Derek Moore's Blog

Rock legend Paul McCartney has a busy week ahead of him. In the midst of it, he'll perform a bunch of songs from his new album and stream the concert for all to hear via iTunes, according to NME.

On Thursday, the former Beatle will play songs from Kisses on the Bottom, his new album of (mostly) covers that is being released Tuesday (in the U.S.) and Monday in other parts of the world. The performance will take place at Capitol Records, where Kisses was recorded.

In addition, McCartney is getting his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Thursday. Macca also will be honored at a Friday gala as the 2012 MusiCares Person of the Year and play on the 54^th Annual Grammy Awards telecast on Sunday.

Phil Collen says that during his three decades with Def Leppard, the band always has retained their team spirit. In a wide-ranging interview with Music Radar, the guitarist was asked what he learned in the wake of the car accident, 27 years ago, that robbed Leppard drummer Rick Allen of his arm.

"What I soon learned about the band was that it was always about the people in the band, not just about the business," Collen said. "When bands lose that personal element, when they stop looking out for one another, that's when they run into all kinds of problems. We were a team – still are. We don't have egos and any of that crap."

Collen was also asked if plans were in place for a new Def Leppard album. "Recording, yes, but it'll probably [just] be a Def Leppard song or two," Collen said. "We're going to go on tour this summer, so we're going to try to have a new song together. Coming up with material shouldn't be a problem – I wrote two new songs this week. A whole album won't happen this year. I can be pretty sure on that."

Gene Simmons has revealed that KISS is in negotiations with the team behind Angry Birds for a spin-off version of the popular computer game. Speaking to Industry Gamers, Simmons said he's confident the talks "will become a deal." He also said KISS is talking with Sony Games about other video game projects. "We are really trying to take [video games] to areas that haven't been done before," said Simmons. "[Until now], we have stayed out of the marketplace because the ideas simply weren't exciting enough."

Simmons went on to say the gaming industry has impacted the music industry "in more ways than even it understands." "The more you control the music and the visuals, the more it becomes important," he said. "It becomes a part of you. Guitar Hero is pretty addictive. Once you play it, it's going to be tough not to want to get up in the middle of the night either alone when nobody is looking, or with your friends."

Adam Lambert has confirmed he will tour with Queen as the band's frontman this summer. "The intention is to pay tribute to Freddie [Mercury] and the band by singing some great songs," Lambert said, in an interview with Britain's Daily Star. "It's to keep the music alive for the fans and give it an energy that Freddie would have been proud of."

This past December, Queen drummer Roger Taylor had fueled speculation that Lambert might soon join him and guitarist Brian May. Taylor said, "[Lambert] has grown into a really great performer with an astonishing voice. We would like to work with him again. There's nothing signed just yet but we're talking about live dates."

The full slate of dates for the tour has not been announced, but the trek will include a performance at Knebworth in England, where Queen played their final show with Mercury in 1986. Lambert said he has "no intention in his mind" to replace the late Queen singer. "That's impossible," he said. "The way I'm choosing to view it is that it's a great honor and one I'm in no way going to shirk. Being asked to front Queen is the best thing that can possibly happen."

Waylon Jennings once said, emphatically, that nothing is more important for a solo artist than having his or her own band. Oftentimes such bands fly beneath the radar, but occasionally a backing group attains near-legendary status. Below are 10 groups whose contributions were indispensable in boosting the careers of the artists they backed.

The Spiders from Mars (David Bowie)
David Bowie has employed extraordinary bands through the years, but none has matched the explosive chemistry of The Spiders from Mars. Led by the immensely talented Mick Ronson, the Spiders provided the rocket fuel that propelled Bowie to the pinnacle of early '70s glam rock. From 1970's The Man Who Sold the World through 1973's Pinups, the group's contributions were indispensable.

The Band (Bob Dylan)
It's hard to believe that some fans jeered when Bob Dylan, backed by a group dubbed, simply, The Band, made a transition to a more electric sound in 1965-66. As demonstrated by the brilliant body of work they crafted following their tenure with Dylan, The Band was as talented an ensemble as Dylan could have hoped for. "Songwriting-wise, when you get right down to it, Bob pretty much showed us how it's done," Levon Helm later said. "When the crowds were booing him, and people were telling him, 'You don't need these guys,' it would have been real easy for him to say, 'Yeah, you're right.' But he never got shaky or unsteady. He was fantastic."

The Heartbreakers (Tom Petty)
Tom Petty has released the occasional solo album, but over the course of 30-plus years he's never strayed from The Heartbreakers for very long. Mike Campbell, whose lead guitar work dovetails perfectly with Petty's jangly style, summed up the band's relationship with Petty perfectly in a 2009 interview with Music Radar. "Keeping a band together is more work than anybody will ever tell you," Campbell said. "But if you have something special, a bunch of guys who play well together, and a brilliant singer and writer who's truly unique, you owe it to yourself and your fans to keep going."

The Revolution (Prince)
The Revolution forever will be known as the band that helped shape Prince's 1984 tour de force, Purple Rain. A multi-racial, multi-gender ensemble patterned after Sly and the Family Stone, The Revolution brought a more rock-centric, psychedelic component to Prince's trademark funk and R&B. Although The Revolution were credited on just three Prince albums, it was their contributions that pushed their legendary frontman to superstar heights.

Booker T. & The M.G.'s (Various)
No band played a bigger role in shaping the sound of Southern soul music than Booker T. & The M.G.'s did. As the house band for Stax Records, the group – which included Steve Cropper on guitar – served as the instrumental force on recordings by Sam and Dave, Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding and countless other R&B greats. Not insignificantly, Booker T. & The M.G.'s were also one of R&B's first multi-racial groups. Fittingly, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.

The Experience (Jimi Hendrix)
Bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell often get short shrift when it comes to considerations of the role they played in shaping Jimi Hendrix's music. As the backbone of one of rock's earliest power trios, Redding and Mitchell put down the rhythmic foundation upon which Hendrix could soar. Engineer Eddie Kramer once told Rolling Stone that Hendrix would "yell and scream" at Redding and Mitchell if they didn't get things just right. Fortunately, the two got things "just right" nearly all the time.

The Attractions (Elvis Costello)
Teaming with Elvis Costello beginning with his second album, This Year's Model, The Attractions put manic fervor into Costello's brilliantly crafted songs. Often centered on surf-rock blasts of Hammond organ that teetered on the edge of mayhem, The Attractions' music evoked thoughts of Booker T. & The M.G.'s on steroids. Members of The Attractions continue to play with Costello as part of his current touring band, The Imposters.

The Wailers (Bob Marley)
The original Wailers consisted, of course, of Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer. However, it's the band Marley put together in the wake of the original Wailers' demise that became reggae's tightest and most exciting ensemble. The band's legendary prowess was in part attributable to Marley's skills as a bandleader. "Bob was very strict, and very disciplined," Rita Marley once said, in an interview with Gibson.com. "He would make sure every note, and every sound, was as perfect as it could be. It was like, 'Let's do the absolutely best we can, and after that we can laugh, and have a smoke.'"

The E Street Band (Bruce Springsteen)
Few bands have sported more talent than the illustrious team that's backed Bruce Springsteen – for the most part – since 1972. Unfortunately, the group has suffered tragic losses in recent years, with the deaths of both organist Danny Federici and saxophonist Clarence Clemmons. In live shows, quite rightly, Springsteen is known to praise the group with lavish, often funny introductions of each band member.

Crazy Horse (Neil Young)
Neil Young has always charted his own course, making albums that often flagrantly confounded expectations. Whenever he's wanted to make aggressive, no-holds-barred rock and roll, however, he's nearly always turned to Crazy Horse. "My work with Crazy Horse stands alone," Young once said, in an interview with Performing Songwriter. "I've made rock and roll records with other people – I did 'Rockin' in the Free World' without them – but that's a different kind of thing. Working with Crazy Horse opens the door to something cosmic, something I can't do with anybody else."

Paul McCartney will be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame next week.

As reported at Music-News.com, theceremony will take place Thursday, February 9 at 2 p.m. in front of the Capitol Records Tower at 1750 N. Vine Street in Hollywood. McCartney's star will be located next to those of a few old pals, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.

And if that wasn't enough Sir Paul also will be named the MusiCares Person of the Year the following day at a gala dinner and concert featuring Tony Bennett, Coldplay, Foo Fighters, Alison Krauss & Union Station Featuring Jerry Douglas, Duane Eddy, Norah Jones, Alicia Keys, James Taylor, Diana Krall, Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Sergio Mendes, and Katy Perry. McCartney will close the event with a performance.

And if that wasn't enough, Macca's new album, Kisses on the Bottom, will be released next week and he plays the Grammy Awards on Sunday, February 12. Phew!

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band have been added to the list of performers appearing on the 2012 Grammy telecast, according to Spin. At the Grammys (airing February 12 on CBS), the Boss is sure to play something off his upcoming album, Wrecking Ball, in advance of a big year of touring for him and the band.

Springsteen will join other scheduled performers at the Staples Center, including Paul McCartney, Foo Fighters, Adele, Nicki Minaj and Katy Perry. The show also will feature special collaborations between Coldplay and Rihanna, Glen Campbell, Blake Shelton and the Band Perry, and Kelly Clarkson and Jason Aldean.

As part of Grammy week, there will be a special tribute show on February 10 for McCartney, the MusiCares Person of the Year. Eddie Izzard will host the event, which will feature Tony Bennett, Foo Fighters, Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Norah Jones, Alicia Keys, James Taylor, Diana Krall and Katy Perry.

One would think Brad Pitt was nudged into humanitarian work thanks to his relationship with the always-charitable Angelina Jolie. But, that's just not so. Pitt actually praises U2 frontman Bono with inspiring him to help make a difference in the world!

Speaking with the Hollywood Reporter, Pitt explained that he "sought out" Bono after he took a trip to Morocco and experienced personally how much certain areas of Africa were hurting.

The moving trip urged Pitt to "get off the couch" and join Bono and the other superstars who use their fame to help make the world a better place.

Turning to Bono, he asked for some humanitarian advice. "I sat down with him a few times and got involved in some of the stuff he was doing," Pitt said.

Only after Pitt started getting out and doing good did he connect with current sweetheart, Jolie, on the set of Mr. & Mrs. Smith. "That may have been one of the things that brought us together. Certainly, I've met very few people more dedicated than she is," he said. "She is always studying issues, daily. She has such compassion for the people she works with."

Thanks to Bono and Jolie, Pitt knew how to respond when Hurricane Katrina ran its way through New Orleans in 2005. "There was a responsibility to make it right, which was not being answered wholly, so I decided to make that a focal point and help families return home, and in the process we started discovering the inadequacies of low-income housing," he said.

Volume can be a musician's friend or foe.

Playing six-string in a straight-up rock or country band with a drummer who hits like a kicking mule, a bassist with severe hearing loss and a keyboard player or rhythm guitarist who turns up to 11 is like shouting in the midst of a tornado – pointless and painful. It's even worse if you're also the singer. On the other hand, if your band is called something like Nihilistic Death By 10,000 Taloned Demons, it's likely a dream come true and you're probably the loudest member.

This story is about groups for whom high-level volume was or is a badge of courage – a scientifically measurable gauge of power and intensity. Any volume measured at more than 85 decibels (dB) is considered dangerous and can potentially cause hearing loss or damage, like the permanent ringing known as tinnitus. For our list of the 10 loudest bands of all time, we're only considering performers whose volume has checked in at an eardrum-rampaging 115 dB and above.

Our list of volume-drunk champions:

Mötorhead

The exact dB levels of concerts by these punk-fueled granddaddies of speed and thrash metal – the sonic foundation of groups like Metallica and Napalm Death – is not published, but there are so many anecdotal tales of their outrageous displays of howling volume that they've earned their place on this list in spades and aces. Mötorhead titled their third album Everything Louder Than Everyone Else… 'Nuff said.

The Who

These days The Who don't seem terribly dangerous, with Pete Townshend wielding his Gibson SJ-200 as often as he hefts an electric axe. But in 1976 they earned a place in The Guinness Book of World Records for achieving a measured 126 dB roughly 100 feet from stage at the Valley, a London sports arena, touring behind The Who By Numbers.

MC5

According to their manger John Sinclair, Detroit's MC5 were so loud they practiced with their Marshall 4x12 cabinets face-down flat on the ground, with the speakers firing straight into the floor. "Kick Out the Jams" wasn't just a song to this influential pre-punk outfit; it was their manta. Part of that balls-out-all-the-time attitude was raw volume pushed to the maximum. Another part was sheer endurance. When they played at the infamous 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago to protest the war in Vietnam, their set lasted eight hours.

AC/DC

In the early 1980s these Aussie maniacs were hell bent on becoming the world's loudest band, fueled in large part by Angus Young's Gibson SG-powered wall of amps. During the Back in Black tour, the group turned in a series of concerts at a whopping 130 dB. Complaints from promoters, however, moved the group to drop things down a few notches to the mere bone-crunching volume they play at today.

My Bloody Valentine

These modernist art rockers from Dublin use volume as a tool for creating fireworks and swirls within their textural guitar sound. Live, their feedback spikes and eddies of pitch-bent notes create an intoxicating and occasionally disorienting effect which is even more mesmerizing than it is painful to the naked ear. Expect no kindness from a group named after a 1981 Canadian slasher flick that was compelled to cut nine minutes of gore by the Motion Picture Association of America before it could be released the theaters.

Deep Purple

This might sound like urban legend, but The Guinness Book of World Records crowned Deep Purple the world's loudest band after a 1972 concert at London's 3,000-seat Rainbow Theater that rendered three fans unconscious with the intense pressure created by 117 dB of sound in an enclosed space. As Robert Ripley said, "Believe it or not!"

Led Zeppelin

Writer David Krebs made the case in Rolling Stone that Led Zeppelin's live performances of "Whole Lotta Love" were the loudest on stage in 1970. But the year before that, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association has already proven Zep's big sound credibility by measuring a performance of "Heartbreaker" at 130 dB.

Manowar

These metal mongers from New York State are literally the band that broke the record on volume. After they scored Guinness' recognition for the loudest musical performance at 129.5 db in 1984, they claim to have reached or exceeded that level again in 1994, but this time the famed book of records refused to acknowledge that accomplishment. Guinness had stopped including a category for world's loudest band, supposedly because of the dangers of hearing damage caused by record seekers.

Leftfield

How loud must a group be to bring the roof down? For British electronica excessives Leftfield, the answer was an excruciating 137 dB in June 1996 at South London's Brixton Academy, where chunks of plaster and dust began raining on their dance-crazed audience.

KISS

Thirty-six-years into their career KISS were still making headlines and defying gravitas. During a 2009 concert in Ottawa the group was reportedly clocked at 136 dB and were forced to turn down after police responded to complaints from neighbors in the area around the sports arena.

Ringo Starr is making the media rounds to promote his new album, Ringo 2012. In an interview with Spinner, the former Beatle spoke about performing live and that he would like to see The Rolling Stones back on the road.

"I hope they put it together and I hope they do a world tour," he said. "We all should be out there. If we can play, we should be out there playing, and that's the deal. My new attitude is 'as long as I can hold the sticks, I can play.' And you may have noticed that in the last several years, I'm playing live more and more. I'm putting records out more and more. Let's keep playing!

"That's how it is. Our new hero is B.B. King. I say, 'Look at B.B. King. He's 86, but he's still playing. He might be sitting down, but hey, I'm sitting down already' [laughs]. I was talking to Billy Squier yesterday and I said, 'Bill, just get out there and play. This is what we do.'

He then made a plea for the Stones to do a 50^th anniversary tour.

"I only advise everybody to get out there and play and I hope The Rolling Stones pull it together and I hope Keith and Mick pull it together and stop squabbling and get out there and do it – says Ringo!"

Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood and U2's The Edge are both working on a new app that will let musicians share music globally.

According to U.K. trade publication Music Week, WholeWorldBand is a new a new app for iPhone 4, 4s and iPad 2 and has been developed by Kevin Godley (10CC) and Andy Wood (Hypergallery, Cubic Motion). The app allows musicians to share their work online.

Godley said: "WholeWorldBand is a revolutionary new online music tool that provides a new platform for distribution while offering the opportunity of new revenue streams for up and coming and established musicians, bands and, in fact, anyone."

Aside from The Edge and Ronnie Wood, Gavin Friday, Gemma Hayes, Cathy Davey, Mik Pyro (of Republic of Loose) and Liam Ó Maonlaí (of Hot House Flowers) are working on performances and collaborations for WholeWorldBand.

WholeWorldBand debuts at The Music Show in Dublin on February 25-26 and will be available to download from the iTunes store starting in March.