WINGS’ “Wild Life” and “Red Rose Speedway”: Deluxe Details Revealed

October 18, 2018

WINGS - Wild Life & Red Rose SpeedwayAnd so, the wait is almost over! 1971’s “Wild Life” and 1973’s “Red Rose Speedway” – WINGS’ first two albums – have been one of the most desirable entries in “The Paul McCartney Archive Collection” ever since this series was launched eight years ago. Both finally reappear as deluxe and expanded editions on December 7th – as often with Macca, too close for fans’ comfort to the release of other BEATLES-related products, in this case the “Imagine” and “White Album” reissues. Still, the new box sets should satisfy many an aficionado, given the regular abundance of audio, video and printed materials included. Of special note is the selection of home recordings on “Wild Life” and the presentation of “Red Rose Speedway” as a double album, although not a real one – because the 1972 acetates of this version had rather different tracklisting.
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Keith Reid Sails On With New Album

October 15, 2018

Although Keith Reid will always be associated with PROCOL HARUM, his absence on the band’s “Novum” from last year was more than conspicuous. Whatever the poet’s reasons for falling out with the band were, he’s still out there – not turning his back on the realm of music. It might take Keith a decade to follow up on “The Common Thread” which saw Reid write with a few singers, but December 7th should finally the the release of “In My Head” by THE KRP – that’s the acronym for THE KEITH REID PROJECT. Again, there’s an array of vocalists involved, with John Waite and Steve Booker resuming their work with the wordsmith, and new voices joining them.
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DRY ICE Issue Unreleased Album

October 12, 2018

Sometimes it doesn’t matter what amount of talent is involved or how solid the players’ performance are, a record may remain unheard for ages, until it finally – if ever – sees the light of day. That’s what happened with the British band called DRY ICE who had existed in various incarnations since 1965 before, five decades ago, they laid down a self-titled album which was never released only to be left on the shelf. This could be one of many similar projects if not for its masterminds: guitarist Paul Gardner, who would go on to play bass on tour for acid-folk ensemble TREES before founding heavy proggers PLUTO, and drummer Terry Sullivan, most famous as a member of RENAISSANCE’s classic line-up.
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John Lees Celebrates 50 Years Of BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST

September 27, 2018

They may have started out in 1966, yet it was two years later that BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST got a record deal and began what’s been lasting for five decades now. In order to mark the occasion, one of the band’s two fractions, led by guitarist John Lees, played a special concert in Manchester, at the Royal Northern College of Music, on May 6th, and the resulting recording is to be released on November 23rd, six months after the show. It was a one-off performance, with usual set list entries interspersed with rarer cuts dating back to the group’s early days and pieces that had never been played on-stage before.
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THE BEATLES’ “White Album”: 50th Anniversary Editions Details Revealed

September 24, 2018

As was suggested in my Facebook post three days ago, November 9th would be the date when THE BEATLES self-titled album, commonly known as “White Album” thanks to its absence of external artwork, is to see a 50th anniversary reissue. Ad was the case with “Sgt. Pepper” which was re-released last year, there’s a plethora of previously unavailable – although mostly known to bootleg collectors – pieces, but remastered stereo mix isn’t part of the celebration package: it’s been replaced with Giles Martin and Sam Okell’s remix, with the original mono version to be located on a super deluxe box’s Blu-ray, and yes, no DVD option here. The box contains 6CDs, while other formats are: 3 CDs or 4 LPs with stereo remix and Esher Demos, and 2 LPs with the remix. Of course, a mandatory book is also in the box, together with the reproduction of the 1968’s edition’s collage poster and four individual Beatles’ photos.
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