One may argue that Iain Matthews‘s creative peak came in the early ’70s when – after spells at the fore of FAIRPORT CONVENTION, SOUTHERN COMFORT and PLAINSONG – the singer delighted his fans with "Tigers Will Survive" and a few other fine platters. However, Matthews’s later endeavors seemed consistently strong too, which is why a new box set, commemorating the half-century anniversary of his “Go For Broke” album, yet going way beyond it, feels more than welcome.
Last year marked the official finale of KAYAK’s long journey, with "Back To Shore" – a document of the band’s farewell tour of 2022 – becoming their last-ever platter. Ton Scherpenzeel, the ensemble’s keyboard player, also renowned for his work CAMEL, carried on, however, and a couple of days ago released a new solo album.
When LITTLE FEAT launched their reissue programme back in 2023, it was only logical that the first longplays to get a deluxe treatment would be the classic “Sailin’ Shoes” – a little late for its 50th anniversary but always welcome – and “Dixie Chicken” which set things on a proper half-century track. These were followed by the remastered editions of "Feats Don't Fail Me Now" and "The Last Record Album" – with the band’s 1971 debut left behind. Now, however, with a 1976 slot vacant in the veterans’ discography, the time has come to fill the gap – and it will be filled on April 17th.
It seemed impossible for THE CALL to come back after their frontman Michael Been’s passing in 2010, yet two years ago the American band released “The Lost Tapes” featuring his voice, and now the veterans take one step further and issue a new version of a song that became their anthem in 1983. “The Walls Came Down” was not only a fixture in the ensemble’s repertoire, but also in Todd Rundgren‘s, so it felt only logical to invite him to voice this staple for what’s considered Maxi-EP and will be out on March 27th.
Calling Michael Giles an assuming legend would doing a disservice to one of the greatest rock drummers. Mostly known for his playing on two first platters by KING CRIMSON – "In The Court Of The Crimson King" and "In The Wake Of Poseidon" – and then recording a self-titled album with his former colleague Ian McDonald, he might not have a stellar career after that, but Giles’s subsequent appearances, which included such works as Greg Lake‘s eponymous LP and "Wise After The Event" by Anthony Phillips as well as Leo Sayers’s debut and Roger Glover’s “The Butterfly Ball”, were always notable. Michael hasn’t really cut a personal path under his own name, the only longplay credited to the veteran being “Progress” – laid down in 1978 yet released in 2002 – until now.
