Hard Rock Daddy presents Music Discovery Monday – 2/1/16.
Each week, the HRD team shares songs that fly below radio’s radar, ranging from lesser-known artists to deeper cuts from both up-and-coming and established artists.
In addition to exposing the Hard Rock Daddy audience to new music that isn’t getting the attention that it deserves from radio, Music Discovery Monday also features a segment called “Hard Rock Music Time Machine,” which showcases older songs (from the ’70s to today) that hard rock music fans may have missed at the time of release.
In addition to appearing on the embedded YouTube playlists beneath each section, all songs featured on Music Discovery Monday can be listened to by clicking on the hyper-linked song titles.
This week, Music Discovery Monday pays tribute to yet another fallen rock star – Jimmy Bain, bassist (Rainbow, DIO, Last In Line, and more).
ADAM WALDMAN – (Publisher, Hard Rock Daddy)
The hard rock world suffered another tremendous lost recently with the passing of bassist Jimmy Bain. Along with Ronnie James Dio, Bain was the only other musician featured on three of my all-time favorite albums (as seen in the Hard Rock Music Time Machine segment of Music Discovery Monday).
Bain’s most recent work was with a band named after one of those albums, Last In Line. It was with this band that Bain died at sea while on the Def Leppard Cruise. Since his passing, the band has released two videos from their forthcoming album to honor their fallen bandmate.
In addition to his most notable work, Bain also played with Thin Lizzy, Phil Lynott, Gary Moore and others. Today, we celebrate his most recent work and the legendary albums where he played an integral role…
LAST IN LINE – “Starmaker”
When Ronnie James Dio left Black Sabbath, he took drummer Vinny Appice with him, and recruited former Rainbow bandmate Jimmy Bain to join him in DIO. It was Bain who suggested Vivian Campbell to RJD. In September of 1982, these four played together for the first time. The magic was evident; the classic DIO lineup was born. Together, this lineup created not only the three best DIO albums, but three of the best hard rock/heavy metal albums of all-time: Holy Diver, The Last In Line and Sacred Heart.
Three decades later, with RJD having passed away in 2010, the original members of DIO reunited to play the songs that they recorded together, under the moniker Last In Line. You can’t replace a legend like RJD, but you can find a singer that can not only do the songs of a golden era justice, but also take the band to new heights with original material. Enter Andrew Freeman, a passionate, talented singer with a nice resume, but far from a household name.
Jimmy Bain’s recent unexpected passing on the Def Leppard Cruise thrust this band into the headlines. Sadly, it was not because of the band’s vast talent or chemistry, but that doesn’t diminish the sound that they have created with their upcoming debut release.
This was the last video that Bain made before his passing. It was scheduled to be released ahead of the release of Heavy Crown. No one expected it to be done as part of a tribute to Bain, turning a celebratory moment into a bittersweet one. Bain was incredibly proud of the music that Last In Line created.
“Starmaker” features the heavy bottom that Bain was famous for in his work with the likes of DIO and Rainbow. It blends elements of each legendary band into something different and timeless. It’s fitting that this song was Bain’s final video. He is a “starmaker” who helped bring attention to Campbell, and now to Freeman. This song is everything that you love about classic DIO and more.
LAST IN LINE – “Blame It On Me”
“Blame It On Me” was also slated to be released as a single ahead of Last In Line’s debut album street date. The release of the lyric video went on as scheduled as a tribute to Jimmy Bain. The song has a more ominous, angst-ridden feel than “Starmaker.” Lyrics like “but I remember when I was the cancer” and “it’s a God damn shame” end up being prophetically painful in light of the loss of Bain.
It was revealed today that the cause of Bain’s death was lung cancer. This dreaded disease has hit this band hard. RJD died of stomach cancer in 2010, and Vivian Campbell has been battling Hodgkin’s Lymphoma on and off in recent times.
Amazingly, Bain played a rehearsal on the day of his passing; sang backing vocals and had a heavy bass strapped to his neck. He was being treated for pneumonia, and never complained about any illness that he was dealing with. Bain embodied the spirit of rock and roll.
The tribute to Jimmy Bain continues in the Hard Rock Music Time Machine segment, as his work with Rainbow and DIO is highlighted, as well as parting thoughts from his Last In Line bandmates, still in shock over his sudden passing.
JON LOVELESS – HRD Music Scout
MEGADETH – “Dystopia”
While I was not among those particularly disappointed by Supercollider, it does not feel like a stretch to describe Dystopia as a “return to form” for this legendary “Big Four” band. The addition of two new members somehow resulted in a more traditional Megadeth sound and, when you’re Megadeth, tradition is business…and business is good.
THE TREATMENT – “Let It Begin”
Despite the presence of a new singer and a new guitarist, the first track from the forthcoming album, Generation Me, is in some respects, the same ol’ Treatment. I mean that in a good way. After all, their (most recent) previous release landed at #10 in my 2014 albums of the year list. The same AC/DC vibe present on the previous record remains in evidence instrumentally this time around, while new lead vocals from Mitchell Emms (as seen on the U.K. version of The Voice) adds a different spin to the sound.
ROB DELL’AQUILA – HRD Music Scout
INNERWISH – “Rain Of A Thousand Years”
Greek power metallers Innerwish return this March with an eponymous new album. The musical landscape of this first release from that album switches between light plucking acoustics and full blown electric riffs with soaring vocals and hammering bass and drums, for a promising taste of what’s to come.
ELEVENTH HOUR – “Long Road Home”
Plaintive strings punctuated by resonant brass yield quickly to layered symphonic metal in this Italian melodic metal band’s first single from their debut album. Guitarist/composer Aldo Turini has joined forces with producer/vocalist Alessandro del Vecchio and a host of other talent on Memory Of A Lifetime Journey.
CHRIS HERZEGOVITCH – HRD Music Scout
REDEMPTION (f. MARTY FRIEDMAN) – “Damage”
2016 brings a brand new album (The Art Of Loss) from one of my favorites bands…Redemption. I wasn’t sure how this great band could get any better, until I saw Marty Friedman (Megadeth, Cacophony) featured on this track. “Damage” is yet another musically brilliant, captivating track that features Redemption’s signature progressive metal sound and the distinctive vocals of Ray Alder (Fates Warning). The additional firepower and expertise from Friedman puts this one way over the top.
SUNRISE – “Tower Of Fear”
Sunrise is a melodic power metal band from Kiev, Russia that has been around since 2003. “Tower of Fear” is the lead song from their new album, Absolute Clarity. Lots of good things here: the powerful intro, lead and chorus vocals, intricate guitar work and the adept tempo changes of the tight rhythm section.
SUBMISSIONS
To be considered for Music Discovery Monday, please e-mail a link to the song being submitted on YouTube and an artist bio to – submissions@MusicDiscoveryMonday.com
HARD ROCK MUSIC TIME MACHINE
ADAM WALDMAN
RAINBOW – “Stargazer” (1976)
When you’re teamed up with one of the greatest singers and guitarists in hard rock/metal music history, in Ronnie James Dio and Ritchie Blackmore, it’s easy to get overlooked. Factor in the intense drumming of Cozy Powell, and getting noticed as the bass player becomes increasingly more challenging. But, if you listen to this epic song more carefully, you can easily lock into the importance of Jimmy Bain’s bass playing within the confines of the music. Bain not only locks in perfectly with Powell, he lays down a rock solid foundation that allows Blackmore the freedom to fly. This was my first exposure to Jimmy Bain. And though his time with Rainbow was short-lived, his impact cannot be understated. Sadly, Bain joins Dio and Powell as departed members of an incarnation of Rainbow that produced an album for the ages in Rising. The album cover is the band’s most iconic, and the music is still holds up as one of the greatest albums of all-time (Rainbow or otherwise).
DIO – “Straight Through The Heart” (1983)
As mentioned above, Jimmy Bain’s time with Rainbow was limited to one iconic studio album (Rising) and one live album (On Stage). His limited tenure was more than enough time to make an impression on Ronnie James Dio, who recruited his former bandmate to be the bass player in DIO. Once again, paired up with a dynamic guitar player in Vivian Campbell and a punishing drummer in Vinny Appice, Bain’s playing is not the first thing that you notice when listening to this balls-to-the-wall track, but when you listen for it, you’ll see exactly why RJD reunited with Bain when he went out on his own. But it was more than just Bain’s bass playing that made him such a valuable asset to Dio. In addition to a number of other songs on Holy Diver, the duo collaborated to write transcendant, timeless music that sounds as fresh today as it did in 1983.
DIO – “Mystery” (1984)
Normally, I only feature two songs in the Hard Rock Music Time Machine segment, but the shocking loss of Jimmy Bain has caused me to deviate from the rules a bit. As the song says…“when there’s thunder, there should be rain, but it don’t always follow the rules, no.” Like the Holy Diver album, Bain’s writing stamp is all over The Last In Line as well. Any number of songs could have been chosen – most of which are much less popular than “Mystery” – but this was chosen because it seemed a fitting tribute to use the one song on the album that was a pure collaboration between the duo.
The music that Bain and Dio created together goes well beyond the handful of songs that were featured in this forum. If you’re a fan of hard rock and heavy metal, it’s likely that none of these songs were actual discoveries, but they were chosen to show the hand that a vastly underrated musician had in creating them. It seems that too many rock stars these days have become “Hungry For Heaven” way before their time. Jimmy Bain’s passing didn’t send shockwaves through the rock and roll world like some of the more high profile names of late, but his loss is equally as great to those who were fans of his music. RIP Jimmy! Thank you for writing so many of the songs that made up the soundtrack of my youth.
Last In Line parting words…
“Jimmy Bain – friend, brother and band mate passed away on Saturday January 23, 2016.
The Medical Examiner report states the official cause of death was lung cancer.
Jimmy didn’t know he had lung cancer, but he did know he had pneumonia and was receiving treatment for it.
This didn’t stop him or slow him down, we had four rehearsals 4 hours a day, then a flight to Miami for The Def Leppard Rock Cruise. A pre-sail gig and sound check was scheduled for the following day. At the gig Jimmy played great and even sang that night while holding a heavy bass guitar on his back, never complaining or asking for help.
Next day we preceded [sic] to board the cruise ship for a 5 day voyage of which we were scheduled to play Sunday the 4th day.
That gig never happened as Jimmy passed away in his cabin the night before, we were devastated.
Jimmy was a trooper, he gave his all to the band he loved, the music he loved and the fans. He didn’t want to let anyone down.
I don’t know anyone that would have attempted this schedule while being this sick and not feeling well, a trooper.
He was so happy and proud of the new album we recorded, it so unfortunate and sad he didn’t live to see it released.
We were all looking forward to being on the road and playing together again, there was such a magic between us.
Our prayers go out to his family and so many friends and fans who will miss the amazing person that was Jimmy Bain.”- VINNY APPICE
JON LOVELESS
TANK – “War Nation” (2012)
Title track from the last album to feature Doogie White on vocals, “War Nation” is just a great example of how the classic sound of the NWOBHM era can still sound strong three decades later.
MOTLEY CRUE – “Keep Your Eye On Your Money” (1985)
Unlike the albums that immediately preceded or followed, Theater Of Pain only featured two official singles. While “Smokin’ In The Boys Room” and “Home Sweet Home” helped the album to reach quadruple platinum sales (and certainly served their purpose), this track could have easily served to further highlight the more glam style of the record.
ROB DELL’AQUILA
IRON SAVIOR – “Titans Of Our Time” (2002)
These German power metallers have been pairing heavy riffs to science fiction and mythical themes since 1996. Here is the soaring anthem that launched their 2002 album, Condition Red.
FROZEN RAIN – “The Last Dance Ain’t Over” (2012)
Belgium’s Kurt Vereecke put together this AOR project in 2008 with various musicians and five different lead singers. For their 2012 follow-up, he settled on Carsten “Lizard” Schulz for all of the vocals. This rocker highlights those great vocals and the energy of the band.
CHRIS HERZEGOVITCH
SUPREME MAJESTY – “Fallen Star” (2003)
Melodic, fantasy-themed power metal outfit Supreme Majesty has an odd genealogy; they were born from two death-metal bands (Mortum and Non Serviam). Bright and driving in both lyrics and music, “Fallen Star” has an instant appeal, and is a perfect lead track for the Danger album. Joakim Olsson does a terrific job leading a talented bunch with his powerful, ranging vocals.
FATES WARNING – “One” (2000)
“One” is a great track from one of the flagship bands of progressive metal, Fates Warning. Expert time changes and skilled musicianship (as expected), with a highly polished, refined production sound. Mark Zonder’s work on the drums is fantastic. This track, (from the Disconnected album) also features frequent guests of the band: Joey Vera (Armored Saint, Anthrax) on bass and Kevin Moore (Dream Theater) on keyboards.
