“I’m just amazed that people still love it, even young people come up at our gigs now with copies that they found on the Internet or in shops or something,” comments McAuliffe. Hit And Run – Revisited will be released in three versions: the first edition of the album will be available as a CD Digipak, followed by a regular jewel case CD and a vinyl LP with gatefold sleeve.

For McAuliffe and her three colleagues Chambers, bassist Enid Williams and drummer Denise Dufort, these re-recordings are much more than a journey back in time to the beginnings of their career: Hit And Run – Revisited documents the songs’ great sustainability, recorded all over again in spring 2011 with a modern sound and contemporary studio equipment. Back then, in March 1981 at the Jackson’s Studios, the conditions were almost archaic: “This studio, which was almost like a shack in the middle of nowhere in Rickmansworth, was so old-fashioned,” McAuliffe remembers, “you used to have to kick things to make them work. It was that sort of studio. It was just the four of us and Vic, as simple as that.” But the spark was ignited as soon as producer Vic Maille recognised the quality of the material and Girlschool started to have an idea what kind of gem they were about to hold in their hands. “We weren’t sure,” McAuliffe confesses, “I mean we were surprised and obviously delighted at the success of Demolition, so we were hoping that this one would do well. But we weren’t quite sure how well it would do.”

Fact is: following its release, the album instantly hit it big. Hit And Run climbed the charts fast in America and Canada (even making the gold mark!), made no. 5 in the UK and opened the doors to major venues for Girlschool. As a result, the musicians led a real jet set life and were flown around the globe by Jerry Bron, the owner of their record company Bronze Records. McAuliffe: “Jerry had his own little airline. And we’d be zipping off in these little planes all over the place. One minute we’d be in Germany doing an interview or a TV show, and the next minute we’d be back in Newcastle. On the same day, you know. We thought ‘Blimey, this is incredible. This must be what it’s like to be rock stars.’ We zipped off everywhere in these little planes. So it was quite an amazing time, really.”

A life full of highlights began, including the amenities of the dolce vita in the true sense of the word: “That was the first time that we could have everything we wanted on the rider. You know, you hear these things about how you could just have whatever you want, so we used to love these things from Marks & Spencer’s. There were these little chocolates with cream on top. Sort of desserts. We had them every night on our rider.”

Naturally, re-recording their classic under ideal studio conditions brought back memories for Girlschool of days gone by. At the same time, the musicians took the artistic liberty of updating a number of arrangements. McAuliffe: “We’ve made quite a few changes. But I’m not gonna say anything about them because we’re hoping that our fans will notice for themselves, just to see how well they know the original ones. But of course it’s a different sound, we have Jackie play now, obviously, instead of Kelly, and also again, studio-wise it’s just a completely different experience because the technology now is incredible compared to what we had in those days.”

So Hit And Run – Revisited sees Girlschool come full circle: all eleven numbers from the original now sparkle in amazing and dynamic versions, with small changes to a number of details and two fantastic bonus tracks: Girlschool have re-recorded ‘Demolition Boys’, the opener from their debut album, plus a haunting duet with Germany’s no. 1 rock vocalist, Doro, on the title track ‘Hit And Run’. In addition, this year’s tour will see them play the same setlist as they performed in the early Eighties plus a number of tracks from their 2008 release, Legacy. An appearance at the 2011 Wacken Open Air has already been confirmed (McAuliffe: “Every rock act wants to play Wacken. And we’ll be there for the third time, following our gigs in 1999 and 2008. A dream-come-true!”). In other words: present and past will be combined by one of the most successful all-girl bands in the history of rock music!

TRACKS
1. C`Mon Let`s Go (K. Mcauliffe, K. Johnson) – 3:37
2. The Hunter (K. Mcauliffe, K. Johnson) – 3:15
3. (I`m Your) Victim (K. Mcauliffe, D. Dufort) – 2:42
4. Kick It Down (K. Mcauliffe, K. Johnson) – 3:03
5. Following The Crowd (E. Williams, K. Mcauliffe, K. Johnson) – 3:08
6. Tush (B. Gibbons, D. Hill, F. Beard) – 2:16
7. Hit And Run (K. Mcauliffe, K. Johnson) – 3:08
8. Watch Your Step (E. Williams, K. Mcauliffe, K. Johnson) – 3:22
9. Back To Start (K. Johnson, E. Willams) – 3:32
10. Yeah Right (K. Mcauliffe, K. Johnson, D. Dufort) – 3:21
11. Future Flash (K. Johnson, K. Mcauliffe) – 4:27

BONUS
12. Demolition Boys (K. McAuliffe, K. Johnson)
13. Hit And Run (with Doro)

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7010805874&ref=ts
www.girlschool.co.uk
http://www.myspace.com/girlschool1

And after each show one thing is crystal clear: Motörhead remain the finest, loudest, hardest and coolest live British rock’n’roll band around. The global tour for their 20th studio release, The Wörld is Yours, took in Motörhead bangers from America to Argentina, Belgium to Brazil, from Sweden to Spain and dozens of other countries all over the world.

In celebration of their 35 years on the road, on January 24th Motörhead Music/UDR is proud to present: The Wörld Is Ours-Vol 1 – Everywhere Further Than Everyplace Else, a blistering DVD containing some of the finest moments from the tour, including the entire performance from Chile’s Teatro Caupolican, shot and filmed in classic black and white by Banger Films and Sam Dunn (Iron Maiden Flight 666, Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage). Mixed by the band‘s long-time producer Cameron Webb, The Wörld Is Ours – Vol 1 – Everywhere Further Than Everyplace Else is stuffed with the classics Motörfans demand, from ‘Overkill‘ to “Ace Of Spades” to “Killed By Death” as well as some old gems like “Over The Top” and new favorites such as “I Know How To Die.”

As well as this epic Motörperformance, exciting numbers from the shows in Manchester and New York are also included on the triple-disc digipack set, along with a series of extensive, in depth and exclusive interviews with the band, a bonus double live CD of the Chile show (incl. selected tracks from NY & Manchester), plus a superbly photographed booklet documenting life on the road during the tour.

On January 26, Motörhead make their return to the U.S. and Canada on the multi-bill festival, GIGANTOUR, with Megadeth, Volbeat and Lacuna Coil. Gigantour is a chance to tour with like-minded artists “that play heavy music in a high-energy environment,” says Dave Mustaine. The tour will kick off on Jan. 26 in Camden, NJ and run through Feb. 28 in Denver, and will include stops in NY (Jan. 28) and Los Angeles (Feb. 24).

In other Motörhead news:

- Lemmy, The Movie, the film about Motörhead’s iconic frontman, won Best Film/DVD at the recent Classic Rock Awards in the U.K. and has also received an RIAA Gold sales award in North America.

- Paul Inder, Lemmy’s son, runs a successful recording studio in Los Angeles, Inder Music Studios, where Lemmy has been known to work. Says Paul, “Everyone who has come here so far loves the vibe of the place.”

- In last month’s issue of Revolver Magazine, the cover story was dedicated to the 100 Greatest Living Rock Stars, with Lemmy (of course) among the greats.

- In CMJ’s 2011 year-end charts, Motörhead’s CD, The World Is Yours, was number one on the Loud Rock chart. Upon the record’s release, it spent six weeks at number one on this chart, which is the longest that Motörhead has held that position at radio. Number One!

- We recently told you about Motörhead wine. (Their Shiraz got great reviews: “A fairly grown-up wine – can taste the fruitiness. A panel favorite.” And “A red wine that’s ‘Aces.’”) Now comes Motörhead Vodka. It’s a premium, 80 proof Vodka made from 100% locally grown wheat that has been distilled and bottled in Sweden. It has a rich, full-bodied and complex character, with a light and fruity aftertaste. One reviewer said, “That’s how women sometimes describe Lemmy.”

- In Duff McKagan’s ESPN.com weekly column, he recently wrote about his band, Loaded, opening for Motörhead in Germany. He says, “Being here on the road with Motörhead is to get an awe-inspiring peek into legend. Their consistancy remains a sort of explosive touchstone for all of us who need to be reminded of what is real and true and honest about rock music. Lemmy is still more on top of his game than five 20-year olds combined. If you get a chance to see this band, don’t even try to think twice about it. They are the very best of what it is all about…it’s like going to rock and roll church.”

- Motörhead were recently nominated for a Shorty Award, honoring the best of social media, recognizing the people and organizations producing real-time short form content across the social Web.

- Lemmy performed with Camp Freddy on their last 2011 show, which took place at the at the world famous Roxy on the Sunset Strip on the day before Lemmy’s 66th birthday. Participating in the tribute to Lemmy that night were Slash, Matt Sorum, John Lydon, among others, and also included birthday greetings from Ozzy.

- Lemmy will be part of a Ronnie James Dio tribute album which will be out later this year.

- And finally, two German scientists/academics discovered Motörhead in recent years and wrote an article about them, saying: “This band is loud and fresh, hard and relevant…Motörhead are the hardest trio of the rock world…The band is rocking.”

We agree!!

www.imotorhead.com

Didya catch Tuesday’s Celebrity Wife Swap featuring Dee and Suzette Snider (and their family) along with Flavor Flav and his fiancée, Liz, and their kids? We may be biased, but we’re not blind…Dee and his family were fun, welcoming and up for anything (even crocheting with the uber mellow Liz in the back yard, no lie!). Best part: Dee recording the House of Hair around minute 19! Suzette and Flav got along fine in the beginning, but when Flav started leaving the family and wouldn’t play by Suzette’s “rules” (part of the show), things quickly deteriorated.

Check out Suzette and Flav’s final confrontation here. We’ve gotta say, after watching the episode, he deserved everything she dished out (and she dished out a lot).

The show will air again this Saturday, January 14, on ABC; check your local listings for times and set your DVRs!

OR

You can watch the episode online too — right here ABC-TV Celebrity Wife Swap

GEOFF TATE “AND FRIENDS”
TO PERFORM SELECT, ALL-ACOUSTIC DATES
ON THE WEST COAST BEGINNING ON JANUARY 27TH

Shortly after Queensryche’s Geoff Tate heard that American Idol’s James Durbin was going to sing the band’s song, “Take Hold of the Flame” to his new bride, Heidi Lowe, at their wedding reception on New Year’s Eve, he started making arrangements to join the festivities.

A great way to end 2011 and bring in the new year!

Known to representatives, but unbeknownst to James and Heidi, Geoff and his wife, Susan, flew from Seattle to Northern California for the big surprise.

The Durbins walked into the reception where Geoff quickly introduced himself.

A dream come true for James, both he and Geoff hit the stage and sang “Take Hold of the Flame’ together with Heidi just a few feet away.

A truly memorable evening, indeed, for the newlyweds who had publicly stated that the song was one of their favorites.

See the People magazine coverage for more details – http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20557815,00.html / http://www.queensryche.com/2012/01/09/an-idol-rocker-wedding/

This was just the beginning of what promises to be another exciting year for Geoff Tate.

After touring extensively in 2011 with his band, Queensryche, Geoff recently announced that he will be doing a handful of acoustic solo dates billed as “Geoff Tate and Friends” beginning on Friday, January 27 at The Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, California.

What can fans expect on the brief run of dates?

According to Tate, he’ll be “playing acoustic versions of all my favorite Queensryche songs as well as some songs from my solo album.” And that certainly gives him a lot to choose from…

Not one to remain idle, Tate is anxious to hit the road again next year despite an incredibly busy 2011 that found the band performing over 75 dates along their 30th Anniversary tour primarily in support of their 12th studio album, Dedicated to Chaos (Roadrunner Records/Loud & Proud), that was released in the summer.

Towards the end of the tour, Geoff and the band pulled out “all the stops” by performing Rage for Order in its entirety for the first time ever (New York City on Halloween) and Operation: Mindcrime from beginning to end on this year’s ShipRocked Cruise (with In This Moment’s Maria Brink handling vocal chores as “Sister Mary”) for the first time in three years. Both shows were a pure treat for fans!

“Mindcrime” (1988) is universally respected as a classic concept release about rock, revenge and redemption and, ultimately, regarded as one of the most important and essential hard rock records in the genre’s expansive canon. 1990’s follow-up, Empire, yielded a number one single, the Grammy-nominated ballad “Silent Lucidity,” which Queensryche performed at the 1992 Grammy Awards accompanied by a supporting orchestra.

In 2006, the band released Operation: Mindcrime II, a scorching sequel to their original. The band then hit the road performing both albums Operation: Mindcrime and Operation: Mindcrime II back-to-back in their entirety in an incredible theatrical presentation throughout the year. The final performance was recorded at The Moore Theatre in Seattle that October and the Mindcrime at the Moore double CD/DVD release debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Top Music DVD Chart and eventually reached gold status.

It’s hard to believe it’s been 30 years and more than 20 million albums sold worldwide later…

For 2012, Queensryche has plenty up its sleeve.

For more information, please view the official Queensryche website at www.queensryche.com.

TOUR DATES

FRIDAY, JANUARY 27 – THE CANYON CLUB IN AGOURA HILLS, CALIFORNIA

SATURDAY, JANUARY 28 – ANTHOLOGY IN SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA

SUNDAY, JANUARY 29 – THE COACH HOUSE IN SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CALIFORNIA

TUESDAY, JANUARY 31 – CENTER FOR THE ARTS IN GRASS VALLEY, CALIFORNIA

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1 – EL REY IN CHICO, CALIFORNIA

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2 – UPTOWN IN NAPA, CALIFORNIA

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4 – FINAGHTY’S IN SNOQUALMIE, WASHINGTON

Mullaney will have to cool his heels until Feb. 7, when Interscope releases A Different Kind of Truth, the band’s first studio album with DLR since the iconic 1984. Only a couple of weeks after putting out this long-awaited new material, Van Halen will kick off their tour, starting in Louisville on Feb. 18 and cruising through the U.S. and Canada before finishing in New Orleans on June 26, withKool & The Gang opening on selected dates. Tickets go on sale this Saturday, Jan. 14, when a crush of rabid Van Halen fans will swarm the Ticketmaster and Live Nation websites.

This morning, Black Sabbath made the following announcement on the band’s Facebook fanpage.

“With the news that Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi has been diagnosed with the early stages of lymphoma, his bandmates would like everyone to send positive vibes to the guitarist at this time. Iommi is currently working with his doctors to establish the best treatment plan–the “IRON MAN” of Rock & Roll remains upbeat and determined to make a full and successful recovery.

This comes as Black Sabbath–Ozzy Osbourne (vocals), Tony Iommi (guitar), Geezer Butler (bass) and Bill Ward (drums)–are writing and recording their first album in 33 years in Los Angeles (still set for release this fall) with producer Rick Rubin. They will now go to the UK to continue to work with Tony. Further information will be released as it becomes available.”

Lymphoma is a type of cancer that begins in immune system cells; there are many forms of lymphoma. However, even most of the aggressive lymphomas respond well to treatment and are curable.

The HOH will keep you updated on Tony’s condition. In the meantime the staff of HOH is sending all our positive headbanger vibes out to Tony, and wish him a speedy recovery!

Read all the juicy details over at www.nydailynews.com.

Reportedly, Van Halen’s new Interscope release will come out in early 2012. Sammy Hagar has suggested that all the songs will be based on riffs written prior to him joining the band…we shall see! For now, we’re just happy to get Van Halen out touring again, even though it might be hard for the 57-year-old Roth to do some of those split jumps!!

Check out the video, to see Eddie Van Halen, his brother Alex, and Eddie’s son Wolfgang playing while David Lee Roth runs around the stage being David Lee Roth!

Van Halen – Hot For Teacher Trailer from Van Halen on Vimeo.

OZZY OSBOURNE, TONY IOMMI, GEEZER BUTLER AND BILL WARD UNVEIL PLANS ON 11/11/11
AT A LOS ANGELES PRESS CONFERENCE AT THE WHISKY A GO-GO,
WHERE THE BAND PERFORMED THEIR FIRST LOS ANGELES DATE EXACTLY 41 YEARS AGO

After much speculation, the original four members of BLACK SABBATH–OZZY OSBOURNE (vocals), TONY IOMMI (guitar), GEEZER BUTLER (bass) and BILL WARD (drums)–have reunited to record their first new studio album in 33 years with producer Rick Rubin (seven-time Grammy winner, two of those as Producer of the Year) and to embark on a massive world tour in 2012.

OSBOURNE, IOMMI, BUTLER and WARD as well as Rubin all gathered today on 11/11/11 to announce the news at a Los Angeles press conference at the legendary club, the Whisky A Go-Go, the site of the groundbreaking and influential band’s first L.A. concert exactly 41 years ago (Nov 11, 1970). The event was hosted by the revered musical and spoken word artist Henry Rollins who has said that “Any band worth their weight in napalm wishes they had written ‘War Pigs.’”

Selling over 70 million albums together, the Grammy-winning, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees have signed a new record deal worldwide with Vertigo and Vertigo/ Universal Republic in the U.S., the band’s original label. BLACK SABBATH is now in the studio recording the as-yet-untitled new album for release in the fall of 2012 (exact date TBA). It will mark their ninth studio album together and their first since 1978’s Never Say Die!

Next summer, BLACK SABBATH will headline the mammoth multi-day UK Download Festival in the U.K. on June 10. The new album will then be supported with a worldwide headline arena tour (dates TBA).

BLACK SABBATH also announced today the launch of www.blacksabbath.com, the first-ever official BLACK SABBATH website for all authorized BLACK SABBATH news. In addition, the band’s online presence will also be supported by social media via Facebook and Twitter–again, marking the band’s first-ever foray into the social media world.

BLACK SABBATH released their self-titled debut album in 1970. “Black Sabbath is credited with creating heavy metal,” according to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. “The success of their first two albums–Black Sabbath and Paranoid–marked a paradigm shift in the world of rock. Not until Black Sabbath upended the music scene did the term ‘heavy metal’ enter the popular vocabulary to describe the denser, more thunderous offshoot of rock over which they presided.” The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame also noted, “…they remain one of the most misunderstood bands in rock history,” adding: “The band’s musicality was generally overlooked, but they possessed an inventiveness and fluency that, in hindsight, makes them seem as much of a progressive-rock band as a heavy-metal one.”

In 1998, BLACK SABBATH released Reunion from their 1997 concerts in Birmingham, England, a two-CD live set that featured two new studio songs. The band has also sporadically reunited for shows in 1999, 2002 and 2004; in 2005, the four performed concerts together when they toured Europe and then headlined the 10th anniversary of Osbourne’s namesake festival OZZfest. Also in 2005, they were inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame by Brian May of Queen. This was followed by their induction in 2006 into the U.S. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, an honor bestowed on them by Metallica’s James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich.

Twisted Sister will celebrate Christmas early this year with the release of Twisted Sister From The Bars To The Stars: Three Decades Live, a 5-DVD boxed set, on November 8. The lavish package comes complete with curios such as a Twisted Sister Christmas ornament, an official “New York Steel” backstage pass, a classic two and a half-inch Twisted Sister pin and a reproduction of the first-ever SMF Fan Club letter.

Over eight hours long, From The Bars To The Stars has to be considered the ultimate Twisted Sister boxed set. One of the five DVDs, Twisted Xmas: Live In Las Vegas, is a total exclusive, having never before been released in any format. This 2009 concert showcases the band performing such beloved holiday fare as “White Christmas” and “Come All Ye Faithful” next to “Burn In Hell” and “Deck The Halls” as only Twisted Sister can. In fact, Jay Jay French, Dee Snider, Mark Mendoza, A.J. Perro, and Eddie Ojeda, have made this holiday merriment a metal tradition for the past few years.

Live At Reading was filmed in 1982 at England’s biggest rock festival. A bonus 2011 band interview is included.

Double Live juxtaposes an early Long Island, New York show (North Stage ‘82), filmed just prior to the band breaking internationally, and NY Steel ‘01, the New York City 9/11 benefit they headlined.

Live At Wacken documents the band’s 2003 Wacken Open Air Festival reunion appearance in Germany. Complete with behind-the-scenes backstage footage and band interviews about their 1980s rise to world domination, break-up and reunion, it also contains their entire set on the big stage at this most prestigious of European Heavy Metal festivals.

Any SMF would agree – This is one boxed set no Twisted Sister fan can do without.