JETHRO TULL: Watching The Storms From Four Decades Perspective

July 17, 2019

Eagerly awaited for months, if not for a year after the release of “Heavy Horses” (detailed here, not made available for review), the 40th Anniversary reissue of JETHRO TULL‘s “Stormwatch” marks the end of an era in many a fan’s mind. The band’s last release of the ’70s, it would see most of the players – save for Ian Anderson and Martin Barre – bid farewell to the ensemble that finished with both prog and folk rock excursions on this record which returns in all its glory as “Force 10 Edition” on October 18th.

As usual, presented in a book-like form, it will contain four CDs and two audio-only DVDs comprising Steven Wilson‘s remixes of the album and recordings made in the same period – some of them previously unreleased, as is a 1980 concert which will span two discs. Undoubtedly, a must-have item.

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Allan Clarke Is Back, With Graham Nash In Tow

July 16, 2019

It’s been 20 years since THE HOLLIES warbler and heartthrob Allan Clarke turned his back on music and, save for a couple of appearances alongside former colleagues, kept silent, but this silence is broken now that there’s going to be a new album out on September 20th. Composed with GarageBand, the record – titled “Resurgence” – will feature one of the aforementioned colleagues, Graham Nash, on backing vocals, with more yet-to-be-announced surprises in store. While the first single off it is “Journey Of Regret” – the album’s opener (watch below) – of special interest would be, of course, “Long Cool Woman’s Back In Town”: a sequel to Clarke’s immortal “Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress” from 1972.

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“Abbey Road”: 50th Anniversary Edition Coming Together

July 13, 2019

September 26th will mark the 50th anniversary release of THE BEATLES‘ final album – in terms of recording, rather than release, of course – and looks like a new edition of “Abbey Road” is to see the release on this day. There was a tweet from Giles Martin, who worked on the classic’s remixes, and comments from Ringo Starr, who joined Paul McCartney on Los Angeles stage to deliver a couple of songs yesterday, and now there’s a breakdown of what’s coming up, although the details are suggested to be non-final, because the second disc is supposed to have alternative versions of the LP tracks in proper order. They have enough veracity about it, still, to pay attention to the rumors.

There should be a usual variety of formats – 2CD, single CD, 3LP, single LP – but of special interest is a super deluxe edition. In it, housed in a 12″ x 12″ box, will be 3 CDs – where two contain demos and outtakes – and Blu-ray, with Dolby Atmos, 5.1 surround sound and hi-res stereo mixes of the entire album, plus a book. All of this may be presented at the Abbey Road Studios on August 23rd, with both surviving Beatles in attendance.

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THE FLUFFY JACKETS Are Back – With Manny Charlton And Neil Murray On Board

July 12, 2019

It’s been quite a while since THE FLUFFY JACKETS delivered their bluesy milestone “Fighting Demons” that brought this British band to the attention of many an aficionado of good music, but finally, five years later, the ensemble return with a new album. “Something From Nothing” that’s marked for release on August 16th promises to be as impressive, judging by the inclusion on the record of “44 Blues” – the Howling Wolf classic they laid down in 2016 to benefit Teamrock crew who got laid off then and re-hired further down the line – and a few more covers, alongside original pieces.

Once again, the ensemble’s line-up has been bolstered with Manny Charlton of NAZARETH fame, who played guitar and produced new songs, and ex-WHITESNAKE bassist Neil Murray, who contributed to the bottom end. The result will see the light of day as a limited edition digipack, with the “Making Of” DVD to accompany a CD and give the listener extra material, while a digital download version will have two bonuses: a take on Johnny Cash’s “Hey Porter” and a radio edit of “Everything Must Change” a video of which is set for the July 24th debut.

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PRETENDERS Invite Friends For A Concert Record

July 11, 2019

Four live records in four decades don’t seem like a lot, but THE PRETENDERS never pretended they were able to perfectly capture their concert experience – yet their fourth on-stage offering is close to it. More so the “The Pretenders With Friends” – out today – goes beyond the regular performance in front of the audience by having stellar colleagues join Chrissy Hynde and her boys in a New Jersey theater and deliver many a hit. Iggy Pop, Shirley Manson of GARBAGE fame, KINGS OF LEON and INCUBUS can’t be predictable in such company, so there’s much to enjoy on this document, especially given it’s a package comprising not only CD but also DVD and Blu-ray with stereo and surround sound options.

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