The Cult guitarist Billy Duffy says the band owe a lot to AC/DC for inspiring classic album Electric. They’re gearing up for a UK tour where they’ll deliver the 1987 record in full. And Duffy says its success is down to his experience of seeing Bon Scott and the Young Brothers in Manchester in 1977. He tells Guitar International: “It was a very honest record. It was the soundtrack of what we were doing at the time – just having fun going round the world. “It owes a great debt to AC/DC. I’ve always been into them. I saw them with Bon Scott in Manchester and I was actually able to hit Angus’ guitar with my hand while Bon carried him through the auditorium. “It’s no bullshit. The Electric album tapped into that honest groove and simplicity.” Duffy admits timing was important too, with Guns n Roses releasing their debut album around the same time and, as a result, their being great interest in stripped-down approaches to rock music. “We could never make that record again,” he reflects. “We’re not living that lifestyle. Led Zeppelin could never make their first album again; nobody can. You evolve and become a different person ... Read more...

It would be nice to have a new album of Poison material one of these days, but frontman Brett Michaels doesn't seem to be in a hurry to get the band back into the studio. His latest is Good Songs and Great Friends, an album of covers of songs from his own catalog with a few covers thrown in for good measure. The album features guest appearances from a veritable who's who of rock luminaries, including bassists Michael Anthony (Van Halen, Chickenfoot) and Eric Brittingham (Cinderella), and guitarists Ace Frehley, (KISS), Phil Collen (Def Leppard), Gary Rossington (Lynyrd Skynyrd), Joe Perry (Aerosmith), Frank Hannon (Tesla), Leslie West (Mountain) and his own Poison bandmate C.C. DeVille. There are plenty of guest vocalists too, including Mark Mcgrath (Sugar Ray), Jimmy Buffett, Loretta Lynn and Robert Mason (Warrant, Lynch Mob). The album even includes a version of Michaels' track Party Rock Band featuring late Ozzy Osbourne/Motley Crue drummer Randy Castillo. "It's really not just a Bret Michaels album," the singer says. "I had so many other talented artists come in and support that it's really a Bret Michaels & Friends album. There's a staggering amount of talent on this! It's been such a ... Read more...

Pink Floyd have released their entire back-catalogue on Spotify after saying they'd do so on once "Wish You Were Here" had been streamed one million times. The target figure was reached in four days. Spotify boss Ken Parks says: "It's a great day for fans of prog rock, but it's also a great day for younger fans who have yet to be really turned on to the magic of Floyd. "That's a lot of what this is about: bringing a new generation of fans to one of the biggest and most iconic bands in the world." (via Classic Rock)     Read more...

(via the Ottawa Citizen) OTTAWA — It seems the return of the record player isn’t just for grown-up music fans any more. A new release from Ottawa-based Kelp Records featuring the music of local band Hilotrons is available only for the Fisher-Price toy record player. A departure from other Fisher-Price selections like Camptown Races and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, it offers roughly 25-second versions of Hilotrons tracks “My Number” and “Not There Tonight.” Kelp Records founder Jon Bartlett, who was a childhood fan of the late-’70s music box, came across a YouTube video last summer of a Fisher-Price turntable playing Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven that “blew his mind.” “I’ve got a little guy now who is almost three,” said Bartlett. “That’s one of the first things I bought him, so the thought that someone figured out a way to create the discs got me really excited.” After tracking down the Zeppelin disc’s creator, Fred Murphy, in Surrey, England, Bartlett arranged to have Murphy produce the Hilotrons discs. Because of costs, Bartlett said, the label was able to make just five of the records, which will be sold in an exclusive package this Saturday at the Toronto edition of the ... Read more...