HARK, THE ANGELS
If you’re already at your wits end with regard as to what to fit the stocking with – no matter how leggy or legless you’re going to be during the holiday season – here’s an advice. Turn your attention to these three great releases from Angel Air that DME submitted the liner notes for and, thus, can hotly recommend: Long John Baldry’s“Live 1987”, the DAVID BYRON’S BAND’s “Lost And Found” and “Raw” from DAMAGE CONTROL, a band compirising Robin George, Pete Way and Chris Slade. And there’s more music to come from both the label and texts from the scribe, one February jazz rock release looking all too enticing in particular.
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HE’S SO FINE
It’s been a long time since Andy Fraser‘s return with "Naked... And Finally Free" ; not longer than his absence from the public radar but long anyway. So it’s great to know and report that 2010 will see the former FREE bassist deliver a new album, “On Assignment”, that Fraser’s rounding off now, and “Alive”, the long overdue DVD with a concert footage and a documentary.
Meanwhile, Andy, always an environmentalist, is launching a special campaign and a Climate Change Video Competition. The veteran gives away his song “This Is The Big One” as a copyright free download, so that other activists could post their event videos or pictures, set to this music, on YouTube to spread the message. Of course, competition means prizes: ten best videos will receive an iPod shuffle, fully loaded with Andy Fraser’s music catalogue (presumably, solo, with no FREE or SHARKS classics), and will be featured on his site, while the Grand Prize is an autographed custom-built bass from the artist’s personal collection. What a valiant move!
The complete details of the competition can be found, together with the song, here.
THE SOULS ON FIRE
What with the earlier promises to deliver a recording from their Florida reunion concert of August 8, 2008, this autumn, now BAD COMPANY set the date of the “Hard Rock Live” CD and DVD for February 9th, 2010. Which makes sense as, after this summer’s short American tour, the band are to play their native Britain in April, eight shows in all. But while it’s understandable that the late Boz Burrell’s bass shoes should be filled with somebody else’s feet – cue Lynn Sorensen from Paul Rodgers’ band – it’s not so obvious why the veterans need the services of the singer’s another cohort, the HEART axe-grinder Howard Leese, as the rhythm guitar could have easily been played, as it was in the ’70s, by either Rodgers or drummer Simon Kirke. Beefing up the sound, perhaps. The support on these concerts will come from THE JOE PERRY PROJECT. As for the record, the tracks on “Hard Rock Live” are:
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1. Bad Company 2. Honey Child 3. Sweet Lil’ Sister 4. Burnin’ Sky 5. Gone Gone Gone 6. Run With The Pack 7. Live For The Music 8. Seagull 9. Feel Like Makin’ Love |
10. Movin’ On 11. Simple Man 12. Rock Steady 13. Shooting Star 14. Can’t Get Enough 15. Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy 16. Ready For Love 17. Good Lovin’ Gone Bad |
At the same time, there’s some activity on the solo fronts. Kirke is said to be finishing the first album under his own name, whereas Rodgers teamed up with Paul Carrack, Michael Bolton, Robin Gibb and Mica Paris recently at Abbey Road to record a Mike Read’s moving ballad “We Will Remember Them” to the accompaniment of The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Pipes and Drums from the Scottish Regiment – it was them on “Mull Of Kintyre” – and raise money for the Royal British Legion. The song is available on hard media in stores and for download on iTunes, and the video can be watched here. Another valiant case for Paul – after “Rock Aid Armenia” and “Rock Therapy”.
EARTH GOING WEST
The quest for the MANFRED MANN’S EARTH BAND‘s new singer was quick, and the choice totally unexpected: Manfred confirmed that Noel McCalla’s position is given – for the six months at least – to the GO WEST front man <b. He hits the stage with veteran rockers the next week, and the world is yet to see this curious combination.
Two of the previous EARTH BAND’s line-ups grace the group’s “Then & Now” DVD, out in December. As reported before, it features the shows from 1972 and 2005. The former, taped in black and white in Australia and augmented with a rare CHAPTER III video, catches the ensemble in their early days, and the latter, from The Burg Herzberg 2005 concert, preserves the McCalla-fronted unit for posterity. Each of the shows is around 60 minutes – a hell of live document!
| Then: 1. I’m Gonna Have You All 2. Black And Blue 3. Captain Bobby Stout 4. Mighty Quinn * MMEB TV Interview * CHAPTER III: One Way Glass |
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Now: 1. Dancing In The Dark / House Of The Rising Sun (edit) 2. Father Of Night, Father Of Day 3. She Was / Blinded By The Light 4. Demolition Man 5. Davy’s On The Road Again 6. Mighty Quinn * Interview with Manfred, May 2008 |
