THE INNER LIGHT
With FAIRPORT CONVENTION re-issue program proving a storming success, a time came for the folk legends’ spin-off projects be exposed anew and given another peek into. Which means, there would be a warmest welcome for Richard and Linda Thompson records even without the great guitarist’s high solo profile. Each of the couple’s albums has some mouthwatering bonus cuts on it, and here are those extras for the first batch of the Thompsons’ catalogue:
“I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight” (1974)
– I Want To See The Bright Lights (live)
– Together Again (live)
– Calvary Cross (live)
“Hokey Pokey” (1975)
– Wishing (BBC)
– I’m Turning Off A Memory (BBC)
– Heart Needs A Home (BBC)
– Hokey Pokey (live)
– It’ll Be Me (live)
“Pour Down Like Silver” (1975)
– Streets Of Paradise (live)
– Night Comes In (live)
– Dark End Of The Street (live)
– Beat The Retreat (live)
“First Light”, “Sunnyvista” and “Shoot Out The Light” will surely follow soon – but what about Sandy Denny’s classics? Let’s hope FOTHERINGAY sole album was a beginning, because there’s too much material left outside the “Who Knows Where The Time Goes’ box set…
CUTTING EDGE
Never a slow hand, guitarist Rolf Munkes always has some project going about him, and here’s a new one. With EMPIRE put on hold, along come RAZORBACK consisting of Munkes, former COMPANY OF SNAKES’ vocalist Stefan Berggren, bassist Marcus Bielenberg, another guitarist Chris Heun, Pierre Fienhold on drums and a special guest Joakim Svalberg on keyboards. Their album, “Animal Anger”, is out in two weeks, with samples available for download at razorback-online.com. Let’s get cut, then.
| 1. The Hymn 2. One By One 3. A New King In Town 4. Kiss Of Death 5. Fire And Rain 6. Release Me 7. Lone Wolf 8. The Eye Of The Storm 9. Bastard 10. Dead Man’s Song |
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ASHEN PEARLS
Late ’70s weren’t the best time for WHISHBONE ASH, as punk’s idiom of hit-and-run didn’t gel so smooth with the twin-guitar engine of the band. Not that the foursome cared – they still produced quality stuff, and though it wasn’t in the class of “Throw Down The Sword”, throwaway music it wasn’t either. To prove the point, the band have just released a compilation of tracks recorded in 1978-1979, when the quartet worked on “No Smoke Without Fire” and “Just Testing” albums. A collection of demos, that indeed had been thrown out to let kinds of “Living Proof” in, features Claire Hamill on vocals – yes, these bravehearts had a female singer in their ranks – was previewed at the 2002 AshCon and then re-mixed and remastered by the original bassist Martin Turner. Now called “The Lost Pearls”, it comprises:
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1. Is Justice Done? 2. Hear The Bells Chime 3. Hard On You 4. Out On A Limb 5. Where You Been 6. Halfway House 7. Football And Boxing 8. John Sherry Jam 9. Too Much Monkey Business (live) 10. Nighthawker (original version) |
Meanwhile, the “Phoenix Rising” DVD is taking shape. Previously reported details are still valid, but here’s what’s supposed to be a complete tracklisting, although the video collection should really have something more to be a double-disc set:
1. Vas Dis (Old Grey Whistle Test, 1972)
2. The King Will Come (London, 2003)
3. Blowin’ Free (Australian TV, 1972)
4. Phoenix (London, 2003)
5. Warrior (Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert, 1973)
6. Cosmic Jazz (Bristol, 1989)
7. Living Proof (London, 2003)
8. Jail Bait (Old Grey Whistle Test, 1972)
9. Wings of Desire (London, 2003)
10. Why Don’t We (Bristol, 1989)
11. Ballad of the Beacon (London, 2003)
12. Real Guitars Have Wing (Bristol, 1989)
13. Blowin Free/Bad Weather Blues (London, 2004)
14. Where Where You Tomorow (Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert, 1973)
STINGY THINGY
In the last couple of years SCORPIONS seemed to have taken a well-deserved break – to be back now. The fans who were all happy to get a hold of the band’s orchestral and then acoustic endeavours wanted something new nevertheless, and now can check if the four-year term was worth the wait. On May 3rd the Deutsch ensemble issue “”, another entry in their long and tasty discography. Letdown it can’t be.
| 1. New Generation 2. Love ’em Or Leave ’em 3. Deep And Dark 4. Borderline 5. Blood Too Hot 6. Maybe I Maybe You 7. Someday Is Now 8. My City My Town 9. Through My Eyes 10. Can You Feel It 11. This Time 12. She Said 13. Remember The Good Times |
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SO FAR FARLOWE
The band gets cracked to let out a solo performer, and that’s the way it usually goes. Not for ogre-like vocal giant Chris Farlowe who, having scored massively with Andrew Loog Oldham’s Immediate label in the ’60s, felt enough jazz buzz in him to join COLOSSEUM, then crank the crank up with ATOMIC ROOSTER and later let it loose on his own again. A feat, really – no mean one, especially now, when Chris has a solo album out, “Farlowe That!”, and a COLOSSEUM’s “Tomorrow’s Blues” to tour. Quite a time, then, to remind those awestruck by this voice of the singer’s glorious past. “Rock ‘N’ Roll Soldier” is a triple-CD anthology embracing the period from ’70s to the present moment, with no early hits – which are available on the Immediate compilation – and no band collaborations, but a whole array of rarities to make the completists drool over. So far it’s complete. So far…
CD 1:1. Where Do We Go From Here |
CD 2:1. Chris’s Shuffle (live) |
CD 3:1. Don’t Wanna Sing the Blues No More (live 2000) |
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UNPLUGGED YES-TASY
Dinosaurs they may be, yet all things Jurassic are capable to pull in the multitude and that’s not funny, though gross. YES continue celebrating their 35th anniversary with a mighty stomp. Or not so mighty as, following in the trail of last year’s “YesSpeak” DVD, on June 21st the band release another one, simply titled “Acoustic”. The performance was recorded live in front of a Los Angeles studio audience on January 26th and premiered through the satellite broadcast across a line of American cinema theatres for those who had just watched a 75-minute version of three-hours-plus “YesSpeak”. Steve Howe and Rick Wakeman did unplugged tours before; Alan White,
Chris Squire and Jon Anderson didn’t, but the five sound real fantastic. There’ll be more to the DVD, and tracks to be included are:
| – Long Distance Runaround – South Side Of The Sky – Show Me – Roundabout – Your Move / All Good People – Time Is Time |
FACE TO FACE
Oh yes, the wait is over! After almost two years of getting the gears ready, THE FACES‘ box set “Five Guys Walk Into A Bar” is finally assigned a release date: May 24th. Containing mostly rare performances, it’s a must for all fans – and even for those who don’t like their Rod Stewart too sweet. It’s even the more timely with Ronnie Lane Memorial Concert approaching, but what with the rumors of the five guys reunion… Facing the past can be too hard, but reading Ian MacLagan’s liner notes will make it easy.
CD 1:1. Flying |
CD 2:1. Pool Hall Richard |
CD 3:1. You’re So Rude |
CD 4:1. The Stealer (BBC) |
