It’s been longer than a decade since the world last heard fresh cuts from Mike D’Abo, and while the songs he wrote – such as “Handbags & Gladrags” and “Build Me Up Buttercup” – or performed alongside Manfred Mann – including “Fox On The Run” and “Mighty Quinn” – made the warbler’s voice a constant presence on radio waves, hearing his new music is always a treat. That’s why the just-issued, as a 12-track LP or 16-track CD, album titled “The Journey… So Far” is truly specials.
Some Facebook groups are for idle chatter; others work miracles. A group dedicated to FRUUPP, one of the most underrated British prog ensembles from the early ’70s belongs to the latter category – championing the band in ways both possible and seemingly impossible. That’s how the collective’s box set and live album came to exist rather recently, and that’s how another interesting project, planned for October release, became a reality. It’s a platter titled “Solace” which will serve as a tribute to singing bassist Peter Farrelly who passed away in 2025.
As far as anniversary editions of classic albums go, MANFRED MANN’S EARTH BAND haven’t really treat their fans to a lot of substantial surprises, which is why the upcoming reissue of the British ensemble’s 1976 gem “The Roaring Silence” should seem so special. Out on September 11th as a two-disc set, available in both CD and vinyl variants, it doesn’t only delve into the group’s glorious past with three tracks recorded back in the day and four preserved for posterity in 2025 – not necessarily focusing on the platter these tracks are expanding – but also adds three freshly minted pieces to the combo’s catalogue.
Four years of existence in the ensemble’s initial span and four albums: that could have been the entire story of STRAWBERRY ALARM CLOCK. Yet the American band who called it a day in 1971 and returned, if briefly, in 1974-1975 to add a sole song to their catalogue, got back in 1982 to stay. Strangely, going about for another completely new longplay didn’t seem to be on the group’s radar for a long time, as 2012’s “Wake Up Where You Are” married the veterans’ fresh pieces with fresh versions of their old ones. All this makes “Where’s One?” – ready to be out on August 7th – a proper follow-up to “Good Morning Starshine” from 1969.
One can rarely get excited when old ensembles, led by a sole member of a classic line-up, acquire new players and forge ahead – but it was not the case with ASIA, as this scribe discussed in a video. The current version of this band, with Geoff Downes at the helm, released the “Live In England” album last March that could convince even the biggest doubter in their strength, because having guitarist John Mitchell and drummer Virgil Donati on board meant the quarter meant business, yet the group secret weapon is singing bassist Harry Whitley, who made the prospect of the collective’s fresh studio recording so interesting. The results of their work, however, turn out to be even more intriguing.
