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December 26, 2001
ALL HANDS ON DECK
Matthew Fisher of PROCOL HARUM fame is going to record a new album. As mighty organist writes himeslf, "Initially, I would be thinking mainly instrumental, but more in the vein of "Repent "or "Separation" than the kind of stuff I did on "A Salty Dog Returns". I would be featuring the Hammond a lot more than I've done up to now." Nevertheless, Fisher is in doubt as to how many fans would love to hear him play again, and decided to arrange a survey on his site. So, if Matthew's music sounds great to your ears, don't hesitate to let him know about it here.
BONA FIDE PHOENIX
"Bona Fide" is the title of the forthcoming album from WISHBONE ASH, that should come out in January to coincide with the Germany tour. Now the album's in the finishing stages of mixing and, as those in the know say, sounds exactly what the title suggests.
STAND UP FOR YOUR RIGHTS
Recording Artists Coalition arrange The Concert for Artists Rights series of events starting February 26th in Southern California. At the Long Beach Arena on-stage will come NO DOUBT, OFFSPRING and WEEZER, Los Angeles Sports Arena is to be trodden by monstrous Ozzy Osbourne and KORN, while at the Los Angeles Forum performers will be EAGLES, Elton John and Billy Joel, Stevie Nicks, and Sheryl Crow and DIXIE CHICKS. The country stars with Clint Black and Trisha Yearwood among them are to sing at a venue still not announced. There will be more of musicians - and they surely need to be protected, they have the rights!
HAMBURG DAYS REVISITED
For many years, THE BEATLES recordings with Tony Sheridan weren't paid that much attention - except from die-hard Fabs collectors. Now comes a time to reconsider the situation, as Bear Family set to release "Tony Sheridan with the Beatles: Beatles Bop - Hamburg Days", the regular double-CD or boxed set with insightful book. All those recordings appaer to be not only eight songs, but a whole lot of different versions, mixes and variations that survived in several archives around the world. Here's a chance to follow the full route.
CD 1 (Mono):1. My Bonnie (German intro)
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CD 2 (Stereo):1. My Bonnie (German intro) |
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December 20, 2001
JAGGER'S GOT A DISEASE
No, not that The Lips is ill, Mick Jagger is likely to be the last on Earth to kick the bucket, THE STONES frontman will appear on MATCHBOX 20's new album and sing the song called "I Got A Disease". MATCHBOX 20's singer in Rob Thomas, who not only hit the big time warbling Santana's "Smooth" but co-wrote and contributed vocals to "Visions Of Paradise" from Jagger's recent solo album, "Goddess In The Doorway" - that's how Mick got on the record which will come out next year.
PICTURES OF HOME... AND ABROAD
In February 2002 DEEP PURPLE begin homecoming UK tour, and this is the most right time for EMI to put out the "DP Singles Collection" that will comprise 11 CDs in replica sleeves. All the singles were released in the UK between 1968 and 1976 but, for the set, the covers from different countries were used, plus rare UK promo sleeves. Also there's a card giving a brief history of the tracks included. As of the sides themselves and covers used, here they are:
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1. Hush / One More Rainy Day (UK promo cover) |
HTP COME TO SHAPE
HTP - the abbreviation meaning HUGHES-TURNER PROJECT looms larger and closer with the tracklisting announced. The album that will be released in Japan on February 6th, 2002 has the following songs on it: Devil’s Road, You Can’t Stop Rock’N’Roll, Missed Your Name, Mystery Of The Heart, Sister Midnight, Better Man, Heaven’s Missing An Angel, Fade Away, Ride The Storm, Run Run Run, Against The Wall and On The Ledge. Joe Lynn Turner and Glenn Hughes, who surely not only sings but plays bass as well, were helped in the studio by Glenn's associate, guitarist J. J. Marsh, Vince DiCola on keyboards and Shane Galaas on the drums, plus guest guitarists John Sykes, Paul Gilbert and Joe Lynn's friend Akira Kajiyama.
FANFARE FOR THE PIANO MAN
March 2002 is the release date for the newest Keith Emerson's project "Emerson Plays Emerson", a solo piano album. Before that, BBC plan to record Emerson's show with John Dankworth and Cleo Laine.
A GENUINE GENIUS ROCK OPERA
Frontiers Records finally unveil details on the forthcoming rock opera trilogy to appear on the label. It's called "Genius", and the first part of it, "A Human Into Dreams World" will be released next spring.
The music and lyrics are written, arranged and produced by the Italian musician Daniele Liverani of EMPTY TREMOR fame; he plays all guitars, keyboards and bass with drumming duites passed to Dario Ciccioni and a whole array of star singers is involved. For the first episode, they are:
Mark Boals - Genius,
Lana Lane - Doorkeeper,
Daniel Gildenlow (PAIN OF SALVATION) - TwinSpirit n.32,
Chris Boltendahl (GRAVE DIGGER) - Stationmaster,
John Wetton - Mc Chaos King,
Steve Walsh (KANSAS) - Wild Tribe King,
Oliver Hartmann (AT VANCE) - Wild Tribe Consultant,
Midnight (ex-CRIMSON GLORY) - Maindream,
Philip Bynoe (RING OF FIRE) - The Storyteller.
The characters that Genius meets during his journey anchor the whole concept. Genius himself is the teenage drummer accidentally captured in a parallel dimension where he discovers the secrets of the creation of human dreams. Currently the album is in the final vocal recording stage and will be mixed by Mike Slamer in Los Angeles during January 2002.
BOWIE CUTS
David Bowie parted company with Virgin Records as a result of "slow and lumbering" ways of major labels, and will release his new product on his own independent label, ISO. The new album signals the singer's reunion with long-time collaborator Tony Visconti. "I want to keep the whole experience at a human level", Bowie said in his online statement, "To characterize ISO, I think I would use guitarist Robert Fripp's phrase and describe it as aiming to be 'a small, mobile, intelligent unit'".
LITTLE RIVER BAND - FLOW ON?
Remember LITTLE RIVER BAND? Aussie rockers are back to record and tour on 2002, announced original members Glenn Shorrock, Graham Goble, Beeb Birtles, Derek Pellicci, David Briggs and Roger McLachlan - before one-off player Stephen Housden, who appears to be current holder of the naming rights to the band and not involved in this line-up, threatened to seek legal advice to block the group using that name. What name they'll stick to is unknown as of yet, but that will hardly prevent the band from their musical plans.
DEATH IS DEATH
Short and sad: on December 13 Chuck Schuldiner of DEATH fame lost his long battle with brain cancer. R.I.P., the Ripper.
ROCK'N'ROLL FANTASY COMES TRUE
After many years of endless demands BAD COMPANY are going to release a live album and DVD with Paul Rodgers holding the microphone, though both Mick Ralphs and Boz Burrell are unlikely to take part in the January 2002 tour. The album should be out in May, supported by two new singles from the band.
THE PARTY WAS MAGICIAN'S BIRTHDAY
On December 6th-8th the main London attraction was - hopefully - URIAH HEEP's The Magician's Birthday Party. Among many great events, there were two shows recorded for posterity to be released by Classic Rock Legends.
The first, penned in for March release and strangely titled "The Magician's Birthday" (how will newcomers divide it from the classic 1972 album?), is the HEEP's concert at the Shepherd's Bush Empire on December 7th. The current band's line-up was helped by guests, former colleagues Ken Hensley and John Lawton plus FOCUS's flautist Thijs van Leer. The set was:
Intro
Return To Fantasy
Universal Wheels
Only The Young
Stealin'
Tales (***)
Sweet Pretender
Between Two Worlds
I Hear Voices
Logical Progression
Mistress Of All Time(***),
I'll Keep On Trying
July Morning (*)
Paradise (*)
The Spell (*)
Circle Of Hands (*)
Magician's Birthday (**)
Sympathy (**)
Easy Livin' (*)
Sunrise (*)
Free N'Easy (**)
Lady In Black (**)
(*) - with Ken Hensley, (**) - with Ken Hensley & John Lawton, (***) - with Thijs van Leer.
The second show took place at The Forum on December 8th, and will be out under the title "Hensley-Wetton - More Than Conquerors". The band's line-up was Ken Hensley, John Wetton, Dave Kilminster, John Young, Andy Pyle, Steve Christey, and that's what they played - Hensley's and Wetton's solo projects songs, HEEP songs:
A Minor Life
Easy Livin'
One Way Or Another
Return To Fantasy
July Morning
Battle Lines
Confession
Emma
Hold Me Now
After All
The Wizard
I Don't Wanna Wait
Out Of My Control
Tell Me
Lady In Black
Heat Of The Moment
Though Ken's voice is said to be suffering from flu he caught on arriving in England after relaxing in Spain, both sets are, undoubtedly, worthy to be cherished.
December 9, 2001
NO MORE BLACK SKIES
It was several times that there was news on upcoming "Ozzy's Black Skies" PC game. It's not upcoming at all, as it turned out. The game is crossed off the iROCK production list and was returned its original title, "Savage Skies". No Ozzy, that means. Right, let the Ozzman do the rocking!
BONHAM ROCKS
It's all in a family, but the Bonham clan is not only drummers: the great late Bonzo's sister, Debbie Bonham, is an artiste in her own right. Deborah's a singer, and now she's going to have a new collection out with some famous covers - HUMBLE PIE, FLEETWOOD MAC, MOODY BLUES - among them. "The Old Hyde" is to be released through N-M-C Music and will feature Robbie McIntosh, Mo Foster, Mick Fleetwood and nephew Jason. Also there are extensive sleeve notes by Debbie herself and a limited edition bonus CD containing additional tracks performed with Jason Bonham for an LA radio station.
The song list reads like this: Shit Happens, Anything, Go Now, Need Your Love So Bad, Black Coffee, No Angel, Devil's In New Orleans, What We've Got Ain't For Sale, Open Up Your Heart, Without You, Religion, Ten Steps Back; bonus disc: Battle Of Evermore, Superstition, Songbird.
GEORGE'S UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Possibly, there will be a new album from the great late George Harrison, who had finished the recording before his untimely passing. One of the musician's on the recording is drummer Jim Keltner, who worked previously with Harrison, Lennon and McCartney, and here are Jim's words: "The CD is very close to finishing. There is a certain soulfulness about George’s music that doesn’t need a lot once he has put that voice on. There will be people who argue that it is underproduced and maybe there should be more on it. Knowing George, I have a feeling he would rather it be as simple and as direct as possible". All in all, there reportedly are 25 unreleased tracks, some dating back to the '80s, in George's vaults. Surely there are much more, as rumours circulated about some kind of "Anthology" project to be done.
Condolences and warm words towards late ex-Beatle are endless. That's what Ringo said: "George was a best friend of mine. I loved him very much and I will miss him greatly. Both Barbara and I send our love and light to Olivia and Dhani. We will miss George for his sense of love, his sense of music and his sense of laughter". Both Queen Elizabeth and George W Bush said they where saddened by the death of George; Bush said he considered THE BEATLES "one of the greatest groups of any time in music".
And now, talks abound about the musician's dying hours and his last will. In reality, in time of his death, Harrison was surrounded by his wife Olivia and son Dhani and his Hindu mentor and friend Ravi Shankar. Also there were Hare Krishna devotees Shyamasundar Das and Mukunda Goswami. who flew in respectively from London and New Zealand to help George on his way "into reincarnation". Harrison spent his dying moments chanting the "Hare Krishna" mantra which, in his words, helped him "see God". He chose his favourite pictures of Krishna and Rama to be positioned around his bed surrounded with incense and candles. After Harrison's death, in his mouth were placed sacred leaves, he was garlanded with orange-coloured flowers and sprinkled with holy water. Later his shawl-wrapped body was covered with holy oils and earth and cremated with ashes to be reportedly taken to India and scattered in the River Ganges.
ROCKIN' ALL OVER - THIS IS STATUS QUO
"Rockers Rollin' - Quo In Time 1972 - 2000" is the title for the STATUS QUO box set released on December 3rd and featuring all the hit singles, classic tracks, 17 previously unreleased tracks and 9 other rarities, plus a 48-page booklet with many previously unseen photos and band memorabilia.
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CD1 
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CD2 |
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CD3 |
CD4 |