News
January 21, 2008
MUCH ADO ABOUT BIG NOIZE
A supergroup - which means ensemble whose members are all stars - and longevity rarely walk hand in hand, but this makes the moment such a band lasts is ever more precious. This philosophy may not concern the latest of these collectives, BIG NOIZE, who already are making the waves with the news of their live DVD and the songs they play - even though the songs are all covers. Yet it's not simple covers: all the players have originally co-written or contributed to most of the songs by PURPLE, Ozzy, SABBATH... The noizemakers are Phil Soussan on bass, Carlos Cavazo on guitar, Vinny Appice on drums and Joe Lynn Turner handling the vocals. With the quartet ready to go on stage and into the studio soon, there's surely a need to have some more information, and the ever-friendly Mr. Soussan is the one to give it away. Read more.
SPINNING BACK DOWN THE YEARS
2008 is ripe anniversary-wise, and the company of merry gentlemen that is JETHRO TULL are always happy to celebrate with some goodie. No, this time it won't be another box set, as the vaults must be empty by now, what with the previous packages and the re-issue programme. This time, it's going to be a definitive documentary and history DVD, scheduled for the March release. And that's what Ian Anderson, who's to grab his MBE any day soon, has to say about this:
"Jeffrey Hammond wrote much of the DVD cover notes and contributed a painting of Blackpool for the artwork. Mick, Glenn, Clive, John, Barrie, and subsequent band members make their appearances in the DVD and who knows what they might have said – or not said – about truly yours? Will they have spilled the beans about my life-long habits of crack cocaine abuse, cross-dressing and machine-assisted sex? Will they tell of the night when Robert Plant and I shared a young Taiwanese soft fruit-seller? The Vegas gambling debts? The secret flight to Bagdad to try to avert war in the Middle East? Arm-wrestling with the Pope, (Bless his soul) on a midnight cruise of the Bosphoros? If they do, I will sue, I guarantee it."
Ah, good old Ian! And, of course, there's a tour penned in for this year. So raise again yer cup o'wonder!
NO SLEEP ON THE JOB
Once upon a time there was a great TV programme "Rock Goes To College" which documented the gigs of some finest artists of the era. One of those were GILLAN, a heavy outfit led by former DEEP PURPLE warbler and featuring Colin Towns, John McCoy, Bernie Torme and Mick Underwood. It's this, classic line-up, fresh from recording of "Future Shock", that rocks the joint on the forthcoming DVD "The Glory Years" which includes the one-hour-long show in Oxford Polytechnic on February 2nd, 1981 as well as some nice extras.
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1. Unchain Your Brain |
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SNEAKY SNAKEY
This year marks an unbelievable 30th anniversary for the mighty WHITESNAKE. On the wane through the '90s, there's been a great interest in the band in the last couple of years since David Coverdale took the band on the road again. After a couple of tours that yielded a live album and a live DVD, the veterans have come up with the good again, and the April will see them release a new record, appropriately titled "Good To Be Bad". With some titles looking familiar, there's not a single cover on the offer, though, all the songs are original... which can't be said of the subject matter. But who can challenge Snakey Dave in the testosterone department even now?
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1. Best Years |
GOOD MOONS RISING
It's been 17 long years since two legends of British blues, Jack Bruce and Robin Trower, have recorded together. Now they're back again, with Gary Husband providing the backbeat, though not live, as Robin has just started his solo tour. As for the studio, the last year's sessions resuted in "Seven Moons", a fine album in the classic tradition we've come to expect from the veterans.
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1. Seven Moons |
BURN DOWN THE MISSION
This is a good case for anti-piracy. With the abundance of shoddy CD packages around that aren't worth the money asked on the price tag, Sir Elton John serves it up nicely. The deluxe edition of his masterpiece, "Captain Fantastic And The Brown-Dirt Cowboy" was great: a poster, a facsimile of original booklets, a new booklet, bonus tracks - and a whole CD of extras, or one big extra, as it was a previously unreleased concert recording. And now, his second and third albums, 1970's self-titled record and "Tumbleweed Connection" will receive the similar treatment on February 18th. Note the early take on "Grey Seal" which would resurface in 1973 on "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and wait for this smash to be re-released in such a glorious fashion.
Elton John
Disc 1:
1. Your Song |
Disc 2:
1. Rock 'n' Roll Madonna (piano demo) |
Tumbleweed Connection
Disc 1:
1. Ballad Of A Well Known Gun |
Disc 2:
1. There Goes A Well Known Gun (unreleased) |
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