Bonamassa angered by Hughes ‘bullying’
Martin Kielty
http://www.classicrockmagazine.com/news ... -bullying/
Black Country Communion guitarist Joe Bonamassa has revealed his anger at bandmate Glenn Hughes’ attempt to “bully” him into doing things he’d already said he couldn’t do.
And he refused to appear at their one-off concert in Wolverhampton because he was worried Hughes would “make some stupid fucking announcement on stage” related to whether the band had a future.
Disagreement between the pair went public after Hughes said he thought upcoming album Afterglow might be their last because he needed to be in a band that toured, and Bonamassa’s busy solo career made that impossible.
After a brief angry Twitter exchange the frontman tried to calm the situation by stepping back from his statements – but the guitarist says the damage had already been done.
Bonamassa tells Music Radar: “Going into making the record I had a lot on the table. Everybody knew that was the deal for me. There were all facts on the table. And we had a great time making the record.
“I heard about this nonsense second-hand. I’d read a blog, or I’d read this or I’d read that. I was going, ‘Why all of a sudden is it my fault? I’m doing what I said I was going to do for the last three years – and now, because somebody changes his mind, that’s now my fault?’
“The thing that became more than slightly annoying to me was getting email from kids in Brazil going, ‘My lifelong dream is to see Black Country Communion, and because Glenn Hughes says you don’t want to do it, now you’re the fucking blues antichrist.’
“I wouldn’t have done that to anybody. No matter what the situation is internally, you never air that dirty laundry and those grievances in public. You call me on the phone, you know? And he never did.”
BCC fans were surprised when they cancelled the Wolverhampton concert, scheduled for January, just days after tickets had gone on sale.
Bonamassa explains: “I’ll never go a gig out of obligation to fleece the fans and have this 800-pound gorilla in the room, with everybody going, ‘Well, this could be the last’ and waiting for Glenn to make some stupid fucking announcement on stage. We’ll all have egg on our faces.
“When it came down to it I said, ‘It’s probably best for me to step away from the situation and chill out. Not break up the band, not say it’s over and not say anything other than ‘I choose not to participate in that event at this particular time.’”
But that still doesn’t mean BCC is over. “I just rule out doing it in the short term and next year,” says Bonamassa. “I’m not going to be bullied into doing something that was never on the table from day one, because some cat changes his mind and figures out that it’s the best thing he’s got going on – thus it’s going to drag us all into it. That’s not fair. It’s not fair to me.”
He insists he still has “a lot of love” for Hughes, and says he feels sorry for drummer Jason Bonham and keyboardist Derek Sherinian because “they got caught up in this thing unfairly.”
But he adds that producer Kevin Shirley has also been placed in the line of fire by Hughes’ comments about having written all the songs on Afterglow.
“Glenn doesn’t come in and tell me where to play, tell Kevin where to put the faders, tell Jason how to play drums and Derek how to play keys. To hear these songs come in initially, they’re pretty rough sketches.
“Yeah, they’re Glenn’s tunes – but to take sole credit and not give any to Kevin… you know, I’m out; he doesn’t like me. But to give no credit where credit’s due? You’re like, ‘Okay, fair enough, you said you needed sole writing credit for everything. It’s not about that.’ To make it like we’re a bunch of studio musicians is laughable.
“That’s the way I read a lot of this stuff: ‘All hail King Hughes, for we are all your serfs and servants.’ It’s not true. Bottom line: it’s not true.”
Bonamassa believes everything could be resolved if he and Hughes discuss the situation. “I don’t rule out ever doing it again. I’m particularly proud of this facet of my career. I don’t feel the need to pick up the phone. I said my piece. Never say never – but he’s going to have to explain himself first.
He describes Afterglow as “the most cohesive” album BCC have made and singles Hughes’ voice out for particular praise: “There’s a cat who can sing anything that comes into his head. Very few people have that ability. You read these articles and it’s unfair to him. ‘For his age…’ For any age! I defy you to find a 20-year-old who can sing like that. Hats off, and rightfully so.”
But he adds: “Listening to number three, I’m not sure it’s our best one. One is the best, or at least it’s my favourite. The first one was the shit – it even sounded like 1972.”
Meanwhile, former Deep Purple and Black Sabbath member Hughes says he’s starting work on a new project which will take up the majority of his time in 2013.
He tells Hardforce TV: “I’m planning another band. Joe has got his own band, he’s got Beth Hart. I’m doing another album with another band. That’s what you’ll be seeing me in next year.”
He says it’s still his “strongest desire” to tour Afterglow with BCC but adds: “Three years ago I’d have said this is the last band I want to be in. But as you know, things change. The only reason I’d leave is to do something on a more permanent basis.”
Bonamassa angered by Hughes ‘bullying’
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Bonamassa angered by Hughes ‘bullying’
by tater1977 » Fri Oct 19, 2012 1:59 pm
Perry's good natured bonhomie & the world’s most charmin smile,knocked fans off their feet. Sportin a black tux,gigs came alive as he swished around the stage thrillin audiences w/ charisma that instantly burnt the oxygen right out of the venue.TR.com
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by Peartree12249 » Sun Oct 21, 2012 5:40 am
Interesting. This interview just goes to show how frustrated & pissed off Joe is. I've never heard him use f-bombs in live or print interviews before. I hope they can work out their differences. Kevin Shirley keeps insisting on his Facebook page
there will be more BCC albums to come. Maybe it's just wishful thinking I don't know.
there will be more BCC albums to come. Maybe it's just wishful thinking I don't know.
Grammar, the difference between knowing your shit and knowing you're shit.
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by strangegrey » Sun Oct 21, 2012 9:40 am
I *never*, *ever* understood the hysteria around Hughes....and his shit about being the 'voice of rock'....what a little shit bag. His voice is the voice of cracked windows....not the voice of rock. Want the voice of rock? The singer he *used* to play with on the stormbringer record....that's the fucking voice of rock.
Glen Hughes is one of those fucking toxic douchebucket fucktards that ruins great bands. Fuck him........with a red hot, spiral garden stake!
Glen Hughes is one of those fucking toxic douchebucket fucktards that ruins great bands. Fuck him........with a red hot, spiral garden stake!
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by tater1977 » Sun Oct 21, 2012 12:59 pm
Black Country Communion: Afterglow
http://www.seaoftranquility.org/reviews ... t&id=13446
I'm sure by now most folks have heard about the controversy and tension within the Black Country Communion camp. It's been somewhat of a 'Cold War' on Twitter between Glenn Hughes and Joe Bonamassa in recent weeks, starting right up when the band finished their third release in just a few short years, titled Afterglow. Apparently, due to Bonamassa's hectic solo band touring & recording schedule, he wasn't able to contribute much writing to this latest BCC release, leaving Hughes to do the bulk of the songwriting (many of the songs were apparently slated for his next solo album) along with some contributions from Jason Bonham.
In addition, the bands lone scheduled concert for early 2013 in the UK was abruptly cancelled just days after it was announced, with no real explanation, leading many fans to ponder whether Afterglow will indeed be the bands swan song. After some back and forth on Twitter between Glenn, Joe, and producer Kevin Shirley, it's not real clear what the story is between the band members as of this writing, but if nothing else, it's drawing a lot of attention to Afterglow, though the funny thing is, all the drama isn't really needed, as this is an album that stands on its own and instantly reveals its greatness.
There is surely a different feel to Afterglow when compared to BCC's first two releases. Perhaps there's more of a 'Glenn Hughes' vibe overall, but as fantastic as those first two albums were, this one has a little more variety, as the songs hit on '70s hard rock, some bluesy funk, and some '80s heavy rock styles. Opening track "Big Train" kicks things off in fine fashion, a catchy rocker with powerful vocals from Hughes and plenty of impressive riffs from Bonamassa. A nod to the '70s can he heard on the heavy "This is Your Time", complete with Joe's beefy licks and Derek Sherinian's wonderful keyboard work. Imagine a cross between Humble Pie, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Trapeze, and Deep Purple and you have an idea of what to expect here. "Midnight Sun" sees Bonamassa delivering some nifty Van Halen styled riffs, giving this hook laden winner a real '80s feel, and Bonham doing his best Keith Moon impression during the closing moments.
On "Confessor", the groove recalls the lean and mean material from the bands sophomore release, as crunchy riffs and thick Hammond organ provide the foundation for Hughes' soaring vocals, and "Cry Freedom" is more of a steamrolling blues rock number, with Hughes and Bonamassa trading off on the vocals for superb effect and Joe nailing it on some sizzling slide guitar. Things slow down a bit on the atmospheric & melodic title track, a truly remarkable and instantly memorable song that fully shows the wonderful voice of Glenn Hughes. Going from gentle crooning to violent screaming, the bassist gives it his all on this one, a real Zeppelin styled number that jumps from pastoral to symphonic to heavy rocking all in an instant. Memories of vintage Cactus can he heard on the bluesy hard rock of "Dandelion", as Bonham drives this pulsating boogie machine over which Bonamassa's scorching solos and beefy riffs take center stage. Perhaps my favorite song here is up next, the emotional "The Circle", as the band settle into a tranquil, bluesy, proggy atmosphere that recalls Free at their zenith, complete with swirling organ, tasty guitar licks, and Hughes' soaring vocals. This one has a haunting quality that will stay with you for days.
"Common Man" has a riff that sounds a lot like the Rush classic "Tom Sawyer", but of course if more bluesy, and contains a hook laden chorus, while "The Giver" has some great melodies within a more atmospheric framework, with the harmonies recalling Hughes' work in MarkII Deep Purple. Closer "Crawl" is a potent mix of hard rock, funk, blues, and prog, chock full of Hughes' beefy bass riffs and Bonamassa's snaking guitar lines, as the band go through all sorts of twists, turns, stops and starts. Nice use of Sherinian's chilling keyboard tapestries in the background for dramatic effect as well, and he and Joe get into some scorching back and forth trade-offs near the climax that recall some classic Rainbow exchanges of yesteryear.
What the future holds for this fantastic supergroup remains to be seen, but let's hope the guys can work out whatever scheduling differences they may have to take this beast of an album out on the road. There's just that certain 'something' that really clicks when you put these four musicians together, and would be a shame to end it all now. Should that be the case (but let's hope not), then Afterglow rounds out their trio of releases in dramatic and near perfect fashion.
Track Listing
Big Train
This Is Your Time
Midnight Sun
Confessor
Cry Freedom
Afterglow
Dandelion
The Circle
Common Man
The Giver
Crawl
http://www.seaoftranquility.org/reviews ... t&id=13446
I'm sure by now most folks have heard about the controversy and tension within the Black Country Communion camp. It's been somewhat of a 'Cold War' on Twitter between Glenn Hughes and Joe Bonamassa in recent weeks, starting right up when the band finished their third release in just a few short years, titled Afterglow. Apparently, due to Bonamassa's hectic solo band touring & recording schedule, he wasn't able to contribute much writing to this latest BCC release, leaving Hughes to do the bulk of the songwriting (many of the songs were apparently slated for his next solo album) along with some contributions from Jason Bonham.
In addition, the bands lone scheduled concert for early 2013 in the UK was abruptly cancelled just days after it was announced, with no real explanation, leading many fans to ponder whether Afterglow will indeed be the bands swan song. After some back and forth on Twitter between Glenn, Joe, and producer Kevin Shirley, it's not real clear what the story is between the band members as of this writing, but if nothing else, it's drawing a lot of attention to Afterglow, though the funny thing is, all the drama isn't really needed, as this is an album that stands on its own and instantly reveals its greatness.
There is surely a different feel to Afterglow when compared to BCC's first two releases. Perhaps there's more of a 'Glenn Hughes' vibe overall, but as fantastic as those first two albums were, this one has a little more variety, as the songs hit on '70s hard rock, some bluesy funk, and some '80s heavy rock styles. Opening track "Big Train" kicks things off in fine fashion, a catchy rocker with powerful vocals from Hughes and plenty of impressive riffs from Bonamassa. A nod to the '70s can he heard on the heavy "This is Your Time", complete with Joe's beefy licks and Derek Sherinian's wonderful keyboard work. Imagine a cross between Humble Pie, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Trapeze, and Deep Purple and you have an idea of what to expect here. "Midnight Sun" sees Bonamassa delivering some nifty Van Halen styled riffs, giving this hook laden winner a real '80s feel, and Bonham doing his best Keith Moon impression during the closing moments.
On "Confessor", the groove recalls the lean and mean material from the bands sophomore release, as crunchy riffs and thick Hammond organ provide the foundation for Hughes' soaring vocals, and "Cry Freedom" is more of a steamrolling blues rock number, with Hughes and Bonamassa trading off on the vocals for superb effect and Joe nailing it on some sizzling slide guitar. Things slow down a bit on the atmospheric & melodic title track, a truly remarkable and instantly memorable song that fully shows the wonderful voice of Glenn Hughes. Going from gentle crooning to violent screaming, the bassist gives it his all on this one, a real Zeppelin styled number that jumps from pastoral to symphonic to heavy rocking all in an instant. Memories of vintage Cactus can he heard on the bluesy hard rock of "Dandelion", as Bonham drives this pulsating boogie machine over which Bonamassa's scorching solos and beefy riffs take center stage. Perhaps my favorite song here is up next, the emotional "The Circle", as the band settle into a tranquil, bluesy, proggy atmosphere that recalls Free at their zenith, complete with swirling organ, tasty guitar licks, and Hughes' soaring vocals. This one has a haunting quality that will stay with you for days.
"Common Man" has a riff that sounds a lot like the Rush classic "Tom Sawyer", but of course if more bluesy, and contains a hook laden chorus, while "The Giver" has some great melodies within a more atmospheric framework, with the harmonies recalling Hughes' work in MarkII Deep Purple. Closer "Crawl" is a potent mix of hard rock, funk, blues, and prog, chock full of Hughes' beefy bass riffs and Bonamassa's snaking guitar lines, as the band go through all sorts of twists, turns, stops and starts. Nice use of Sherinian's chilling keyboard tapestries in the background for dramatic effect as well, and he and Joe get into some scorching back and forth trade-offs near the climax that recall some classic Rainbow exchanges of yesteryear.
What the future holds for this fantastic supergroup remains to be seen, but let's hope the guys can work out whatever scheduling differences they may have to take this beast of an album out on the road. There's just that certain 'something' that really clicks when you put these four musicians together, and would be a shame to end it all now. Should that be the case (but let's hope not), then Afterglow rounds out their trio of releases in dramatic and near perfect fashion.
Track Listing
Big Train
This Is Your Time
Midnight Sun
Confessor
Cry Freedom
Afterglow
Dandelion
The Circle
Common Man
The Giver
Crawl
Perry's good natured bonhomie & the world’s most charmin smile,knocked fans off their feet. Sportin a black tux,gigs came alive as he swished around the stage thrillin audiences w/ charisma that instantly burnt the oxygen right out of the venue.TR.com
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by conversationpc » Mon Oct 22, 2012 2:36 am
strangegrey wrote:I *never*, *ever* understood the hysteria around Hughes....and his shit about being the 'voice of rock'....what a little shit bag. His voice is the voice of cracked windows....not the voice of rock. Want the voice of rock? The singer he *used* to play with on the stormbringer record....that's the fucking voice of rock.
Glen Hughes is one of those fucking toxic douchebucket fucktards that ruins great bands. Fuck him........with a red hot, spiral garden stake!
His voice is simply OK for a hard rock band but I've never thought he had that great a voice at all. In fact, when he was in Deep Purple, I thought his voice was terrible.
My blog = Dave's Dominion
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by yulog » Mon Oct 22, 2012 3:13 am
conversationpc wrote:strangegrey wrote:I *never*, *ever* understood the hysteria around Hughes....and his shit about being the 'voice of rock'....what a little shit bag. His voice is the voice of cracked windows....not the voice of rock. Want the voice of rock? The singer he *used* to play with on the stormbringer record....that's the fucking voice of rock.
Glen Hughes is one of those fucking toxic douchebucket fucktards that ruins great bands. Fuck him........with a red hot, spiral garden stake!
His voice is simply OK for a hard rock band but I've never thought he had that great a voice at all. In fact, when he was in Deep Purple, I thought his voice was terrible.
Yeah , he's okay but he's no Rick springfield
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by strangegrey » Mon Oct 22, 2012 4:16 am
conversationpc wrote:strangegrey wrote:I *never*, *ever* understood the hysteria around Hughes....and his shit about being the 'voice of rock'....what a little shit bag. His voice is the voice of cracked windows....not the voice of rock. Want the voice of rock? The singer he *used* to play with on the stormbringer record....that's the fucking voice of rock.
Glen Hughes is one of those fucking toxic douchebucket fucktards that ruins great bands. Fuck him........with a red hot, spiral garden stake!
His voice is simply OK for a hard rock band but I've never thought he had that great a voice at all. In fact, when he was in Deep Purple, I thought his voice was terrible.
I just don't get Hughes. He's an overblown ego-maniac that has tried to perpetuate this brand that he's this incredible singer/bassist. Yet he has never had any large scale success outside of DP -- and I truly believe his success in DP didn't have anything to do with him or his voice, but the voice next to him and the guitarist on the other side of the stage.
Sad......JB, by all accounts, appears to be a really down to earth guy without any of these primadonna issues....(and not to mention a smokingly good player).....For Glenn Hughes to turn his life-sucking antics in JB's direction, it only shows just how much of a douche-nozzle he really is....
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by verslibre » Mon Oct 22, 2012 11:18 pm
conversationpc wrote:strangegrey wrote:I *never*, *ever* understood the hysteria around Hughes....and his shit about being the 'voice of rock'....what a little shit bag. His voice is the voice of cracked windows....not the voice of rock. Want the voice of rock? The singer he *used* to play with on the stormbringer record....that's the fucking voice of rock.
Glen Hughes is one of those fucking toxic douchebucket fucktards that ruins great bands. Fuck him........with a red hot, spiral garden stake!
His voice is simply OK for a hard rock band but I've never thought he had that great a voice at all. In fact, when he was in Deep Purple, I thought his voice was terrible.
Regardless of his antics, Glenn does have a great voice. He was almost Deep Purple's lead singer before they stumbled onto Coverdale.
Listen to Glenn on Sabbath's Seventh Star or any of his solo albums. You can't knock those pipes!
"Heer's ta swimmen wid bowlegged wimmen!"
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by Behshad » Mon Oct 22, 2012 11:48 pm
verslibre wrote:conversationpc wrote:strangegrey wrote:I *never*, *ever* understood the hysteria around Hughes....and his shit about being the 'voice of rock'....what a little shit bag. His voice is the voice of cracked windows....not the voice of rock. Want the voice of rock? The singer he *used* to play with on the stormbringer record....that's the fucking voice of rock.
Glen Hughes is one of those fucking toxic douchebucket fucktards that ruins great bands. Fuck him........with a red hot, spiral garden stake!
His voice is simply OK for a hard rock band but I've never thought he had that great a voice at all. In fact, when he was in Deep Purple, I thought his voice was terrible.
Regardless of his antics, Glenn does have a great voice. He was almost Deep Purple's lead singer before they stumbled onto Coverdale.
Listen to Glenn on Sabbath's Seventh Star or any of his solo albums. You can't knock those pipes!
+1
I enjoyed his vocals on John Norums " Face The Truth" album as well .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jz2HJIwXE7E
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by Pelata » Mon Oct 22, 2012 11:51 pm
Behshad wrote:verslibre wrote:conversationpc wrote:strangegrey wrote:I *never*, *ever* understood the hysteria around Hughes....and his shit about being the 'voice of rock'....what a little shit bag. His voice is the voice of cracked windows....not the voice of rock. Want the voice of rock? The singer he *used* to play with on the stormbringer record....that's the fucking voice of rock.
Glen Hughes is one of those fucking toxic douchebucket fucktards that ruins great bands. Fuck him........with a red hot, spiral garden stake!
His voice is simply OK for a hard rock band but I've never thought he had that great a voice at all. In fact, when he was in Deep Purple, I thought his voice was terrible.
Regardless of his antics, Glenn does have a great voice. He was almost Deep Purple's lead singer before they stumbled onto Coverdale.
Listen to Glenn on Sabbath's Seventh Star or any of his solo albums. You can't knock those pipes!
+1
I enjoyed his vocals on John Norums " Face The Truth" album as well .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jz2HJIwXE7E
+ me! GH is fantastic! I love that Norum album he's on, too...
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by jestor92 » Tue Oct 23, 2012 12:58 am
Hughes is angry because without BCC he becomes irrelevent while Bonamassa is just as revelent with or without BCC as he is without it. Bonamassa's last 3 solo albums were in the Top 40's on the USA charts, BCC's 2 studio albums didn't touch that and their live album made it up to 23 which is the same position as Bonamassa's last studio album. Before BCC Hughes, Bonham, and Sheridan were journeymen musicians, in BCC they actually have a band they could rest their hats on. I can see why they are pissed about Bonamassa not wanting to continue as much, but I can also see why Bonamassa doesn't want to continue because he's not gaining much by being with these guys.
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by Behshad » Tue Oct 23, 2012 1:09 am
jestor92 wrote:Hughes is angry because without BCC he becomes irrelevent while Bonamassa is just as revelent with or without BCC as he is without it. Bonamassa's last 3 solo albums were in the Top 40's on the USA charts, BCC's 2 studio albums didn't touch that and their live album made it up to 23 which is the same position as Bonamassa's last studio album. Before BCC Hughes, Bonham, and Sheridan were journeymen musicians, in BCC they actually have a band they could rest their hats on. I can see why they are pissed about Bonamassa not wanting to continue as much, but I can also see why Bonamassa doesn't want to continue because he's not gaining much by being with these guys.
Basically what youre saying is Bonamassa couldnt sell more than 100 tickets per show, regardless of his involvement with BCC or not !
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by jestor92 » Tue Oct 23, 2012 9:49 am
Behshad wrote:jestor92 wrote:Hughes is angry because without BCC he becomes irrelevent while Bonamassa is just as revelent with or without BCC as he is without it. Bonamassa's last 3 solo albums were in the Top 40's on the USA charts, BCC's 2 studio albums didn't touch that and their live album made it up to 23 which is the same position as Bonamassa's last studio album. Before BCC Hughes, Bonham, and Sheridan were journeymen musicians, in BCC they actually have a band they could rest their hats on. I can see why they are pissed about Bonamassa not wanting to continue as much, but I can also see why Bonamassa doesn't want to continue because he's not gaining much by being with these guys.
Basically what youre saying is Bonamassa couldnt sell more than 100 tickets per show, regardless of his involvement with BCC or not !
Couldn't tell they don't tour USA.
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