Rock News for Saturday 9th October, 2010

Bret Michaels plugging new single 'Riding Against the Wind'

OK, I guess I really haven't plugged too much of Bret Michaels stuff here, as he's clearly gone 'so much' Mr. Celebrity, I think he's losing touch with the real world perhaps. That said, I can't deny his efforts to entertain the troops in Iraq, when he flew out there with his solo band as other members of Poison, weren't willing to go.

Anyway, clearly the guy has had a rough ride with some health issues too, but who's to say that some of them weren't brought on through his living the rock 'n' roll lifestyle?!

I thought I'd share his new single with you though, 'Riding Against the Wind,' as it's actually not a bad track.

If you think of Bon Jovi at their best, it's not far away if you ask me!

Billboard.com is plugging it for him too, right here, along with some background behind it:

http://www.billboard.com/news/video-premiere-bret-michaels-riding-against-1004119714.story#/news/video-premiere-bret-michaels-riding-against-1004119714.story

I will say, the picture of Michaels on the cover of Billboards magazine is a little, um, scary, although I'm sure the girlies will lap it up!

The video for 'Riding Against the Wind' can be viewed either at the above link or simply watched here:

Unruly Child EPK - The band about the new album

For more on this and other Frontiers new releases and video's go to:

www.youtube.com/user/FrontiersRecords

John Mellencamp ‘No Better Than This’ tour 2011 / 2011

 BLOOMINGTON, IN– October 7, 2010 –With initial dates for the first leg of John Mellencamp’s No Better Than This Tour starting at the end of this month, a new set of Mellencamp concert appearances that begin in February of next year has just been announced. The tour, designed as a uniquely formatted “evening with,” brings Mellencamp’s music to theater-sized venues, a rare opportunity to experience one of America’s most iconic songwriters and performers in an intimate setting, highlighting all phases of his artistry.

The new No Better Than This Tour dates commence in early February in New England and continue on to two stops in Canada before heading south to New York, Washington, Philadelphia and into the Carolinas and Florida. Tickets for these dates go on sale Friday, October 15 at 10 AM.

The tour will feature classic Mellencamp material associated with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee over the course of his 35 year long career as well as the new music from No Better Than This. The album, released by Rounder Records, held the top spot on the Americana Music Chart for five straight weeks and was produced by T Bone Burnett. It was recorded in three historic locations in the American South: Savannah’s First African Baptist Church, Sun Studio in Memphis and Room 414 of San Antonio’s Gunter Hotel where Robert Johnson recorded in 1936. The sessions were documented on a 55-year-old mono tape recorder using just one vintage microphone at each location. Rolling Stone’s review of the album noted, “Mellencamp has never sounded looser or easier on a record,” suggesting the artist was “channeling spirits and stepping into period styles. They fit him perfectly." The Americana Music Association honored Mellencamp last month with its Lifetime Achievement Award for Songwriting, presented by Rosanne Cash.

Tickets bought for the newly announced dates include a digital download of No Better Than This. Details regarding how to redeem the album download will be sent via email a few days following purchase to ticket buyers. A tutorial outlining this process will be posted on Mellencamp.com.

As a reflection of the diversity of styles and material that have been a hallmark of Mellencamp’s eclectic career, the concerts are formatted into three segments. These showcase John Mellencamp in an acoustic context, fronting a small combo recalling blues/country and rockabilly roots and with his full rock band. Musicians backing Mellencamp include Michael Wanchic (guitar), Andy York (guitar), Miriam Sturm (violin), John Gunnell (electric and upright bass), Dane Clark (drums) and Troye Kinnett (accordion/keyboards).

Of special note is the fact that the tour’s “opening act,” is a documentary film by Kurt Markus entitled It’s About You. Shot on Super8 film over the course of last year’s Bob Dylan-John Mellencamp-Willie Nelson tour of minor league baseball stadiums, it chronicles the creation of No Better Than This while serving as a cinematic ‘think piece’ on the state of the country at the end of the first decade of the 21st Century. Markus, whose still work has put him in the front ranks of contemporary American photographers, has been cited for his extraordinary vision of his work documenting the American West and is the recipient of Life Magazine’s Alfred Eisenstaedt Photography Award. Ticket holders are urged to get to their respective No Better Than This Tour venues on time to be on hand for the film’s start.

Mellencamp noted, “I’m very excited to have the opportunity at this time in my life to go on tour and present these songs in this manner.”

Fans should to log on to http://www.mellencamp.com/ the most up-to-date concert and ticket on-sale information.

Current 2010 Tour dates:

October 2010

Oct. 29 - Bloomington, IN - Indiana University Auditorium

November 2010

Nov. 1 - Cincinnati, OH - Music Hall

Nov. 3 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium

Nov. 5 - Kansas City, MO – The Midland by AMC

Nov. 6 – St. Louis, MO - Fabulous Fox Theatre

Nov. 8 - Indianapolis, IN - Clowes Memorial Hall

Nov. 11 - Indianapolis, IN - Hinkle Fieldhouse

Nov. 13 - South Bend, IN - Morris Performing Arts Center

Nov. 16 - Fort Wayne, IN - Embassy Theatre
Nov. 17 – Cleveland, OH – Palace Theater

Nov. 19 – Detroit, MI –Fox Theatre

Nov. 20 - Pittsburgh, PA - Heinz Hall*

Nov. 22 - Minneapolis, MN - Orpheum Theatre (1)

Nov. 23 - Minneapolis, MN - Orpheum Theatre (1)

Nov. 26 - Chicago, IL - Chicago Theatre** (1)

Nov. 27 - Chicago, IL - Chicago Theatre** (1)

(1) Co-promoted with Jam Productions

Tickets available at http://www.aeglive.com/

John Mellencamp No Better Than This 2011 Tour, promoted by AEG Live, confirmed tour dates:

February 2011

Feb. 3 - Lowell, MA - Lowell Memorial Auditorium

Feb. 4 - Waterbury, CT - Palace Theatre

Feb. 6 - Ottawa, ON - National Arts Centre

Feb. 9 - Toronto, ON - Massey Hall

Feb. 15 - Washington, DC - DAR Constitution Hall

Feb. 18 - New York, NY - Radio City Music Hall*

Feb. 21 - Philadelphia, PA - Academy Of Music

Feb. 24 - Richmond, VA - Landmark Theatre

Feb. 26 - Columbia, SC - Township Auditorium

Feb. 27 - Atlanta, GA - Fox Theatre

March 2011

Mar. 1 - Durham, NC - Durham PAC

Mar. 3 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Broward Center

Mar. 4 - Clearwater, FL - Ruth Eckerd Hall

Mar. 5 - Jacksonville, FL - Moran Theatre

www.mellencamp.com/welcome.html

As Simple Minds take breather 'Lostboy' a.k.a. Jim Kerr is relaunched!

Yes indeed, with Simple Minds summer tour shows now behind them, frontman 'Lostboy' A.K.A. Jim Kerr is relaunching his solo career, with a free download of his latest song and pretty reasonable solo tour.

The newsletter with all these details is as follows:

Hope this finds you well!

As Simple Minds take a short breather after this summers tour, confirmation of even more Simple Minds shows is beginning to filter through. Keep an eye on the TOUR DATES page for info as it comes in.

Brand New Free Download

As anyone who reads Jim's Diary will know, the man never rests... so it's no surprise that, to keep us entertained until the next SM shows, Jim is about to embark on a very special LostBoy! A.K.A. 'Electroset' Tour.

LostBoy! A.K.A. is Jim's critically acclaimed alter-ego and to get us in the mood he has kindly decided to add a brand new Free Download called 'Kill Or Cure' to the already packed 'Welcome Gifts'' area of his http://www.lostboyaka.com/ site. It's a powerful Electroset demo remixed by Simon Hayward.

CLICK HERE TO VISIT http://www.lostboyaka.com/ TO DOWNLOAD FREE

http://www.lostboyaka.com/found/members/members_area.php?cat=1&area=m

Electroset Tour with LostBoy! A.K.A. Jim Kerr's details below:

http://www.lostboyaka.com/found/view_all_news_tours.php?cat=all&area=gigs

more to come....

Enjoy the free music and hope to see you at the Electroset shows!

Bullet For My Valentine Bassist Jason James Takes Time Off Fall Tour

 

New York, NY-- Welsh rockers Bullet For My Valentine regret to inform their fans that bassist Jason James will be taking time off from their current North American fall tour. James will be on leave from October 8th through October 17th attending to a private family matter and will rejoin the band on October 18th in Calgary, AB.

No dates will be cancelled and Escape the Fate, Black Tide and Drive A will continue to open on all remaining dates. Calvin Roffey, a musician in his own right and BFMV guitar tech, will take over bass duties until James returns to the tour.

www.bulletformyvalentine.com/us/home

Update for Friday 8th October, 2010

Hi folks, yes, my apologies again for the lack of updates today ...

Family life has been crazy, the day job demanding as ever and just one thing and another prevented me from catching up last night and this morning.

Hopefully I can add some update tonight, if not, look for updates from me over the weekend. :)

Thanks for your patience folks! Enjoy your weekend!

Rock News for Thursday 7th October, 2010

Gotthard lead vocalist Steve Lee killed in freak accident

(Steve Lee photo from www.gotthard.com/) 

It's certainly very tragic indeed when anyone in the rock world passes away, but when someone is killed in circumstances that can only, honestly be described as 'freak,' it's just downright wrong!

Steve Alois Lee, RIP, who was frontman of Swiss rock band Gotthard, was just 47 years old and had travelled to the US to fufil a life long dream of riding a Harley Davidson across the USA. Sadly, it was not to be.

The following statement comes from the band's website:

Dear Fans and Friends, the inconceivable is tragic reality – Steve Lee was killed in an accident yesterday

Steve was killed accidentally during a motorcycle trip in the USA on Interstate 15 between Mesquite and Las Vegas and died at the scene.

The GOTTHARD singer had flown to the U.S. with some biker friends just this weekend to fulfil a long-cherished dream for which he’d never had the time, due to his heavy touring schedule for many years. It was to be two weeks through the states on a Harley Davidson. The 21 Swiss bikers started their journey on Sunday on a total of 12 motorcycles. On Tuesday 5 October, about 50 miles from Las Vegas, the group had stopped at the roadside to put on their rain gear as it had started to rain. On the slippery road, the trailer of a passing truck began to skid. The driver attempted evasive action but his trailer clipped five of the motorcycles parked at the roadside; one of them hit Steve Lee. Rescue services attempted resuscitation but efforts were stopped after 20 minutes. At 16:13 local time, Steve Lee was pronounced dead.

Among the passengers were bassist Marc Lynn and Steve’s partner Brigitte Voss Balzarini.

All other fellow riders were unharmed. Steve Lee was 47 years old.

With Steve Lee, we not only lose one of the world's best rock voices but also a good friend who due to his sensitivity and down-to-earth personality always met the people around him with respect.

It will take some time till we fully understand what has happened.

Our heartfelt thoughts are with his family.

Letters of condolence to:  

Gotthard Music GmbH

Grossmatte Ost 2

CH-6014 Littau

Official website: www.gotthard.com/

Absolutely tragic. My heartfelt sympathies go out to Steve's family, his partner Brigitte and all his close friends. RIP Steve.

IN OTHER NEWS ...

MELODIC ROCK FANZINE AVAILABLE

Frontiers Records is proud to present the new issue of MELODIC ROCK FANZINE. The 40th release of our successful magazine is available for free all over the world through record shops, mailorders and every fine dealer carrying the Frontiers Records releases.

Here are the previews of the two MELODIC ROCK FANZINE covers:

This new issue includes reviews and interviews of Kiske Somerville, Unruly Child, Issa, Circle Ii Circle, Asia, Athorn, White Widdow, Two Fires, Bangalore Choir... and more!

Electronic readble version of the magazine is available on the Frontiers official site or here: http://issuu.com/frontiers_records/docs/mrf40

CHIPSTER PR LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE AND BILLBOARD MAGAZINE FEATURE

Chipster PR & Consulting, Inc. President and Senior Publicist, Chip Ruggieri, has been chosen to comment on the 'Billboard Maximum Exposure 2010 Hard Rock Top 5'. Billboard says of the feature

"There are more tools than ever to promote a new single or album. But which ones work best? To find out, Billboard presents its third annual Maximum Exposure list, which tabulates the 100 best ways to generate sales and buzz. We asked label and publishing executives, publicists, managers and branding experts to rank the most effective means to promote music. Then we compiled our list—as well as rankings for Latin music, the United Kingdom, Japan and genres like rock and hip-hop—with the input of Billboard’s editorial staff. The results identify the most powerful promotional vehicles in music today."

A rundown of the top 25 entries can be seen at http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/content_display/genre/e3i4397ede245b231242e381303289658d7

Chipster PR & Consulting, Inc. has also announced the launch of their new website http://www.chipsterpr.com/ designed by http://921associates.com/ The site features a news section, highlight video and a link to donate to longtime client and friend Ronnie James Dio's 'Stand up and Shout Cancer Fund'.

The 'Current Clients' pages includes a 'share' button which will allow artists and media to add a direct link to the page on their social networks. You also 'LIKE' Chipster on Facebook and follow Chipster on Twitter!

Chipster's offspring, Coverslut Cosmetics, Inc. has a page link featured, which offers artists make up and grooming services provided by Jen Farhood, who's celebrity roster includes iconic acts such as The Police, Olivia Newton-John, Halford and Jon Bon Jovi.

For more information, visit:

Web: http://www.chipsterpr.com/

Twitter: www.twitter.com/chipsterpr

Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Chipster-PR-Consulting/147989855240582?ref=sgm

Eric Clapton, six nights at Royal Albert Hall already now two more with Stevie Winwood

Yes old slowhand himself, Eric Clapton had already announced six shows at the Royal Albert Hall and now he's called upon his old band mate from Blind Faith days,  Stevie Winwood to play an additional two nights with him and I firmly believe it's unlikely they'll come back together Stateside again, so catch them while you can!

Clapton and Winwood toured together in 2009 and jammed together this year at Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival in Illinois. Winwood toured with Santana during summer 2010.

This piece is covered at Pollstar.com.

www.pollstar.com/blogs/news/archive/2010/10/04/742497.aspx

Rock News for Wednesday 6th October, 2010

CLASSIC ROCK SOCIETY OF AMERICA TO DEBUT

PHILADELPHIA-Rocktober 5, 2010- Rock producer and historian Denny Somach today announced the establishment of the Classic Rock Society of America. The organization will be devoted to the preservation, promotion and celebration of classic rock music by the artists, musicians, producers and fans of the most popular musical category of the past fifty years.

Somach is a recognized expert on Classic Rock and considered one of the architect’s of the Classic Rock radio format, which has become dominant in broadcasting and attracts millions of listeners. He has produced over 7500 hours of classic rock programming and maintains one of the largest archives of audio, video and data related to the topic. Somach has also authored numerous articles and books on the subject and appeared as an authority on shows including Today, Larry King , CBS Early Show, Dateline NBC, CNN, CNBC, MTV and others.

“The appeal of classic rock artists like the Beatles, Rolling Stones, the Who, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, the Doors, Moody Blues, Yes, Grateful Dead, Jethro Tull, Aerosmith, Styx, Deep Purple, Queen, the Allman Brothers and many, many others has never been more popular,” said Somach. “Classic rock has become cross-generational and is the most popular rock music format not just in the US and Canada, but around the world.”

The Classic Rock Society of America (CRSA) is an organization where people from all over the world can experience and commemorate their favorite music. Many colleges and universities have classes about this music and it is being taught everywhere. The CRSA will act as a resource center for students and teachers, enabling them to further enhance their study of classic rock.

CRSA was inspired by the UK’s Classic Rock Society, with a membership of thousands, and Classic Rock magazine, a publisher, recording label and music promoter. Both organizations are dedicated to the growth of all classic rock music. The UK’s Classic Rock Magazine presents a number of live shows, including the recent High Voltage Festival, which featured ZZ Top, Foreigner, Asia, Bachman-Turner, Uriah Heep, Argent and a reformed Emerson, Lake and Palmer to celebrate its 40th anniversary.

Rick Wakeman is the honorary Chairman of the U.K. Classic Rock Society. “When I contacted him about the Classic Rock Society of America we were launching, he immediately lent his support and thought it was about time something like this was established in America.” Subsequently the other founding board members including John Wetton of Asia and Dave Cousins of the Strawbs have publically announced their support.

" have also spoken to over fifty musicians, producers and managers who are more than happy to not only lend their name but become actively involved in the Classic Rock Society of America,” stated Somach.

The Classic Rock Society of America will debut as an interactive web site and its own radio channel. It will also include marketing and promotion entities. The virtual society will eventually have a physical location where musicians and fans can visit and enjoy the many facets of the musical genre. Somach said, “We have already been contacted by a couple of municipal development organizations about locating a facility in their communities.”

More details will be announced in the New Year and further information can be obtained by contacting info@classicrocksocietyamerica.com

Denny Somach is the founder of Denny Somach Productions, which maintains one of the largest archives of Classic Rock content. DSP also has a long history of creating some of the most memorable programs in rock for NBC, ABC, CBS, Westwood One, MJI, USA Network, Turner Broadcasting, and MTV and produced the award winning Beatles radio program, Scott Muni’s Ticket to Ride. Currently DSP produces the syndicated Get the Led Out for United Stations.

Contact: Classic Rock Society of North America

Denny Somach

610-446-7100

info@classicrocksocietyamerica.com

Van Halen May Tour in 2011

According to Rolling Stone magazine and posted at www.vhnd.com/ Van Halen will return to the road in 2011 — or so says Live Nation Ticketmaster chairman Irving Azoff, in a meeting with analysts meant to show that the outlook for next year’s concert circuit will brighten. Van Halen, with David Lee Roth, last toured together in June 2008. Talking to USA Today, Azoff, who is also Van Halen’s manager, named Van Halen, Christina Aguilera, Fleetwood Mac and the cast of Glee as some of the artists that are expected to pack stadium and arenas when they embark on tours next year. Van Halen’s 2008 tour grossed $93 million for Live Nation.

The Rolling Stone story piece is here: www.rollingstone.com/music/news/51942/215655

Status Quo “Live in the Netherlands – Official Bootleg”

Status Quo are recording their massive sold-out show at the Heineken Music Hall in Amsterdam on Tuesday, October 19th for a new live Limited Edition Double CD. The show will be mixed live and fans will be able to purchase the Double CDs in the HMH foyer within MINUTES of the end of the gig.

The Limited Edition Double CD is also available from our partners at Live and Pure via mail order or as a digital download. All pre-orders will be shipped within 7 days of the show.

Order the Double CD from: http://www.liveandpure.com/

Order the Digital Download from: www.townsend-records.co.uk/

Official site: www.statusquo.co.uk/

Black Country Communion debuts well in the charts!

The band Black Country Communion featuring Glenn Hughes, Joe Bonamassa, Jason Bonham and Derek Sherinian, have just had their debut album released and it appears to have kicked off pretty well in both the UK and US album charts.

It entered the UK Rock chart at number 1 and the official UK Top 40 album chart at number 13.

In the US Billboard charts it entered the Billboard 200 at 53 and the Rock Album chart at number 18.

More info here: http://bccommunion.com/news/bcc-18-rock-album-charts/

Not too shabby then eh?!

Official band website: http://bccommunion.com/ 

Very Brief Update for Tuesday 5th October, 2010

Well folks, as I mentioned previously there's very few new Press Releases coming through right now to share with you and without scouring the web for a lifetime, there not a whole bunch of new news to share, so you've probably noticed that it's allowed me to catch up on reviews.

Four new ones for you over these past four days, happy?

Seriously the John Norum album is a great solid rockin' blues inspired release, Ozzy ..., well, it really didn't do enough for me, the Rush DVD is great and Scottish band Logan have just released a very good album, so there you have it!

More reviews on the way and who knows, maybe I'll finally get that interview typed up!!! That's a tough one.

Some brief news references here though ...

Sad to hear that late last week Tesla's studio run by band bassist Brian Wheat burned down, hopefully they didn't lose any new material. Some more details here: www.kcra.com/news/25222158/detail.html and at the bands site www.teslatheband.com/

Rumours are doing the rounds that Supertramp may reunite with Roger Hodgson are reported at Classic Rock magazine: www.classicrockmagazine.com/news/supertramp-exclusive-hodgson-return-never/

Keep track of official Supertramp news at: http://supertramp.com/

Other than that, pretty quiet all round.

Have a good day folks!

  

Logan - The Great Unknown album review

Logan – The Great Unknown album review

Released on: Mesa / Bluemoon records. Release date: October 5th, 2010

Logan are clearly a talented young Scottish band, I didn’t think they’d even released an album yet, but it turns out they’ve actually already released 5 albums!

They’re certainly getting noticed now though, as they’ve already opened for Bon Jovi, played the UK’s Download festival last year too, so here they come again with a brand new and strong album number six!

I have to be honest, I had never heard of these guys before until I received a press release on the band and started to get interested and checked them out.

I do have to say though, that their cited influences are very clear in their sound, seriously, but it’s very solid and very good!

On their website they cite their biggest influences so it’s already been given away but the mix they have on this album is great and captures a sound that lovers of say Pearl Jam, 3 Doors Down, STP, Creed, Nickelback, Daughtry and even Alice in Chains should enjoy and add to that the album is produced by Kevin Elson should speak volumes!

This is an album that I’ve been enjoying in the car quite a bit, opening title track ‘The Great Unknown’ is certainly very good and builds from quiet through the verses to rocking in the choruses, nice structure overall, great mix and grabbed to listen further.

I will say I thought at times the track was getting ready to grow more, really take off and totally rock out, but it’s what keeps you curious as to where they’ll go from here. Clever!

It’s funny you know, I know the band is Scottish so I guess if I mention Big Country, perhaps I could be forgiven in my reference here, but I often hear a hint of that in 3 Doors Down sound sometimes – I know they’re not Scottish, but I sometimes hear hints in their sound that they may have been influenced by Big Country, just slightly.

‘The Rock and Roll Way,’ is next and reminds me of say STP meets AIC. Crunching stop, start power chords as it chugs away.

OK, the Pearl Jam / Creed ‘ism’s really show through on ‘When I Get Down’ next and it’s certainly solid enough as it builds and rocks away.

‘Save Me’ next is in a very similar vein to the opening title track, doesn’t really take off, keeping a slower steady tempo and is more like semi power ballad territory.

‘Jump in Again’ starts laid back and then the power chords kick in but it still retains a slower pace, just picking up slightly more for the chorus, with a very obvious string orchestral sound backing the track up. Nice guitar solo here too.

‘Hallowed Ground’ sounds a little darker after some almost G ‘n’ R / Slash style opening guitar play, then it’s get dark and dirty with its chord structure and moody vocals, so very apt for the song title I guess. The guitar solo here plays out a little strange to me, but interesting stuff. Guitar licks are very Slash like in sound here and there.

Starting slowly again and building up again, with multi layers of sound – As seems to be the trademark here – ‘Brother’ comes next with some really nice guitar work here, the orchestral backing again shines through too. A nod towards Creed again here, although a little darker towards the end and a flash solo too, not bad.

In ‘Lost and Found’ I’d say it’s their most commercial track here, a lot more mainstream melodic rock track, perhaps alongside the opening title track. If you could imagine Bon Jovi playing a track in this style, perhaps with all the harmonies Logan have applied here, it may sound like this.

Sounding - obviously intentionally - slightly off key at the start is ‘Spin the Wheel’ in its sound, it’s kind of in a Nickelback vein to a degree, so staying on track with keeping it all familiar sounding, so it certainly works in staying true to their sound.

Don’t worry, ‘Born to Run’ next is not a cover of the Bruce Springsteen track, but it is one the more laid back tracks on here.

Then a darker sound returns for ‘Hurricane’ next, that chugs along in an almost Metallica vein through the verse, based on some of the riffs and song structure, right down to the solo. Keeping things interesting!

‘Hold My Hand’ is a slower number from the start, but then sure enough picks up a couple of minutes in, then a nice lead break plays in before some orchestrated string sounds and then the song builds up again to rock out towards the end. Nice track.

The next two tracks here are identified as bonus tracks, so I guess you may or may not have them on your copy of the album.

First up is ‘Gone’ which sounds a slightly different song directionally, with some nice harmony guitar, short licks that make things rather cool for me. It’s a slow to mid-paced track that’s certainly a little different.

Final number is ‘Light It Up’ which has a little punky riff that shows up here and there throughout before moving into a chug along number. There’s no denying they have catchy choruses throughout the album.

There’s no doubt in my mind, with the continued level of exposure they have had to date, that Logan should be able to catch the wave that many of the aforementioned acts have already ridden.

Certainly a solid release worthy of some attention and I wish them well with this.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5

Band website: www.logan-net.com/

Rush - Classic Albums - 2112 and Moving Pictures DVD review

Rush – ‘Classic Albums’ 2112 and Moving Pictures DVD review

Released through: Eagle Vision. Release date: Available now

Rush has always been one of those amazing acts that through no matter what happens, an album not doing so good – In the early days – or a personal matter within the band, the three guys Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart just move along, stick together and work out whatever is needed.

In this footage you’ll find Neal Peart explaining that it’s probably a shared romanticism of music, reading and their similar sense of humour that has really been the chemistry behind their longevity.

They are all such extremely talented musicians, which I know really goes without saying, but should be said anyway as they are always a band very worthy of praise, through their incredible technical musical abilities.

So what does this latest ‘Classic Albums’ release do for us that we don’t already know?

Well, one thing that is interesting right now at the time of this DVD's release, is that there is also the release of ‘Rush – Beyond the Lighted Stage’ DVD / Blue Ray available, which was not so long along out at the movie theatres and was also shown on VH1 Classic which I saw. Some of the material used in that comes from this ‘rockumentary’ or vice versa as I recognized a lot of the material, just the same it’s still a great watch as there are areas here where the other movie didn’t take you through.

The other thing to keep in mind is that this DVD couldn’t just jump into the ‘2112’ period of the band, without covering the earlier ‘tougher’ years, where the band almost folded and that ‘2112’ was going to be the make it or break it album. So they go through discussing each prior release, ‘Rush,’ ‘Fly By Night’ and ‘Caress of Steel.’

The band and others here even discuss original Rush drummer, John Rutsey (RIP), who it seems they all felt wasn’t quite up to how both Lee and Lifeson were progressing musically, as he was more of a straight ahead rocker.

It’s even mentioned that he didn’t seem perhaps prepared to commit to things as the other two were.

After ‘2112’ the band and other guests here, go through moving toward ‘Moving Pictures,’ touching on the releases between, ‘A Farewell to Kings,’ ‘Hemispheres’ and ‘Permanent Waves,’ each taking it’s own path as each band member discusses what was driving them on and influencing them.

There’s talk of the early tours playing alongside classic / prog rock acts such as Uriah Heep and Jethro Tull.

It’s great that - as on other ‘Classic Albums’ DVD’s in this series – they bring in so many of the important people that were around at the time of recordings, such as band manager Ray Danniels, Cliff Burnstein who signed the band for Mercury records and producer of both albums Terry Brown (He’s also done more than the odd one or two more!), as well as other musicians and rock journalists who as admirers reflect on their own take of the band. This includes Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, Bare Naked Ladies’ Ed Robertson, Radio DJ Jim Ladd, Rolling Stone magazine’s David Fricke, along with a few other folks, a chat show host and even a Professor!

It’s really something to see just how talkative and humourous these three guys can be, when perhaps many people see the band as over intellectual squares, which maybe sadly some people still do.

Alex talks about how they started back in 1968 and how bands like Cream and Led Zeppelin were huge influences on them. Interesting too that Neil Peart seems completely as ease in the interviews, yet he openly admits that he leaves the band meet and greets to the other two guys.

The song ‘Limelight’ was written about dealing with being successful and popular and Neil explains, “I used to go and see The Who in Toronto, but I would never have dreamed of hanging around backstage, chasing them to their hotels, never mind going to their homes and I was shocked to see that kind of behavior. People chasing us around and people coming to my house!”

There’s some incredible footage on the disc, early live footage and studio video and live performances from throughout the 70’s and 80’s. What’s also very cool is how each band member performs specific parts of the old songs now in a studio set up, nice extra touch, but that is typical across this whole ‘Classic Album’ series.

If you’ve seen this on VH1 already, what you saw was edited of course as this DVD has a bonus of over 54 additional minutes of footage and interviews. Really, really, great stuff.

I could seriously tell you so much more about this great DVD, but you really check it out yourselves. Well worth checking out, I must also get a copy of ‘Beyond the Lighted Stage,’ for a keepsake.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Band website: www.rush.com/