The Cardiacs are one of the UK’s most underrated and underappreciated bands, formed in 1977. With their incredibly complicated music, which encompasses a wide variety of styles and their surreal live shows, they have influenced everybody from Blur to Napalm Death, and not many other bands can say that. In addition to their eight studio albums, they have released a vast array of different material, including live albums, compilations, and singles between 1980 and 2007, after which they were forced to go on hiatus due to frontman Tim Smith’s ill health.
Despite being highly revered by a wide variety of musicians across the rock spectrum, they have also received some criticism from certain areas of the music press, who think that their music is too “out there” to be considered acceptable.
With the recent news of Smith’s death, it would seem that the Cardiacs are sadly no more. However, they have certainly left behind a brilliant legacy that will hopefully start to get more recognized. Here at Classic Rock, with this article, we hope to enlighten people who may not have ever even heard of this band. So, without further ado, let us tell you what the ten best tracks are…
# 10 – Signs
We open our top 10 Cardiacs songs list with a single from the band’s fifth album, Guns, released in 1999. It was their last with guitarist John Poole. This album is considered the band’s most accessible, and whilst it is closer to standard alternative rock than much of the group’s other material, that is not to say that it is an unchallenging listen by any stretch. This track is a particularly intricate composition, and its choice as a single showed that the band was not quite turning middle of the road just yet.
# 9 – Odd Even
This next track is the second single taken from the band’s fourth album, Signs to God, released in 1996. This album was the first with drummer Bob Leith and their second as a four-piece. It was also their first album for four years, the previous having been 1992’s Heaven Born and Ever Bright. John Poole played a bigger role with this record, which is considered to be one of their most eclectic outputs.
# 8 – Manhoo
This track was the first single from the aforementioned Signs to God, of which only 1000 copies were produced, making it long out of print. There were original plans to release four singles from the album in honor of every band member, but for unknown reasons, this never happened. With this track, you can see their influence on bands such as Blur as this track does sound like a crazy version of Blur.
# 7 – Susannah’s Still Alive
Up next is a cover by the band of the original by The Kinks. It appeared on the Kinks tribute album Shangri-La: A Tribute to the Kinks and was released as a single. It is the only cover song that the band has ever done. As expected, it is far from a straightforward cover of the original, sounding much louder and more chaotic. Arguably, it is better than the original because it is a generally more unique piece of music.
Here we have the band’s third single taken from the album A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window. This release was the third time that the track had been recorded. Two previous versions appeared on the band’s Toy World and The Seaside albums. It is a notable track in the group’s discography as it is their only track to achieve any chart success, where it peaked in the UK at eighty.
# 5 – There’s Too Many Irons in the Fire
This is the band’s second single, released in 1987. A classic early track from the Cardiacs, it is a crazy mix of progressive rock and post-punk, sounding almost like Wire crossed with King Crimson. The single release has since been deleted and is thus now unavailable on its own. However, along with the other two tracks on the release, it was re-released on the 1991 compilation album Songs for Ships and Irons.
# 4 – To Go Off and Things
Here we have a classic track that was one of four songs on the twelve-inch single The Seaside. In addition to the single itself, a video of it was released, containing three songs that expressed the band’s bizarre visual side. Contained within it was a promo video for this song, which was somewhat reminiscent of British alternative comedy such as Monty Python. In 2013, Napalm Death released a brilliantly amped-up cover of it on their Sugar Daddy split with The Melvins.
# 3 – A Bus for a Bus on the Bus (As Cardiac Arrest)
This is the title track from the band’s debut single, released in 1979 when they were still known as Cardiac Arrest. It was their only ever seven-inch and until the release of the 2005 live album The Special Garage Concerts Volume 2, none of the tracks on it were ever available on any other release. They originally planned to have four tracks on it instead of three, but were prevented from doing so due to the limited seven-inch recording space.
# 2 – The Obvious Identity
This song is the title track from the band’s 1980 debut full length which was also released under the moniker Cardiac Arrest. Upon its initial release, it was not widely available, merely being a cassette that was only sold at the band’s gigs. It has never been reissued and as a result, is a very rare item within the Cardiacs back catalog. However, many of the tracks are available on several other releases.
# 1 – Big Ship
This anthemic track is a key Cardiacs song and is the title track of their 1987 mini album. Not only was it an essential staple of their live concerts, it is also featured on most of their live albums. The release was the first to feature what is considered to be the classic line-up of Smith, his brother Jim on bass, keyboardist William D Drake, saxophonist Sarah Smith, percussionist Tim Key and drummer Dominic Luckman.
“I chased him down the hall with my d**k in my hand.” How an epic fistfight with racist skinheads turned hip-hop superstar Ice Cube and Ministry’s Al Jourgensen into unlikely allies
(Image credit: Paul Rovere/Getty Images) | Paras Griffin/Getty Images)
They say that you never get a second chance to make a first impression, and Ministry‘s Al Jourgensen certainly made a lasting impression when he first met rap legend-turned-Hollywood star Ice Cube in the early ’90s.
The former N.W.A. rapper and Jourgensen’s industrial-metal pioneers were both booked to play the main stage on the second Lollapalooza tour, in the summer of 1992. And in a 2017 interview with Metal Hammer, Jourgensen recalled that his first meeting with Ice Cube was unorthodox, to put it mildly.
“Ice Cube started drinking my fuckin’ beer before we got offstage and then bitched about the kind of beer we had,” Ministry’s mainman recalled. “So I stripped naked and started rubbing my cock on him, which he didn’t like.”
No shit.
In Richard Bienstock and Tom Beaujour’s excellent recently-published oral history of the ground-breaking alternative rock festival, Lollapalooza: The Uncensored History of Alternative Rock’s Wildest Festival,Jourgensen revisits this anecdote, and also reveals how he and Ice Cube moved past this somewhat uncomfortable first encounter and struck up a friendship.
“I remember at the beginning of the tour, he and his crew were in our dressing room taking our beer,” Jourgensen told the authors. “And I was like, Well, fuck that. I’d just gotten outta the shower after coming offstage, and I had a towel wrapped around me, and I basically chased him down the hall with my fucking dick in my hand, going, Here, you want some of this? I know that his bouncers got a big kick out of it. Instead of gettingt my ass kicked, they were laughing their asses off.”
Talking about Ice Cube’s involvement in the tour, Jourgensen added, “It must’ve seemed to Ice Cube like being behind enemy lines. Like, this was an experiment – let’s put hip-hop culture in the middle of this rock culture, and see how it works. I’m sure he felt under siege.”
“He [Ice Cube] and his people had their battles,” says stage manager Michael ‘Curly’ Jobson. “There was racism pointed at them by dipshit skinhead right-wing clowns.”
The turning point as far as Ministry and Ice Cube were concerned occurred in Charlotte, North Carolina, around the tour’s stop at the Blockbuster Pavilion on August 25, 1992.
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“We did a show and there was a bunch of rednecks, like typical MAGA-type people today, that were all pissed that there was a rap band at a rock festival,” Jourgensen recalls. “And they were there for violence.”
Which, when Ministry’s stage crew took offence at their presence, they got, as Jourgensen remembers.
“I was sitting on the balcony of the hotel, watching my crew fight a bunch of rednecks,” he told Bienstock and Beaujour. “And I had no idea, but Ice Cube was in the room. next to me, so he was out on his balcony with his guys, seeing what all the kerfuffle was about. He looked over at me on my balcony as we’re watching, and he goes, ‘Damn, man, I never seen so many white people fight at one time in my life!’
Jourgensen closes out the story by saying, “When Ice Cube found out what the fight was about, he came up to me and he goes, ‘You guys are cool’. So we had a good relationship from there on out… In the end it all turned out well. You know, people can get along.”
A music writer since 1993, formerly Editor of Kerrang! and Planet Rock magazine (RIP), Paul Brannigan is a Contributing Editor to Louder. Having previously written books on Lemmy, Dave Grohl (the Sunday Times best-seller This Is A Call) and Metallica (Birth School Metallica Death, co-authored with Ian Winwood), his Eddie Van Halen biography (Eruption in the UK, Unchained in the US) emerged in 2021. He has written for Rolling Stone, Mojo and Q, hung out with Fugazi at Dischord House, flown on Ozzy Osbourne’s private jet, played Angus Young’s Gibson SG, and interviewed everyone from Aerosmith and Beastie Boys to Young Gods and ZZ Top. Born in the North of Ireland, Brannigan lives in North London and supports The Arsenal.
Bryan Adams was still a teenager when he made his recorded debut with the Vancouver-based glam band Sweeney Todd in 1977. Within a couple of years, he and another Canadian songwriter, Jim Vallance, teamed up in a songwriting partnership that has lasted through the decades.
In 1980, Adams released his first solo album, following a 1978 disco single featuring the raspy-voiced singer’s voice sped up to meet dance-club requirements. By mid-decade was one of pop music’s biggest artists, with a No. 1 single and LP.
It didn’t take him long to find his calling, as you’ll see in the list of Bryan Adams Albums Ranked below. At first, a heartland rocker with big guitar-aided radio hooks and sparkling charisma, Adams soon found a penchant for power ballads and, in turn, hit soundtrack songs.
He’s attempted a few twists to his program over the years, but for the most part, Adams and Vallance have stuck to the music he does best. There’s little deviation from the powerful hooks and arena-ready guitar anthems he’s made since the early ’80s; even in the ’20s, it’s a target he’s often hit.
Adams’ list of commercial achievements is plenty; he’s sold nearly 100 million records around the world, and his name is on four No. 1 songs, including the 1991 Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves hit “(Everything I Do) I Do It for You” — which spent 16 consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the U.K. chart and 17 weeks at the top of Billboard’s sales chart. But his best albums go beyond mere numbers.
Bryan Adams Albums Ranked
Hitmaking Canadian heartland rocker was the king of arena-sized hooks in the mid-’80s through mid-’90s.
The Steve Miller Band has announced 22 new 2025 US tour dates, with a promise that even more concerts will be added to their schedule shortly.
The new dates are in addition to the six shows Miller announced back in March. You can see his complete tour itinerary below.
The tour kicks off Aug. 15 in at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in Bethel, NY and is currently set to conclude Nov. 8 at the Honda Center in Anaheim. A social media post announcing the tour promises that even more dates will be added to these plans.
Tickets for the Steve Miller Band’s newly announced concert dates go on sale Friday, May 9. You can get complete information at the band’s official website.
Steve Miller Band 2025 Tour Dates
Aug. 15 – Bethel, NY @ Bethel Woods Center for the Arts Aug. 16 – Grantville, PA @ Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course Aug. 19 – Gilford, NH @ BankNH Pavilion Aug. 21 – Syracuse, NY @ New York State Fair Aug. 22 – Atlantic City, NJ @ Hard Rock Live Aug. 24 – Wantagh, NY @ Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater Aug. 26 – Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center Aug. 28 – St. Paul, MN @ Minnesota State Fair Aug. 30 – Salamanca, NY @ Seneca Allegany Resort & Casinos Aug. 31 – Mashantucket, CT @ Foxwoods Resort Casino Sept. 19 – Memphis, TN @ Memphis Botanic Garden Sept. 23 – Gautier, MS @ The Sound Amphitheater Sept. 25 – Huntsville, AL @ Orion Amphitheater Sept. 27 – Gary, IN @ Hard Rock Live Oct. 1 – Tuscaloosa, AL @ Mercedes-Benz Amphitheater
Oct. 2 – St. Augustine, FL @ St. Augustine Amphitheatre Oct. 4 – Estero, FL @ Hertz Arena Oct. 5 – Hollywood, FL @ Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Oct. 7 – Tampa, FL @ Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Oct. 23 – Scottsdale, AZ @ Talking Stick Resort Pool Oct. 25 – Las Vegas, NV @ Planet Hollywood Oct. 28 – Highland, CA @ Yaamava Theater Oct. 30 – Saratoga, CA @ The Mountain Winery Oct. 31 – Lincoln, CA @ Thunder Valley Casino Resort Nov. 1 – Sparks, NV @ Nuggent Event Center Nov. 4 – San Diego, CA @ The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park Nov. 6 – Inglewood, CA @ YouTube Theater Nov. 8 – Anaheim, CA @ Honda Center
Steve Miller Band Albums Ranked
Ranking every Steve Miller Band studio album from worst to best.
For decades, Ozzy Osbourne has been the human incarnate of all things rock n’ roll. Now, the legendary frontman says he’s ready to leave the lifestyle behind.
Now 76 years old, Osbourne has faced a long list of health problems. The metal icon is poised to officially retire from performing following Back to the Beginning, Black Sabbath’s star-studded farewell event, scheduled for July 5 in Birmingham, England. As Ozzy says goodbye to touring, he’s also saying goodbye to his old way of living.
“It is time,” the singer admitted to The Guardian. “I lived on the road for 50-odd years, and I’ve kind of got used to not picking up my bags and getting on the bus again. I don’t smoke dope or do any of the rock star lifestyle any more. I’m kind of like a homebody. I never go out. I never hang out in bars – I don’t drink. So what the fuck is out there for me?”
Osbourne admitted that some aspects of a subdued life in retirement were unappealing.
“I hate going shopping with my wife,” he declared. “I feel like stabbing myself in the neck after half an hour.”
Still, the trailblazing vocalist has more important things in mind as he ponders life after rock.
“It’s time for me to spend some time with my grandkids,” Ozzy remarked. “I don’t want to die in a hotel room somewhere. I want to spend the rest of my life with my family.”
Osbourne is doing everything he can to prepare for the event, but he cautioned fans not to expect a full set.
“We’re only playing a couple of songs each. I don’t want people thinking, ‘We’re getting ripped off’, because it’s just going to be … what’s the word? … a sample,” Osbourne noted. “You’re going to get a few songs each by Ozzy and Sabbath.”
“If you’re a Zep fan and really want to go see Zeppelin, you might as well go and see one of the better tribute bands”: The epic life and career of John Paul Jones, the heartbeat of Led Zeppelin and so much more
(Image credit: Dick Barnatt/Redferns)
John Paul Jones is most famous for being the bassist and keyboard player in Led Zeppelin throughout their 12-year lifespan, but he had successful and fascinating career before and after as a session player, arranger and, later, producer. In 2010, he was playing bass alongside Dave Grohl and Josh Homme in Them Crooked Vultures and was the recipient of the Outstanding Achievement honour at that year’s Classic Rock awards – the perfect opportunity to sit down and look back over his stellar journey.
John Paul Jones seems quietly at ease with his standing as one of rock’s elder statesman. It’s exactly 50 years since he joined his father’s dance band, aged just 14, after which he began touring with The Shadows. From 1964 onwards, he played on and directed sessions for The Yardbirds, Donovan, Marc Bolan, Cat Stevens, Marianne Faithfull, Tom Jones, The Walker Brothers and many more. The Rolling Stones even brought him aboard for the string arrangement on She’s A Rainbow.
His seat at the high table of rock was secured, however, when he formed Led Zeppelin with Jimmy Page in 1968. Page may have been more flashy, Plant more God-like and Bonham more thunderous, but it was bass and keyboardist Jones who provided the band with its distinctive textures and mighty eclecticism.
Since then Jones has worked with a dizzying array of artists, including REM, Peter Gabriel, Ben E King, Butthole Surfers, Heart, The Datsuns and Sonic Youth. The past 18 months have seen him return to high-profile rock via membership of supergroup Them Crooked Vultures, alongside Dave Grohl and Josh Homme. Now 64, age has failed to dim either his resolve or his musicianship. “Getting older gives you more freedom,” he laughs. “People either assume you know what you’re doing, or else they just don’t care. So do what you like!”
You turned professional in 1962, then became session player, musical director and arranger for people like Andrew Loog Oldham and Mickey Most. So how did you get involved with them?
This feature was originally published in Classic Rock issue 153 (December 2010) (Image credit: Future)
I used to stand on the corner of Archer Street in Soho every Monday, where all the musicians were at. Eventually I saw Jet Harris and asked him if he wanted a bass player. I’d seen him for a couple of weeks, but just couldn’t bring myself to ask. But when I did, he said: “I don’t need anyone, but they do.” And he pointed to the band he’d just left, which was [jazz-rock combo] the Jett Blacks. I went to audition for them, but Jet heard the audition too. This was when he was just starting The Shadows with Tony Meehan and he said: “No, you’re coming with us!” So I never got to actually play with the Jett Blacks. I was just 17 at that point. Suddenly the whole thing happened for me.
Then I started doing a lot of sessions and watching a lot of arrangers, picking it up as I went along. When somebody asked if I could arrange, I said: “Yeah, of course.” My Dad once told me: “Never turn down work.” And I didn’t. So I went out and bought a book, which taught you how to orchestrate. Forsyth’s Orchestration, it was called. The thing to remember is that, in those days, sessions weren’t like they are today. We’d do two or three a day, for a start, and you didn’t usually know who you were going to be playing with until you actually saw them. Back then they used to do the vocals at the same time. So you’d be standing in a little box and you could see them through the glass.
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There’s a myth that musicians of today aren’t as adept as those of your era.
It’s just not true though. It’s like saying that people aren’t as adept because they use samplers or turntables. People say, “Oh, they’re not real musicians.” Oh yeah? Well, here’s a turntable and a sampler – go and make a fucking killer record! It’s different skills, that’s all. You’ve still got to have it all up there [taps head], to know what sounds good and how to put it all together. It’s just that you don’t necessarily do it by playing guitar.
John Paul Jones in 1965 (Image credit: Mark and Colleen Hayward/Redferns)
One of your earliest charges was Nico.
I don’t think I actually did her record; I did her test. She sang Blowin’ In The Wind in the most unusual manner. I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it, to be honest, but she was certainly something unusual. Very imposing too, about a head taller than me. When I heard her later stuff, it sort of made sense, though the music was so austere. I remember the session well, because Ari, her son, was with her and spent the whole time just tearing the studio apart. He was wild, running around and causing havoc.
You worked with an unknown Marc Bolan too. Was there any indication he was a superstar-in-waiting?
He definitely had something; he was different. I worked with him with John’s Children. They were ahead of their time, really. They wanted a track for me to put instruments to, which was just the German army marching. It was pretty strange. But Marc knew what he wanted to do, even then. It was never dull.
What about arranging She’s A Rainbow for the Stones?
The session itself was good, apart from all the hanging around and waiting for various Stones to show up. I was like, “Okay, well, it’s Monday today, will they be in tomorrow?” Then, come Friday, I’d get a call saying they’d be in next week. And so it went on.
In early 1968 you played on Donovan’s Hurdy Gurdy Man. Various players, including Donovan himself and engineer Eddie Kramer, attest that Jimmy Page played guitar, while John Bonham is rumoured to be on drums.
That’s one of those false rumours that’s been going around for years. Jimmy wasn’t on it. There was me on bass, Alan Parker on guitar, Clem Cattini on drums and Donovan on acoustic guitar. Eddie Kramer should know better, because he engineered that session and took pictures too. I know poor old Clem was trying to prove to the back-royalties organisation that he played on it. Nobody would believe he was the drummer, but I booked him!
NEW 📀 Hurdy Gurdy Man – Donovan {Stereo} Summer 1968 – YouTube
One of the deciding factors was recording a ‘muzak’ session. As soon as it would start to get interesting, the producer would say: “Stop, that’s too much. This has got to be wallpaper music. It’s for people to hear while they’re going up and down in a lift”. I hated that session. In the end I’d just had enough; it was hard work. I was just feeling burnt out. And you probably know the story about my wife reading one of the music magazines and telling me that Page was looking for people to form a band with. She was sick of me moping about and wondering what I was going to do next. So in the end I gave him a call. It was scary joining Zeppelin, because being a session musician meant you were paid well. To then go into a band was no guarantee of making money. I had no idea if it would work or how long it would last.
In the very early days of Led Zeppelin, you were almost dismissed by the British music press as an irrelevance.
At the first Albert Hall show, it was generally thought that we were an American band. Nobody really wanted to know about us, press-wise, in England. They didn’t really get it. We were different from the other bands. We weren’t a white-boy blues band, or straight-ahead rock or Sabbath-type band, so we ended up going to America. We were bigger there than we were in England at the beginning. Then when we came back here, suddenly they were all over us.
Did you ever get to see anything other than the inside of planes and hotel rooms when you were touring with Zeppelin in the 70s?
I once read that The Beatles toured America and never left their hotel room, and that made quite an impression on me. I thought, I can’t do that. Robert had the hardest time, but I could sneak around without being recognised. I was able to walk about because I looked different on every tour we went on – short hair, long hair.
No one really expects you to be in a mall in the middle of Denver, so people are looking at you and saying to each other: “That guy looks a bit like John Paul Jones from Led Zeppelin. But it can’t be.” So you can get away with it. And when I was walking the streets, I didn’t have bodyguards or anything like that. I was very inconspicuous; I’m pretty good at melting into the crowd. I’d end up at people’s houses and I used to turn up at gigs in a VW bus full of hippies. It was a case of, “Follow the limousines, he’s with the band!”
Led Zeppelin in 1969: (from left) John Bonham, Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones (Image credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Is there any reason why none of the members of Led Zeppelin has ever written a book?
There have been plenty of offers. Lots of people want to write books with us. One of the things you have in the back of your mind is that people don’t really want to know about the music, for whatever reason. And I don’t want to be dishing dirt on the band. And I’m too busy to be honest, too busy playing it to write about it.
Post-Zeppelin, you worked with a highly eclectic bunch of people; everyone from REM and Brian Eno to Butthole Surfers, Diamanda Galas and The Datsuns.
I never like to make the same record twice. And I can never do the same thing for any long period of time. I know it sounds strange, but to me all these different people are kind of the same. It’s all music that I like. If I feel I can do something for someone, then I’ll do it. And you learn something from every experience. Has it made me a better musician? Oh yes.
Your string arrangements for REM on Automatic For The People – songs like Drive and Everybody Hurts – were pretty radical for them in 1992.
They flew me over to Atlanta, where I met some members of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. I didn’t conduct it, because I prefer to have a conductor there if I’m arranging. It was a great thing to do, I had a really good time on that one. REM just sent stuff over for me to do. It was as simple as that. Everyone knew what they wanted.
That same year you produced Independent Worm Saloon for the Butthole Surfers.
I had an American agent at the time, who said that Butthole Surfers were looking for a producer and my name had come up. So I left Georgia and flew to California, where I found a studio about half an hour outside of San Francisco. Not too far away so that everyone got cabin fever, but not too near so you’re always looking for people. So we all holed up and made this record, which I’m quite proud of, actually. Gibby’s amazing. He’s a very big talent and highly unusual.
Butthole Surfers – Who Was In My Room Last Night? – YouTube
Is there anyone you’re still gagging to work with?
That’s a very difficult one to answer. I would have thought it’d be interesting to work with Neil Young. There’s just something about what he does and the way he does it. Should he ever knock on my door, I’d probably say yes. He’s another person who doesn’t like to stand still.
When you took up Dave Grohl’s invitation to become part of Them Crooked Vultures, were you inundated with other offers too?
[Laughing] No! Though during the ’80s, I couldn’t get arrested. Nobody was interested. I think that was probably down to the baggage of Led Zeppelin. It was like Paul McCartney after The Beatles. When Dave called, I was still doing something with Jimmy Page. Then when that fell through I rang him up. Dave had to convince Josh I was serious, but he didn’t believe him: “Yeah, right. And I’ll call Obama.” I still don’t think he believed him until I walked into the studio for the first time. Then Josh suddenly went: “Oh shit, now what do we do?”
Did Them Crooked Vultures act as some sort of compensation for Zeppelin fans disappointed at the lack of activity following the O2 reunion?
Y’know, if you’re a Zep fan and really want to go see Zeppelin, you might as well go and see one of the better tribute bands. Even when we played the O2 we didn’t play the same as we did in the old days, because you just can’t. I like to think it’s because one is endlessly creative, but it’s more because you can’t remember things! It’s as simple as that.
Actually, Jason [Bonham] did. I remember in rehearsal getting to a point in one song where Page and I were stuck, wondering where we went from there. Jason said: “Well, in 1972 at the Forum you did it this way; in 1973 you did it this way and segued into this or that…” We played one number [For Your Life] where I said: “Y’know, I really can’t remember what I’m supposed to play on this.” Page went: “I’m finding this difficult too. Jason, why can’t we remember how to do this?” And Jason just said: “Because you’ve never played it on stage before!” We’d only played it once before, which was the day we recorded it – thirty-seven years ago.
John Paul Jones onstage with Them Crooked Vultures in 2010 (Image credit: John Shearer/WireImage)
Will there be a second Vultures album?
I think there will, but we just couldn’t fit it in before Josh and Dave went back to their day jobs. We do mean to, and it may be in a year or so. The will is definitely there, but they’ll have to finish what they have to do first. It was always thus. It was never going to be just a one-off, but at the same time it was never going to be a full-time thing. The Vultures sit somewhere in the middle. But yes, there’s certainly more to come.
Are there any fears that, with the Foo Fighters and QOTSA both back on the agenda, the Vultures might lose momentum?
We try not to think about this stuff. If it doesn’t happen this week, it’ll happen next week. It’s not a worry in that sense. We know what we want to do and we all seem to want the same thing. We never actually talk about the music. We don’t discuss anything, we just do it. It works out easier that way: don’t plan it, just get on with it. It really is a true democracy in that respect.
Aside from all that, what are your immediate plans?
I’m at the Royal Opera House in February, participating in an opera by composer Mark-Anthony Turnage called Anna Nicole [based on the life of the troubled late US glamour kitten Anna Nicole Smith]. I’ll be playing in the pit for some of the time, with the basses, and I’m also on stage playing with a jazz trio with [drummer/composer] Peter Erskine.
Knowing what you know now, is there one piece of advice you would have offered the John Paul Jones of the early 70s?
That’s a tough one. I can’t say: “Don’t say yes all the time,” because that’s actually the fun of it. Let me think… Probably: “Get it in writing.”
Originally published in Classic Rock magazine issue 153, December 2010
Freelance writer for Classic Rock since 2008, and sister title Prog since its inception in 2009. Regular contributor to Uncut magazine for over 20 years. Other clients include Word magazine, Record Collector, The Guardian, Sunday Times, The Telegraph and When Saturday Comes. Alongside Marc Riley, co-presenter of long-running A-Z Of David Bowie podcast. Also appears twice a week on Riley’s BBC6 radio show, rifling through old copies of the NME and Melody Maker in the Parallel Universe slot. Designed Aston Villa’s kit during a previous life as a sportswear designer. Geezer Butler told him he loved the all-black away strip.
After his first attempt was cut short by weather, Gene Simmons played the first full show of his 2025 solo tour Saturday evening in Beaver Dam, Kentucky.
The Kiss star’s Friday night show near Atlanta was cut short after six songs due to bad weather, but Simmons and his band got their full show in the next night, mixing Kiss classics with Van Halen and Led Zeppelin covers and other fun surprises.
You can see the complete set list and fan-shot video from the show below.
Simmons took some flak for offering a $12,495 “roadie for a day” fan experience, in which a fan gets to accompany him and his crew all day as they prepare for the show, on this tour.
“This is not for everybody and it ain’t cheap,” Simmons explained to Buffalo’s WIVB, placing some of the blame for the high cost on the need for insurance. “It’s also a different world than what I grew up in. Nowadays, if you get a papercut… everybody gets sued.”
Simmons’ tour is currently scheduled to conclude on May 15 at the Fallsview Casino in Niagara Falls. You can get complete show, ticket and paid roadie information at his official website.
This November Simmons will briefly reunite with his Kiss bandmates for a special unmasked performance at the weekend-long Kiss Army Storms Las Vegas event.
Watch the Gene Simmons Band Perform ‘Deuce’
Watch the Gene Simmons Band Perform ‘House of Pain’
Gene Simmons Band May 3, 2025 Beaver Dam Kentucky Set List
1. “Deuce” 2. “Shout It Out Loud” 3. “Are You Ready” 4. “War Machine” 5. “I Love It Loud” 6. “House of Pain” (Van Halen cover) 7. “Ace of Spades” (Motorhead cover) 8. Jam 9. “Parasite” 10. “Cold Gin” 11. “Bad Reputation” 12. “Charisma” 13. “Spit” / “Whole Lotta Love” (Led Zeppelin cover) 14. “And Your Bird Can Sing” (The Beatles cover) 15. “Calling Dr. Love” 16. “Rock and Roll All Nite”
“We did get very wild and crazy at points. I remember thinking, ‘Why aren’t we getting arrested?’”: The violent, bloody birth of the Bay Area thrash scene
(Image credit: Pete Cronin/Redferns)
Phil Kettner remembers the first time he saw Metallica live. “My first reaction was, ‘Oh wow, it’s punk rock with long hair,’” says Kettner, who was guitarist with San Francisco proto-thrashers Lääz Rockit at the time. Kettner’s own band were tipped as the Bay Area’s next big thing, but this was something completely new.
Metallica played their first show in San Francisco at The Stone in September 1982. Within a few months, they had relocated to the the city from their native LA, recruiting bass wunderkind Cliff Burton the process. A brand new scene quickly grew up around them, and the Bay Area became the epicentre of the fastest, loudest, heaviest music in the world: thrash metal.
“‘Thrash’ wasn’t used that much as a term in 1982,” says Ron Quintana, one of the architects of the Bay Area thrash scene. Quintana was the editor of the seminal Metal Mania fanzine, which exhaustively covered the San Francisco metal and punk scenes in a rage of caustic humour, slapdash cut-and-paste layouts, and inky newsprint. He was also a DJ at KUSF, a community-run radio station that operated out of the University of San Francisco. “I think it was more in 1984, with speedsters like Exodus, Slayer, Possessed, and Suicidal Tendencies, that we called them thrash and not just metal or punk.”
Regardless of what it was called in its infancy, the sound produced by these early San Francisco bands was like nothing ever heard before. Young, fleet-fingered savages like Metallica, Death Angel, Exodus, Lääz Rockit, Possessed, Blind Illusion and a handful of others were pushing musical boundaries, playing faster and with more intricacy then seemed humanly possible.
There were a myriad of places for these bands to play all over the city, at now-infamous clubs like Ruthie’s Inn, Kabuki Theatre, The Fillmore, The Keystone, The Stone and The Mabuhay Gardens, which was host to the equally envelope-pushing hardcore punk scene. There were record stores and hangouts, a healthy college radio scene and a smattering of enthusiastic fanzines covering it all. So how did this happen? Was it the work of perpetual schemer Lars Ulrich and his collection of Angelwitch imports, as is often reported in the annals of metal?
Metallica’s Lars Ulrich, Cliff Burton and James Hetfield in 1984 (Image credit: Pete Cronin/Redferns)
“[SF radio stations] KUSF and KALX were playing extreme metal in 1982, so NWOBHM was old hat by the time,” says Quintana. “Lars and company could play two Diamond Head and one Blitzkrieg song at any audience, but there were two amazing record import stores and tons of Tower LP stores supplying the maniac habits of fans.”
This feature originally appeared in Metal Hammer Presents Metallica And The Story Of Thrash (July 2008) (Image credit: Future)
“The independent record stores were great,” says Rob Cavestany, guitarist and co-founder of Death Angel, one of the first and surely the youngest of the Bay Area thrash bands. “There was the Record Exchange and the Record Vault. These were the main shops, where all the metalheads would come down and find the latest new releases and hear about the latest bands. This was even before Metallica, when we were first hearing about bands like Tygers of Pan Tang, Loundness, Riot. Those were the bands we were tripping on.”
Things changed drastically, however, once Metallica came to town. “I don’t know exactly when they formed in relation to when we did,” says Cavestany, “but I do know they made a wave quicker than we did, we were way into them, and were very influenced by them. We saw them play at the Keystone in Berkeley, and it was an eye-opening evening, for sure.”
“The shows were always totally packed,” adds Kettner. “There were a lot of sold out shows back then. At the time, we had a manager who was very tenacious about getting out-of-town bands to play. We actually brought Metallica up to play their first show at the Old Waldorf. We did a famous show back in 1983 with Metallica headlining. We supported them, and Exodus opened up. That was at The Stone.”
“There were a lot of future musicians in those crowds,” recalls Quintana. “But there were lots of all types, even posers.”
Metallica Seek And Destroy Live at The Metro 1983 – YouTube
“We played with Metallica for the first time at the Kabuki Theatre,” says Cavestany. “It was with Metallica and Armored Saint. But we’d been playing for years before that. We started playing out in 1982. I was about 13, 14 years old at the time. Andy [Galeon, Death Angel drummer] was about nine or ten. I mean, we were very young. But there were all-ages clubs going on, there were parties, things like that we played. And the other times, when there was some kind of age restriction, they basically just snuck us in. We played with Exodus, Legacy – who later became Testament – Slayer, Megadeth, Mercyful Fate, Lääz Rockit. And we played with all the punk bands as well.”
Punk Rock was alive and well in San Francisco in 1982, although not all of the metal bands in town embraced it. “It was pretty segregated,” says Kettner. “I’m sure there were people from both those scenes that went to different shows but we didn’t book any shows with, like, Black Flag or TSOL. We never booked shows with those guys, which I regret, because I think it would have opened people’s eyes. That’s where the thrash thing came from, it crossed over from the punk element. Consider the circle mosh and stage diving and stuff like that – that came directly from the punk scene.”
Unlike Lääz Rockit, Death Angel dived headfirst into the metal-punk crossover movement. “We played with a lot of punk bands,” says Cavestany. “That’s how the crossover thing came about, really. We played shows with Cro Mags, GBH, DRI, Verbal Abuse, Suicidal Tendencies, DR. Know – we played with those guys all the time.”
“Poor LA music fans had only hair bands or punk shows, there was no crossover,” says Quintana. “But punks up north went to metal shows, and vice versa. In LA, hardcore punk shows were extremely violent. Suicidal Tendencies couldn’t even play their hometown. They had to come up north to play. That crossover created lots of good, usually friendly competition in the Bay Area.”
By the mid 1980s, the punk influence on the San Francisco metal scene was embraced and championed. But the glam bands? Not so much. “We knew a lot of kids back then who were real adamant about the whole ‘Bang the head that does not bang’ thing,” says Kettner.
Exodus’ Rick Hunolt and Gary Holt (Image credit: Ebet Roberts/Redferns)
“There were glam bands in SF, and some of them were cool guys,” explains Cavestany. “You got Jetboy, Sea Hags, Vain. Davey Vain actually produced our album, Frolic Through The Park (1988). We played shows with some of them in the early days, until thrash got the ‘kill poseurs’ vibe, and then the lines of separations happened, where these kids wouldn’t be caught dead at one of our shows.”
“Like rats, glam was everywhere,” snarls infamous poseur-hater Quintana. “Van Halen was king and even clone bands had big followings, too.”
Exodus, arguably the most musically violent band in the Bay Area thrash movement, were also the most vocal in their hatred of fishnet-wearing glam-rockers, often calling for their fans to “Kill the poseurs”, wherever they may be found. As such, SF thrash shows often devolved into mayhem.
“There was violence going on in the audience, for sure,” says Kettner. “People were throwing each other around, but then you’d go out for a beer afterwards. I’m sure there were a few people that were pointed out for not fitting in within the scene, or for trying to act like something you’re not, and those people would most likely be ostracised and/or beaten in the alley. But I wasn’t witnessing that.”
“It was reality, though,” says Cavestany. “Poseurs did get their asses kicked. Don’t let [original Exodus singer Paul] Baloff catch one of them around.”
“We did get very wild and crazy at points,” says Kettner. “I’m not really sure how to look at all that because on the one hand, yeah, it was crazy and aggressive, but there was a lot of camaraderie at the same time. I just remember thinking, ‘Why aren’t we getting arrested?’”
EXODUS – No Love: Live At Day In The Dirt 1984 (OFFICIAL TRACK) – YouTube
By the late 1980s, when Metallica, Slayer, and Megadeth had all graduated to arenas, SF thrash began to mutate into different, less punk-derived strains. Second-wave thrash bands like Testament and Machine Head added their own twists, from progressive elements to ‘groove’ into the mix. The original wave of bands were either millionaires, cult heroes, or on their last legs. And then the clubs started to go up in smoke.
“They closed the Kabuki Theatre,” sighs Kettner. “That place was amazing, this huge old theatre. I remember seeing Metallica supporting Raven there, Mercyful Fate… When you went to a show there, you realised just how big this thing was really becoming. I think that’s kinda what killed the scene, in the later 80s and early 90s. The Keystone Berkeley burned down, Wolfgang’s burned down, The Stone burned down…”
“Bands and scenes are cyclical, and being a rather small metro area, Bay Area thrash bands either got signed, moved on, broke up or mutated,” says Quintana. “And few could replace that original energy and power.”
Originally published in Metal Hammer Presents Metallica And Thrash Metal, July 2008
Classic Rock contributor since 2003. Twenty Five years in music industry (40 if you count teenage xerox fanzines). Bylines for Metal Hammer, Decibel. AOR, Hitlist, Carbon 14, The Noise, Boston Phoenix, and spurious publications of increasing obscurity. Award-winning television producer, radio host, and podcaster. Voted “Best Rock Critic” in Boston twice. Last time was 2002, but still. Has been in over four music videos. True story.
Feature Photo: Daniel Mayer, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Chevelle formed in Grayslake, Illinois, in 1995 when brothers Pete Loeffler (vocals and guitar), Sam Loeffler (drums), and Joe Loeffler (bass) began jamming together in their parents’ garage. Influenced by bands like Tool and Helmet, the trio spent years refining their sound before releasing their debut album, Point #1, in 1999 on Squint Entertainment. The record didn’t gain mainstream traction but earned critical recognition, taking home two GMA Dove Awards — one for Hard Music Album of the Year and another for Hard Music Recorded Song. The band’s name was inspired by the Chevrolet Chevelle, a nod to their father’s love of classic cars, but from the start, their music was defined more by down-tuned riffs and emotional intensity than nostalgia.
Chevelle’s commercial breakthrough came with Wonder What’s Next, released by Epic Records in 2002. The album debuted at number 14 on the Billboard 200 and was certified double platinum by the RIAA, driven by the success of singles like “The Red” and “Send the Pain Below.” The latter topped both the Modern Rock and Mainstream Rock charts, helping the band secure multiple Billboard Music Award nominations, including Top Rock Song and Modern Rock Artist of the Year. With a tighter, heavier sound and a strong melodic core, Chevelle carved out a space in the early 2000s alternative metal wave — without sacrificing their introspective approach to songwriting.
In 2004, the band followed up with This Type of Thinking (Could Do Us In), which debuted at number eight on the Billboard 200 and was later certified gold. “Vitamin R (Leading Us Along)” became another number-one hit on the Mainstream Rock chart. But change came soon after when Joe Loeffler left the group in 2005. His departure brought in brother-in-law Dean Bernardini as bassist, completing a new phase for the band. Their fourth studio album, Vena Sera, dropped in 2007 and debuted at number 12, anchored by singles like “Well Enough Alone.” Despite lineup shifts, the band’s chemistry held firm — musically and personally — and their live show grew stronger.
By 2009, Chevelle pushed their sound further with Sci-Fi Crimes, which entered the Billboard 200 at number six. The album displayed more atmospheric and experimental touches while staying grounded in the heavy alternative style they’d perfected. Singles like “Jars” and “Letter from a Thief” proved the band was still hitting radio hard without chasing trends. Two years later, Hats Off to the Bull delivered one of their biggest modern rock hits, “Face to the Floor,” which topped the chart and reaffirmed their ability to tap into the anxieties of the time with relentless precision.
Their seventh studio album, La Gárgola, was released in 2014 and immediately debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, topping both the Top Rock Albums and Alternative Albums charts. It was another critical milestone, earning multiple Loudwire Music Award nominations including Best Rock Album and Best Rock Song for “Take Out the Gunman.” Known for its darker sonic textures and industrial undertones, the album proved that Chevelle wasn’t content to stay in one gear. They followed it with The North Corridor in 2016, which delivered their fifth number-one single on the Mainstream Rock chart with “Joyride (Omen)” and continued their streak of gold-standard rock radio dominance.
In 2018, they offered something different — a compilation album called 12 Bloody Spies, a collection of B-sides and rarities that pulled back the curtain on their creative process. That same year, they collaborated with Revolution Brewing to release a craft beer named after their 2014 album, La Gárgola, showing that their brand extended beyond music and into lifestyle. Their ninth studio album, NIRATIAS — an acronym for “Nothing Is Real and This Is a Simulation” — arrived in 2021 and embraced themes of space, science fiction, and artificial reality. The single “Self Destructor” became another major radio success, and the album was a bold sonic shift toward progressive and art rock textures.
Across nearly three decades, Chevelle has built a catalog defined by consistency, evolution, and intensity. As of 2022, the band has sold over six million records in the United States and racked up 15 Top 10 singles on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. They’ve maintained the loyalty of their fanbase through thick and thin, sidestepped trends in favor of artistic identity, and continued to explore new creative frontiers both musically and outside the studio. Whether through chart-topping singles, award-winning records, or ventures like their own beer, Chevelle has proven that authenticity, when paired with relentless drive, can endure far beyond the moment.
Complete List of Chevelle Songs From A to Z
A Miracle – The North Corridor – 2016
A New Momentum – Sci-Fi Crimes – 2009
An Evening with El Diablo – Wonder What’s Next – 2002
An Island – La Gárgola – 2014
Another Know It All – This Type of Thinking (Could Do Us In) – 2004
Antisaint – Vena Sera – 2007
Anticipation – Point #1 – 1999
Arise – Hats Off to the Bull – 2011
Bend the Bracket – This Type of Thinking (Could Do Us In) – 2004
Black Boys on Mopeds – Wonder What’s Next – 2002
Blank Earth – Point #1 – 1999
Brainiac – Vena Sera – 2007
Breach Birth – This Type of Thinking (Could Do Us In) – 2004
Choking Game – La Gárgola – 2014
Clones – Hats Off to the Bull – 2011
Closure – Wonder What’s Next – 2002
Comfortable Liar – Wonder What’s Next – 2002
Delivery – Vena Sera – 2007
Don’t Fake This – Wonder What’s Next – 2002
Door to Door Cannibals – The North Corridor – 2016
Dos – Point #1 – 1999
Emotional Drought – This Type of Thinking (Could Do Us In) – 2004
Endlessly – NIRATIAS – 2021
Enemies – The North Corridor – 2016
Envy – Hats Off to the Bull – 2011
Face to the Floor – Hats Off to the Bull – 2011
Family System – Wonder What’s Next – 2002
Fell into Your Shoes – Sci-Fi Crimes – 2009
Forfeit – Wonder What’s Next – 2002
Get Some – This Type of Thinking (Could Do Us In) – 2004
Ghost and Razor – NIRATIAS – 2021
Glimpse of the Con – Hats Off to the Bull – 2011
Got Burned – The North Corridor – 2016
Grab Thy Hand – Wonder What’s Next – 2002
Hats Off to the Bull – Hats Off to the Bull – 2011
Highland’s Apparition – Sci-Fi Crimes – 2009
(High) Visibility – Wonder What’s Next – 2002
Hunter Eats Hunter – La Gárgola – 2014
Humanoid – Vena Sera – 2007
I Get It – Vena Sera – 2007
In Debt to the Earth – Vena Sera – 2007
Indifference – Hats Off to the Bull – 2011
Interlewd – Sci-Fi Crimes – 2009
It’s No Good – Wonder What’s Next – 2002
Jars – Sci-Fi Crimes – 2009
Jawbreaker – La Gárgola – 2014
Joyride (Omen) – The North Corridor – 2016
Last Days – The North Corridor – 2016
Leto’s Headache – Sci-Fi Crimes – 2009
Letter from a Thief – Sci-Fi Crimes – 2009
Long – Point #1 – 1999
Lost in Digital Woods – NIRATIAS – 2021
Mars Simula – NIRATIAS – 2021
Mexican Sun – Sci-Fi Crimes – 2009
Mia – Point #1 – 1999
Midnight to Midnight – Vena Sera – 2007
One Lonely Visitor – Wonder What’s Next – 2002
One Ocean – La Gárgola – 2014
Open – Point #1 – 1999
Ouija Board – La Gárgola – 2014
Paint the Seconds – Vena Sera – 2007
Panic Prone – This Type of Thinking (Could Do Us In) – 2004
Peach – NIRATIAS – 2021
Peer – Point #1 – 1999
Piistol Star (Gravity Heals) – NIRATIAS – 2021
Piñata – Hats Off to the Bull – 2011
Point #1 – Point #1 – 1999
Prima Donna – Hats Off to the Bull – 2011
Prove to You – Point #1 – 1999
Punchline – The North Corridor – 2016
Remember When – NIRATIAS – 2021
Revenge – Hats Off to the Bull – 2011
Rivers – The North Corridor – 2016
Roswell’s Spell – Sci-Fi Crimes – 2009
Ruse – Hats Off to the Bull – 2011
Saferwaters – Vena Sera – 2007
Same Old Trip – Hats Off to the Bull – 2011
Saturdays – Vena Sera – 2007
Self Destructor – NIRATIAS – 2021
Send the Pain Below – Wonder What’s Next – 2002
Shameful Metaphors – Sci-Fi Crimes – 2009
Shot from a Cannon – The North Corridor – 2016
Skeptic – Point #1 – 1999
Sleep Apnea – Sci-Fi Crimes – 2009
Sleep Apnea (Acoustic) – Sci-Fi Crimes – 2009
Sleep the Deep – NIRATIAS – 2021
Sleep Walking Elite – Vena Sera – 2007
SMA – Point #1 – 1999
So Long, Mother Earth – NIRATIAS – 2021
Still Running – This Type of Thinking (Could Do Us In) – 2004
Still Running (Live at the Metro) – Hats Off to the Bull – 2011
Straight Jacket Fashion – Vena Sera – 2007
Take Out the Gunman – La Gárgola – 2014
Test Test…Enough – NIRATIAS – 2021
The Clincher – This Type of Thinking (Could Do Us In) – 2004
The Clincher (Version 103) – This Type of Thinking (Could Do Us In) – 2004
The Damned – La Gárgola – 2014
The Fad – Vena Sera – 2007
The Gist – Sci-Fi Crimes – 2009
The Meddler – Hats Off to the Bull – 2011
The Red – Wonder What’s Next – 2002
This Circus – Sci-Fi Crimes – 2009
To Return – This Type of Thinking (Could Do Us In) – 2004
Tug-O-War – This Type of Thinking (Could Do Us In) – 2004
Twinge – La Gárgola – 2014
Under the Knife – La Gárgola – 2014
Until You’re Reformed – Wonder What’s Next – 2002
Verruckt – NIRATIAS – 2021
Vitamin R (Leading Us Along) – This Type of Thinking (Could Do Us In) – 2004
VVurmhole – NIRATIAS – 2021
Warhol’s Showbiz – The North Corridor – 2016
Well Enough Alone – Vena Sera – 2007
Wonder What’s Next – Wonder What’s Next – 2002
Young Wicked – The North Corridor – 2016
Albums
Point #1 (1999): 11 songs
Wonder What’s Next (2002): 15 songs
This Type of Thinking (Could Do Us In) (2004): 12 songs
Vena Sera (2007): 14 songs
Sci-Fi Crimes (2009): 14 songs
Hats Off to the Bull (2011): 14 songs
La Gárgola (2014): 10 songs
The North Corridor (2016): 11 songs
NIRATIAS (2021): 13 songs
Check out our fantastic and entertaining Chevelle articles, detailing in-depth the band’s albums, songs, band members, and more…all on ClassicRockHistory.com
Feature Photo: Junta de Andalucía, CC BY-SA 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Karol G, born Carolina Giraldo Navarro on February 14, 1991, in Medellín, Colombia, has carved a formidable path in the Latin music industry. Her journey began in her teenage years when she appeared on the Colombian version of The X Factor. This early exposure laid the foundation for a career that would later see her become one of the most influential figures in reggaeton and Latin pop.
In the years following her television debut, Karol G released several singles, including “En La Playa” (2007), “Por Ti” (2008), and “Dime Que Si” (2009). These early works showcased her potential and helped her gain initial recognition in the Colombian music scene. Her collaboration with Reykon on the track “301” in 2012 marked a significant step forward, garnering attention beyond her home country.
A pivotal moment in her career came in 2014 when she moved to New York City to deepen her understanding of the music industry. This move led to her signing with Universal Music Latino, a major milestone that provided her with the platform to reach a broader audience. Her collaboration with Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny on the song “Ahora Me Llama” became a breakthrough hit, propelling her into the international spotlight.
Karol G’s debut studio album, Unstoppable, was released on October 27, 2017. The album, primarily rooted in reggaeton, featured collaborations with artists like Cosculluela, Ozuna, and Quavo. It was well-received and established her as a formidable presence in the Latin music scene.
Building on her success, she released her second studio album, Ocean, on May 3, 2019. This album marked a stylistic shift, incorporating elements of Latin pop and showcasing a more relaxed and introspective side of her artistry. Collaborations with artists such as Damian Marley, Anuel AA, and Maluma added depth and diversity to the project.
Her third studio album, KG0516, released on March 25, 2021, further solidified her status as a leading artist in the genre. The album featured a wide array of collaborations, including tracks with Nicki Minaj, J Balvin, and Camilo. The single “Tusa,” featuring Nicki Minaj, became a global hit, earning multiple platinum certifications and dominating charts across various countries.
In 2023, Karol G released her fourth studio album, Mañana Será Bonito. This album made history by becoming the first all-Spanish-language album by a female artist to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 chart. The album featured collaborations with artists like Shakira, Romeo Santos, and Sean Paul, further demonstrating her versatility and broad appeal.
Throughout her career, Karol G has been recognized with numerous awards and accolades. She has won a Grammy Award, six Latin Grammy Awards, and five Billboard Music Awards, among others. Her contributions to music have also earned her the Woman of the Year and Rulebreaker awards at Billboard Women in Music events.
Beyond her musical achievements, Karol G has been involved in various philanthropic efforts and has used her platform to advocate for social causes. Her commitment to empowering women and promoting positive messages through her music has resonated with fans worldwide.
Karol G’s journey from a young aspiring singer in Medellín to an international music sensation is a testament to her talent, determination, and resilience. Her ability to evolve artistically while staying true to her roots has endeared her to a diverse and global fanbase, solidifying her place as a trailblazer in the Latin music industry.
Complete List Of Karol G Songs From A to Z
A Ella – Unstoppable – 2017
A Solas – Unstoppable – 2017
Ahora Me Llama (with Bad Bunny) – Unstoppable – 2017
Ahora Me Llama (Remix) (with Bad Bunny and Quavo) – Unstoppable – 2017
Amargura – Mañana Será Bonito – 2023
Amor No Hay – Unstoppable – 2017
Arranca Pal Carajo (with Juanka and Brray) – KG0516 – 2021
Ay, Dios Mío! – KG0516 – 2021
Baby – Ocean – 2019
Bajo Control – Super Single – 2013
Bebesita – Ocean – 2019
Beautiful Boy (with Ludacris and Emilee) – KG0516 – 2021
Besties – Mañana Será Bonito – 2023
Bichota – KG0516 – 2021
Bichota G – Mañana Será Bonito (Bichota Season) – 2023
Cairo (with Ovy on the Drums) – Mañana Será Bonito – 2023
Calypso (Remix) (with Luis Fonsi) – Vida – 2018
Carolina – Mañana Será Bonito – 2023
Casi Nada – Unstoppable – 2017
China (with Anuel AA, Daddy Yankee, Ozuna and J Balvin) – Emmanuel – 2019
Contigo (with Tiësto) – TBA – 2024
Contigo Voy a Muerte (featuring Camilo) – KG0516 – 2021
Créeme (with Maluma) – Ocean – 2019
Culpables (with Anuel AA) – Ocean – 2019
Dame Tu Cosita (with Pitbull and El Chombo featuring Cutty Ranks) – Non-album single – 2018
Super Single and other non-album/collaborative singles: 42 songs
Check out our fantastic and entertaining Karol G articles, detailing in-depth the band’s albums, songs, band members, and more…all on ClassicRockHistory.com
![Unstoppable [Amazon]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61eDHqw1ieL._SL500_.jpg)
