Robby Steinhardt’s Star-Studded Rock Opera Set For Posthumous Release

October 23, 2021

It’s been only three months since the passing of Robby Steinhardt, KANSAS’ original violinist and one of the ensemble’s singers, yet his legacy lives on. The veteran had never had never had a solo career, venturing beyond the band for a two-platter collaboration with guitarist Rick Moon in the mid-’90s before coming back to the fold, and there were a few guest spots later on, including a song on Jon Anderson‘s "1000 Hands" in 2019, and it was this part that made the album’s producer Michael Franklin to approach Robby with an idea of a similar star-studded record. Steinhardt happened to have several pieces prepared for what could become – and became – a rock opera which he, sadly, wouldn’t see brought to fruition.

ROBBY STEINHARDT –
Not In Kansas Anymore

Titled, rather on-the-nose, “Not In Kansas Anymore” with sales scheduled to start on October 25th, the prog extravaganza features such luminaries as Bobby Kimball on vocals, Ian Anderson on flute, Patrick Moraz and Chuck Leavell on keyboards, Steve Morse, Rick Derringer, Pat Travers and Les Dudek on guitars, and Billy Cobham on drums, playing all new songs and, of course, a fresh version of “Dust In The Wind” where Robby’s accompanied by orchestra. The dedicated website is to open on the same date, but the result will look like this:

1. Tempest
2. Truth 2 Power
3. Mother Earth
4. Climb To Grace
5. The Phoenix
6. Prelude
7. Dust In The Wind
8. Pizzacato
9. Tuck Tuck
10. Not In Kansas Anymore
11. A Prayer For Peace

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yu5T_3aEv0g

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PARZIVAL Return From The Past

October 22, 2021

They were one of those troupes who belong to their era while being timeless – they were PARZIVAL, a German ensemble who masterfully married medieval folk to rock and, as befitted classically trained players, made this blend progressive. Yet, having started in 1969, the Bremen band run their course in a few years, after only two platters: 1969’s “Legend” and “Barock” from 1973… to come back now, almost five decades later. More so, now the old trio return in the company of 130 musicians from 23 countries, presenting 23 fresh pieces that the double album titled “David – The Hymn” is comprised of, and proposing a critical view of our times and our current crises.

Out on October 29th, the record’s going to look like this:

PARZIVAL –
David – The Hymn

CD 1:
1. Ouverture / Prolog
2. Old Love
3. Party Bird
4. Cash Castle
5. Never
6. He’s The One
7. When The Night Comes
8. Keep Your Eyes On Us (Avalokiteshvara)
9. Man In The Tower
10. Wind Blows

CD 2:
1. Incantation (Give Us Rain)
2. Monsoon
3. Rain Dance0
4. Emayove
5. Juanita
6. Liqueur Talk
7. Wind Blows (Reprise)
8. Salvation (The Answer Lies Within)
9. All My Love
10. Break Of Dawn
11. Mighty Mouse
12. Rise Up!
13. Future Cities

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Jah Wobble Reimagines “Metal Box”

October 19, 2021

This November will mark the staggering 42 years – 21 years before the turn of the millennium and 21 after – since the release of “Metal Box”: PiL’s magnum opus that marked the apex of creative collaboration between John Lydon, Jah Wobble and Keith Levene, a post-punk classic whose songs such as “Death Disco” – renamed to “Swan Lake” for the album release – reverberate to this day. Which is why, perhaps, Wobble, now a highly influential producer and a master of a certain drum-and-bass recording technique, decided to revisit the platter and came up with “Metal Box – Rebuilt in Dub” that’s scheduled for the November 19th issue.

JAH WOBBLE –
Metal Box – Rebuilt in Dub

It features Jah’s reworkings of eight of the LP’s tracks – basically three sides of the album’s second edition, the first being put out on three EPs – and, as bonus cuts, fresh re-recordings of two numbers from PiL’s debut. Looks like something worthy of delving in.

1. Albatross
2. Memories
3. Swan Lake
4. Poptones
5. Careering
6. Graveyard
7. The Suit
8. Socialist
bonus tracks:
9. Public Image
10. Fodderstompf

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WISHBONE ASH To Issue Two Concert Documents

October 16, 2021

For all the strength of their studio records, it’s on-stage that – as this scribe could witness – WISHBONE ASH reveal their full force, and the array of concert albums issued by the veterans over the course of decades may suggest. And soon this string of releases is to be updated with a couple of new entries: one archival and the other of fairly recent vintage.

The latter, scheduled to see the light of day on October 29th, is titled “California To Kawasaki” and presents, on two discs, two shows – played in the USA in 2018 and in Japan the following year and featuring, among classic selections, tracks from “Bona Fide” and the then-latest "Blue Horizon" delivered by the group’s current line-up, with Mark Abrahams as Andy Powell‘s sparring partner.

WISHBONE ASH –
California To Kawasaki

CD 1:
1. Bona Fide
2. Eyes Wide Open
3. Way Down South
4. The King Will Come
5. Warrior
6. Throw Down the Sword
7. Leaf & Stream
8. Wings of Desire
9. Standing in the Rain
10. Phoenix
11. Faith, Hope, and Love

CD 2:
1. Prelude
2. Real Guitars Have Wings
3. Come in from the Rain
4. Front Page News
5. F.U.B.B
6. Living Proof
7. Runaway
8. Lifeline
9. Sometime World
10. Errors of My Way
11. Why Don’t We
12. Persephone
13. Blind Eye

The former recording is from the very end of Martin Turner’s original tenure with the quartet. Titled “Portsmouth 1980” and much less slanted towards popular material, The former recording is from the very end of Martin Turner’s original tenure with the quartet. Titled “Portsmouth 1980” and much less slanted towards popular material, it features rarer cuts such as “Queen Of Torture” from the ensemble’s 1970 debut and “Insomnia” from “Just Testing” that was out in 1980, as well as a Chuck Berry cover.

WISHBONE ASH –
Portsmouth 1980

1. Doctor
2. Blind Eye
3. The Way Of The World
4. Living Proof
5. The King Will Come
6. Lifeline
7. Insomnia
8. Phoenix
9. Blowin’ Free
10. Queen Of Torture
11. Helpless
12. Jail Bait
13. Bad Weather Blues
14. Too Much Monkey Business

Both releases, despite being from different ears, look very enticing.

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Mark Stein Makes A Non-Vanilla Solo Debut

October 12, 2021

Calling Mark Stein a legend would be a major underestimation. His voice is familiar to millions listeners, for it was Stein who sang “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” and other VANILLA FUDGE hits; and Mark’s playing – directly and via such followers as Jon Lord – inspired and influenced millions of rock keyboardists. He also recorded with quite a few other luminaries, including Rod Stewart and Dave Mason, yet what never was on his resume is solo album – the situation that’s to be remedied with the release of “There’s A Light” on November 26th.

Back in 2010, Stein contributed a piece for the “Rockin’ the Wall” soundtrack, his cover of “Ball Of Confusion” by THE TEMPTATIONS which Mark recut recently to include in the new platter alongside THE RASCALS’ “People Got to Be Free” and his originals, plus “America The Beautiful” that rounds off the sociopolitically-slanted, but ever soulful album.

MARK STEIN-
There’s A Light

All in all, it runs like this – watch the video for its first single below:

1. We Are One 
2. Ball Of Confusion 
3. We Are Survivors 
4. Lyin’ 
5. Racism 
6. All Lives Matter 
7. Let’s Pray For Peace 
8. People Got to Be Free 
9. Break It Down 
10. America The Beautiful

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeF6mb5DSIw

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