solo's of Lifeson.


Finally the drummer of Rush, Neil Peart. Nothing to say about this man. Ranked 1st in the category of greatest rock drummers followed by John Bonham of Led Zepp and 8th in 100 most skilled drummers. His contribution to the songs of Rush makes every song a hardcore package. Some of the songs that every rock drummer should listen of Rush are La Villa Strangiato, By-Tor And The Snow Dog, 2112 and Anthem. Just try to play these songs and your drumming will be improved to a great extent.


These musicians had served us some excellent songs during their period(70's and 80's). Must listen the tracks mentioned above and then you will know why I consider this band as the best trio band. Though the band has been ranked 97 in the list of greatest rock bands but as a trio band no one can challenge them. Their songs include everything, perfect solo's, outstanding bass, exceptionally skillful drumming and sensible and logical lyrics.


Hats off to you guys!!!!

Ian Gillan( Deep Purple)- the greatest hard rock vocalist

Born on 19th august 1945, this man has changed the rock scenario to a great extent. He introduced a new kind during the 70's. His great skills to belt his vocals from head voice to falsetto is his strongest and the most notable ability.

He introduced the vocal belting technique and now he is considered as the best hard rock vocalist. Ian possessed a very wide vocal range starting from low E2 to high D6. He was associated with many bands ( like Javelins and Episode six) but havent recieved much fame. After joining Deep Purple this man created a history.

Ian was quite sucessful when he played with black sabbath but was not able to show his best. Various songs of Ian where he has showed his vocal abilities are bloodsucker, space truckin, highway star, speed king, strange kind of woman etc. Child in time, which is considered as the best rock vocal performance song after love reign o'er me byThe Who. In the song Child in time Ian showed his full vocal range and is considered as one of the best achievements of Deep Purple. Ian starts with a soft voice at the beginning and gradually shows his high A5. In this song he showed a wide vocal range.




Every song of Purple has a different spark. Gillan used different techniques in different songs for eg. Space truckin where he used his harsh pitch and even in highway star. But personally i feel Child in time is easier than strange kind Of Woman. The finest vocal ability that Gillan showed in a song is Strange kind of woman. Repeating the high notes with his voice after Blackmore hits it with the guitar, thats really something interesting to watch. Gillan proves in this song that he is the best. Hitting a B5 so easily even on a live act, Thats what Ian did and this is why he is considered as the best hard rock vocalist.


The only vocalist, I feel who can give a tough competition to Ian Gillan is Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin. Though both the vocalists used different techniques and no doubt both had a very wide vocal range but still we can compare them on the basis of their live acts. Robert Plant is the king of G. No one can challenge his voice. He is an exceptional vocalist. But if I have to attend a concert then I would like to attend a concert of Deep Purple rather than Led zeppelin's ( keeping in mind only the vocal part) as Plant always struggled to hit the high notes on live acts(during his active years) but Gillan does not. Gillan's Vocals were stronger than Plant's.