September 17, 2008

THE SILENCE GROWS, IT HAS NO PLACE WITH LIFE

It’s with great sadness everybody learnt of untimely death of Richard Wright, the keyboard maestro and one of the PINK FLOYD founders. Aged 65, Rick passed away on September 15th after a short battle with cancer. The silent one in the band to be effectively ousted from FLOYD by Roger Waters at the time of “The Wall”, Wright’s playing was a major part of the quartet’s sound, and without him, there’d be neither “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” nor “Echoes” as we know them; in the latter he even shared vocals with David Gilmour. And that’s without saying Richard Wright’s “The Great Gig In The Sky” is as marvellous piece of “The Dark Side Of The Moon” as the collectively written “Time”. A soft-spoken gentleman, he never held any hostility towards his more in-your-face friends and will be sorely missed. Now, the high hopes of PINK FLOYD reunion are tragically put to end.

…AND YOU CAN TELL EVERYBODY THIS IS YOUR SONG

Quite a unique proposition will come in October: a music memorabilia auction SongVest will offer everyone interested to buy a percentage of the writer’s share of some good songs including AEROSMITH’s “Gotta Love It”, Ozzy‘s “Denial”, Cher’s “My Song (Too Far Gone), Ringo Starr’s “Never Without You”, THE MONKEES’ “Theme From ‘The Monkees'” and BON JOVI’s “Two Story Town”. Press release states it will be the songwriters’ right to determine the terms of each auction, including what percentage – up to 100% – of each song they’d like to sell, the reserve price that guarantees nothing will sell for less than what they want, and the auction duration. Still, it’s only a share but not the copyright, as the writers retain control of usage. Buyers will earn every time the songwriter does. What a generous offer!

NOT JUST A SIGN IN THE SAND

Originally planned for 2004, it’s only on May 6th, 2008 that WISHBONE ASH played their 1972’s classic album “Argus” in its entirety – although without an orchestra, as it was for the Washington’s XM Satellite Radio. Not a mean feat for Andy Powell who was sick due to food poisoning the night before the recording, the band consisting of him, Muddy Manninen, Bob Skeat and Joe Crabtree delivered a poweful performance before a live studio audience and added some more songs to bookend the “Argus” collection. Now, the recording will be for all to hear: available initially at the AshCon fans meeting and the upcoming UK tour, “Argus “Then Again” Live” will be sold via the ASH site rather soon.

1. Introduction
2. Real Guitars Have Wings
3. Mountainside
4. Growing Up
5. Time Was
6. Sometime World
7. Blowin’ Free
8. The King Will Come
9. Leaf And Stream
10. Warrior
11. Throw Down The Sword
12. Way Of The World

QUITE A ROUNDABOUT

It won’t be the first time YES play fronted by some other than Jon Anderson, but the band’s early ’80s incarnation came to be due to the singer’s – and Rick Wakeman’s for that matter – amicable splitting and was dramatically different from what had been before. Now, though, they’re going to be looking a bit like cover ensemble. “In The Present” tour starting November 4th in Canada to mark the group’s 40th anniversary will be good on the keyboards front thanks to Oliver Wakeman stepping in for his non-toruing-anymore father, yet the vocalist’s position left vacant by asthma-stricken Jon will be taken by Benoit David, a Montreal native found via the Internet while checking out the YES tribute bands. Too much of an Anderson copy, he’s unlikely to give the veterans a new lease of life.

TURN FROM HOT TO VERY COOL

THE MOVE must be the most underrated of all British classic rock bands. The clever psych and hotel-thrashing pioneers as well as masters of fantastic tunes, mostly written by Roy Wood, they could have given THE KINKS a run for their money in the tunes and lyrics department… if only THE MOVE had the money. Having had turned into ELO soon after Jeff Lynne joined the ranks, they’ve found the coveted success at the price of their coolness that;s in the focus of “Anthology 1966-1972”, a 4CD box set due out on September 29th. The 62 tracks include not only hit singles, best albums tracks and B-sides but also rarities and previously unreleased material while one of the discs catches THE MOVE on stage. With 72-page booklet with photos, an extensive band history, interviews and complete track-by-track info, it’s an essential purchase.

Disc 1: 1966-1967

1. You’re The One I Need
2. I Can’t Hear You No More
3. Is It True
4. Respectable
5. Night Of Fear (alt. version)
6. Disturbance (undubbed version)
7. I Can Hear The Grass Grow (full-length)
8. Move
9. Wave The Flag And Stop The Train
10. (Here We Go Round) The Lemon Tree (stereo)
11. Flowers & Lemon Tea (Tony Visconti talks)
12. Flowers In The Rain
13. Cherry Blossom Clinic (enhanced stereo)
14. Vote For Me (mono)
15. Fire Brigade (early piano version)
16. Useless Information
17. Yellow Rainbow (enhanced stereo)
18. Kilroy Was Here (enhanced stereo)
19. Fire Brigade
20. The Girl Outside (alt. take)
21. Mist On A Monday Morning (enhanced stereo)
22. Flowers In The Rain (acoustic version; rough mix)
23. Simple Simon (take 6 backing track; rough mix)

Disc 2: Live At The Marquee 1968

1. Move Bolero
2. It’ll Be Me
3. Too Much In Love
4. Flowers In The Rain
5. Fire Brigade
6. Stephanie Knows Who
7. Something Else
8. So You Want To Be A Rock ‘n’ Roll Star
9. The Price Of Love
10. Piece Of My Heart
11. (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher And Higher
12. Sunshine Help Me

Disc 3: 1968 – 1969

1. Somethin Else (EP version)
2. Sunshine Help Me (EP version)
3. Wild Tiger Woman (UK single edit)
4. Omnibus (enhanced stereo)
5. Blackberry Way
6. A Certain Something (piano version; rough mix)
7. Curly
8. Second Class (She’s Too Good For Me) (Part 1)
9. Second Class (She’s Too Good For Me) (Part 2)
10. Beautiful Daughter (reduced mix)
11. This Time Tomorrow
12. Hello Susie (abridged)
13. Don’t Make My Baby Blue
14. The Last Thing On My Mind
15. Open My Eyes (Fillmore West, 1969)

Disc 4: 1969 – 1972

1. I Can Hear The Grass Grow (Fillmore West, 1969)
2. Brontosaurus (US promo edit)
3. When Alice Comes Back To The Farm
4. Turkish Tram Conductor Blues (take 5; rough mix)
5. Feel Too Good
6. Lightnin’ Never Strikes Twice
7. Ella James
8. Tonight (US edited version)
9. Do Ya (edited version)
10. Chinatown
11. California Man
12. The Duke Of Edinburgh’s Lettuce

 

GIRLS CAN HELP IT!

This year GIRLSCHOOL celebrate their 30th anniversary and come up with a new album, appropriately titled “Legacy”. It features some great guests, including the band’s old friends frim MOTORHEAD, namely Phil Campbell and Eddie Clarke who nails down some solos, plus Lemmy singing and playing on “Don’t Talk To Me”, as well as TWISTED SISTER’s J.J. French and Eddie Ojeda, veteran bassist Neil Murray and, on bonus mix of “I Spy”, Ronnie James Dio on vocals and Tony Iommi on lead guitar. The most poignant is an appearance of the band’s guitarist, Kelly Johnson, who died last year: on “Everything’s The Same” her ashes are used as percussion!

GETTING TO THE BONE

He must be playing the great gig in the sky for 32 years now yet while Paul Kossoff is gone he’s surely not forgotten, with FREE’s “All Right Now” blaring from the TV every now and again and Gary Moore’s grimace reflecting that of Koss. Before the fame kicked in and Paul Rodgers came into the picture, the teenage guitarist had played with BLACK CAT BONES, an otherwise unremarkable bluesy outfit whose recordings with Kossoff are gathered now on “Paul’s Blues”. A 2CD collection, out on September 29th, is for the fans only.

Disc 1:

1. Rock Me Baby (version 1)
2. San Ho-Zay
3. Bad Blood (version 1)
4. The Sky Is Cryin’
5. Help Me 6. Messin’ With The Kid
6. Rock Me Baby (version 2)

Disc 2:

1. Rock Me Baby (version 3)
2. Bad Blood (version 2)
3. Good Lookin’ Woman
4. Shake Your Moneymaker
5. Help Me
6. I’m Ready
7. Bad Blood (version 3, with vocals)
8. Paul’s Blues

September 17, 2008

Category(s): News

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