APPICE’S NEW PIECES
Carmine Appice throws himself into some new ventures. Always bent on working with guitar warriors, the drumming legend’s about to walk into a studio with Pat Travers to record an album simply called “Travers ‘N’ Appice”, or “TNA”. As for Carmine’s main band – if VANILLA FUDGE can be considered such at present times – there soon will be a DVD and CD cut with the San Fernando Valley Symphony Orchestra. Quite fitting for those who, a quarter of a century ago had an album titled “Renaissance”.
C’EST L’AMORE
Judging on witnesses’ accounts, John Wetton‘s latest shows were shaky to say the least. This couldn’t be said, though, of his performances in the Eastern Europe, 1999’s "Nomansland" being the veteran’s best live album of all. That was recorded in Krakow, Poland, a city John revisited on April 11th, 2003 – and here’s a document of this visit: a DVD called “Amorata”. Wetton’s cohorts on this are IQ’s Martin Orford on keyboards, Steve Christey on drums and John Mitchell on guitar. Mainly a greatest hits collection – “Nothing’s Gonna Stand In Our Way” being the only song from 2003’s "Rock Of Faith" – the DVD extras include the artist’s biography and the band members’ profiles, Wetton’s interview and discography, as well as photo gallery and desktop images. As for the concert itself, the songs featured are:
| 1. Amorata 2. Red 3. Sole Survivor 4. Nothing’s Gonna Stand In Our Way 5. Book Of Saturday 6. Emma 7. The Smile Has Left Your Eyes 8. In The Dead Of Night 9. Easy Money 10. After All 11. Rendezvous 6.02 12. Starless 13. Battles Lines 14. Heat Of The Moment |
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RIDE EASY
As it’s been reported before, there are six George Harrison albums to be re-issued next month, to be followed by the box set “The Dark Horse Years 1976-1992”, which will comprise the same CDs – “Thirty Three & 1/3”, “George Harrison”, “Somewhere In England”, “Gone Troppo”, “Cloud Nine” and “Live In Japan”, the first five augmented with bonus tracks, the latter being a double – and and exclusive DVD. Out on February 24th, one day before George would have been 61, “The Dark Horse Years” DVD comes in form of a casebound 24-page booklet with extensive liner notes by “Mojo” magazine’s David Fricke, unseen photographs, illustrations and press cuttings, as well as a short history of the Dark Horse label Records by Olivia Harrison. Clocking in around 89 minutes, its contents looks like this:
| Dark Horse Feature Promo videos: – This Song – Crackerbox Palace – Faster – Got My Mind Set On You (Version I) – Got My Mind Set On You (Version II) – When We Was Fab – This Is Love Selections from “Live In Japan”: – Taxman – Cloud 9 – Devil’s Radio – Cheer Down Selections from “Shanghai Surprise”: – Shanghai Surprise – Someplace Else – Hottest Gong In Town |
ACROSS THE UNIVERSE
February 7th marks the 40th anniversary of THE BEATLES‘ coming to America. A glorious triumph, it’d been immortalised by Maysles Brothers in a documentary“The First US Visit”, the first ever film on the Fabs immaculately capturing the very spirit of Beatlemania. It’s a real pleasure to compare the real life events with the story of DVD Reviews2 released some months later. Now the documentary finally will be properly released on DVD – the previous edition was a simple transfer, with no remastering applied. To be issued on February 3rd in the US and on February 9th in the UK and rest of the world after exclusive theatrical premieres in New York, Los Angeles and London, the DVD also includes a 50-minute “Making Of The Beatles First US Visit” feature and an interview with Albert Maysles. All this augments the movie itself – and there you can see the boys fooling about on the train from New York to Washington, playing at the Coliseum and performing at the Ed Sullivan show, among other delights.
STORMING ON
It seems Steve Hackett compensates now for not supplying his fans with enough concert recordings during last 20 years, and after three recent titles the guitarist adds “Live Archive 03” to the series beginning with "Live Archive - 70, 80, 90&*39;s". A double album, exclusive to stevehackett.com, it’s a testimony of Steve’s 2003’s :To Watch The Storms” European tour featuring tracks from High Wycombe, Stockholm, Braunschweig, Croydon, Mannheim, Rotherham and Limbourg laid down by Hackett’s current band and his flautist brother John as a guest on “Kim”.
| 1. Mechanical Bride 2. Serpentine Song 3. Watcher Of The Skies 4. Hairless Heart 5. Darktown 6. Camino Royale 7. Pollution B 8. The Steppes 9. Acoustic Medley 10. Kim 11. Walking Away From Rainbows |
12. Slogans 13. Every Day 14. Please Don’t Touch 15. Firth Of Fifth 16. The Wall Of Knives 17. Vampyre With A Healthy Appetite 18. Spectral Mornings 19. Brand New 20. Los Endos 21. Clocks 22. In That Quiet Earth |
KEN CAN
There’s no rest for Ken Hensley. Former URIAH HEEP organist has a great prospect for the year of 2004: three CDs, no less, an anthology of sorts. The first album, to be recorded in Moscow with the cream of Russian rock players, will be “The Decadent Dozen – A Solo Anthology” that, together with a maxi-single of three new songs, is to coincide with an April tour of Russia and Belarus. This will be followed by “Born Again – An Anthology Of Uriah Heep Songs” and “Mixed Messages – An Anthology Of Ballads”, all re-recorded. At the end of the year, the CDs are to be packaged together with a DVD featuring documentary of their making, live footage and clips from the Kremlin rehearsals and live performance with the Presidential Symphony Orchestra. And if that’s not enough, Hensley is going to enter the world of films and television commercials…
TWIST IN THE TALE
Meanwhile, John Lawton is releasing a DVD / CD set called “Shakin’ The Tale” recorded live at the Mean Fiddler in London on November 7th, 2003. Don’t expect any of the URIAH HEEP songs, as John’s moving on, and the bulk of the performance consists of tracks from his latest album, “Sting In The Tale”, although there’ll be a bonus on the DVD featuring young Lawton with LUCIFER’S FRIEND. For only 14.99 GBP and signed by the band it’s a must.
| 1. Take You High 2. Written On The Wall 3. Firing Line 4. Heartbreaker 5. Reach Out 6. Lately 7. I Will Be There 8. Moonshine Rider 9. King Con 10. Dog House 11. Don’t Kill The Fire 12. Ride The Sky |
THE SPOT OF THE LANDING
Having re-energised their batteries after Michael Schenker leaving, UFO don’t leave 2002’s "Sharks" to be the last line in the band’s discography and, on February 16th release new album, “You Are Here”. There’s no worry about the musicianship level, as the core of vocalist Phil Mogg and bassist Pete Way are joined now by keyboardist Paul Raymond, who played with ensemble before, John’s son Jason Bonham on drums and guitarist Vinnie Moore.
| 1. Daylight Goes To Town 2. Black Cold Coffee 3. The Wild One 4. Give It Up 5. Call Me 6. Slipping Away 7. The Spark That Is Us 8. Sympathy 9. Mr. Freeze 10. Jelloman 11. Baby Blue 12. Swallow |
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