New My Chemical Romance Hits The Web

My Chemical Romance is back with a brand new album on November 22nd. Before that though, the group was nice enough to release Na Na Na, the first single from the record and now have released a second single to further soothe fan excitement. The second single is called The Only Hope For Me Is You and is available right down below.

The new My Chem album is titled Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys and will be released on November 22nd. The group is offering a very special box set version of the album that includes a special EP and various other My Chemical Romance goodies. For more information on that click here.

More R&R HOF: Diamond and Rough

While he's become something of a punch line in the later stages of his career -- he's sometimes derided as the Jewish Frank Sinatra -- few U.S. pop singer/songwriters can stand alongside Neil Diamond. From his early days as a shining cog in New York's Brill Building songwriting machine to his mid-career heights of Beautiful Noise (and even select tracks from Jonathan Livingston Seagull) Diamond has been known as a songwriter and singer of melodic (most of his stuff), sometimes dramatic ("I Am...I Said,") and sometimes syrupy ("You Don't Bring Me Flowers" duet with Barbra Streisand) music. But his 1960s and 1970s output carried a real pop charge. His early Brill hits -- "I'm A Believer," "Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)," "A Little Bit of Me, A Little Bit of You" -- helped put The Monkees on the musical map and generated industry interest not only in Diamond's writing but in his singing, at which he'd been unsuccessful to that point. He inked a contract with Bang Records in 1966 and the hits started to come. "Solitary Man" was his first success, soon to be followed by "Cherry, Cherry," "Kentucky Woman" (eventually covered by both Elvis Presley and Deep Purple), and "Thank the Lord for the Nighttime."



Following a switch to MCA Records in 1970 he dominated the charts with "Sweet Caroline," "Holly Holy," "Cracklin' Rosie," "Song Sung Blue," and "I Am...I Said." He simply was everywhere on the radio. Then in 1972 he performed at L.A.'s Greek Theater, recording the event for arguably one of the finest live recordings ever made, Hot August Night. Not only does the recording showcase every facet of Diamond's greatest songwriting in a live setting and with a full band, but it demonstrates his ability to connect, albeit a little dramatically, with a pop audience. His introduction to "I Am...I Said" is classic Diamond, "Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show" is a close-to-perfect embodiment of the gospel-tinged musical era portrayed in the song, and "Cherry Cherry" rocks with Diamond doing a great job on rhythm guitar.

In 1976, on the verge of becoming musically irrelevent, he was invited (surprisingly) to perform at The Band's The Last Waltz concert, singing the overwrought "Dry Your Eyes" he'd penned with Robbie Robertson. (Robertson fought for the invite and defended it by saying Diamond represented the Brill Building era...true enough but his selection probably had more to do with the fact Roberston was currently producing Diamond's Beautiful Noise record.) After that Diamond's career, which had had its peaks, settled into a long creative valley, with the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s being relatively uninspired despite scoring some big middle-of-the-road hits such as "Love On the Rocks." His biggest impact lately has been when others recorded his songs (such as UB40's cover of "Red Red Wine" and Johnny Cash recording "Solitary Man"). But his own output has been, to put it mildly, dreck. "America" is representative, and though it gets oldsters tuning in the radio, buying the CDs, and on their feet (though not on their chairs) at his still sold-out concerts, he's written nothing in the last 25 years with the strength, polish or insight of his early work.



Where Neil Diamond is polished and slick straight-ahead pop, Tom Waits is rough, unfinished, and more than a little scary. He's the guy huddling in the alleyway, his hands stuffed in his torn pockets, pulling his jacket down so his neck gets cold...stay away! He's the guy in the knit cap who rides the L all night long...don't make eye contact! He's a raconteur for the dispossessed with a voice that almost makes Bob Dylan sound like Bing Crosby, singing and writing from the dark side of the soul. He blends rock, blues, and jazz in unexpected ways, and his lyrics about the forgotten and the feared and the afraid have generated critical raves, enormous respect from other artists who cover his songs with regularity -- and barely enough popular success to survive doing what he does.



Those who aren't fans might know him for the knockout "Jersey Girl," covered by Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band (check out this live version which starts after a meandering coffeehouse intro), and by "Downtown Train," a hit for none other than late-period Rod Stewart. And his reworking of the Australian anti-war "Waltzing Matilda" in his "Tom Traubert's Blues" is heart wrenching and masterful -- listen to this gorgeous cut from The Old Grey Whistle Stop. His music and lyrics are rarely upbeat, but given the undertone of life on the edge that permeates his writing that's no surprise. His melodies have a creeping impact on the listener -- often you can't pick them out right away because he growls them at you, but they sneak up on you by the end of the song. And Waits is an experimenter, his recordings and concert tours ranging from acoustic folk efforts to electric metal, jazz-infected rock, blues for the down and out, and just about everything in between. He's a melting pot of styles and sounds, making his vast catalog well worth dipping into.

Joe Tex, Chuck Willis and the R&R HOF

Despite having a million-selling single, "Hold What You've Got," which spent 11 weeks on Billboard's Top 100, and releasing 30 successful singles before 1965 on, Joe Tex will likely best be remembered as a songwriter who penned "Baby You're Right," which James Brown covered to great success in 1962.... that and a lifelong feud with Brown that culminated in Brown shooting at but not hitting Tex in a nightclub.

Tex's own singing spent quite a bit of time on the airwaves. Hits such as "A Woman Can Change a Man," "Skinny Legs and All," "Men Are Getting Scarce," and "The Love You Save (May Be Your Own)" were among the barrage of 45s he released in 1965 (7 releases), 1966 (6 releases), and 1967 (5 releases). His last big hit was 1972's "I Gotcha," which reached #2 on the charts and eventually earned him a gold record for 2 million in sales. He converted to Islam in 1966.



Harold "Chuck" Willis is known to many through his music -- but few fans know his name. Willis saw fame early in his career with "It's Too Late, She's Gone," which has been covered by Derek & the Dominoes, Jerry Garcia Band, Roy Orbison, Buddy Holly and the Crickets, and more. In addition to that, his "C.C. Rider" was not only a hit for him but has been covered by Elvis Presley among others. He is known as "The King of Stroll" for his performance of that dance, which resulted from an easygoing sound that led to an easygoing dance step. Pretty nice impact for what was a very brief career. Willis died during surgery in 1958 at the age of 30.

The Women Nominees: Distinct Styles Define Love, Nyro, Summer

Grouping the three women 2011 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominees together almost does them a disservice because they represent such distinctly different styles and eras -- but we're going to do it anyway.



Where Laura Nyro and Donna Summer staked a claim to solo artistry with white soul and disco respectively, Darlene Love spent most of her career singing mainly in the background but always with distinctive voice. After being "discovered" by Phil Spector in an all-girl group The Blossoms in the early 1960s, Love (with or without The Blossoms) can be found singing behind Elvis Presley, Johnny Rivers, Shelly Fabares, The Beach Boys, Tom Jones, Sam Cooke, and Dionne Warwick. But her greatest recognition came from singing lead on the Phil Spector-produced girl group hits "He's a Rebel" and "He's Sure the Boy I Love," both released under the name The Crystals, and on "Today I Met the Boy I'm Gonna Marry," where Love was credited as the solo artist. She is also known for "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" from 1963's A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector.



Where Love made it by supporting and singing songs penned by others, Laura Nyro carved her own niche by writing songs for herself. Her unique blend of white, woman, soul, jazz and blues with a little gospel thrown in defined a territory that few have entered since. And while she achieved critical success early and throughout her career, her recordings never attracted the attention they deserved. What they did attract, though, was other artists. So despite an outstanding recording and intermittent performing career Nyro is best known as a songwriter others have covered. Her own recorded versions of her songs are not as accessible as the pop interpretations, but her versions are the ones that stand alone. Still, Fifth Dimension's covers of "Wedding Bell Blues" and "Stoned Soul Picnic," Three Dog Night's "Eli's Coming," Barbra Streisand's "Stoney End," and Blood, Sweat & Tears "And When I Die" showcase her songwriting talents and did introduce Nyro to a wider set -- even if they didn't go out and buy her records. Never a comfortable performer, Nyro shunned the spotlight and toured rarely. She died of ovarian cancer in 1997 at age 49.



Unlike Nyro and Love who succeeded in near obscurity, Donna Summer was the pride and focal point of a musical movement. Born LaDonna Adrian Gaines, Summer was the face of disco -- "The Queen of Disco" -- virtually from the start of her success with producers Giorgio Moroder and Pete Belotte who helped craft some of disco's signature songs: "Love To Love Ya Baby" (eventually redone in a 17-minute version featuring Summer moaning over a middle instrumental), "Hot Stuff," and "Last Dance." Following a break with disco she recorded Bad Girls with its working girl slant and launched another hit with "She Works Hard for the Money." In later years Summer recorded more varied fare, even winning two Grammys for "Inspirational" recordings. In all she has been nominated for 12 Grammys and has won five.

Rock's Julia Roberts, The Night Tripper, Bar Blues at Its Finest, and the Hippiest of Folksingers

The initial criteria for Rock & Roll hall of Fame nomination is an artist is eligible 25 years after releasing his or her first record. From that standpoint Bon Jovi, J. Geils Band, Dr. John, and Donovan all qualify.

Bon Jovi

Bon Jovi has sold a ton of records, but there's just no "there" there. Sure, this hard rocking band with lead singer/songwriter Jon Bon Jovi and guitarist/songwriter Richie Sambora made its mark with "Living on a Prayer" and "It's My Life," but Bon Jovi is rock's Julia Roberts.

J. Geils Band

J. Geils Band is a great R&B band with a blues bloodline starting way back in the early 1960s when John Geils, Danny Klein, and Richard Salwitz (known as Magic Dick) performed as Snoopy and the Sopwith Camels. Additions including Peter Wolf led to a name change to J. Geils Blues Band, eventually dropping the "blues" characterization -- but dropping it in name only.

Since the late 1960s J. Geils Band was a hot group to see live, especially if you could see their patented brand of blues rock up close and personal, like in a bar. That's what they are, a pure bar band -- a great party band -- and that's not taking anything away from them. Put on anything from The Morning After, "Live" Full House, Bloodshot, Ladies Invited, or Nightmares...And Other Tales from the Vinyl Jungle and you'll get this party started. For many early fans interest faded as the group "went commercial" with Love Stinks and Freeze Frame.

The J. Geils Band broke up in in the early 1980s, reuniting once in a while for various reasons. But Wolf still tours and records and he's worth the price of admission in the places he plays: Clubs, bars and smaller music theaters.



Dr. John

Also known as Mac Rebbenack, Dr. John started as a guitar player, switching to piano after almost losing one of his fingers to a gunshot while defending a bandmate. Probably accounts for his distinctive keyboard style. His biggest record, Gris-Gris, takes full advantage of his New Orlean's background and he played it to the hilt by developing a murky, funky voodoo persona he dubbed "The Night Tripper." It worked for years, got him a lot of attention, and made for some interesting live gigs, but he tired of it and when he released Dr. John's Gumbo in 1972 he shifted to New Orleans Mardi Gras music, hitting the charts with "Iko Iko" and "Such a Night," which The Band eventually asked him to perform with them on their Last Waltz concert event. An aficionado of just about every type of piano sound from jazz and blues to zydeco and boogie woogie, Dr. John has backed artists from Carly Simon and James Taylor to Rickie Lee Jones and Neil Diamond. He has become an Elder Statesman of New Orleans Music and often gets the call when artists need piano versatility or New Orleans authenticity on their records.



Donovan

You cannot get a more representitive folksinger of the peace-love hippie era than Donavan Leitch, who from the start went by just his first name. You want some hippy-dippy songs? Check out "Sunshine Superman," "Mellow Yellow," "Jennifer, Juniper," and the pseudo-psychodelic "The Hurdy Gurdy Man." It's enough to give you a bad trip. But while those are the songs that kept Donovan on the radio almost to the end of the 1960s, he crafted and sung some gorgeous ballads including "Colours" and "Catch the Wind," both covered by many, though few have managed to capture the longing and resignation of his Pye-label recording of "Catch the Wind." And "Atlantis," while never a hit with such a long utopian "hippie dream" intro, was a significant deep track and 45 B-side. It crops up every now and then on FM oldies playlists because it has such a catchy singalong chorus you just can't get out of your head. You were warned...Hail Atlantis!.

All the Young Boys Love Alice

Unless you want to count Little Richard (and a case can be made), Alice Cooper broke ground for for all androgenous rockers to come, from David Bowie to Marc Bolan, David Surkamp, and Michael Stipe. He wore dresses -- tight ones. He wore lingerie -- skimpy stuff. He wore makeup -- a lot of it and not always well done. But Alice (born Vincent Furnier) wasn't just another pretty face. In fact initially Alice Cooper was a band, suffering the same fate Pink Floyd laments in "Have a Cigar"... "By the way, which one's Pink?"

But with Furnier on lead vocals and harmonica, Glen Buxton on lead, Michael Bruce on rhythm, Dennis Dunnaway on bass, and Neil Smith on drums Alice Cooper the band could rattle balconies and damage eardrums with the best of heavy metal rockers. And despite Furnier's penchant for hitting the links with Hollywood stars, aging crooners and Republican politicos, in his and the band's time Alice Cooper was considered as "dangerous" as they come.

From the cover of the first LP, Pretties for You, which featured a strategically placed sticker on the cellophane wrapper, to the breakthrough and incendiary "I'm Eighteen" (the "Satisfaction" of the 1970s)from the classic metal Love It to Death, to 1971's reptilian Killer Alice Cooper the band gave voice and swagger to teenagers who locked themselves in their bedrooms and cranked tunes of declaration and depravity while parents in the living room were wondering what the hell was going on. Check out the above live demo of "I'm Eighteen" -- it smolders for almost a minute, making it longer than the edited-for-AM Radio version -- but if you've ever been 18 you get it -- and you like it.



Alice Cooper had what is arguably the Number One anti-school anthem, "School's Out!" in 1972 and hit their popular peak in 1973 with Billion Dollar Babies. It was only then that Furnier answered that he was Alice Cooper, and he began performing on his own with a backup band, touring and releasing solo records, the first of which, Welcome to My Nightmare, spawned a hit, "Only Women Bleed," along with "The Nightmare," now considered rock's first long-form video, and a concert film that was a commercial and critical flop but a constant at midnight showings.

It was at this point that Cooper introduced stage theatrics -- primarily horror theatrics including a guillotine, snakes, bloodied and decapitated babies -- to rock. Pink Floyd, U2, Neil Young, and every other artist that attempts more on stage than just playing the music owes Alice Cooper -- and there's at least one whole generation of men (and probably some women too) who can say the same.

But the question is: Which Alice Cooper is nominated? The band? The Man? Both? Does it matter?

Tomorrow: Bon Jovi... and more 2011 R&R HOF Nominees!

R&R Hall of Fame Nominees Announced...Who Really Belongs?

Last week the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced its list of nominees for 2011 induction -- and head banging among fans, purists, and critics alike immediately ensued. At issue, among other things, is what constitutes "rock and roll" as artists such as Beastie Boys, Dr. John, Chic, Donna Summer, LL Cool J, Joe Tex, and Laura Nyro were included among this year's nominees. Did these folks really contribute to rock and roll? Some certainly contributed to rap, disco, folk, blues, white soul music -- but apparently many out there think each musical genre should have its own Hall.



Don't think so. Arguments of this type are ongoing -- there are many people who draw a firm distinction between "rock" and "rock and roll," saying that the only true rock and roll was recorded by Sam Phillips and Norman Petty. But the fact is that each of those types of music had a significant influence on the broader "rock" music so the justification for their names on the ballot seems clear. Now, whether they actually belong in the Hall -- well that's a question Straight Lines is going to tackle over the coming days. We'll take a brief look each nominee, offer some click-throughs to representative performances -- and let you know whether we think each artist should make the cut.



Then we'll take it a step further and predict which five artists will make it -- and who won't. So here's a list of this year's nominees. Check back every day to see who we think is deserving of membership in rock and roll's most exclusive club...and don't be shy about letting us know if we hit a sour note!

Alice Cooper
Bon Jovi
Beastie Boys
Chic
Neil Diamond
Donovan
Dr. John (Mac Rebennack)
J. Geils Band
LL Cool J
Darlene Love
Laura Nyro
Donna Summer
Joe Tex
Tom Waits
Chuck Willis