I don’t want this to necessarily turn into an anti-Nickelback blog.  My last post of course dealt with my feelings that they are over-rated and Breaking Benjamin and Shinedown are too good to be touring with them.  Today, however, I read that they have been voted as “The Worst Band in the World” by readers of Word Magazine (a publication in the U.K.).  While I certainly don’t think they are one of the world’s best, they are probably pretty distant from worst as well.

There are some other choices in there that kind of make sense- Savage Garden, Maroon 5, Snow Patrol (I think they’ve done some pretty good stuff but that damn “Chasing Cars” song brings them down a few good notches…I know…it’s their biggest hit).  I can’t really understand Spin Doctors being on the list.  They seem to make a lot of “worst ever” lists too.  Come on…”Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong” and “Two Princes” are 90s greats.  I also don’t understand New Radicals (best known for their 1998 hit “You Get What You Give”)  They only did one album (Maybe You’ve Been Brainwashed Too) and it was really quite good.

I also thought “You Get What You Give” was a really cool music video (trashing the mall and all)….

The Brits may have it right with some of their choices, but even if you completely hate The New Radicals, did their one release really do enough damage to put them on a Top 15 Worst Bands list?  Your thoughts?

German band Rammstein has released a new record this fall.  The band is probably best known for their 1998 rock hit “Du Hast”, which was a big hit on MTV’s Total Request back in the summer of that year.  All the attention this week in the music world has been on American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert, after his overly-sexual performance at the American Music Awards.  But Rammstein is doing their part in sexin up their songs and videos….and even their fans?  For starters, their latest single is called “Pussy”.  Check out a somewhat censored version of that below.  But the band is not ending it with the record itself, they have released a sex toys package along with it!  It sells at 250 American dollars and includes handcuffs and lubricant.  Very interesting idea….I’m still rather partial to “Du Hast”….but interesting!  Looking at the toys, I’m assuming they’re trying to reach out to females and gays?

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NICKELBACK VS. SHINEDOWN & BREAKING BENJAMIN:

No, these bands are not in a feud.  But they are touring together in early 2010.  I know Nickelback and Breaking Benjamin have toured together before with Three Days Grace (Breaking Benjamin canceled a lot of their appearances).  But I just don’t think these bands really go together.  You know what?  I’m just going to say it—I’m not the biggest Nickelback fan.  I can understand their appeal: 1.) they’re pretty straight-up rock that can often times cross-over to Top 40 and 2.) they have lyrics like “I like your pants around your feet and songs called “Something in Your Mouth” that appeal to all your fist-pumping rednecks out there.  I actually have their record Silver Side Up (it was a gift), and it is really pretty good.  The band is not as bad as I think their singles often times make them out to be.  When “How You Remind Me” was released back in 2001, I never would have guessed this band would still be around in 2009.  They’ve never really seemed like anything that special.  However, along with the likes of Linkin Park and Foo Fighters, they’ve been one of the biggest successes in rock this decade.

But, I think Shinedown and Breaking Benjamin are far superior (probably to me, two of the better rock acts in the last several years) and it kind of bothers me to see them opening for a band like Nickelback.  The likes of Theory of a Deadman or Saving Abel would be much more appropriate of choices.  Shinedown style-wise sort of makes sense in that they have a “straight up rock” sound as well.  You may hear Nickelback or Shinedown on a rock radio station that also plays heavy doses of classic rock.  Breaking Benjamin on the other hand, goes more with the likes of Chevelle, Three Days Grace, Crossfade, and Korn.  Just gonna mainly hear them on hard rock or alternative rock stations.

I know this is a split issue and many agree with me that Nickelback is rather over-rated, while others think they are a really great band of this time and could perhaps care less about the other two.  All I know is I’d take “45″ and/or “Breath” over “Photograph” any day.

Stephen Tyler may or may not be with Aerosmith at the moment???  Over the last few weeks it has been said that he quit the band, is back on drugs, and that everything is fine.  Maybe he’s looking into joining Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones on a Robert Plant-less Led Zeppelin tour again?  Whatever Stephen Tyler is up to, one thing is known…he is still rockin’!  This past weekend he joined the likes of Gregg Allman and Roger Daltrey for a Michael J. Fox Parkinson‘s benefit.  The former Family Ties and Spin City star even played guitar!

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MTV IS “GROUNDED”:

I stopped watching MTV regularly around six years ago.  Their original programming has not really done it for me in some time.  But at least for the most part they have stayed ORIGINAL.  I will give them that.  They may not have stayed music, but they continued to produced programs that were unique to whateve the MTV brand stood for at the time.  That has all ended recently.  Over the last year they have started showing movies and now they have added a sitcom to their line-up….Grounded for Life!  Nothing against that show (I’ve never seen it) but why is it on MTV?  It has been added to their weekday schedule at 9/9:30am and again at 7/7:30pm.  They have also added South Park weekdays at 8/8:30pm.   Now South Park certainly fits in better with the MTV spirit of yesterday, but it’s a Comedy Central show.  MTV used to be so much it’s own thing…it was not necessary to borrow from sister networks to pad its schedule.  I know they can’t show music videos all day anymore with You Tube and all…but please come up with something original!  Being original is after all what defined MTV for over two decades.

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CCR (Revisited, Not Revival) DOES RUDOLPH:

I’m a big fan of the late 60′s “swamp rock” group Creedence Clearwater Revival.  John Fogerty is undeniable!  However, if you didn’t know, today the group is called Creedence Clearwater REVISITED.  This band does not include Mr. Fogerty as the remaining members of the original band and him did not leave on the best of terms back in the early 70′s.  John continues to tour, singing the CCR hits as only he can sing them, as the others tour as “Revisited” with a different lead singer.  Kudos to them I suppose, gotta keep making the money.  I wouldn’t particulary care to see them however as I realize John Fogerty was and is Creedence.  I have seen him a few times though and he still puts on one hell of a show.   The “Revisited” group however have released a cover of the Christmas classic “Run, Run Rudolph” for the Juvenile Diabetes charity CD, “Hope for the Holidays- Rockin’ Christmas for a Cure” .    Collective Soul, Weezer, and The Beach Boys are some of the other contributors.  CCR has put the track up on their website.

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My CURRENT TOP 5 ROCK SONGS:

I can’t say I enjoy a lot of current rock, but there are probably at least 5 current songs I can say I turn up driving around town.  A new weekly feature if you will.  Agree or think they suck?  Well…what’s your top 5 then?

Close Call- Chevelle- “Jars”

5- Godsmack- “Whiskey Hangover” (Getting a little tired of it…but it’s a great weekend drinking tune!)

4- Muse- “Uprising” (Always liked this band…it seems this song will take them a little closer to the mainstream than their previous singles)

3- Breaking Benjamin- “I Will Not Bow” (Notice how I typed Benjamin and not “Ben”….that is the name of the band…it’s really not that long…stop shortening it radio DJs!)

2- Alice in Chains- “Check My Brain” (Never thought I’d want to hear a song by the “new” version of this classic 90s grunge band, but I gotta say….this one’s pretty rockin’)

1- Three Days Grace- “Break” (New record is called Life Starts Now. Sounds like a good buy to kick off the new year).

Welcome to my rock blog LoudTV!  I love rock music and love to share ideas/opinions with other rock fans on the greatest rock of all time, the rock of tomorrow, and everything in between.

Rock Bucket List:

Maybe you saw the film The Bucket List starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman a few years ago?  If not, basically the premise of the movie is that the men are on their deathbeds and make a list of things they want to do before it all ends (i.e. skydiving).

Well, I’m not on my deathbed, but you never know when it’s all going to end and I thought one day… what are 5 great bands that I would like to listen to every record they ever recorded before I die?

I came up with these 5:

1- The Beatles

2- Led Zeppelin

3- Jimi Hendrix

4- The Doors

5- Lynyrd Skynyrd

What would your 5 be?  Are my choices decent or will I be wasting my time?  Of course it brings up another topic for another day of 5 bands to see in concert before you die.  Unfortunately, that is not really an option with any of the artists I have listed above.  Yes…Skynyrd still tours….but not too many original members left…of course that doesn’t matter to some people.

I’m going to get started on this next week with The Beatles first US release…Introducing The Beatles