There hardly seems be something more incongruous than Judge Smith covering other artists’ songs, because this musician has occupied a class of his own for so long that whatever influences he may draw upon for his albums, the results always sound totally original. Still, the beginning of September is to see the release of “Copy Cat”: a compendium of pieces Smith recorded, as he puts it, “in respectful admiration” of a version Judge deems definitive.
After the expansion of “4” that saw the light of day about a year ago, it was a toss as to where FOREIGNER would take their reissue program: forward and backward. It turns out the band have taken the latter course, and October 30th will be the date when 1979’s “Head Games” is to resurface as a box set comprised of three CDs and a Blu-ray, as well as a vinyl version.
It’s a bit embarrassing: these days, when blues greats are remembered, the late Mike Bloomfield tends to be overlooked, although forty-five years after his untimely passing, the American master’s legacy continues to amaze. And there’s no better proof that he remained stunning to the end than the recording made at the Catalyst Club in Santa Cruz on January 31st, 1981 – a mere fifteen days prior to Bloomfield’s death. There are no later documents of Mike’s stage performances, although he did play into February, so this soundboard report made for a fascinating bootleg which has circulated for years and is about to turn legit.
From playing on vintage James Bond soundtracks when he was still a teenager to working on such classic albums as “Evita” and leading bands like ROCK WORKSHOP and THE RUNNING MAN to jazz-rock glory before experimenting with Gil Evans, Ray Russell‘s role in the development of the current music landscape in Great Britain and beyond can hardly be overestimated. Each of the guitarist’s albums is a gem, and “Dangerous Bends” that’s going to hit the shelves on September 25th should deliver similar thrills – more so, it promises to come across as a humorous offering, given such titles as “From Here To Dexterity” and “Just For Clicks” – and become another instrumental classic.
Criminally underrated on a mass level yet revered by connoisseurs, Sheila Chandra might be known to the public today mainly as a writer, rather than a musician she used to be, but her back catalogue never ceases to amaze listeners, especially those who venture beyond the lady’s work with MONSOON. Still, while the chanteuse issued quite a few studio albums between 1984 and 1996 and added further entries to her catalogue by releasing platters with THE GANGES ORCHESTRA after the turn of the millennium, Sheila’s concert appearances have been rare – which hardly made it easier for her to run through each and every live document and compile “Echo” that, as Ms. Chandra states, can become her final offering.
