Legendary
pre-YES band
MABEL
GREER’S TOYSHOP to release new album
Featuring
ex-YES member Tony Kaye on keyboards
And
co-produced by Billy Sherwood
The psychedelic progressive rock group Mabel Greer’s Toyshop, which sprouted
the first shoots of YES, have
reunited and announced a new album entitled New Way Of Life, which will be released on 9th March through RSK
Entertainment. The opening track Electric
Funeral premieres on YouTube today.
New Way
Of Life
is about authenticity without compromise - a unique and very special album. At
once distinctly different from all twenty-one YES studio albums, it still has unmistakeable
early Mabel Greer’s Toyshop (MGT) vibes from the time Chris Squire, Peter Banks, Tony
Kaye and Jon Anderson were in
the band. The album demonstrates the
evolution of the group from when it was formed in the sixties to how life
experiences have since shaped the music. “We
hope that YES followers everywhere enjoy this offering. It’s a piece of history
brought to life by the technology of today. The album includes new versions of
old classics like Beyond & Before, and a whole lot of new music too,"
says singer, guitarist and songwriter Clive
Bayley.
The 11-track album has been co-produced by YES
producer and former member Billy
Sherwood who also plays keyboards alongside Tony Kaye and bass alongside Hugo
Barré, and combines Bayley’s soulful vocals and wailing guitar solos with
Tony Kaye’s distinctive keyboards.
On New
Way Of Life, Mabel Greer’s Toyshop deliver a vibrant, energised and
occasionally otherworldly sound; with an eclectic mix of old and new music, the
album doesn’t disappoint on
originality. It was recorded after the two founding members Clive Bayley and Robert Hagger met up again last August after a gap of 45 years!
Other members of MGT went on to establish long and successful careers in the
music business with YES and other bands, while Clive and Bob ventured into the
world of business. “It really was a
miracle that we came together and produced this album”, says Hagger. “It started out as fun when I met Clive
again and he suggested a trip to the recording studio. The outcome was that we
re-discovered the old magic - it was a big buzz working together again, and we
have to thank Alex Keren and Hugo Barré for their help in making
this project happen.”
Billy
Sherwood
adds: “On hearing that Mabel Greer’s
Toyshop wanted to get back together after so long, I was sceptical about how it
would all sound - to my surprise it was actually very cool. Not only will this
new album appeal to the die-hard YES fans, but also to a whole new breed of
followers. It’s such an exciting project to be involved in”.
New versions of Beyond & Before and Sweetness,
from the very first YES album in 1969,
are included on New Way Of Life - the former co-written by Clive Bayley and Chris Squire and the latter by Bayley,
Squire and Jon Anderson. Other new versions of classic songs on the album
co-written by Bayley and Squire are: Jeanetta,
Get Yourself Together, Images of You
& Me and Electric Funeral.
The other tracks are all new compositions written primarily by Bayley.
New Way
Of Life
will be available on CD and digital download from 9th March 2015.
The opening track, Electric Funeral, on YouTube:
Official Website
Tony Kaye Hugo Barre Robert Hagger Billy Sherwood Clive Bayley
No comments:
Post a Comment