NO SLAMMING THE DOORS
While there’s no decision yet regarding Jim Morrison’s family’s demand to ban the current version of THE DOORS from using the band name, a court ruling is issued on the drummer’s John Densmore’s petition on the same subject, and the ruling is in favor of guitarist Robbie Krieger, organ player Ray Manzarek, vocalist Ian Astbury and whoever their drummer is now, after ex-POLICE Stewart Copeland backed out of the tour and filed a suit against the band as well. Sure, most of the quartet’s potent material had been written by Ray and Robbie, but one will hardly agree there can be THE DOORS sans Jim, as two albums recorded after his death proved so efficiently.
GET HEEP!
That’s quickly becoming an annual celebration of all things URIAH HEEP who, on November 8th will host the third Magician’s Birthday Party at London’s Astoria. The band, in their usual manner are to play their much-adored numbers alongside new things from the forthcoming album, and dust off some gems from the past. Among the songs being discussed currently are: “Pilgrim” which was played at 2002’s event, “Shadows Of Grief”, “Been Away Too Long”, “The Hanging Tree”, “Wise Man” and “Firefly”.
That’s no coincidence that four of these come from 1977’s “Firefly”, as one of the guests to grace the show is a man who sang on the album,John Lawton. John will surely strut his best stuff and plug in the cuts from his new album, “The Sting In The Tale” (tracks see below).
So whatever there will be it will be great, and Classic Rock Productions offer an opportunity to reserve a place in the line there, at Astoria, and to reserve the special DVD and CD package limited to 1000 copies. Hurry up and get Heep!
STRAWBERRY FIELDING
June 10th will see the release of some special artefact of a long-gone era when THE STRAWBS were immensely huge, so now everybody could come gardening with a DVD called “Live In Tokyo ’75/ Grave New World – The Movie”, that caught the British prog-folk band in their halcyon days performing live on Japan TV their famous epics:
| 1. Lemon Pie 2. Remembering/You And I (When We Were Young) 3. New World 4. Impressions Of Southall From The Train/The Life Auction 5. Syn Drum solo 6. Hero And Heroine 7. Just Love 8. Down By The Sea |
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And that’s not all yet, as the second half of the DVD is occupied by “Grave New World”, one of the first full-length rock videos, recorded at Television International’s studios in London in 1972 and featuring the then new technique of color separation overlay, call it a video-album if ye will, then:
1. Benedictus
2. Hey Little Man – Thursday’s Child
3. It Is Today, Lord
4. New World
5. The Flower And The Young Man
6. On Growing Older
7. Ah Me, Ah My
8. Tomorrow
9. Hey Little Man – Wednesday’s Child
10. The Journey’s End
11. Benedictus Reprise
Still, that’s not all either, with a smattering of bonus tracks, one of great rarity:
– “The New Era / Til The Sun Comes Shining Through” was recorded in 1970 on Granada TV show and stands out as the band’s first appearance in England with their new keyboardist Rick Wakeman;
– “Strawbs At Sea” is Dave Cousins’ 1974 interview about the single “Grace Darling”;
– “Hummingbird Preview: The Young Pretender” comes as a teaser for Cousins / Wakeman 2002’s “Hummingbird” album (tracklisting’s here).
ANOTHER EYESIGHT TO THE BLIND
How often a rock musician makes a good actor is moot question – not with THE WHO lead singer, Roger Daltrey though, who’s most famous for playing Tommy in the eponymous movie based on his band’s classic album, but starred also in Ken Russel’s “Lisztomania”. OK, those occasions were celluloid-bound, while now Rog is to dip his toes into real stage production, namely “My Fair Lady” to open in LA on August 3rd. The singer will turn into Eliza Doolittle’s father, who else?
CLASSICALLY WISHFUL
Classic Rock Productions are to break open a magic box of new releases, all of them too remarkable to miss.
John Wetton has no solo DVD in his backlog still, although there are DVDs from his former band, ASIA, and "More Than Conquerors" where John shares the spotlight with Ken Hensley, so this will be his first: called “From The Underworld”, and mirrored by the CD release, it was recorded a month and a half ago in London. Playing with Wetton were Martin Orford on keyboards, John Mitchell on guitar and Steve Christey on drums, all featured on the veteran’s latest studio outing, "Rock Of Faith", material of which is present here alongside John’s classic material:
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1. Mondrago 2. Red 3. Sole Survivor 4. A New Day 5. Crime Of Passion 6. Nothing’s Gonna Stand 7. The Smile Has Left Your Eyes 8. Walking On Air 9. Who Will Light A Candle? 10. Rendezvous 11. After All 12. Take Me To The Waterline 13. In The Dead Of Night 14. Starless |
Next in line come ‘Bona Fides”, a DVD and CD from WISHBONE ASH, not the last year’s studio album – that was “Bona Fide”, without “s” – but a freshly recorded live show spanning the band’s glorious career:
| 1. Bona Fide 2. Mountainside 3. You See Red 4. The King Will Come 5. Throw Down The Sword 6. Faith, Hope, Love 7. Enigma 8. Almighty Blues |
9. Ancient Remedy 10. Living Proof 11. Front Page News 12. Phoenix 13. Ballad Of The Beacon 14. Blowin’ Free 15. Bad Weather Blues |
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But if that’s more history, there’s the real news – former URIAH HEEP warbler John Lawton presents his latest work, an album entitled “The Sting In The Tale”, all fresh and rockin’:
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1. Firing Line 2. Reach Out 3. Lately 4. Written On The Wall 5. Take You High 6. I Will Be Here 7. Angels They Cry 8. King Con 9. Slamming It Down 10. Dog House 11. Give It Up 12. Tracks Of Time |
And then, some more action, a mighty and fragile one, as only Steve Hackett can pull on with a show. Now riding high after some years of keeping a bit lower than suits former GENESIS guitarist, Steve’s concerts are a treat, and with a couple of DVDs from 1996’s Japanese tour and 2002’s South American a time comes to zoom back to 1990’s Nottingham, which is what the new DVD, “Horizons”, is all about:
| 1. Camino Royale 2. Please Don’t Touch 3. Everyday 4. In That Quiet Earth 5. Depth Charge 6. In The Heart Of The City 7. Black Light 8. Horizons 9. Theatre Of Sleep 10. Jazz Jam 11. Clocks |
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And if that’s too ordered for those who need some madhouse, here’s the very “it” – a VAN DER GRAAF GENERATOR‘s “Godbluff Live 1975” DVD, recorded at Charleroi, Palais des Expos, that has Peter Hammill and his merry pranksters reproduce live their magnificient album from that same year:
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1. The Undercover Man 2. Arrow 3. Scorched Earth 4. Sleepwalkers |
Then, two CARAVAN titles, both committed to tape during 2002’s shows and now to be out on CDs. “Nowhere To Hide” features one of the final recordings by original keyboard player, David Sinclair, who decided to leave the band one more time:
| 1. All The Way – A Very Smelly Grubby Little Oik 2. Liar 3. The Dog, The Dog, He’s At It Again 4. Nowhere To Hide 5. Nightmare 6. For Richard 7. Memory Lain, Hugh /Headloss 8. If I Could Do It All Over Again, I’d Do It All Over You |
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And if this has one new track, “With Strings Attached” could be considered a companion album as there are CARAVAN’s best songs on it, a fully orchestral version of “For Richard” among them:
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1. Headloss 2. The Dog, The Dog, 3. He’s At It Again 4. Travelling Ways 5. Medley: * The Dabsong Conshirtoe * All Aboard * Where But For Caravan Would |
* Caroline * The Dabsong * The Love In Your Eye * Backwards 6. A-Hunting We Shall Go 7. Nine Feet Underground 8. Nightmare 9. For Richard (with orchestra) |
The last one for now would be “Captured Live” from PENTANGLE, a folk combo that was the house for two guitar wizards, Bert Jansch and John Renbourn, both captured here playing on French TV in 1971:
| 1. Will The Circle Be Unbroken 2. No Love Is Sorrow 3. Wedding Dress 4. Reflection 5. Willy O’Winsbury 6. People On The Highway |
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TYGER BRYGHT
While the New Wave of British Heavy Metal stronghold TYGERS OF PAN TANG are deep in the work on a new album, due out this autumn, fans can get a hold of the“Visions From The Cathouse” DVD, recorded back in 1998 at the Wacken Festival in Germany:
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1. Detonator 2. Rock ‘n’ Roll Man 3. Lonely At The Top 4. Mystical 5. Bad Bad Kitty 6. Cybernation 7. Running Man 8. Suzie Smiled 9. Take It 10. Paris By Air |
11. Deja-Vu 12. Don’t Stop By 13. Firepower 14. Hellbound 15. Love Potion No. 9 16. Cat Scratch Fever bonus features: Interview with Robb Weir “Mystical” promo video History Of Band |
