It feels extraordinarily right for Andy Summers to release a new record on the day of summer Solstice – not only because of the phonetic aspect of the veteran’s name and the season but also because of the perfect balance of light and shadow on this date, June 21st, which the guitarist-turned-photographer is an expert in. Until now, however, Andy hasn’t tried to merge these two passions of his, yet on the mini-album titled “Vertiginous Canyons” Summers does exactly that.
Thinking of FLEETWOOD MAC, people usually stick to one of the band’s two distinct eras – or three, as connoisseurs tend to separate the Bob Welsh period from the blues-based combo which preceded it and pop-oriented ensemble which came after – which is particularly noticeable when this collective’s classics are covered by other artists. Only THE ICICLE WORKS’ Ian McNabb has never behaved like other artists – which is why his forthcoming tribute to the veterans’ should feel so special.
Never one to decline an invitation to perform at a charity event, Pete Townshend rather rarely embark on a concert trek as a solo artist, which is why every recording of his shows is precious, especially given the fact that most of those were released on the guitarist’s own Eel Pie label to be made available strictly through his website and, being out-of-print, have long became collector’s items. More so, during the last two decades audio technology developed further, and now THE WHO leader decided to gather all the old recordings, expand previous tracklists, remaster everything, put into a box set and put it out on July 29th.
Nobody expected Bill Wyman to issue another album any day soon, and most listeners assumed 2015’s “Back To Basics” was his last-ever offering. Still, the erstwhile Stone keeps on rolling, and August 9th will see the release of the 87-years-old’s sixth solo platter.
Amazingly, given the longevity of both 10CC and Graham Gouldman‘s careers, the number of the band’s platters of onstage origin and the composer’s solo albums are very limited. That’s why it’s so great to see their new releases scheduled for the next month: the ensemble’s “Live 1980” and the multi-instrumentalist’s “I Have Notes” – the former, as its title suggests, an old recording, the latter a freshly cut one.
