The Eagles, American rock music band, one of the most popular of the 1970s. Influenced by country-and-western music, the group played with a light, so-called soft-rock sound that was developed in California and was prevalent in the 1970s. The Eagles' music featured demanding instrumentals, bittersweet lyrics, and straightforward melodies. The band has remained popular during ensuing decades, and continued strong sales have made its 1976 compilation Eagles: Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 one of the bestselling albums in the history of rock music. The Eagles formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1971 with original members drummer Don Henley, bassist Randy Meisner, and guitarists Bernie Leadon and Glenn Frey. At first the group was a backing band for American popular singer Linda Ronstadt on her 1970 album Silk Purse. The four men were experienced country-rock musicians: Frey had played with the band of rock singer Bob Seger; Henley had been a member of the country-rock band Shiloh; and Meisner and Leadon had played in the country-rock groups Poco and the Flying Burrito Brothers. Soon after the Eagles formed, American producer David Geffen, who then headed Asylum Records, took an interest in the group. In 1972 Asylum released the band's first album, The Eagles, which produced two hit singles, “Take It Easy” and “Witchy Woman.” Desperado, an album based on themes of the Old West, was released in 1973, followed by the album On The Border (1974), for which the group developed a harder sound and added a third guitarist, Don Felder. The Eagles' 1975 album, One of These Nights, produced several hit singles, including the title song and “Best of My Love,” both of which reached number one on the Billboard magazine music charts. The album also produced the group’s first Grammy Award, for the song “Lyin' Eyes.” After Leadon left the group and was replaced by guitarist Joe Walsh (formerly of the James Gang), the band released Hotel California (1976). This album produced two Billboard number-one singles: the title track, perhaps the Eagles' best-known song and winner of a Grammy Award in 1977; and “New Kid in Town.” In 1977 bassist Timothy B. Schmit replaced Meisner, and two years later the Eagles released their last full album of original songs, The Long Run (1979). Each member of the Eagles then embarked on a solo career, with the two main vocalists, Glenn Frey and Don Henley, achieving the most success. Henley, in particular, became one of the leading solo artists in rock with the critical and commercial success of his 1989 album The End of the Innocence. In 1994 Henley, Frey, Walsh, Felder, and Schmit reunited as the Eagles, touring and releasing the group's fourth Billboard number-one album, titled Hell Freezes Over (in ironic reference to the fact that for years the Eagles had vowed they would never play together again). The album also reached the number-one spot on the charts. In 1998 the Eagles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The group continued to tour and work on new material in the early 2000s. R.E.M., American rock-music group, pioneers of the so-called alternative style of rock music, and one of the most popular and critically acclaimed bands of the 1980s and 1990s. Formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980, its members include guitarist Peter Buck, singer Michael Stipe, bassist Mike Mills, and drummer Bill Berry. The letters R.E.M. are an acronym for rapid eye movement (the eye motion that characterizes the dream stage of sleep), although members of the band say they chose the name mostly for its lack of any overt meaning. At the time of R.E.M.'s formation, Buck worked in a record store, and Stipe, Mills, and Berry were students at the University of Georgia. Mills and Berry were already experienced musicians, unlike Stipe and Buck. R.E.M. gave its first performance at a private birthday party and developed its distinctive sound during numerous touring performances in bars and rock clubs. The growth in R.E.M.'s popularity was closely linked to the development of so-called alternative rock. Heavily influenced by the anxious, energetic style of 1970s punk and new wave music, the alternative style distinguished itself from mainstream pop music in the 1980s by its dissonance and irony. Its rise was fueled by several developments, including the emergence of college towns such as Athens as locations for the creation and performance of independent music (music recorded without the backing of major record companies); the growth of independent record labels; and the rise of college radio stations, which, free from the constraints of commercial radio, could broadcast an unusually wide variety of music. R.E.M.'s first recording, the single "Radio Free Europe," released in 1981, was perhaps the first commercially successful college-radio hit in the United States. In 1982 the group signed a contract with one of the largest independent record companies, IRS Records. R.E.M.'s first album, Murmur, was released the following year, and, due in large part to support from college radio, reached number 36 on the Billboard pop album chart. Later albums—Reckoning (1984), Fables of the Reconstruction (1985), and Lifes Rich Pageant (1986)—also did well. Document (1987) reached the top-ten on the Billboard charts, and produced the band's first top-ten single recording, “The One I Love.” The music of R.E.M., written by Buck, Berry, and Mills, is characterized by tight rhythms; a harsh, metallic guitar sound; dissonant country and folk-music harmonies; and striking melodic hooks. The lyrics, written by Stipe, string words together in unconventional or unexpected ways, suggesting hidden layers of meaning. In 1988 R.E.M. signed a contract with Warner Bros., a major record company, and released Green, which became a top-ten album and featured the popular song “Stand.” Out of Time (1991) became the best-selling album of 1991 and included the major singles “Losing My Religion” and “Shiny Happy People.” On these albums, and on Automatic for the People (1992) and Monster (1994), the band introduced horns, stringed instruments, distorted guitar sounds, and more comprehensible lyrics that often reflected a growing commitment to political causes such as conservation of the environment and civil rights. The album New Adventures in Hi-Fi, released in 1996, was followed by Up (1998), which featured drum machines, vintage keyboards, and other innovations. Up was the group’s first album after the retirement of drummer Bill Berry in 1997 following a near-fatal brain aneurysm. In 1992 R.E.M. won three Grammy Awards, including an award for Out of Time as the best alternative music album. The group's success helped establish alternative rock as a part of mainstream American music. The Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols, British punk-rock group that became notorious under the guidance of their manager Malcolm McLaren. Their first singles, "Anarchy in the UK" (1976) and "God Save the Queen" (1977)—snarling, unbridled attacks on contemporary Britain—made the Pistols into figures the media loved to hate. The original lineup was Johnny Rotten (born John Lydon) vocals; Steve Jones, guitar; Glen Matlock, bass; and Paul Cook, drums. Their most scandalous member, Sid Vicious (John Ritchie), joined in 1977 as a bass player. They released only one album, Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols (1977). Lydon went on to form the rock band Public Image Ltd. A Twisted Saga Twisted Sister was formed February 1973, inspired by such groups as Mott The Hoople, Humble pie, Alice Cooper, Lou Reed and especially the Ziggy Stardust period of David Bowie. A short five weeks later, the group made its live debut in Cookstown, New Jersey, in front of 30 people. It was the first in the series of approximately 3,300 shows the Sister would play in their 15-year career, which would end on October 10, 1987 in Minneapolis Along the way, the Twisted Sister roster included four consecutive lead singers (Dee Snider joined in February 1976), three co-lead guitarists (Eddie Ojeda signed up in September 1975), two bass players (Mark “The Animal” Mendoza, a former member of The Dictators replacing Kenny Neill in December 1978) and seven drummers (the last being Joey Franco, although A.J Pero was a member for three years and plays on all tracks herein). Lead guitarist Jay Jay French was the only founding member to stay with the band until the end. When Dee joined, he added Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, and AC/DC songs to the glam mix performed nightly and slowly began writing songs. As the original tunes and identity were taking shape. Twisted Sister’s reputation as the ultimate party band started to catch on. When asked to describe themselves, the unofficial motto was “look like women, talk like men, play like motherfuckers.” Their fan club became known as the “ Sick Mother Fuckin’ Friends of Twisted Sister” or SMFF of TS,” shortened to SMFs and rapidly reached massive proportions. Years before signing a record in the Tri-State New York-New Jersey-Connecticut area. Fueled by intense raps from the stage, Twisted Sister earned the reputation of saying and doing anything to create audience insanity. Playing a club circuit numbering 50 venues all within a 70-mile radius of New York City, Twisted Sister played two to three shows five nights a week, 52 weeks a year. By July of 1979, their grassroots following was so massive that the band played an outdoor show that was taken in by more than 23,000 people. Finally, Secret Records, a small U.K based record label known for punk bands like The Exploited signed Twisted Sister in April 1982. Secret records released UNDER THE BLADE the following September, but left the band without contract when Secret went bankrupt shortly thereafter. Twisted Sister, in last attempt to get signed, performed on “The Tube,” a popular English TV rock show in December 1982. Caught by 14 million people, the band’s appearance led to their signing to Atlantic Records in February 1983. Their first Atlantic release, You can’t stop rock n’ roll, yielded three hits singles in England. When Twisted Sister released STAY HUNGRY in May 1984, it turned MTV upside down, while the outrageousness of Dee’s personality and band’s live intensity caught the attention of the world press. Within 18 months, the group collected 25 gold and platinum records the world over; Dee was arrested in Amarillo, Texas, for obscenity. Twisted made it onto Blackwell’s list of the world’s 10 worst dressed women; the U.S Senate used Twisted Sister as an example of how heavy metal was ruining the youth of America. Overnight, Twisted Sister became the genetic term for sick heavy metal. A year following the group’s disbanding, Time Magazine in a cover story on the first non-stop transglobal airplane flight, described the sound of the engines in the cockpit as the equivalent of being in front row at a Twisted Sister concert. In 1988, attempting to oust Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega from Vatican Embassy where he had taken over, the U.S Government proudly announced that they blasted Twisted Sister music at him. How ironic that three years after the Senate attacks on the band, Twisted Sister became a U.S Government offensive weapon! Led Zeppelin, popular British rock band, which pioneered the development of heavy-metal rock music. The group was started in 1968 by guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. Its first album, Led Zeppelin (1969), introduced a blues-based guitar style much like that of other 1960s rock music, but louder and wilder than any of its predecessors. Led Zeppelin's later albums include Led Zeppelin II (1969), Led Zeppelin III (1970), an untitled release (1971, often called Led Zeppelin IV, or Zoso, after the cryptic characters on its cover), Houses of the Holy (1973), and Physical Graffiti (1975). On these albums, the band's style developed and softened, revealing unexpected finesse as well as a moody mysticism influenced by British folk music and the occult. Led Zeppelin disbanded in 1980 after Bonham died from an alcohol overdose. Plant subsequently established a solo career. Page released a solo album in 1988 and another album as a member of the hard-rock duo Coverdale Page in 1993. In 1988 the surviving members of Led Zeppelin reunited for a concert, with Bonham's son, Jason, playing drums, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of its record company, Atlantic Records. By then, Led Zeppelin was acclaimed as one of the most important groups in rock-music history. The group is now recognized as having exerted a significant influence on music ranging from heavy metal to grunge, a guitar-based rock style that emerged during the early 1990s. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. My Chemical Romance is an American rock band that formed in 2001. The current members of the band are Gerard Way, Ray Toro, Frank Iero, Bob Bryar and Mikey Way. Shortly after forming, the band signed to Eyeball Records and released their debut album I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love in 2002. They signed with Reprise Records the next year and released their major label debut Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge in 2004. The album was a major commercial success, selling over two million copies due in part to the success of the singles "Helena", "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)", and "The Ghost of You". The band followed this success with 2006's The Black Parade, featuring their hit singles, "Welcome to the Black Parade", "Famous Last Words", "I Don't Love You", "Teenagers" and upcoming single "Mama". While the band identifies their sound as simply "rock", the subgenre of the band's recordings has been a subject of debate among fans and the media. Green Day is an American rock band formed in 1988. The band consists of three core members: Billie Joe Armstrong (guitar, lead vocals), Mike Dirnt (bass) and Tré Cool (drums).Green Day was originally part of the punk rock scene at 924 Gilman Street in Berkeley, California. Its early releases for independent label Lookout! Records earned them a grassroots fanbase, some of whom felt alienated when the band signed to a major label. Nevertheless, its major label debut Dookie became a breakout success in 1994 and eventually sold over 10 million copies in the U.S. alone. As a result, Green Day was widely credited, along with fellow California punk bands The Offspring and Rancid, with reviving mainstream interest in and popularizing punk rock in the United States. Green Day's three follow-up albums, Insomniac, Nimrod and Warning did not achieve the massive success of Dookie, but they were still successful, reaching double platinum, double platinum and gold status respectively. Its 2004 rock opera American Idiot reignited the band's popularity with a younger generation, selling 5 million copies in the U.S. The band has sold over 60 million records worldwide, including 22 million in the United States alone. They also have three Grammy Awards, Best Alternative Album for Dookie, Best Rock Album for American Idiot, and Record of the Year for "Boulevard of Broken Dreams." Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985. The band has sold an estimated 90 million albums worldwide, including 39 million in the United States. Their 1987 major label debut, Appetite for Destruction, sold over 26 million copies worldwide and reached #1 in the United States. The band's musical style, onstage presence and bad boy rock image helped usher in a new era of the dominant hard rock and heavy metal scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s. While glam metal was the leading genre in record sales, video charts and radio airplay, Guns N' Roses offered a grittier, more traditional take on rock music, and won many fans who admired their apparent authenticity. The band enjoyed worldwide success from 1988 to 1993, but clashing personalities of different band members led to the end of the core lineup. Today, frontman Axl Rose is the only original member left in the current Guns N' Roses line-up, having served as lead singer for twenty-two years since 1985. Metallica is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1981. Metallica has become one of the most commercially successful musical acts of recent decades, and are considered one of the "Big Four" pioneers of thrash metal, along with Anthrax, Slayer, and Megadeth. The band has sold more than 90 million records worldwide, including 57 million albums in the United States alone. Aerosmith is a prominent American hard rock band, regarded by some as "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Although they are known as "the bad boys from Boston", none of the band's members are actually from that city. Three of them, Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, and Tom Hamilton, had originally met in Sunapee, New Hampshire in the late '60s, but had not yet formed a band together. Tyler was from Yonkers, New York, Perry from Hopedale, Massachusetts, and Hamilton from New London, New Hampshire. In 1970, the three decided to form a band and decided that Boston, Massachusetts would be the ideal base. Guitarist Brad Whitford and drummer Joey Kramer rounded out the lineup, and the band released their eponymous debut album in 1973. The band created a string of ground-breaking hard-rock albums and enjoyed major popularity throughout the 1970s, but their serious substance abuse and drug addictions contributed to their decline. Joe Perry and Brad Whitford left the group, and the period from 1979-1984 was a dark one for the band, which carried on with replacements. However, in 1984, chiefly due to the tireless efforts of Joe Perry's then manager, Tim Collins, to reform the original band, Aerosmith was born again. Collins succeeded in helping the band resolve old differences and ultimately overcome their addictions. Since then, Aerosmith have remained sober for over 20 years, and have achieved a level of sustained success that has well eclipsed their 1970s heyday. Aerosmith, who have been performing as the original lineup for 34 of the past 37 years, have sold 150 million albums worldwide, 65.5 million albums in the United States alone, making them the bestselling American hard rock band of all time. They also hold the record for the most gold, platinum, and multi-platinum albums by an American group. The band has scored 28 Top 40 hits on multiple charts around the world, nine #1 Mainstream Rock hits, four Grammy awards, and ten Video Music Awards. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. They continue to tour and average one million dollars a show. Their musical evolution over the years has made them major innovators in American hard rock, pop, glam, blues, and rap, and has inspired legions of rock artists that came after them. Their numerous contributions to other forms of media have further solidified their status as pop culture icons. Rolling Stone Magazine ranked Aerosmith #57 on their list of The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. The band has a loyal fanbase numbering over a million worldwide, known as the Blue Army, that has equally spanned the last three generations. Aerosmith's longevity, durability, and adaptability have allowed them to sustain high levels of popularity, acclaim, and success for the better part of the 37 years they have been active. AC/DC are a hard rock band formed in Sydney, Australia in 1973 by brothers Angus and Malcolm Young. The band are considered pioneers of heavy metal, alongside bands such as Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath. Its members, however, have always classified their music as "rock 'n' roll". AC/DC underwent several line-up changes before releasing their first album, High Voltage, in 1975. Membership remained stable until bassist Cliff Williams replaced Mark Evans in 1977. In 1979, the band recorded their highly successful album, Highway to Hell. Lead singer and co-songwriter Bon Scott died on February 19, 1980, after a night of heavy alcohol consumption. The group briefly considered disbanding, but soon ex-Geordie singer Brian Johnson was selected as Scott's replacement. Later that year, the band released their biggest-selling album, Back in Black. The band's next album, For Those About to Rock We Salute You, was also highly successful and was the first hard rock album to reach #1 in the United States. AC/DC declined in popularity soon after the departure of drummer Phil Rudd in 1983. Poor record sales continued until the release of The Razors Edge in 1990. Phil Rudd returned in 1994 and contributed to the band's 1995 album Ballbreaker. Stiff Upper Lip was released in 2000 and was well-received by critics. A new album is expected sometime in 2008. AC/DC have sold an estimated 150 million albums worldwide, including 68 million albums in the U.S. Back in Black has sold an estimated 42 million units worldwide and 21 million in the U.S. alone, making it the 5th highest-selling album ever in the USA. AC/DC are ranked fourth on VH1's list of the 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock and were ranked by MTV the 7th "Greatest Heavy Metal Band Of All Time". U2 (IPA: /ju.tu/) is a rock band from Dublin, Ireland. The band consists of Bono (lead vocals and rhythm guitar), The Edge (lead guitar, keyboards, and backing vocals), Adam Clayton (bass guitar), and Larry Mullen Jr. (drums and percussion). U2 have been one of the most popular acts in the world since the mid-1980s. The band has sold more than 170 million albums worldwide, and has won 22 Grammy Awards, more than any other rock band. U2 formed in 1976 when the members were teenagers with limited musical proficiency. By the mid-1980s, however, the band had become a top international act, noted for its anthemic sound, Bono's impassioned vocals, and The Edge's textural guitar playing. Their success as a live act was greater than their success as a record-selling act until their 1987 album, The Joshua Tree, brought them mega-stardom. Their 1991 album Achtung Baby and the accompanying Zoo TV Tour were part of a significant reinvention for the band; it was a response to their own sense of musical stagnation, the dance and alternative rock revolutions, and criticism of their image. This experimentation continued for the rest of the 1990s. In the early years of the 21st century, U2 have pursued a more traditional sound while maintaining influences from their previous musical explorations. They continue to enjoy high levels of commercial and critical success. The band are active in human rights, international development, and social justice causes, such as Amnesty International, Make Poverty History, the ONE Campaign, Live Aid, Live 8, Bono's DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade in Africa) campaign, and Music Rising Black Sabbath are an English heavy metal band from Birmingham. The original band line up of Ozzy Osbourne (vocals), Tony Iommi (guitar), Terence "Geezer" Butler (bass), and Bill Ward (drums) is the same as the current line up (2007) although there have been many shifts of personnel over the years. Black Sabbath remain a dominant influence in the heavy metal genre they helped create. VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock ranks them second, behind Led Zeppelin. Currently, the early 1980s line-up of the band featuring Iommi, Butler, Ronnie James Dio and Vinny Appice are touring under the moniker Heaven and Hell, a title taken from the 1980 Black Sabbath album of the same name. Bon Jovi is a Rock 'n' Roll band originating from Sayreville, New Jersey. Fronted by lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi, the group originally achieved large-scale success in the 1980s. The band has continued its success as one of the world's most successful rock acts throughout the 1990s and 2000s, selling over 120 million albums worldwide. They have also won a Grammy for best Country Collaboration for "Who Says You Can't Go Home" with Jennifer Nettles from Sugarland. They have also been nominated twice for the smash hit "It's My Life" and two songs from the album Bounce, "Misunderstood" and "Everyday". Their numerous hits include: "Runaway", "You Give Love a Bad Name", "Livin' on a Prayer", "Wanted Dead or Alive", "Bad Medicine", "I'll Be There for You", "Keep the Faith", "Bed of Roses", "Always", "It's My Life", "Everyday", "Have a Nice Day", "Who Says You Can't Go Home" and "(You Want to) Make a Memory".