Image via WikipediaIf you haven't seen this young acoustic god, Sungha Jung, yet, where have you been! In all seriousness, this Korean kid is a guitar prodigy. 
Image via WikipediaSolsbury HillMost of Gabriel's songs have lyrics made up of various images that come to him, put this was a rare autobiographical song, dealing with his break as lead singer of the band Genesis and anticipation of his new challenge as a solo artist.
This was Gabriel's first single as a solo artist. It was a big deal for him, since the song proved that he could write and perform a hit on his own with a song that was meaningful to him. He remarked in interviews at the time that he was especially pleased with the song and surprised that it was a single, since at one point he was going to leave it off the album.
Solsbury Hill is located near Bath, England, where Gabriel would often walk or jog. According to legend, a temple was built there to honor Apollo, god of light, music, and poetry. Solsbury Hill was the focus of a long and bitter dispute in the 1990s between environmentalists and government concerning the construction of a 4 lane road which cuts deeply into the side of the hill. (thanks, Tim - Bath, England)
Image via Wikipedia
Image via Wikipedia
Cover of Van HalenDavid Lee Roth Talks About Van Halen's 'A Different Kind of Truth'Van Halen aren't doing much in the way of press around the release of their new album, A Different Kind of Truth, but the L.A. Times managed to track down frontman David Lee Roth to talk about his first new album with the band in nearly three decades. A few excerpts follow.
On Eddie Van Halen's health: "He's doing really well. He's lucid, he's sober, he's playing. You know, I don't know if Ed has ever felt good. There's a thin line between rage and great work. He really never enjoyed his fame or success, and that might be part of what compels him."
On Van Halen trying to live up to their legacy with their new album: "Are there second chances? I don't know, Mr. Faulkner, I'm tending to agree with you: No. We've managed to stretch our adolescence like a Chiclet to the moon and maintained the respectful dignities along the way that got us on that turnpike up in the first place. We love what we do for a living. Even in our wildest, most beer-soaked days we never missed rehearsal."
On revisiting old demos for the writing of the new album: "It's material that Eddie and I generated, literally, in 1975, 1976 and 1977. Usually fellas in our weight division will kind of gamely — or ironically, wink, wink — try to hail back to it [but] keep a safe, mature distance from it."
You can read the L.A. Times' full piece here.
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