A.O.O.F.C
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Mizar6

babydancing




Get this crazy baby off my head!

29.2.12

Murali Coryell



Murali Coryell - 2120 - 1999 - Czyz Records

Coryell's fiery debut, and the first release from Czyz Records, resounds with echoes: singer-guitarist Murali's father is jazz-rock fusion guitarist Larry Coryell; the album title refers to the Chess Studios' South Michigan Street address; "Czyz" is the original Polish surname that became Americanized into "Chess"; and Marshall Chess, who served as co-producer with Murali, heads up this label just like his famous Chess family elders did theirs. But 2120 offers no grounds for nepotism charges because Coryell's electric blues trio, with bassist Bill Foster and drummer Rod Gross, charges out of the gate positively smokin'. The leader's slashing and burning, raw guitar style often sounds like Otis Rush and Buddy Guy. His smoldering and sexy presentation of R&B, blues, soul, and rock (including covers of Bo Diddley and Marvin Gaye) frequently sets off fireworks of Jimi Hendrix proportions, yet, apparently wiser than his years, Coryell never makes the young bluesman's mistake of overplaying. © Chris Slawecki © 2012 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/album/2120-r428083

Hotshot guitarist Murali Coryell flashes some vicious chops on 2120 (Czyz Records CZ-3931-2; 53:41), a solid blues-rock power trio outing featuring Bill Foster on bass and Rod Gross on drums. The son of jazz fusion pioneer Larry Coryell, Murali is yet another "white boy lost in the blues," to quote the Mose Allison song. With a husky raw-throated vocal delivery, he wails like a love-starved hog on "Louise" and Otis Rush's "All Your Love," then conveys the requisite swagger on tunes like "Who Told You" and Willie Dixon's "Hidden Charms." Coryell is so confident of his rough-hewn vocal abilities that he even tackles the Marvin Gaye anthem "Sexual Healing," scoring points for chutzpah and style. His guitar playing throughout has an aggressive, over-the-top edge to it that perfectly suits this earthy music. Highlights include the Elmore James-ish "I Can't Hold Out" and the Magic Sam flavored workout "All My Whole Life," both prime examples of his wild abandon on both guitar and vocals, and the soulful slow blues "So Many Roads, So Many Trains." This fine release is bound to up the ante on Murali's presence on the contemporary blues scene. By & © Bill Milkowski © 1999–2012 JazzTimes, Inc. All rights reserved http://jazztimes.com/articles/8028-2120-murali-coryell

Coryell's fiery debut, and the first release from Czyz Records, resounds with echoes: singer-guitarist Murali's father is jazz-rock fusion guitarist Larry Coryell; the album title refers to the Chess Studios' South Michigan Street address; "Czyz" is the original Polish surname that became Americanized into "Chess"; and Marshall Chess, who served as co-producer with Murali, heads up this label just like his famous Chess family elders did theirs. But 2120 offers no grounds for nepotism charges because Coryell's electric blues trio, with bassist Bill Foster and drummer Rod Gross, charges out of the gate positively smokin'. The leader's slashing and burning, raw guitar style often sounds like Otis Rush and Buddy Guy. His smoldering and sexy presentation of R&B, blues, soul, and rock (including covers of Bo Diddley and Marvin Gaye) frequently sets off fireworks of Jimi Hendrix proportions, yet, apparently wiser than his years, Coryell never makes the young bluesman's mistake of overplaying. ~ Chris SlaweckiRolling Stone (10/14/99, p.124) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...an efficient little blues album with bassist Bill Foster and drummer Rod Gross, 2120 is rich with Coryell's explosive self-possession....Throughout, he aches and screams, dirties things up and keeps them clean. One promising new hound." Dirty Linen (2-3/00, p.86) - "...a deft 3-piece band that lays into an album of soul blues, and rock cover tunes. [Coryell's] got the chops..." - from http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=1221414&style=music

Murali grew up listening to rock, soul, jazz, reggae, Latin, classical and blues by great musicians including Carlos Santana, B.B. King, and Miles Davis. He has said that "little pieces of those genres often filter into his original songs". His jazz influence comes from his father, the great Larry Coryell, a jazz guitar legend who has played with the likes of Miles Davis and Jimi Hendrix and is one of the inventors of jazz rock fusion music. However, Murali's devotion to the blues is unswerving. "Blues, rock and roll, and jazz are America's cultural contribution to the world," he says. "But there isn't going to be another B.B. King or Buddy Guy, so we have to absorb what they've done, and make sure we keep the music right." "I've found it's really important to not rely so much on the guitar," he says. "It's a riff-oriented instrument, so you tend to play and write stuff you already know. What you should do is write something that comes naturally to your head, and then translate it to the instrument, rather than the other way around. I also have a secret songwriting weapon in my seven-year-old son Charlie, who sometimes comes up with titles for me. A song starts with an idea, and I'm the kind of person who is most creative when there's a structure established--like a song title. My family provides tons of inspiration, because blues is life and life is blues." "2120" is HR by A.O.O.F.C. Buy Murali's "The Same Damn Thing" album, and support real music [All tracks @ 320 Kbps (CBR): File size = 125 Mb]

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1. I'm Satisfied - Otis Rush
2. Louise - John Lee Hooker, Leo Robin, Richard A. Whiting
3. Who Told You - Willie Dixon
4. Hidden Charms - Willie Dixon
5. All Your Love - Magic Sam
6. She's Into Somethin' - Carl Wright
7. I Can't Hold Out - Elmore James
8. So Many Roads, So Many Trains - Marshall Paul
9. That's How It Is (when Your In Love) - Otis Clay
10. Who's Been Talking - Chester Burnett
11. Pills - Bo Diddley
12. All My Whole Life - Magic Sam
13. Stop - Murali Coryell
14. Bright Lights, Big City - Jimmy Reed
15. Sexual Healing - David Ritz, Marvin Gaye, Odell Brown

BAND

Murali Coryell - Guitar, Vocals
Bill Foster - Bass
Rod Gross - Drums

SHORT BIO

Although he's the son of fusion guitarist Larry Coryell, Murali Coryell chose not to follow in the same style of music as his father -- he specializes in blues and soul. Coryell issued his debut album in 1995, Eyes Wide Open, following it up four years later with 2120 (recorded at Todd Rundgren's Bearsville Studios in Woodstock, NY, it became the first ever album issued by new label CZYZ, created by the sons of original Chess Records founders Leonard and Phil -- Marshall and Kevin Chess) enlisting the services of both Rod Gross (drums) and Bill Foster (bass). In 2000, Coryell teamed with his father and brother Julian, to record the collaboration album Coryells. © Greg Prato © 2012 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/murali-coryell-p144268/

BIO (WIKI)

Murali Coryell (born October 27, 1969) is an American blues guitarist and singer. Best known for performing live in small venues in New York State, Coryell has also opened for George Thorogood, Gregg Allman, B.B. King and Wilson Pickett. While touring the United States, he uses local session musicians for his performances rather than traveling with a regular backing band. Murali Coryell was born to Julie Coryell and famed jazz fusion guitarist Larry Coryell. Murali's first interest was in playing the drums but, in a move he calls "inevitable", he switched to guitar at a young age. Wanting to avoid competition with his father and his brother, Julian, he perfected his own more mainstream style of soul and blues which draws comparisons to Jimi Hendrix and Carlos Santana. Others have likened his style to the Memphis soul produced by labels such as Hi and Stax Records. Coryell graduated from Staples High School in Westport, Connecticut, in 1987. He received a BA in music theory and composition from the SUNY New Paltz Music Department in 1992. The title of his seond album 2120 was a reference to 2120 Michigan Avenue, the address of now-defunct R&B record label Chess Records. Coryell's maternal grandmother was the actress Carol Bruce.

27.2.12

Various Artists (Beatles Related)



Various Artists - Fried Glass Onions: Memphis Meets The Beatles, Vol.1 - 2005 - Inside Sounds

Soul and blues versions of Beatles songs have always been favourites in this field, and this collection of newly recorded interpretations by contemporary Memphis artists, is no exception to that. There’s a preference for Beatles songs from their Soul and blues versions of Beatles songs have always been favourites in this field, and this collection of newly recorded interpretations by contemporary Memphis artists, is no exception to that. There’s a preference for Beatles songs from their later period, such as Happiness Is A Warm Gun and Two Of Us, but there’s also Old Brown Shoe, which hasn’t been covered that much. The styles range from a ‘Soul Man’-like version of Two Of Us, swamp blues with harmonica (Get Back), swinging soul (with female singer and lots of brass) Day Tripper, a musically varied Happiness Us A Warm Gun, a laid-back, intense and acoustic Blackbird, blue-eyed soul (You’re Gonna Loose That Girl), an instrumental surf-punk version of A Hard Day’s Night and the tear-jerking version of The Long And Winding Road. Besides obvious soul / blues inspirations from Stax and Atlantic stables, you may imagine one or another popular artist performs a song: Lenny Kravitz, Robert Cray, Bonnie Raitt, Robert Palmer and Robbie Williams, which isn’t the case, of course. But then again, this also shows the professional approach of the Memphis artists to interpret ‘the Beatles the way they might have sounded once upon a time’, as said on the CD booklet. (B.U. 183) Internet: © www.insidesounds.com © 1996-1999 by Namo Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved http://members.home.nl/tomtom/BU%20Reviews%20Various%20Artists%20Compilations.html

Fried Glass Onions is a great title, and one with a good idea attached to it—retool old Beatles classics with the soulful sound of Memphis R&B. The liner notes try to justify the existence of these fourteen new tracks by explaining that the Fab Four almost recorded in the city during the mid-Sixties, but it’s unnecessary, mainly because the group almost did a ton of things and because Beatlemusic and Memphis soul are two of the more durable musical styles in history. Still, you’d have an easier time validating the existence of a Memphisized version of U2’s “Rattle And Hum.” (Let me write that one down.) This is not to suggest that FGO is an all-star collection; in fact, most of the artists featured here have a tenuous collection to popularity at best. Like Austin (and New Orleans, for that matter), Memphis is a town filled with unsung talents, and the project heads here made sure to strike a good balance between obviously bluesy Fab cuts like “Get Back,” “Yer Blues,” and “Old Brown Shoe” and popular but decidedly non-bluesy milestones like “Two Of Us,” “Blackbird,” and “The Long and Winding Road.” From that perspective, the only real revelation is Z-Da’s ”Day Tripper,” which unearths an earthiness barely hinted at in the original. Several soul miracles are performed, however, most notably Bertram Brown’s Hi-styled interpretation of “You’re Gonna Lose That Girl” and a Sam and Dave-style take on “Two Of Us” by Bob Simon and Eddie Harrison. As usual with these sorts of experiments, some of the songs prove bad fits (a jazz reconstruction of “Happiness Is A Warm Gun” and a funked-up “One After 909”) and some are virtually pointless, like an instrumental but otherwise copycat version of ”A Hard Day’s Night” and a seemingly straight-up remake of “Across The Universe” that has nothing to do with the sound of the city in question. Then again, there’s not much Memphis in Jackie Johnson’s lovely, lyrical “Blackbird,” but it’s beautiful just the same. Besides, it’s not as if the band in question didn’t musically contradict itself, either. - by & © Robert Fontenot 01 July 2005 © 2012 Offbeat Magazine http://www.offbeat.com/2005/07/01/various-artists-fried-glass-onions-memphis-meets-the-beatles-inside-sounds/

Fried Glass Onions-Memphis Meets the Beatles is a celebration of The Beatles and of the city that greatly inspired and influenced them. Most of these interpretations have a definitive, identifiable Memphis twist. Daddy Mack Orr’s "Get Back" is a stripped-down, blues rendition. Bob Simon & Eddie Harrison’s "Two Of Us" sounds like vintage Sam & Dave from the Stax Records era. Most of these versions are either R&B or soul infused, although funk treatments of "The One After 909" and "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window" take the groove a little deeper. The Memphis All-Stars version of "Drive My Car" is absolutely unstoppable and demonstrates the undeniable potency of a four-piece soul band. These 14 tracks represent a diverse pool of contemporary Memphis talent offering fresh versions of Beatles songs that will not disappoint even the most discerning Beatles fan. At the same time, proponents of classic Memphis music will hear Beatles songs like never before and will delight in knowing that Memphis music is alive and well. All of this material was recorded and mixed between June 24 and November 24, 2004, specifically for this unique tribute CD © 2005 Site Maintained by: Sandra Sallings/S&G Entertainment http://www.memphisallstars.com/gpage1.html

Good Memphis soul covers album of 14 Beatle's tracks. This album is not all strictly soul, but who cares? It's hard to mess up a Lennon & McCartney tune. There is also a Volume 2 & 3 of this compilation available [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 96.3 Mb]

DISC ONE [TRACKS]

1. Two Of Us - Bob Simon & Eddie Harrison
2. Get Back - Daddy Mack Orr
3. Day Tripper - Z-Da
4. Happiness Is A Warm Gun - Charlie Wood
5. Blackbird - Jackie Johnson
6. You're Gonna Lose That Girl - Bertram Brown
7. She Came In Through The Bathroom Window - Matt Tutor
8. Drive My Car - Memphis All-Stars
9. Yer Blues - The Beat Generation
10. Across The Universe - John Kilzer
11. The One After 909 - Gusto (featuring Dexter Haygood)
12. Old Brown Shoe - Dani
13. A Hard Day's Night - Lamar Sorrento & The Mod Saints
14. The Long And Winding Road - Kevin Paige

All songs composed by John & Paul except "Old Brown Shoe" by George

MUSICIANS

Charlie Wood - guitar, Wurlitzer organ, keyboards, drums, vocals, background vocals
Matt Isbell, Richard Hage, Malcolm Cullen, Matt Tutor, Lamar Sorrento - guitar
Greg Reding - guitar, background vocals
Zack Mack - slide guitar
Dave Smith - baritone guitar, background vocals
Adam Levin, Joe Boogie, Kurt Clayton - keyboards
Robert Claybourne - keyboards, vocals
Mark Ross - piano
Michael Sinc, John Adams , Walter White, Kurt Ruleman, Richard Rosebrough, Terry Stafford, Kim Trammel - drums
Eddie Dattel, Kevin Houston - percussion
Tom Link, Kirk Smothers - saxophone
Dedrick Davis, Tom Clary - trumpet
Billy Gibson - harmonica
Daniel McCulloch, Eddie Harrison, Dexter Haygood, Daddy Mack Orr, Bertram Brown, John Kilzer, Kevin Paige, Bob Simon - vocals
Rick Nethery, Jackie Johnson, Z-Da - vocals, background vocals
Lucy Hathcote, Freddie Kirskey, Tommy Cathey, Charles Ponder, Rene Simon - background vocals

26.2.12

The Bruce Katz Band



The Bruce Katz Band - Live! At The Firefly - 2008 - Brown Dog Records

"Led by the critically acclaimed pianist and Hammond B-3 organist Bruce Katz, the Bruce Katz Band plays unique instrumental music that explores many aspects of American roots styles while never losing its blues spirit and feeling. This powerful four-piece band blends guitar and B-3 organ into a sound that is modern and yet traditional at its core. ''Live! At The Firefly'' is the band's sixth CD and finest album yet. The twelve-song live album is performed by the regular touring members of the band. It is evident from hearing the explosive musical dynamics on this album that this is a group of musicians who has developed its own sound from playing together for a long time. Eleven of the tunes are originals, eight being brand-new and 3 fan favorites."

How could I forget! February 16, 2009 I know it's February 16th but I've just gotta add one more to my Best of 2008 list (Hey...we're on Big Joe Time here!) The Bruce Katz Band Live at The Firefly This one cooks from beginning to end with one great groove after another. Simply stated Bruce Katz is one of the smokinest organ/piano players you will ever hear. The tunes all original save for one well chosen Mingus cover are taut and insistent, the arrangements fresh, taking you to unexpected places, and the players are en fuego, weighing in with one tasty lick after another, with special recognition going to our friend and sometime bandmate, the wonderful guitarist Chris Vitarello. If you like the B-3 jazz/blues vibe (and who doesn't?) this one is an absolute no brainer! © http://bigjoefitz.com/news_blog.php

Though Bruce Katz is widely known for the cerebral jazz delights he cooks up, it’s commanding the nasty B-3 at the lowdown greasy blues joint on the other side of the tracks that thrills him. Katz doesn’t just play the B-3: He charbroils blues like a short order cook workin’ the grill. Shuffle to any tune and Katz’s B-3 wails with huge vibrato chords which ebb and flow with massive volume as either the song’s foundation, or as the smoldering main course. Katz’s history features five previous records as leader, and more than 60 records on which he has appeared as a valued sideman - including his five-year stint as Ronnie Earl’s musical foil in the Broadcasters. Supported by his veteran rhythm section of former Broadcaster bassman Rod Carey, and Ralph Rosen, Katz’s drummer since 1995, Katz has all he needs to take the keyboards off road whenever he feels. But the addition of the band’s newest member, guitarist Chris Vitarello, intensifies the ensemble’s inventions. The night begins with Katz heatin’ the B-3 keys to white hot intensity on “Deep Pockets,” and Charlie Mingus’ “Better Get In Your Soul.” Both adhere to the jazz tradition where you state the head, then follow your inspiration. Too many new blues ventures are centered on wailing guitar solos and offer no balance with the instruments. However, Katz and his band are skillful enough to keep every listener continually surprised. The seven-plus minutes of slow, twisting piano blues on “The Blue Light” has Vitarello coaxing blue tones a la Earl, while Katz schools the audience in blues piano history. By song’s end strings and keys are in perfect synch. The other slow blues, “Marshall County,” offers the band’s intense appreciation for the spirituality within their music. On “Southern Route,” Katz’s cascading waterfall piano notes roll and flow down the Big Muddy until they reach the Crescent City, where they morph into James Booker meets Fess on Rampart Street. The follow-up calls the band back for “Bugged Out,” a funky, acid jazz featuring Katz’s torrid B-3 journeys around Vitarello’s pinpoint guitar work. Every piano player owns a boogie woogie in his bag and “Northons Boogie” frees Katz and Vitarello in a rollicking, back and forth blowout. The night ends with two standouts: “Victoria” is a sultry, applause filled performance anchored by Carey’s and Rosen’s solid foundation; “Brother Stevie,” featuring the organ guitar music popular in Texas ballrooms in the 1950s, is Katz’s tribute to his manager, Steve Langbein. These two nights, recorded last April at Ann Arbor’s Firefly Club, hit the musical jackpot. By & © Art Tipaldi January 2009 http://www.bostonblues.com/features.php?key=cdKatz-Live

Bruce Katz has performed on over 60 CDs, toured with many legendary blues, soul and jazz artists, including Ronnie Earl, Duke Robillard, David "Fathead" Newman, Joe Louis Walker, and Big Mama Thornton. This album by Bruce and his band was recorded at The Firefly club in Ann Arbor, Michigan on the 4th and 5th April 2008. It's a truly outstanding all instrumental album of blues, roots, jazz and soul. While the individual performances are all brilliant, the album excels as a group effort, each song relating a story with layers of depth and melody. The album is VHR by A.O.O.F.C. Buy Bruce's superb "Crescent Crawl" album, and support genuine music. Bruce's "Three Feet Off The Ground" album is on this blog, however RS are up to their usual tricks, and DL'ing "Three Feet Off The Ground" may require a little "investigating". Hint: Right click on link. Save shortcut which should be the full URL. Google the rest! [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 145 Mb]

TRACKS

1. Deep Pockets
2. Better Get It In Your Soul
3. The Blue Lamp
4. Jump Start
5. Ice Cream Man
6. Southern Route
7. Bugged Out
8. Marshall County
9. Crew Of Two
10. Norton's Boogie
11. Victoria
12. Brother Steve

All tracks composed by Bruce Katz except "Better Get It In Your Soul" by Charles Mingus, and "Jump Start" by Bruce Katz & Chris Vitarello

BAND

Chris Vitarello - Guitar
Rod Carey - Bass
Bruce Katz - Piano, Organ
Ralph Rosen - Drums

BIO

Rarely does a musician display brilliant dexterity, coupled with sparks of creativity, equally in both blues and jazz. One such rare bird is Bruce Katz, who not only meets these characteristics, but excels in his understanding of the genres and unleashes the strongest assets of each. Best known as a member of Ronnie Earl & the Broadcasters, Katz took up music at age five when he outperformed his sister at the classical pieces she was assigned for piano lessons. Discovering classic jazz and a Bessie Smith record planted the seeds of a passion for jazz and blues. In the early '80s his first major supporting gig was Big Mama Thornton; he then worked and toured with Barrence Whitfield & the Savages, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, Jimmy Witherspoon, Johnny Adams, and Tiger Okoshi. Burned out from life on the road, he enrolled at New England Conservatory, earning a master's degree in jazz. Five months after graduation, Katz met Ronnie Earl, who hired him. During his nearly five-year stint with Earl, Katz performed on six CDs, and also co-wrote songs with Earl, including "The Colour of Love," "Ice Cream Man," and "Hippology." In 1992 Katz debuted his first solo album, Crescent Crawl, then released Transformation the following year. Just before the release of Mississippi Moan, Katz left the Broadcasters to concentrate further on his solo career. His album roster includes 1993's Transformation, 1997's Mississippi Moan, 2000's Three Feet to the Ground, 2004's Deeper Blue, and 2008's Live! At the Firefly. Katz has also been a member of Gregg Allman's group, and has toured as pianist with the Allman Brothers Band. In addition to performing and recording, Katz teaches piano and is an associate professor at the Berklee College of Music, where he taught the school's first ever in-depth blues course. © Char Ham © 2012 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/artist/bruce-katz-p10929/biography

MORE

Bruce Katz is honored to be a 2008, 2009 and 2010 Nominee for the Blues Music Award (W.C. Handy Award) for "Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year", selected by the Blues Foundation of Memphis, TN. While Blues is a very important part of his music, Bruce's music has more angles and influences, occupying a unique space where blues, "soul-jazz", jam-band rock, and all aspects of Americana Music collide into a style of original music all his own. He is equally comfortable playing Hammond B-3 Organ and Piano. Besides leading the Bruce Katz Band, Bruce is currently a member of the Gregg Allman Band, and plays regularly with John Hammond and other artists as well. Over the past twenty five years, Bruce has been an in-demand sideman as well as leading his own band. He has played and recorded with many of the leading names in blues and roots music, appearing on over 60 albums with artists such as Ronnie Earl, John Hammond, Duke Robillard, Joe Louis Walker, Little Milton, Maria Muldaur, Jimmy Witherspoon, Eric Mingus, Paul Rishell, Mighty Sam McClain, Debbie Davies, David “Fathead” Newman and many others. Bruce has performed at festivals world-wide, including the North Sea Jazz Festival, Edinburgh Blues and Jazz Festival, Glastonbury Festival, Mississippi Valley Blues Festival, Boston Globe Jazz Festival, Nice Jazz Festival, Notodden Blues Festival and many, many others. Bruce has a lengthy background in classical piano. After hearing a Bessie Smith record when he was 10 years old, he started teaching himself blues and early jazz on the piano. He then heard boogie-woogie and swing music and continued his musical journey into more aspects of jazz and American roots music. Bruce attended Berklee College of Music in the mid-1970s, studying Composition and performance. For the next fifteen years, he performed with many of the leading musicians in New England, and played “on the road” for long stretches of time. After a particularly long stint of touring in the late '80s with Barrence Whitfield and the Savages, he decided to come off the road and enrolled at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston where he earned a Master's degree in Jazz Performance and studied with Geri Allen, Paul Bley, Cecil McBee and George Russell. It was during this time that he conceived of and started writing music that became the Bruce Katz Band. Five months after graduation, he met Ronnie Earl, who soon invited him to join his band, The Broadcasters. During his nearly five-year stint with Earl, Katz toured the world and performed on six albums, writing and co-writing many of the tunes, such as "The Colour of Love," "Ice Cream Man," and "Hippology." The album “Grateful Heart” (Bullseye) won the Downbeat Critics Poll for Best Blues Album of 1996. In 1992, Katz debuted his first solo album, "Crescent Crawl", on the AudioQuest label. He released "Transformation" the following year. Just before the release of "Mississippi Moan", his third solo album, Katz left the Broadcasters to concentrate on a solo career. At that point, the Bruce Katz Band began touring the U.S. and Europe, and has been his primary focus. Bruce’s 2008 CD, “Live! At the Firefly" (Brown Dog Music/Vizztone) , was received with critical acclaim. The new CD rose to #11 on the National Living Blues Radio Chart, and received substantial play on XM/Sirius Satellite Radio Bruce has also been the subject of a recent feature story in Blues Revue magazine as well as reviews and features in Jazz Times, Downbeat and many major international blues and jazz magazines. In addition to performing, Katz teaches piano, Hammond organ and theory at the Berklee College of Music in Boston and teaches the first ever in-depth blues history/analysis course there as well. He also conducts Master Classes in Hammond B3 and Blues History, which he has done at various music festivals worldwide. Formerly from Boston, Bruce has been based in Woodstock, NY since 2005. The Bruce Katz Band maintains an active touring schedule throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe. © http://www.brucekatzband.com/bruce.html

Jimmy Wahlsteen



Jimmy Wahlsteen - All Time High - 2011 - Candyrat Records

"Jimmy Wahlsteen, has captured the very soul of this mode of music, a linchpin none may resist, and that alone will appeal to anyone sitting down to sample its delights, whether they favor rock, folk, Carnatic, jazz, or whatever. No matter where you travel in it, each track speaks the universal language fluently." © Mark S. Tucker (Acoustic Music Exchange)

If you thought Jimmy Wahlsteen's 181st Songs (here http://www.acousticmusic.com/fame/p05988.htm) was great, wait until you hear All Time High, a CD even more richly harmonic than its predecessor. Moreover, I thought it impossible, beyond the music, to get any cleaner and more sparkling a sound than Wahlsteen himself produced last time out, but, yow, was I ever mistaken! Just goes to show how much that extra smidgen of bandwidth and that last touch of exotic acumen can broaden out and even more luminously clarify what was already perfection. I'd venture to say this is pretty much the last word in recording, but Wahlsteen has a way of introducing something new each time he appears on the scene, so I'll content myself to just marvelling over the sonics for the moment and pass on to the playing. As ever, the guitarist dwells in an enviable estate of positive outlook, irrepressible élan, and azurine thoughtfulness. Almost every song demonstrates that clearly while the pensive numbers, like Mindlessness, just kinda glow in the middle of a breathless moment suspended in memory and reflection. Catch, too, the subtle background welling up and then the overt and covert timbral shifts in the cut, follow how such things manifest many times in the disc, almost without a trace of announcing themselves, sliding in like spirit outflowing whisperingly from everywhere and nowhere. Hitched for Life is a wedding song written for his wife, a tune that possesses a certain traditional air while dancing within itself, a delight enticing the ear with decorous classicality and modernist inflections. More than once in a number of places, a lightning-swift riff launches already complicated finger-picking above the melodies, mercurially contrasting what soon catches up to the impulse then drops back in tempo. Being a CandyRatter, Wahlsteen can play not only as though two or three people at once but polyrhthmically while doing so. I'll warn that there's dubbing going on this time around, but that's a caution accompanied with a grin of delight because I've been waiting to see what would happen when this label's daunting players decided to shed a bit of their immaculate purity and synch up. Well, as shown here, the result is as wondrous and headily complex as could be hoped for. I hold the same enamorment for CandyRat that I do for ECM, and I think the former has become what Windham Hill was heading towards, taking up the evolution Ackerman & Co. had worked up to just before that estimable imprint's collapse, one of the too few vanguards interested in the highest possibilities of artistic expression so deep that it serves as a much-needed progressive anchor in an era where retrogression and pandering constitute the norm, indeed the lamentable evidence of our culture's decay. Here, I needn't over-emphasize, in discs like this, we have the curative. - Review written for the Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange by & © Mark S. Tucker © 2011, Peterborough Folk Music Society. acousticmusic.com http://www.acousticmusic.com/fame/p07624.htm

"All Time High" is a further exploration of multi-tracking guitar bliss over ten gorgeous compositions. Jimmy Wahlsteen built a career as a in-demand session player and producer in Sweden and after his debut release; “181st Songs”, he has earned thousands of fans worldwide as a solo artist. "All Time High" starts off with "Halifaxation" which I believe is a reference to touring in Halifax, Nova Scotia with one of Jimmy's longtime supporters and instrumental guitar legend Don Ross. As you might has guessed, Halifaxation is a bit groovier and funky than his early compositions on his 1st CD. It is hard to imagine touring with Don Ross and not coming out of it with a bit more funk to your style. "Hitched for Life" is a beautiful solo guitar composition that Jimmy Wahlsteen composed for his wife and played it at their wedding. © CandyRat Records / Jimmy Wahlsteen 2011 Jimmy Wahlsteen from Stockholm made his name being one of Sweden’s busiest session guitarists with numerous TV shows and international tours on his résumé. Buy his "181st Songs" album, and read an interview with him @ http://www.2dmblogazine.it/2012/01/guest-interview-n%c2%b0-34-jimmy-wahlsteen-2/ [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 66.5 Mb]

TRACKS

1.Halifaxation
2.12 Rooms
3.Trickle-Down FX
4.All Time High
5.Forehead Slapping
6.Mindlessness
7.Catenary Curves
8.Hitched For Life
9.My 3 Page Memo
10.Efaristo

All songs composed by Jimmy Wahlsteen

Dave Stewart & Barbara Gaskin



Dave Stewart & Barbara Gaskin - Spin - 1991 - Broken Records/Line Records (Germany)

In contrast to the dense, layered textures of The Big Idea, Spin is a lighter album with more of a pop sensibility. Opening with a mad re-imagining of Rufus Thomas' R & B classic 'Walking The Dog', it also features reworkings of the great '60s singles 'Eight Miles High' and 'Cast Your Fate To The Wind' and a haunting version of Joni Mitchell's 'Amelia'. Dave Stewart originals include the tender ballads 'Star Blind' and 'The Cloths Of Heaven' (based on a poem by W.B.Yeats), and a tribute to the legendary record producer Joe Meek, 'Your Lucky Star', presented here for the first time in its full-length form. © Broken Records, UK http://www.davebarb.demon.co.uk/dsbgcds.html

You would never in your wildest dreams guess that Dave Stewart led progressive rock bands like Egg and National Health from listening to the rubbery 80s synth funk on this album. Not that this is 80s pop. With cover tunes and some originals, the duo mine both an elegant pop and rubbery funk that is complex. This is not art rock, but you can tell by the tricky rhythms and layered arrangements, this is no pop album either. But the ironies go deeper and get better. Art rockers expanded rock in the 1960s and 70s. Stewart and Gaskin are covering tracks here like "Walking The Dog" and "Eight Miles High." Redefining the rock--with radically different treatments-that prog tried to escape from. In doing so, the master has become the apprentice, and by msking parts of classic rock cannon into something completely different, becomes the master, once again. ****/5 Excellent February 25, 2010 By & © Bill Your 'Free Form FM Handi Cyber Print DJ ... (Mahwah, NJ USA) © 1996-2012, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates

Having spent most of the eighties cooped up in the studio, Dave & Barbara resumed live performance in 1990. After a short tour of the US East Coast and Midwest the duo returned to the UK and recorded Spin, which (as a result of a new, live-based approach and relatively short recording schedule) has a somewhat more direct and pop-based approach than its predecessor The Big Idea. "A Customer" on Amazon.com said that "This is an album not to miss. It's a creative mix of covers with very hip arrangements allowing Dave's technology to be tempered by the warm humanity of Barbara's voice. If I had to knock it, I'd say it didn't have enough rough edges, yet Eight Miles High is a brilliant rethinking of the Byrds' classic. This and others have a way of staying with you, and you'll find yourself humming, if not singing along outright". The instrumental "The Curve of the Earth" is more progressive rock than pop (Prog-Pop!), and was originally composed as an overture to The Byrds' classic "Eight Miles High". This is not your average crap commercial "pop" music, but intelligent and original music which has been dubbed "pop music for adults". Check out Bill Bruford's "Gradually Going Tornado" album and also Hatfield and the North's classic "The Rotters' Club" album both featuring Dave and Barbara. For more good "Prog-Pop", listen to Scritti Politti's "Cupid And Psyche" album or Thomas Dolby's "Aliens Ate My Buick" album [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: 2 x rar files: Pt 1 (Tracks 1-6 80.6 Mb), & Pt 2 (Tracks 7-13 83.9 Mb]

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

1 Walking The Dog - Rufus Thomas 6:16
2 The Cloths Of Heaven - David L. Stewart 3:39 **
3 8 Miles High - David Crosby, Gene Clark, Roger McGuinn 4:40
4 Amelia - Joni Mitchell 6:05
5 Trash Planet - David L. Stewart 5:55
6 Golden Rain - David L. Stewart 5:36
7 Your Lucky Star - David L. Stewart 5:13
8a Cast Your Fate To The Wind - Vincent Anthony Guaraldi / 8b Louie Louie - Richard Berry [Medley] 5:02
9 The 60s Never Die - David L. Stewart 6:34
10 Star Blind - David L. Stewart 6:28
11 Fear Is The Thief - David L. Stewart 5:47 *
12 McGroggan - David L. Stewart 3:34 *
13 The Curve Of The Earth - David L. Stewart 3:56 *

N.B: * Bonus Tracks (Not on the 1991 US Rykodisc CD issue): ** Lyrics based on a W.B.Yeats poem

MUSICIANS

Dave Stewart - Keyboards, Rhythm Programming
Andy Reynolds - Guitar on Tracks 1,2,3,5,7,8,9
Gavin Harrison - Drums on Track 3: Percussion on Tracks 2,6
Jimmy Hastings - Bass Clarinet on Track 10: Flute on Tracks 6, 10
Barbara Gaskin - Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals
Roger Planer - Voice [Deep Bass ] on Tracks 1,5
Sam Ball - Voice on Track 5: Victor Lewis-Smith - Voice on Track 1
Dexter James - Voice [Shouting] on Track 5

DAVE STEWART BIO (WIKI)

Dave Stewart (born David Lloyd Stewart, 30 December 1950, Waterloo, London) is an English keyboardist and composer who has worked with singer Barbara Gaskin since 1981. He played in the progressive rock bands Uriel, Egg, Khan, Hatfield and the North, National Health and Bruford. Stewart is the author of two books on music theory and wrote a music column for Keyboard magazine (USA) for 13 years. He has also composed music for TV, film and radio, much of it for Victor Lewis-Smith's ARTV production company. Having joined local band The Southsiders while still at school, Stewart's musical career began in earnest at the age of 17 when he played organ in Uriel with Mont Campbell (bass, vocals), Steve Hillage (guitar, vocals) and Clive Brooks (drums). After a summer residency on the Isle of Wight in the summer of 1968, Hillage left the group to go to university. Uriel continued as a trio, later changed their name to Egg and subsequently recorded two albums for Decca. In 1969 Hillage briefly rejoined his former bandmates to record a one-off psychedelic album under the pseudonym Arzachel. In 1972 Stewart guested on Hillage's new band Khan's first album. After the break-up of Egg in 1973, Stewart joined Hatfield and the North, described by author Jonathan Coe as "probably the best-loved of the so-called 'Canterbury' bands". (Coe's novel 'The Rotters' Club' takes its title from the band's second album.) Hatfield broke up in 1975 and after guesting with the Steve Hillage-led Gong on a few French gigs Stewart founded National Health with fellow keyboardist Alan Gowen and ex-Hatfield guitarist Phil Miller. Finding a permanent drummer proved difficult; Bill Bruford played with the group for a few months and was eventually replaced by Pip Pyle, thereby reuniting three of the former Hatfield musicians. Stewart subsequently guested on Bill Bruford's debut solo album Feels Good to Me (1977) before joining his band Bruford. Having recorded three albums and played two successful US tours, the Bruford group was discontinued in 1980. Stewart immediately formed Rapid Eye Movement with his friends Pip Pyle (drums), Rick Biddulph (who had been a roadie and sound engineer for Hatfield and National Health) on bass and Jakko Jakszyk (guitar & vocals). The UK REM (not to be confused with the contemporaneous American band of the same name) was conceived primarily as a live band and never recorded an album, although poor-quality tapes of live concerts in France survive. In 1981 Stewart changed musical direction and began experimenting with pop arrangements and songwriting. His first solo release, a heavy electronic reworking of Jimmy Ruffin's Motown soul classic 'What Becomes of the Brokenhearted' featuring guest vocals by The Zombies founder and vocalist Colin Blunstone, reached #13 in the UK Singles Chart. For a follow-up, Stewart recruited friend and former Hatfield backing vocalist Barbara Gaskin to record a version of the '60s teen lament 'It's My Party'. Released in the autumn of 1981, the single reached #1 in Britain and Germany and topped the UK charts for four weeks. Stewart and Gaskin have worked together ever since and have released five albums. The duo occasionally play live gigs augmented by Andy Reynolds on guitar and in September 2001 performed in Japan as a quartet with Gavin Harrison on drums. The keyboardist's side projects include reforming National Health in 1981 to produce a memorial album for keyboardist Alan Gowen, producing the hit single 'Hole In My Shoe' and 'Neil's Heavy Concept Album' for comedian Nigel Planer (well known for his hippie character in 'The Young Ones' TV series) and producing the first album by Bill Bruford's electro-jazz outfit Earthworks. Stewart has also composed TV music – in the mid-'80s he wrote the new title theme to the revamped BBC Television AOR show 'The Old Grey Whistle Test' and later wrote, produced and performed much of the soundtrack to the TV drama series 'Lost Belongings', set in Northern Ireland. From the 1990s on he has written music for programmes made by British production company Associated Rediffusion. These include the Channel 4 series 'Inside Victor Lewis-Smith' (1995), 'Ads Infinitum' (BBC2, 1999) and the 2003 documentary on the BBC Radiophonic Workshop 'Alchemists of Sound'.

BARBARA GASKIN BIO (WIKI)

Barbara Gaskin is a British singer (born 1950 in Hatfield, Hertfordshire) who, with her musical partner, the keyboardist Dave Stewart, formed a duo in 1981. In September of that year they had a number one single in the UK with a cover version of the song "It's My Party". Subsequent singles "Busy Doing Nothing" (1983), and "The Locomotion" (1986) also entered the UK Singles Chart, without reaching the heights of their debut release. Five albums followed, released on the duo's own Broken Records label. Gaskin and Stewart continue to work together and occasionally play live concerts with Andy Reynolds on guitar. Gaskin was formerly lead vocalist in British folk-prog band Spirogyra (1969–1974). In the 1970s she also sang backing vocals in Stewart's band Hatfield and the North. Gaskin has sung with Egg (The Civil Surface), National Health, Peter Blegvad (The Naked Shakespeare), Phil Miller, Nigel Planer (Neil's Heavy Concept Album), Jane Wiedlin (Tangled), Rick Biddulph and Mont Campbell (Music from a Round Tower). Barbara Gaskin was born and grew up in Hatfield (SE England). She had formal training in piano and cello from the age of 10. In her early teens she taught herself very basic acoustic guitar (Lesson 1: The strings face outwards) and performed in local folk clubs. In 1969 she moved from Hatfield to Canterbury to study for a degree in Philosophy and Literature at Kent University, but immediately became involved in the Canterbury music scene, joining folk rock group Spirogyra as vocalist. Spirogyra quickly procured a recording contract and subsequently made 3 albums, namely:- 'St Radigunds' B & C Records (CAS 1042), 'Old Boot Wine' Pegasus Records (PEG 13), and 'Bells, Boots, & Shambles' Polydor (2310 246), while gigging extensively on the UK college circuit, as well as completing numerous successful tours of Europe. During the same period, Barbara met guitarist Steve Hillage (also a student at Kent University) and via Steve, the members of Canterbury band Caravan, and Steve's old friend and musical colleague Dave Stewart. Barbara guested both live and on record with Dave's band 'Hatfield & The North', and was a member of the 'Ottawa Music Company', brainchild of Dave Stewart and `Henry Cow' drummer Chris Cutler. The intricate, largely instrumental music of bands such as Egg, Hatfield & The North and Henry Cow, and by contrast, the more spontaneous, lyrically driven approach of Spirogyra, were both powerful formative musical influences on Barbara during the six years she lived in Canterbury. When Spirogyra split up, Barbara left England to travel in Asia for nearly three years, following her interest in Eastern philosophy and culture while earning money by teaching English. She continued to sing - in Japan, professionally - and while living in Java and Bali became very interested in gamelan music. She also lived in India for a total of 18 months. On returning to England, Barbara was invited by drummer Germaine Dolan to play keyboards and sing in the all female band Red Roll On. Based in Canterbury, the band played in clubs and art colleges in the London area. But Barbara also renewed her musical association with Dave Stewart by contributing vocals to his compositions on Bill Bruford's "Gradually Going Tornado" album. In 1981 Dave & Barbara joined forces and recorded the hit single "It's My Party". The collaboration has continued to this day with a series of singles and albums on their own Broken Records label and Rykodisc Records.

25.2.12

The Russ Tippins Electric Band



The Russ Tippins Electric Band - Electrickery - 2010 - Arty Music

The Russ Tippins Electric Band is a newly formed Blues-Rock trio from Newcastle, England. The trio play blues drenched guitar rock built around Russ' smoky Strat licks and soaring vocals. In six short months of gigging they have managed to create an enviable following and reputation around the North East's bar/club circuit, and to rapturous reviews

Here’s a rocking release that will appeal to all lovers of the ‘power trio’ . . . The Russ Tippins Electric Band, hailing from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, who, on “Electrickery” deliver ten tracks, all original, bar one Jimi Hendrix cover, of ‘foot to the boards’ blues rock, that has already gained the band a most favourable review in “Classic Rock” magazine . . . no mean feat! Actually make that 11 tracks, with a hidden gem at the end! The band comprises of Russ Tippins himself on guitar and vocals, and the rock steady rhythm section of John Dawson (bass) and Ian Halford (drums), who have played together for five years in two different outfits. This looks like a well-organised outfit, from fine production of the music (recorded on home turf at Cluny Studios in Newcastle), nice cd packaging and press kit . . . the band have yet to strike out from their native North East, finding gigs outside of their area hard to come by despite the album having national distribution. Things get off to a blazing start with the sole cover, Jimi Hendrix’s “Freedom”, admirably very well done here. The rest of the songs are all written by Russ Tippins, starting with the SRV-influenced driving blues rocker “Little Josephine”, fired by his expressive voice, blistering soloing and the top rhythm section. “Comeuppance” has a deceptively gentle intro before this slide-driven rocker kicks into life, with the pace genuinely taken down on the lovely “She’s Gone” with some very tasteful licks from Tippins on this ballad. “Number Thirteen” rocks hard and would sit easily in the British classic rock field; the following “This Building’s On Fire” is a breakneck boogie with some delicious guitar playing, and I would imagine absolutely belting live! “Chuck It” is a mid-tempo rocker, which is followed by the title cut, “Electrickery”, a pure showcase for Russ Tippins guitar work, which rides along on a nice groove, with that sort of fluid Ernie Isley meets Hendrix guitar tone, very nice indeed! The listed closing “Indy Boogie”, with what sounds like a snatch of AC/DC thrown in for good measure, is a fitting rocking closer to a most enjoyable release, with a ‘hidden’ bonus track, a rousing cover of Led Zeppelin’s “The Lemon Song”. Hopefully this band will be enjoyed nationwide and not just in their home area in 2011! © GRAHAME RHODES © 2010 - bluesinthenorthwest.com http://www.bluesinthenorthwest.com/index.php/2011/01/12/review-the-russ-tippins-electric-band-electrickery/

The promotional material that accompanied this release touts guitarist Russ Tippins as a popular performer in the North East section of England, due in large part to his well regarded solo acoustic set. For this release, Tippins favors the blues/rock power trio format that was the rage in England during the 1960s when bands like the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Cream ruled the airwaves along with the Who and Led Zeppelin, also power trios that featured a singer as the front man. Tippins pays respect to the past on the opening track, a straightforward cover of the Hendrix tune “Freedom” with John Dawson contributing a pounding bass line and drummer Ian Halford matching him with a strong beat. Things pick up on the next song, “Little Josephine”, with a potent vocal from the leader over a guitar line that harks back to the Peter Gunn theme. Tippins delivers another stellar vocal on “Comeuppance” that is matched by his furious slide guitar playing. While the pace slows on the ballad “She’s Gone”, the band maintains the intensity level as Tippins alternates blues licks with power chords and some rapid-fire picking. Tippins injects little twists and variations into each song that hold your interest even when his lyrics fail to match the quality of his arrangements. “Number Thirteen” is one cut where the band’s enthusiasm and soaring voice carry the day. “This Building’s on Fire” is a high octane rockabilly romp that gives Tippins a chance to demonstrate his dexterity with the guitar, firing off notes so fast that at times your ears will struggle to keep up with what he is playing. Even at the frantic pace, Tippins manages to play creative lines that make this track a highlight. The rhythm section lays down a nice shuffle beat on “Chuck It” that the leader uses as a springboard for more tasty guitar work as he belts out his tale of the downward spiral of his life. The guitar intro to the title track reaffirms Tippins debt to the Hendrix legacy before the tune shifts to a hard, funky groove that Tippins rides with clean, fluid lines that also echo the Carlos Santana guitar style. “Lawrence” is a stadium rock anthem with Tippins delivering a masterful vocal performance. At times on this track, the band sounds like a hard rocking version of Journey (a comparison meant only in the most positive sense) with Tippins’ voice soaring over the music. “Indy Boogie” is just that – a hard rockin’ tribute to the band’s experience at a festival in the Indiana city that featured a storm, power outage and plenty of great people. Tippins throws an AC/DC lick into his solo and once again sings with lots of energy. The disc closes with an listed bonus track – a tribute to Led Zeppelin as the band covers “The Lemon Song”. Again, Tippins doesn’t stray to far from the original version but he shows that his impressive vocal range comes close to matching a youthful Robert Plant. This one is not for the blues purists. Tippins is an outstanding singer and songwriter with a style that is definitely more rock than blues. But if you enjoy some variety in your musical playlist – and especially if you are a member of the original Woodstock generation – Russ Tippins offers a look back to the days when rock music really did rock. This disc held up through repeated listens and is worth checking out. © Mark Thompson Blues Blast Magazine 2010 http://www.thebluesblast.com/bluesartists/russtippins.htm

"screamingly good! the ballsiest British blues rock we've heard for a while!" BLUES ALBUM OF THE MONTH December 2010 - CLASSIC ROCK

"a heady cocktail of blues & 70,s rock! will be right up your street" (CD review) - BLUES MATTERS"

"they've got rollicking tunes to burn and burn they do, ignited by some true songwriting talent and the kind of exemplary playing that'll have rock fans positively frothing" (CD review september 2010) - THE CRACK MAGAZINE

"Electrickery" will leave you spellbound and wondering why such a bunch of talented musicians aren't better known. This album will go a long way towards rectifying that." (9 out of 10 review sept 2010) - KOMODO ROCK
[All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 116 Mb]

TRACKS

1 Freedom 3:26
2 Little Jospehine 3:33
3 Comeuppance 5:17
4 She's Gone 6:30
5 Number Thirteen 3:37
6 This Building's On Fire 3:04
7 Chuck It 4:06
8 Electrickery 5:56
9 Lawrence 6:15
10 Indy Boogie 4:08

All songs composed by Russ Tippins except "Freedom" by Jimi Hendrix. Some import issues of this album contain a hidden bonus track "The Lemon Song" (Led Zeppelin)

BAND

Russ Tippins - Guitar, Vocals
John Dawson - Bass
Ian Halford - Drums

23.2.12

Joe Jackson



Joe Jackson - Colour Collection - 2007 - Spectrum Music

In the late '70s, Joe Jackson was part of England's holy trinity of angry young men, which also included Elvis Costello and Graham Parker. However, Jackson quickly branched out from new wave. Proving to be an incredibly eclectic artist, he's subsequently recorded everything from jump blues (predating the '90s swing revival by a good 15 years) to orchestral compositions. Joe Jackson has had huge success worldwide with his wonderful albums, in which he has incorporated every conceivable musical genre. At heart, Joe is a jazzman, but he has covered classical, rock, pop, new wave, rock, and.......the list goes on ! Some of his great songs include " Steppin' Out", "Fools In Love", "Is She Really Going Out With Him? ", and " It's Different For Girls". Some of his albums are pure classics, and include "Look Sharp!", "I'm The Man", "Jumpin' Jive", "Night and Day", and "Summer in the City: Live in New York". Every single one of these albums are musical diamonds, and incorporate Joe's amazing range of musical styles. The songs are superbly written, and every lyric and note written by Joe Jackson should be heard by all lovers of great modern music. "Colour Collection" is an import only album in the Colour Collection series issued by Universal International. Each of the titles in this series is packaged in a Colour Collection branded die-cut digipak which exposes it's unique color. This collection features many of the British singer/songwriter's finest work from 1979 to 2000, including 'Is She Really Going Out With Him', 'Steppin' Out', "It's Different For Girls", "Jumpin' Jive", "You Can't Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Want)", "Sunday Papers", and 12 more. "Fools In Love", and " Be My Number Two" is not here, but then so many other great tracks are also absent. If you're a Joe Jackson fan, you will own all these tracks. Joe has released over 80 official albums, many of them being compilations. Joe is without a doubt one of the greatest eclectic New Wave/Rock stars ever to emerge from England. Buy Joe's classic "Laughter & Lust" album. Joe's "The Ultimate Collection" album is on this blog @ JOJACK/TULTC and includes his soundtrack album to the movie "Mike's Murder" [Tracks @ 224-320 Kbps: File size = 98.8 Mb]

N.B: Compilation albums are not always remastered. The tracks are often taken straight from the original albums, and not the original master tapes. The SQ on "Colour Collection" varies from track to track, and there are arguably better JJ compilation albums issued.

STEELY DAN TRIVIA: Joe recorded "King Of The World" on his 2000 live "Summer in the City" album. He played Walter Becker's great "Junkie Girl" on his 1999 Just-for-the-Hell-of-It Shows. He played "Any Major Dude Will Tell You" on his 1999 Just-for-the-Hell-of-It Shows, and also on his 2000/2001 Night And Day II Tour. He played "Reelin' In The Years" on his 2000/2001 Night And Day II Tour, and "Rose Darling" on his 2006 Joe Jackson Trio Tour.

TRACKS / ALBUMS

1. Is She Really Going Out With Him? ["Look Sharp!" 1979]
2. Breaking Us In Two ["Night and Day" 1982]
3. Steppin' Out ["Night and Day" 1982]
4. It's Different For Girls ["I'm the Man" 1979]
5. Real Men ["Night and Day" 1982]
6. Happy Ending (With Elaine Caswell) ["Body and Soul" 1984]
7. Jumpin' Jive ["Jumpin' Jive" 1981]
8. The Harder They Come ["The Roots of Rock: Rock 'n' Reggae" 1996]
9. You Can't Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Want) ["Body and Soul" 1984]
10. Me And You (Against The World) ["Blaze of Glory" 1989]
11. Don't Ask Me (Single Version) ["Look Sharp! [Bonus Tracks]" 1979]
12. Mad At You ["Beat Crazy" 1980]
13. Sunday Papers ["Look Sharp!" 1979]
14. Tilt ["This Is It! The A&M Years" 1997]
15. Five Guys Named Moe ["Jumpin' Jive" 1981]
16. You Got The Fever (Single Version) ["Look Sharp! [Bonus Tracks]" 1979]
17. Rant And Rave ["Blaze of Glory" 1989]
18. Out Of Style ["Classic Joe Jackson: The Universal Masters Collection" 2000]

All tracks composed by Joe Jackson except "Jumpin' Jive" by Cab Calloway, Frank Froeba, & Joel Palmer, "The Harder They Come" by Jimmy Cliff, and "Five Guys Named Moe" by Jeremy Bresler & Larry Wynn

BIO

In his 1999 memoir, A Cure for Gravity: A Musical Pilgrimage, Joe Jackson writes approvingly of George Gershwin as a musician who kept one foot in the popular and one in the classical realms of music. Like Gershwin, Jackson possesses a restless musical imagination that has found him straddling musical genres unapologetically, disinclined to pick one style and stick to it. The word "chameleon" often crops up in descriptions of him, but Jackson prefers to be thought of as "eclectic." Is he the Joe Jackson he appeared to be upon his popular emergence in 1979, a new wave singer/songwriter with a belligerent attitude derisively asking, "Is She Really Going Out with Him?" The reggae-influenced Joe Jackson of 1980's Beat Crazy? The jump blues revivalist of 1981's Joe Jackson's Jumpin' Jive? The New York salsa-styled singer of 1982's "Steppin' Out"? The R&B/jazz-inflected Jackson of 1984's Body & Soul? Or is he David Ian Jackson, L.R.A.M. (Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Music), who composes and conducts instrumental albums of contemporary classical music such as 1987's Will Power and 1999's Grammy-winning Symphony No. 1? He is all of these, Jackson himself no doubt would reply, and a few others besides. The roots of that eclecticism lie in the conflicts of his youth. He was born David Ian Jackson on August 11, 1954 (not 1955, as some references mistakenly state) in Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, England. His parents had met when his father was in the Navy and his mother was working in her family's pub in Portsmouth on the south coast of England. They initially settled in his father's hometown, Swadlincote, on the border of Staffordshire and Derbyshire, but when Jackson was a year old, they moved back to his mother's hometown, and he was raised in Portsmouth and nearby Gosport. His father, Ronald Jackson, became a plasterer. Growing up in working-class poverty, Jackson was a sickly child, afflicted with asthma, first diagnosed when he was three and producing attacks that lasted into his twenties. Prevented from playing sports, he turned to books and eventually music. At 11, he began taking violin lessons, later studying timpani and oboe at school. His parents got him a secondhand piano when he was in his early teens, and he began taking lessons, soon deciding that he wanted to be a composer when he grew up. He played percussion in a citywide student orchestra. But his social milieu was more accepting of different forms of popular music than it was of the classics, and he developed a taste for that, too. Becoming interested in jazz, he formed a trio and, at the age of 16, began playing piano in a pub, his first professional gig. By the early '70s, Jackson, who had paid little attention to rock before, became a fan of progressive rock, notably such British groups as Soft Machine. Meanwhile, in 1972, he passed an advanced "S" level exam in music that entitled him to a grant to study music, and he was accepted at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Rather than moving to the city, he spent his grant money on equipment and commuted several days a week to attend classes while continuing to live at home and play pop music locally. He switched from writing classical compositions to pop songs. Invited to join an established band called the Misty Set, he sang his first lead vocal on-stage. He moved to another established band called Edward Bear (the name taken from a character in Winnie the Pooh, not to be confused with the Canadian band of the same name that recorded for Capitol Records in the early '70s). Deciding that he resembled the title character on a television puppet show called Joe 90, his bandmates began calling him "Joe," and it stuck. After six months, the two principals in Edward Bear decided to retire from music, and with their permission he took over the name and the group's bookings and brought in a couple of his friends, lead singer/guitarist Mark Andrews (later of Mark Andrews & the Gents) and bassist Graham Maby. Jackson continued to attend the Royal Academy, where he studied composition, orchestration, and piano while majoring in percussion. He also occasionally played piano in the National Youth Jazz Orchestra. He graduated from the academy after three years in 1975. By then, Edward Bear (forced to change its name to Edwin Bear because of the more successful Canadian band, and then to Arms & Legs) were attracting more attention and acquired management, which in turn signed the band to MAM Records. In April 1976, MAM released the first Arms & Legs single, with Andrews' "Janie" on the A-side and Jackson's "She'll Surprise You" on the B-side. Second and third singles followed in August and February 1977, but the records did not sell. Meanwhile, in October 1976, Jackson quit the band to become pianist and musical director at the Playboy Club in Portsmouth. He was determined to save enough money to record his own album and release it himself. In August 1977, he played his first gigs as the leader of the Joe Jackson Band, singing and playing keyboards, backed by Andrews (sitting in temporarily and soon replaced by Gary Sanford), Maby, and drummer Dave Houghton. At the same time, he quit the Playboy Club job to become pianist/musical director for a cabaret act, Koffee 'n' Kream, that was beginning a national tour in the wake of their triumph on the TV amateur show Opportunity Knocks. Jackson toured with Koffee 'n' Kream from the fall of 1977 to the spring of 1978, and the money he made enabled him to move to London in January 1978 and continue recording his album in a Portsmouth studio. He began shopping demo tapes to record labels in London without success until he was heard by American producer David Kershenbaum. Kershenbaum was scouting for talent on behalf of A&M Records, and he arranged for Jackson to be signed to A&M on August 9, 1978, after which they immediately re-recorded Jackson's album. They completed it quickly, and at the end of the month the Joe Jackson Band embarked on an extensive national tour. Despite his classical education and background playing many types of pop music in pubs and clubs, Jackson had become genuinely enamored of the punk/new wave movement of the late '70s in England, especially attracted by the energy and simplicity of the music and the angry, aggressive tone of the lyrics. He had no trouble incorporating these elements into his own music, and if he was, to an extent, using the new wave label as a flag of convenience, the style nevertheless was a valid vehicle of expression for him. Of course, first impressions can be lasting, and to many people he would, ever after, be an angry new wave singer/songwriter, no matter what else he did. In October 1978, A&M released the first Joe Jackson single, "Is She Really Going Out with Him?," a rhythmic ballad in which the singer ponders why "pretty women" are attracted to "gorillas" and worries about his own inadequacy. The record failed to chart, but Jackson and his band continued to tour around the U.K. and began to attract press attention. Look Sharp!, his debut album, followed in January 1979, again, to no significant sales at first. The LP contained more songs in the vein of "Is She Really Going Out with Him?," many of them uptempo rockers with strong melodies and lyrics full of romantic disappointment and social criticism, bitterly expressed and with more than a touch of self-deprecation. (One, "Got the Time," was sufficiently raucous to be covered by heavy metal band Anthrax in essentially the same arrangement on their Persistence of Time album in 1990.) A&M released "Sunday Papers," an attack on the salaciousness of tabloid newspapers, as a single in February, again without reaction. But in March, Look Sharp! finally broke into the charts, eventually peaking at the bottom of the Top 40. The same month, A&M released the album in the U.S., and it quickly charted, reaching the Top 20 after "Is She Really Going Out with Him?" was released as a single in May (while Jackson toured North America) and became a Top 40 hit; in September, the LP was certified gold in the U.S. In the U.K., "Is She Really Going Out with Him?" was re-released in July and charted in August, making the Top 20. Jackson was nominated for a 1979 Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male, for the single. Meanwhile, Jackson toured more or less continually, playing dates in Continental Europe in June and then back in the U.K. through August before returning to North America. But he had found the time and inspiration to craft a quick follow-up to Look Sharp!, and his second LP, I'm the Man, was released on October 5. That was a little too soon for the U.S. market, where Look Sharp! had not yet exhausted its run, and while the album made the Top 40, it was a relative sales disappointment, with the single "It's Different for Girls" failing to enter the Hot 100. The story was different in the U.K., however, where I'm the Man made the Top 20 and "It's Different for Girls" reached the Top Five. Critically, the album was considered a continuation of Look Sharp!, an opinion shared by Jackson himself. The first blush of his emergence fading, Jackson was beginning to be viewed by critics as the third in a line of angry British singer/songwriters starting with Graham Parker and continuing with Elvis Costello, and his commercial success created resentment, especially because he was not as forthcoming with the media as the garrulous Costello. The U.S. tour ran into November, followed by more shows in the U.K. in November and December. Jackson went back on the road in February 1980 with a few U.S. dates, followed by some U.K. shows and a European tour that ran from March to May. Like other punk/new wave acts, he had used reggae rhythms on occasion, notably on "Fools in Love" on Look Sharp! and "Geraldine and John" on I'm the Man. In May, he released an EP in the U.K. including a cover of Jimmy Cliff's "The Harder They Come." In acknowledgment of his group's importance to his sound, the disc was billed to the Joe Jackson Band. After dates in the U.K. in May and June, the Joe Jackson Band returned to North America for a tour that lasted into August; they finally took a break after a few more shows at the end of the month. Beat Crazy, released in October, also was billed to the Joe Jackson Band. The album featured less of the frantic punk sound of its predecessors, instead absorbing the dub-reggae and ska influences that were topping the British charts just then in the music of bands like the Specials and the English Beat. But it was a relative disappointment commercially, peaking in the 40s in both the U.S. and U.K., with its singles failing to chart. One reason for the reduced sales in America may have been that the group did not tour to support it there. The Joe Jackson Band played a monthlong tour from October to November in the U.K., followed by a month in Europe from November to December, after which it split up, according to Jackson because Houghton no longer wanted to tour. Sanford became a session musician, while Maby stuck with Jackson. Jackson, in ill health following more than two years of continual touring, retreated to his family home, where he became increasingly immersed in the jump blues of 1940s star Louis Jordan. He organized a new band in the style of Jordan's Tympany 5 featuring three horn players (Pete Thomas on alto saxophone, Raul Oliveria on trumpet, and David Bitelli on tenor saxophone and clarinet) along with pianist Nick Weldon and drummer Larry Tolfree, plus Maby and Jackson himself, who played vibes and sang. The group, dubbed Joe Jackson's Jumpin' Jive, played a collection of swing and jump blues standards such as "Jumpin' with Symphony Sid," "Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby," and "Tuxedo Junction." The resulting Joe Jackson's Jumpin' Jive LP, released in June 1981, was a hit in Britain, where it reached the Top 20. In the U.S., the album was not so much 35 years behind the times as 15 years ahead of them; had it appeared in the mid-'90s, it would have fit right in with releases by the Brian Setzer Orchestra and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy as part of the neo-swing movement. As it was, America circa 1981 was baffled, but Jackson's core audience was sufficiently curious to push the album into the Top 50 while he toured the country with the band in July in between British dates in June and from August to September. Jackson went through more personal changes over the next year. He and his wife divorced, and he moved to New York City, where, true to form, he began to immerse himself in new musical genres, particularly attracted to salsa and the classic songwriting styles of Gershwin and Cole Porter. The result was Night and Day, released in June 1982, Jackson's first album to put his keyboard playing at the center of his music, with percussionist Sue Hadjopoulas also given prominence. Jackson seemed to have abandoned new wave rock for a catchy pop-jazz-salsa-dance hybrid, and he backed the release with a yearlong world tour as A&M put considerable promotional muscle behind the LP. "Steppin' Out" became a multi-format hit, earning airplay on album-oriented rock (AOR) radio before spreading to the pop and adult contemporary charts, placing in the Top Ten all around and eventually earning Grammy nominations for Record of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male. With that stimulus, the album reached the Top Ten and went gold, spawning a second Top 20 single in "Breaking Us in Two." Jackson finished the Night and Day tour in May 1983. He had been asked to contribute a song to Mike's Murder, a film written and directed by James Bridges (The China Syndrome, Urban Cowboy) and starring Debra Winger (Urban Cowboy, An Officer and a Gentleman). He ended up writing both a handful of songs and a few instrumental pieces that were released on a soundtrack album in September. Unfortunately, the film itself was not ready for release then, since it was the subject of a dispute between Bridges and the movie studio that had financed it, the result being reshooting and re-editing, such that the film did not open until March 1984, by which time it had a score by John Barry and only a little of Jackson's music remaining, and then it earned only one million dollars during a few weeks of theatrical showings, making it a disastrous flop. The orphaned soundtrack album, however, managed to get into the Top 100 and even spawned a chart single in the Jackson composition "Memphis," while "Breakdown" earned a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Instrumental Performance. Jackson returned to the studio and emerged in March 1984 with Body & Soul, an album with a cover photograph showing him clutching a saxophone in the style of the 1950s LP covers of Blue Note Records. The disc inside was a follow-up to Night and Day in style, however, with a bit more of an R&B tilt, and it was another commercial success, if a more modest one, reaching the Top 20 and spawning a Top 20 single in "You Can't Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Want)." After the four-month Body & Soul world tour concluded in July 1984, Jackson retreated. The tour had been, he later wrote, "the hardest I ever did; it came too soon after the last one, and by the end of it I was so burned out I swore I'd never tour again." He re-emerged after 18 months in January 1986 for a series of live recording sessions at the Roundabout Theatre in New York conducted for his next album. Audiences were invited to attend, but instructed to hold their applause as the performances were cut direct to a two-track tape recorder. The resulting album, Big World, released in March, had a one-hour running time, making it an ideal length for the new CD format, though it had to be pressed on two LPs with the second side of the second LP left blank. Press reaction to these two aspects of the album tended to overshadow consideration of the material, which ranged from politically charged rockers like "Right or Wrong," a direct challenge to the Reagan administration, to heartfelt ballads like "Home Town," a reflection on memory and loss. Jackson undertook another extensive tour lasting from May to December (one he reported enjoying much more than the last one), and the album spent six months in the charts, but only peaked in the Top 40. In the winter of 1985, Jackson had been commissioned to write a 20-minute score for a Japanese film, Shijin No Ie (House of the Poet), and the orchestral piece was recorded with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra. He adapted it into "Symphony in One Movement" and added a few other instrumental pieces to create his next album, Will Power, his first disc to reflect his classical background. A&M gave the LP a surprising promotional push that included releasing the title track as a single, and Jackson fans were sufficiently intrigued to push the album into the lower reaches of the pop chart upon its release in April 1987. But his increasing desire to include classical elements in his popular work and to issue outright "serious" compositions tended to put him in a no man's land where reviewers were concerned, since rock critics were for the most part incapable of judging such works and preferred that he stick to rock-based music, while classical critics simply ignored him. Had they been paying attention, however, they might not have approved of what they heard, anyway. An unrepentant Beethoven fan, Jackson had disliked his exposure to serial music and other contemporary trends in classical music when he encountered them in college; his serious compositions tended to reflect his taste for conventional concert music of the romantic and classical periods. While staying off the road, Jackson had two albums in release in 1988. In May, he issued the double-disc set Live 1980/86, chronicling his tours over the years. It reached the Top 100. In August came his swing-styled soundtrack to the Francis Ford Coppola film Tucker: The Man and His Dream, an effort that probably would have attracted more attention if the film had been more successful (it grossed less than $20 million). Nevertheless, the album earned a Grammy nomination for Best Album of Original Instrumental Background Score Written for a Motion Picture or TV. His next LP, released in April 1989, was Blaze of Glory, another modest seller with a peak only in the Top 100 despite radio play for the single "Nineteen Forever." Jackson, who felt the album was one of his best efforts and toured to support it with an 11-piece band in the U.S. and Europe from June to November, was disappointed with both the commercial reaction and his record company's lack of support. He parted ways with A&M, which promptly released the 1990 compilation Steppin' Out: The Very Best of Joe Jackson, a Top Ten hit in the U.K. Jackson wrote his third movie score for 1991's Queens Logic; no soundtrack album was issued. Signing to Virgin Records, he released his next album, Laughter & Lust, in April 1991. Here, he expressed some of his frustration with the record business in the appropriately catchy, '60s-styled "Hit Single," while the socially conscious "Obvious Song" and a percussion-filled cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Oh Well" attracted radio attention. But the album continued his gradual sales decline, failing to reach the Top 100 in the U.S. Another world tour stretched from May to September, after which Jackson was not heard from on record for three years. In the interim, he wrote music for two movies, the interactive film I'm Your Man (1992) and the feature Three of Hearts (1993), neither of which produced soundtrack albums featuring his music. He reappeared in record stores in October 1994 with Night Music, a low-key album that attempted to fuse his pop and classical styles, including instrumentals and guest vocals by Máire Brennan of Clannad. The album, which did not chart, was supported with a world tour that ran from November to May 1995. After it, Jackson left Virgin and signed to Sony Classical, a label more accepting of his musical ambitions. In September 1997, it released Heaven & Hell, a song cycle depicting the seven deadly sins, billed to Joe Jackson & Friends; the friends included such guest vocalists as folk-pop singers Jane Siberry and Suzanne Vega and opera singer Dawn Upshaw. The album reached number three in Billboard's Classical Crossover chart. A tour ran from November to April 1998. Jackson worked on two projects in the late '90s, both of which appeared in October 1999. Sony Classical issued his Symphony No. 1, which was played not by an orchestra, but by a band of jazz and rock musicians including guitarist Steve Vai and trumpeter Terence Blanchard, and it won the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Album. And publishers PublicAffairs came out with Jackson's book, A Cure for Gravity: A Musical Pilgrimage, in which he wrote about his love of all kinds of music and recounted his life from his birth up to the point of his emergence as a public figure in the late '70s. Bringing his story up to date, he wrote, "So I'm still making music, no longer a pop star -- if I ever really was -- but just a composer, which is what I wanted to be in the first place." Having released only semi-classical works on his last three recordings, Jackson was thought to have abandoned pop/rock music completely, but that proved not to be true. The early years of the 21st century found him in a flurry of activity, much of it returning him to the pop music realm. In June 2000, Sony Classical, through Jackson's imprint, Manticore, issued Summer in the City: Live in New York, an album drawn from an August 1999 concert that featured him playing piano and singing, backed only by Maby and drummer Gary Burke, performing some of his old songs along with covers of tunes by the Lovin' Spoonful, Duke Ellington, and the Beatles, among others. Four months later came Night and Day II, a new set of songs in the spirit of his most popular recording. Touring to promote the album in Europe and North America from November to April 2001, Jackson recorded the concert CD Two Rainy Nights: Live in the Northwest (The Official Bootleg), released in January 2002 on his own Great Big Island label through his website, www.joejackson.com. (The album was reissued to retail by Koch in 2004.) Later in 2002, Jackson surprised longtime fans by reuniting with the original members of the Joe Jackson Band, Graham Maby, Gary Sanford, and Dave Houghton, to record a new studio album, Volume 4 (the first three volumes having been Look Sharp!, I'm the Man, and Beat Crazy), released by Restless/Rykodisc in March 2003, and to embark on a world tour running through September 2003 that resulted in the live album Afterlife, issued in March 2004. As he made television appearances to promote the latter, he insisted that the reunion had been a one-time thing. Meanwhile, his recording of "Steppin' Out" was being used in a television commercial for Lincoln Mercury automobiles, and he was preparing to score his next film, The Greatest Game Ever Played, for a 2005 release. Jackson released a new studio album, Rain, in 2008, followed by 2011's Live Music: Europe 2010, which was recorded live in Europe during his 2010 Joe Jackson Trio tour with Dave Houghton and Graham Maby. © William Ruhlmann © 2012 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/joe-jackson-p4574/biography

22.2.12

Steve Gibbons Band



Steve Gibbons Band - Caught In The Act - 1977 - Polydor

One of the great unsung live albums of the late '70s, cut contrarily by one of the most highly regarded live acts of the age. No matter that the Steve Gibbons Band entered the punk years as a distinct holdover from the pub days beforehand -- alongside fellow semi-veterans Graham Parker & the Rumour, they served up a live set that wed years of on-the-board experience with an enthusiasm and energy that made the day's young blades sound positively anemic by comparison. In other words, you thought the Clash and the Jam were hot? You ain't seen nothin' yet. Bedecked in a sleeve that reprints eight of the band's most memorable live reviews, from clubs and concert halls on both sides of the Atlantic, Caught in the Act blisters with all the fervor that the printed page suggests. Dylan's "Watching the River Flow" might seem a strange opener, all the more so since it was the band's then regular set closer, but it's a relentless barrel-boogie regardless, a duel between Gibbons' half-spoken growl and the sything guitars of Dave Carroll and Bob Wilson. It is also a calm before the storm to come, as the band heats up, the pace picks up...by the time you reach "Speed Kills," you couldn't argue even if you felt like it. With not a single footfall out of place, still Caught in the Act has highlights -- the Beatles' "Paperback Writer" zapped with unquenchable good-time fire, the possibly autobiographical chest-beater "Gave His Life to Rock'n'Roll," and, best of all, a charge through Chuck Berry's "Tulane" that celebrates the band's first (and, shame, only) hit single elsewhere in 1977. A huskily humorous "Clothes Line," meanwhile, pinpoints the sheer showmanship of the band in full flight -- it's easy to remember the Steve Gibbons Band as a balls-on-the-line rock & rolling R&B band, and truly, they were one of the best. But they were also one of the funkiest good times of the late '70s live scene, and Caught in the Act could not have been more accurately titled. © Dave Thompson © 2012 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/album/caught-in-the-act-r38852/review N.B: Was "Paperback Writer" on any issue of this album?

This album is also available as part of the double CD set "On the Loose/Caught in the Act: Double Live" with 5 bonus tracks on "Caught In The Act". The 2xLP vinyl release notes state that "This is the first & only British band to fool the critics into believing they were a Southern Rock band from the USA". Steve was definitely from Birmingham, England but if you didn't know better, he could have been from Birmingham, Alabama! A terrific rockin' album from the great and very underrated Steve Gibbons and his band. Check out "Rollin'" with two amazing guitar solos from Bob Wilson and Dave Carroll. The album is VHR by A.O.O.F.C. Buy Steve's "Down in the Bunker" album and listen to real Rock 'n' Roll. [All tracks @ 320 Kbps: File size = 109 Mb]

TRACKS / COMPOSERS

SIDE 1

1.Watching the River Flow - Bob Dylan 4:37
2.Light Up Your Face - Steve Gibbons 3:23
3 Shopping For Clothes - Kent Harris,Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller 3:34 *
4.Git It - Bob Kelly 3:10
5.Gave His Life to Rock 'n' Roll - Steve Gibbons 4:10
6.And the Music Plays On - Steve Gibbons 4:19

* Song based on "Clothes Line" by Kent Harris. The US & UK MCA LP lists this track as "Clothes Line (Wrap It Up)"

SIDE 2

1.Day Tripper - John Lennon & Paul McCartney 3:26
2.One of the Boys - Steve Gibbons 4:04
3.You Gotta Pay - Steve Gibbons 2:55
4.Tulane - Chuck Berry 3:34
5.Speed Kills - Steve Gibbons 3:14
6.Rollin' - Steve Gibbons 6:09

BAND

Steve Gibbons - Guitar, Lead Vocals
Dave Carroll - Lead Guitar, Vocals
Bob Wilson - Lead Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals
Trevor Burton - Bass, Vocals
Bob Lamb - Drums

BIO

A critic once called Steve Gibbons "the English Bob Seger," which, as descriptions go, could have been much worse, but is really based on superficialities. Both guys are basically unpretentious, blue-collar rockers who achieved fame (Seger much more so than Gibbons) as veterans. But Gibbons' solo career -- which is the guise in which he is best known -- wasn't long enough to witness the kind of decline and formulaic emptiness that marked Seger's career after 1980. Still, for a career that lasted for five albums, Gibbons didn't do too badly; three of them are good, and one (Down in the Bunker) is great. Gibbons' career actually dates back to the very end of the '50s. A rock & roller with a special love of Elvis Presley's work, Gibbons was working as a plumber's apprentice in his native Birmingham, England, when he made the leap to a professional career, replacing Colin Smith as lead singer in the Dominettes, a local rock & roll band. He remained with the Dominettes -- who were renamed the Uglys three years later -- for the next eight years, as they went through numerous lineup changes and their sound evolved from rock & roll to R&B to psychedelia. Gibbons himself became heavily influenced by the music and songs of Bob Dylan during the mid-'60s, which manifested itself for years after (and, indeed, into the '90s), starting with the Uglys' single "Wake Up My Mind." The group experienced many false-starts and thwarted efforts at chart success, and by 1968 Gibbons was the only original member of the Uglys still in the lineup. And the band essentially dissolved in a disastrous series of behind-the-scenes machinations of manager Tony Secunda, and Gibbons was among those left to find a new gig. He initially joined former Move bassist Trevor Burton, ex-Moody Blues guitarist/singer Denny Laine, and his former Uglys bandmate Keith Smart in an outfit called Balls. by April of that year they had formed a new group called Balls, which didn't last long but did leave an album behind. Gibbons then joined the Birmingham band the Idle Race, which had lost Jeff Lynne to the Move not too long before. That configuration lasted for a few months, before it renamed itself the Steve Gibbons Band. It was in this guise that Gibbons finally began his rise to stardom, at least in England. Gibbons fancied himself a modern-day rock & roll outlaw: dark features, surly countenance, mean disposition. His songs were essentially Chuck Berry updates (in some cases, simply Chuck Berry covers) about thugs, dealers, and good lovin' gone bad. Tight with Who bassist John Entwistle, Gibbons was able to land a contract with the Who's American label, MCA, and share the same management company. The trouble was that being the English Bob Seger meant little, if anything, to most American rock fans (who preferred their own Seger by a wide margin), and Gibbons' career never amounted to much in the U.S.; he was fairly popular in England, though. Following Down in the Bunker, Gibbons released two early-'80s records for RCA, and On the Loose for Magnum Force in 1986. The 1998 Bob Dylan tribute The Dylan Project, recorded with members of Fairport Convention, marked a comeback of sorts for Gibbons. He has continued to tour with the Steve Gibbons Band into the 21st century and participated in various Birmingham rock & roll showcases with fellow Brummies Trevor Burton, Bev Bevan, and Danny King. © John Dougan & Bruce Eder © 2012 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/artist/steve-gibbons-p17852/biography

21.2.12

Tinsley Ellis



Tinsley Ellis - Hell Or High Water - 2002 - Telarc

Undeterred by the lukewarm response to his last Capricorn album (due to the bad timing of it being released mere weeks before the company folded in 2000), Atlanta-based blues rocker Tinsley Ellis signed with his third label, Telarc, in early 2002 and churned out another signature effort. Bolstered by his roaring guitar shooting fiery licks, gruff singing, and no-frills approach, Ellis adds a hearty R&B edge to his music. Shortening his solos (only the slow burning eight-minute "Feelin' No Pain" stretches out into epic length), the songs never feel like vehicles for Ellis' obvious six-string prowess. Instead, the Steely Dan "Pretzel Logic" riff inspired "All Rumors Are True" and the magnificent "Mystery to Me" with its genuine soul vibe and warm electric piano set up a groove and ride it. Ellis revisits his louder, crunchier past with the wailing intro to "All I Can Do" and the ZZ Top (circa mid-'70s) swirl of "Ten Year Day," a song inspired by the events of September 11, 2001. Atlanta vocalist Donna Hopkins contributes hard-hitting backing vocals worthy of Bonnie Bramlett on three tracks, further pushing these songs into soulful territory. While the "Bell Bottom Blues"-styled ballad of "Stuck in Love" is a little too reminiscent of Clapton's writing and guitar style, as is the wah-wah churning "Strange Brew"-isms of "All I Can Do," Ellis doesn't generally ape other guitarists. Rather, he concocts his own combination of Freddie King, Peter Green, and Memphis influences. The closing James Taylor-ish acoustic ballad seems out of place with the rest of the sturdy performances, such as the strutting title track, but shows a tender side to the tough, heartfelt blues and rock that dominate this engaging album. © Hal Horowitz © 2012 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/album/hell-or-high-water-r571234/review

Tinsley Ellis has earned a reputation for heavy blues-rock guitar since he quit Atlanta's Heartfixers in 1987. But Hell Or High Water, his first album for Telarc, lightens up just enough, so the sweet-and-high six-string intro to "Stuck in Love" enhances the song's guitar melody and the tenderness of his lyrics. He aims for a softer, thinner tone on "Real Bad Way" and turns "Feel No Pain" into a slow, soulful essay in guitar anxiety, full of telling fills, bends and solo breaks. He also plays a few acoustic numbers that really allow the butter-and-black-pepper tones of his Southern-accented voice to emerge. Not that Ellis is playing things too cool--there's still plenty of guitar fire all over this record. It's just that he's learned to control the burning. © Ted Drozdowski © Amazon.co.uk

Not as "hard rockin'" as some of Tinsley's other releases but still a good Memphis influenced album of blues, rock, and Georgia soul, with a hint of bluegrass and country. Buy Tinsley's terrific "Cool on It" album [All tracks @ 256 Kbps: File size = 100 Mb]

TRACKS

1 Hell or High Water 4:59
2 Hooked 3:47
3 Mystery to Me 5:36
4 Love Comes Knockin' 2:21
5 Stuck in Love 6:38
6 Real Bad Way 4:00
7 All Rumors Are True 4:11
8 All I Can Do 4:08
9 Love Me by Phone 5:21
10 Feelin' No Pain 8:03
11 Ten Year Day 4:39
12 Set Love Free 3:00

All songs composed by Tinsley Ellis

MUSICIANS

Tinsley Ellis - Guitar, Vocals
Kenny Gilgore - Guitar
Phillip "Philzone" Skipper - Bass
Kevin McKendree - Piano, Organ
Scott Callison - Drums
Donna Hopkins - Background Vocals

BIO

A hard-rocking, high-voltage blues guitarist most often compared to Stevie Ray Vaughan, Tinsley Ellis is hardly one of the legions of imitators that comparison might imply. Schooled in a variety of Southern musical styles, Ellis draws not only from fiery Vaughan-style blues-rock, but also Texas bluesmen like Freddie King and Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, the soulful blues of B.B. King, the funky grit of Memphis soul, and numerous other electric bluesmen. Ellis has been praised in many quarters for the relentless, storming intensity of his sound, and criticized in others for his relative lack of pacing and dynamic contrast (he's also been dubbed a much stronger guitarist than vocalist). Yet no matter which side of the fence one falls on, it's generally acknowledged that Ellis remains a formidable instrumentalist and a genuine student of the blues. Tinsley Ellis was born in Atlanta in 1957, and spent most of his childhood in southern Florida. He began playing guitar in elementary school, first discovering the blues through the flagship bands of the British blues boom: John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, the Peter Green-led Fleetwood Mac, the Yardbirds, the Rolling Stones, and so on. He soon moved on to a wide variety of original sources, becoming especially fond of B.B. King and Freddie King. After high school, Ellis moved back to Atlanta in 1975 to attend Emory University, and soon found work on the local music scene, joining a bar band called the Alley Cats (which also featured future Fabulous Thunderbird Preston Hubbard). In 1981, Ellis co-founded the Heartfixers with singer/harmonica player Chicago Bob Nelson, and they recorded an eponymous debut album for the tiny Southland imprint. They soon signed with the slightly larger Landslide and issued Live at the Moon Shadow in 1983, by which point they were one of the most popular live blues acts in the South. However, Nelson left the group shortly after the album's release, and Ellis took over lead vocal chores. The Heartfixers' first project in their new incarnation was backing up blues shouter Nappy Brown on his well-received 1984 comeback album Tore Up. Ellis debuted his vocals on record on the Heartfixers' 1986 LP Cool on It, which brought him to the attention of Alligator Records. Ellis left the Heartfixers to sign with Alligator as a solo artist in 1988, and they picked up his solo debut Georgia Blue for distribution. The album helped make Ellis a fixture on the blues circuit, and he toured heavily behind it, establishing a hard-working pattern he would follow for most of his career. The follow-up, Fanning the Flames, appeared in 1989 and explored similar territory. Released in 1992, Trouble Time helped land Ellis on album rock radio thanks to the track "Highwayman," but it was 1994's Storm Warning that really broke Ellis to a wider blues-rock audience, earning more media attention than any of his previous recordings; additionally, guitar prodigy Jonny Lang later covered Ellis' "A Quitter Never Wins" on Lie to Me. For 1997's Fire It Up, Ellis worked with legendary blues-rock producer Tom Dowd (the Allman Brothers, Derek & the Dominos), as well as Booker T. & the MG's bassist Donald "Duck" Dunn. Ellis subsequently left Alligator and signed with Capricorn; unfortunately, shortly after the release of 2000's Kingpin, Capricorn went bankrupt, leaving the album high and dry. Still, Ellis soon caught on with Telarc, releasing his initial disc Hell or High Water on the label in 2002, followed by The Hard Way in 2004. One year later, Ellis was back with Alligator, putting out the live set Live! Highwayman and 2007's Moment of Truth, the first studio album to contain original material since Hell or High Water. Ellis toured relentlessly behind the album, and re-entered the studio in early 2009. Speak No Evil was issued in October of that year. Steve Huey © 2012 Rovi Corporation. All Rights Reserved http://www.allmusic.com/artist/tinsley-ellis-p339/biography