'Dark Knight Rises': The Man Behind The Music

In the years since "Batman Begins" changed the superhero-movie game and "The Dark Knight" took it one step further, the masses have heralded Christopher Nolan as the singular source of genius behind the two films. No one — myself included — will ever deny Nolan's brilliance, but it is essential to recognize the wealth of creative masters working on the films.

Academy Award winner Wally Pfister used a mastery of cinematography to paint Gotham landscapes that are distinct in each entry in the series, yet never betray any sense of consistency with the setting. Editor Lee Smith worked with Nolan to cut the action in a way that thrills but always provides a sense of space.

But perhaps the most unsung hero of Nolan's Batman movies is composer Hans Zimmer. His work with James Newton Howard on the first two films can get lost within the chaos on the screen, but it is always there, accenting each and every memorable scene. His work on the first two films is worth revisiting, for now with the two trailers and the prologue, we've gotten a small sense of what to expect from the composer for the trilogy's conclusion.

Zimmer's last two scores for Nolan films, "The Dark Knight" and "Inception," have been, at least in part, concept-driven. A new video featured on /Film points out the uncanny similarities between the "Why So Serious?" track from the "Dark Knight" soundtrack and a song from the musical "Édith et Marcel." In another connection to the singer Édith Piaf, Zimmer famously incorporated an ultra-slow take on "Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien" into his score for "Inception." While both may have built off of previous pieces, Zimmer's interpretation of them made them his own and all the more memorable.

Barring any chance Édith Piaf connections, it appears Zimmer is going in an entirely different direction with his score for "The Dark Knight Rises." Though still concept-driven, the cult-like chanting signals an ambitious turn for the composer.

The second I heard the "dey-shay bah-sah-rah" chant as part of the viral campaign, it immediately caught my attention, as I'm sure it did for many others. There was something so unsettling about it then, and now that we have a better concept of what it may be in its final form, it's even scarier. When Zimmer put the request out to fans to add their voices to the chanting, we learned what kind of scale the composer and Nolan are going for. They want a worldwide chant, featuring thousands of angry voices.

The implications for Batman in "The Dark Knight Rises" could be ruinous. The talk surrounding Bane poses him as the most threatening baddie Batman has faced up until this point. We know from the trailer that at some point Bane will recruit legions to follow him and he'll be successful. The trailer tells us that the chant means "Rise," bringing the last word of the film's title into play. With so many rising against Batman and teases of the end of the legend, the question must once again be asked, "Will Batman make it out of this?"

However the story plays out, Zimmer, in his collaboration with Nolan, has created something that transcends the usual functions of a film score. He has planted an idea and created a tone that have already sparked interest even before the film hits theaters. That's an achievement worth praising, and there can be little doubt that when we do get our hands on a complete score, it will excite and thrill and prove again just how good Zimmer can be.

Check out everything we've got on "The Dark Knight Rises."

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Exclusive: The Reason Behind Velvet Revolver's One-Night Reunion

Duff McKagan, Slash, Scott Weiland, Matt Sorum and Dave Kushner of Velvet Revolver in London.

When Velvet Revolver – Slash, Duff McKagan, Matt Sorum, Dave Kushner and Scott Weiland – reunite for one show next Thursday at L.A.'s House Of Blues, it will be the result of Kushner. The band's guitarist brought the group back together to honor his best friend, musician John O'Brien, who was found dead at the age of 45 in his Chicago hotel room last August.

"I found out he passed away on August 20, and it was like out of nowhere," Kushner exclusively tells Rolling Stone. "Next day I was in shock and my wife said to me, 'You gotta have a benefit concert for his wife and you have to get Velvet Revolver back together.' That’s how it started."

He then approached the different band members. "We did a benefit show for this thing called Road Recovery – me, Duff, Slash and Matt – in New York, and that’s when I asked those guys individually if they would agree to do it," Kushner says. "Once they said so then I got in touch with Scott, and he agreed."

Kushner says the response was almost instantaneous from everyone, something he attributes to how loved O'Brien – a childhood friend of Kushner's – was in the industry. "[John] was just like a teddy bear. He was the most talented, softest, sweetest, most generous person I’d ever met. He was the brother I never had, and everyone knew him," he says. "I’ve known Scott for 22, 23, 24 years. So he’s known John since then, Duff and John had an amazing relationship, and Matt knew him too."

The concert will also feature Maroon 5, Sheryl Crow, Tom Morello, an appearance from Stephen Stills and more. That will take the pressure off all of the bands, including Velvet. "Because we hadn’t played with Scott in a long time I said, 'Look, let’s just do three songs.' It’s not too much of a commitment," he says. "So we just got a bunch of people, everyone will do three songs."

Kushner is well aware though that everyone will be watching the first time in four years that Weiland performs with the group. "I knew from the beginning it would be newsworthy, and that was kind of the plan," Kushner says. "If you’re gonna do this, you want to raise some serious money, then put all caution aside and say, 'Hey, will you do this?'"

All of the proceeds from the benefit will go to O'Brien's wife and family. "Unfortunately, John didn’t have life insurance at the time and he left behind a wife that's pregnant and a four-year-old son. That to me is the main focus of why I’m doing this," Kushner says. "I’m doing it so that this sells out and that money can go to her, period."

Although the guitarist is focused solely on next Thursday's gig, he understands that others are interested in what the future might hold for Velvet Revolver, but the five of them are taking a cautious approach to any further reunions. "We haven’t played together in four years, and so we’re really just like, 'Let’s see how this goes,'" he says.

And if Thursday's show does go well? "I know everyone’s got other commitments, but I think everyone’s like, 'Let’s get this thing done and get through this and then we’ll see.'”

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Jimmy Page Behind the Desk: Led Zeppelin Studio Secrets Revealed

Jimmy Page stands among the heaviest of six-string heavyweights, and most often with one of his iconic Gibson Les Pauls slung around his shoulders. But Page’s sonic genius extends well beyond the fretboard and composition, and into the studio.

Page was one of the greatest record producers of the 1960s and ’70s – a sonic innovator and perfectionist whose vision made Led Zeppelin albums vivid listening experiences, rather than simple recordings. Compare the six discs Led Zeppelin made from 1969 through 1975 with other classic titles from the period: King Crimson’s initial releases, the Jeff Beck Group’s LPs, Blind Faith, The Rolling Stones, pre-Dark Side Pink Floyd. Sonically, Page’s work with Led Zeppelin put his band’s studio albums on an entirely higher sonic plane.

Initially, it was a matter of observation. During his pre-Yardbirds and Led Zeppelin years, Page was a session musician and had the opportunity to watch many producers and engineers in close quarters. As a guitarist, miking technique caught his interest early on. Later he would apply ambient miking to the small amps that were essential to his sound in Led Zeppelin. But he was especially interested in the drum sounds that came out of ’60s studios. Drummers were often put in small booths at the time, to isolate them from the band while basics were being cut, or out of sheer habit. Either way, the results were tinny and dismal. So when Page took the helm of Led Zeppelin in the studio, he made sure John Bonham’s kit and its peripherals were always given plenty of space in a large, bright, live-sounding room.

Page based his ambient miking of guitar amps on what he’d learned listening to classic recordings of blues and emerging rock on the Sun and Chess labels, where one microphone often sufficed to cut an entire band live – but the guitar sounds nonetheless killed.

Page applied the old engineer’s axiom that distance equals depth, so when it came time to track guitars he’d place one microphone up close and one or more additional mikes at distances from the amp of up to 20 feet. That let Page capture the full sonic effect of an amplifier filling a room, and allowed him to make the small amplifiers he recorded with, like the Supro Lightning Bolt he used on Led Zeppelin, sound huge. Many other British producers followed his lead before the practice trickled to the States.

Reverse echo was another trick Page developed. He first applied the maneuver to a 1967 Yardbirds’ single, “Ten Little Indians.” It involved initially recording the guitar on two tracks – one dappled liberally with echo. Then the tape was turned over so the sound of the echo would proceed the actually notes it made “wet.” The same technique has been applied to cymbals as well, to great psychedelic effect.

Page changed engineers between albums on purpose, to make it clear that it was his production – not the methodology of outsiders – that made Led Zeppelin’s albums sound so dynamic.

Of course, any great recipe starts with fine ingredients, and the array of guitars – particularly Gibsons – he used on Led Zeppelin’s classic recordings were superb. The best known are his revered “Number One” and “Number Two” Les Paul Standards. “Number One” was acquired from Joe Walsh while Led Zeppelin was touring the States. The Gibson Custom Shop reproduced the 1959 instrument, with a shaved neck and a push-pull pot that takes the humbuckers out of phase in the middle position, in a limited edition in 2004. The Custom Shop also recreated “Number Two,” a second 1959 Standard with a neck shaved to match “Number One” and an additional four push-pull pots to coil-split the pickups. “Number Two” is still in the Gibson catalog.

The other truly iconic Gibson in Page’s rack is the EDS-1275 double-neck he famously employed in playing “Stairway to Heaven,” “The Song Remains the Same” and “Celebration Day.” He lost a 1960 Black Beauty Les Paul Custom with a Bigsby tremolo arm to theft in 1970 while on tour, but it was nonetheless recreated by the Gibson Custom Shop in 2008 in a limited run, with 25 signed by Page. The 1969 Les Paul Standard seen in the concert film The Song Remains the Same is still in his collection, on call for special appearances like 2007’s stunning reunion of the remaining members of Les Zeppelin at London’s immense O2 Arena.

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