This is an album I picked up in the early-mid ’80s on one of my trips around Toronto with my Uncle Jim, who lived in Rexdale. He knew where all the shops were, and on a few occasions we’d go up and down Yonge Street, and then off to various other shops within walking distance. So, at that time you could still pick up albums you weren’t familiar with for a dollar or 2, a small gamble but I picked up a lot of gems this way. I had the first Crazy World Of Arthur Brown LP (via my uncle, from a few years earlier), so I was a wee bit familiar with Arthur Brown, but judging by the cover and titles Dance With Arthur Brown would be something very different.
This was Brown’s first post-Kingdom Come album, and although it could still be deemed experimental, Dance With seems a bit more radio accessible for the time, as if Arthur was attempting to get in to the mainstream. It featured 11 tracks, a pair of covers, and a few that would’ve made interesting singles. In fact there were 3 singles. Now signed to Gull Records (part of the Motown group) may be a sign of Arthur’s new direction, with elements of soul, r & b, gospel, all can be found on this album. Gull also released the first few Judas Priest albums during this era. Dance With was preceded by a single in late ’74 – “Gypsies” bw/ “Dance”. The A-side was a non-LP track, penned by Naaman (anyone?). A shame this one is not on youtube, though Arthur Brown’s re-recording of it is, as he re-did the song for his 2007 album The Voice Of Love (as The Amazing World Of Arthur Brown). The single was produced by Brown, himself, but the album would be produced by the legendary Rodger Bain who was better known for the heavier bands he produced like Black Sabbath and Budgie. Dance With featured a number of players, notably guitarist Andy Dalby (from Kingdom Come), and keyboardist Pete Solley (ex Paladin, Snafu), as well as a few backing singers – Fuzzy, Stevie, and Mutt! Stevie was Stevie Lange who later appeared with a number of acts in the 70s , notably The Sweet, Graham Bonnet and Elton John, while Mutt (Lange) went on to produce tons of bands over the next few decades, notably AC/DC, Def Leppard, and Foreigner. Anyway,…. Dance With Arthur Brown came out in May of ’75, it received mixed reviews (of the few I could find), Although there’s no face-paint, costumes, or cosmic cover art, the cover is a bit humorous with 2 torn photos of Brown dancing with a female partner in formal wear (from a different era), while the back cover includes all the songwriting and performance credits, and a regular photo of Brown and lyrics to just 3 songs.
Gull released 2 further singles, in a few countries – “We’ve Got To Get Out Of This Place” b/w the non-LP track “Here I Am” in July of ’75, and then “Out Of Time” b/w “The Lord Will Find A Way” (penned by bass player Lee Robinson). The 2nd single seemed to only be issued in New Zealand and Australia. I actually like both of these covers, as the production seems lively, but find it odd that the album’s 2 covers were the only singles, as there were a few others that would’ve made excellent choices, such as “Helen With The Sun” and the title track (as a A side!). And I hear saxophone on “Out Of Time”, but don’t see it in the credits…(!?) The rest of the album includes a few styles, such as “Crazy” with it’s cabaret approach, “Soul Garden” with it’s reggae beat, and closing “Is There Nothing Beyond God?”, which – with it’s 1 line repeated throughout is kind of a chant put to some decent guitar, bass and drums.
Both Dance With Arthur Brown and it’s follow up Chisholm In My Bosom (which I don’t have.. yet) seem scarce (and pricey) on CD. Both were released together in 1995 on See For Miles Records (UK), in ’95, and since then only in Japan. A proper release of both of these albums – complete with bonus tracks, would be nice after so many years, and while Arthur Brown is getting long overdue press and praise with the release of the Eternal Messenger (An Anthology) CD box last year And his brilliant new album Long Long Road.
Flash were an early ’70s progressive rock band which featured original YES guitarist Peter Banks. In a few short years the band released 3 albums, all worth checking out. This live set is for collectors, as it gathers the band’s live recordings over their short lifespan touring the USA. Likely bootlegged over the years, these recordings have been cleaned up as best as possible and are an enjoyable look at the band. Flash had lots of potential, but for whatever reasons didn’t last too long. These shows make a great companion to the band’s studio albums (which featured some cool cover-art!). *Check out the press release below for more details & track listing.
Prog Legends FLASH Featuring Peter Banks “In The USA Live 1972-73” 3-CD Set Available Sept, 9, 2022
Available on Sept. 9th, restored live recordings from 1970ʼs classic prog rock group FLASH featuring ex-YES guitarist Peter Banks. Twenty-two tracks from seven shows across 3 discs; a majority of them previously unavailable. Best known thanks to their YES connections, the band nevertheless held their own across three Billboard charting albums, and the top 30 single hit “Small Beginnings.” Includes 32-page booklet with exclusive band interviews, unpublished photos and tour itinerary. A true time capsule back to the golden age of US rock concerts.
• Carefully restored and previously unreleased recordings • For fans of progressive rock, guitar heroes & YES • Previously unpublished photos & essay including detailed US tour history with exclusive band interviews and memorabilia
“Capturing the collective during seven of their American shows of 1972-1973, one of those preserved for posterity in its entirety, the digipack will allow the listener to savor most of the three LPs in rather different performances than those laid down in the studio and the uninitiated will have the opportunity to see how brilliant these musicians were. Colin and Ray worked for a while under the old name relatively recently, but it’s the old recordings their followers are after, so there’s something to look forward to.” – Dmitry Epstein https://dmme.net
Says Ray Bennett: “What ‘Think Like A Key Music’ set out to do here, on this multi-disc set, is to gather together whatever was left out there of live FLASH stuff regardless of quality and present it in the best possible way. Whatever improvements could be made to the audio were done. Quite a bit of it is rough sounding, but I found that even with the poor sound issues there was something coming across from the live experience. Some surprisingly good moments. A fair bit of this material was fan-recorded, probably on cassettes, some possibly from rough mixing board recordings; some is much better studio type quality, and some has been online for years on obscure websites, but in the worst possible form – awful sound, complete with extraneous noise and talking in the recordings. So all that has been cleaned up and the sound mastered as well as possible. Overall, I think this is a worthy project for the historical record at the very least. Other than the ‘In Public’ CD which is already available, this new set is it as far as we know. Pretty much all that there is of live FLASH performance.”
Legendary guitarist Steve Hackett is pleased to announce, ‘Genesis Revisited Live: Seconds Out & More’, the visual document of his 2021 UK tour celebrating the classic Genesis live album. Set for release on the 2nd September 2022 (with vinyl following on the 25th November), it sees Steve and his band perform ‘Seconds Out’ in full & in sequence, as well as a selection of solo material including tracks from his most recent studio album ‘Surrender of Silence’.
Steve comments: “I’m so happy to release my Seconds Out & More show… A spectacular night with a band on fire tearing into that magic music combining the true spirit of Genesis with a fresh virtuosic approach and an extraordinary sound under amazing lights. This show is a feast for both ears and eyes. The best of so many worlds!”
‘Genesis Revisited Live: Seconds Out & More’ will be available as Limited 2CD + Blu-ray & Limited 2CD + DVD, both including 5.1 surround sound, behind the scenes documentary & promo videos. Steve Hackett and his band comprise Roger King, Rob Townsend, Jonas Reingold, Nad Sylvan & Craig Blundell, and they were joined by Amanda Lehmann as special guest on the night.
Steve Hackett & his band have just completed a run of shows in New Zealand and Australia, and will continue their ‘Seconds Out & More’ tour in Japan, Europe and North America throughout the rest of year. In September and October 2022, they will present their ‘Foxtrot at Fifty’ 25-date tour in the UK. For the full list of dates and to buy tickets go to HackettSongs.com.
About Steve Hackett
Steve Hackett joined Genesis at the beginning of 1971 and gained an international reputation as the guitarist in the band’s classic line-up alongside Peter Gabriel, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins. Hackett’s intricate guitar work was a key element of Genesis’ albums from Nursery Cryme (1971) to Wind And Wuthering (1977) including the classic Selling England By The Pound.
After leaving Genesis at the end of 1977, Hackett’s solo career, which now spans more than 30 albums, has demonstrated his extraordinary versatility with both electric and acoustic guitar. Hackett is renowned as both an immensely talented and innovative rock musician and a virtuoso classical guitarist and composer and this was recognised in 2010 when he was inducted into the Rock Hall Of Fame. He has also worked alongside Steve Howe of YES in the supergroup GTR.
Hackett’s compositions take influences from many genres, including jazz, classical and blues. For his later studio works The Night Siren (2017) and At The Edge Of Light (2019) Hackett has explored the influences of world music. Recent tours have seen Hackett celebrate his time with Genesis including a spectacular 2018 tour in which he realised a long-held ambition to perform the works of Genesis live with his band and an orchestra.
The lockdown enforced by the 2020 global pandemic has proven to be a particularly creative period for Hackett. He began by releasing Selling England by the Pound & Spectral Mornings: Live at Hammersmith, a live recording of 2019’s hugely successful tour celebrating that Genesis classic together with the 40th anniversary of one of his most-loved solo albums. Lockdown also gave Hackett the opportunity to write and record two new studio albums, the UK Classical Chart hit Under A Mediterranean Sky and the forthcoming Surrender of Silence.
For GOLDEN EARRING fans, guitarist/writer Goerge Kooymans and American guitarist Frank Carillo released their 2nd album titled Mirage. It includes 10 tracks , notably Kooymans’ “Seasons”, which was originally written in 1968 for Dutch band Earth & Fire.
from press:
Twelve years after their debut album On Location, George Kooymans and Frank Carillo return to the front with their second album entitled Mirage. Recorded over a period of approximately three years in various studios and countries, Mirage offers ten tracks that illustrate the natural chemistry between the two guitarists, showcasing artistic excellence, as well as a wide array of musical influences.
,,Four countries, a fantastic cast of real characters, sometimes an ocean between us and more than a few laughs: That’s how Mirage came to life. We wrote a number of the songs in George’s kitchen while he cooked and I strummed guitar. Then he strummed and I got on the cutting board. We like to cook.” – George Kooymans & Frank Carillo
George and Frank are accompanied by a.o. Paul Orofino (banjo, guitar, Hammond Organ), Rinus Gerritsen (bass), Bobby Langenberg (drums), Ocki Klootwijk (bass), John Sonneveld (keyboards, programming) and George’s daughter Cassy on harmony vocals.
,,It wasn’t a conscious effort to make a CD. We just wanted to write and record because we loved doing what we do. After a while, we realized that we had enough material recorded to put out a new collection so here it is.” – George Kooymans & Frank Carillo
TRACKLISTING
1. Mirage 5.01 2. Where The Devil Won’t Go 2.43 3. Sweet Revenge 3.25 4. If I Go There 3.13 5. Den Of Thieves 4.03 6. Ticket To Heaven 3.21 7. I Wish You Were Still Here 4.50 8. Living Now 4.06 9. Crystal Cracking 4.40 10. Christmas in Gaza 2.27 11. Seasons (bonus track) 4.41
Mirage is released on 17th June 2022 by Red Bullet Productions and will be available through all renowned worldwide music dealers and online shops, plus digital channels (Spotify, Apple Music, a.o.). A vinyl version will follow later this year through Music On Vinyl.
*There is also Another release of Golden Earring’s classic Live album. I have the white vinyl of this, as well there is a red vinyl issue (released in 2019 & ’21 respectively). This edition issued on ‘blade bullet’ vinyl reportedly comes from the master tapes – “To celebrate its 45th anniversary, the album is being remastered for the very first time from the original master tapes.” I am curious how improved it will sound(?) A shame there’s no ‘bonus’ material .
This is an interview I did via email with Don Mancuso, formerly of Black Sheep in August of 2001 to promote his first solo album Now You See It. The CD featured 14 tracks, all written or co-written by Don, except for a cool cover of Badfinger’s “No Matter What”. His next album would be titled DDrive, and would be the basis for the band that became DDrive and more recently Lips Turn Blue, who’ve just released a new album – LTB.
(08/01) Rochester based guitarist Don Mancuso has been around the upstate New York scene for decades! In his early days he was in BLACK SHEEP with singer Lou Gramm [pre FOREIGNER], and after extensive tours of the US in the 70s supporting numerous classic bands and 2 LPs Black Sheep split before Don went on to form such bands as AURORA, CELTIC FIRE, and the legendary CHEATER!
Most recently Don has been playing and recording in RED HEART – which features a few ex members of Cheater. Don’s also got his first solo album out titled “Now You See It”; issued independently. Now You See It is a fine mix of rock, along with influences of fusion, southern, and roots rock n roll. It features a number of strong cuts like “Eyes of God”, “Freedom”, the instrumental “Waazzup”, and a decent cover of the Badfinger classic “No Matter What”.
Here Don discusses his career, tells a few Black Sheep tales, and gives the lowdown on his brand new solo album.
Can you give me a Top 10 list of favorite albums?
DM:
1) Axis Bold As Love (Hendrix) 2)Guitar Shop (Jeff Beck) 3)Free At Last (Free) 4) Dosage (Collective Soul) 5) White Album (The Beatles) 6) Sergeant Peppers Lonely Heart (The Beatles) 7) Magical Mystery Tour (Beatles) 8)Couldn’t Stand the Rain (SRV) 9) Low Spark of High Heeled Boys (Traffic) I think that’s the title… 10) Goodbye Creame (Creame)
Black Sheep was your first band, with Lou Gramm !? How did you get involved in that band, and what was your early take on Lou? 😉
Actually the bass player Bruce Turgon (who is now with Foreigner) heard me playing outdoors at a dance that I was playing at with a band called Maelstrom. He was at his girlfriend’s house and heard me playing from a half a mile away. (I must’ve been playing pretty LOUD!) He liked what he heard and had me over for an audition, which of course led to being the first american act signed to Chrysalis Records. (see my bio for details) then to 2 albums with Capital Records. That of course led to him getting into Foreigner. As far as my take on Lou, I felt that he was a great person, writer and singer and I loved working with him. We were like brothers from 1973- 1976. Didn’t spend much time apart between touring, recording, writing and hanging out together.
Black Sheep released 2 albums. How did those albums do nationally? And how do you think of them in retrospect? [any favorites?] oh…and how did you get signed on to Capitol ?
The first album “Black Sheep” sold well. I heard somewhere around 80-100,000 copies world wide. The second one “Encouraging Words” didn’t do quite as well. Somewhere around 40-50.000 copies.(from what we heard!) not 100% certain that these numbers are it, but that’s what we were told. I think these albums were GREAT! Some of my finest work and definitely a lot of emotion to it. I didn’t quite have the experience, or chops that I do now, but I have learned a lot from “myself” and what I’m capable of doing both writing and playing wise from these albums.(As you do with every project) I think my favorite one is Encouraging Words though. We had a chance to grow a little before that one and laid out a lot of spontaneous emotion along with some more organized ideas. The way we got signed was through an A&R rep that had heard a demo and quit Columbia Records to pursue his own production company. Stuart Allen Love was his name and between himself, a music lawyer named Barry Platnik and Vincent Romeo a honcho at ICM booking agency in NYC they worked the political magic that gets act signed.
The saying “it’s not what you know, but who!!”. It’s all that and more!
You guys toured with a ton of great 70s bands like Kiss, Argent [Wow! I’m a fan], Manfred Mann, 10 years After…. Any great stories from those tours? Any bands you loved or hated playing with?
I loved playing with all of them! (oh, by the way you forgot Blue Oyster Cult, Ted Nugent, Peter Frampton and Procol Harem) But seriously, they were all my idols, except for Kiss at the time. I never thought much about them until I witnessed them Live! They were WILD!!
As far as stories I’ll give you the worst and the best. When we were touring with Kiss the very first show I was standing on the side of the stage after we had finished our set and all of sudden I’m standing in this huge shadow. I turned around to see Gene Simons towering over me in that unbelievable outfit with an axe guitar! He must’ve known what I was thinking by the look on my face. He told me that he had watched our show and he loved the band! I was shocked and honored. Most headliners shit on the opening acts, basically because they need to make them selves look and sound better. These guys did not worry about that! Alvin Lee from Ten Years after was the same way. We got to be great friends and got into lots of trouble together… The bad story, well we had just finished recording our second album with a new drummer who hadn’t even played out in 5-6 years and was a farmer outside of Rochester N.Y. We had done some work to get the new show together and accepted a last minute gig at the New York Academy of music in NYC warming up for our hero at the time Peter Frampton. Well Peter hadn’t hit the big time with Alive yet and it turned out he was not the draw for the show either! We were plugged in, in place of a group called Montrose (who were the draw on that show). To try and make a long story short, we came out all psyched and had people screaming for Montrose and throwing shit at us to get us off the stage. If that wasn’t bad enough the power went out on the guitar amps and keyboards so Lou, Bruce and the “new” drummer who never played in front of a crowd larger than 200 people were naked in the wind for the rest of the set! That’s Rock-N-Roll!!
Who else was in Black Sheep? Any recordings past Lou Gramm’s time with the band?
The only people that were in Black Sheep during 1973 through 1978 when we broke up were myself, Lou, Ron Rocco (first drummer), Bruce Turgon, Larry Crozier and Mike Bonnafiedie (the second drummer) that was it. Everything we recorded was released on either Chysalis, or Capital.
What can you tell me such band’s as Aurora and Celtic Fire? [who else was in them, any recordings, tours…] ?
Well, Aurora was a fusion band that I was in for 2 years after BS. We didn’t do any national touring, but did a lot of TV shows and club dates. Linda Rutherford & Celtic Fire was a Celtic Rock band that did a good amount of touring and had 2 CD’s out on their own label. I was the guitarist on the second one only “Flames of Eviction”. Great Stuff and Linda and her family are some incredibly talented and creative musicians. Our claim to fame was playing at Woodstock 99 on the “Emerging Artist Stage” It just so happened that both the main stages were down when we played, so they broad casted us over the whole network of media equipment over the 5 mile coverage! More people saw me play guitar that day than on 4 dates combined on the Kiss tour. Not bad! You know the story on Cheater, we had an EP out and toured nationally and were like the Beatles of upstate NY when we disbanded.
Cheater was a fairly popular band in the Buffalo area for years. What are your fondest memories of this band, and the scene back then? Buffalo had a big HR scene in the 80s. Did Cheater have much success or following outside of the region?
Yes Cheater was huge in the area of upstate NY, Ohio, Florida and one, or two other places in the country. It was mostly from people that lived in NY had the EP and would turn people onto it where ever they happened to move. We had fans in Texas, Calif, Tennessee and who knows where else. Not millions, but 100’s. My fondest memories are of the people & the music that band created. We were actually supposed to be sign after spending $60,000 on the Cheater Album, which was produced by an assistant of Mutt Langs, Nick Blagona. Just before they signed us and heard the record they decided that our singer Jeff Cosco sounded too much like Steve Perry of Journey and for them to release it, we would need to get a new singer. Well, being the people we were there was no way we were going kick out the singer we loved working with and that helped create these songs, so we allowed ourselves to get dumped and ate the cost of the record. Only recently we finally got the masters back and are going to have them re mastered for release!
What’s the deal with the Cheater CD coming out of previously unreleased recordings? What can you tell us about those? BTW, aside from originals did Cheater play many covers? [if so, anything in particular?]
See above! Cheater did play covers like Zeppelin, Humble Pie , Journey (of course).
You also did some sessions with Ian Lloyd. What project was this for?
The thing with Ian Lloyd was a demo that Bruce Turgon was doing for his solo thing. We did it at the Hit Factory in NYC.
Wish I had a copy of that! Someday I’ll have to nail Bruce down and get one. It was wild working with him he was one of the lesser known staff writers for Foreigner from what I heard. Great voice, it just took him a while to work into it in the studio. (He said it was blowing himself out on the road with Stories after Brother Louie)
In recent years you put together Red Heart [w/ Jeff Cosco, also of Cheater]. What can you tell me about this band? How is the CD you guys recorded? And what are you currently up to with them?
Red Heart is basically a Modern rock band with a classic rock edge to it. We have the original drummer from Black Sheep (Ron Rocco) and between myself Jeff and Ron we wrote all the material on it. It’s got some great songs on it and it was recorded and produced by Jeff Cosco at his 8trk studio. We play a lot of clubs, festivals and so forth in the Northeast part of the country. A couple of our songs from the Bridge CD are being considered for movie soundtracks. We’re doing warm up dates for some national acts like Kim Mitchell. (Who is another one of my idols by the way!) We’re also working on the next CD.
When did you decide to do a solo disc? Is it safe to assume this was done over a long period of time?
I decided to do a solo disk about 2 years ago. Yes, it did take all 2 years and then some to complete. Way more than I had hoped..
Now You See It features a wide range of rock songs, jazz and southern influences, etc… What can you tell me about how the process of putting together such an album? 😉
I took all the ideas out of a library that I keep at home of all the original pieces of music that I’ve recorded over the years. Some are even original demo’s of the Celtic Fire cd that I really thought came out cool and left it just the way it was. Most people don’t recognize it as being Celtic Fire of course because it’s me doing everything and it sounds much heavier. As far as the different types music on it, I did that intentionally. I love everything from R&B to soul, to Punk, to classical, to Celtic, to Reggae. I love anything that has an edge to it. You have to understand that many people have used me as a hired gun guitarist/writer and all they know me for is hard rock, which I love and can do very well, but I needed to show people that there are another couple of sides to Don Mancuso.
You used a number of singers, but don’t do any vocals yourself, why? And aside from Jeff, what can you tell me about a few of the others?
I don’t like the sound of my voice unless it’s used for texture, or harmonies. I’m not a great singer and I didn’t want to settle for doing it myself just because I could. There’s a lot of my voice on there, but it’s disguised. Maybe someday I’ll find a song that I like the way I sound on and do it then! The other singers.. First there Garrett Crumb who co- wrote and sang the first cut Alota Nerve and the tenth cut Black-N-Dizease, which is getting some airplay in Germany on the Lord Litter’s Radio Show. The other main singer writer on is Pat Petrone. We go back to high school together and have done many bands. He has the most incredible Ballad voice. sounds kind of like Steve Winwood. That’s what prompted me to do a lot of the mellower stuff on there. It just complimented his voice very well. He also sings on Eye’s of God, which is definitely the heaviest cut though! I also had a friend that I wanted to do some writing with that is on their, Dawn Sherman. She has a wonderful voice and a real feel for writing in that country/rock type of vein. So that’s why Freedom is in there. (Besides the fact that I LOVE the performance and sound of the guitar solo!!) It’s one of those things that only will happen once!
Decent cover of Badfinger’s ‘No Matter What! Why did you do this track [being a trademark tune of their’s] ? And are you a big BF fan?
Thank you for the compliment on the choice. I loved Badfinger and had this version of No Matter What that I had done with another band that I liked, so I had just got a deal on a used Leslie 122 tone cabinet, which I needed to finish it and whaallaa! By the way the singer on that one’s name is Vince Guarnerie. Forgot to mention him in question 12 He’s a good friend and the only guy I know right now that can hit those high notes!
Can you give me a few words about some of your personal faves [or stronger tracks] from Now You See It? Are there any tracks you’ve been [or will be] pushing to local radio stations?
Every song on the Now You See It CD is my personal fave. I had plenty of ideas to pick from and these were all the A cuts. It depends on what type of music you like or are interested in playing on a radio station. For hard rock I really like Little Tail and
Black-N-Dizease, for more current sounding stuff I like Eye’s Of God.. (Very Heavy) For Pop I recommend Lonely Look! And for soulful rock I’d say Waaazzup. (I even have trouble recreating that one live!) If you like more of a classical edge then I Fly. Well as you can see I’m going to mention every song on there because I love them all, so I’ll stop here and let your readers decided. It’s interpretation anyway.
How has response been thus far to the CD? What promo / marketing plans are you undertaking? & Will the disc be mainly available at your web site, or will it be in [local?] shops? Any plans to promote it live?
The response has been GREAT! It’s the first project that I’ve done to date outside of Black Sheep that’s in the Black after only 4 months. The promo right now is just word of mouth, internet, and talking to anybody and everybody I can about it. I have Phil Naro (who might possibly sing, co-write and help produce the next one!) shopping it overseas in Canada and the US. I very little to nothing about marketing and promo, so can’t imagine how well I would be doing if I had that end together! I have hired a personal manager though to help try and get this done as well as book live performances for the show.
I’ve only played one show so far in my own home town, so I’m looking for opportunities to get into other areas and see if it does as well there as it does here. We’re trying to get airplay in Buff. and go there to play. At this point I’ll do whatever it takes to get this disc into peoples hands that would dig it as much as the hundreds that already have it. It is availible on the web site and also in Rochester at Media Play, The Record Archieve, the Bop Shop and the House of Guitars. I sell a lot of them at live shows, but the shows are with Red Heart and the Park Ave Band (R&B/rock/reggae/fusion) in the tri state area that we play in. I’m pretty sure that Red Heart will be doing a couple of songs off of the Now You See It disk in their show and the Park Ave Band is the main band that is with me for the Now You See It show’s. We just add the violin, chello, sax and all the vocalists (along with an extra guitarist or 2) and it’s the Now You See It show!
What other projects are involved in at this time? any plans?
See above! I think I mentioned everything I’m involved with except I am producing albums for a few friends out of my studio in Rochester NY. It’s great because I get to play on a lot of different stuff and help someone else live their dream!
What’s your association with Phil Naro? Any comments on him?
Yep, Phil’s a great singer and song writer. We’ve been in a few different projects together and we’re even toying with the idea of having him Co-produce the next CD and have him doing some writing and vocals on it.
What sort of music do you listen to these days? any current faves?
I listen to Aerosmith, Collective Soul, Jeff Beck, Hendrix, Incubas, Just about anything with any heart & soul in it!
Ever open for or familiar with Uriah Heep?
Nope, but I did love seeing them live and listening to them. Saw them in Rochester at the Dome arena [1972]. Great show, but as far as favorite songs I loved almost every song that they wrote!… Demon’s and Wizards!!
Bill Nelson’s Red Noise “Art/Empire/Industry – The Complete Red Noise” 6CD Remastered Box Set Available August 26, 2022
• A NEW SIX DISC BOXED SET OF THE COMPLETE RECORDINGS MADE BY BILL NELSON’S RED NOISE – COMPRISING FOUR CDs AND TWO DVDs (NTSC/REGION FREE).
• FEATURING A NEWLY REMASTERED EDITION OF THE ALBUM ‘SOUND ON SOUND’, ALONG WITH NEW 5.1 SURROUND SOUND AND NEW STEREO MIXES BY STEVEN WILSON.
• INCLUDES A PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED CONCERT RECORDED IN LEICESTER IN FEBRUARY 1979 NEWLY MIXED FROM THE ORIGINAL MULTI-TRACK TAPES, PLUS BILL NELSON’S HOME DEMOS, ADDITIONAL SESSION TRACKS AND A BBC RADIO SESSION FROM 1979.
• WITH BONUS VIDEO CONTENT OF THE PROMOTIONAL VIDEO OF ‘REVOLT INTO STYLE’ AND A SESSION FILMED FOR BBC TV’S OLD GREY WHISTLE TEST IN 1979.
• INCLUDES A LAVISHLY-ILLUSTRATED BOOK WITH EXTENSIVE ESSAY BY BILL NELSON AND A FOREWORD BY STEVE WILSON, A FACSIMILE TOUR PROGRAMME, POSTER AND FOUR POSTCARDS.
Following the release of the album “Drastic Plastic” and tour, Bill Nelson disbanded Be-Bop Deluxe. Aware of the emergence of the New Wave artists and out of a desire to continually evolve, he announced the formation of Red Noise.
Working with co-producer John Leckie, Bill recorded a new wave masterpiece, a record that would influence a new generation of musicians with its intelligent and punchy material. “Sound On Sound” and the subsequent live shows would divide opinion of both fans and critics, but with the passage of time, the album is now regarded as one of Bill Nelson’s finest works.
This boxed set features the complete Red Noise recordings; the original album newly remastered by Steven Wilson from the original master tapes, along with stunning new stereo and 5.1 Surround Sound mixes.
The set also includes an outstanding complete live concert recorded in Leicester in 1979, newly mixed from the original 24-track tapes, a session recorded for BBC Radio One and a further Red Noise studio session from May 1979 plus a bonus CD of Bill Nelson’s home demos. The set also includes video material, including the video for “Revolt Into Style” and the band’s session for the BBC TV show “The Old Grey Whistle Test” from February 1979.
Track Listing:
DISC ONE SOUND ON SOUND REMASTERED 1 Don’t Touch Me (I’m Electric) 2 For Young Moderns 3 Stop / Go / Stop 4 Furniture Music 5 Radar in My Heart 6 Stay Young 7 Out of Touch 8 A Better Home in the Phantom Zone 9 Substitute Flesh 10 The Atom Age 11 Art / Empire / Industry 12 Revolt into Style Bonus tracks 13 Wonder Toys That Last Forever 14 Acquitted by Mirrors (B-side of ‘Furniture Music’ EP) 15 Stay Young (BBC session 17.02.1979) 16 Furniture Music (BBC session 17.02.1979) 17 Don’t Touch Me (I’m Electric) (BBC session 17.02.1979) 18 Out of Touch (BBC session 17.02.1979)
DISC TWO LIVE AT THE DE MONTFORT HALL, LEICESTER 1979 PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED 1 Don’t Touch Me (I’m Electric) (live) 2 For Young Moderns (live) 3 Furniture Music (live) 4 Out of Touch (live) 5 Stop-Go-Stop (live) 6 Atom Age (live) 7 Possession (live) 8 Superenigmatix (live) 9 Substitute Flesh (live) 10 Phantom Zone (live) 11 Radar in My Heart (live) 12 Art / Empire / Industry (live) 13 Revolt into Style (live) 14 Stay Young (live) 15 For Young Moderns (Encore) (live)
DISC THREE SOUND ON SOUND NEW STEREO MIX 1 Don’t Touch Me (I’m Electric) 2 For Young Moderns 3 Stop / Go / Stop 4 Furniture Music 5 Radar in My Heart 6 Stay Young 7 Out of Touch 8 A Better Home in the Phantom Zone 9 Substitute Flesh 10 The Atom Age 11 Art / Empire / Industry 12 Revolt into Style Bonus tracks 13 Wonder Toys That Last Forever 14 Acquitted by Mirrors 15 My Light (previously unreleased) Recorded for the “Sound on Sound” sessions 16 Instantly Yours 17 Ideal Homes 18 Disposable
DISC FOUR SOUND ON SOUND 96 kHz/24-BIT 5.1 SURROUND SOUND MIX NEW STEREO MIX ORIGINAL STEREO MIX 1 Don’t Touch Me (I’m Electric) (5.1 mix) 2 For Young Moderns (5.1 mix) 3 Stop / Go / Stop (5.1 mix) 4 Furniture Music (5.1 mix) 5 Radar in My Heart (5.1 mix) 6 Stay Young (5.1 mix) 7 Out of Touch (5.1 mix) 8 A Better Home in the Phantom Zone (5.1 mix) 9 Substitute Flesh (5.1 mix) 10 The Atom Age (5.1 mix) 11 Art / Empire / Industry (5.1 mix) 12 Revolt into Style (5.1 mix)
DISC FIVE ADDITIONAL RED NOISE SESSIONS 96 kHz/24-BIT 5.1 SURROUND SOUND MIXES NEW STEREO MIXES ORIGINAL STEREO MIXES 1 Wonder Toys That Last Forever (5.1 mix) 2 Acquitted by Mirrors (5.1 mix) 3 My Light (5.1 mix) Recorded for the “Sound on Sound” sessions 4 Instantly Yours (5.1 mix) 5 Ideal Homes (5.1 mix) 6 Disposable (5.1 mix) RAK Studios, London May 1979
VIDEO CONTENT PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED 1 Revolt into Style (Promotional video 1979) 2 Don’t Touch Me (I’m Electric) (BBC TV Old Grey Whistle Test – 1979) 3 Furniture Music (BBC TV Old Grey Whistle Test 1979) 4 Stay Young (BBC TV Old Grey Whistle Test 1979)
DISC SIX BILL NELSON RED NOISE DEMOS 1978 – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED 1 Acquitted by Mirrors (demo) 2 For Young Moderns (demo) 3 Stop Go Stop (demo) 4 Furniture Music (demo) 5 Radar in My Heart (demo) 6 Stay Young (demo) 7 Out of Touch (demo) 8 A Better Home in the Phantom Zone (demo) 9 Substitute Flesh (demo) 10 The Atom Age (demo) 11 Revolt into Style (demo) 12 Waiting for the Night (demo) 13 My Light (demo)
Legendary YES vocalist/songwriter Jon Anderson will be playing select shows with The Paul Green Rock Academy in Summer 2022! Jon and the ensemble will be celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the release of YES’s classic album “Close to the Edge” by performing the album in its entirety, along with other classics and surprises!
This Jon Anderson with The Paul Green Rock Academy tour is a resumption of the tradition started in 2005 when Jon toured with Paul Green’s original School of Rock all stars.
These early shows, over 30 in total between 2006-2008, were nothing short of magical, and now Jon Anderson returns to continue that magic with a set of Yes Classics, deep cuts, mash ups, and solo works, all with lush arrangements featuring choral singing, horns, and all the other benefits of having a backing band with 25 young musicians.
Says Paul Green, “Having done a few of these songs in the past with Jon and my students, I couldn’t wait to add them to the current show. Once we did ‘Close to the Edge’ and ‘And You and I’ on our Florida run in April, I was reminded of the magic of hearing these songs recreated by young musicians…They really capture the frenetic energy of the original recordings. Then when I heard it was the 50th anniversary of the album I just knew we had to do the whole thing. Jon agreed.”
There are so many wonderful moments in my musical life, and being on stage with these young teenagers performing Classic Yes songs, makes me so happy and proud …..
It’s a marvel and a tremendous pleasure for me..
They are a joy to be with and so much fun!!!
I am grateful, thankful and feel very blessed to be able to sing along with them. Janee and I love them all Love and light… Jon Anderson
Jon Anderson with The Paul Green Rock Academy tour dates:
7/7: Plymouth NH – The Flying Monkey Performing Arts Center 7/8: Beverly MA – The Cabot 7/13: Huntingdon NY – The Paramount 7/14: Montclair NJ – Wellmont Theater 7/16: Ridgefield CT – Ridgefield Playhouse 7/17: Sugar Loaf NY – Sugar Loaf Performing Arts Center 7/20: Glenside PA – Keswick Theatre 7/22: Kent OH – The Kent Stage 7/23: Des Plaines IL – Des Plaines Theatre 7/27: Greensburg PA – The Palace Theatre 7/30: Milwaukee WI – Pabst Theater 8/3: State College PA – The State Theatre 8/6: Albany NY – The Egg
photo by Robin Gilbert
Jon Anderson is undoubtedly one of the most recognizable voices in music as the lead vocalist and creative force behind YES. Anderson was the author and a major creative influence behind the ground-breaking album “Fragile” as well as the series of epic, complex pieces such as “Awaken,” “Gates of Delirium” and especially “Close to the Edge” which were central to the band’s success. Additionally, Anderson co-authored the group’s biggest hits, including “I’ve Seen All Good People,” “Roundabout” and “Owner Of A Lonely Heart.” After 50 years of success in the music business, Jon has worked with many variations of YES, as well as collaborations with Vangelis, Kitaro, Roine Stolt and Jean-Luc Ponty. He has released several critically acclaimed solo albums including “Olias of Sunhillow,” “Song of Seven,” “Animation,” “Three Ships,” “Toltec” and “Survival and Other Stories” to name just a few. In 2017 Jon reformed YES with former band members Trevor Rabin and Rick Wakeman. YES Featuring ARW toured the world to rave reviews and released “Live At The Apollo” CD/DVD in September 2018. Never to stand still musically, in 2019 Jon released an album he started 28 years ago, now called “1,000 Hands,” a reference to the fact that numerous guest musicians perform on the album, including Ian Anderson, Billy Cobham, Jean-Luc Ponty, Chick Corea, Zap Momma, Chris Squire, Alan White, Steve Howe and many more.
Alan White of YES has passed. A legendary drummer, who had an amazing resume even before joining Yes. He was the band’s longest serving member, and aside from all the classic Yes albums he was on since 1973, he also released a solo album in ’76, and an album under the band name White in 2006, which also included Geoff Downes of Yes.
[Press}:
It is with deep sadness that YES announce Alan White, their much-loved drummer and friend of 50 years, has passed away, aged 72, after a short illness. The news has shocked and stunned the entire YES family.
Alan had been looking forward to the forthcoming UK Tour, to celebrating his 50th Anniversary with YES and their iconic Close To The Edge album, where Alan’s journey with YES began in July 1972.
He recently celebrated the 40th Anniversary of his marriage to his loving wife Gigi. Alan passed away peacefully at home.
Alan was born in 1949 in County Durham. A number of health setbacks, since 2016, had restricted Alan’s time on stage with YES on recent tours with Jay Schellen filling in and Alan joining the band, to great applause, towards the end of each set.
Alan was considered to be one of the greatest rock drummers of all time and joined YES in 1972 for the Close to the Edge Tour. He had previously worked with John Lennon’s Plastic Ono band after a call, in 1969, to play at the Toronto Rock Festival. Alan continued working with Lennon including on the Imagine album and with George Harrison on All Things Must Pass. He also worked with several other musicians, over the years, including Ginger Baker’s Air Force, Joe Cocker, Gary Wright, Doris Troy and Billy Preston to name but a few. Alan White was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of YES in 2017.
YES will dedicate their 50th Anniversary Close to the Edge UK Tour in June to White.
It was 3 years and a month since Canadian band Teaze reunited for the first time in decades at Windsor’s historic Walkerville Theatrè. The original line up being singer/bassist Brian Danter, guitarist Mark Bradac, guitarist Chuck Price, and drummer Mike Kozak. Price however came out for the finale and encore, with Charlie Lambrick joining the band on stage as guitarist/keyboard player for the show. Teaze in April of 2019 was an amazing night – with Dusty D’Annunzio opening for Teaze, the band played an awesome set from the band’s catalogue of 4 studio albums from 1976 to 1980, when they were with Canadian label Aquarius Records (home to April Wine) . It was such a successful show that the band set a date for a 2020 show, which would be postponed more than once. This past weekend finally saw that date happen. The band – with No opening act, would play 2 sets with an intermission. The line up of Danter, Bradac, Kozak, and Lambrick were well prepared, and original guitarist Chuck Price came out to join the band halfway through the 2nd set. The band’s material is well over 40 years old, but sounded fresh and heavier than the original takes. If you’re not familiar with Teaze, check out favorites like “Heartless World”, “Touch The Wind”, “Young & Reckless”, “Sure Thing” and “On The Loose”. Post-show band members came out to greet fans, and sign stuff. There are hopefully more Teaze shows in the planning, including Rock The River Festival in Saskatoon, in August.
A number of fans came from far out of town to see this rare occasion of Teaze playing live. My buddy Derek (a major Teaze fan) and I drove in from Niagara Falls. It ended up being a very nice warm & sunny day. I had a blast at the local Dr Disc (a huge record shop 5 minutes from the theater), as well there were a few fine restaurants & bars a short walk from the theatre.
Below are photos I took on my phone/camera from my seat down front. The pic of the set-list was from Rick LaBonte, who was at the show with Toronto rock journalist Martin Popoff.
Jonesy was a British prog outfit that released 3 albums in the ’70s. Lead by singer/guitarist John Evan-Jones, the band released their classic debut album No Alternative in 1972. The line-up here consisted of Jones, along with American born keyboardist James Kaleth, drummer Jim Payne, and bass player Dave Paull. Both Paull and Payne had previously been in National Head Band with Lee Kerslake (pre Uriah Heep), Paull would also play on Ken Hensley’s Proud Words On A Dusty Shelf album. Anyway, No Alternative is perhaps the band’s most sought after record, featuring the band’s best know track “Ricochet”. It also featured stand-out cuts like “Mind Of The Century”, the wild epic title track, and the ballad “Heaven”. Four of the cuts on the debut clock in at (near) 8 minutes or longer! No Alternative takes up disc one, and includes the short instrumental “Reprise” added on.
By the time the band recorded their 2nd album John Evan-Jones remained, along with Kaleth, and joining them were Jones’ brother – Trevor, on bass, Plug Thomas on drums (Thomas had brief spells with Screaming Lord Sutch and Supertramp), and Alan Bown on trumpet and percussion. Ray Russell was also brought in to do some orchestral arranging. 1973’s Keeping Up was much more laid back, with more emphasis on vocals, harmonies, keyboards, flutes, strings… gone are the heavy guitar pieces. But some fine songs in “Masquerade”, “Questions And Answers”, and the ballad “Song”, which should made a good single. Disc 2 adds the single version of “Ricochet” and it’s B-side “Every Day’s The Same”. Disc 3 comprises of the band’s last album released in late 1973 – Growing, as well as the band’s final album Sudden Prayers Make God Jump. The latter was never released until years later from a cassette, but here it is taken (as are all the albums) from the original master tapes. Growing featured most of the same line-up, and producer Rupert Hine was brought in as well. This album was more upbeat from the previous album, with tracks like “Can You Get That Together?”, “Know Who Your Friends Are”, and the title track. The band’s final album Sudden Prayers Make God Jump (who comes up with these titles?) featured a new line-up. Joining the Jones bothers were drummer David Potts, keyboard player Ken Elliott (ex of Second Hand, and later played with Arthur Brown), and Bernard Hagley on sax & flute (he had played on Growing, and previously Tranquility). This last album is probably the band’s most experimental, lots of different instrumentation, vocal harmonies, and unique songs, kinda rivalling some of the stuff Arthur Brown’s Kingdom Come was doing in the early ’70s. Jonesy were a very overlooked gem of the British prog scene of the early ’70s; none of their albums would get released in North America and they contained no big hits, but are well worth checking out through this CD box set. *Comes with a 16 page colored booklet, with liner notes penned by Mark Powell.
Outsider Rock 