TO WHERE THEY ONCE BELONGED
Rumours abound the EMI’s possible release of THE BEATLES‘ previously material seized by police on January 10 in England and the Netherlands, but that seems unlikely, especially with the plans for the original ‘Get Back / Let It Be” album to be out in September.
What the police confiscated from audio pirates is a collection of 500 to 550 reels of tape, each about 16 minutes long, the mono tapes made by the “Let It Be” film crew for reference purposes in January 1969, and not the multitrack masters recorded by The Fabs. The masters have always been in posession of Parlophone, so there’s no sense in holding one’s breath, as – in case anything were to be released indeed – the stuff could have been not half as thrilling as preserved on the infamous “Thirty Days” bootleg.
THE WINGS OF HEAVEN ON HIS SHOES
It seems classic rock came to passing phase. Another in the already long line of sad losses is BEE GEES’ Maurice Gibb, Barry’s younger brother and Robin’s twin, who passed away on January 12th at a hospital in Miami aged 53. Maurice, the one with the highest voice of all three, experienced cardiac arrest before emergency surgery for an intestinal blockage, but his brothers aren’t content with the official explanation and have vowed to investigate the circumstances of their sibling’s death. Still, the band will be stayin’ alive, inspite of all, as it was when they overcame the death of the youngest Gibb, Andy, in 1988.
BELTANE WALKER
And there’s another one of the rock bricklayers gone, Mickey Finn, the be-bop bongo player with T. REX, who reinstated the Marc Bolan-less band a couple of years ago. Mickey died on January 11th, at the age of 56, from kidney and liver problems.
BEAT THE BUG
One may consider THE KINKS’ main talent lay with Ray Davies, but it was his younger brother who came up with at least two of the band’s classics, “Death Of A Clown” and “Suzannah’s Still Alive”, and some immortal riffs. In the wake of his last studio album, “Bug”, Dave Davies comes up with a concert set called “Bugged… Live!”, featuring all the expected stuff and much more. Enough to re-value the man.
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1. Intro / I Need you 2. Suzanna’s Still Alive 3. Creepin’ Jean 4. Blues / You’re Lookin’ Fine 5. See My Friends 6. The Lie 7. Dead End Street 8. Picture Book 9. Rock You, Rock Me 10. True Phenomenon 11. Death Of A Clown 12. Sleepwalker 13. Bug / De-Bug 14. I’m not like Everybody Else 15. You Really Got Me |
THEIR OFFERS MAY BE SWEET
Well, yes, may be – but no sweeter than Phil Lynott’s original versions. Still, with all the love to the man, Nuclear Blast set to release a THIN LIZZY tribute album, with the following artists covering the following classics:
| 1. SKYCLAD – Emerald 2. John Norum – Wild One 3. PRIMAL FEAR – Out IN THE Fields 4. ANTHRAX – Cowboy Song 5. SIX FEET UNDER – Jailbreak 6. SINNER – The Sun Goes Down 7. RUNNING WILD – Genocide 8. PRETTY MAIDS – Please Don’t Leave Me 9. PEGAZUS – Warriors 10. GODGORY – This Is The One 11. MORDRED – Johnny The Fox 12. GARDENIAN – Gotta Give It Up 13. STEEL PROPHET – Massacre 14. THERION – Southbound 15. CHINCHILLA – The Boys Are Back In Town |
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WAY BACK TO THE BONE?
Glenn Hughes never stops trying to compensate all the years he lost to drugs. Playing permanently and just recently, on January 11th, having performed at the peace march in LA, he’s ready to start recording the follow-up to 2001’s "Building The Machine". If that record saw Glenn approach the style he originally kept to with TRAPEZE, the new one will go the same route consciously.
In Hughes’ own words, the album to be called “Songs In The Key Of Rock” (an allusion on Glenn’s idol Stevie Wonder’s 1976’s masterpiece “Songs In The Key Of Life”) has been “written with a ’70s vintage frame of mind. I surrounded myself with ’70s stuff: ’70s clothes, ’70s everything, and I found myself back in 1973. The sounds you will be hearing and the songs are trippy and hard and greased up rock. You can serve this one up nice and hot on the summer barbecue”. It will be released in May in Japan and early June in Europe.
NEW SHAPES OF THINGS TO COME
Hard to believe, but THE YARDBIRDS, who have been around, in one form or another, for some years now, have a new album – their first since 1967! – on their hands to hit the shelves on April 22nd. This line-up boasts two original members, guitarist Chris Dreja, the one replaced ages ago by Eric Clapton, and drummer Jim McCarty, and three freshly recruited players, guitarist Gypie Mayo, bassist John Idan and harmonica player Alan Glen. Yet what else makes this record all too special is a whole array of guest musicians, including one very special, as he was a Yardbird too: Jeff Beck. There are songs both old and new, “An Original Man (A Song for Keith)” being dedicated to the band’s late singer, Keith Relf.
1. I’m Not Talking
2. Crying Out For Love
3. The Nazz Are Blue (feat. Jeff ‘Skunk’ Baxter, guitar)
4. For Your Love (feat. John Rzeznik, vocals)
5. Please Don’t Tell Me ‘Bout the News
6. Train Kept A Rolling (feat. Joe Satriani, guitar)
7. Mr. Saboteur
8. Shapes Of Things (feat. Steve Vai, guitar)
9. My Blind Life (feat. Jeff Beck, guitar)
10. Over, Under, Sideways, Down (feat. Slash, guitar)
11. Mr. You’re a Better Man Than I (feat. Brian May, guitar)
12. Mystery Of Being
13. Dream Within a Dream
14. Happenings Ten Years Time Ago (feat. Steve Lukather, guitar)
15. An Original Man (A Song for Keith)
ALL THE WAY TO CLEVELAND
With U.F.O. put on hold and his friend Phil Mogg venturing off with SIGN OF 4, Pete Way is in the action as well. On February 18th out will be the mighty bassist’s concert album “Alive In Cleveland”, recorded on October 4th, 2002. Accompanied by guitarist Walt James and drummer Scott Phillips, Pete belted out his main band’s smashes as well as songs from his solo projects “Amphetamine” and “The Plot”. The latter is still to be released, but the samples are on Way’s new site, the only place where the live CD can be purchased – and they’re signed, by the way. Well, by Way.
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1. American Kid (What A Shame) 2. Hangin’ Out 3. That’s Tuff 4. Too Hot To Handle 5. Might As Well Go Drinkin’ 6. You And Me 7. Hole1 / Hole2 8. I Need Her Bad 9. Born Again 10. Somethin’ Else 11. Crazy 12. Hand To Hold |
THE CRANKERS AT WORK
The band MORTICE fronted by URIAH HEEP warbler Bernie Shaw have completed the 12-songs album “Mayhem”.
SOMETHING OLD BUT NEW
Some people are restless, and it’s amazing how their music can have such a relaxed mood when they have their 25th album out – like Richard Thompson, who’s to release an album “The Old Kit Bag” on February 3rd in Europe and in the USA in April. Nothing new on there in terms of style, as the title suggests, but the material is top-notch as usual, and as usual featuring Richard’s no-related friend Danny Thompson on upright bass.
| 1. Gethsemane 2. Jealous Words 3. I’ll Tag Along 4. A Love You Can’t Survive 5. One Door Opens 6. First Breath 7. Destiny 8. Got No Right 9. Pearly Jim 10. Sight Unseen 11. Outside Of The Inside 12. Happy Days And Auld Lang Syne |
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