ROCK ISLAND DEADLINE
He always seemed to be the British music eternal constant, and hit immortality long before he entered eternity, but that’s sad anyway: Lonnie Donegan, a pioneer of skiffle and an immense influence on many artists including John Lennon, died on November 3rd, aged 71. The grim reaper came knocking on his door when Lonnie was touring his homeland, the last concert being in Nottingham, the city he played first when having hit the stardom back in 1957. A Member of the Order of the British Empire, Donegan’s “Rock Island Line” remains the staple in many a rocker’s repertoire.
HARI, JEEVAS!
It’s all too silent now, which is surprising if one remembers the hype surrounding Chrispian Mills‘ previous band, KULA SHAKER. Currently, his new team, THE JEEVAS not only have their first album out but also kicked off the British tour – all quite downplayed. And it means, we can get it before it gets hot, so look at the cover to know what to look for:
| 1. Virginia 2. Ghost (Cowboys In The Movies) 3. You Got My Number 4. What Is It For? 5. Once Upon A Time In America 6. Dont Say The Good Times Are Over 7. Scary Parents 8. Teenage Breakdown 9. Silver Apples 10. Edge Of The World |
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A FIERY TOWER
Never a slouch, with singer Mark Boals having just released a solo album, “Edge Of The World”, the band he leads, RING OF FIRE, have a new thing in the bag, too. Called “Dreamtower”, the album featuring Mark Boals handling the vocals and bass duties, Tony MacAlpine’s guitar, Virgil Donati’s drums and Vitalij Kuprij’s keyboards, is out in Japan on November 21st, with no release dates for other countries at the moment – but, as of songs, here they are:
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1. My Deja Vu 2. Dreamtower 3. The Pharaoh’s Curse 4. Refuge Of The Free 5. Blue Sky 6. Laputa 7. Until The End Of Time 8. System Utopia 9. Ghost Of America 10. Invisible Man 11. Make Believe 12. Murder By Numbers 13. Tumescent Rhapsody (Japanese bonus) |
FANCY AN ESPRESSO?
Ever wondered what Peter Gabriel, Alice Cooper and John Lennon have in common? Sure, there’s a musician who played with all three – and much, much more great artists. The name? Please, welcome – Tony Levin! A tireless chopper comes up with magnificient live album, “Double Espresso”, credited to the TONY LEVIN BAND. The band comprise more than adequate foil to Levin’s bass bricks and consist of Larry Fast on synthesizers, Jesse Gress on guitars, inimitable Jerry Marotta on vocals, guitars and, sure, his main choice, drums. And Tony himself sings too!
With CALIFORNIA GUITAR TRIO guesting, there’s much to play and enjoyment oozes throughout, especially on the covers pulled into the set.
CD 1:1. Pieces of the Sun |
CD 2:1. Pillar Of Fire |
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BLONDE ON BLONDE
There’s a new box set coming from Zoom Club, MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP‘s “Reactivate Live”. Spread across four CDs are three concerts and a rehearsal of what many consider classic line-ups of the band: alongside Michael Schenker on guitar, Gary Barden on vocals and Chris Glen on bass, discs one to three feature Paul Raymond on keyboards and mighty Cozy Powell on drums, whose places are taken by, respectively, Andy Nye and Ted McKenna on the disc four – which, by the way, sees two SENSATIONAL ALEX HARVEY BAND members reunited (Glen and McKenna). The discs are presented as collectors’ special edition with sleeve notes from Paul Raymond.
1. Armed & Ready 1. Armed & Ready 1. Captain Nemo
Disc One:
1. Armed & Ready
2. Cry For The Nations
3. Victim Of Illusion
4. Into The Arena
5. Lost Horizons
6. Doctor Doctor
7. Lights Out
Eerie, Pennsylvania, 20.11.1980
Disc Two:
2. Cry For The Nations
3. Victim Of Illusion
4. Natural Thing
5. Feels Like A Good Thing
6. Into The Arena
7. Rock Bottom
8. Looking Out From Nowhere
Los Angeles, 22.12.1980
Disc Three:
2. Cry For The Nations
3. Victim Of Illusion
4. Feels Like A Good Thing
5. Into The Arena
6. Rock Bottom
7. Lost Horizons
8. Doctor, Doctor
9. Lights Out
recorded in rehearsal, Sidcup, UK, Autumn 1980
prior to the band’s first headlining tour
Disc Four:
2. Rock My Nights Away
3. Are You Ready To Rock
4. Cry For The Nations
5. On And On
6. Attack Of The Mad Axeman
7. Into The Arena
8. Courvoisier Concerto
9. Lost Horizons
10. Rock Will Never Die
11. I’m Gonna Make You Mine
12. Systems Failing
13. Still Love That Little Devil
14. Armed & Ready
Osaka, 20.1.1984November 6, 2002
