Nothing like starting the show off on a relaxed, calm note.......

Ain't it just, unless you're the one being chased! Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister formed Motorhead when he was fired from Hawkwind ("Motorhead" was in fact the title of the last song he wrote for Hawkwind). Recruiting ex-Pink Fairies guitarist Larry Wallis and drummer Lucas Fox, they formed this legendary metal outfit in 1975. The featured album had "Fast" Eddie Clark on guitars and "Philthy" Phil Taylor on drums. The band are still very much around today.

Second last studio album from the Welsh hard rockers. The album featured new guitarist John Thomas (ex-George Hatcher Band), together with bassist/vocalist Burke Shelley and drummer Steve Williams. Budgie went on to feature at the 1982 Reading Festival, alongside Whitesnake, UFO, Stampede, Twisted Sister and others. The band then folded, but Shelley revived Budgie in the late 90's.

Formed in Gibraltar and based in the UK, this fantastic band have released three awesome albums to date. Their Flamenco-inspired metal style is pretty unique and very pleasing on the ear. They're one of the really great "new era" metal bands that are destined to take the genre well into the future.

The album is due to be released and distributed in South Africa shortly. Give it a listen - you'll be mucho impressed-o.

Very different Latin Metal band from Puerto Rico. They can be quite confusing at times, and their music has an intensity and sensuality that'll soothe you and get you all glassy-eyed on the one hand and then rattle your cage and give you heart palpitations on the other, all within the confines of the same song. If you're trying to get laid to Puya's music, be careful - their sudden chord changes and mood swings from romantic Latin interludes to full on headbanging is liable to put your family jewels in a precarious position! They're tremendously good, though.

The undoubted kings of Latin Metal! You (hopefully) know them quite well, if you listen to The RockIt Scientist regularly. Featuring guitarist/producer Roy Z (of Bruce Dickinson fame), together with a bit of help from Warrior's Joe Floyd. If you're a fan of hard rock, metal and Latin rock, you need to check out this extremely talented US outfit. They have a brand new album, "Dweller On The Threshold", which should be available shortly.

This UK hard rock/metal outfit were formed in Yorkshire in the early-to-mid 70's by guitarist Graham Oliver and bass player Steve Dawson. Recruiting vocalist Peter "Biff" Byford from a band called "Coast", SOB eventually evolved into the band we know and love as Saxon. Saxon's history has been well documented elsewhere on The RockIt Scientist, so we'll leave them alone for now. Oliver and Dawson reformed SOB, without Byford, in the mid 90's. Featuring a tremendously good hard rock/metal vocalist in the form of Ted Bullet (ex-Thunderhead), together with Saxon/Motorhead drummer Pete Gill and Saracen guitarist Hayden Conway, they released this great album on Angel Air Records.

Step aside Living Colour, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Lock Out, Extreme and all the other funk/rock outfits, because Baby Jean Kennedy and her band are back! There is/are none better than Mother's Finest. They've been around since the early 70's and they know their stuff so well it's scary! If the idea of a really tight band rocks your boat, you need to get this fantastic double live album (which also features four new tracks, one of them being the featured number). Recorded live in Germany, the band still features Moses "Mo" Moore on guitars, Wyzard on bass and Glen Murdock on vocals. And Baby Jean? Knockout stuff!

This was the first album to feature new vocalist Rhett Forrester, who replaced founding member Guy Speranza. (Forrester was tragically killed in an argument in his car in 1994). Formed in the US in 1976, Riot's debut album was released in 1977. Their follow up, "Narita"(1979), earned them accolades in the UK and they appeared at the 1980 Donnington Festival. The band went on to release albums well into the late 90's and they're still around today.

Popular US outfit Quiet Riot are sometimes best known for their cover of Slade's "Cum On Feel The Noize" in 1983. Formed in the mid 70's by guitarist Randy Rhoads (yes, he of Ozzy fame, tragically killed in that aircraft accident), vocalist Kevin DuBrow, bassist Kelly Garni and drummer Drew Forsyth. The band, incidentally, took their name from a suggestion made by Staus Quo's guitarist, Rick Parfitt! Later members included Rudy Sarzo (bass), Frankie Banali (drums) and Carlos Cavazo (guitars). The band folded in the late 80's and reformed in the early 90's.

Unashamedly inspired and influenced by AC/DC, this US boogie rock band are back with this great new album. Formed in California, they released three albums between 1990 and 1994 and then disappeared. The new album features original members Georg Dolivo (vocals) and Reeve Downes (bass), together with hot lady drummer Jackie Enx and ex-Kix guitarist Brian Forsythe. Good old fashioned balls to the wall rock and roll!

The Answer is one of the hottest new young blues/rock bands in the world today. Drawing influences from Led Zep, Free, Bad Company and others, The Answer are doing today what Cry Of Love and Thunder were doing all those years ago when blues rock was making a big comeback. These young Brits, together with bands such as Tokyo Dragons, Glyder, Wolfmother and others, are keeping the genre alive and popular. Bands like The Answer are proof that rock music, irrespective of what some radio stations would have you believe, is well, thriving and gaining many fans, worldwide.

The Answer, like Breed 77, are now being distributed in South Africa.

Drummer and multi-instrumentalist Alphonse Mouzon, who'd also featured with Weather Report, recorded a number of great albums for the famed Blue Note label. The pick of the bunch was this awesome album which featured a very young Lee Ritenour, together with another sensational guitarist, Tommy Bolin. Bolin had previously worked with Zephyr, The James Gang and Energy (with flautist Jeremy Steig). It was a busy year for Bolin, who had just completed work on Billy Cobham's acclaimed "Spectrum" album. His contributions to this much sought after album are legendary. Bolin later went on to feature with Deep Purple before tragically dying of substance abuse. Alphonse Mouzon later worked in the disco field before becoming CEO/chairman of Tenacious Records. More of Mouzon to follow below.

Another jazz/fusion outfit that featured Alphonse Mouzon. Larry Coryell was, and still is, one of the most respected jazz guitarists around. Also featuring Mike Mandel (keyboards), Randy Brecker (trumpet) and Danny Trifan (bass). They released a number of good albums during the 70's. Rumour has it that Mouzon and Coryell are collaborating and touring again under the Eleventh House name.

Another highly respected jazz guitarist. UK born John McLaughlin cut his teeth playing with the likes of blues greats Alexis Korner, Graham Bond, Georgie Fame and others. He then moved in a more free-form jazz direction, working with Tony Williams, John Surman and Dave Holland. McLaughlin's main claim to fame, apart from the fact that he's released many solo albums and he also worked with Carlos Santana, (in the days when they both looked like respectable, clean cut cricket players and used words like "Om" regularly), was his collaboration with Billy Cobham, Jerry Goodman, Rick Laird and Jan Hammer in the groundbreaking Mahavishnu Orchestra. "Devotion" featured Billy Rich on bass, Buddy Miles on drums and Larry Young on keyboards.

Thanks very much to Martin Simpson for reminding me about this fantastic UK jazz/funk/rock outfit, who I used to feature regularly in various clubs I used to play in during the mid to late 70's! Formed by members of the obscure Clark-Hutchinson and Spreadeagle outfits, the band featured Stephen Amazing on bass, Jim Copley on drums and Andy Clark on keyboards. Jeff Beck was involved in production and he also played some his best guitar pieces with this band. Unfortunately, after two great albums, the band folded in the mid to late 70's. Jim Copely later appeared with Tears For Fears and Go West.

The studio version of this classic Al Di Meola track was featured on The RockIt Scientist a few months ago. I've since had many requests to play it again. This time, though, you can hear how good he is performing the track live!

It's easy to run out of supertlatives when it comes to describing this unbelievably talented guitarist. Born in New Jersey in the USA in July 1954, Al Di Meola was inspired to take up the guitar at the age of nine, after listening to the Beatles. He later attended the Berklee College of Music (in 1971) and he joined keyboard player Barry Miles' fusion group. Chick Corea invited him to join his increasingly popular Return To Forever, where he remained for a few years. He elected to embark on a solo career in 1976, which has proved to be very successful. He's worked with the likes of Paco Da Lucia, Jean Luc Ponty, John McLaughlin and a host of others. Electric or acoustic, slow or fast, it doesn't matter - there aren't many guitarists in the world today who can hold a candle to Al Di Meola.

French born violinist Jean Luc Ponty was brought up in a musical home environment, his mother being a piano teacher and his father a violin teacher. He visited the UK and USA in the early 70's and he met up and recorded with Frank Zappa (on Zappa's "Hot Rats" album). Zappa produced Ponty's "King Kong" album in 1970. Ponty then joined George Duke's band and he had a short stint with John McLaughlin and The Mahavishnu Orchestra. Ponty's solo albums are always of a very high standard, and he's always surrounded himself with some of the best musicians in the business.

He became one of the most respected bluesmen in the world, even impressing Jackson Browne and David Bowie, who spotted him at The Montreux Jazz Festival in July 1982. Bowie asked Stevie Ray to play on his "Let's Dance" album in 1983. He earned nine Grammy nominations during his lifetime.

Stevie Ray Vaughan was tragically killed in a helicopter crash in Wisconsin on August 27th, 1990.

This stunning version of Kenny Burrell's classic is given the full Stevie Ray treatment, giving him the opportunity to also showcase his jazzier side. This posthumously released ten track outtakes collection has proved to be one of the legendary blues guitarist's best selling albums. The songs were recorded in various sessions from 1984 to 1989. There are also a number of Stevie Ray Vaughan dvds available.

Next to Leaf Hound's "Growers Of Mushroom" and Mellow Candle's "Swaddling Songs", this is one of the rarest albums ever released on the Deram label. The album features vocals by Nicky Moore (Hackensack, Samson, Mammoth, From Behind etc). It's basically guitar-orientated hard rock with Moore showing touches of the brilliant vocalist he would later become.

Considered to be one of the best heavy progressive recordings from Europe during the early 70's, this album by Spain's Tapiman is extremely rare. The band featured guitarist Max Sunyer, who was undoubtedly influenced by the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Leslie West. Tapiman released three albums between 1971 and 1979. Sunyer later featured with Spanish jazz/rock outfit Iceberg.

You should know them pretty well by now - I've been featuring both of this legendary British prog/hard rock outfit's albums on radio since day one, back in the early 80's. This fantastic debut album featured Ashley Holt on guitar, Mac Poole on drums, Ged Peck on guitar (later replaced by Peter Parks), Frank Wilson on keyboards and founder Nick Simper on bass. Refer to previous write-ups on this legendary band on the RockIt Scientist website.