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Saturday, December 11, 2010

E.L.O. Live - The Early Years DVD review

Electric Light Orchestra Live - The Early Years DVD review
Released through: Eagle Vision (Eagle Rock). Release date: Available now.


I personally think that the release of this DVD set, ‘Electric Light Orchestra – Live – The Early Years’ is great when I think of how much crap mates of mine back home used to give me for liking ‘that pop band ELO,' during the 70’s and 80’s.

This really shows anyone that only ever thought of the Electric Light Orchestra for their pop hit singles such as 'Mr. Blue Sky,' 'The Diary of Horace Wimp' and even sad stuff like ‘Shine a Little Love’ as being it.

Without doubt this shows where ELO originated as a contemporary progressive rock band without a shadow of a doubt and those poppy years were a million miles away.
It can’t be forgotten though that although Roy Wood did not remain with ELO for long, it was his and Jeff Lynne’s joint dream to create the Electric Light Orchestra, along with drummer Bev Bevan, merging rock with classical sounds, in a new way, when the three of them called time on their previous band The Move.
Roy Wood then left to form his own somewhat whacky Wizzard band.

Starting with a performance at Brunel University in 1973, of just four tracks, the band opens with 'King of the Universe' from their at the time new album, ‘On the Third Day.’
The thing about live performances back in the early seventies was that there was none of the gadgetry that bands or artists have available today to make live shows so much more than they really are.

This was seriously a rough and ready performance, yet there’s no question that even back in those days, Jeff Lynne was totally the perfectionist and the band seriously must have rehearsed this stuff to death before these performances. Let’s face it, the Electric Light Orchestra was seriously a new concept of rock merging with orchestral abilities.
'Ma-Ma-Ma Belle' is next up and was the hit single at the time and as basic as this was back in the day, simply the addition of a violin and cellists to a rock band, was something else it really was.

The band then provides their interpretation of Grieg’s ‘In the Hall of the Mountain King’ which OK, starts to get a little repetitive but it was certainly a well recognized tune to take and transform into the bands own piece of music.
It also includes violinist Mik Kaminski giving us an excellent solo performance midway through. Great stuff!

You know with as much initiative put forward by Jeff Lynne to come up with the idea of rock meets orchestra to be taken seriously, with next and final track from this performance, a song that Jerry Lee Lewis probably made the most famous, ‘Great Balls of Fire’ shows a light hearted yet, genuine love of true rock and roll music from the man.

The line up on from the 1973 Brunel show, is the same as for the next installment from 1974, Live at Rockpalast, consisting of: Jeff Lynne – Guitar / Vocals, Bev Bevan – Drums, Richard Tandy – Keyboards, Mike De Albuquerque – Bass / Vocals, Mik Kaminski – Violin, Hugh McDowell – Cello and the late Mike Edwards also on Cello.

1974’s performance from Rockpalast, opens with the excellent contemporary rock instrumental ‘Daybreaker’ from the ‘On the Third Day’ release and starts the set well, but the audience seem totally subdued?
It’s almost as if they recorded say their sound-check as the song is greeted with nothing but silence!

The hit single ‘Showdown’ is next and sounds good although I see and hear now why bassist Mike De Albuquerque didn’t last too much longer with the band. I must say his backing vocals come across a little rough for what Jeff Lynne was trying to present with ELO. Again, the audience response here is next to non-existent.

Mik Kaminski gets to showcase his piece, ‘Orange Blossom Special’ which although starting sounding a little rough perhaps, soon warms up with the band backing him in a hoedown type performance, great fun!
A stronger version – than the Brunel one – of 'Ma-Ma-Ma Belle' is next and you can sense the band is moving forward.

What’s particularly great to see, is the way that the classically trained Hugh McDowell, Mik Kaminski and Mike Edwards get into rocking around the stage with their cellos and violin and don’t just sit there. I love it!
Shame that Jeff Lynne chose to drop that during the 80’s, as I always thought that surely that was what ELO was all about.

As on the Brunel live material, ‘In the Hall of the Mountain King’ follows 'Ma-Ma-Ma Belle' next in the set, with it’s eerie intro from Richard Tandy on keys, before the whole band dives in.
‘Great Balls of Fire’ again closes the set and there is slight applause evident …, but you almost wonder if it was simply down to the way the whole band was miked up with their performance that maybe didn’t catch the crowd?

For me, the real treat of this set was the truly excellent set the band plays on the third installment on this set, ‘Fusion – 1976,’ in support of the then current album ‘Face the Music.’ This line up also including a couple of changes in the more upfront performance and clearly a stronger vocal, by late bassist / vocalist with the band, Kelly Groucutt which allowed Jeff Lynne to let Groucutt take the lead vocals on a number of songs and also new cellist Melvyn Gale who was a much better shall we say ‘foil’ for Hugh McDowell as they both seemed to get more into the stage movement.
This performance was recorded in London’s New Victoria Theatre with a very welcoming crowd indeed.

This was a much more cohesive and strong band line up that went on the record the now classic ELO albums, after ‘Face the Music’ in ‘A New World Record’ and the huge seller ‘Out of the Blue,’ which although it contained the perhaps somewhat cheesy ‘Mr. Blue Sky’ also contained some killer songs and musical masterpieces.

Anyway, I’m getting off track here, the live performance here starts with the band kicking in with the excellent ‘Poker’ with lead vocals shared jointed with both Lynne and Groucutt and the band in top form!

‘Nightrider’ another excellent track is next and boy! What I’d give to see these songs performed by Jeff Lynne and as many of his old ELO band mates together again today! The song has such a strong vocal presentation and backed by a band that is completely in sync is just great.
Time to go back to a previous hit next in ‘Showdown’ which put simply sounds as good as it gets here!

Then ‘Eldorado Overture’ / ‘Can’t Get it Out of My Head,’ initially next shows the pure blend of classical and rock at it’s peak and then a sure sign of how Jeff Lynne was to start writing big hit singles in ‘Can’t Get it Out of My Head.’

It’s still a sound though that doesn’t say ‘sellout’ as perhaps his later material tended to say, not to say that it was ever really bad, which perhaps a few tracks off ‘Discovery,’ but again, that was all to come later. I’m enjoying this performance of the Electric Light Orchestra in their prime.

‘Poor Boy (The Greenwood)’ Jeff Lynne’s nod towards Robin Hood perhaps, a great song from the ‘Eldorado’ album, closely followed by my favorite track on that release, ‘Illusions in ‘G’ Major’ which rocks like a good ‘un!
To perhaps their best known pop ballad, introduced here by Bev Bevan, from that period next in ‘Strange Magic’ which was a classic in it’s own right, again showing the mans ability to write great songs in so many different styles, which of course started to draw comparisons and even claims of plagiarism of the way John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote in as the Beatles. I say if the guy had the talent to write in such a successful and well written way, good luck to him! How many of ELO’s songs really sounded like the Beatles? It really wasn’t that many.

Another song that did well in being brought up to date, even just from 1972 - where the whole orchestral sound then, was perhaps not so finely tuned / tweaked was given a new lease of life, when performed later live, here in 1976, was ‘10538 Overture’ even benefiting from the pace being picked up a little. No bad thing at all!

Next up is the excellent ‘Do Ya,’ a song Jeff Lynne first played in The Move and then it appeared on the album that followed this performance, ‘A New World Record.’ Great stuff!

Then it’s ‘Evil Woman,’ which is as classic an ELO song as you can get, before the band close the performance with ‘Ma-Ma-Ma Belle’ with the complete audience clapping as they kick it in.

A great set closer to be sure and as mentioned before Hugh McDowell on the cello, really starts getting the band into partying on stage on this extended version of the song and all of them appear to be loving it!
There’s also the bonus interview feature from the 1974 Rockpalast show.
It’s actually quite amusing in places, although very short.

Overall, this DVD is a mix in terms of quality, when you think of how slick Jeff Lynne got ELO to be, through albums that followed such as ‘Out of the Blue,’ ‘Time,’ ‘Secret Messages,’ ‘Balance of Power’ and the underrated ‘Zoom.’

I think ‘Discovery’ has some merits of it's own and I recognize that Jeff Lynne, the power behind and all that is ELO has wanted to experiment along the way and was trying to keep the band current. Sadly in the eyes of many people, most of the ELO audience, not to mention the media in general and any rock fans that might’ve previously given ELO a chance, took it as an opportunity to knock the band more. Shame …

This DVD shows where ELO got past their beginnings and were really starting to make things happen, even if not too slick with the Brunel performance here, the Fusion show certainly shows a great deal of the magic that put simply, WAS the Electric Light Orchestra.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Official site: www.elo.biz/
Official Fan site - More up to date: www.ftmusic.com/




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Friday, December 10, 2010

Rock News for Friday 10th December, 2010

HURTSMILE: The latest from Gary Cherone
and his band of “brothers” to release their debut album


HOLLYWOOD, CA (December 9, 2011) - Frontiers Records is excited to announce the release of HURTSMILE self-titled debut album on January 21, 2011 in Europe and February 8, 2011 in the US.

HURTSMILE is a new band featuring singer Gary Cherone (Extreme, Van Halen) who has teamed up with his brother Mark (Cherone) to write his most succinct record to date. The self-titled, HURTSMILE is a raw sonic sucker punch in the face! From the opening buzz saw riff of “Just War Theory” to the epic finale of ”Slave” and “Beyond The Garden/Kicking Against the Goads”, Gary continues to push and poke you in the ear with his lyrically provocative themes.

“Hurtsmile was a long time coming… I always wanted to write a record with my brother,” says Gary. "I'm a big fan of Mark’s song writing and his snarling guitar riffs." The timing was right as Extreme was in-between their touring and record cycle, leaving Gary the freedom. They recruited Joe Pessia (bass) an alumnus of Nuno Bettencourt’s Dramagods as well as the guitar player for Tantric. Joe also engineered, and co-produced the record with Gary. To round off the lineup they enlisted heavy hitter Dana Spellman on drums “It’s an east coast-Boston thing,” states Gary. “Mark, my brother, was in a band with Nuno’s brother… Joe was in Nuno’s band and Dana was a friend, and student of Mike Mangini (former Extreme drummer) … we like to keep it in the family.”

The lineup is not the only thing familiar with the band. In true Cherone fashion, the record is chock full of swaggering guitar, soaring vocals and the trademark Cherone eclecticism on tracks such as “Jesus Would You Meet Me”, the reggae-tinged “Just War Reprise” and the Dylanesq “The Murder of Daniel Faulkner (4699)”.
“Hurtsmile was about returning to my roots, writing a record in my basement, a straight up rock ‘n’ roll record… but it turned out to be more diverse and ambitious than I expected.”

Gary is no stranger to taking on intense topics, and Hurtsmile is no exception. The first half of the record is a group of more loosely knit songs such as the cynically inquisitive "Just War Theory", the limit's of free speech "Tolerance Song (edit)" and the disturbingly mesmerizing “Kaffur (Infidel)”, inspired by the beheading of Daniel Pearl.

The 2nd half of the record is more conceptually cohesive; an introspective look at the nature of man and the condition of the human heart. “Stillborn" introduced earlier, and "Set Me Free" both touch on mans inclination toward darkness, culminating with an epic journey from sin to salvation… "Slave" to "Beyond the Garden/Kicking Against the Goads".

For the most part both themes are represented as 2 sides of a record. A concept familiar to Extreme fans but make no mistake, whether reading between the lines or just moved by the visceral power of the music, this is a completely different type of record. Gary adds, "All the boys in the band have brought something new to the table, and you'll never know what hit you!"

“Hurtsmile” tracklisting includes:
Just War Theory; Stillborn; Love Thy Neighbor; Kaffur (Infidel); Painter Paint; Tolerance Song (Edit); Set Me Free; Jesus Would You Meet Me; Slave; Beyond The Garden / Kicking Against The Goads; Just War Reprise; The Murder Of Daniel Faulkner (4699).

The songs “Just War Theory” and “Love Thy Neighbor” can exclusively be listened in full in streaming on the Frontiers Web radio. Tune in at: www.frontiers.it/webradio


Hurtsmile is:
Gary Cherone – Vocals
Mark Cherone - Guitars
Joe Pessia - Bass, Mandolin
Dana Spellman – Drums, Percussion
Produced by Gary Cherone, Joe Pessia
www.myspace.com/hurtsmile - I think it's been a while since the band updated their MySpace (Before they signed a deal with Frontiers, by the looks of things!

Meantime, check out some soundbytes at

 
Mr. Big - What If... (Super Luxury Edition)


Yes, the album is not even out yet and there's a special, really special edition of the forthcoming 'What If ...' album from Mr. Big.

The BOX includes:
CD + DVD + LP + Poster (size 63x63cm), Lithograph of cover art (numbered, size 31.5x31.5cm), sticker logo art (size 12x12cm)

Tracklisting: Undertow; American Beauty; Stranger In My Life; Nobody Left to Blame; Still Ain’t Enough for Me; Once Upon a Time; As Far As I Can See; All The Way Up; I Won’t Get In My Way; Around The World; I Get The Feeling; Unforgiven (exclusive bonus track, not on vinyl edition).

DVD contents (NTSC Region free): Undertow (videoclip); All the Way Up (videoclip); The Making of the Record (documentary)

Mr. Big are back with their first Studio album in 14 years by the original members. The new album entitled “What If...”was produced by Kevin Shirley (Aerosmith, Rush, Iron Maiden). The album is set to be release in early 2011 on Frontiers Records and will be followed by a World Tour beginning in South America in March.
“What If...” is the follow up to 2009's highly successful, “Back To Budokan” CD/DVD which marked the bands triumphant return to Japan with a sold out show at legendary Budokan!

Formed in 1988, Mr. Big forged its place in hard rock history by combining trademark "shredding" musicianship with awesome vocal harmonies. The original line-up – vocalist Eric Martin, guitarist Paul Gilbert, bassist Billy Sheehan, and drummer Pat Torpey. Mr. Big produced numerous hit songs that ranged across a wide array of rock genres – be it ballads, heavy metal, or blues rock.

Their hits included "To Be With You" (Billboard Hot 100 number one single in 15 countries for weeks, in 1991, propelling the band the band to huge international success and record sales in the multi-millions), "Wild World", Green-Tinted sixties Mind", "Just Take My Heart", and a host of Heavy Metal songs that were played mostly during their live performances: "Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy", "Addicted to that Rush", "Colorado Bulldog", and "Take Cover".

Each of the members of Mr. Big is also a reputable virtuoso in the music industry. Billy Sheehan has won dozens of “Best Bass Player” awards in numerous magazines, including an unprecedented 14 years in a row from Player Magazine, Japan’s number-one music magazine. Paul Gilbert is recognized as one of the top guitarists of this generation. Aside from the tons of albums he released since his departure from Mr. Big, he frequently holds clinics and designs guitars for Ibanez.

Pat Torpey has been conducting clinics for Tama drums and has been releasing instructional albums as well.

MR BIG
Eric Martin – lead vocals
Paul Gilbert – guitar and vocals
Billy Sheehan – bass guitar and vocals
Pat Torpey – drums and vocals
Produced by Kevin Shirley

Don't forget to check out Frontiers online Radio, right here:
 

Introducing Kindred Saint!


OK, who are Kindred Saint say you, well here's the thing, they are a band made up of three family members, a father and two sons. Dennis Pawlak (Armor) - Lead / Backing vocals, Lead / Rhythm guitar and Bass, Jason Pawlak (Singer / Songwriter JACE - http://www.jacemusic.com/ - Has also written songs for Farcry and Goodbye Thrill) - and Trevor Pawlak - Lead / Rhythm Guitars and Backing vocals.

The music they play, is heavily influenced by 70's and 80's acts that have clearly influenced them, but more than that, they do sound great! They've written good songs and that's why I thought I'd bring them to your attention! 
Enough from me, here's their Biog!

Kindred Saint
Kindred Saint’s self titled debut is a collection of tunes penned by band founder Dennis Pawlak; joined by Trevor and Jason. Featuring dual lead vocals and stacked harmonies with driving rhythms that deliver more guitars than an ear can handle. The writing and production are influenced by the hard rock of the 70's and early 80's: Kiss, Night Ranger, Zeppelin, Grand Funk, Sammy Hagar, etc. From the layered harmonies of "Am I The One", and guitar saturated "Shotgun", through the hard driving "Be There Tonight", to the finale of "I'll Be Back, Someday (maybe)", Kindred Saint is solid hard rock.
Soundbytes of every track can be heard here: www.kindredsaint.com/music.htm

DREAM POLICE FEATURING CHEAP TRICK - SPECIAL GIGS


DREAM POLICE FEATURING CHEAP TRICK
Premieres at Milwaukee’s Northern Lights Theater at Potawatomi Bingo Casino
on January 20th with Select Dates Through February 26th.

New Event featuring The Rhythmic Noise Philharmonic Orchestra and Mind Choir in 4D in Collaboration with Butch Allen, Bello Nock and Jim Yukich.

More than thirty years after the release of the internationally acclaimed album Dream Police, Cheap Trick is staging a multi-date show featuring songs from the platinum record. The Rhythmic Noise Philharmonic Orchestra and Mind Choir will perform alongside these and other hits from Cheap Trick’s extensive catalog. The run kicks off January 20th, 2011 and includes 12 dates through February 26th.

For Dream Police, the band teamed up with sought after production designer Butch Allen (Paul McCartney, Metallica, No Doubt) and comic daredevil/producer Bello Nock. World-class video and film director and longtime Cheap Trick collaborator Jim Yukich also contributed.

“Dream Police was the first record where we felt the songs were well-suited for orchestration; that was a very expansive time for us musically,” says bassist Tom Petersson.

“Since then, we’ve been fortunate to work with several world-class orchestras – live and in the studio,” adds lead vocalist Robin Zander, “... and after 36 years together, our band is thrilled to have an opportunity to present our songs – both new and old – with an orchestra and a unique state-of-the-art production.”

The shows take place at Milwaukee’s recently renovated Northern Lights Theater at Potawatomi Bingo Casino, less than two hours away from Chicago. Retaining its intimate, up-close-and-personal atmosphere, the 500-seat theater ensures that there is not a bad seat in the house. The newly transformed, rich and modern space draws diverse internationally known musical and comedy acts with Dream Police being the premiere theatrical event in the venue.

Cheap Trick formed in the city of Rockford, IL in 1974. The multi-platinum band has sold over 20 million albums and had numerous hits including “Surrender,” “I Want You to Want Me” and “The Flame.”

TICKET INFORMATION:
Show Dates: Jan 20, 21, 28, 29 & Feb 4, 5, 11, 12, 18, 19, 25 & 26
Tickets go on sale Friday, December 10th.
Prices: $85, $75, and $65
Theater Box Office: (414) 847-7922
Ticketmaster: (800) 745-3000 - http://www.ticketmaster.com/
Official band website: www.cheaptrick.com/

Steve Lukather Holiday message

Steve Lukather has just posted a message to all his fans and friends out there:

"I want to send massive thanks to you all out there for the amazing year we have had with the new Record "Alls Well That Ends Well"' and the success of the tour. I am nothing without you guys and I am humbled by the love and support you have shown. I am coming back starting in NYC in January and will be ALL over the world thru all of 2011 and dates will be posted and many surprises as well. I will keep you posted!

I wish you and all your families the best Holiday season ever and may 2011 find peace, love, health and prosperity for all.

See ya on the road.
Oxox, Luke,
December 2010
 
Keep up with Luke at http://www.stevelukather.net/ and as more dates are added - Hopefully Toto in the US too! - you should be able to find them here:
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Thursday, December 9, 2010

Update for Thursday 9th December, 2010

Sorry folks, no new updates for Thursday, unless I get things finished early in the aftenoon ... Then I might get to something decent for you, but Wednesday night, I was just completely wiped out and couldn't get anything for you for today.
Stick with me folks there's a number of reviews coming anytime now, some DVD's reviews, CD reviews too, so they'll be some reading for you right there ... And yes, that big interview will be up very soon!
Hope your Thursday is a good one.
Cheers, Al :)
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Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Rock News for Wednesday 8th December, 2010

JUST IN TIME FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON, CANADIAN ROCK ROYALTY, TRIUMPH, HAS LAUNCHED ONLINE STORE AND BRAND NEW WEBSITE


The fans spoke and now they have gotten what they wanted. Canadian rock royalty has launched a brand new, completely overhauled website and online store, for all your Triumph needs!

The website will serve as both the band’s official website and as a community for Triumph’s devoted worldwide following.

The new site (whose URL will remain http://www.triumphmusic.com/) will feature streaming music, videos, classic interviews and memorabilia, as well as many other options for fans to learn the history behind one of Canada's greatest hard rocking bands.

Additionally by going to Triumph's new site, you'll be able to access the group's Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter pages, as well as the group's official YouTube page (comprised of kick-ass, vintage video clips), and the Triumph iLike page, where you can purchase downloads of Triumph music.

As the site content continues to grow, Triumph fans will be treated to exclusive free music downloads, a monthly newsletter, fan forum, and online store featuring rare merchandise bundles, including t-shirts, signed CDs, posters, videos, etc., among other goodies.

Right now, there are a total of four "bundles" for sale. There are three different bundles for the 'Greatest Hits' release (including a "digital bundle" , a "classic bundle" and a "deluxe bundle" ), as well as a "limited edition bundle" for the bands classic 1977 release, 'Rock and Roll Machine' (a release that celebrated its 33rd anniversary of release this past November).

On December 3, Frontier Records released, in Europe only, official reissues of Triumph's ten classic albums, in digipak version and with the original track listings.

These albums include 'In The Beginning' (1976), 'Rock and Roll Machine' (1977), 'Just a Game' (1979), 'Progressions of Power' (1980), 'Allied Forces' (1981), 'Never Surrender' (1983), 'Thunder Seven' (1984), 'Stages (Live)' (1985), 'The Sport of Kings' (1986), and 'Surveillance' (1987).

The CDs have been remastered and have an extensive booklet including lyrics. For the serious Triumph fan, Frontiers has released, also in Europe only, a very limited edition collector’s Box Set, entitled 'Diamond Collection,' which will include all the 10 albums in vinyl replica, featuring the artwork from the original vinyl editions of the albums.


By special arrangement, the Triumph online store has imported 300 Box Sets that are available for sale in North America. The Box Sets are numbered and will not be sold anywhere else.

Keep an eye on http://www.triumphmusic.com/ and visit it frequently, as you never know what surprises, exclusive content, and sales may lay in store for you.
And always remember ... FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT!

About TRIUMPH
Formed in 1975, TRIUMPH (whose classic line-up comprised of guitarist / vocalist Rik Emmett, bassist / keyboardist Mike Levine, and drummer / vocalist Gil Moore) continues to be one of the most successful rock acts of the 70’s and 80’s, selling out arenas and stadiums all across North America.

The power trio from Toronto toured relentlessly, selling over fifteen million albums worldwide in the process, and penning such all-time great arena anthems as “Rock ‘n Roll Machine,” "Hold On," "Magic Power," "Lay It on the Line," "Fight the Good Fight," "Allied Forces," “Never Surrender,” “Spellbound” and “I Live for the Weekend.”

Always purveyors of positive messages in their music, which continues to be a staple at Rock Radio, TRIUMPH headlined on some of the largest festivals of the era, including the 1983 US Festival in California in front of a throng of 500,000 screaming fans.

TRIUMPH was inducted into the Canadian Music and Broadcast Industry Hall of Fame in 2007 and into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2008, and the group reunited for 2 show-stopping performances at the Sweden Rock Festival and the Rocklahoma Festival in 2008.

Most recently, their 1979 hit “Lay it on the Line” from the Greatest Hits Remixed package was featured in the summer blockbuster “Grown Ups” (starring Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, and David Spade).

Robin Trower has a 'Playful Heart' he wants to share


Robin Trower is a celebrated guitar virtuoso who continues to create new music and expand his musical portfolio. Robin’s body of work ranges from the recently remastered, “Twice Removed From Yesterday” through "Bridge of Sighs" recognized by many as a groundbreaking collection, right up through 2010’s “The Playful Heart”.This catalog demonstrates not only his mastery of the instrument, but also a continuing determination to reach outside his comfort zone.
Influenced early by Scotty Moore, Hubert Sumlin, B B and Albert King, and of course, Jimi Hendrix, Robin has spent four decades refining his approach to the guitar. Today, his Fender Stratocaster and Marshall amplification combined with the vibrato touch of his hands and a couple of Fulltone effects, create aninstantly recognizable tone that is uniquely Robin Trower.

Robin’s songwriting began when he was a member of Procol Harum, and his collaborative efforts with his original vocalist, James Dewar are at the heart of his writing. Since Jimmy’s passing Robin’s poetry has become both more intensely personal, and interpretable. The lyrics on “The Playful Heart” demonstrate this exceptionally well.

Recent releases include the exhilarating 2008 live set “RT@RO.08”, 2009’s “What Lies Beneath” and now “The Playful Heart”. In these CDs Robin exhibits his ability to draw in new fans but hold true to what his loyal following loves so much, superb guitar playing, signature tone and creative songwriting which combined convey the power of Trower.

“The Playful Heart” was recorded in a small studio in England, with touring bandmates Davey Pattison on vocals, Glenn Letsch on bass and Pete Thompson on drums. It was produced by Livingstone Brown, who has collaborated with Robin on several previous collections, and once again captures the full-spectrum sound. The eleven songs reveal Robin’s introspective side, and the entire CD is full of tasty guitar parts, which point up the intensely personal lyrics.

It is, however, in concert that Robin Trower truly comes alive. Perpetual favorites “Bridge of Sighs", "Day Of The Eagle" "Too Rolling Stoned", "Shame The Devil", "Daydream", and "Long Misty Days" from the five Certified gold releases from 1973-1977, are staples in the live show. Each of these songs is revitalized by Trower’s inspired soloing, so that old friends become new again at each performance. Many fans attend more than one show on each tour, confident that Robin will not repeat “safe” solos, but will remap the emotional territory each night. In the current set three songs from “The Playful Heart” get their initial public airing. The European fans approved and Robin's US audience has seen previews on YouTube of the great performances to come.

The latest information has the band rehearsing several other songs that have never been seen live before.

There will be two legs on the 2011 tour. The first opens in Florida crosses Texas and turns right at California, to end in Seattle, the second begins in the heartland heads north and East to end in New England. For current information on tour dates please visit www.trowerpower.com/tours

This tour will be recorded for DVD release in early 2012.

Status Quo - various updates and competitions!


WIN TICKETS, MEET THE BAND, AND MORE!!!

Universal Music are giving Status Quo fans the chance to WIN tickets, MEET the band and MANY more prizes on offer for the 'Quid Pro Quo tour' this Xmas. You can enter the competition by clicking on the link below.


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FRANCIS ROSSI SOLO TOUR 2011

Quo lead man Francis Rossi will go on a 7-date solo tour of the UK in February next year. Tickets are on sale now from Live Nation ( http://www.livenation.co.uk/artist/francis-rossi-tickets). Also that month, ‘Live At St Luke’s’ (filmed earlier this year) will be released as a live album and DVD.

Unfortunately, German dates scheduled for February have been cancelled due to RECORDING OF THE FORTHCOMING STATUS QUO STUDIO ALBUM being brought forward.
The following are the tour dates that are going ahead.

February 2011
Tues 1 Birmingham Town Hall
Weds 2 Salford Lowry
Thurs 3 Glasgow O2 ABC
Sat 5 Oxford O2 Academy
Sun 6 Brighton Corn Exchange
Mon 7 Norwich Waterfront
Tues 8 London O2 Shepherds Bush Empire
Tickets are priced at £19.50 regional and £25 London [booking fees may apply]
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HANDWRITTEN LYRICS AUCTION

PRS for Music, the organisation that collects and pays royalties to its 75,000 songwriting and composing members, are holding an auction of handwritten lyrics by some of the world's greatest songwriting talent in a bid to raise money for the Teenage Cancer Trust.
Sir Paul McCartney, Gary Barlow, Brian May, Sting, Quo and Annie Lennox are among 27 songwriters who have contributed.

Included are the original handwritten lyrics for Down Down and Rain.

The 'art of the song' auction will be held at Bonhams Knightsbridge at 2pm on December 15th as part of the Entertainment & Memorabilia auction.


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MATT REACHES HIS PEAK

Quo drummer Matt Letley climbed Mount Snowdon for the 100th time before Quo’s gig in Warrington last month, but not only that, it was his second time that day!

Read all about it in his new blog at www.mattletley.com/

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ALAN LANCASTER

Quo’s former bass player Alan Lancaster has recently set up his own page on Facebook, and made available songs that were recorded by Quo but went unused.

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MERRY XMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Season's greetings and best of luck to all you Quo fans out there over the coming month. See you all in 2011!!!

Other brief item updates ...

Looks like Journey will be playing some US dates in February 2011, with two dates confirmed at the moment:
02/23/11 - Las Vegas, NV - Planet Hollywood
02/25/11 - Reno, NV - Reno Events Center

April Wine will be playing a few shows in Canada in January and February 2011:
 January 2011
Jan 21/11 - Granada Theatre - Sherbrooke, QC
Jan 26/11 - Centre Cultural De Boloeil - Beloel, QC
Jan 27/11 - Theatre Lionel Grouix - Sainte-Therese, QC
Jan 28/11 - Hector-Charland - L'Assomption, QC
Jan 29/11 - The Colosseum at Caesars - Windsor, ON
February 2011
Feb 04/11 - ROI - Oshawa, ON
Feb 05/11 - Blue Water Park - Wiarton, ON
Feb 18/11 - Bronson Centre - Ottawa, ON
Feb 19/11 - Higher Ground - Burlington, VT
For more details on these and other dates: www.aprilwine.ca/tourdates.php


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Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Rock News Update - Tuesday 7th December, 2010

I know, looks like I'm slacking again ....
Much going on right now, as I'm sure everyone has with the big "C" right around the corner and the day job is burying me more and more with business travel and heavy going days!
Roll on the weekend say I ...., yes, I know it's only Tuesday! LOL!

Stick with me folks, hope to get more on the site soon ....
Thanks for your patience and understanding music lovers!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
JUDAS PRIEST ANNOUNCE FAREWELL TOUR!


After storming the world for nearly 40 years and taking their very special brand of heavy metal to all four corners of the planet, JUDAS PRIEST -one of the most influential heavy metal bands of all time, have announced this will be their final world tour!!

However, the mighty PRIEST will certainly be going out strong as they rock the planet starting in 2011 on the massive EPITAPH tour - hitting all the major cities throughout the world they will be playing the songs that helped make the name JUDAS PRIEST synonymous with heavy metal!

With all guns blazing and amps cranked to eleven, the band will be giving all their fans one last chance to witness the ultimate metal experience that is JUDAS PRIEST!

JUDAS PRIEST will be starting their world tour in Europe - we have just confirmed the following festivals for 2011:

9th June
Sweden Rock Festival, Sweden

11th June
Sauna Festival, Finland

17th June
Copenhell Festival, Copenhagen, Denmark

19th June
Hellfest, Nantes, France

22nd June
Gods of Metal Festival, Milan, Italy

25th June
Graspop Festival, Belgium

23rd July
HIgh Voltage Festival, London, UK

5th August
Wacken Festival, Germany
 
Stay tuned as we announce more dates - information will be forthcoming soon - so start getting prepared to rock one final time with the incomparable JUDAS PRIEST!!
Fore more information, visit http://www.judaspriest.com/


HIGH VOLTAGE 2011 ON SALE TUESDAY 7TH DECEMBER
 
UK rock fans can indeed look forward to yet another 'High Voltage' rock festival in 2011, which is surprising considering the financial backers of this past years event, HMVapparently lost big money at the event ... Makes you wonder, eh?

Here's the HMV story:

Meanwhile, this announcement from the festival website:


Hello Everyone,

Here is some good news to blow away those winter blues…
Thanks for your patience and support over the months since High Voltage 2010, we hoped you enjoyed the weekend as much as we did.

Many thanks for the overwhelming response to our customer survey, as we’ve said from the start High Voltage is a festival ‘Custom built by rock fans, for rock fans’, so we’ve listened and tried to take on board as many of your requests as possible.

We have brought the ticket price inline with other UK rock festivals
There is going be a big and never ending selection of real ales.

You loved the selection of food available – 2011 will have the same commitment to quality and choice.
Merchandise sales exceeded our expectations this year – in 2011 we will be prepared to meet demand on size and designs.

We will bring you another high quality line up of the best in rock and prog rock – all your artist suggestions are helping us build the line up you want to see.

These are just some of the changes we are making in preparation for High Voltage 2011, there are many more following your feedback that we will be working on.

In the meantime please watch this teaser video for HIGH VOLTAGE FESTIVAL 2011.

Sorry the blog site cuts the size of video player (Sucks!), click on the link (Above) to go to the official site of the video. 

We look forward to seeing you next year
Big thanks from the High Voltage Team
Also watch Classic Rock Magazine at 10am GMT:

High Voltage 2011 is Judas Priest’s UK Farewell Festival show

Judas Priest are one of the true classic heavy metal bands, who for three decades have travelled the world putting on spectacular stage shows and thrilling audiences worldwide. They have been making music that over the years has influenced many (including such bands as Metallica and Pantera) and have sold over 30 million albums worldwide. They are a band who have shaped the music of generations with such landmark, genre defining albums as “British Steel”, “Painkiller” and “Screaming For Vengeance”.
Thirty one years after Judas Priest sealed their reputation as one of the world’s great festival acts with their legendary performance at the inaugural Monsters Of Rock event, the band have chosen High Voltage – the UK home of classic rock and metal – as the stage for their final festival show ever in the UK.

High Voltage will be a 2011 UK festival performance exclusive for the band

Dream Theater are one of the world’s leading progressive metal bands. In a 25-year career, they have sold over 10 million albums worldwide. Their most recent album, 2009’s critically acclaimed Black Clouds & Silver Linings, reached number six on the Billboard chart in the band’s native US, and went top ten in eight European countries.
Dream Theater’s headlining appearance at High Voltage 2011 will mark the first UK performance of their new line-up following the departure of drummer and founding member Mike Portnoy.

Yes announce plans to play UK Tour in November 2011

Not a whole lot of detail on this from Yes as yet, although Pollstar.com claim a new album will be released in the summer 2011 on the Frontiers label:

As of now, the band's official site, simply says this and announces the dates:

UK Tour - Winter 2011
December 3, 2010 - Tickets are now on sale for UK appearances in late 2011. Dates are listed below, and tickets can be purchased at the Ticket Factory:

November 2011
Tues 8 Cambridge Corn Exchange
Wed 9 Sheffield City Hall
Fri 11 Birmingham Symphony
Sat 12 Clyde Auditorium
Sun 13 Manchester Apollo
Tue 15 Brighton Dome
Wed 16 Bristol Colston Hall
Thu 17 London Hammersmith Apollo

RUSH TO FILM CLEVELAND 2011 PERFORMANCE

As a tribute to the US city that first played their music, Rush confirms that the Cleveland performance of their Time Machine show on April 15th at the Quicken Loans Arena will be filmed for full-length release. Cleveland is remarkable for being one of the very first US cities where the band performed, in addition to being the first city to provide American airplay. This will be a must-see event for Rush fans in Cleveland – and for everyone able to make the road trip as it is will also mark the first live full-length filming on US soil.

Tickets for Cleveland go on sale on Saturday, December 11th with pre-sales for Rush fan-club and CITI cardmembers beginning December 7th.
Shows for Ft Lauderdale, Greensboro, Nashville, Louisville, Toledo, New York, Chicago, Cleveland, Hamilton and Montreal all go on-sale this week. Visit the tour section for all the details!
Official band website: http://www.rush.com/

Thin Lizzy with FM Live in London January 2011
Just a brief plug, because I love both Thin Lizzy and FM and simply because I think the flyer looks great! :)


For more details on both bands go to:
and

ZZ Top going down under!

Nothing on the bands official site at this time, but it seems Pollstar.com are laying claim that ZZ Top are to play shows down under in April 2011.
Dates at this time are:

April 2011:
Mon 04/18/11 West Melbourne, Australia Festival Hall
Wed 04/20/11 Newcastle, Australia Newcastle Entertainment Centre
Mon 04/25/11 Wollongong, Australia Win Entertainment Centre
Wed 04/27/11 Newtown, Australia Enmore Theatre
Thu 04/28/11 Newtown, Australia Enmore Theatre

Official band site (Kind of quiet for a while ...): www.zztop.com/

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Saturday, December 4, 2010

Rock News for Saturday 4th December, 2010

Yes, I'm back folks!
With snow in so many places now welcome to Winter eh?!
It seems most of the updates I really have for come from artists with their Christmas newsletters or general messages, to us rock fans.
Anyway, no chance to get to the site yesterday, apologies for that, so that means for now I'm playing catch up right now, so here we go!


Frontiers Records announces the new North American distributor

Frontiers Records is proud to announce the signing of a new Distribution Agreement for its label products with EMI Music Distribution in North America.

The new Agreement will be effective from January 1st 2011 and marks a “huge step forward in the label’s expansion strategy” – as stated by Frontiers President, Serafino Perugino.

EMI Music will distribute physical product from Frontiers Records in the United States of America and Canada. Plans are already underway to expand the territorial areas of partnership.

"We are happy that Frontiers Records have chosen us to partner with to release some of the greatest rock bands of all time - on their label you will find greats such as Whitesnake, Asia and Yes” said EMI’s Executive VP / General Manager Mike Harris. “True classic rock artists that have sold millions of records worldwide. We look forward to a very rewarding relationship and know we will see true success in 2011."

Frontiers has recently announced the new partnership with Derek Shulman and 2Plus Music Entertainment who will oversee the label development and marketing over the North American market in conjunction with the EMI team in New York. Shulman said: “Our friends at EMI are all real music enthusiasts and we are looking forward to a long and fruitful relationship with them. The North American Frontiers team is gearing up for the first quarter release, which includes new music from Mr. Big, Nelson and Whitesnake”.

The first releases which will be distributed with the new set up in January 2011 will be the recent YOSO debut “Elements”, the ALLEN LANDE hit album “The Showdown”, along with NELSON’s recent comeback “Lightning Strikes Twice” and MR. BIG forthcoming “What If…”. The first quarter release plan shall be officially announced shortly.

Pictured L to R: Mike Harris, Serafino Perugino, Derek Shulman, Mario de Riso, Sid McCain at EMI's Head Office - NY

Frontiers Records is pleased to announce ....
John Waite - Rough and Tumble
Released on January 21st, 2011


Three decades have passed since a restless, wild-eyed teenager from northwest England first packed his bags for London to pursue his passion for music, and though he has enjoyed formidably staying power, chart-topping records and sold-out concerts around the world, John Waite’s hunger has never diminished – it has simply become something much more complex.

The turn of the page to 2011 finds the ever-evolving British singer/songwriter preparing the release of “Rough and Tumble”, John Waite’s anticipated new studio album recorded partly in Nashville and recently wrapped up in Los Angeles with the members of his touring band.

Waite says. “As much as the live album released last may was a defining moment and as much as I enjoyed playing those songs, I consider this album as a new beginning.” Waite is referring specifically to the sweet pocket of creativity he enjoyed with Matchbox 20 lead guitarist/songwriter Kyle Cook.
The two wrote plenty of fresh new music for “Rough and Tumble”.

“It’s pretty much extraordinary,” Waite says of the material he created with Cook, who he met through a mutual friend. “It’s not like what people would expect from me. It’s a step to the left. There’s a rock imprint on the music and a melodic presence, but it’s just shifted gears. It has an identity and a philosophy of its own, which is really fresh for me.”

The collaboration has proved to be nothing short of phenomenal, and songs like “Evil” (a thumping rocker-meets-dance-club tour de force), “Better Off Gone” (a hook-laced better-off-on-the-open-road anthem), “Love’s Goin’ Out of Style” and the magic ballad “If You Ever Get Lonely”. “I’m not saying it’s high art, but genuinely speaking, it’s fantastic for me,” Waite says, reflecting on his new music. “I certainly am interested in spending the rest of my life doing something creative rather than just living in the past”. This eclectic collection of brand new music, Waite’s first studio album since 2007’s “Downtown…Journey of Heart”, is set for a January 2011 release in Europe on Frontiers Records.

PRODUCED BY JOHN WAITE
* PRODUCED BY KYLE COOK, DAVID THOENER & JOHN WAITE
+ PRODUCED BY KYLE COOK & JOHN WAITE

MUSICIANS:
John Waite – Vocals
Luis Maldonado – Electric & Acoustic Guitar on “Rough & Tumble,” “Shadows Of Love,” “Skyward,” “Sweet Rhode Island Red,” “Mr. Wonderful”
Tim Hogan – Low End on “Rough & Tumble,” “Shadows Of Love,” “Skyward,” “Sweet Rhode Island Red,” “Mr. Wonderful,” “Further The Sky”
Billy Wilkes – Drums/Percussion on “Rough & Tumble,” “Shadows Of Love,” “Skyward,” “Sweet Rhode Island Red,” “Mr. Wonderful”
Kyle Cook – Electric & Acoustic Guitar, Programming & Harmony Vocals on “Evil,” “If You Ever Get Lonely,” “Love’s Goin’ Out of Style,” “Better Off Gone,” “Peace of Mind”; Keys on “Evil”; “If You Ever Get Lonely” & “Love’s Goin’ Out Of Style”
David Santos – Low End on “If You Ever Get Lonely,” “Love’s Goin’ Out of Style,” “Better Off Gone,” “Peace of Mind”
Mike Webb – Hammond B3 on “Shadows of Love,” “Skyward,” “Sweet Rhode Island Red,” “Further The Sky”
Fred Eltringham – Drums/Percussion on “If You Ever Get Lonely,” “Love’s Goin’ Out of Style,” “Better Off Gone,” “Peace of Mind”
Shane Fontayne – Electric & Acoustic Guitar on “Further The Sky,” Acoustic & Baritone Guitar on “Hanging Tree”
Rodger Carter – Drums/Percussion on “Further The Sky”
Bobby Keys – Saxophone on “Love’s Goin’ Out of Style”
Jennifer Paige – Background Vocals on “If You Ever Get Lonely” & “Better Off Gone”


Whitesnake Message for Christmas - The Holiday Season Is Upon Us!


So here's an update from David Coverdales Whitesnake camp.
As we come to the end of yet another action packed, fun-filled year together and prepare ourselves for the March release of our new studio album, some other highly anticipated bits and pieces and of course, our return to touring the World's stages so we can continue Preaching The Good Gospel Of The Snake 2011... once again with some fab new music and a couple of new, exceptional Whitesnake Warriors at our side, Michael Devin and Brian Tichy, whom Doug (Aldrich), Reb (Beach) and I are tres, tres, tres excited to introduce to you, I cannot help but reflect on how amazing our journey together has been thro so many years... and indeed, God Willing, will continue, with us going down so many roads together next year and the next, ad infinitum...


The company of Good Friends... Olde and New... the Much Loved and Celebrated Whitesnake Choir... ( I promise we have some splendid new anthems for you to singalongawhitesnake!!! )

So, it is, with the sound of festive Christmas carols, an occasional distant yodel, fueled no doubt by ample amounts of the good stuff, echoing thro my home at Lake Tahoe, I take this opportunity to sincerely wish You and Yours a wonderful, magical Christmas, from me and mine... and remember... do not get your nuts too close to the fire...

Christmas Love & LIGHT...
Your Obedient Serpent

David Coverdale
Dec 2010
Lake Tahoe

Rik Emmett December 2010 Newsletter


DECEMBER 2010

Best of the season to you, folks. Rik Emmett Newsletter time! ...
This is always a busy and stressful period of the year for everyone, so I won't drag this out, and I'll let you get back to your shopping / partying / caroling / humbugging / contemplations of peace and love, etc., asap.

Quickly: the P.R.O. 2010 tour wrapped up with a gig at Koerner Hall in Toronto, then a xmas charity show out in Ajax last week, and it all felt very fitting and fulfilling. There will be another run of dates in Quebec at the end of February and the beginning of March 2011 (and in particular a gig in Kingston, Feb. 28, that has a charity tie-in, so we'll be promoting that one with gusto over the next few months) - then we're out to Alberta at the very end of March ... So a chapter barely closes and another one begins ...

Same for the Troubs: Dave Dunlop and I had a lot of fun doing a very private affair in Burlington, Ontario last night, and we'd had a really successful run through Cambridge, Philly and New York the week before that, so we're full of ourselves and eager to try some new things together. But Dave and I will close out the year with an orchestra show in St. Catharines Ontario Dec. 3, where I'll play my "Guitar Heroes" set of classic electric rock with the Niagara Symphony Orchestra - which will finish the gigging year for me. (And not a moment too soon, considering the college term will be drawing to a close, with an avalanche of marking and grading to do ... )

Just in case you folks don't visit the website's Network forum, you might be interested to know that I've acquired two new electric guitars for my 'harem' - a beautiful used Gibson CS-356, which I've named 'Ruby', and a white Fender Stratocaster which I've imaginatively dubbed 'Becky'. My wife allows me these small affairs without jealousy, and seems glad that my obsession is not with, ohhhhhh, European sports cars that cost six figures. ;-)

I'm getting together with Mike (Levine) and Gil (Moore) to toast the season (it's a new tradition), and my wife and I are committed to some parties before Xmas. As is the custom we will be having our extended nuclear family over for Xmas Eve, and then a much more private and quiet Xmas Day, as our brood go off to spend THAT day with the families of their Significant Others. BTW - there seems to be a lot more efficiency to Xmas shopping nowadays, since the advent of email means the sharing of family Wish Lists occurs before the U.S. Thanksgiving weekend hits.

Since I won't be bugging you again until the New Year, please allow me to wish you and your families the happiest of holidays, and I'd like to take the opportunity to thank you all again, so very much, for the support you've shown throughout 2010. It has been (astonishingly) one of the most successful years of my long & checkered career, rich with facets of a professional life (PRO, Troubs, band gigs, orchestra shows, teaching gigs .... website and indie label to run, endorsements, blogs ... ) that keeps me hopping, and my head filled with repertoire that confounds a 57 yr. old brain (I mean - how many different arrangements of "Lay It On The Line" can one human being attempt to hold in their memory?). But I'm not complaining or protesting - I am delighted by the challenge, and I can't help but get an anticipatory tingle that 2011 could prove to be even more fun, as "Marco" FINALLY makes it to the public (by the time you read this, a few tiny tasty Sneak Preview guitar pieces should be making themselves available through the social media sites and http://www.rikemmett.com/) and I have a few more tricks up my sleeve, so stay tuned.

Merry Christmas to all, and Happy New Year, all the way along The Network, and across the digital highways. May your holiday season be filled with good health, happiness, love, and the profound joy of good music.

Cheers, peace and love,
Rik 

Rik will also be playing a few shows here and there with just one in December this year, then he'll be doing more starting in February 2011. Check his live show updates right here: www.rikemmett.com/shows/

Rik also included a very interesting question / answer piece in this months newsletter that I thought was well worth sharing, here you go - Sorry for perhaps making this much more lengthy for you folks to read, but if you're a trivia freak like me, I hope you'll love this too:

RIK EMMETT QUESTION OF THE MONTH

Each month, a new question (and answer from Rik) is selected from the questions that appear on the Network Members Messageboard at http://www.rikemmett.com/. There are usually 8 to 10 questions (or more) posted each month, with interesting, enlightening, and often humorous responses. Craig brings us this month's question:
Craig writes:

Hey Rik,

I've been listening to 'Just a Game' recently. It's the first time in a long time.

I forgot how much I love the song Just a Game. I think it was ahead of its time for a Triumph tune, and I think it easily could've been on the Thunder 7 album next to songs like Rock Out, Roll On, and Stranger in a Strange Land, and wouldn't have seemed out of place. Actually it would've been cool to hear it as the band's abilities, and recording technologies had progressed. Those types of songs were always my favorite Triumph tunes, because to me, I couldn't really put them in a category, because I think they were hybrids. Sure they were rock, but there was a lot of other stuff going on there that made them unconventional.

Now the questions. 1) I listened closely to the background vocals on those tunes, and couldn't really pick out your voice or Gil's voice on some of them. Did you guys hire backup singers for some of those tunes? 2) I wondered if you guys caught any flack because you were a Canadian band saying that you wanted American Girls? To me, and I'm sure 99.9% of the listeners, it was just a song, but there's always that .
1% that will make a stink.

Thanks!
Craig

-----------------
Rik's reply:

Yes - female bg singers. Elaine Overholt [went on to fame as the vocal coach for Richard Gere and Rene Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones in Chicago, and other Hollywood stuff], and Colina Phillips. They probably overdubbed their own harmonies on a few things, and probably doubled every part (although I might not have this exactly right, because this was back in the day of a 24 track 2 inch master).

No - no flack for American Girls from the pov of dissing the loveliness of homegrown beauty ... The only thing was, a song lyric like this was likely the kind of thing that made critics hate us for seeming shallow and contrived ... since we had bumped up on the Canadian radar for being an act that had made successful inroads into the U.S. market, and now here was a shallow kind of horny teenager song about chasing chicks --- but of course, Gil really liked the old school rock and roll songs of Chuck Berry, and the horny riffing of stuff like ZZ Top's Tush - and there's no denying that songs like, ohhh, the Beach Boys' California Girls, or the Beatles 'Back in the USSR' had created a category of rock and roll song that worked. This post of yours points up something about Triumph that made it both loved and hated, a kind of schizoid nature of the band, that probably contributed to its appeal, its loathing by critics, and to its eventual break-up.

Some people love diversity in their preferred musical acts. Some people have narrower visions of what constitutes 'good' music. If a solo artist has a wide range of musical ambition, it goes down easier with a critical community, because the single source automatically defines the range as personal, considered, weighed choices. But with bands, the chemistry changes. Critics generally want a band to adhere to some kind of shared 'team' ethic, and image, and fulfill their destiny within the confines of that 'market' demographic. Bands with a single front man / singer generally are better loved.

Triumph was a band that had Rik and Gil - two very different musicians/writers. But it was also a band that had the largest degree of its success based on being a live touring rock and roll machine with a big show. And while it went into the studio and recorded 'Rik' songs like Just a Game, or Suitcase Blues it also went out on to concert stages and blasted riff rock songs like American Girls, which worked great out on tour. Critics hated the diversity - to them, it made us seem shallow and contrived. For us, for about a decade, it was simply the nature of our particular beast. Once the record company began to insist on getting pop product that had hit singles, whatever organic balance we had within the act got damaged beyond repair.
Cheers,
r.
=============================
Rik has answered many more questions in addition to the one posted above. To submit a question to Rik on the messageboard, please visit http://www.rikemmett.com/ for additional information on joining the Network.


Two New Books by author Greg Prato...
MTV Ruled The World: The Early Years Of Music Video
and
The Eric Carr Story

As the author of such books as, 'Grunge is Dead: The Oral History of Seattle Rock Music,' 'Touched By Magic: The Tommy Bolin Story,' and 'A Devil on One Shoulder and an Angel on the Other: The Story of Shannon Hoon and Blind Melon,' Greg Prato has two new titles that are now available for purchase.

The first, 'MTV Ruled the World: The Early Years of Music Video,' is the first-ever book to focus solely on the channel's important building-block years, specifically from the MTV's launch to when its original group of VJs left the channel. Comprised of over 70 all-new interviews ("Weird Al" Yankovic, Daryl Hall, John Oates, Joe Elliott, Phil Collen, Rob Halford, Stewart Copeland, Rick Springfield, Jerry Casale, Geddy Lee, Ann Wilson, Chuck D, Alan Hunter, Nina Blackwood, etc.), the book is not only an eye-opening account of the early years of MTV and the stories behind its biggest videos, but also of the music industry, important music developments/events, and the "Big '80s" in general.


The second, 'The Eric Carr Story,' is the first-ever book to tell the life story of Kiss drummer Eric Carr. Comprised of all-new interviews, the book also doubles as a study of 1980's era Kiss. You'll find insight into all of Kiss' albums that featured Carr (from producers Bob Ezrin, Michael James Jackson, and Ron Nevison), as well as those closest to him (sister Loretta Caravello, girlfriend Carrie Stevens, Kiss guitarist Bruce Kulick), and music-related friends (Eddie Trunk, Dream Theater's Mike Portnoy, Anthrax's Charlie Benante). Also included is one of the last-ever interviews conducted with Kiss' original manager, Bill Aucoin, and for the first time ever, Kiss fans will be able to learn what the real story line to Kiss' controversial release '(Music From) The Elder' was all about (thanks to an explanation from Ezrin).

With both the 30 year anniversary of MTV's launch (August 1, 1981) and the 20 year anniversary of Eric Carr's passing (November 24, 1991) approaching in 2011, what better way to celebrate both subjects than with all-new books? Both books are set up in an "oral history" format (in other words, you're getting the story straight from the source) and are chock-full of rarely seen (or in many cases, never-before-seen) photographs.

The MTV book is 427 pages long and priced at $24.99 (ISBN # 978-0-578-07197-8), while the Eric Carr book is 256 pages long and priced at $19.99 (ISBN # 978-0-578-07424-5). Both books will make perfect gifts this holiday season for rock music fans worldwide. For ordering information and to view samples from each book before purchasing, visit the following links...

Rainbow's Down To Earth album to be reissued as two disc set


UK rock magazine, Classic Rock is claiming that the first Rainbow album released after Ronnie James Dio left the band, 'Down to Earth' which featured Graham Bonnet, Cozy Powell(RIP), Roger Glover, Don Airey and of course, Ritchie Blackmore, is to be reissued as a two disc set.

Not 100% sure where they have their information from, as I did a search through the Deep Purple sites and Rainbow locations too, including Mr. Blackmore's site and see no mention of it?
Even Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk aren't really forthcoming on information either, although Amazon.co.uk does reflect a 'Down to Earth' Deluxe edition, released in 2010 but that is a Japanese import, with no more information on it except that it is two discs and it's a Japanese import ...

Anyway, Classic Rock claim that the two disc tracklisting will contain different versions of the songs on the original album, two b-sides tracks from singles and two previously unreleased tracks - One of which has two versions?
Here's the tracklisting, courtesy of http://www.classicrockmagazine.com/

CD 1
1. All Night Long
2. Eyes Of The World
3. No Time To Lose
4. Makin’ Love
5. Since You Been Gone
6. Love’s No Friend
7. Danger Zone
8. Lost In Hollywood
9. Bad Girl (seven inch single B-side)
10. Weiss Heim (seven inch single B-side)

CD2
1. All Night Long (instrumental outtake)
2. Eyes Of The World (instrumental outtake)
3. Spark Don’t Mean A Fire
4. Makin’ Love (instrumental outtake)
5. Since You Been Gone (instrumental outtake)
6. Ain’t A Lot Of Love In The Heart Of Me
7. Danger Zone (instrumental outtake)
8. Lost In Hollywood (instrumental outtake)
9. Bad Girls (instrumental outtake)
10. Ain’t A Lot Of Love In The Heart
11. Eyes Of The World (instrumental outtake – take two)
12. All Night Long (Cozy Powell mix)

For confirmation of this information at Classic Rock magazine go here:

Bryan Adams announces more 'Bare Bones' tour dates


Canadian groover from Vancouver, Bryan Adams has announced a bunch of new acoustic 'Bare Bones' gig in conjunctions with his album release of the same name.
Dates currently confirmed, starting tonight Sat. December 4th in Jackson, Michigan are as follows:

December 2010
Sat 12/04/10 Jackson, MI Potter Center
Sun 12/05/10 Saginaw, MI Temple Theatre
Mon 12/06/10 Grand Rapids, MI DeVos Performance Hall
Tue 12/07/10 Green Bay, WI Weidner Center For The Perf. Arts
Mon 12/13/10 Damascus, Syria Congress Hall
Tue 12/14/10 Beirut, Lebanon TBA
Thu 12/16/10 Doha, Qatar Cultural Center
Fri 12/17/10 Dubai, United Arab Emirates World Trade Center
Sat 12/18/10 Muscat, Oman Muscat Hotel International

January 2011Thu 01/13/11 London, United Kingdom HMV Hammersmith Apollo - Appearing at "A Concert For Killing Cancer" with The Who

Sun 01/23/11 Trenton, NJ Patriots Theater At War Memorial
Mon 01/24/11 Troy, NY Troy Savings Bank Music Hall
Tue 01/25/11 Ithaca, NY State Theatre
Wed 01/26/11 Lancaster, PA American Music Theatre
Thu 01/27/11 New York, NY Beacon Theatre
Fri 01/28/11 New York, NY Beacon Theatre
Sat 01/29/11 Baltimore, MD Hippodrome Theatre / France-Merrick Perf. Arts Ctr.

February 2011Fri 02/11/11 Pune, India Amanora Township at Magarpatta
Sat 02/12/11 Mumbai, India Johnny Walker One Tree Music Fest
Sun 02/13/11 Bangalore, India Palace Grounds
Tue 02/15/11 Delhi, India NSIC
Wed 02/16/11 Hyderabad, India HiTec Complex

March 2011Fri 03/11/11 North Bethesda, MD Music Center At Strathmore
Sun 03/13/11 Easton, PA State Theatre Center For The Arts
Tue 03/15/11 Bolivia, NC Odell Williamson Auditorium
Wed 03/16/11 Savannah, GA Lucas Theatre
Thu 03/17/11 Greenville, SC Peace Center Concert Hall
Fri 03/18/11 Atlanta, GA Symphony Hall - Woodruff Arts Ctr.

June 2011
Sun 06/12/11 Berlin, Germany Spandau Zitadelle
Fri 06/17/11 Monchengladbach, Germany Hockey Park
Sat 06/18/11 Oberursel, Germany Hessentag
Wed 06/22/11 Cork, Ireland Docklands
Thu 06/23/11 Dublin, Ireland The O2 Dublin
Fri 06/24/11 Belfast, United Kingdom Odyssey Arena

July 2011Fri 07/08/11 Bad Mergentheim, Germany Schlosshof
Thu 07/14/11 Klam, Austria Castle Clam
Fri 07/15/11 Dornbirn, Austria Messehalle
Sun 07/17/11 Munich, Germany Olympiapark - Appearing at "Tollwood"
Official artist website: http://www.bryanadams.com/

Chickenfoot Holiday treat!

Yes, check this out, can you say that you've seen this before?! I doubt it!
Chickenfoot performing the Jimi Hendrix classic, 'Foxy Lady' live!
This from the guys in the band:

  "This was a great year and we were just feeling thankful for all of you fans and thought we'd share this as a holiday gift. It's an outtake from the Live In Cabo webcast and is a really smoking version of this tune!
Have a great holiday season and we'll see you from the studio in the 2011!"


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