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BCC Classic Rock bundle
Classic Rock magazine has a special Black Country Communion bundle for its issue 329. It includes the magazine itself with a bespoke BCC cover (regular edition has AC/DC on the cover), an exclusive lyric sheet (hand-signed by Glenn Hughes), two BCC guitar picks, and a limited edition drinks coaster.
No matter how you get the magazine, there’s a 5 page BCC feature inside:
[…] we talk to Glenn Hughes and Joe Bonamassa about the triumphant return of Black Country Communion as they release their new album V. “We’re a classic rock band,” says Joe Bonamassa. “So of course it sounds like 1973. We’re not trying to be like, you know, ‘Here’s a modern take’, we’re unapologetically time travellers backwards.”
The bundle can be ordered through the publisher at £19.99+shipping, while the regular issue is £8.99+shipping through Magazines Direct.
Thanks to our editor emeritus Benny Holmström for the info.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
It sure does not sound like 1973. I was there. Take a listen to WDWTWA, for example. It is not a masterpiece, but they could write songs, which is so desperately lacking here with BCC new product. They are great musicicians, no doubt about it. But songwriting quality is close to zero. Uninspired, just plain boring. Regular people squeeze these kind of products every morning from their ass. No offens!
July 9th, 2024 at 08:09Could it be that people write songs in a different style today, Raja? Glenn has acquired a distinct Grunge influence over the decades. It might not be what we like or what we are accustomed to, but is it really bad songwriting? WDWTWA had a lot of Beatlish influences, those are of course lacking with BCC, but if V had been released in 1973 would people have really said the songwriting sucks or just “this band sounds a bit unusual”? I actually hear more Trapeze (always less accessible than DP in sound and songwriting) and Led Zep (always more esoteric) in BCC than Purple and the albums of the former two sounded already in 1973 quite a bit different to WDWTWA (my second-favorite Mk II 70s era studio album btw).
I think it is unrealistic to expect too much of a DP content in BCC. They’re a contemporary rock band with an appreciative nod to past greats, but that is about it. More Rival Sons than DP. In a way, BCC albums are Bonamassa-glorified Glenn Hughes solo albums and he hasn’t written in a Purple style in a long time if ever.
July 9th, 2024 at 15:51Dear Raja,
You surely offended sir Hughes with your assumption. He will smack you in the head with the head of his Rickenbacker😅😋
I’m not feeling it for the alboom, too. Off the 10 songs I’d say 3 have something of a twist that makes them interesting, veering outside the rather typical music schemes of Glenn. When he composes solo, he can get rather formulaic these days. His bass sounds good and he seems to control his voice better, without over carrying himself to the monkey land. Still, it’s rather criminal having along three talented musicians and not using them to the creative process massively. I’m not a fanboy of Joe’s – he sure knows how to sound like Eric Johnson, but he doesn’t know how to squeeze any meat out of his guitar. He never even attempted to sound raunchy or adventurous in his playing, he’s causing ripples on the water among people, but I don’t know why. Is it just a case of not having anything more exciting around? Hard to tell. Back to Glenn – it’s been said here before – he needs a stimulating writing partner. JJ Marsh, Andrew Watt, Pat Thrall – where are you?
One thing is assured though, as for a “band without logistics” they sure know how to create a medial hype around themselves. The feathers are flying and all looks busy, but where is the substance? Joe, Derek and Jason truly need to stand up and shout, kick some cans.
The train with the level of your first two albums left the station, with ‘chu guys still lost standing on the platform.
And don’t get me wrong, I love Glenn. Respect the others. Kudos to GH for going strong, even if by now time starts to kick in and his voice slowly gives output. But he’s still a force of nature along with Ash and Soren. They made me cry again in April. Was it the strength of songs from “Burn” only? Not necessarily. Be the music Glenn, they will be your band. Just ditch down the drama and bullshit talk about clashes with DP camp.
July 9th, 2024 at 20:13I have been wondering why there has not been any commenting on this BCC thread. I will place Joe Bonamassa’s early 70’s comments into the joking category. Everyone knows BCC do not sound like that. They sound a little like 90’s grunge hard rock plus a post 2000’s modern day rock band. It is all hype to attempt to get ‘classic’ rock listeners interested. By the way, I didn’t realise that Joe Bonamassa, Derek Sherinian & Jason Bonham were Glenn Hughes backing musicians. That image, hmmmmmmm. Cheers.
July 9th, 2024 at 22:24When Glenn is on stage, lieber Tasmanian Devil, ANY- AND EVERYBODY is his backing musician, that is part of the deal. 🤣
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wdleb26ChTA
Like it or not, that performance knocked everyone over in the RAH (I was there), no other performance that night was as forceful and compelling.
There is no taming the man. And that is good. Glenn is a handful, but he’s also a true original.
July 10th, 2024 at 02:25Yo,
@1 said…( with mild editing from myself ).
qt.”It sure does not sound like 1973. I was there. Take a listen to WDWTWA, for example. It is a masterpiece, but they (DP) could write songs, which is so desperately lacking here with BCC new product. They are good musicians, no doubt about it. But songwriting quality is close to zero. Uninspired, & just plain boring. Regular people squeeze these kind of products every morning from their ass. No offence !
***
ROTFLMAO !!!
@3 said…
qt.”You surely offended sir Hughes with your assumption…The feathers are flying and all looks busy, but where is the substance”? …
***
LOL !!!
Mr.Bonamassa is known in many circles for his ability to play cover-tunes from the great 1970’s bands pretty-much note-for-note, & he’s been doing it for a long time. Perhaps in time, he’ll develop his own unique style & identity, we’ll see. But on the basis that he’s made a good living playing other peoples tunes well, why change if that’s your bread & butter ? Maybe Coco Montoya would be a better fit perhaps ?
Peace !
July 10th, 2024 at 04:48I’m no Bonamassa-basher. He releases too much, looks terrible on (and off) stage and that whole Modern Blues scene is a bit incestuous. But I can’t fault his guitar playing and his singing doesn’t rub me the wrong way either. Not hugely expressive, but if you don’t have the voice for it, expressive singing with a so-so voice makes you sound like Gary Moore – and I thought Moore’s singing in all eras equally terrible.
What Bonamassa does deserve credit for though is keeping Blues Rock and live performances alive. That is a good thing in this day and age.
As a guitarist he is for me in the Eric Clapton class, not particularly exciting, but extremely tasteful and a good sense of melody. I can listen to him fine. He doesn’t have the rootsiness of, say, Derek Trucks, but not everyone has to. Bonamassa is more urban.
Live with BCC, Glenn’s extreme extrovertism and Joe’s extreme introvertism sometimes clash in a way that is bordering on the hilarious. Visually, Glenn does better with guitarists like Doug Aldrich or his great Dane Søren Andersen who act more rock star’ish on stage.
July 10th, 2024 at 13:56@5 At 01.45mins… „Le Coq est mort….“ 😉
July 10th, 2024 at 19:41Shmee, I was raised on a consistent diet of Rob Halford Über-screams since 1977
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PVenGdovxI
so nothing Glenn ever does in his falsetto range unsettles me unduly! 🤣
It must be something in the Midlands water, Rob is from Walsall, Glenn from Cannock, they only grew up 10 miles apart from each other!
https://www.google.com/maps/vt/data=wXRQHrdZ_QvY0P8CLhVYWIlOmD0BMf9bQoHFCcEbXME7LEdgI7lBmKCqFRQnV10_O7FhtnMm1_n4FwTCpC8Z2wjjt60Cnn23xBxr_2E7hO0MuZ3Osxp3jsRCHm7rKNiU5YwXG2FzdoHaj6o0UZxHxhgkS05lvQwpMJhF,8G4ALI8Uydu9QvjJCUfK9Ie6U0CsFoND0lKTawNALeGpMLLep5Fo-5-l4Y53Y-q9aztF_nhSGKB2aDlaJZrzfjuSyowxCIRbWJppDQ5MKgPfNboHGlcteUT4onPwoawLhvs5Wnf5rxwbEUshuYsHYKjRSEZBu9Ne_y1kDdSbz5N59So2LoEouQijgutmPeFvn-IUr6a0ydKXCPSIbl4kI62u3-QrqHROU0fYIk0o6jAH3wqVmhOHD7532HbJYWnH4f8_MAIZK1PKhYbJDR2DFZyKoT_AWwowgYKhhUiFKQ561TdtgEHCD_yCWYDU5bTICh56GnQ8v-B9_Dr72W1GQM2_EfBdoXAdrQR66Jj_58C6kwRHzRuY27Cz10MRFHEYabzDwwPVSyBI6oS7IpSHP68qKc8-?w=650&h=200
If Glenn and Rob ever did a duet albums as “The Piercing Falsettos – No Balls Allowed!”, I’d buy it in a heartbeat!
I’d like them to do a cover together:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcSlcNfThUA
Tiny Tim had something very pleasantly unsettling. 😎
July 11th, 2024 at 00:06“WDWTWA had a lot of Beatlish influences, those are of course lacking with BCC, but if V had been released in 1973 would people have really said the songwriting sucks or just “this band sounds a bit unusual”? Yes they would I could imagine.!A quick summary of BCC from little ole me. BCC, the band that are trying to be something else. Cheers.
July 11th, 2024 at 03:15If V had been released in 1973, I think people would have said that “this band sounds a bit unusual, which is kinda cool, but the songwriting sucks.”
July 11th, 2024 at 11:00Ragin’ Raja ramp(e)s up the argument!!! 😆
https://64.media.tumblr.com/2e80b933f0da8278ee87320c1994f3d8/cb130ecf3c72bfee-60/s540x810/99128123011e1be9f7f5a6b47468da7839f249f3.gif
July 12th, 2024 at 00:07