SOUL AND BODY
This month has robbed us of two fine artists who might have represented two poles of music spectrum but, in fact, weren’t too far apart in their pursuit of threading the celestial with the mundane.
On October 10th, the weight of the world became at the same time lighter and darker with the passing of one and only Solomon Burke, one of the finest soul deliverers on Earth – Otis Redding has covered his “Down In The Valley” and countless others, THE STONES included, rocked the joint with “Everybody Needs Somebody To Love”. On par, perhaps, only with Bobby Bland, Solomon has seen his name half-forgotten and shot to fame again with 2002’s “Don’t Give Up On Me” with the songs tailored for him by such admirers as Tom Waits and Bob Dylan. Adored anew ever since, Burke might have had more fire in him yet now, at 70, he entered immortality for ever. He will be greatly missed.
Ari Up, who deserved the punk queen mantle more than Siouxie, died on October 20th just when he profile started rise for the second time, with her teenage band THE SLITS reformed. To many the fact that Ariane Daniele Forster was John Lydon’s stepdaughter and YES’ Jon Anderson‘s goddaughter overshadowed the singer’s own talent but others knew, just ask the reggae honcho Lee Perry whose records featured Up in recent years. It wasn’t just the nakedness of the punkesses on Ari’s debut’s cover, it was the starkness of her soul that drew people to her. A real loss.
BARKING ALOUD
It’s been two decades that a new record under the PAVLOV’S DOG discography moniker appeared. To the fans, the band’s music has been ringing through the years, those who didn’t like David Surkamp’s voice were saying it aloud. No wonder, then, that their freshly-baked album, out now, is called “Echo & Boo”. A devil’s dozen of tracks sound both modern and true to the DOG’s roots… Let’s hope its follow-up will appear before the next 20 years clock off.
1. Angeline
2. Angel’s Twilight Jump
3. I Love You Still
4. I Don’t Do So Good Without You
5. Echo & Boo
6. We Walk Alone Forever
7. Oh Susanna
8. We Walk Alone Forever Again
9. Ava Gardner’s Bust
10. Calling Out For Mine
11. We All Die Alone
12. Jubilation
13. Don’t Need Magic
FEELS LIKE WE BELONG
Is there a better artist to spend Halloween listening records by than Alice Cooper. Following the “Theatre Of Death” DVD, old Vincent treated his fans to a limited edition 7″ of “Keepin’ Halloween Alive!” but more exciting is the news of the veteran working on “Welcome 2 My Nightmare”, the follow-up to his 1975’s smash. Seems Steven, Alice’s alter ego, is coming back in the 13 songs Cooper co-wrote with his old producer Bob Ezrin. Three of ’em will see the singer backed by, as reported, his original bandmates who presumably are Tony Levin, Dick Wagner et al and not ALICE COOPER the group who Mr. Furnier abandoned to have his black dreams solo.
EVERYBODY’S A HERO
While other veterans try to do new music, Ray Davies has seemingly decided that two albums he’d delivered in 2006 and 2007, his third and fourth solo records, are enough and has been rehashing his old hits with THE KINKS recently, first with a choir and now with a bunch of heavy buddies such as METALLICA and, most poignantly, Alex Chilton who died since the track with his voice was done. The mixed bag o’classics is going to be out on November 1st.
1. Better Things – with Bruce Springsteen
2. Celluloid Heroes – with Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora
3. Days / This Time Tomorrow – with MUMFORD & SONS
4. Long Way From Home – with Lucinda Williams & THE 88
5. You Really Got Me – with METALLICA
6. Lola – with Paloma Faith
7. Waterloo Sunset – with Jackson Browne
8. ‘Til The End Of The Day – with Alex Chilton & THE 88
9. Dead End Street – with Amy Macdonald
10. See My Friends – with SPOON
11. This Is Where I Belong – with Black Francis
12. David Watts – with THE 88
13. Tired Of Waiting – with Gary Lightbody
14. All Day And All Of The Night / Destroyer – with Billy Corgan
A week and a day later, on November 9th, there’ll be something rawer and more blistering to see the light of day: a collection of THE KINKS‘ live tracks “Live in London 1973 & 1977”. Mixed to look like a single show, it doesn’t represent the band’s actual stage set list yet for the lack of their official concert output, this will do nicely.
1. Victoria
2. Acute Schizophrenia Paranoia Blues
3. Dedicated Follower Of Fashion
4. Lola
5. Holiday
6. Good Golly Miss Molly
7. You Really Got Me
8. All Day And All Of The Night
9. Waterloo Sunset
10. The Village Green Preservation Society
11. All Day And All Of The Night12. A Well Respected Man
13. Death Of A Clown
14. Sunny Afternoon
15. Waterloo Sunset
16. Slum Kids
17. Celluloid Heroes
18. The Hard Way
19. Lola
20. Alcohol
21. Skin And Bone
LEGION OF THE BRAVE
Many of us are still in shock over the death of Ronnie James Dio who graced the stage for the last time on August 29th, 2009. In fine form despite the pain, the great man’s performance can be seen here, recorded by fans associated with the best BLACK SABBATH site out there. But a month earlier, on July 30, the HEAVEN & HELL show in Wacken, Germany, was preserved for posterity professionally and will be released on November 16th as “Neon Nights” CD and DVD. A must-have item.
1. E5150 (DVD only)
2. Mob Rules
3. Children Of The Sea
4. I
5. Bible Black
6. Time Machine
7. Fear
8. Falling Off The Edge Of the World
9. Follow The Tears
10. Die Young
11. Heaven & Hell
12. Country Girl (DVD only)
13. Neon Knights
