A.O.O.F.C
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Mizar6

babydancing




Get this crazy baby off my head!

31.1.10

Steely Dan




Steely Dan - VH1 Storytellers TV Broadcast Audio Only - 2000

This show was first taped at New York's Sony Studios on February 1st, 2000. The band played ten songs, including three from 2VN. The recording also included an audience Q & A session. The show was originally broadcast on April 24th, 2000, with the eight songs listed here. The DVD has bonus footage of interviews and jam sesions on CNN, Today Show, E, Letterman, and Rock and the Dan's Roll Hall of Fame induction

N.B: Track 1, "FM" is not the complete song; more a TV doccumentary type intro. Track 6, "Do It Again" is the same. The broadcast's ad breaks accounted for this. The show is one 192kbps mp3 audio file, and sound quality is ok. In between tracks, there is some good banter between the audience, and Don, and Walt.

TRACK SEQUENCE

1 FM [intro]
2 Peg
3 Kid Charlemagne
4 Bad Sneakers
5 Josie
6 Do It Again [part]
7 Cousin Dupree
8 What A Shame About Me

All songs composed by Donald Fagen, and Walter Becker

MUSICIANS

Walter and Donald were joined onstage by Jon Herington (guitar); Cornelius Bumpus (sax); Chris Potter (sax); Michael Leonhart (trumpet); Jim Pugh (trombone); Ricky Lawson (drums); Tom Barney (bass); Ted Baker (keyboards); Victoria Cave (BG vocals); Carolyn Leonhart (BG vocals), and Cynthia Calhoun (BG vocals).
The music was recorded and remixed for the tv broadcast by Elliot Scheiner, and Roger Nichols

30.1.10

Ten Years After




Ten Years After - Greatest Hits - 1975 - London (London Collectors Series)

Good early blues rock compilation from Ten Years After. The album features a live version of "Woodchopper's Ball", and also the band's "I'm Going Home". The present line up have been around for many years now. TYA are one of the greatest blues rock bands to emerge from Britain. They were hugely popular in the late sixties, when they played Woodstock, but during the early seventies, they produced some of their finest work.The brilliant axeman Alvin Lee, co-founded TYA, and two of the bands early albums with Alvin Lee, "Stonehenge" and "Cricklewood Green" are classics. Many people thought that without the "Main Man", Alvin Lee, the band would never survive, but they have, and TYA have prroduced a few above standard albums in recent years, reminiscent of the glory days. Alvin Lee still appears at the occasional concert with the band, but Joe Gooch who joined the band in 2003, permanently replacing Alvin Lee has proved himself as a brilliant guitarist and great vocalist. Joe fits in with TYA, as if he was always part of the band, and alongside the founding member Leo Lyons, Chick Churchill and Ric Lee, they form a crack team of professional musicians that give a new lease of life to TYA. This album is a great example of powerful blues rock, Listen to two of the band's early classic albums, "Stonehenge" and "Cricklewood Green" featuring the brilliant axeman Alvin Lee, co-founder of the band. Search this blog for other TYA/Alvin Lee recordings. [P.S: Thanks, Mike P. for the "Woodstock"/Roy Orbison info]

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

A1 Hear Me Calling - Alvin Lee
A2 Going T Try - Alvin Lee
A3 Love Like A Man - Gus Dudgeon, Alvin Lee
A4 No Title - Alvin Lee
B1 I Woke Up This Morning - Sam Hopkins, Alvin Lee
B2 Woodchopper's Ball - J. Bishop, & W. Herman
B3 I'm Going Home - Alvin Lee

MUSICIANS

Alvin Lee Guitar, Harmonica, Percussion, Piano, Sound Effects, Vocals, Voices, Clogs
Leo Lyons Bass, Guitar (Bass), Sound Effects, Bowed Bass, String Bass, Foot Stomping, Reverb Echo
Chick Churchill Organ, Piano, Celeste, Drums, Keyboards
Ric Lee Drums, Sound Effects, Timbales, Tympani [Timpani], Footsteps, Animal Sounds
Simon Stable Percussion, Bongos
Count Simon DeLaBedoyere Bongos
Martin Smith Train Sounds
Mike Vernon Vocals

SHORT BIO [ © William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide ]

Ten Years After is a British blues-rock quartet consisting of Alvin Lee (born December 19, 1944), guitar and vocals; Chick Churchill (born January 2, 1949), keyboards; Leo Lyons (born November 30, 1944) bass; and Ric Lee (born October 20, 1945), drums. The group was formed in 1967 and signed to Decca in England. Their first album was not a success, but their second, the live Undead (1968) containing "I'm Going Home," a six-minute blues workout by the fleet-fingered Alvin, hit the charts on both sides of the Atlantic. Stonedhenge (1969) hit the U.K. Top Ten in early 1969. Ten Years After's U.S. breakthrough came as a result of their appearance at Woodstock, at which they played a nine-minute version of "I'm Going Home." Their next album, Ssssh, reached the U.S. Top 20, and Cricklewood Green, containing the hit single "Love Like a Man," reached number four. Watt completed the group's Decca contract, after which they signed with Columbia and moved in a more mainstream pop direction, typified by the gold-selling 1971 album A Space in Time and its Top 40 single "I'd Love to Change the World." Subsequent efforts in that direction were less successful, however, and Ten Years After split up after the release of Positive Vibrations in 1974. They reunited in 1988 for concerts in Europe and recorded their first new album in 15 years, About Time, in 1989 before disbanding once again. In 2001, Ric Lee was preparing the back catalog for rerelease when he discoverd the Live at the Fillmore East 1970 tapes. He approached Alvin about getting back together to promote the lost album, but Alvin Lee declined. The rest of the band was up for it, though, and together with guitarist Joe Gooch, Ten Years After started touring again. In addition to touring the world, this new incarnation recorded their first new material in about a decade and a half and released Now in 2004 and added the live double CD set Roadworks in 2005.

BIO (Wikipedia)

Ten Years After are an English blues rock band, most popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s. After several years of local success in the Nottingham/Mansfield area as a band known since 1962 as The Jaybirds (its core was formed in late 1960 as Ivan Jay and the Jaycats), and later as Ivan Jay and the Jaymen, Ten Years After was founded by Alvin Lee and Leo Lyons. Ivan Jay sang lead vocals from late 1960 to 1962 and was joined by Ric Lee in August 1965, replacing original drummer Dave Quickmire, who had joined in 1962. In 1966 The Jaybirds moved to London, where Chick Churchill joined the group. That November the quartet signed a manager, Chris Wright, and decided to change their name to Blues Trip, Blues Yard (under which they played a show at the legendary Marquee Club supporting Bonzo Dog Band), and finally in November 1966, to Ten Years After ( in honour of Elvis Presley, an idol of Lee's whose momentous year in rock, 1956, helps to better explain the band's title). They became the first band of the soon-to-be Chrysalis Agency. They secured a residency at the Marquee, and received an invitation to play at the renowned Windsor Jazz Festival in 1967. That performance led to a contract with Deram, a subsidiary company of Decca – the first band so signed without a hit single. In October, their 1967 self-titled debut album was released. In 1968, after touring Scandinavia and the United States, Ten Years After released their second album, live Undead, which brought their first classic, "I'm Going Home." This was followed in February 1969 by studio issue, Stonedhenge, a British hit, that included another classic, "Hear Me Calling" (it was released also as a single, and covered in 1972 by British glam rock rising stars, Slade). In July 1969 they appeared at the Newport Jazz Festival, in the first event to which rock bands were invited. In August, the band performed a breakthrough American appearance at Woodstock; their furious-to-soft-to-furious rendition of "I'm Going Home" was featured in both the subsequent film and soundtrack album and catapulted them to star status. During 1970, Ten Years After released "Love Like a Man," their only hit in the UK Singles Chart. This song was on their fifth album, Cricklewood Green. The name of the album comes from a friend of the group who lived in Cricklewood, London. He grew a sort of plant which was said to have hallucinogenic effects. The band did not know the name of this plant, so they called their album Cricklewood Green. It was the first record to be issued with a different playing speed on both sides – one a three-minute edit at 45rpm, the other, a nine-minute live version at 33rpm. In August, Ten Years After played the Isle of Wight Festival 1970 to an audience of 600,000. In 1971, the band released the album A Space in Time which marked a move toward more commercial material. It featured their biggest hit, "I'd Love To Change The World." But a few albums later, the band broke up after the 1974 album "Positive Vibrations." They re-united in 1983 to play the Reading Rock Festival and this performance was later released on CD as "The Friday Rock Show Sessions - Live At Reading '83' ". In 1988, they re-united for a few concerts and recorded the album About Time (1989). Alvin Lee has since then mostly played and recorded under his own name. In 2004, the other band members replaced him with Joe Gooch and recorded the album Now. Material from the following tour was used for the 2005 double album Roadworks. Ric Lee is currently in a band called The Breakers, along with Ian Ellis (Clouds).

Johnny Heartsman & the Blues Company




Johnny Heartsman & the Blues Company - Made in Germany - 1994 - Inak

It would be wrong to say that Johnny Heartsman died young, although he died at a relatively young age -- Heartsman was 59 when the blues world lost him on December 27, 1996. You can certainly call his death premature, and you can say that he was at the height of his creative powers during the last years of his life. Recorded live at Vitischanze -- a club in Osnabrück, Germany -- in 1993, this album is a thoroughly rewarding document of the bluesman's late period. Heartsman's voice is in fine shape throughout his diverse set, and he is as confident on the guitar as he is on organ and flute. Although Made in Germany is a blues CD first and foremost, it's a blues CD that underscores his appreciation of jazz and soul. Heartsman's inspired performances of Junior Parker's "I Don't Want No Woman" and Albert Collins' "Cold Cold Feeling" are pure electric urban blues, but on the standard "Flip, Flop & Fly," the Californian reminds listeners how nicely he could handle jazz-influenced jump blues. Meanwhile, elements of soul, jazz, and blues come together on an instrumental version of Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine," which gives Heartsman a chance to stretch out on flute. Very few bluesmen have been known for their flute playing, but in Heartsman's funky hands, the flute sounded perfectly logical as a blues instrument. Made in Germany makes one wish that he had recorded a lot more live albums during his career. © Alex Henderson, All Music Guide, http://www.answers.com/topic/made-in-germany-blues-album

The late Johnny Heartsman may not be a household name to many people, but he was one of the great Bay Area bluesman. He was a talented flautist, and managed to incorporate his use of the instrument into his blues recordings. Unusual, but it worked. "Made in Germany" was recorded live at The Vitischanze club in Osnabrück, Germany, on June 30th, 1993, and is a great showcase of the man's versatility. Backed by the established Blues Company band from Germany, this is a wonderful recording. Buy Johnny Heartsman's great "Sacramento" album, and try and listen to The Blues Company's "Two Nights Only" album

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1. Intro - James Rogers
2. That's All Right - James Johnny Heartsman
4. Cold, Cold Feeling - Albert Collins
5. I Don't Want No Woman - Junior Parker
6. Let Me Love You, Baby - Johnny Heartsman
7. Ain't No Sunshine - Bill Withers
8. Sweet Frisco Blues - Johnny Heartsman
9. Flip Flop and Fly - Lou Willie Turner, Charles E. Calhoun

BAND

Johnny Heartsman (vocals, guitar, flute, organ, keyboards)
Mike Titre (guitar, harp)
Todor Todorovic (guitar)
Martin Schmachtenberg (drums)



JOHNNY HEARTSMAN BIO

Shaven-headed Johnny Heartsman did so many musical things so well that he's impossible to pigeonhole. His low-moaning lead guitar work greatly distinguished a myriad of Bay Area blues recordings during the '50s and '60s, and still played his axe with delicious dexterity and dynamics into the '90s. But Heartsman was just as likely to cut loose on organ or blow a titillating solo on flute (perhaps the unlikeliest blues instrument imaginable). He possessed a mellow, richly burnished voice to boot. Through one of his principal influences, guitarist Lafayette "Thing" Thomas, a teenaged Heartsman hooked up with Bay Area producer Bob Geddins. Heartsman played bass on Jimmy Wilson's 1953 rendition of "Tin Pan Alley," handling guitar or piano at other Geddins-supervised dates. He cut his own two-part instrumental, the "Honky Tonk"-inspired "Johnny's House Party," for Ray Dobard's Music City imprint and watched it become a national R&B hit in 1957. The early '60s brought a lot more session work -- Heartsman played on Tiny Powell's "My Time After Awhile" (soon covered by Buddy Guy) and Al King's remake of Lowell Fulson's "Reconsider Baby." By then, Heartsman's imaginative twiddling of the volume knob with his finger to produce an eerie moan had become his guitaristic trademark. Stints in show bands, jazzy cocktail lounge gigs, and a stand as soul singer Joe Simon's trusty organist came prior to the inauguration of Heartsman's edifying back-to-the-blues campaign. In 1991, Dick Shurman produced Heartsman's most satisfying set to date for Alligator, The Touch. He remained a versatile performer until is death in December of 1996. © Bill Dahl, All Music Guide, http://www.answers.com/topic/johnny-heartsman

ABOUT THE BLUES COMPANY

The Blues is Alive. In Germany Too. That´s not surprising because the multi-faceted German music scene has spawned such extraordinary groups as Blues Company from Osnabrück, Germany. The group was founded almost 30 years ago and has by now become a household name. No one can talk about Blues "made in Germany" without mentioning Blues Company in the same breath. The band's success is rooted in its consistent quality and, of course, in its approach. This "company" doesn't simply pull off a routine "job." On the contrary. These musicians put their heart and soul into their music. It is a passionate "crusade" for the Blues, and the group's message * "The Blues Is Allright" * is attracting a steadily growing number of fans into concert halls and clubs. The driving force behind Blues Company is an innovative "Blues Man" * singer, guitarist, and songwriter Todor "Toscho" Todorovic. He was born in 1951 in Lingen, northern Germany. His parents, who had fled from the former Yugoslavia to West Germany after WWII, gave gifted young Toscho many opportunities to develop his musical talent. After hearing legendary B.B. King play in a jazz club, Toscho was forever captivated by the Blues. He acquired the Blues guitar repertoire and founded a number of small bands; he also studied classical guitar and song at the conservatory. In 1976, at the age of 25, he met the German pianist Christian Rannenberg at a Blues session featuring the Texan sax player Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson. Before long Toscho and Christian Rannenberg had founded Blues Company. Blues Company has given over 3000 concerts in Germany and neighboring European countries. The group consists of Toscho Todorovic ( guitar, vocals) , Mike Titre (guitar, bass, bluesharp), Olli Gee (bass, organ), and Florian Schaube (drums), as well as the "Fabulous B.C. Horns" aka Uwe Nolopp (trumpet) and Robert Kretzschmar (sax, organ). The Fabulous BC Horns give the band even greater punch, both on stage and in the studio. The musicians of Blues Company have never been purists. Rather, it has always been Toscho's desire not just to plumb the depths of the Blues for its extraordinary range of expression, but also to spark new ideas in all facets of the genre. This front man and his band know all too well that the Blues is always changing and thus stays alive. Variety is one of the hallmarks of Blues Company, whose numerous CDs masterfully bridge the traditional and the modern. There are lusty Blues-Rock numbers, laid-back swinging Rhythm & Blues, haunting Blues ballads, as well as excursions into Soul and Cajun music. [ from http://www.nightshift-agency.de/en/artists/blues/bluescompany.html ]

28.1.10

The Robert Cray Band




The Robert Cray Band - This Time - 2009 - Vanguard

Robert Cray's music has been described as as "neoclassic-R&B". Not a bad definition of his music, as many music "critics" have maintained that Robert Cray's music is "safe", "predictable", and some have made the ridiculous comment that he is not a "genuine" bluesman because of his musical excursions into Gospel, R&B, and Southern Soul. Other "experts" have said that his albums have a "sameness" about them. Even funnier, he was once described as "a yuppie blues wannabe". Well, Robert Cray's music has always had a "soul backbone", and even though "This Time" has a strong Soul flavour, (nothing wrong with that), his music has always had a strong blues foundation. The guy is a brilliant blues guitarist, and has made many great albums. Robert has never stuck to the orthodox blues' styles. His innovative guitar playing has brought new life to the blues, and songs like "Chicken in the Kitchen" and "That’s What Keeps Me Rockin" are the real blues deal. Robert has stamped modern blues with his own unique style. Robert, himself, has said that "Blues is one of the foundations of our music, but it’s not all that we play." He also said "When I first started playing guitar, I wanted to be George Harrison – that is, until I heard Jimi Hendrix. After that, I wanted to be Albert Collins and Buddy Guy and B.B. King. And then there are singers like O.V. Wright and Bobby Blue Bland. It’s all mixed up in there." "Every time somebody asks me about where my music comes from, I give them five or six different directions – a little rock, soul, jazz, blues, a little gospel feel. Then there are some other things that maybe fall in there every once in a while, like a little Caribbean flavor or something. You just never know. I always attribute it to the music we grew up listening to, and the radio back in the ‘60s. It’s pretty wide open. It’s hard to put a tag on it." On "This Time", Robert Cray shows that he is more than capable of playing great music, using his many formidable influences. He is admired by real music lovers as a stylish musician. He has a winning musical formula, and as the saying goes, - "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"!. Tracks like "Love 2009", "This Time", or "Forever Goodbye" demonstrate Robert's ability to travel outside the blues realm, and still play great music. Somebody said that "if the Everly Brothers could sing the same way for 30 years, why can't Robert Cray do the same ?" "This Time" is HR by A.O.O.F.C. Buy Robert's superb "Strong Persuader" album, and search this blog for other Robert Cray releases

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1. Chicken In The Kitchen - Robert Cray
2. I Can't Fail - Robert Cray
3. Love 2009 - Jim Pugh
4. That's What Keeps Me Rockin' - Tony Braunagel/Johnnie Lee Schell
5. This Time - Robert Cray
6. To Be True - Richard Cousins/Jim Pugh
7. Forever Goodbye - Robert Cray/Sue Turner-Cray
8. Trouble And Pain - Robert Cray
9. Truce - Hendrix Ackle/Richard Cousins

MUSICIANS

Robert Cray - Guitar, Vocals
Johnnie Lee Schell - Guitar
Richard Cousins - Guitar (Bass)
Jim Pugh - Keyboards
Tony Braunagel - Drums

BIO

Tin-eared critics have frequently damned him as a yuppie blues wannabe whose slickly soulful offerings bear scant resemblance to the real down-home item. In reality, Robert Cray is one of a precious few young (at this stage, that translates to under 50 years of age) blues artists with the talent and vision to successfully usher the idiom into the 21st century without resorting either to slavish imitation or simply playing rock while passing it off as blues. Just as importantly, his immensely popular records helped immeasurably to jump-start the contemporary blues boom that still holds sway to this day. Blessed with a soulful voice that sometimes recalls '60s-great O.V. Wright and a concise lead guitar approach that never wastes notes, Cray's rise to international fame was indeed a heartwarming one. For a guy whose 1980 debut album for Tomato, Who's Been Talkin', proved an instantaneous cutout, his ascendancy was amazingly swift — in 1986 his breakthrough Strong Persuader album for Mercury (containing "Smoking Gun") won him a Grammy and shot his asking price for a night's work skyward. Robert Cray was born on August 1, 1953 in Columbus, GA. An Army brat who grew up all over the country before his folks settled in Tacoma, WA, in 1968, Cray listened intently to soul and rock before becoming immersed in the blues (in particular, the icy Telecaster of Albert Collins, who played at Cray's high school graduation!). Cray formed his first band with longtime bassist Richard Cousins in 1974. They soon hooked up with Collins as his backup unit before breaking out on their own. The cinematic set caught a brief glimpse of Cray (even if they weren't aware of it) when he anonymously played the bassist of the frat party band Otis Day & the Knights in National Lampoon's Animal House. Cray's Tomato set, also featuring the harp of Curtis Salgado, was an excellent beginning, but it was the guitarist's 1983 set for HighTone, Bad Influence, that really showed just how full of talent Cray was. Another HighTone set, False Accusations, preceded the emergence of the Grammy-winning 1985 guitar summit meeting album Showdown! for Alligator, which found the relative newcomer more than holding his own alongside Collins and Texan Johnny Copeland. Strong Persuader made it two Grammys in two years and made Cray a familiar face even on video-driven MTV. Unlike too many of his peers, Cray continued to experiment within his two presiding genres, blues and soul, on sets for Mercury such as Midnight Stroll, 1990, I Was Warned, 1992, and Shame + A Sin in 1993. After switching to Rykodisc in the late 90s Cray released Take Your Shoes Off in 1999, and Shoulda Been Home in 2001, proving that the "bluenatics" (as he amusedly labels his purist detractors) have nothing to fear and plenty to anticipate from this innovative, laudably accessible guitarist. Touring regularly with the likes of Eric Clapton and Bob Dylan, Cray stayed active in the studio, as well, signing with Sanctuary Records and releasing Time Will Tell in 2003, Twenty in 2005, a pair of live albums, Live from Across the Pond in 2006 and Live at the BBC in 2008, and This Time, which was issued by Vanguard Records in 2009. © Bill Dahl & Al Campbell, allmusic.com, http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:3ifwxq95ldke~T1

27.1.10

Savoy Brown featuring Kim Simmonds




Savoy Brown featuring Kim Simmonds - You Should Have Been There - 2005 - Panache

What can you say about Savoy Brown. For over forty years, and through numerous personnel changes, this great British rock band have played the same brand of blues and hard-edged rock. Recorded live in Vancouver, BC during SB's 2003 tour, Kim Simmonds & Co. pull out all the stops, and produce stellar performances. This is one hell of a great album with smooth, laid back, tight arrangements, and VHR by A.O.O.F.C. Listen to the band's "Raw Sienna" album. Check out the band's "Live At The Record Plant 1975" album @ SAVB/LATRP75 Kim Simmond's "Struck By Lightning" album can be found @ KIMSIM/SBL and "The Savoy Brown Collection (Featuring Kim Simmonds)" is @ SAVB/COLL/KIMSIM

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1. When It Rains - Kim Simmonds
2. Where Has Your Heart Gone - Kim Simmonds
3. Poor Girl - Tone Stevens
4. Blues Like Midnight - Jimmie Rogers, Kim Simmonds
5. Street Corner Talking - Kim Simmonds
6. Hellbound Train - Andy Silvester, Kim Simmonds

BAND

Kim Simmonds - Guitar, Vocals
David Malachowski - Guitar
Garry Sorrentino - Bass Guitar
Dennis Cotton - Drums

BIO (Wikipedia)

Savoy Brown is a British blues band formed in the 1960s. Originally known as the Savoy Brown Blues Band, their 1969 single "Train to Nowhere" (with singer Chris Youlden), was viewed by many as the last gasp of the blues scene in Great Britain. Although Savoy Brown never reached much acclaim in their home nation, they developed a loyal core following in the United States, due to songs such as "I'm Tired" (from their album, A Step Further), a driving, melodic song. They were one of the bands that UK Decca (US London/Parrot) stuck with through the lean times until they started selling records (it took 4 or 5 albums until they started to sell in the US). In the late 1960s and 1970s, the band managed to penetrate the Billboard Hot 100. Superstardom perpetually evaded them, perhaps in part because of their frequent lineup changes, but despite that, "Hellbound Train" was a big album for them in the US.
While the band is still active today, only Kim Simmonds has stayed since the beginning. Guitarist "Lonesome" Dave Peverett, bassist Tone Stevens, and drummer Roger Earle went on to form Foghat. Original member and harmonica player, John O'Leary, is still active on the British blues circuit with The John O'Leary Band. Savoy Brown's first album, Shake Down, featured lead vocalist Bryce Portius. Portius was one of the first black blues musicians to be a part of a British rock band. Another singer, Dave Walker, would later join Fleetwood Mac and Black Sabbath. Savoy Brown also provided an outlet for the keyboardist and guitarist, Paul Raymond, who later went on to join UFO. Other notable members include Jeff Howell, who went on to play with Foghat and the Outlaws before returning to central New York, where he is considered the best carpet installer in Ithaca.

MORE ABOUT SAVOY BROWN

Part of the late-'60s blues-rock movement, Britain's Savoy Brown never achieved as much success in their homeland as they did in America, where they promoted their albums with nonstop touring. The band was formed and led by guitarist Kim Simmonds, whose dominating personality has led to myriad personnel changes; the original lineup included singer Bryce Portius, keyboardist Bob Hall, guitarist Martin Stone, bassist Ray Chappell, and drummer Leo Manning. This lineup appeared on the band's 1967 debut, Shake Down, a collection of blues covers. Seeking a different approach, Simmonds dissolved the group and brought in guitarist Dave Peverett, bassist Rivers Jobe, drummer Roger Earl, and singer Chris Youlden, who gave them a distinctive frontman with his vocal abilities, bowler hat, and monocle. With perhaps its strongest lineup, Savoy Brown quickly made a name for itself, now recording originals like "Train to Nowhere" as well. However, Youlden left the band in 1970 following Raw Sienna, and shortly thereafter, Peverett, Earl, and new bassist Tony Stevens departed to form Foghat, continuing the pattern of consistent membership turnover. Simmonds collected yet another lineup and began a hectic tour of America, showcasing the group's now-refined bluesy boogie rock style, which dominated the rest of their albums. The group briefly broke up in 1973, but re-formed the following year. Throughout the '80s and '90s Simmonds remained undeterred by a revolving-door membership and continued to tour and record. Their first album for the Blind Pig label, Strange Dreams, was released in 2003. Steel followed in 2007 from Panache Records. © Steve Huey, allmusic.com

ABOUT KIM SIMMONDS

For over 30 years Kim Simmonds has been synonymous with 'legendary British blues guitar', being mentioned in the same breath as Eric Clapton, Peter Green and Mick Taylor in the hierarchy of England's best guitar slingers from the 60s golden era of British blues. Kim started his career in London, England in 1966 by forming the group Savoy Brown and has since enjoyed international fame. He's been featured on the front cover of Guitar Magazine, made over 3 dozen records and performed around the world. He has an international fan club based in Wales and a web site at www.savoybrown.com. Kim's records with Savoy Brown (many produced by himself) have sold millions, with albums such as Looking In and Hellbound Train reaching the Billboard Top 40 charts. Many of his songs have been covered by such diverse artists as Rare Earth, Hugo Montenegro and Great White. In 1995, a two CD boxed set, The Savoy Brown Collection released by Polygram Records, chronicled his and the band's astonishing career. As a solo artist and in the acoustic field Kim has released three CDs - Savoy Brown's 1986 Slow Train, his own 1997 Solitaire, and the 2001 release Blues Like Midnight. Born in Wales in 1947 and playing the pubs of London with Savoy Brown at the very tender age of 18, Kim Simmonds recorded albums that helped start the 60s blues boom. While others have strayed from their roots, Simmonds has stayed the course .... a true journeyman and road warrior, who's comfortably settled into an elder statesman role at the same time as burning up the fretboard on the concert stage while remaining at the top of his game.(c) The British Blues All Stars 2004, www.thebritishbluesallstars.co.uk/kim_simmonds.htm

The Jimi Vincent Band




The Jimi Vincent Band - Been There Done That Won't Do That Again - 2007 - The Jimi Vincent Band

"Been There Done That Won't Do That Again" is posted here to promote this great blues rock band, and to show that good blues rock is alive and thriving.The band, formed in 1989, plays rockin' blues, with some country and soul elements.They have opened shows for Robert Cray, Bonnie Raitt, Keb Mo, John Lee Hooker Jr., BlueOyster Cult, Foghat, Mark Farner, Guy Davis, Travis Tritt, Emmylou Harris, and many others. The Band has performed three times at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis Tennessee. They play a blend of classic blues covers, and original songs. HR by A.O.O.F.C, this album is also available for download @ http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001BLB9VQ/ref=dm_sp_adp Try and find out if the band's "Horseplay" album is still available. Info @ http://www.freewebs.com/jvstallion/

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1 A Quitter Never Wins - Ellis, Sampsen 5:17
2 I Need Your Love So Bad - Mertis 4:35
3 Been There, Done That, Won't Do That Again - Vincent 2:20
4 Summertime - Dubose, Gershwin, Heyward 6:56
5 Branded - Neal 4:23
6 Send Me An Angel - Stepp, Vincent 3:36
7 Stay Away Darlin' - Vincent 2:02
8 Have You Ever Been Lonely - Vincent 2:33
9 Bad News Woman - Vincent 3:44
10 Mercury Blues - Miller 4:58
11 I Woke Up This Morning - Vincent 3:14
12 Your Man - Vincent 4:46

BAND

Jimi Vincent - Guitar, Mandolin, Dobro, Harmonica, Vocals
Bob Dutton - Bass
Sam Romagnoli - Piano, Hammond B3, Vovals
Dustin Smith - Drums
Cee Jay Jenkins - Backing Vocals

ABOUT THE BAND [ © 2004 http://www.freewebs.com/jvstallion/ ]

JIMI VINCENT

Born James Vincent Smith,Jimi adopted the new configuration of his birth name to avoid confusion with keyboardist Jimmy Smith. He started playing guitar at age 5 and has been rockin' ever since. Opening shows for such greats as Robert Cray, Bonnie Raitt, Keb Mo, Robert Lockwood Jr., Tex Ritter (at age 11), The Charlie Daniels Band, Emmilou Harris, Travis Tritt, and many others. Jimi writes the band's original material, plays electric and acoustic guitar, dobro and harp. With the low growl in his voice and ability to write easily understood lyrics, you can feel the rhythm and blues pouring out of his guitar and soul.

SAM ROMAGNOLI

Keyboard player Sam Romagnoli is originally from Follansbee,WV. Romagnoli's funk-fusion band Crosswinds toured the country for a number of years after leaving college. Influences at the time were Jimmy Smith,The Allman Brothers, Herbie Hancock, Tower of Power, and various jazz keyboardists. Romagnoli's primary instrument is a Hammond B-3 organ, with twin #122 Leslie Speakers. It is a combination that is rarely seen on today's stages due to it's size and weight, but the sound is far more soulful than the digital organs made today. Romagnoli's passion for the instrument shows in his playing.

DUSTIN SMITH

Dustin Smith has been playing drums since childhood, beating and banging on everything that moves. The youngest player in the band, he pushes the band with youthful energy. Dustin is Jimi's son and you can tell he has been hanging around with the band for a long time.

BOB DUTTON

Laying down the bottom for the band is bass player, Bob Dutton. Born in Sylacauga, Alabama. Bob started playing bass guitar while in the 7TH grade on a guitar bought at the local Giant Store. He has been jamming with Jimi since the early 80's

MORE BAND INFO [ © http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/jvincentband# ]

Who Are The Jimi Vincent Band. Formed in 1989, The Jimi Vincent Band plays rockin' blues. They rattle the rafters and treat their listeners to an explosive musical experience. One can certainly feel the energy the band generates as they take the listener on a musical journey through the world of blues. The Jimi Vincent Band is currently playing blues festivals and clubs across this great land and converting new listeners to their brand of the blues. Most recently they opened a show for headliners Bonnie Raitt, Keb Mo and John Lee Hooker Jr. Jimi has also opened for the great Robert Lockwood Jr., Blue Oyster Cult, Foghat, Travis Tritt, Emmylou Harris, and many others. The band performed at the Heritage Music Festival in Wheeling, West Virginia, a three day blues event featuring many of the major blues bands in the country. The venue is on the banks of the Ohio River and was a beautiful setting to hear bands from all over the country. The Jimi Vincent Band performed three sets and was asked to be the host band for the after hours jam session held at a local club for all Heritage Festival performers. The audience went wild as The Anthony Gomes Band joined Jimi onstage for a truly memorable set . A number of other musicians took the stage as the blues burned well into the night. The band has just released its newest CD, "Been There, Done That... Won't Do That Again. It has a mix of original music and classic blues selections. Please check the Discography at www.thejimivincentband.com for information on all Jimi Vincent Band CD's

25.1.10

David Byrne




David Byrne - Live From Austin TX - 2007 - New West Records, Inc.

David Byrne is a man of many musical faces, but he's also a show biz pro, and while he's followed a number of musical paths over the course of his solo career, in concert he's shrewd enough to know he needs to give his audience (or at least a large portion of them) what they came to see — namely, the songs he helped write while he was in Talking Heads. On Live from Austin, Texas, an album drawn from a set Byrne played on the PBS music series Austin City Limits in the fall of 2001, demonstrates how he can have his cake and eat it too — while five of the thirteen tunes here come from his tenure with Talking Heads (and one is drawn from The Catherine Wheel, a solo project recorded while he was still with the band), he's reconfigured them to lean towards his fascination with world music while still holding on to the melodic structures folks remember him for. Roughly half the songs on Live from Austin, Texas also feature a string section including members of Tosca String Quartet, who add a fresh set of tonal colors to "This Must Be the Place (Naïve Melody)" and "Life During Wartime," though the ensemble really gets their chance to shine on "The Revolution" (from Look into the Eyeball, the album Byrne was promoting at the time). While he sounds a shade more enthusiastic on his more recent solo material than the relative oldies in this set, overall he seems to be in a slightly subdued mood, though he rallies for his finale, a cover of Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" that's far more sincere (and effective) than you'd imagine. In all, Live from Austin, Texas isn't the crackling live showcase you might hope for from David Byrne, though he never sounds less than professional and his head is always in the game even if his heart may be somewhere else. [A DVD of the show was also released.] © Mark Deming, allmusic.com, http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:anftxzr5ldde

A great album from a rock/new wave legend. One of the great musicians and composers of modern times, the great Scot, David Byrne has been at the forefront of The Arts for many years now. He has been responsible for some of the greatest music of the last thirty or so years, and his ingenuity knows no bounds. Best known as a member of the hugely successful Talking Heads band, he has also released many great solo and collaborative works. Listen to the classic Talking Heads "More Songs About Buildings and Food " album, and the "My Life in the Bush of Ghosts" album with Brian Eno. David's "Uh-Oh" album is another great work. In truth, the guy has never made a dud album. It is also worthwhile listening to any of the Tom Tom Club's albums. Check out David's "Unplugged + More" album @ DBYRN/UNPL+M

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1."(Nothing But) Flowers"- David Byrne/Chris Frantz/Jerry Harrison/Martina Weymouth
2."God's Child (Come Dance with Me)"- David Byrne
3."And She Was"- David Byrne/Chris Frantz/Jerry Harrison/Martina Weymouth
4."Once in a Lifetime"- David Byrne/Chris Frantz/Jerry Harrison/Martina Weymouth
5."The Great Intoxication"- David Byrne
6."Marching Through the Wilderness"- David Byrne/Johnny Pacheco
7."The Revolution"- David Byrne
8."This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)"- David Byrne/Chris Frantz/Jerry Harrison/Martina Weymouth
9."What a Day That Was"- David Byrne
10."Desconocido Soy"- David Byrne
11."Like Humans Do"- David Byrne
12."Life During Wartime"- David Byrne/Chris Frantz/Jerry Harrison/Martina Weymouth
13."I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)"- George Merrill/Shannon Rubicam

MUSICIANS

David Byrne – Vocals, Guitar
Paul Frazier – Bass Guitar, Vocals
David Hilliard – Drums
Mauro Refosco – Percussion, Programming,Mallets
Leigh Mahoney, Lara Hicks, Jamie Desautels – Violin
Stephanie Ames Asbell – Viola, Vocals
Ben Westney, Sara Nelson – Cello

BIO

Although best known for his groundbreaking tenure fronting the new wave group Talking Heads, David Byrne also received acclaim for his adventurous solo career, encroaching upon such diverse media as world music, filmmaking, and performance art in the process. Born in Dumbarton, Scotland, on May 14, 1952, Byrne was raised in Baltimore, MD. The son of an electronics engineer, he played guitar in a series of teenage bands before attending the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design, where, feeling alienated from the largely upper-class student population, he dropped out after one year. However, he remained in the Providence area, performing solo on a ukulele before forming the Artistics (also known as the Autistics) with fellow students Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth. After changing the name of the band to Talking Heads and enlisting onetime Modern Lover Jerry Harrison, the group signed to Sire Records. A series of LPs, including the debut Talking Heads '77, 1978's More Songs About Buildings and Food, and 1980's Remain in Light followed, establishing the quartet as one of contemporary music's most visionary talents. During a band sabbatical in 1981, Byrne teamed up with Brian Eno, the producer of much of the Heads' work, for the collaborative effort My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, a complex, evocative album that fused electronic music with Third World percussion and hypnotic vocal effects. That same year, Byrne also began exploring theater with the composition of The Complete Score From the Broadway Production of "The Catherine Wheel," a dance piece choreographed by Twyla Tharp. Byrne's next solo work appeared in 1985 with The Knee Plays, a New Orleans brass band-influenced project composed for a portion of Robert Wilson's theatrical epic CIVIL warS. In 1986, Byrne wrote, starred in, and directed the feature film True Stories, a series of comic vignettes based on press clippings culled from tabloid publications like the Weekly World News. He also wrote and produced the majority of music for the film's score in addition to performing his usual duties for that year's Talking Heads LP, also named True Stories. In 1988, he wrote the score to the Jonathan Demme comedy Married to the Mob and, in tandem with Ryuichi Sakamoto and Cong Su, won an Academy Award for his musical work on Bernardo Bertolucci's historical epic The Last Emperor. Also in 1988, Byrne's fascination with world music — a longtime influence on his herky-jerky performance style as well as Talking Heads' complex polyrhythms — inspired him to form his own record label, Luaka Bop, to give widespread American release to global music. That same year, the Heads released Naked, their final proper LP, leaving Byrne to give his full attention to solo endeavors. He resurfaced in 1989 with Rei Momo, a song collection inspired by Latin rhythms, and also directed the documentary Ile Aiye (The House of Life), which focused on the rituals of Yoruban dance music. In 1991, he again collaborated with Robert Wilson on The Forest, writing music for a full orchestra. 1992's Uh-Oh marked Byrne's return to more conventional rock performance, a direction he continued with a self-titled album issued in 1994. Feelings, recorded with members of Morcheeba and Devo, followed in 1997. Four years later, Look into the Eyeball was issued on Virgin Records/Luaka Bop and captured Byrne's signature wry humor and musical diversity. In 2003, Byrne's music for the film Young Adam (featuring members of Belle & Sebastian and Mogwai) was released as Lead Us Not into Temptation by Thrill Jockey. Grown Backwards, his first disc for the Nonesuch label, appeared a year later. In 2007, the ever-busy Byrne released a CD/DVD version of The Knee Plays that featured the 12 original tracks along with eight demos and outtakes. Big Love: Hymnal, containing material composed for the HBO series Big Love, appeared in 2008; Everything That Happens Will Happen Today, a collaboration with Brian Eno that took in folk and gospel influences, followed later that year. David Byrne's next project proved to be another collaborative album, this one created with the assistance of British DJ Fatboy Slim. Released in early 2010, Here Lies Love was a concept album about former First Lady of the Philippines Imelda Marcos and her controversial love life. Over 20 guest vocalists appeared on the eclectic record, including Cyndi Lauper, Martha Wainwright, Sharon Jones, and Santigold. © Jason Ankeny, allmusic.com, © http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:difqxqw5ldfe~T1

BIO (Wikipedia)

David Byrne (born May 14, 1952, in Dumbarton, Scotland) is a Scottish-American musician and artist. He is perhaps best known as a founding member and the principal songwriter of the new wave band Talking Heads, who were active between 1974 and 1991. Since then, Byrne has released his own solo projects on record, and worked in a variety of media, including film, photography, opera, and internet-based projects. His achievements have been recognized by Grammy, Oscar and Golden Globe awards. He currently lives in New York City. David is a SubGenii. Byrne was born in Dumbarton, Scotland, on May 14, 1952. Two years later, his parents moved to Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, and then to Arbutus, Maryland, when he was 8 or 9 years old. He graduated from Lansdowne High School in southwest Baltimore County. He then attended the Rhode Island School of Design for one year before dropping out and forming Talking Heads in 1974 with fellow RISD students Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth, later joined by Jerry Harrison. He also attended the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, Maryland, for one year.During his time in the band, Byrne took on outside projects, collaborating with Brian Eno in 1981 on the album My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, which attracted considerable critical acclaim and featured a groundbreaking use of sampling. Byrne has a daughter, Malu Abeni Valentine Byrne, with Adelle Lutz. Byrne and Lutz divorced in 2004. In 1981, Byrne partnered with choreographer Twyla Tharp, scoring "The Catherine Wheel," a ballet prominently featuring unusual rhythms and lyrics. Productions of "The Catherine Wheel" appeared on Broadway that same year. In Spite of Wishing and Wanting is a soundscape David Byrne produced for the Belgian dance company Ultima Vez. His work has been extensively used in movie soundtracks, most notably in collaboration with Ryuichi Sakamoto and Cong Su on Bernardo Bertolucci's The Last Emperor, which won an Oscar for Best Original Score. In 2004, Lead Us Not Into Temptation (music from the film "Young Adam") included tracks and musical experiments from his score to Young Adam. Byrne also directed and starred in True Stories, a musical collage of quirky Americana released in 1986, as well as directing the documentary Île Aiye and the concert film of his 1992 Latin-tinged tour titled Between the Teeth. He was chiefly responsible for the stage design and choreography of Stop Making Sense in 1984. Byrne wrote the Dirty Dozen Brass Band-inspired score for Robert Wilson's Opera The Knee Plays from The CIVIL warS. Some of the music from Byrne's orchestral album The Forest was originally used in a Wilson-directed theatre piece with the same name. The Forest premiered at the Theater der Freien Volksbuhne, Berlin in 1988. It received its New York premiere in December 1988 at BAM, the Brooklyn Academy of Music. The Forestry Maxi-single contained dance and industrial remixes of pieces from The Forest by Jack Dangers, Rudy Tambala, and Anthony Capel. Byrne also appeared as a guest vocalist/guitarist for 10,000 Maniacs during their MTV Unplugged concert, though the songs in which he is featured were cut from its album. One of them, "Let the Mystery Be", appeared as the fourth track on 10,000 Maniacs' cd single "Few and Far Between". Byrne also worked with "Queen of Tex-Mex", Tejano superstar Diva Selena, writing, producing and singing a song ("God's Child (Baila Conmigo)"), included on Selena's last album, "Dreaming of You", before Selena's death. Byrne was the host of "Sessions at West 54th" during its second of three seasons. Byrne founded Luaka Bop, a world music record label which releases the work of artists Cornershop, Os Mutantes, Los De Abajo, Jim White, Zap Mama, Tom Zé, Los Amigos Invisibles and others. Byrne is also a visual artist, and has shown his work in contemporary art galleries and museums around the world since the 1990s. He has also created a number of public art installations, many of them anonymous. He is represented by Pace/MacGill Gallery, NYC. In 2001 a censored version of Byrne's single "Like Humans Do" was selected by Microsoft as the sample music for Windows XP to demonstrate Windows Media Player (not included in SP2 installs).. The next year, he provided vocals for a track, "Lazy" by X-Press 2, which reached number 2 in the United Kingdom and number 1 on the U.S. Dance Charts. David said in an interview in BBC Four Sessions's coverage of his Union Chapel performance that Lazy was number 1 in Syria. In April 2003, Byrne appeared as himself in an episode of The Simpsons, "Dude, Where's My Ranch?". In late 2003, Byrne released a book with a companion DVD called Envisioning Emotional Epistemological Information (ISBN 3-88243-907-6). The work included artwork composed entirely in Microsoft PowerPoint. It includes one image that depicts, according to Byrne, "Dan Rather's profile. Expanded to the nth degree. Taken to infinity. Overlaid on the back of Patrick Stewart's head." Byrne's latest solo album, Grown Backwards, was released on March 16th, 2004 by Nonesuch. This album used orchestral string arrangements, and includes two operatic arias. He also launched a North American and Australian tour with the Tosca Strings. This tour ended with Los Angeles, San Diego and New York shows in August 2005. The following year, his singing was featured on "The Heart's a Lonely Hunter" on The Cosmic Game by Thievery Corporation. In 2005, Byrne initiated his own internet radio station, Radio David Byrne. Each month, Byrne posts a playlist of music he likes, linked by themes or genres. Byrne's playlists have included African Popular Music; Rednecks, Racists, & Reactionaries: Country Classics; Vox Humana; Classical Opera; Italian Movie Music. Byrne also posts personal comments on the music and, occasionally, on the state of the recorded music industry. In July 2007, Byrne posted the following comment: "There was another piece in the Times today about yet another 20 percent drop in CD sales. (Are they running the same news piece every 4 months?) Jeez guys, the writing's on the wall. How long do the record execs think they'll have those offices and nice parking spaces? (Well, more than half of all record A&R and other execs are gone already, so there should be plenty of parking space). They, the big 4 or 5, should give the catalogues back to the artists or their heirs as a gesture before they close the office doors, as they sure don't know how to sell music anymore. (I have Talking Heads stuff on the shelf that I can't get Warner to release.) The "industry" had a nice 50-year ride, but it's time to move on. Luckily, music remains more or less unaffected — there is a lot of great music out there. A new model will emerge that includes rather than sues its own customers, that realizes that music is not a product in the sense of being a thing — it's closer to fashion, in that for music fans it tells them and their friends who they are, what they feel passionately about and to some extent what makes life fun and interesting. It's about a sense of community — a song ties a whole invisible disparate community together. It's not about selling the (often) shattered plastic case CDs used to come in". Returning to this work in the theatre, in late 2005 Byrne and Fatboy Slim began work on Here Lies Love, a disco opera or song cycle about the life of Imelda Marcos, the controversial former First Lady of the Philippines. Some music from this piece was debuted at Adelaide Festival of Arts in Australia in February 2006 and the following year at Carnegie Hall on February 3rd, 2007. Byrne and Eno's influential 1981 album My Life in the Bush of Ghosts was re-released for its 25th anniversary in early 2006, with new bonus tracks. In keeping with the spirit of the original album, two of the songs' component tracks were released under Creative Commons licenses and a remix contest site was launched. Later that same year, Byrne released Arboretum, a sketchbook facsimile of his Tree Drawings, published by McSweeney's. He also had an exhibition of his chairs — drawings, photographs, sculptures, and embroideries — at Pace/MacGill Gallery, NYC. Byrne was profiled in the New York Times in January, 2007. The article refers to his April 15, 2006 journal entry, in which he wrote: “I was a peculiar young man — borderline Asperger's, I would guess.” It was recently announced that David Byrne is working with Brian Eno on new music. In April 2008 Byrne took part in the Paul Simon retrospective concert series at BAM performing You Can Call Me Al and I Know What I Know from Simon's Graceland album. In 2008, Byrne and his band programmed the Battery Maritime Building, a 99-year-old ferry terminal in Manhattan, to play music.

24.1.10

Stephen Bennett (Beatles Related)




Stephen Bennett - Beatles Acoustic Guitar Solos - 2005 - Cimirron / Rainbird

"I have loved the Beatles since I started playing guitar in the late '60s. Over the years I have put together solo arrangements of many of their tunes, those presented here and many others. For this recording however, I have gone back and reworked these 15 tunes so that they are as complete as I can make them. With some, I have tossed out my previous arrangements and started over from scratch. They are all in their original key, which sometimes presented a challenge, but I thought it was important that these tunes, which so many people around the globe know, be in the register the boys from Liverpool recorded them... sb" [From Stephen's web site]

Using acoustic 6-string, National Steel, and harp guitar, the hugely talented Oregonian guitarist, Stephen Bennett plays amazing versions of fifteen classic Beatle's tracks. Stephen uses rare Dyer and Merrill harp guitars for tracks 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12 & 14. It is a joy to hear these great songs played so beautifully by a master musician. The album is V.H.R by A.O.O.F.C. Buy Stephen's brilliant "Reflections" album, and for other stunning guitar instrumental covers of Beatle's songs, listen to Laurence Juber's "LJ Plays the Beatles"album.

TRACKS

1. Eight Days A Week
2. A Hard Day's Night
3. Hello Goodbye
4. In My Life
5. Maxwell's Silver Hammer
6. Blackbird
7. Yesterday
8. Here, There And Everywhere
9. Strawberry Fields Forever
10. Penny Lane
11. Something
12. If I Fell
13. All My Loving
14. Hey Jude
15. All You Need Is Love

All songs composed by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, except "Something", by George Harrison

BIO

Stephen Bennett is an extraordinary musician, an acknowledged master of the harp guitar, a challenging teacher, a gifted composer, and a performer of astounding sensitivity. The Toronto Fingerstyle Guitar Association calls him “the Jedi Master of Fingerstyle Guitar”… Stephen has traveled the world and performed with the best. From California to Maine, Texas to Tennessee, as well as around Europe, Canada, Australia and Japan, Stephen has played all sorts of venues and events. He has released 20 recordings of music, along with a couple of DVDs, books and other instructional materials – and he’s always working on something new! The testimony of those who hear Stephen is that his work is the product of both mind and heart, intellectually challenging and emotionally satisfying – - and it is deeply personal, even as it is universal. Listeners have a feeling that they have stepped into the world of the musician, and for a short moment in time, there are only the two of them there. Says one reviewer: “With his ear near the body of the harp guitar, Mr. Bennett gave the impression of a father cradling a newborn baby . . . His performance was imbued with heart and grace.” The producer of a Texas music Festival writes, “Stephen’s music draws the listener in. He has the ability to make you feel as though you are a part of the music he is making. From France: “Stephen’s compositions are so beautiful, filled with great emotion and great sensitivity. He is one of those musicians who serve the music, and only the music.” “When I first heard him playing a few years ago in France, I felt like I had been pushed into a different world, where the lost emotions come back to your heart and make it beat in a different way. What Stephen can do, and few artists have this gift, is to speak directly to your heart and to move your best feelings!” Pierpaolo Adda, music journalist and festival promoter, Italy.“The image of Stephen Bennett embracing his harp guitar is the one that tends to linger. The fact that Stephen is only too happy to champion the cause of the harp guitar may inadvertently obscure his abilities on the six-string instrument. In what is becoming known as the Golden Age of Guitar Luthiery, it’s easy to overlook the fact that this is also the Golden Age of Guitar Playing. With six strings or more, as one of the most original and prolific composers and arrangers for the guitar on the current scene, Stephen Bennett is clearly a part of the latter heritage.” S. Rekas – Mel Bay Publications Stephen is also is the founder of the Harp Guitar Gathering, an event that celebrated its seventh season in October of 2009. The HGG seeks to celebrate all things harp guitar as it brings players, luthiers, scholars and fans together for a weekend of performances, workshops and camaraderie.Whether playing his great-grandfather’s harp guitar, slide on his National resonator guitar, or a standard six-string, Stephen Bennett is a musician to hear. His music has won awards and critical praise. In live performance and on record, his diverse musical influences and interests are joined in a life-long love affair with the sound of guitar strings. © 2009 Harp Guitar. Conforms to W3C Standard XHTML & CSS 2.8.6, http://truefiretv.net/sites/harpguitar2/?page_id=51

MORE ABOUT STEPHEN BENNETT

Stephen Bennett is one of the greatest performers and songwriters that we have ever had the pleasure of knowing. His music moves and inspires us to no end. Guitarist Stephen Bennett was born in Oregon, grew up in New York and has lived in Virginia for the last twenty-five years. Since his 1987 win at the National Flatpicking Championship, held in Winfield, Kansas, USA, he has come to be known as a guitar master, one who consistently garners critical praise and audience enthusiasm for his recordings and live performances. He is the only person to ever win awards in both flatpicking and fingerpicking styles in the nearly 30-year history of the National Guitar Championships. His arrangement and performance of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite has been played on radio stations around the United States and is regarded in some quarters as the alternative version. As one of the world's only performers on the too long neglected harp guitar, Stephen has created arrangements of classic tunes and composed new music as well. Three of his harp guitar compositions have been included in compilations on the Narada label, with the latest due out in March of 2001. Three other of his pieces have been licensed by the Bose Corporation. Stephen performs regularly around the US and recently in Europe as well, including a recent performance on Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion. Armed with a standard six-string, an old National steel resonator guitar, his harp guitar, a broad repertoire, and thirty-five years of guitar playing experience, Stephen Bennett engages his audiences with an entertaining show of first-rate musicianship. © http://www.pick-uptheworld.com/featuredartist.html

John Fogerty




John Fogerty - COMIN' DOWN THE ROAD-RETURN TO THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL - 2009 - Fortunate Son/Verve

Featuring songs from John Fogerty's show at The Royal Albert Hall on June 24th, 2008, which was the last concert of his 2008 European "Revival" Tour. It has been stated by one reviewer that this concert was purely a "film-shoot", "a shameful shambles of a show", "a stop-start succession of cringe-making moments that left Fogerty uncomfortable". "John Fogerty disappeared to fix his make-up, after a few songs". Throughout the show "there were ragged gaps between songs so they could edit the show later". "The director had the whip-hand". During the show, John Fogerty "disappeared for 10 minutes to change his shirt, with an embarrassed band filling in". "There was an onstage argument about the setting out of stools for a semi-plugged Gunslinger, the house lights stayed up for the cameras and the frequent faltering ruined any sense of occasion". “Somebody help me,” Fogerty sang midway through the set. “Something’s going wrong.” "Fogerty couldn’t have missed the boos, catcalls, and outbursts of slow handclapping, no matter how many ‘ringers’ the film crew sited centre-stage". "By the time the likes of Travellin’ Band, Fortunate Son and Proud Mary steamed in, many of the frustrated fans had given up and gone home". "The fans should have been paid as extras. When the DVD comes out of the editing suite, it will look like a memorable night". Other reviews of this concert have said the same things. Other reviews have called Fogerty arrogant, and unapologetic for the constant intrusiveness of camera crew and production staff. Read http://www.wordmagazine.co.uk/content/john-fogerty-albert-hall Seems extraordinary! John Fogerty is a legend of rock music, and this "edited" audio concert sounds ok. Fogerty has given his life to music, and has always provided value for money to his fans. There is no doubting the great man's talent. Reading the reviews of this concert, it does seem that the "director had the whip-hand", and that John Fogerty was caught on a "sticky wicket". Comments would be very welcome from anybody who attended this concert. Was it really that embarrassing? Check out John's "Long Way Home" DVD, his work with CCR, and his solo albums, "Centerfield", and "Deja Vu (All Over Again)".

TRACKS

1. Comin' Down the Road
2. Born On the Bayou
3. Lookin' Out My Backdoor
4. Rambunctious Boy
5. Don't You Wish it Was True
6. My Toot Toot (Simien)
7. Commotion
8. Creedence Song
9. Ramble Tamble
10. Gunslinger
11. I Will Walk With You
12. Somebody Help Me
13. Broken Down Cowboy
14. Keep On Chooglin'
15. Southern Streamline
16. Blue Ridge Mountain Blues (Traditional)
17. Almost Saturday Night
18. Rock and Roll Girls
19. Down on the Corner
20. Hey Tonight
21. Up Around the Bend
22. Old Man Down the Road
23. Fortunate Son
24. Travelin' Band
25. Rockin' All Over the World
26. Proud Mary
All songs composed by John Fogerty, except where stated

BAND

John Fogerty - Guitar, Vocals
Billy Burnette, Hunter Perrin, Shane Fogerty*, Tyler Fogerty* - Guitar
Matt Nolen - Guitar, Keyboards, Accordion
David Santos - Bass Guitar
Kenny Aronoff (drums)
Jason Mowery - Mandolin, Fiddle, Lap Steel Guitar

N.B: * Played on "Up Around The Bend".

23.1.10

Sad Café




Sad Café - Misplaced Ideals - 1978 - RCA

Sad Cafe's fourth album is filled with blues-rock songs with a touch of soft rock -- or vice versa, depending on the song. Standouts like "Black Rose" and "Babylon" showcase the band's love for Styx and the Stones, respectively, and the occasional ballad ("Feel Like Dying") doesn't cause the album to lose its spirited momentum. Vocalist Paul Young tries very hard to be Mick Jagger on some tracks, but he's so dead-on that he deserves some credit. Overall, this is Sad Cafe's best. © Gina Boldman, All Music Guide, http://www.answers.com/topic/misplaced-ideals [ N.B: This review is obviously based on an alternative album release, as "Black Rose" and "Babylon" are not included on the original 1978 vinyl release ]

Perhaps best known for their great pop rock hit ""Every Day Hurts", Sad Café were a sophisticated pop rock band who created some great albums. Their music could be classified as "soft rock", but not of the sugary, sweet harmony "sound the same" type that was being churned out by many bands in the seventies, and early eighties. This is not a criticism of "soft rock". Artists like The Eagles, Mamas & Papas, David Gates and others turned out some fabulous songs and albums, and were never boring. Good music comes in every shape, form, and genre, and as stated before, A.O.O.F.C will not exclude any artists with musical merit. But Sad Café's music was real quality "soft rock"(for want of a better term). Good song structures, great musicians, and good lyrics. Also, the late Paul Young was a really talented vocalist. The band played an intelligent blend of "English Pop/Soul", with plenty of bluesy instrumental touches, incorporating great sax and guitar work, very much in the Hall & Oates style. A very much underrated band, and definitely worth listening to today. Many people regard "Misplaced Ideals" as the band's "best" album. What do you think? Listen to the group's "Facades" album. You will find info on the band's 1980 s/t album @ SADCAFE1980 N.B: This album has also been released as part of a double CD with the band's first album, "Fanx-Ta-Ra". It is also available as a 10 track CD, which omits the tracks "Let Love Speak For Itself","No Place To Go","Mario", and "Relax", but includes the tracks, "Black Rose", "I believe (love will survive)", "Babylon", "Shellshock", and "Hungry Eyes". All of the latter five tracks mentioned are from the band's first album, "Fanx-Ta-Ra". In effect this "other" US "Misplaced Ideals" CD is a compilation of the original "Misplaced Ideals", and "Fanx-Ta-Ra" albums!

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

A1 Restless - Mulford,Wilson,Stimpson,Young
A2 Here Come The Clowns - Young
A3 Run Home Girl - Wilson,Young
A4 Let Love Speak For Itself - Wilson,Stimpson,Young

B1 No Place To Go - Wilson
B2 Mario - Stimpson,Young,Emerson
B3 Relax - Young
B4 Feel Like Dying - Young
B5 On With The Show - Mulford,Wilson,Stimpson,Young,Emerson

MUSICIANS

John Stimpson (vocals, acoustic guitar)
Ashley Mulford (guitar)
Vic Emerson (keyboards, string synthesizer)
Tony Cresswell (drums, percussion)
John Punter (percussion)
Lenni Zaksen (saxophone)
Liza Strike, Irene Chanter (background vocals)

BIO

Sad Café was a British soft rock outfit, that enjoyed a recording somewhat successful career from the mid-'70s through the early '80s. The group's leader, singer Paul Young (not the same Paul Young that scored the '80s hit "Every Time You Go Away"), got his start with music in the mid-'60s, when he fronted a forgotten Manchester group called the Toggery Five, which included a few members that would later go on to join prog rockers Jethro Tull — guitarist Mick Abrahams and drummer Clive Bunker. By the early '70s, Young was fronting another forgotten outfit, Gyro, and by 1976, opted to leave the band — taking Gyro guitarist Ian Wilson with him. Young then formed Sad Café, along with members of another Manchester band, Mandalaband (Ashley Mumford [guitar], Vic Emerson [keyboards], John Stimpson [bass], Tony Creswell [drums]), who had issued an obscure self-titled release in 1975. The fledgling group signed a deal with the Chrysalis label, but for reasons unknown, the record company shelved a debut album finished in 1976. Switching to RCA, some of the songs from their proposed 1976 debut were included on Fanx Ta-Ra, issued a year later, which was followed by such further releases as 1977's Hungry Eyes, 1978's Misplaced Ideals, and 1979's Facades (the latter of which spawned the group their biggest hit single, the U.K. Top Five "Every Day Hurts"). It was also around this time that Mandalaband briefly re-formed for an album (which Young supplied vocals to), The Eye of Wendor. Sad Café was never able to follow up their single with another substantial hit, and decided to call it a day in 1981, after a few more underappreciated albums saw the light of day (1980's self-titled release, plus 1981's Live and Olé). Young would later re-submerge as one of the singers of Mike + the Mechanics, a side project of Genesis guitarist Mike Rutherford (sharing the vocal duties with Paul Carrack), that scored a big hit with their self-titled debut in 1985. The late '80s saw Young join up once more with Ian Wilson under the Sad Café moniker, issuing 1986's The Politics of Existence (with guest spots by both Rutherford and Carrack). From here on out, Young split his time between Sad Café (1994's Whatever It Takes) and Mike + the Mechanics (1988's The Living Years, 1991's Word of Mouth, 1995's Beggar on a Beach of Gold, and 1999's self-titled release), and in 1993, took part in a benefit concert for a British hospital, that featured an unusual line-up that was a combination of both Mike + the Mechanics and Pink Floyd — David Gilmour (guitar, vocals), Rick Wright (keyboards, vocals), Nick Mason (drums), Tim Renwick (guitar, vocals), Mike Rutherford (bass, vocals), Gary Wallis (drums), and Young. On July 15, 2000, Young passed away in Cheshire, England, at the age of 53, effectively ending any hope of further Sad Café offerings. © Greg Prato, allmusic.com, http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:hpfqxq95ldke~T1

22.1.10

Shadowfax




Shadowfax - Magic Theater - 1994 - Warner Bros.

Shadowfax were a prominent "new age" band that flourished in the eclectic global music pond of the early '80s. One of the musical definitions of "new age" music is described in Wikipedia as "music with an ambient sound that has the explicit purpose of aiding meditation and relaxation, or aiding and enabling various alternative spiritual practices, such as alternative healing, Yoga practise, guided meditation, chakra auditing, and so on. The proponents of this definition are almost always musicians who create their music expressly for these purposes". That definition may sound boring and could certainly lead to an immediate dismissal of "new age" music by many people. However, as with all music genres, their "definitions" do not always relate to what you hear, and "Magic Theater" is one such example. The album is not boring, nor is it necessarily of a meditative nature. Relaxing, yes, but there is no Tantric, Yogaic, or other "religious" symbolism attached to the album. It is also important to say that many albums classified as "new age" are often more in the progressive jazz/jazz rock/fusion vein, and it is not always easy to label such music. The album is very listenable, accessible, and enjoyable. Also, "New Age" music is often associated with abstractism, and again, "Magic Theater" does not relate to this concept. This is not saying that abstract/new age music cannot be enjoyed. Listen to Brian Eno's great "Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks", an album which proves this point. "Magic Theater" is an original blend of electronica, fusion, ethnic, progressive, and jazz rock, with medieval, and even Canterbury Rock elements, played brilliantly by a band who originally started in 1972, in Chicago as a blues trio. So goes the evolution of music ! Try and listen to the late Chuck Greenberg's "From a Blue Planet" album, and also Shadowfax's "Esperanto" album. Although A.O.O.F.C concentrates on blues, jazz, electronica, and prog. rock, it is a good thing to open your mind to all types of music. There is no rubbish posted on this blog, and everything on A.O.O.F.C has some musical merit. .....(In the words of the late, great Ian Dury, did somebody say "Wot a load of old bollo?" !!). There is info on Shadowfax's "Shadowdance" album @ SFAX/SDNCE It is also worth checking out the group's "Folksongs for a Nuclear Village" album

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

Imaginary Islands - Chuck Greenberg
Hey! Your Hat's on Backwards - Stuart Nevitt
Secret Gathering - Armen Chakmakian
Ebony Wind - Chuck Greenberg
Castaneda's Boogie - Phil Maggini
Baker's Dozen - Chuck Greenberg
Night Passage - Armen Chakmakian
Remembrance - Phil Maggini
How Much Does Zimbabwe?- Stuart Nevitt
The Spirit Door - Phil Maggini

MUSICIANS

Danny Heines (Lap Steel Guitar),(Guitar),(Acoustic Guitar)
Andy Abad (Guitar),(Electric Guitar)
Phil Maggini (Upright Bass),(Fretless Bass)
Armen Chakmakian (Piano),(Synthesizer),(Keyboards),(Electric Piano)
Phil Maggini (Keyboards),(Vocals),(Bass),(Flute)
Stuart Nevitt (Drums),(Electric Drums),(Snare Drums),(Acoustic Bass),(Electric Bass),(Percussion),(Cymbals),(Vocals),(Sound Effects)
Ramon Yslas (Sound Effects),(Conga),(Percussion),(Bongos),(Shaker),(Chimes)
Chuck Greenberg (Soprano Sax),(Tenor Sax),(Woodwind),(Alto Flute),(Lyricon)
Glenn Morrison (Flugelhorn)
Aaron Gross (Dumbek)

BIO

One of new age electronic music's earliest and best-known proponents, Shadowfax was formed in Chicago in 1972 by saxophonist Chuck Greenberg, guitarist G.E. Stinson and bassist Phil Maggini. Originally a blues band, the trio soon began exploring chamber jazz and folk; even medieval music began creeping into the mix, appropriately enough for a group named in honor of a horse from J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings series. Adding drummer Stuart Nevin in 1974, Shadowfax issued their debut LP, Watercourse Way, two years later; failing to make an immediate impact, the quartet did attract a cult following which continued to grow following their subsequent signing to the Windham Hill label. 1982's eponymously titled effort was their commerical breakthrough, reaching the upper rungs of the Billboard jazz charts; for the follow-up, 1983's Shadowdance, Shadowfax's ranks swelled with the additions of violinist Jamii Szmadzinski and pianist/synth player Jared Stewart. The group endured multiple personnel changes in the years to follow, with founding members Greenberg and Maggini both remaining constants well into the 1990s. © Jason Ankeny, allmusic.com

BIO (Wikipedia)

Shadowfax was a new age/electronic musical group, best known for their albums Shadowfax and Folksongs for a Nuclear Village. In 1988 they won the Grammy for Best New Age Performance for Folksongs for a Nuclear Village. In 1992 they were nominated for the Grammy for Esperanto. The group formed in 1972, and disbanded after 1995 when Lyricon player and leader Chuck Greenberg died of a heart attack. Having lost their signature sound, Shadowfax's members went on to other projects. The group takes its name from Gandalf's horse Shadowfax in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.

21.1.10

Preston Shannon




Preston Shannon - Midnight in Memphis - 1996 - Bullseye Blues

Quite simply one of the best- if not the best- soul blues disc of the 90s! Produced by the legendary Willie Mitchell with keyboardist Ron Levy, Shannon delivers a masterpiece of Memphis Soul & Blues. Featuring members of the legendary Hi Records house band and recorded at Mitchell's Memphis studio, the album kicks off with two stunning mid-tempo Memphis soul burners co-authored by Mitchell: ("'Round Midnight" & "Baby I Will"), followed by a gritty blues called "Size 12 Shoes" with the lyrical refrain "My dinner was half ate up/The shower was cold enough for a duck/The bed wasn't cold it was hot/but what I saw next made me wish I had buck-shot!/Size twelve shoes under my bed/Baby I wear size ten!". A superior take on Leon Haywood's "The Streets Will Love You To Death" & the slow, sexually-charged blues "The Clock", plus juke joint blues "Honky Tonk" push this gem into the stratosphere. PERFECT! © 2007 by Blues Critic Media unless indicated otherwise. [May be used if web address www.bluescritic.com and company name are included.] © http://bluescritic.com/prestonshannon.htm

King Curtis once recorded a groovy tune on which he described and demonstrated the recipe for "Memphis Soul Stew" ("a pound of fatback drums," "a half pint of horns," "a pinch of organ," etc.). Midnight in Memphis is like a Memphis Blues Stew seasoned with chunks of soul; it combines every tasty ingredient to be found in both the blues and soul cookbooks. Co-producers Ron Levy (an aficionado of the Memphis sound) and Willie Mitchell (one of the creators of that sound) work with guitarist/vocalist Shannon (a regular on the current Memphis scene) to create one of the strongest contemporary soul-blues albums of the decade. On cuts like the slow-burner "The Feeling Is Gone," the sexual epic "The Clock," and the knockout "Size 12 Shoes," Shannon's gritty vocals convey so much commitment and authority as to enthrall the listener, especially when the CD is played loud as it obviously was meant to be. Shannon hit the ground running on his debut album Break the Ice. On Midnight in Memphis he soars. © Steve Hoffman, allmusic.com, http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:wzfpxqwhldse

Preston Shannon is a very underrated vocalist and guitarist whose vocals are reminiscent of Bobby Womack and Otis Redding. His guitar technique evokes the sounds T-Bone Walker, Freddie King, and Albert King. A.O.O.F.C will not argue with what most of the music critics say about "Midnight in Memphis". As soul blues music goes, the album is on a different level. Everything about this album is good, and it's VHR by A.O.O.F.C. Buy Preston's great "All in Time" album for more inspiring Memphis soul blues.

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1 'Round Midnight Hanighen, Monk, Williams 4:30
2 Baby I Will Brown, Malone, Mitchell 4:27
3 Size 12 Shoes Knickleberry, McGhee 3:49
4 Nobody's Fools Brown, Malone, Mitchell 4:44
5 The Feeling Is Gone Malone, Malone 4:42
6 The Clock Brown, Mitchell 7:55
7 The Streets Will Love You to Death Heywood, Heywood 3:53
8 Honky Tonk Robey 3:40
9 Take Your Time Darby, Mitchell 3:34
10 Can't Lose What You Never Had Waters 4:49
11 Handee Man Brown, Mitchell 3:27
12 Midnight in Memphis Levy, Shannon 6:45

MUSICIANS

Preston Shannon Guitar, Vocals
Milton Price Bass, Guitar (Bass)
Thomas Bingham Guitar (Rhythm)
Lester Snell Piano
Ron Levy Organ (Hammond)
Steve Potts Drums
Lannie McMIllian Sax (Tenor)
James Mitchell Sax (Baritone)
Ben Cauley Trumpet
Jack Hale Trombone
Mashaa, William Brown, Bertram Brown Vocals (bckgr)



BIO

Memphis-based guitarist, singer, and songwriter Preston Shannon delivers soul-filled vocals atop his burning, venom-tipped guitar chords. His voice is deep and guttural, and he's a veteran of hundreds of live club shows and recording sessions as a sideman. Shannon's specialty is a blend of Southern-fried soul and blues, and his albums and live shows — always with a horn section — are an eclectic mix of danceable, grooving tunes and slow, soulful ballads. Born in Olive Branch, MS, Shannon's family moved to Memphis when he was eight. Although his Pentecostal parents didn't initially accept his fascination with blues music, they eventually did when they saw how serious he was about pursuing the music for his livelihood. Shannon served as a member of a popular '70s bar band Amnesty and played in a succession of other Memphis-area bands while working by day for a hardware company. Finally, he decided to play music full-time when he landed a spot in soul-blues belter Shirley Brown's band. It wasn't until 1991 that he put together his own band and began playing the clubs on Beale Street and other places. In the early '90s, he was discovered playing in a Beale Street blues club by producer/keyboardist Ron Levy, who brought Shannon's talents to the attention of executives at Rounder Records. Shortly afterwards, in 1994, his first widely distributed recording was issued on the label. Shannon has recorded three albums for the Rounder Bullseye Blues subsidiary, Break the Ice (1994) Midnight in Memphis (1996), and All in Time (1999). All three albums more than adequately showcase his talents as a singer who can alternate between uptempo, gospel-inspired numbers and slower, soulful love songs and ballads. Shannon's guitar playing contains echoes of the Kings, Albert and B.B., T-Bone Walker, and some of the rhythmic sensibilities of Little Milton Campbell. For many years a homebody who couldn't be heard much outside the Memphis city limits, Shannon has done some road work in recent years, traveling to blues festivals around the U.S. © Richard Skelly & Al Campbell, allmusic.com, http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:wpfixqegld6e~T1

20.1.10

Sad Café




Sad Café - Sad Café - 1980 - RCA

Sad Café was created when some members of two popular Manchester bands - Mandala (John Stimpson, Vic Emerson and Ashley Mulford) and Gyro (Paul Young and Ian Wilson) decided to form a new band. The band adopted it's name from the book by Carson McCullers, "The Ballad Of The Sad Café". This is really good adult sophisticated, melodic pop rock with a touch of Hall & Oates. Sad Café's songs were carefully written, and well played by great musicians. This 1980 album was produced by 10 cc's Eric Stewart, and his influences can be heard throughout the album. Listen to the band's "The Politics of Existence", with guests, Paul Carrack, and Mike Rutherford. Also, SC's "Misplaced Ideals" is a classy album, with plenty of jazzy blues rock of the "softer" variety. For music in a similar genre, check out 10 cc's "Sheet Music", and Pilot's "Morin Heights".

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

La Di Da - Stimpson, Young
Digital Daydream Blues - Young, Mulford, Emerson
What Am I Gonna Do - Wilson
Keeping It From The Troops - Young, Sad Cafe
Love Today - Wilson, Young, Sad Cafe
Losin' You - Mulford
Dreaming - Young, Mulford, Emerson,Stimpson
No Favours No Way - Stimpson, Young
I'm In Love Again - Wilson, Young,Emerson

MUSICIANS

Ian Wilson - vocals, guitar, electric guitar, percussion
Ashley Mulford - vocals, guitar, slide guitar
John Stimpson - vocals, bass guitar
Vic Emerson - piano, synthesizer
Dave Irving - vocals, drums, percussion
Paul Young - vocals, congas, percussion
Lenny Zakatek - saxophone
Lenni Zaksen - vocals, saxophone

BIO

Sad Café was a British soft rock outfit, that enjoyed a recording somewhat successful career from the mid-'70s through the early '80s. The group's leader, singer Paul Young (not the same Paul Young that scored the '80s hit "Every Time You Go Away"), got his start with music in the mid-'60s, when he fronted a forgotten Manchester group called the Toggery Five, which included a few members that would later go on to join prog rockers Jethro Tull — guitarist Mick Abrahams and drummer Clive Bunker. By the early '70s, Young was fronting another forgotten outfit, Gyro, and by 1976, opted to leave the band — taking Gyro guitarist Ian Wilson with him. Young then formed Sad Café, along with members of another Manchester band, Mandalaband (Ashley Mumford [guitar], Vic Emerson [keyboards], John Stimpson [bass], Tony Creswell [drums]), who had issued an obscure self-titled release in 1975. The fledgling group signed a deal with the Chrysalis label, but for reasons unknown, the record company shelved a debut album finished in 1976. Switching to RCA, some of the songs from their proposed 1976 debut were included on Fanx Ta-Ra, issued a year later, which was followed by such further releases as 1977's Hungry Eyes, 1978's Misplaced Ideals, and 1979's Facades (the latter of which spawned the group their biggest hit single, the U.K. Top Five "Every Day Hurts"). It was also around this time that Mandalaband briefly re-formed for an album (which Young supplied vocals to), The Eye of Wendor. Sad Café was never able to follow up their single with another substantial hit, and decided to call it a day in 1981, after a few more underappreciated albums saw the light of day (1980's self-titled release, plus 1981's Live and Olé). Young would later re-submerge as one of the singers of Mike + the Mechanics, a side project of Genesis guitarist Mike Rutherford (sharing the vocal duties with Paul Carrack), that scored a big hit with their self-titled debut in 1985. The late '80s saw Young join up once more with Ian Wilson under the Sad Café moniker, issuing 1986's The Politics of Existence (with guest spots by both Rutherford and Carrack). From here on out, Young split his time between Sad Café (1994's Whatever It Takes) and Mike + the Mechanics (1988's The Living Years, 1991's Word of Mouth, 1995's Beggar on a Beach of Gold, and 1999's self-titled release), and in 1993, took part in a benefit concert for a British hospital, that featured an unusual line-up that was a combination of both Mike + the Mechanics and Pink Floyd — David Gilmour (guitar, vocals), Rick Wright (keyboards, vocals), Nick Mason (drums), Tim Renwick (guitar, vocals), Mike Rutherford (bass, vocals), Gary Wallis (drums), and Young. On July 15, 2000, Young passed away in Cheshire, England, at the age of 53, effectively ending any hope of further Sad Café offerings. © Greg Prato, allmusic.com, http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:hpfqxq95ldke~T1

19.1.10

Lobby Lloyde & The Coloured Balls




Lobby Lloyde & The Coloured Balls - Summer Jam (w. Leo de Castro & Billy Thorpe) - 1973 - Mushroom

Plenty of "snap, crackle, and pop" on this album. If you are an audiophile, then sound quality may disappoint. If you like good rock guitar playing, then try and forget about the SQ, and enjoy the music. Lobby Lloyde, and Billy Thorpe are now deceased, but they both were major rock figures in Australia, and also influenced bands like Nirvana, Pavement, and Henry Rollins. "Summer Jam" is good early seventies boogie blues/psychedelic rock. Try and listen to Lobby's "Obsecration" album, and Billy Thorpe's "Time Traveller" albums. Check out detailed info on LL's music @ LOBBYLOYDE/ALBUMS

TRACKS

A1 Help me / Rock me Baby 11:40
A2 Going Down 6:45
B1 God 18:43

MUSICIANS

Lobby Lloyde - Lead Guitar
Andy Fordham - Guitar
John Miglans - Bass
Trevor Young - Drums
Billy Thorpe - Vocals on A1
Leo De Castro - Guitar, Vocals on A1

BIO

The godfather of heavy rock in Australia, Lobby Loyde has been hailed as an influence by the likes of Nirvana's KURT COBAIN, Pavement's Stephen Malkmus, Henry Rollins and the Cosmic Psychos. "More than anyone else, Lobby helped create the Australian guitar sound. Long before Angus (Young) or Billy Thorpe or the Angels or Rose Tattoo. Lobby inspired Australian bands to step forward and play as loud and aggressively as they could. People are still trying to copy it today" – Angry Anderson told The Age, 2006 In a telling measure of the man's talents, Lobby Loyde – known as Barry Lyde on his birth certificate – has influenced countless performers both here and overseas through his playing, songwriting and production work. After ground-breaking stints with the Purple Hearts and the Wild Cherries, and a crucial tenure as a member of Billy Thorpe's new Aztecs in 1969 to 1972, Loyde forged a new band, Coloured Balls, in 1972 with the intention to recruit a bunch of young, hungry musicians and create high energy rock'n'roll on his own terms. With an aesthetic push that fused hippie philosophy to explosive rock'n'roll, the band ended up being one of the most misunderstood bands of the early 1970s. The mainstream media branded them as anti-social misfits, due in no small degree to their single-minded performances, the adoption of the (then prevalent) sharpie haircut and the aggressive nature of their skinhead following. From 1972 until their demise in 1974 they released six singles and three LPs, Ball Power, Heavy Metal Kid and First Supper Last as well as performing with Billy Thorpe and others on the Sunbury '73 live album, Summer Jam. Lobby then went solo again releasing the single 'Do You Believe in Magic' (1975) and the acclaimed Obsecration album (1976). He spent four years in the UK where he embraced punk and upon his return to Australia he joined Rose Tattoo as bass player. That line-up recorded an album in Los Angeles which has never been issued. In the '80s LOBBY LOYDE moved into production and live sound mixing, producing acclaimed recordings for the Sunnyboys, Kevin Borich, Machinations, Flaming Hands, X and Painters and Dockers. He returned to the stage in the early '90s with the supergroup Dirt. In late 2002 Lobby reunited The Coloured Balls to take part in the 'Long Way To The Top' concert tour. In October 2002 he celebrated his 40th year in music by being inducted into the Australian Blues Foundation Hall of Fame. In August 2006 Lobby was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame and later that month a benefit concert was held in his honour to assist in his battle with cancer. Sadly on April 21 2007, Lobby lost his fight with cancer with his family by his side. Lobby will live on through his music and in our memories. My he always be known as the "Godfather of Australian rock'n'roll". © http://frankieloyde.com/07_lobbyloyde.htm

17.1.10

Brand X




Brand X - Manifest Destiny - 1997 - Outer

Brand X were a British jazz-rock fusion outfit formed by Genesis drummer Phil Collins and Atomic Rooster guitarist John Goodsall as a side project from their regular groups. Their initial lineup also included keyboardist Robin Lumley and bassist Percy Jones (the Liverpool Scene, the Scaffold). Brand X's debut album, Unorthodox Behaviour, was released in 1976; a live album, Livestock, and the studio effort Moroccan Roll followed in 1977. Collins left the group to concentrate on Genesis, and for 1978's Masques, he was replaced by Al Di Meola drummer Chuck Burgi, as well as additional keyboardist Peter Robinson, who had played with Stanley Clarke. Three further albums — 1979's Product, 1980's Do They Hurt?, and 1982's Is There Anything About? — followed before the group disbanded. In the mid-'90s, Lumley, Goodsall, and Jones reunited, issuing several live collections in the years to follow. © Steve Huey, allmusic.com, www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:gifyxqw5ldde

"Manifest Destiny" is excellent progressive jazz rock/fusion. Maybe not as innovative as some of the band's earlier albums, but nevertheless, this is fusion at it's best. N.B: This album contains two hidden bonus (live) tracks, giving an extra 18 minutes to the album. One track is a drum solo, by the late Pierre Moerlen (Gong). The other track is an instrumental, featuring Pierre Moerlen, the guitar of John Goodsall, and the bass of Percy Jones. Listen to Brand X's great fusion albums, "Unorthodox Behaviour", and "Masques"

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1 True to the Clik Franz Pusch, John Goodsall 5:31
2 Stellerator Percy Jones 6:17
3 Virus Franz Pusch, John Goodsall 7:56
4 XXL John Goodsall 5:51
5 The Worst Man Percy Jones 4:33
6 Mainfest Destiny Marc Wagnon, John Goodsall, Percy Jones, Frank Katz 4:11
7 Five Drops Marc Wagnon 3:52
8 Drum Ddu Percy Jones 5:50
9 Operation Hearts and Minds John Goodsall 4:39
10 Mr. Bubble Goes to Hollywood Frank Katz, Percy Jones 2:56
11 [Untitled Track] - 8:08
12 [Untitled Track] - 9:46

MUSICIANS

John Goodsall / organ, synthesizer, guitar, guitar (rhythm), sitar, narrator, orchestra, sampling, tubular bells, Wah Wah guitar, MIDI guitar
Percy Jones / keyboards, sound effects, special effects, Fretless bass, sequencing, Wah Wah bass
Marc Wagnon / synthesizer, bass, vibraphone, MIDI vibes
Franz Pusch / synthesizer, bass, percussion, keyboards, programming, sound effects, vocals
Frank Katz / drums, vocals
Danny Wilding / flute
Ronnie Ciago / Tamtam, Rainstick, Shaker, Udu
Pierre Moerlen / Drums

BIO (WIKI)

Brand X is a classic jazz fusion band, noted for including Phil Collins in its ranks. Its original incarnation was active between 1974–1980. Other important members were John Goodsall (guitar), Percy Jones (bass), Robin Lumley (keyboards) and Morris Pert (percussion). In the 1990s, original members John Goodsall and Percy Jones formed a new version of Brand X. In 1999, Goodsall reformed Brand X with fretless bassist Mick Stevens replacing Percy Jones. This version of the band includes keyboardist Kris Sjobring who performed with the touring version of Brand X in 1997. Contrary to popular belief, Brand X was in existence long before Collins became involved. It started in 1974 as a "blowing" band which got together weekly at PSL, a rehearsal facility in the London suburb of Wandsworth. Keyboard player Robin Lumley (a one-time member of David Bowie's Spiders From Mars) and bassist Percy Jones (ex-The Liverpool Scene) had used the same studio with their previous band Karass (led by sax player Jack Lancaster) and one night were, explains Lumley, "asked along for a blow, as there was a vague possibility of getting a deal with Island. We trolled along to have a play, only to discover that the lead guitarist was something very special: John Goodsall, recently just out of Atomic Rooster" (Goodsall was known as "Johnny Mandala" during his stint with AR). When they started rehearsing at Island Studios, the label's A&R man (and ex-Melody Maker critic) Richard Williams took note of their music and wrote down "Brand X" in the studio diary, since the group lacked a name at the time. Original singer/percussionist Phil Spinelli and rhythm guitarist Pete Bonas quit the band after inconclusive sessions for an Average White Band-style album. The rest of the band decided to carry on as an instrumental, jazz-fusion style unit. Original drummer John Dillon left at that point, and Genesis drummer Phil Collins, who engaged in prolific session work during this period, agreed to take over in early 1975, feeling he could fit in time for recording and gigs with Brand X as a side project. In September 1975, Unorthodox Behaviour was recorded but was turned down by Island and eventually released on Genesis's label Charisma in early 1976. Regular gigging followed throughout 1976, working around Collins' commitments with Genesis. Percussionist and composer Morris Pert was added shortly before the late 1976 sessions for the follow-up Moroccan Roll. (The band had previously employed other percussionists, including Bill Bruford, Jeff Seopardie, Andy Ward (of Camel) and Preston Heyman). By early 1977, it became clear that Collins would be unavailable for much of the year, and Brand X decided to recruit a replacement drummer (although Collins rejoined for strategic dates throughout the year). Their first choice, Joe Blocker, didn't work out (he joined Steve Hillage's band instead), and eventually American drummer Kenwood Dennard filled the slot, making his debut on the band's first US tour (a 32-date affair in May-June 1977) and appearing on part of the live album Livestock. Collins came back to the fold for a series of dates in September 1977 including two appearances on the same day in London (Crystal Palace garden party) and Paris (Fete de l’Humanite) - the first time ever a band played two open-air shows in different countries on the same day ! A second US tour followed late in the year, again with Dennard on drums. Meanwhile, Lumley was becoming more and more in-demand as a producer, which led to the recruitment of ex-Quatermass and Stanley Clarke keyboardist Peter Robinson. 1978's Masques (produced by Lumley) also introduced a new drummer, Chuck Burgi. For much of the band's touring that year, Californian guitarist Mike Miller depped for Goodsall, and the "exploding drummer" syndrome continued leading to the recruitment of ex-Headhunters drummer Mike Clark. In 1979, Collins was temporarily free of commitments with Genesis, and re-joined Brand X for the series of recording sessions which would produce two albums, 1979's Product and 1980's Do They Hurt?. These took place at Startling Studios, located in Ringo Starr's countryside home (formerly owned by John Lennon), with two distinct line-ups operating in alternation, as Jones later explained. "Our record and management companies were both complaining about poor record sales and telling us we had to make the music more accessible. Some of the guys agreed to go along with this but I felt that to do this would not generate a new audience but would probably just alienate the one that we already had. The only solution was to have two bands, one being more accessible and the other being more experimental or whatever. For my stuff the line-up was Robinson, Clark, Goodsall and me; for the other direction it was Lumley, Collins and Goodsall with John Giblin on bass. We recorded in shifts, ours was 8pm to 4am and the others 10am to 6pm. How Goodsall managed to do both is still a mystery to me !". Touring resumed in September 1979 for a North American tour which brought back together the original line-up of Collins, Goodsall, Jones and Lumley, albeit with Peter Robinson still on second keyboards. The dual keyboard formula had been established earlier in the year when Lumley and Robinson (along with fellow Brand X members Goodsall and Pert) both took part in the tour for Rod Argent's "Movin' Home" album. "Being a keyboard-player's album, it had tons of keys overdubs", Lumley recalled, "which meant more than one keyboard player if the tunes were to be performed live. So Pete and I formed a huge "castle" of keyboards at one side of the stage and played all the bits Rod couldn't do!... The twin keyboards arrangement worked so well, that we carried on with the idea for the 1979-80 Brand X tours". A final UK tour took place in April-May 1980 (co-headlining with Bruford), for which Mike Clark once again took over the drum stool. The band disintegrated at that point, with both Jones and Goodsall moving to America (Lumley eventually settled in Australia). In 1982, a final studio album, Is There Anything About?, was released, consisting of re-worked outtakes from previous sessions. (For instance "Modern, Noisy, and Effective" is simply the backing track to "Soho" with a new keyboard line). "I don't think anyone wanted to do this album", Lumley later recounted. "But there was a contractual thing with CBS which had to be fulfilled. It ended up my baby, but not by choice... I was simply the only person in the UK at the time to do it !!! Tony Smith, our manager, asked me to undertake it, by trawling through reels of old takes to see if I could come up with something. Steve Short (Trident engineer) and I overdubbed and fiddled with the takes we thought viable... I know that the chaps who weren't around weren't happy... But then neither was I !!! However one undertakes a salvage job like that, you'll never please everyone. Certainly the whole thing was a disappointment and perhaps should never have been attempted... Although the contractual business was unavoidable". Looking back on his Brand X years, Lumley says: “It was great that everyone really got on well, from beginning to end. Funnily enough there was never really a leader. People recognised Phil as a figure head and he had his own status, but generally it was a band without a boss. We were all very good friends socially, and we all shared the same sense of humour. Yes, there were some very silly episodes with Super Glue on the road! I refuse to take all the blame for that. But I did manage to get some industrial strength glue that was used for sticking aeroplanes together. So as far as sticking hotel room furniture to the ceiling was concerned - that was easy! Lumley addressed the reasons for the breakup as follows: - "The fact is we wore it out. We certainly didn't hate each other. We could no longer write anything together that made us happy and we just got on with other things. Phil of course went into his solo career, which became fantastically successful. The interesting thing is that now the old Brand X records are selling really well. I guess they are appealing to people who have worn out their vinyl copies and want the CDs! We never objected to being called a jazz-Rock band, but really we were playing rock 'n' roll with jazz bits in it." Goodsall and Jones got back together in 1992 with drummer Frank Katz under the Brand X name again for the Xcommunication album. This version of the band featured Goodsall performing on guitar and MIDI-guitar. The 1996 album Manifest Destiny also includes Goodsall, Jones, and Katz, as well as Franz Pusch on keyboards and other instruments, Marc Wagnon on MIDI vibes and other percussion instruments, Ronnie Ciago on percussion, and Danny Wilding on flute. European and Japanese tours took place in 1997 with a revised line-up consisting of Goodsall, Jones, former Gong drummer Pierre Moerlen and keyboardist Kris Sjobring. Jones subsequently departed, leaving Goodsall to front a California-based version of the band with Sjobring, fretless bassist Mick Stevens and drummer John Holmes and Brand X touring keyboardist Kris Sjobring. The unreleased CD "X2K/live at the House of Blues" was recorded during their "X2K" U.S. West Coast tour. In 2004, veteran drummer Brock Avery joined the line-up who announced plans for their first new studio CD in almost 10 years, which was due to appear in 2007.