Thursday, 28 August 2014


THE CREATORS OF 'INSIDE METAL: THE PIONEERS OF LA HARD ROCK AND METAL” DOCUMENTARY FILM SERIES, WHICH FEATURES THE BIGGEST NAMES OF '80S METAL, OFFERS METAL FANS A CHANCE TO BE INCLUDED IN THESE HISTORICAL MOVIES!


The early '80s metal scene in Los Angeles has become legendary, as it spawned such worldwide headliners as Mötley Crüe, Ratt, Dokken, W.A.S.P., and originally, Metallica (before the latter relocated to San Francisco). And the new documentary, 'Inside Metal: Pioneers of L.A. Hard Rock & Metal,' chronicles the entire scene.

Directed by Bob Nalbandian and produced by Metalrock Films, 'Inside Metal' features all-new interviews with countless bands and artists that thrived on the scene, and tell its story, first hand. To ensure that this killer documentary receives the attention it deserves, a fundraising campaign has been set up at WWW.METALROCKFILMS.COM - which will help strengthen the film's distribution, marketing and promotion.

This groundbreaking movie features exclusive and candid interviews with members of Metallica (Lars Ulrich), Ratt (Stephen Pearcy), Dokken (Don Dokken), Quiet Riot (Carlos Cavazo), W.A.S.P. (Chris Holmes), Megadeth (David Ellefson), Great White, (Jack Russel), Y&T, (Dave Meniketti), Stryper (Michael Sweet) and Armored Saint (Joey Vera).

'Inside Metal' is about giving fans the real inside story from the behind the scenes world of metal and hard rock with in-depth interviews, ultra-rare concert footage and photographs, and an original music score from that era; in this no-holds-barred, never before seen, recollection of untold stories.

To check out some sneak previews, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlzWl795u0E

Early feedback has been exceptional, including renowned video director Jonas Åkerlund (who has worked with the likes of Metallica and Ozzy) raving, "This film captures an era that catapulted metal into the spotlight and takes the audience on a wild ride down memory lane. After watching it I wanted to get in my time machine and experience those days for the first time. You’re hit with a potent nostalgia, a time I thought we couldn’t get back, not until I saw this film. I can’t get enough of this shit, what an amazing film to watch over and over again, well done!"
Metalrock Films ask - and want - real and serious metal fans to be a part of this historic documentary and spread the word that this was the scene where it all began, ground zero.

"Our Fanbacked campaign will raise the direly needed financial support to bring this film to one and all in the US and Internationally in order to pay for the marketing and promotion to get it noticed by the general public. We want to bring this film to your theatre, town, bar, club and living room! Unite and support us. We have created some one of a kind opportunities for our friends and fans to participate with us in birth of this film. Get your name on the screen and let the world know that you support metal and the bands that create it. Help us tell the story of the music you love and let the world know you love it. Join in the festivities of our, and your, accomplishments by being at the premiere of the movie and interact with the artist that participated in its creation. Commemorate your participation with a plaque, t-shirt, poster or other limited edition merchandise items that says 'Metal Rules.' Keep checking back as we add more tasty premiums."

And thanks to you and your donation, 'Inside Metal' will finally get the true story of the scene heard - worldwide!





To make a donation, go to:
WWW.METALROCKFILMS.COM
www.fanbacked.com

YES ~ TULALIP CASINO RESORT
 IN MARYSVILLE, WASHINGTON ON AUGUST 21, 2014


When I missed YES’s tour last year I was devastated! I thought I had missed my chance to see one of the greatest bands ever formed, but to mine and the Northwest’s delight, they not only returned to play at the Tulalip Casino Resort in Marysville, Washington, but they came with a new offering, ‘Heaven and Earth.’

YES, Chris Squire-bass, Steve Howe-guitar, Jon Davison-singer, Geoff Downes-keys, and Allen White-drums, took their respective places on the stage. Picking up their instruments, Steve Howe started strumming the funky opening chords to “Siberian Khatru,” the goose bumps rose from my soul to the top of my skin immediately! Just from the opening song, one got a great idea of how genius this band called YES is.


For starters, YES played the entire ‘Close To The Edge’ album in reverse. The entirety of the performance sounded just as it does on the album, a timeless experience! After the band played “Siberian Khatru,” and Steve Howe came out with his acoustic guitar and started the intro to “And You And I,” I watched people in the audience fall over in their seats and react in the most profound ways. It was incredible, every note, every sound having a purpose. The complexity of the music tied up most of the players for the first quarter of the show, but Jon Davison did a fantastic job engaging the crowd with his easy flowing presence as he moved around the stage teaming up with each member as his soothing voice filled the open air.

After that incredible performance, Chris Squire welcomed Seattle to the show…..it’s ok Chris, it’s been a long tour and you’re close enough, nobody minded one bit! He announced the next few songs were off of their new album, “Heaven and Earth.” They went on to play the new, bright and vibrant tunes, “Believe Again,” and “The Game.”


Then, as if playing the entire ‘Close To The Edge’ album wasn’t enough, YES played the entire ‘Fragile’ album! They started it off with the first song on the album, “Roundabout.” The band was warmed up by now and cutting loose and having fun as the audience helped sing this classic tune. Geoff Downes did an amazing job on “Cans and Brahms!” The chatter around me as each song played was the realization that another classic album is being played in the entirety. “South Side Of The Sky” was just amazing! Allen White opened up this tune with a good drumming! Chris Squire’s bass leaped around Steve Howes’ guitar and Geoff Downes came in sprinkling the song with magic keys. The very first time I’ve ever felt good vibrations was during “The Fish!” Who can pull off a bass song/solo like that? Only Chris Squire, the master!


The rest of the show was just as amazing as the beginning, masterpiece after masterpiece, performing each song with incredible timing and collaboration! YES received a long and well deserved appreciation from the audience, everyone standing up calling out their name….YES…YES…YES!!! They came out and gave us two more including, “Starship Trooper!” I don’t smoke, but I almost had to have a cigarette after that show!



Setlist:

1.  Siberian Khatru

2.  And You And I

I. "Cord of Life"
II. "Eclipse"
III. "The Preacher, the Teacher"
IV. "The Apocalypse""

3.  Close To The Edge

I. "The Solid Time of Change"
II. "Total Mass Retain"
III. "I Get Up, I Get Down"
IV. "Seasons of Man" 

4.  Believe Again
5.  The Game

6.  Roundabout
7.  Cans and Brahms
8.  We Have Heaven
9.  South Side Of The Sky
10. Five Per Cent For Nothing
11. Long Distance Runaround
12. The Fish
13. Mood For A Day
14. Heart Of The Sunrise

Encore:

I've Seen All Good People
Starship Trooper



Review By:
Jill Maciel/West Coast Correspondent

Photos By:
Scott Banning
 



 

Tuesday, 26 August 2014

PETER FRAMPTON'S GUITAR CIRCUS ~ AUG 24, 2014 
AT THE CHATEAU STE MICHELLE IN WOODINVILLE, WA


Peter Frampton’s Guitar Circus played at the Chateau Ste Michelle in Woodinville, WA Sunday night, August 24, 2014. They couldn’t have played a better outside venue for their 3rd Guitar Circus. The Chateau Ste Michelle is the oldest and most beautiful French style winery in Washington State founded in 1937.

It was 8:30pm sharp and the circus music began with the Beatle’s “Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite,” while the stage wide screen displayed circus images to the anticipating audience. After three minutes, Peter and his Guitar Circus walked out on stage and the first thing I took notice of was Peter’s fantastic smile!

Nothing said, the band went right into the first song, “You Had to Be There,” but it was the second song, “Doobie Wah,” that had me jumping around like a monkey and brought me right back into my teen years. No loose ends with Peter’s Guitar Circus, they are a tightly roped band consisting of talented musicians, Rob Arthur on keys, guitar, and vocals – Adam Lester on guitar – Stanley Sheldon on bass- and the man, the engine that OOZES soul, Dan Wojciechowski on drums.

Like at most concerts, the wide screen at the back of the stage runs images while the band plays and was no exception at this show, however, during the fifth song, “Show Me the Way,” the images shown were of Peter Frampton in 1977 as a young lad on stage, dressed in white, simultaneously performing “Show Me the Way.” At one point Peter turned around to look at his image on the screen and then looked back at the audience with an expression of surprise and the audience returned their delight with clapping and loud cheers. After the song, Peter took a moment to remember his two bandmates, John Siomos and Bob Mayo who have passed away.

Peter has an incredible talent for putting the most amazing hooks in his songs. “I’ll Give You Money” is a hard rockin’ tune with the sweetest hook and it was showcased to really unleash the guitars in the second half of the show. A four minute daring duel broke out between Peter Frampton and his talented second guitarist, Adam Lester whom never faltered from the power coming from Peter’s guitar.

Guitar Circus features special guests and this show featured Don Felder, songwriter and lead guitarist for the American group the Eagles. Peter stepped back and let Don be the ringmaster as he picked out the 12 string intro to, “Hotel California.” Cradled in his hands, was his rare Gibson EDS 1275 Double 12 guitar, another iconic moment in history for Woodinville, Washington and the audience proved this with a standing O! Don and Peter performed two songs together, the second being Stevie Ray Vaughan’s, “Pride and Joy.”




There was a special guest in the audience, as Peter pointed out for the intro to his next song, Matt Cameron, drummer for Sound Garden! Peter performed an instrumental version of Sound Garden’s, “Black Hole Sun.” If ever there was a song written for Peter Frampton to cover, it would be this one. He has really made it his own by putting his guitar through all the hoops of tone and cool sounds. 

The last song of the night was, “Do You Feel Like We Do.” Peter had fun with the voicebox, asking the audience, “Can you hear me?” “How’s the wine?” making us all laugh, which he did so easily throughout the night. The audience was so moved by the iconic performance that they rushed to the stage to send Peter off with dancing, cheering, and lit lighters, just like back in the day of laid back security.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Be Amazed, Be Amused! Peter Frampton’s Guitar Circus is an incredible experience of epic hits, special guests, covers, and new songs from his latest album ‘Hummingbird In A Box,’ all featuring Peter Frampton’s guitar wizardry. Be There!

Setlist:

1. Had To Be There

2. Doobie Wah

3. Lines On My Face

4. Heart To My Chest (New)

5. Show Me The Way

6. Double Nickels

7. Money

8. Hotel California (Don Felder)

9. Pride & Joy (Don Felder)

10. Black Hole Sun

11. Baby I Love Your Way

12. Do You Feel Like We Do


Review by:
Jill Maciel/West Coast Correspondent

Photos by:
Scott Banning

 Celtic Prog Band IONA have announced that their great looking new 25th Anniversary t shirts are now in stock! Designed by Andrew Beauchamp, (the winner of  t shirt design competition), they are available in Mens and Ladies shapes and in a variety of sizes. We're also offering a few tempting T- Shirt plus CD deals - for all the options go to 

NB The red circle contains Iona album titles and since these mock up photos Andrew changed the font slightly to make the lettering easier to read. We think the design looks great!
Details Below

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

OFFICIAL FACEBOOK
Rory Gallagher
Irish Tour ‘74 Boxed Set
October 20th 2014 will see the 40th anniversary expanded deluxe edition release of one of Rory Gallagher’s most celebrated recordings.
Sony Music / Legacy Recordings is proud to announce the release of Rory Gallagher’s legendary Irish Tour ‘74.  The most expansive edition to date, of this landmark album.  Featured for the first time on record, all three shows.  Packaged in a special deluxe edition 8 disc 10” boxed set and including 43 previously unreleased tracks, remastered audio, photos, extensive liner notes, feature length documentary, memorabilia and more.

By 1974 Rory Gallagher had already established a formidable reputation as one of the finest recording artists and exciting live performers of his generation.  He was four years in to a successful solo career following his departure from his critically acclaimed outfit, Taste.  1970 to 1974 had produced five albums and an almost continuous schedule of touring, Rory had gone from strength to strength.  He was mid way in to what would be the most prolific decade of his career and was at the absolute top of his game.  By sad contrast, Gallagher’s homeland and his beloved adopted city, Belfast in particular had taken a battering.  The political climate of Northern Ireland in the late 60s/early 70s saw Belfast ripped apart by some of the most devastating violence in the country’s history.  By 1973 and the winter of Gallagher’s landmark tour, Belfast was on its knees.  Roy Hollingworth, a journalist for Melody Maker in attendance at the Ulster Hall show would describe the city as a shattered, deserted and frightened place. The live music scene was non-existent with all but Gallagher willing to tour during the height of the Troubles tearing the country apart.  While his contemporaries turned their back on the city, it was Rory’s refusal to do so that forever won him the hearts of thousands of fans across the country.  “I see no reason for not playing Belfast. Kids still live here,” said Gallagher of his decision to repeatedly play in Belfast.  And so, Rory and his band, Gerry McAvoy (bass), Rod De’ath (drums) and Lou Martin (keys) returned again in the winter of 1973 for what would become the celebrated Irish Tour. 

Acclaimed filmmaker Tony Palmer was drafted in to document the tour.  Palmer had first met Gallagher six years before in 1968 when Taste supported Cream at their famous farewell show at the Royal Albert Hall.  Palmer has been on hand to record the super groups’ final performance but hadn’t failed to notice the extraordinary standout talents of the young Gallagher.  When asked to accompany Rory on the Irish tour in the winter of 1973, Palmer seized the opportunity.  More than aware of the socio-political situation in the North of the country at the time and Rory’s refusal to be drawn on either side of the argument, Palmer knew ‘this [was] a very interesting proposition’.  ‘Rory was at pains to point out he wasn’t active in any sense politically’ Palmer tells us, but felt very strongly that he should be allowed to play both Northern Ireland and the Republic.  ‘I don’t want to make a movie with any political content but it will be self evident’ said Gallagher.

Both the Dublin and Cork shows also feature heavily on the subsequent documentary but it was Rory’s dignified but defiant impartial stance in Belfast that helped make this recording such a watershed moment for Rory’s legions of devoted fans.

Irish Tour ’74 was a world class, matchless, blistering live performance.  It is one of the greatest live albums of all time.  No studio trickery, no overdubs.  A truly live album. The stuff of legend.  This new deluxe edition features, for the first time on record, each of these iconic shows. Seven albums worth of fully remastered audio including 43 previously unreleased recordings, plus the Tony Palmer directed feature length documentary and large full colour booklet.  All presented in deluxe packaging.



“Only he could play the guitar off the fucking planet.” Tony Palmer

“Rory Gallagher brought hope and musical inspiration to his war-torn spiritual hometown of Belfast.”
“It was within the walls of the venue on ‘bomb alley’ that the tender-hearted, soft-spoken, dogged determination and captivating presence of Ireland’s guitar warrior poet and people’s hero found
its fullest flowering.”
“While Ulster teetered towards the brink, Rory’s rock hit with righteous affirmation”

Gavin Martin for Blues Magazine

“I've never seen anything quite so wonderful, so stirring, so uplifting, so joyous as when Gallagher and the band walked on stage. The whole place erupted, they all stood and they cheered and they yelled, and screamed, and they put their arms up, and they embraced. Then as one unit they put their arms into the air and gave peace signs. Without being silly, or overemotional, it was one of the most memorable moments of my life. It all meant something, it meant more than just rock n' roll, it was something bigger, something more valid than just that.”  Roy Hollingworth for Melody Maker

“Rory loved Belfast.  Just loved it.  Anytime we hit the stage after 1971 you were aware that, apart from the odd cabaret turn at the Abercorn (site of a 1972 bomb blast killing two and injuring 130), none of the bigger bands would come back to play Belfast, it was starved of music. Obviously after The Miami Showband tragedy it just got worse. We’re professionals. We play as well as we could wherever we played but it was a special situation in Belfast, something you could never acquire or attain at any other gig.”  Gerry McAvoy
 
Disc 1 & 2
Cork (5th of January 1974)
  1. Messin’ With The Kid*
  2. Cradle Rock
  3. I Wonder Who
  4. Tattoo’d Lady
  5. Walk On Hot Coals
  6. Laundromat*
  7. A Million Miles Away
  8. Hands Off*
  9. Too Much Alcohol
  10. As The Crow Flies
  11. Pistol Slapper Blues*
  12. Unmilitary Two-Step*
  13. Bankers Blues*
  14. Going To My Hometown*
  15. Who’s That Coming
  16. In Your Town*

Disc 3 & 4
Dublin (2nd of January 1974)
  1. Cradle Rock*
  2. Tattoo’d Lady*
  3. Hands Off*
  4. Walk On Hot Coals*
  5. Laundromat*
  6. Too Much Alcohol*
  7. A Million Miles Away*
  8. As The Crow Flies*
  9. Pistol Slapper Blues*
  10. Bankers Blues*
  11. Unmilitary Two-Step*
  12. Going To My Hometown*
  13. In Your Town*
  14. Bullfrog Blues*

Disc 5 & 6
Belfast (29th of December 1973)
  1. Messin’ With The Kid*
  2. Cradle Rock*
  3. I Wonder Who*
  4. Tattoo’d Lady*
  5. Walk On Hot Coals*
  6. Hands Off*
  7. A Million Miles Away*
  8. Laundromat*
  9. As The Crow Flies*
  10. Pistol Slapper Blues*
  11. Unmilitary Two-Step*
  12. Bankers Blues*
  13. Going To My Hometown*
  14. Who’s That Coming*
  15. In Your Town*
  16. Bullfrog Blues*

Disc 7
City Hall in Session (3rd of January 1974)
  1. Maritime (The Edgar Lustgarden Cut)
  2. I Want You  / Raunchy Medley*
  3. Treat Her Right
  4. I Wonder Who*
  5. Too Much Alcohol*
  6. Just A Little Bit
  7. I Can’t Be Satisfied*
  8. Acoustic Medley*
  9. Back On My Stompin' Ground (After Hours)
  10. Stompin’ Ground (Alt version)

Disc 8 (DVD)
The Tony Palmer directed documentary Irish Tour ’74
(courtesy of Eagle Rock Entertainment)

* Previously unreleased

Important Websites


Irish Tour ’74 Expanded Deluxe Edition is available to pre-order now at  


Facebook



Official Website

DEF LEPPARD TO PERFORM NFL PRE-GAME SHOW
AT FIRST LONDON NFL GAME OF 2014
 
Isaac Slade of The Fray and Laura Wright to sing national anthems

Rock legends DEF LEPPARD will perform the pre-game show at the first of this year’s three NFL International Series games on Sunday September 28, when the Oakland Raiders host the Miami Dolphins.

Def Leppard, who have sold 100 million albums worldwide in a career spanning three decades, will showcase some of their biggest hits before kickoff of the NFL’s ninth regular-season game to be played in London since the International Series began in 2007.

The band’s lead singer, Joe Elliott, said: “Having most recently visited Wembley in May to watch Sheffield United in the FA Cup semi-final, I know what the atmosphere in the ground is like for ‘our’ football so I’m really looking forward to performing there before the NFL game and of course soaking up the excitement of the actual match. I can’t wait!”

“Having Def Leppard perform at Wembley is going to very exciting and a lot of fun,” said Alistair Kirkwood, Managing Director of NFLUK. “We know their performance will get Wembley pumping, have the fans on their feet and set the tone for a great game.”

Formed in Sheffield, Def Leppard have been hailed as the UK's greatest-ever arena rock band. The five-piece – Elliott (vocals), Phil Collen (guitar), Rick "Sav" Savage (bass), Vivian Campbell (guitar) and Rick Allen (drums) – have produced a series of classic ground-breaking albums and two prestigious Diamond Awards in the USA, for two separate 10 million-selling albums. The group’s spectacular live shows and arsenal of hits have made them an institution in the music and touring industry.

Previous pre-game artists in the International Series have been: The Feeling (2007), Stereophonics (2008), Calvin Harris (2009), Goo-Goo Dolls (2010), My Chemical Romance (2011), Train (2012), Tinie Tempah (2013), NE-YO (2013).

The US national anthem, ‘The Star Spangled Banner’ will be sung before the Dolphins-Raiders game byISAAC SLADE, lead singer of The Fray. Four-time Grammy Award nominees, The Fray had their first UK top five single with “How To Save a Life” and have seen two of their four albums reach platinum status in the United States.

The UK national anthem will be sung by best-selling soprano LAURA WRIGHT, who performed ‘God Save The Queen’ at both of last year’s International Series games.

A limited number of tickets returned by the participating teams will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Thursday September 4 via www.ticketmaster.co.uk.

The Raiders-Dolphins game will kick off at 6:00 p.m. UK time (1:00p.m. ET) and will be aired live in the UK on Channel 4 and Sky Sports and in the US on CBS.
SUZI QUATRO 
‘The Girl From Detroit City’
4CD BOX SET
 
20th October 2014
CAREER SPANNING 4-CD BOXED SET
 
The Girl From Detroit City is a beautifully presented 4-CD boxed set, celebrating an amazing 50 years in the music business for rock ‘n’ roll queen, Suzi Quatro.
 
The 82 tracks on offer here span the whole of Suzi’s career, including three songs by the Pleasure Seekers, the all-girl rock band, which Suzi formed along with her sister Patti, and which signed to Mercury Records in 1968. Her massive chart hits from the 1970s also feature, including the ‘Chinnichap’ numbers, Can the Can, 48 Crash and Devil Gate Drive and a whole wealth of material from the 1970s onwards, through to tracks from her critically-acclaimed 2011 album, In The Spotlight, which witnessed her reunion with producer, Mike Chapman; highlights of which included Suzi’s covers of Goldfrapp’s Strict Machine and Rhianna’s Breaking Dishes plus a Chapman number, A Girl Like Me, which he wrote especially for her.
 
The Girl From Detroit City comes complete with fascinating up-to-date liner notes, tracking Suzi’s career from the outset to the present day, and it presents a wealth of album & poster artwork and photographs, including a shot of Suzi’s incredible vintage Ray-Ban collection!
 
Suzi Quatro was the most successful female artist of the entire Glam Rock period (Suzi’s style and music were not truly ‘Glam’ but this was the era, which saw her shoot to stardom) and her influence on subsequent generations of female rock musicians are widely acknowledged. It’s been well-documented that Chrissie Hynde and Joan Jett both drew inspiration from Suzi but so have many others, including Talking Heads’ Tina Weymouth, who was encouraged to learn to play bass by listening to Quatro albums and, more recently, KT Tunstall revealed that the cover photo of her 2007 album Drastic Fantastic was based on Suzi’s image.
 
In celebration of Suzi’s 50th year in the music business, the BBC will be hosting a special performance of her one-woman show, Unzipped, in London on Friday 26th September. It will be recorded for broadcast on BBC Radio 2 on Thursday 2nd October. On 29th September Cherry Red will also release the single The Girl From Detroit City on digital download only. This brand new song was recorded in 2013 and is exclusive to this compilation. Written and produced by Mike Chapman, the song speaks of Suzi’s early days in Detroit and her discovery by Mickie Most.
 
50 years on and Suzi Quatro has no intention of slowing down. She’s about to embark on another massive live tour and in 2015 she will finally publish her poetry in a book called Through My Eyes
 

 
Editor’s Notes
Suzi Quatro has sold in excess of 55 million records worldwide.
 
In the UK she has had 18 hit singles, including 2 No. 1s (Can The Can and Devil Gate Drive). From 1973-1979, Suzi featured in the British charts for no less than 101 weeks.
 
In Australia it was 18 hit singles with 3 No. 1s, whilst in Germany the total was 18 chart entries, with 12 of them reaching the Top 10.
 
In 2013, Suzi received a lifetime achievement award at her hometown Detroit Music Awards (the DMAs) and later that year she was presented the Woman of Valour Award from Musicians for Equal Opprtunities for Women (MEOW).
 
She has also written her autobiography, Unzipped, which adds best-selling author to her already huge list of achievements. In 2012 she hit the stage at London’s Hippodrome Casino for a week, with her one-woman show based around the autobiography.
 
With nigh on 40 years in show business, Suzi has taken on numerous acting roles, including the TV shows Happy Days, Minder, Dempsey & Makepeace, Absolutely Fabulous and Midsomer Murders. There have also been highly successful musical stage roles, including Annie Get Your Gun and Tallulah Who? and she appeared in the play, Exonerated, alongside Charles Dance.
 
Suzi has ventured into the world of broadcasting with very successful shows on BBC Radio 2, including Rockin’ With Suzi Q and Wake Up Little Suzi. She also recorded a series of 2-hour high profile documentaries on some of her favourite artists, including Elvis Presley, Otis Redding, Patsy Cline, Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison, which were broadcast on BBC Radio 2 during 2011 and 2012.
Suzi continues to tour and does over 100 shows a year all over the world. On retiring, she has this to say; “When I turn my back on the audience and shake my ass, and there is silence…..I’ll stop.”

Friday, 22 August 2014

Ricky Warwick • Scott Gorham • Damon Johnson
Robbie Crane • Jimmy DeGrasso
 

Black Star Riders Announce New Producer
For Second Studio Album


2014 has already been a landmark year for Black Star Riders.  They have already taken their critically and fan acclaimed live show on the road and stormed the stages of the United States and Japan for their first tours of both of those countries.  The reaction has been nothing short of amazing!  The guys then headed back out to Europe for the rest of the summer and brought the music to stages in Europe and the UK.

2014 is also the year where Black Star Riders will return to the studio to record their second album, the as yet titled follow up to the highly successful “All Hell Breaks Loose”.  Originally, it was announced that Def Leppard front man Joe Elliott would take over production duties on the new album joined by long time Leppard sound guru Ronan McHugh.  But due to unforeseen circumstances and schedule conflicts, Joe and Ronan have had to back out of the process.

Joe explains, “It is with great reluctance that I have had to pull out of the production job for the BSR 2nd album. When I agreed to do it after a great meeting with the boys, it was at was at a time when Def Leppard weren’t exceptionally busy. Things changed & I found myself in a situation where the amount of time I could allocate to the album would not have done justice to the record or the band. They deserve someone who can do the job without rushing it or having to bail out half way through due to other commitments. I KNOW they’re are going to make a great 2nd album & maybe sometime down the road we can revisit the idea of working together again.  Myself Ricky & Scott have a very long standing & firm friendship which goes back decades!! I wish them nothing but the best & much success with the new album”.  Ricky Warwick adds, “Joe is like a member of the family… I was very excited by the prospects of Joe working with us on the new record.  But sometimes things happen that we cannot control.  I know we will work with Joe in the future”.

The great news is that this change in Joe’s schedule has allowed us to find someone we are all very excited to work with.  Taking over the production duties will be heralded producer Nick Raskulinecz.   Nick has been at the desk for a number of incredible releases from such artists as The Foo Fighters, Alice In Chains, Rush and Mastodon.  Ricky Warwick checks in on the working with Nick.  “I have been a fan of Nick’s work for sometime.  So when it became apparent that Nick wanted to work with us, we were all very excited!  He has done some amazing work with other artists in the past and I can’t wait to hear what we manage to create together in the studio.”

Nick chimes in, "I was a fan of the first album, and I'm really excited about the songs they've written for their new record.  I'm really looking forward to getting into the studio with them to help bring those songs to life."

Black Star Riders is set to enter the studio September 2014 to start recording their follow up release.   Damon Johnson adds “Nick is an amazing talent and I know he is going to help take Black Star Riders to the next level.  His resume is staggering, his reputation is stellar and his enthusiasm for our band and our songs is incredibly exciting.”
The new, as yet untitled, album will be released in the spring of 2015 through Nuclear Blast – the label behind acts such as Anthrax, Nightwish and Meshuggah. Black Star Riders are one of the first bands signed by Monte Conner – the former Roadrunner A&R guru who has signed acts such as Slipknot, Machine Head, Sepultura and Rush. Conner recently joined Nuclear Blast as the president of Nuclear Blast Entertainment, a new U.S. partnership he co-founded with Nuclear Blast owner Markus Staiger.
For the latest info on Black Star Riders, check out their website or official Facebook page.
Website: 

Facebook: 

Tuesday, 19 August 2014

The GOASTT 
start our tour of France, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Belgium and the UK this Friday!

TOUR DATES:

August 21 - For Noise Festival, Lausanne, Switzerland
Tickets: http://www.fornoise.ch/

August 22 - Rock En Seine, Paris, France
Tickets: http://www.rockenseine.com/en/

August 25 - Paradiso Noord, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Tickets: http://www.paradiso.nl/

August 28 - Zurich Openair, Zurich, Switzerland
Tickets: http://www.zurichopenair.ch/tickets/

August 30 - End of the Road Festival, Salisbury, United Kingdom
Tickets: http://www.endoftheroadfestival.com/tickets/

September 1 - Hare and Hounds, Birmingham, United Kingdom
Tickets: http://www.gigsandtours.com/go/ghostofasabertoothtiger

September 2 - Broadcast, Glasgow, United Kingdom
Tickets: http://www.thegoastt.com/pclpresents.com

September 3 - Brudenell Social Club, Leeds, United Kingdom
Tickets: http://bit.ly/1uP4muO

September 4 - Exchange, Bristol, United Kingdom
Tickets: http://bit.ly/1AsWEa2

September 8 - Ruby Lounge, Manchester, United Kingdom
Tickets: http://bit.ly/1AsWCyT

September 9 - Kazimier, Liverpool, United Kingdom
Tickets: http://bit.ly/1Bv3365

September 10 - Dingwalls, London, United Kingdom
Tickets: http://bit.ly/1qkHTyK

September 12 - Rotown, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Tickets: http://bit.ly/1n37vPB

September 13 - Trix, Antwerp, Belgium
Tickets: http://bit.ly/1pWKSQt

September 16 - Le Grand Mix, Lille-Tourcoing, France
Tickets: http://www.digitick.com/

September 18 - Barbey Club, Bordeaux, France
Tickets: http://www.digitick.com/

September 19 - La Cooperative de Mai, Clermont-Ferrand, France
Tickets: http://www.digitick.com/

September 20 - Austin Psych Fest Presents Levitation, Angers, France
Tickets: http://www.digitick.com/

Monday, 18 August 2014

BERNIE MARSDEN'S NEW ALBUM "SHINE" 
RELEASED TODAY AUG 18, 2014

At a rough guesstimate Bernie Marsden’s name appears on a hundred albums – maybe more. In addition to a long-running solo career the Buckinghamshire-born guitarist has been a recording musician since the early 1970s via membership of such groups as Whitesnake, UFO, Wild Turkey, Babe Ruth, Paice Ashton & Lord, Cozy Powell’s Hammer, Alaska, M3 and many more. Though there’s a tendency to pigeonhole him as a blues-rock guitarist, each of Marsden’s acts had its own individual flavour.

Although Marsden was wary of flooding the credits with too many special guests, ‘Shine’ does feature some extremely well-known names, from Joe Bonamassa to Whitesnake singer David Coverdale and the Deep Purple duo of Ian Paice (drums) and Don Airey (keyboards). Jimmy Copley of Jeff Beck fame behind the kit and Mark Feltham of Nine Below Zero also supplies some breathtaking harmonica playing.


Tracklisting:

1. Linin' Track
2. Wedding Day
3. Walk Away
4. Kinda Wish She Would
5. Ladyfriend
6. Trouble
7. Who Do We Think We Are?
8. Bad Blood
9. Shine
10. Dragonfly
11. You Better Run
12. Hoxie Rollin' Time
13. NW8


To Sample Tracks:
http://www.mascotlabelgroup.com/berniemarsden-shine.html

To Order:
http://www.mascotlabelgroup.com/berniemarsden-shine.html

Sunday, 17 August 2014

ULI JON ROTH ANNOUNCES UPCOMING DOUBLE CD/DVD ~ SCORPIONS REVISITED!!

This exciting news is from Uli Jon Roth's Official Facebook Page this morning:


Dear Friends,

please take some time to watch our new trailer which announces the upcoming double album SCORPIONS REVISITED - VOLUME 1 and our autumn tour.

The material we recorded for this project will be released in two stages, beginning with a double CD, which was recorded last year in the same hall near Hanover that we used for the Scorpions rehearsals 1973-1978. Together with an amazing bunch of very talented young musicians, I revisited my personal favourites from the early Scorpions period, some of which were written in that same hall. It was an emotional few days and I am very pleased with the results in more ways than one. The idea was to stay truthful to the original spirit of the music, while also putting a new slant on it whenever it felt like the right thing to do. I feel we succeeded in this. It was a intense journey into the past and I think we really managed to bring the songs back to life with a vengeance. They seem to have a timeless quality and it was easy to revisit this music and fill the old songs with new life. For me, personally, it was very inspirational and I hope that some of that translates towards you, dear friends. I really learned a lot from the whole experience. 


The second release, which is scheduled for next Spring, will be a Blu-Ray, featuring live concert footage from my Scorpions Anniversary Tour and lots of other goodies. Enjoy.

Musicians:
Nathan James - vocals
Jamie Little - drums
Ule W. Ritgen - bass
Niklas Turmann - guitar, vocals
Corvin Bahn - keyboards, vocals
David Klosinski - guitar

Here is the official trailer for the 2CD/DVD:
http://youtu.be/0TwWb6jCzhE

OFFICIAL FACEBOOK PAGE 1:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Uli-Jon-Roth/26843841074

OFFICIAL FACEBOOK PAGE 2:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Uli-Jon-Roth/403059233077097?ref=profile





Tuesday, 12 August 2014

CRR (Dot EU) Classic Rock Concert Review

Spotlight: Yes at Bayou Music Center, Houston, TX, USA
Date: 05 August 2014

This show was my first time seeing the progressive rock band Yes in about twelve years. Not since 2002, as a matter of fact. The band was playing music from an album they did around that time called Magnification. A wonderful studio album by the way, that I strongly recommend. Some personal changes in Yes has occurred since then. Nothing new to a band that released its debut record in 1969. Ever since their third studio release, The Yes Album, which came out in 1971, many of the most talented musicians in rock music stood under the Yes umbrella. Players come and go. Some even came back and then left again to later on return just so to leave again. Hard keeping up with it's personal. Every position in the band except bass has seen revolving musicians. That's been filled by the very same guy all these years, the very talented Chris Squire. One of Rock's finest bass players, vocalist, song writer, and harmonica player ('And You And I') to come out of the United Kingdom. And if you ever saw Chris in concert, be it filmed or live, you know my words to be all too true describing him.



Two other gentlemen who are with Yes presently has also been with the group a very long time. That would be Steve Howe on guitar, and Alan White behind the drum kit. Steve has been with Yes a few years longer, but is yet another member who has come, gone, and come back again. Alan, who also was John Lennon's drummer, stayed consistent with his first studio album with Yes being their 1973 masterpiece, Tales From Topographic Oceans.




Just so everyone is on the same page, Geoff Downes is Yes' current keyboard player. Like Steve Howe, Geoff had left the band before and is now back again. This was my first time seeing Mr. Downes playing for this legendary prog-rock band. His style with Yes somewhat different than his playing with the band Asia, as I had the pleasure of seeing two times previously, but I'm getting ahead of myself. Rounding out Yes is lead vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Jon Davison. Some might know him from his other band Glass Hammer. He contributed heavily to the Yes' new release Heaven And Earth. The talented Jon Davison did a solid job on that album, and did the same exact thing at the Houston show.





Yes is NOW on the road touring a new album called Heaven And Earth. I reviewed it for Classic Rock Radio (Dot EU) a week or two ago. Their set list is a celebration of its past, and a solid presentation of some new material. My only wish would be that they play MORE tracks than two from Heaven & Earth the next time around on tour. And for the third time, let me write about the evening.

The group started off the show by playing (in it's entirety) 1973's, Close To The Edge album. Would make a short list of favorite Yes albums if I had to write one. The stand out performer, in my opinion was Geoff Downes. He owned 'Close To The Edge' with his musical performance!! Of course the rest of the band shined as well. 

The next two new songs were 'Believe Again', and 'The Game'. This not being my first Yes tour, I can say I always enjoyed seeing the band play new music. Sure I love the greatest hits, but it's always so cool seeing the members perform songs I have not seen them play before. My first Yes concert saw the band promote their newest album at the time, Relayer (1974). I've missed only a couple tours supporting new projects since then. I'm certainly more than a fly-by night fan.

One of the studio albums that made me such a big fan was 1972's Fragile. So it made me ecstatic to hear the group playing the whole Fragile album on the Heaven and Earth tour. This was worth the price of admission all by itself. It was my first time seeing two cuts from that record, 'Five Percent Of Nothing', and 'Cans and Brahms', played live. Fucking blew me away! I lived twenty years in New Jersey. No other way for me to say that. Thanks to Geoff and Alan (and the rest of the band) for that historic Yes moment for me. Cool lighting and projections throughout the songs made them all the better. Back to the band, they peaked for me playing 'South Side of The Sky', the newest members making the songs their own. This IS Yes !! For the band is not just a launch pad, or spot light for one or two individuals but a unified musical synchronicity. It's the musicians that make up Yes at whatever time that gave the music a signature sound. The music is unique and even when listening to what is  considered to be their weakest material by long time fans,  it stands out because of the caliber of musicianship involved. Two studio albums from the group's over four decades of existence include Tormato (1978), and Open Your Eyes (1997), come to mind for this reviewer as not exactly being their best works. Still, plenty of good moments.

The rest of the evening at the Yes show flew by. I had the greatest time along with my friend Charles Zittle (drummer for Houston band Generation: Landslide!). Was a solid evening of wonderful music. The warm up band Syd Arthur opened up for Yes. One has to be good to share the same stage in the same evening with Yes, and they were. So if possible, catch the tour. You'll be glad you did.

Warning: Merchandise RANT

Oh...almost forgot. The official tour tee shirts found at the merchandise stand need to come in BIGGER sizes. I noticed at this concert, lots of people in the crowd between the ages of 40 and 60. Don't know about them, but I have three past Yes Tour tee shirts in LARGE, that because of my ever expanding belly, do not fit anymore. Future eBay items? At six foot and near 190 pounds, I really need EXTRA LARGE nowadays. So merchants, please take Uncle G's suggestion and try to have more EXTRA LARGE tee shirt selections available. Since you only had one that size, that's all I purchased. I would have gotten another if it would have fit me. Just saying. Besides that, great job!! Oh...and I like the autographed CD's and the coffee mugs. Try to keep those in stock.


Gary Brown
American Correspondent for Classic Rock Radio (Dot EU)
All Photographs taken by Gary Brown and remain in his ownership and are used by permission

IAN ANDERSON'S "HOMO ERRATICUS" TO BE AVAILABLE AS A SPECIAL CD/DVD TOUR EDITION ON SEPTEMBER 30

(Special CD/DVD Tour Edition of Acclaimed Hit Album from Jethro Tull Frontman

To coincide with Ian Anderson's BEST OF JETHRO TULL & HOMO ERRATICUS North American tour (commencing September 12th), Kscope is pleased to announce a new tour edition of Ian's acclaimed new studio album, HOMO ERRATICUS. This 2 disc (CD DVD) package features the exclusive videos to each album track, as seen at the shows, set to hi resolution 24 bit stereo audio. The DVD features a live performance of album favorite "Enter the Uninvited" and new interview footage with Ian discussing the live visuals.

"Rock Cellar" says HOMO ERRATICUS offer songs that "address those same modern realities that give rise to my impertinent Why?, and in an honest, thought-provoking, entertaining manner.  Compared to whatever else is out there right now, that’s definitely an improvement."  "The strongest Ian Anderson album ever," writes Music Street Journal. Rolling Stone online states, "Ian Anderson—unlike many, many,
many of his contemporaries—hasn’t really shown the signs of aging that most of us have taken for granted in our ‘60s-era pop stars."

In 2012 Ian Anderson released THICK AS A BRICK-2, the follow-up to Jethro Tull's legendary concept album, THICK AS A BRICK. TAAB-2 was a critical and commercial success, charting around the world. In April 2014 he returned with the hit album HOMO ERRATICUS which--according to BILLBOARD MAGAZINE--entered the UK album charts at number 14.

The original THICK AS A BRICK album, released in 1972, was based around the poem of disgraced child prodigy Gerald Bostock. For HOMO ERRATICUS Anderson is reunited with Bostock, using lyrics written by Gerald based on an old historical manuscript. The manuscript examines key events from throughout British history before going on to offer a number of prophecies for the future. Ian says the album deals with migration as a theme.

Suitably dramatized and exaggerated by Bostock as metaphors for modern life, he presented Anderson with ideas for 14 songs, which have now been set to music. The result is
HOMO ERRATICUS. The CD / DVD tour edition of the album will be released on Anderson's own Calliandra Records label in conjunction with Kscope on September 30th.


CD Tracklist
1 Doggerland
2 Heavy Metals
3 Enter The Uninvited
4 Puer Ferox Adventus
5 Meliora Sequamur
6 The Turnpike Inn
7 The Engineer
8 The Pax Britannica
9 Tripudium Ad Bellum
10 After These Wars
11 New Blood, Old Veins
12 In For A Pound
13 The Browning of the Green
14 Per Errationes Ad Astra
15 Cold Dead Reckoning

DISC 2 - ADDITIONAL BONUS DVD MATERIAL
Enter the Uninvited (live at Swan Theatre UK - 2014)
New Ian Anderson 'Homo Erraticus' tour visuals interview

Fans can check out a clip from a UK show and see all the tour dates here: 

 http://jethrotull.com
Tour Dates
9/12/14          Seattle             WA         McCaw Hall
9/13/14          Goldendale     WA         Maryhill Winery Amphitheater
9/15/14          Redding          CA         Cascade Theater
9/17/14          Oakland          CA         Fox Theater    
9/18/14          Costa Mesa   CA         Segerstrom Hall
9/19/14          Las Vegas     NV          Pearl Concert Theater
9/20/14          Mesa              AZ           Mesa Arts Center
9/21/14          Albuquerque  NM          Kiva Auditorium
9/23/14          Dallas             TX           Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House
9/24/14          Midland          TX           Wagner Noel PAC
9/26/14          Austin             TX            Austin City Limits    
9/27/14          San Antonio   TX            Tobin PAC
9/28/14          Stafford          TX            Stafford PAC
9/30/14          Atlanta           GA            Symphony Hall
10/1/14          Nashville       TN              Ryman Auditorium
10/3/14          Charlotte      NC              Blumenthal PAC
10/4/14          Durham        NC              Durham PAC
10/5/14          Richmond    VA               The National Theater
10/16/14        Naperville     IL                Pfeiffer Hall
10/17/14        Springfield    IL               Sangamon Auditorium
10/18/14        Milwaukee    WI              Pabst Theater
10/19/14        Cedar Falls   IA              Gallagher Bluedorn PAC    
10/21/14        Minneapolis   MN           State Theater    
10/23/14        Elizabeth       IN              Horshoe Casino
10/24/14        Charleston    WV           Clay Center
10/25/14        Greensburg   PA           The Palace Theatre    
10/26/14        Bethlehem     PA           Sands Bethlehem Event Center
10/28/14        Burlington      VT            Flynn Center
10/29/14        Providence    RI             Providence PAC
10/30/14        Ridgefield     CT            The Ridgefield Playhouse
11/1/14          Lynn               MA            Lynn Auditorium    
11/2/14          Albany            NY            Palace Theatre
11/4/14          Buffalo            NY           Center For the Arts
11/6/14          Washington   DC           Lincoln Theater
11/7/14          Atlantic City   NJ            Caesars - Circus Maximus
11/8/14          Huntington     NY            The Paramount    
11/9/14          Red Bank      NJ            Count Basie Theater
11/10/14        Montclair       NJ             Wellmont Theatre

Monday, 11 August 2014

Tribal Hybrid Concept CD Featuring Cyrille Verdeaux and Chief Raoni Along With Clearlight Back Catalogue Now Available on Gonzo MultiMedia

 Following the recent release of Clearlight's critically acclaimed 'The Impressionists Symphony' CD, comes another groundbreaking new album composed by Cyrille "Clearlight" Verdeaux titled 'Tribal Hybrid Concept' on Gonzo MultiMedia.

Clearlight is a French progressive rock band created by Cyrille in the 1970s, although their best known work was produced in England and released by a major British record company, Virgin Records. The band's large and continually changing lineup for 40 years featured a mix of French, American and British musicians around pianist and synthesist Cyrille Verdeaux who is also regarded as its producer.

While progressive rock is an overall genre for Cyrille, much of his work explores various other styles, including classical, due to his long classical formation in his youth, psychedelic, symphonic rock, space rock, jazz fusion, and new age music.

Clearlight's first album was 'Clearlight Symphony'. Gilbert Artman of Lard Free and Urban Sax (although he does not play saxophone here, Urban Sax didn't exist yet), french guitarist Christian Boule (RIP) and several members of GONG: Tim Blake, Steve Hillage and Didier Malherbe collaborated to this first opus.

Violinists Jorge Pinchevsky also of GONG, David Cross of King Crimson, Joel Dugrenot (Zao's bassist) and Didier Lockwood of Magma were also members at various times. The ensemble released several critically acclaimed albums in the 1970's including 'Clearlight Symphony', 'Forever Blowing Bubbles', 'Les Contes du Singe Fou' and 'Clearlight Visions'. Both 'Clearlight Symphony' and 'Clearlight Visions' made the list of all time best 100 progressive rock albums, according to the Billboard guide for progressive music.

Clearlight has/have continued to produce remarkable music ever since. But the 'Tribal Hybrid Concept' album is particularly poignant. Pascal Menetrey passed away accidentally in 2006. This album is dedicated to his memory. RIP, Pascal...

The music on this album is powerful, selected to illustrate the yang side of the first chakra, the one in charge of life and death energy. Samples of Inuits, Papoos, Tuvas, Ethiopian, Native American and Kurdish singers as well as samples of various wild animals facing extinction collected one per one by Pascal Menetrey between 1992 and 1999 are musically shaped by Cyrille Verdeaux to boogie for the pleasure of the ears and the heart. The aim of Tribal Hybrid Music is to help in the stopping of all these trails of tears, these massacres of innocents all around the globe.

But there's more. Cyrille says about it : "This CD also hosts the one and only song ever recorded by the Amazonian Chief Raoni, from the tribe Kayapo, former protégé of Sting in the 80's. The old chief is still struggling and still in trouble to keep his tribe alive in spite of the efforts of the Brazilian government to make them disappear once and for all in the name of 'ordem e progresso'. So the more CDs will be sold, the more royalties Raoni will get to help him to resist to his fatal fate.With the genuine voice of the great Chief of Amazonia, this song in genuine Kayapo language sang by Raoni himself is a moving and wise calling to spear the Amazonian territory, for this ecosystem is essential, not only for the survival of his tribe but also for all the earthlings present and future…"

Raoni's message:

"I'm back now, because my concern returned. I learned that you too are worried now. The winds came and destroyed your forest. You knew the fear that we know. I tell you, if man continues to destroy the earth, these winds will return with even more force ... not once ... but many times ... sooner or later. These winds will destroy us all. We all breathe one only air, we all drink one only water, we all live on one only earth. We must all protect it. Home invasions began again. Woodcutters and gold diggers do not respect the reserve. We do not have the means to protect this vast forest which we are guardians for all of you. I need your support. And I ask you before it's too late”.

“Raoni's Song” was composed and produced by Jean Michel Pinoteau. He explains, “I have deposed the song to the French Sacem on September 26, 2011, with the signature of Raoni for the text, and Jean Michel Pinoteau (me) as composer for the music. I have promised half part of the benefits of my production for Jean-Pierre Dutilleux, the famous explorer, who gave me the track (DAT) of the voice of Raoni. Jean-Pierre Dutilleux is a great friend of Raoni, together they made a world tour with Sting in 1989.”



Along with Clearlight's latest release 'The Impressionists Symphony' and the 'Tribal Hybrid Concept' CD, Gonzo MultiMedia has reissued Clearlight's back catalogue!

Clearlight - Forever Blowing Bubbles (CD)

'Forever Blowing Bubbles' is a progressive rock album by Clearlight, released in 1975 on Virgin Records in the UK. Clearlight's new line up picked up by Cyrille, with drummer Chris Stapinopoulos, bassist Joel Dugrenot, violinist David Cross, flutist-keyboardist Francois Jeanneau and Guitarist Jean Claude D'Agostini (RIP) returned to the Manor studio in England to record this second album for Virgin. It covers many contrasting genres including psychedelic, new age, folk, rock and jazz fusion jamming, and the closing track of abstract electronic music experimentation. Only two songs have vocals, and are sung in French.

Following the release of the album, Clearlight embarked on a UK tour supporting Gong, with an altered line-up comprising Verdeaux, Dugrenot, Jeanneau, D'Agostini, and new members Coco Roussel (drums, ex Heldon, and later in Happy The Man) and Jorge Pinchevsky (violin, later in Gong). CD includes bonus tracks: “Sweet Absinthe”, “Overture” and “Vibrato” recorded few years later


Clearlight - Clearlight Symphony (CD)

This is one of those exquisite records that somehow slipped through the gaps of public consciousness at the time. But now it's back and you have the chance to revel in a warm bath of psychedelic weirdness. The album was recorded for Virgin Records in 1973 (and probably completed in 1974), after the label's first and highly successful release, Tubular Bells (1973) by Mike Oldfield, and was one of several subsequent Virgin albums that attempted to copy Tubular Bells' format of long pieces in a symphonic progressive rock style; in this case, exactly copying its structure of two pieces titled 'part one' and 'part two.' Since the title Tubular Bells was initially better known to the general public than the name of its artist, Virgin Records decided that Clearlight Symphony would be a one-off album project with just a title. Cyrille kept the name Clearlight as artist name for all his other albums.

Recording was initiated with a session in which Cyrille Verdeaux, alone, played two 20-minute piano solos, which became the basic tracks for the entire album. In later recording sessions at David Vorhaus's Kaleidophon studio and the Manor, Verdeaux and the other musicians overdubbed many instruments including 10 tracks of mellotrons onto the piano solo to create a complex and genuine symphonic arrangement.


Clearlight - Best Of Clearlight (CD)

To celebrate the release of 'The Best of Clearlight', Cyrille has been kind enough to go through the CD track by track:

1. Clearlight Symphony part 1 (1974)
In the original vinyl, Virgin decided to put on side A the original side B, for marketing reasons (original side B was the side where Hillage, Blake and Malherbe were playing). Now, the order is right and part 1 is the real beginning of the Symphony, with Christian Boule (guitar) and Gilbert Artman (Drums) .
2. Clearlight Symphony part 2
Recorded at the cult White Noise studios under Tim Blake's supervision, it was Cyrille's first experience of recording in a real multi-track studio and he said about it: "I appreciated it so much that I knew I would do that for the rest of my life.... A recording studio, even home numeric recording studio such as the one I used for my latest work on impressionism is a fantastic space for creativity and I will never be tired of it. I wish I could also work on soundtracks for movies, but my phone never rings for that, unfortunately."
3. Chanson (from Forever Blowing Bubbles, 1975)
This song is a music composed by both Joel Dugrenot (ex-bassist of Zao) and Cyrille Violinist David Cross (King Crimson) plays a great part on this tune and the Northettes (from Hatfield and the North) are doing back ground choirs. Guitarist Jean Claude d'Agostini (RIP) set the song in fire with his chorus and the Greek citizen Chris Stapinopoulos plays drums...A great example of European cooperation....
4. Without Words (from Forever Blowing Bubbles)
no need for words, as says the title...just for listening....
5. The Key (Les contes du singe fou, 1976)
6. Soliloque (Les contes du singe fou)
Originally, this album was the #3 scheduled to be released by Virgin by contract and Cyrille wanted this time to do a cosmic opera with a singer, to alternate styles. He says: "The problem is that Richard Branson decided to prematurely end my contract because of my impossibility to live permanently in London as he was requesting. My wife was 6 months pregnant at this time and didn't want to go to live in London, and that caused the end of my English adventure! Richard doesn't like it when people don't obey his wishes, obviously.... But I managed to find a small French label, Isadora, willing to pay for the recording and Joel Dugrenot helped me to record it in a little Parisian Studio. I wrote spiritual lyrics, wonderfully translated in English by Francis Mandin in order to try to be useful also on a philosophical level. The Beatles syndrome, probably".
7. Novanna (Delired Camaleon Family, 1976)
Cyrille : "This album is not specifically a Clearlight album but mostly 3 days of improvisations with a lot of friends living in Paris at this time.
EMI booked for us a recording studio with the pretext to make a soundtrack for Pierre Clementi's movie very 'psychedelic' with his friend guitarist Yvan Coiquette. I invited some friends to play on it, as I always do, Yvan also invited some of his friends and we ended with a packed recording studio, each recording a track on the spot...Totally 'here and now'. Unfortunately, we had only one day and one night to mix all these tracks together so it has a special charm, different from my other prods...."
8. Spirale D'amour (from Clearlight Visions, 1977)
Cyrille : "This album is the first that I have produced from A to Z, including the choice of the studio, the musicians, the musical compositions, etc. Didier Lockwood had just quit with Magma and I could hire him to play his violin. I asked to Didier Malherbe to come to play flute and sax, and I am proud to say that this very personal album has been selected among the all time 100 best prog albums according to the billboard guide for progressive music."
9. Trance Pire (Tribal Hybrid Concept, 1994)
Cyrille: "During the 15 years between 1980 to 1994 I went in India, studied yoga and made mostly new age music under my name. During these years the music evolved tremendously, came the computers, internet, the samples, etc, giving opportunity to poor independent musicians to continue to work at home even without a producer or a label to back them up financially. I had a friend, Pascal Menetrey (RIP) who had everything I needed in his house to make a new album based on hundreds of samples of natural sounds, ethnic chants or instruments and this is how Tribal Hybrid Concept is born...Probably a Guinness book record for the number of samples used in a single album...Several hundreds... So I call it a tribal progressive album, because this is exactly what it is."
10. Elf Dance, Solar Transfusion, 1998
Cyrille : "At this time, I had the luck to have a friend, Patrick Meynier, that loan me a 24-tracks that could fit in my bedroom and I could take all the time I needed to record all the keyboards and sample drums tracks of this Solar Transfusion album. When they have been recorded, Patrick booked a studio and we recorded his wife, Genevieve (violin) and some other live instruments on my tracks. I call it a House progressive album."
11. Renoir. Impressionist symphony, 2013)
Cyrille: "Originally, this album comes from the idea to compose a new music to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the release of the Clearlight Symphony and I asked Steve Hillage, Didier Mallherbe and Tim Blake to redo the winning team of 1974. This track is just a preview of the future album and will be improved in its final version. For instance, other instrumentalists have been recorded since. This album has been released beginning of 2014."


The Impressionists Symphony (CD)

Lastly, much to the excitement of progressive rock fans worldwide, legendary French prog ensemble Clearlight featuring Cyrille 'Clearlight' Verdeaux released their first new album in decades on March 24, 2014! 'The Impressionist Symphony' focuses on the artistic style of impressionism, painting and music as well with a Ravel, Satie and Debussy influence merged with Cyrille's progressive music experience and linked with the French impressionist school of painting. Featuring guest appearances by Steve Hillage (GONG), Tim Blake (GONG), Didier Malherbe (GONG), Paul Sears (The Muffins), Don Falcone (Spirits Burning), Linda Cushma (Oxygene8) Chris Kovax (newom) and others, Clearlight's 'The Impressionist Symphony' is clearly one of the most anticipated new releases of 2014! The special package includes a 12-page color booklet that captures Cyrille’s vision, as well as pictures from the sessions that produced these works.


Important Websites 
Clearlight promotional video: 

For more information: