IN A SHEEP’S SKIN
The CURVED AIR’s reformation brought about a renewed interest in the band members’ outer endeavors, the most brilliant of these being DARRYL WAY’S WOLF. The voilin supremo ensemble released three albums in their lifespan, all re-issued on June 23rd – remastered and augmented with bonus tracks, which are:
“Canis Lupus” (1973)
– Spring Fever / Wolf (single version)
“Saturation Point” (1973)
– A Bunch Of Fives Five In The Morning
– Two Sisters (single version)
“Night Music” (1974)
– The Comet
– Starshine
THE SISTER CAN ROCK ‘N’ ROLL
Bonham is a name to live up to but Deborah Bonham never tried to compete with her big brother John or her nephew, Jason, in the sticks-and-skins department – which doesn’t mean she can’t be thunderous. A finely tuned singer, on June 24th she brings forth her third album, “Duchess”, full of soulful gems and featuring – on “Hold On” – the immense talents of Paul Rodgers and Jason Bohnam, while BJ Cole’s steel adorns “Blue”, and Debbie’s backing band includes Jerry Shirley of HUMBLE PIE fame. Must be groovy!
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1. Grace 2. Jack Past 8 3. Hole In My Heart 4. Hold On 5. Love Lies 6. Pretty Thing 7. Love You So 8. How Do You Feel 9. Chains 10. Duchess And The Shufflemeister 11. Waiting So Long 12. (If You) Had A Little Love 13. Blue 14. The Old Hyde Revisited (digital version only) |
DREAM EVIL
Seems there’s no rest for the wicked rock ‘n’ rollers such as John McCoy, his soul brudder Bernie Torme and the pair’s drumming foil Robin Guy. While getting ready to unleash their second album, “Evil Twin”, a follow-up to 2006’s highly acclaimed "Bitter & Twisted", the trio – whose forthcoming record features Torme and McCoy’s former cohort in GILLAN, Colin Towns, on keyboards – offers a taster, “Punko Rocco EP”, available physically and for download from their site on July 7th. There’s two new sharply rockin’ cuts and a concert take on Bernie’s fave kick-asser. Quite a collector’s item, this one.
| 1. Punko Rocco 2. Wheel Of Fortune 3. Wild West (live) |
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WIDE-EYED AND HANDFUL
Andy Fairweather-Low is one of those musicians who many a British rock star would have felt naked without. A precocious guitar prodigy in AMEN CORNER and band leader in FAIR WEATHER, Andy went on to have an adorable solo career and then bolster the sound of the likes of Eric Clapton, THE WHO and Roger Waters. 2006 saw Fairweather-Low release “Sweet Soulful Music”, the first album under his own name since 1980’s “Mega Shebang”, so while off-duty with Waters who this scribe eyed him with, he embarked on a tour with his band that featured two other veterans, pianist Chris Stainton and bassist Dave Bronze, plus Paul Beavis on drums. And on July 7th a document of the trek, the “Live In Concert” DVD is going to be out. A unique thing, embellished with an hour long Andy’s interview.
| 1. Spider Jiving 2. Reggae Tune 3. Champagne Melody 4. Natural Sinner 5. La Booga Rooga 6. Zazzy 7. Hymn 4 My Soul 8. When I Grow Too Old To Dream 9. Sweet Soulful Music 10. Mystery Train 11. Bright Lights Big City 12. Gin House Blues |
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13. My Baby Left Me 14. Rollin’ And Tumblin’ 15. Just A Closer Walk With Thee 16. Will The Circle Be Unbroken 17. It Takes A Worried man 18. Ashes And Diamonds 19. I Don’t Need 20. One More Rocket 21. Wide Eyed And Legless 22. Bend Me Shape Me 23. Hello Susie 24. (If Paradise Is) Half As Nice |
ZOMBIES’ STOMP
If THE ZOMBIES missed the zeitgeist with their psych masterpiece “Odessey And Oracle” in 1968, they were as late at it as THE KINKS were with their “Village Green Preservation Society”. Both albums appear to have gained delayed recognition but now are consudered classics and loved to such extent that the ZOMBS original line-up of Colin Blunstone, Rod Argent, Chris White and Hugh Grundy (guitarist Paul Atkinson died in 2004) decided to join forces one more time and revive their magnum opus on-stage. The March 8th’s show at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London was a storming success, and now this 40th anniversary concert is to be out on a double CD on June 40th as “Odessey And Oracle (Revisited)”. Here’s not only the album played live in its entirety but also other ZOMBIES hits such as “She’s Not There” as well as Blunstone’s solo and ARGENT material.
Disc 1:1. Care Of Cell 44 |
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Disc 2:15. I Love You |
CRASH-LANDING
The UFO re-issue programme continues to deliver, and June 30th is the street day for the British heavyweights’ two last albums to feature the blonde beast, Michael Schenker. Both are action-packed and filled with such gems as “Too Hot to Handle” and “Only You Can Rock Me”. Now remastered, there’s a smattering of live bonus tracks attached. These are:
“Lights Out” (1977)
– Lights Out (The Roundhouse, London ’76)
– Gettin’ Ready (The Roundhouse, London ’76)
– Love To Love (The Roundhouse, London ’76)
– Try Me (The Roundhouse, London ’76)
“Obsession” (1978)
– Hot ‘N’ Ready (Columbus 17.10.78)
– Pack It Up (And Go) (Columbus 17.10.78)
– Ain’t No Baby (Kenogha, Wisconsin 14.10.78)
HIS JEWEL-ENCRUSTED BLADE
There’s not a lot real poets in rock domain but Keith Reid is undoubtedly of this rare breed. There’s a line of his that everybody knows, “a whiter shade of pale”, yet it’s not one of Reid’s best, there’s much more out there, sung by PROCOL HARUM, the band whose vision Keith helped to realize, and some other artists. It’s them who deliver his poems on “The Common Thread” album which is pencilled in for the August release. Billed as THE KEITH REID PROJECT, it took in such vocal luminaries as John Waite and Chris Thompson as well as legendary warbler Terry Reid and Steve Booker who’s had a big hand in Welsh diva Duffy’s “Mercy”. All recordings are new apart from “You’re The Voice”: it was a hit for John Farnham back in 1986, co-written by Reid and Thompson’s whose original, previously unreleased version makes a welcome appearance here.
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1. In God’s Shadow – John Waite 2. You’re The Voice (original version) – Chris Thompson 3. The Heartbreak House – Michael Saxell 4. A Common Thread – Southside Johnny 5. Potters Field – Bernie Shanahan 6. Gold Fever – John Waite 7. Venus Exploding – Bernie Shanahan 8. The Only Monkey – Chaz Jankel 9. It Might Be Your Heart – Chris Thompson 10. Silver Town – Steve Booker 11. Ninety-Nine Degrees In The Shade – Southside Johnny 12. Too Close to Call – Terry Reid 13. Right About Now – Steve Booker |
NURSERY RHYMES WITH A MEANING
Once dismissed as glam poseurs, in the last ten years the MOTT THE HOOPLE legend has been looming larger and blooming harder day by day. So it really makes sense to do what the good folks at Angel Air are set to do – to put out a 4CD box of the band’s live recordings by the HOOPLE skin-hitter Dale Griffin. A limited edition run of only 2,000, the set contains a 48-page book written by Keith Smith, editor of the MOTT fanzine “Two Miles From Heaven”, featuring rare photos from the personal archives of the former band members. A feast for the fans, even though all the tapes have been out on Angel Air before.
CD1:Croydon 1970 |
CD2:Philadelphia 1972 |
CD 3:Live Heaven |
CD4:Live Heaven II |
