January 30, 2009

GET BACK, HONKY CAT?

As reported beforeYusuf Islam is slowly but surely getting back on the track where Cat Stevens left off three decades ago, and this week he’s made available for download on his site a new single, a cover of George Harrison’s gem “The Day The World Gets Round”, all proceeds from which will go to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, UNRWA, and Save The Children to help the families in Gaza. Whatever good is the cause, the recording is unique in that it features on bass Klaus Voormann, THE BEATLES’ old friend from their Hamburg days who won a “Grammy” for the “Revolver” cover and subsequently recorded with Harrison as well as John Lennon and Ringo Starr, and then with Manfred Mann‘s band. This time, Yusuf has asked Klaus to help him design a cover for a new album – which is a but strange as Cat was one hell of a graphic artist himself, just remember the “Moonshadow” animated movie – and, in return for agreement, got asked to contribute to the bassist’s album, “The Sideman’s Journey”, that’ll be released soon and will finance a native Americans’ reservation in South Dakota. So the song is to appear on both records. Quite a thing.

SECRET OF THE CHANCE

At first Brian Jones, than LED ZEPPELIN, now it’s Ian Gillan… But no, the legendary warbler doesn’t go to Marrakesh, it’s just his new studio album, due out on March 6th, is called “One Eye To Morocco” and kicks of with the track with the same title. Should we expect some Eastern motifs? Who knows save for Big Ian and his band who road-tested another piece, “Texas State Of Mind”, during the singer’s last solo tour immortalized on “Live In Anaheim” CD and DVD. Anyway, why having recorded a song titled “South Africa” not go to the other end of the Black Continent?

1. One Eye To Morocco
2. No Lotion For That
3. Don’t Stop
4. Change My Ways
5. Girl Goes To Show
6. Better Days
7. Deal With It
8. Ultimate Groove
9. The Sky Is Falling Down
10. Texas State Of Mind
11. It Would Be Nice
12. Always The Traveller

MIGHT HE NEVER

He was one of a kind, as admitted even those who never liked John Martyn‘s style which somehow was not easy to get into because the musician often labeled as folk artist didn’t restrict himself to a certain genre and some even considered him as a trip-hop pioneer thanks to 1977’s “One World” that saw John collaborate with Lee Perry. There was more collaborations with Martyn helped out by such heavy friends as Eric Clapton, Paul Kossoff and David Gilmour who even went on tour with him – but even these masters’ playing eclipsed shunned John’s own guitar craft let alone compositional skills: his song “May You Never” covered a lot of fine artists including Clapton as well as Elkie Brooks, John Farnham, Linda Lewis and Ralph McTell. Having one leg amputated back in 2004, Martyn’s spirits were high nevertheless. He was appointed OBE in the 2009 New Year Honours… The more shocking is the news of the veteran passing away on January 24th, aged 60. The man will be sorely missed by many.

THE BEDSIT CONCERTO

FOCUS is Thijs van Leer and Thijs van Leer is FOCUS. What’s the point, then, in the man releasing solo records? To those who heard his “Introspection” series of albums there’s no question as to why: they sound too refined when compared to what Thijs does with the band or to Ian Anderson‘s schtick. Hopefully, “The Home Concert”, van Leer’s first solo outing in a long time, isn’t anything like those. Laid down at the veteran’s house on portable domestic equipment during the composition of the “Focus 9”, there’s almost no embellishments involved, it’s raw and honest. More so, there’s going to be not a regular CD but the multimedia one, wuth music videos and a Q&A session about the band’s next record. Who needs this, though, when there’s another take on “Sylvia” on?

1. Improv: Thijs Twice
2. Amok In Kindergarten 1
3. Smalltalk
4. European Rhapsody
5. It Takes 2 2 Tango
6. Amok In Kindergarten 2
7. Venus
8. Focus 7
9. Spleen
10. Sylvia
11. Focus 1

TOO MUCH ROUGH STUFF

It’s a legend lore, the story behind THIN LIZZY‘s “Live And Dangerous” album. According to its co-producer Tony Visconti’s autobiography, the tracks recorded at different shows of 1977’s “Bad Reputation” tour were on the tapes of different formats, had a lot of missed notes and leakages, so Phil Lynott re-sung all his parts and corrected the bass lines as did guitarists Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson, so with all the overdubs, one of the best concert albums of all times – judging by many polls – isn’t very live at all. That’s why on March 2nd out will be the companion piece, an album titled “Still Dangerous” put on tape at Philadelphia’s “Tower Theatre”: now, it’s the full show including two songs that appeared on the set list yet didn’t make it to “Live And Dangerous” – “Soldier Of Fortune” and “Opium Trail” – while the other cuts are also previously unreleased. All these come from recently discovered tapes which had been given to the legendary Glyn Johns to mix and master. Not that the new album that also has “Me And The Boys” not included on the original piece nixes it, as there were 17 tracks, but it nevertheless is a priceless bit of history.

1. Soldier Of Fortune
2. Jailbreak
3. Cowboy Song
4. The Boys Are Back In Town
5. Dancing In The Moonlight
6. Massacre
7. Opium Trail
8. Don’t Believe A Word
9. Baby Makes Me Cry
10. Me And The Boys

January 30, 2009

Category(s): News

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