Tag Archives: Cherry Red records

New KEN HENSLEY Anthology includes 4 solo albums from 1999 onward

There’s another Ken Hensley release coming which will offer 4 of his albums from 1999 to 2005. This is the period Ken decided to return to recording music and performing live, as well as moving out of the US. Past & Present (Songs In Times) – A Ken Hensley Anthology 1972-2021 follows recent CD box sets The Bronze Years : 1973-1981, and Tales of Live Fire & Other Mysteries. The 4 albums included in full are A Glimpse Of Glory (1999), Running Blind (2001), The Last Dance (2003), and Cold Autumn Sunday (2005). All these CDs are welcomed as a few of them have become pricier and/or harder to find over the years. For whatever reason there is the omission of 2004’s The Wizards Diary, Volume One – which was Ken’s retakes of a number of Uriah Heep classics that he wrote. But for those 4 CDs alone, this package will be worth it to most fans. The first and last CDs here are not necessary IMO, but presumably included to make this a career spanning anthology package. CD one titled ‘Solo‘, consists of a ‘best of’ from Hensley’s Bronze era solo albums, as well as a half dozen Heep gems from Demons And Wizards and The Magician’s Birthday (and not the predictable hits). CD six is titled ‘Collaborations‘ , and includes tracks from Faster (2011, w/ LIve Fire) right through to a pair from Ken’s last album My Book Of Answers. Absent are some of Ken’s real collaborations and guest appearances with some acts (notably the Toni Rowland album Ken produced and played on in 2007); these would’ve been nice gems to add. Also excluded not included here or elsewhere (yet) is Ken’s 1994 CD of unreleased songs & rarities From Time To Time, or any of Ken’s live collaborations with John Lawton, John Wetton or his guest appearances with Uriah Heep. But hopefully some of these will be included on something further down the line.

Check out the full track listing and Pre-order here: https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/ken-hensley-past-and-present-songs-in-time-1970-2021-6cd-box-set/

Links:

http://www.ken-hensley.com

https://www.facebook.com/officialkenhensley

https://www.facebook.com/groups/60658447768

PETER HESSLEIN to release Night Drive 3

Guitarist Peter Hesslein of legendary German band Lucifer’s Friend has finished a new collection of instrumental tracks for his Night Drive 3 album, to be released on October 14.

Night Drive 3 features 16 tracks, and will be the last in this solo trilogy.

Following the reformation of Lucifer’s Friend in 2015, a live album and 2 new studio albums, Peter released his first solo album titled Night Drive in 2020 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Lucifer’s Friend, followed by Night Drive 2 in ’21. Sadly, Lucifer’s Friend singer John Lawton passed away on June 29 of last year, putting an end to the band, with a compilation titled The Last Stand being issued later in the year.

Night Drive 3 features singer Mike Starrs (who replaced Lawton in Lucifer’s Friend in the late ’70s), who ‘guests’ on the album’s last track. Starrs has recently recorded an album with the band Crossover. I am looking forward to hearing his voice on Night Drive 3, and ‘hope’ their may be more to come.

Track Listing:

1 This Way Home
2 Sunset Drive
3 At A Crossroads
4 Driving All Night
5 Going South
6 In The Fast Lane
7 Road of Dreams
8 On The Horizon
9 A Few More Hours
10 No Backseat Driver
11 A Warm Day’s Night
12 Faster Than a Slug
13 Exit Number 9
14 Sunrise Pit Stop
15 A Gnat In My Life
16 Chapters Of My Life

To pre-order –

https://www.facebook.com/Lucifersfriendph

https://www.facebook.com/LucifersFriendOfficial

PETER GOALBY – Solo Anthology coming in September.

A Peter Goalby solo ‘Anthology’ will be released in September on Cherry Red Records. It pulls tracks from the 2 solo albums of long lost songs released in November of last year and May of this year. As well is adds 3 previously vinyl only released recordings Peter had done in the late ’80s and issued as singles under the names ‘Soho’ and ‘Perfect Stranger’.

“I Don’t Wanna Fight” & “It’s All Over Your Face (It’s All Over)” were produced by Mickie Most and released in released on RAK Records in 1988 under the Perfect Stranger name, while “Mona Lisa Smile” (also backed with “It’s All Over Your Face (It’s All Over)”) was also produced by Most, and released on RAK in ’88. The A-side was also co-written by Robin George, who is credited with arranging them on that single single release.

The past year of putting together his past solo recordings and seeing how great the response was to his CD releases was an eye opener for Peter Goalby, who had retired from the music business 30 years ago, and has been doing interviews and seeing positive reviews to Easy With The Heartaches & I Will Come Runnin’. Me hopes, but not very likely that someone, somewhere – will dig out more recordings from Peter’s past and get them properly released [ie Fable].

Tracklisting:

1 Hold The Dream
2 Waiting For An Angel To Call
3 Easy With The Heartaches
4 It Was There All The Time
5 They’ll Never Find Us (Running For Our Lives)
6 I Will Come Runnin’
7 The Last Time
8 Dancing on Water
9 Mona Lisa Smile*
10 It’s All Over Your Face (It’s All Over)*
11 I Don’t Wanna Fight*

The CD is available for pre-order at > https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/peter-goalby-the-solo-anthology-cd/

PETER GOALBY : I Will Come Runnin’ (a review)

A mere 6 months after Peter Goalby’s surprise solo debut album, decades after he retired from the business, a sequel has arrived! Easy With The Heartaches came out last November 2021, and the quality of the songs, recording, and Peter’s vocal performances were a long awaited (and overdue) treat to fans who’ve wondered where and why he disappeared years ago. Heck that album only made many wonder even more why he went away with so many great songs yet to see the light of day! Now, there is a ‘part 2’ to his long lost solo recordings – I Will Come Runnin’, featuring the same cast – Paul Hodson and Eddy Morton, as well as Robin George on 2 tracks. Safe to say if you enjoyed the first release – you will love this as well. The song quality and performances are as good as Easy With The Heartaches, being from the same period and recording sessions. The difference being that overall I think I Will Come Runnin’ is a bit more in the softer AOR realm, with a few less ‘punchy’ tracks than it’s predecessor. “Hold The Dream” may still be my favorite of either of these releases, but there’s some damn great tunes here, with early favorites being “Somebody’s Fool” and “Waiting For An Angel To Call”. The title track leads off this disc (as with the first one), and it’s a good positive lighter aor pop-rock tune, but like most, what makes Peter’s songs so good is the catchy and memorable choruses, I also think Eddy Morton’s guitar break here gives the song a nice lift.

Lots of potential here for ‘hits’ had this come out in another era – “Dancing On Water” (co-written with Robin George), “It Was There All The Time”, “Perfect Strangers” (one of the excellent ballads here), “There’s Always A Place In My Heart”…. Robin George also co-wrote the rockier “Rock N Roll Crazy” – this one is a bit different, sounding like it would’ve fit nicely on one of George’s ’80s releases, or on Heep’s Equator (ala “Party Time”) . The last track here is the last track Peter recorded – “A Little Piece Of Heaven”, and judging from the lyrics (especially the opening lines), I would think he was already planning on getting out of making music – “Saved up all my rainbows, cashed in all my yesterdays / Changing my direction, giving all my things away / It’s time to make a new start, “ It is one of the best ballads Peter ever wrote and sang, but marks the end of his musical career, so it’s a bit sad in that case. Paul Hodson does a superb job on this one as well, and Eddy Morton delivers a cool short guitar break (sounds )a bit country. This is The Big ‘hit’ off this album, IMO.

I Will Come Runnin’ likely marks the end of Peter Goalby’s ‘archived’ material that we’ll see a proper release of. I don’t believe there is that much in the way of good material / recordings left that could or would possibly be released in the future. So, enjoy this and Easy With The Heartaches as much as you can. They are both fantastic CDs of songs we are fortunate to get to have. Decades after leaving the business Peter can now add “successful solo artist” to his legacy, besides just “former lead singer of _____” .

*CD cover art designed by Mike Inns (who also did Easy With The Heartaches), and who’s done album covers and art for numerous acts, including Collins / Shaw, Asia, John Wetton, Alan Simon and Focus, among others. https://www.discogs.com/artist/2879524-Michael-Inns

*https://glassonyonpr.com/2022/06/01/peter-goalby-second-long-lost-solo-album/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/petergoalby

05/’22

PETER GOALBY – Second solo album coming in May

A mere 6 months following the Peter Goalby’s debut solo release (of archived recordings), Cherry Red Records will release a follow up titled I Will Come Runnin’, also recorded during the same period.

Fans who waited 30+ years to hear something new from Peter following his departure from Uriah Heep, and a solo single, can add another album consisting of 10 songs, along with the aid of Paul Hodson, Robin George, and Eddy Morton.

Peter Goalby has been extremely surprised and happy with the response & reviews to the first album. I Will Come Runnin’ will be released May 6, 2022, and can be pre-ordered at Cherry Red Records, as well as Amazon.

*A 10-track album personally overseen (from tape transfer, mastering and artwork) by the former Uriah Heep and Trapeze vocalist .

1 I Will Come Runnin’
2 Rock ‘N’ Roll Crazy
3 A Brand New Love
4 Dancing on Water
5 Somebody’s Fool
6 It Was There All The Time
7 Waitin’ For An Angel To Call
8 There’s Always A Place In My Heart
9 Perfect Strangers
10 A Little Piece Of Heaven

https://www.facebook.com/groups/petergoalby

KJ, 02/’22