VARIATIONS OF THE OLD MULE
Tom Waits is no slouch in putting forth two new albums altogether. Early May will see the release of “Alice”, described as “strange and exotic”, and “Blood Money”, which is “scratched out in bold, dark lines with marimba, trumpet and bass clarinet with songs declarative, sardonic, unforgiving, musical dispatches from the bottom of the heap.”
FOR THE MATERIAL WORLD
There was another Rainforest Foundation benefit held at Carnegie Hall on April 13th with an array of heavy guests. Surprisingly – or not so – the first hour of the concert turned out to be a tribute to the great late George Harrison. Sting, James Taylor and Elton John performed Hari’s “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)” and, with Jeff Beck, “While My Guitar Gently Weeps”. Then, Sting and Taylor sang “If I Needed Someone” before Sir Elton broke into “Something”. The finale, of course, was “My Sweet Lord” for which Ravi Shankar and his daughter Anoushka hit the stage as well.
PAICE-MAKER IN THE SPOTLIGHT
“Not For The Pro’s”, that’s how Ian Paice‘s debut solo release is to be called. It will be the DVD featuring PURPLE’s stalwart jam session, “Paicesetter & Dustbins”, recorded with Miller Anderson and Colin Hodgkinson at Abbey Road on August 4th, 2001; Ian’s drum clinic and interview; a documentary with Paice taking a viewer through his kits manufactures around the world and giving many professional tips; live tracks from PURPLES’s USA 2002 tour with the “roadie eye view” on Ian’s drum kit; and. finally, a collection of Paice’s videoclips featuring his work with PURPLE, WHITESNAKE, Gary Moore and Paul McCartney.
