Kitaro Rolls Out Zen On Stage

June 18, 2024

Since Vangelis checked out of this world and Jean-Michel Jarre concentrated on electronica again, Kitaro might be the last standing proponent of keyboard-driven progressive new age, but while the Japanese master’s studio works sound stunning, it’s in concert that his compositions shine the brightest. Given the veteran’s previous onstage album, “Symphony: Live In Istanbul” from 2014, was released a whole decade ago, a next one seemed long-overdue – and July 19th will see the release of an impressive CD/DVD package.

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BLUE ÖYSTER CULT Recall Second Chapter Of Their Jubilee

June 18, 2024

The fall of 2022 found BLUE ÖYSTER CULT embark on a no-mean feat of performing three of their classic albums on tree consecutive nights, playing the opening hattrick of the band’s discography in original running order and fleshing out the latter part of those shows with hits from their other platters, including the latest, “The Symbol Remains” from 2020. The opening concert of the series focused on the veterans’ self-titled debut, and the third on “Secret Treaties” – so what was played in NYC’s “Sony Hall” on September 22nd concentrated on 1973’s “Tyranny And Mutation” nearing its fiftieth anniversary then. All of the songs got recorded, of course, and last year saw the issue of the first night’s document – and now the second one is ready for release.

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Michael Schenker Calls On Heavy Friends To Celebrate UFO

June 17, 2024

It’s been fifty years since UFO issued “Phenomenon” and the world came to know their new guitarist, Michael Schenker, who stayed with the ensemble until 1978 and left his mark on four classic studio albums and one concert offering. Of course, he would be back for a few more stints further down the line, yet none of those later releases could compare to the material laid out on the likes of “No Heavy Petting” – to name but one another platter. And it’s the original run of gems that the Teuton axeman celebrates on a record which will be out on September 20th.

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Jon Anderson’s “True”: The Tracklist’s Detailed

June 16, 2024

Quite a lot has been said about the cover of “True” – Jon Anderson‘s first studio album with THE BAND GEEKS who have been accompanying him onstage for some time now, the group featuring Richie Castellano of BLUE ÖYSTER CULT – and indeed, the artwork of the record coming out on August 23rd feels rather cheap. Still, isn’t this an indicator of the erstwhile YES singer not giving a damn about visual fantasies, perhaps for the first time in his life, and focusing on instead on music per se? Whatever it is, the songs have always been at the fore of the veteran’s sights, and now that the tracklist of the platter arrived Anderson aficionados can draw parallels between Jon’s classic oeuvre and his new opus.

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FANNY Open Up Their “Beat Club” Archive

June 13, 2024

Out in 2021, the film “The Right To Rock” was a giant step towards remedying injustice with which history handled the legacy of FANNY, the all-female American foursome who refused to play by the rules that industry imposed on such ensembles fifty years ago and defied the norm by being themselves – and being great. Since then, the group’s status has changed and a slew of reissues followed to be eagerly embraced by old and new fans alike. Only these offering were primarily studio ones, with “The Reprise Years 1970 -1973” box set scheduled for August 23rd release adding a few concert recordings, and here’s the reason why “Live on Beat-Club ’71-’72” deserves a special attention.

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