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Do You Remember Napster?

Johnnie Crow — Mon, 09 Oct 2023 21:23:36 +0000

This is a re-post from our family travel blog, written in 2005.

Wednesday, May 04, 2005

Lost my tunes

When we lost the external hard drive, we lost all the mp3’s we had ripped over the past year – most of the CD’s are still at home, so it is rebuildable when we get back, and we have about 20 CD’s we burned in the van, so we are not at a total loss of music.

I am however, at a loss when it comes to listening to something when I am working on the computer. So, I joined the new Napster for a 2 week free trial. I can listen to everything they have, and download most of that, but if you try to burn a CD, it makes you pay for it, and you have to still be subscribing to do that, since other players only check their own sites to see if you have paid. I will probably just leave the files on here and just listen to them on the laptop.

So, when you lose all your tunes, and don’t have a 300-gig hard drive to store them on anymore, you can’t just download every single album you love. You have to have a plan. I settled on getting some newer ones I never had, to check them out. They are:
Springsteen – Devils & Dust – I never like his acoustic stuff as much as full band, but so far it sounds pretty good.
Green Day – American Idiot – this is a great album and I never really liked them before
Pato Banton – Collections – this is some great reggae from someone you probably have never heard of – he is a family favorite
Audioslave – Audioslave – this just plain rules
Bon Jovi – 100,000,000 Bon Jovi fans can’t be wrong – bunch of extra songs they never put out and some demos – 4 disc set, have not listened yet
A Perfect Circle – Emotive/Mer De Noms – dig their sound, have not listened yet
The Darkness – Permission to Land – curious to see how good it is
System of a Down – Toxicity – dig the singles, curious about the rest, new tune is great by the way
Three Days Grace – some good singles, hope the rest is good
Bunch of country songs – mostly pretty new – add some variety to the mix

So, the other ones I decided to get are my favorite kind of music. 80’s rock, hair metal, call it whatcha want – it’s all music to me. I picked my favorite 21 albums and downloaded them. Nappy did not have Motley Crue – Shout at the Devil. Here they are, with 3 best songs:

* Bon Jovi – Slippery When Wet – Wanted: Dead or Alive, You Give Love a Bad Name, Livin’ on a Prayer
* Cinderella – Long Cold Winter – Coming Home, Gypsy Road, Don’t Know What You’ve Got (til its gone)
* Damn Yankees – Damn Yankees – Coming of Age, Come Again, High Enough
* Def Leppard – Pyromania – Foolin’, Photograph, Rock of Ages
* Dokken – Under Lock and Key – In My Dreams, Unchain the Night, The Hunter (hearing this live in July 2000 clinched Hunter’s name for us)
* Extreme – Pornograffiti – Get the Funk Out, More Than Words, Hole Hearted
* Europe – The Final Countdown – The Final Countdown, Carrie, Rock the Night (the boys new favorite song)
* Kix – Blow My Fuse – Cold Blood, Don’t Close Your Eyes, Red Light Green Light TNT
* Lynch Mob – Wicked Sensation – Wicked Sensation, River of Love, Through These Eyes
* Quiet Riot – Metal Health – Bang Your Head, Cum On Feel The Noize, Slick Black Cadillac
* Ratt – Reach For The Sky – Way Cool Jr., I Want a Woman, What’s It Gonna Be
* Scorpions – Love At First Sting – Rock You Like A Hurricane, Coming Home, Still Loving You
* Skid Row – Skid Row – 18 & Life, I Remember You, Youth Gone Wild ** Napster does not have these 3 songs, only the rest of the album, so that required a change to:
* Skid Row – Slave to the Grind – Monkey Business, Wasted Time, (You can’t be king of the world when you’re) Slave to the Grind
* Steelheart – Steelheart – I’ll Never Let You Go, Everybody Loves Eileen, Love Ain’t Easy
* Tesla – The Great Radio Controversy – Love Song, Hang Tough, The Way It Is
* Twisted Sister – Stay Hungry – I Wanna Rock, We’re Not Gonna Take It, The Price
* Van Halen – 5150 – Dreams, Love Walks In, Why Can’t This Be Love
* White Lion – Pride – Wait, When The Children Cry, Lady of the Valley
* Whitesnake – Whitesnake – Here I Go Again, Still of the Night, Is This Love
* Winger – Winger – Seventeen, Headed For A Heartbreak, Madalaine
* Zebra – Zebra – Who’s Behind the Door?, Tell Me What You Want, Take Your Fingers From My Hair

Do You Remember Napster? first appeared on Game On Media.

KIX on Monsters Of Rock Cruise X 2020

Johnnie Crow — Wed, 24 Feb 2021 16:00:59 +0000

The pride and joy of Hagerstown, Maryland, KIX, made their annual MORC appearance. Nobody can deny that KIX is one of the most entertaining rock and roll bands of all time. They play with a joy and exuberance that cannot be stopped. They took full advantage of playing twice on the cruise by using 2 almost completely different set lists, digging deep, which made their long-time fans ecstatic. Kip Winger even joined them onstage for a song he had co-written with them way back when.

KIX and their members other projects are constantly active, at least in normal times. Stay up to date at http://www.kixband.com/

MORC X KIX

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KIX on Monsters Of Rock Cruise X 2020 first appeared on Game On Media.

Be My Quarantine Valentine

Johnnie Crow — Sun, 14 Feb 2021 22:06:14 +0000

Last year, on Valentine’s Day 2020, thousands of exhausted and happy rockers were disembarking from the 10th annual Monsters Of Rock Cruise, AKA MORC X. Rock legends had performed for their dedicated fans, and love was all around us.

This year, on Valentine’s Day, not so much. To help you get through, here are 14 “Be My Quarantine Valentine” collectibles for your enjoyment. Cut them out, share them with your sweetie, post them on your fridge, or email them around the world. You’ll find love again, I know. Sha-doobie, sha-doobie, sha-doobie, I know.

Be My Quarantine Valentine first appeared on Game On Media.

Quarantine Dreams – Fantasy Festival Friday – Tesla – Extreme – Winger – Kix – Steelheart

Johnnie Crow — Sat, 26 Sep 2020 01:56:24 +0000

Seven months into the 2020 global pandemic, and all we can do is dream about attending festivals, photographing concerts, and interviewing artists. Summer has come and gone, with no classic bands rocking the summer stages. That doesn’t mean we can’t imagine. In the meantime, GameOn.media presents Fantasy Festival Friday – a fictitious concert performed by 5 bands we wish we could watch live in person, at full volume, with all of our rock family in attendance.

On Fantasy Festival Friday #7, get your best leather and animal prints out, tease your hair, and fill your lighters. The guitars and bass will be in your face as we dream of Tesla, Extreme, Winger, Kix and Steelheart.

Miljenko Matijevic and Steelheart opened up the night, setting the bar quite high. Mili is one of the all-time rock vocalists, and he still sounds amazing and looks fantastic. Their debut album is now 30 years old, and these classics were sung perfectly. Mili was the voice behind the lead character movie “Rock Star”, and they also jammed songs from that soundtrack.

MORC X Steelheart

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Maryland landmarks Kix were up next, still full of energy after 4 decades of lighting up stages. Steve Whiteman remains one of the most entertaining frontmen around. Original members Ronnie “10/10” Younkins, Brian “Damage” Forsythe, and Jimmy “Chocolate” Chalfant simply kick ass every single time. Bassist and backing vocalist Mark Schenker, who joined when the band reformed in 2003 nails all of the harmonies. It is impossible to watch Kix play without a smile on your face the entire time.

MORC X KIX

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Winger came next, showing off musical brilliance while tearing through a catalog of hits. Kip Winger, Reb Beach, Rod Morgenstein, Paul Taylor and John Roth are a tight unit. They have so many great songs, they could have played for hours. There are few bands who can play this well, while you know every song.

MORC X Winger

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Extreme kept the hits coming. Gary Cherone, Nuno Bettencourt, Patrick Badger and Kevin Figueiredo crushed it, whether shredding heavy or breaking things down acoustically. Cherone is a human spider, weaving himself across the stage, crooning smooth vocals. Nuno never ages, striking all kinds of classic guitar god poses, playing with his own style that is often imitated, but never duplicated.

MORC X Extreme

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The headliner on this magical night was Tesla. Tesla is a band you could watch perform every night. Jeff Keith, Frank Hannon, Brian Wheat, Troy Luccketta and Dave Rude have built a career on sick guitar sounds, driving rhythm and passionate vocals. Their songs always have a strong emotional element that drives them, whether it’s a ballad or a banger. This whole night was just pure joy, as legendary artists delivered classic songs.

MORC X Tesla

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Quarantine Dreams – Fantasy Festival Friday – Tesla – Extreme – Winger – Kix – Steelheart first appeared on Game On Media.

Monsters Of Rock Cruise X – 2020

Johnnie Crow — Tue, 18 Feb 2020 07:36:41 +0000

The holy trinity of guitar gods – George Lynch, Nuno Bettencourt, Reb Beach. The greatest voices in rock – Miljenko Matijevic, Gary Cherone, Kip Winger, CJ Snare, Jeff Keith. Legendary drummers – James Kottak, Brian Tichy, Rick Allen. Guitar clinics, comedy shows, artist Q&A’s, late night karaoke with rock stars. What has all of this and more?

The 10th annual Monsters Of Rock Cruise (AKA MORC X) set sail from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on February 8, 2020. The Royal Caribbean ship Independence of the Seas was the home to 50 rock and roll bands, and thousands of their fans, over 5 nights at sea. The cruise stopped in Belize and Cozumel, Mexico when it was not rocking through the high seas. There were a variety of stages to host the nonstop concerts, including the large 2 level theater, a smaller theater with a large standing area surrounded by tiered seats, a club lounge, and a special pool deck stage rapidly constructed for the event which allowed fans to watch shows from the pool, hot tubs, lounge chairs, pool bar or upper level deck.

The cruise was headlined by Tesla, Krokus, Extreme and Winger, which is enough to make for a great concert right there, but that is never enough for a Monsters Of Rock Cruise. Take a deep breath, because there were 49 bands announced and one special surprise sailaway band that was only revealed when they took the stage as the ship left port. The insane lineup included Atomic Punks, Autograph, Ben Woods, Black N’ Blue, British Lion, Burning Rain, Cold Sweat, D-A-D, Diemonds, Doro, Enuff Z’nuff, Faster Pussycat, Firehouse, H.E.A.T, Hardcore Superstar, Heavens Edge, Heavy Pettin’, Honeymoon Suite, Joel Hoekstra, Keel, Kingdom Come, Kings X, KIX, Lizzy Borden, Lynch Mob, Mac Sabbath, Paradise Kitty, Raven, Richie Kotzen, Ron Keel, Russell Allen, Shiraz Lane, Simon Daniels, Slaughter, Steelheart, Stryper, The Quireboys, Thunder, Tokyo Motor Fist, Tyketto, Vixen, White Trash, Y&T, Jason Beiler, and Cold Gin.

As rock fans from around the globe boarded the ship, found their room, purchased their drink tickets, waited for their luggage and figured out the lay of the ship, the MORC Crew worked feverishly to turn one of the pools into a full sized stage, complete with lightshow and perfect sound. All of the hosts came out to welcome everyone aboard – Eddie Trunk, Nikki Blakk, Luc Carl, Don Jamieson, Jim Florentine and Metal DJ Will. Then the surprise sailaway band took the stage – BulletBoys – featuring their original lineup of Marq Torien, Lonnie Vencent, Mick Sweda and Jimmy D’Anda. From there it was an endless musical orgy of classic guitar metal, unique events, once in a lifetime selfies and shared community.

Every Monster had their own unique experience over the course of the week. On top of close to 100 concerts, MORC X offered photo opportunities with the artists, painting lessons, art exhibits from Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen and Tesla bassist Brian Wheat, dinner with bands, basketball games, surfing contests, costume contests, charity events and guitar raffles. Being a rock cruise, there were special music-themed beers available. Tesla guitarist Frank Hannon hosted a party in the promenade featuring his new Double IPA from Out of Bounds Brewing Company – Heavy Metal Hippie. Not to be outdone, Iron Maiden bassist Steve Harris hosted a pub party featuring 2 brews – Trooper Premium British Beer and Sun And Steel Sake Lager.

Most bands played two 1 hour sets during the cruise, sometimes on different stages, sometimes with different setlists, sometimes with special guests. Tesla and Kix are among the greatest live rock and roll bands in history and they never disappoint. Tesla played 2 incredible theater sets, and about half of the songs differed each night. They also brought out Rick Allen, who played along with “Little Suzi” and “Signs” on a drumkit with custom MORC artwork. During the second show, Allen surprised Troy Lucketta during the set by appearing behind him and drumming along. Def Leppard helped introduce the world to Tesla, taking them along on the massive Hysteria In The Round tour in the 80’s, and has had them on numerous summer tours in recent years. It was really special to see the guys interacting and enjoying their time on stage together.

Kix is another cruise veteran who wanted to give their fans something special. Most of their set varied from show to show, with their theater show digging deep into the catalog, pulling out “Kix Are For Kids”, “The Kid”, “The Itch”, “Baby Time Bomb”, “Restless Blood”, and “Rock & Roll Overdose”. They went overboard next, bringing out the co-writer of “Bang Bang (Balls of Fire)” – none other than Kip Winger! What a treat for everyone involved. The joy that comes off the stage during a Kix show can be felt in the audience, and it gets radiated back onto the band and shows on their faces. There is no frontman more entertaining than Steve “Hey Fucker” Whiteman.

Many of the bands were celebrating the 30th anniversary of their best albums, which made for some special shows. 4 of the original members of Kingdom Come recently reunited, with Keith St. John providing vocals and a dynamic stage show. Lynch Mob was celebrating their debut album “Wicked Sensation” and vocalist Oni Logan rejoined George Lynch’s band to play the entire album front to back, with Brian Tichy on drums and Michael Devin on bass. This landmark album remains one of the best in the genre and it was so special to see it performed twice on this voyage. Extreme’s 2nd album “Pornograffitti”, another of the all time classics, also turns 30 this year and the boys from Boston pulled heavily from it. They remain an incredible live band, with perhaps the most raw talent of any band on the ship.

Really the only downside to the whole experience was #fomo – fear of missing out. I managed to photograph 30 of the 50 bands, and catch part of the sets of 5 others, leaving 15 bands missed completely. I heard great things about the peformances of Richie Kotzen, Lizzy Borden and Firehouse and would have loved to witness that. With so much going on, it would be nearly impossible to see every band, and it was important to find some time to eat a good meal once in a while and try to sleep a little bit.

Perhaps the best part of an event such as this is the combination of singing along with every word from one of your favorite bands (Winger, Steelheart), mixed with the experience of seeing a band you have loved for decades for the first time (Krokus, Kingdom Come), and the joy of discovering something new to you. The Monsters Of Rock Cruise introduces fans to newer bands, sometimes featuring familiar faces, sometimes something completely different. We came away from MORC X fascinated by The Quireboys (from London), Burning Rain (with Doug Aldrich and Keith St. John), British Lion (with Steve Harris) and H.E.A.T (from Sweden).

Next year’s celebration will star Alice Cooper. Get all the details on sale dates and lineup announcements at https://monstersofrockcruise.com/

Monsters Of Rock Cruise X 2020

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Monsters Of Rock Cruise X – 2020 first appeared on Game On Media.