MARISKA WAS HER NAME
For many SHOCKING BLUE was the singer whose voice delivered such great tunes as “Venus” famously covered by BANANARAMA and “Love Buzz” brought to the Americans’ attention by NIRVANA. But there was much more songs: “Never Marry The Railroad Man”, “Shocking You”, “Long And Lonesome Road”, “Blossom Lady”… On December 2nd, that voice – the voice of Mariska Veres – the very blossom lady reached the heights of eternal silence. The lady died of cancer, aged 59, God bless her soul.
WHALE MEET AGAIN
It’s about two years since TRAFFIC’s beating engine, Jim Capaldi, stopped running, and there’s a tribute show planned to take place on January 21st at London’s Roundhouse. Titled “Dear Mr. Fantasy”, the concert all profits of which will go to the Jubilee Action Street Children Appeal, a charity that Jim actively supported, is to feature among others his former band member Steve Winwood as well as Pete Townshend, Bill Wyman, Gary Moore, Joe Walsh, Simon Kirke, Jon Lord, Dennis Locorriere and Ray Cooper. The CD and DVD releases will follow – no doubt about it, as there’s no doubt they’ll be worthy to spend the money on.
SOLDIER ON!
Big bear of a man with a voice to match the look – mighty but supple – Chris Farlowe is a veteran of the British blues scene. Having notched a string of hits in the ’60s, most notably a cover of THE STONES’ “Out Of Time”, he went on to grace the ranks of COLOSSEUM and ATOMIC ROOSTER before hitting a road of his own again and then combining it with the work with the former band, reunited in 1994. Farlowe had a couple of DVDs out with both groups and now came a turn to release a visual document of a solo show. Recorded in Bonn on March 22nd, 2006, “Live At Rockpalast” is out on CD too – minus some tracks but plus “Out Of Time” – but it takes to see Chris to adore his talent in full.
CD:1. Blues As Blues Can Get |
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DVD:1. Introduction |
BLOODY NICE!
Ken Hensley is well deep in the recording of “Blood On The Highway”, the albums which is due out in February 2007, and continues to rope in fine collaborators. After John Lawton, Ken’s former colleague in URIAH HEEP, it’s Glenn Hughes who lent his powerful pipes to the record. The album’s stock’s on the rise.
AIN’T NO CURES
January 29th is the street date of the second batch of Steve Hackett‘s remasters. This time it’s not four albums but only two that are housed in slipcases and have new liner notes and bonus tracks, which are as follows:
“Cured” (1981)
– Tales Of The Riverbank
– Second Chance
– The Air-Conditioned Nightmare (live at Reading Festival)
“Highly Strung” (1983)
– Guitar Boogie
– Walking Through Walls (12″ version)
– Time Lapse At Milton Keynes (“Cell 151″ 12” single B-side)
A NASTY SORT OF PERSON?
When a subject is taken up as to what’s killing the music industry and stimulates the piracy, be sure to mention what some artists do, David Gilmour among them. For a few decades it was the first edition of a record which has bonuses such as posters, attached singles, booklets, gatefold sleeves etc that those rushing in as fast as they could got a hold of thus facilitating a release of more copies. Not anymore. Why, say, one is going to buy the first edition if in a year there’d be a re-release with a bonus?
Out on November 28th was Gilmour’s 2006’s album “On An Island’ – in a limited edition with a different packaging and bonus DVD that feature the veteran’s AOL Sessions recorded last April in New York. There’s six tracks on: “On An Island”, “This Heaven”, “Smile”, “Take A Breath”, “High Hopes” and “Comfortably Numb”. What a fan must do who’s already bought a copy of the regular set? Shove it up his arse, though it’d rather be David’s bottom.
Meanwhile, the third PINK FLOYD leader pays a tribute to the first one. This Christmas Gilmour is releasing a new single, a cover of late Syd Barrett’s “Arnold Layne”. Well, two covers to be precise as there’s two live versions of the song recorded during David’s last tour, one sung by Rick Wright and the other by another David, Bowie, with Barrett’s “Dark Globe” as a B-side. The single will be up for download at Gilmour’s site as well as in the stores on vinyl and CD on December 26th. Both live recordings come from the “Live At The Royal Albert Hall” DVD, out in early 2007, and the On An Island” bonus disc includes “Take A Breath” from this show as well as an excerpt from guitarist’s Abbey Road sessions in August 2006, and Syd Barrett’s “Astronomy Domine” as a taster of the Channel 4 special that’ll be aired early next year.
BIG BOSS MAN
Only a few artists have such imposing stage presence as John McCoy, also known as Big Bad Bald Bearded Bass Basher. Most people know him from the stint with GILLAN but that gig could be no more than a footnote in McCoy’s musical biography. A feeble outline of this fantastic journey which took in many bands with just one constant, John’s meaty ‘n’ melodic playing, as fierce now as many years ago, is“Unreal: The Anthology”, out in February 2007 on Angel Air, a record that the veteran placed several of his archive recordings with. Highly recommended for both classic rock connoisseurs and headbangers.
Disc 1:1. Walking Strong – WELCOME
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Disc 2:1. Play It Again – ATOMIC ROOSTER |
