I Believe In Youis the follow-up release to 2024’s I Am Myself, a new collection of never-before-heard demo recordings by Liverpool’s TomEvans, bassist and co-lead singer of the iconic power pop group Badfinger. It will be released as a limited-edition CD by Y&T Music and available on all streaming platforms on October 30, 2026..
Like his Badfinger bandmate Pete Ham, Tom Evans was a prolific songwriter; he gave the quartet many of their greatest “deep cuts,” including “Money,” “It’s Over,” “Believe Me” and “Blind Owl.” Evans and Ham co-wrote “Without You,” which went to No. 1 for both Harry Nilsson and Mariah Carey, and is considered by many to be one of the greatest pop ballads of all time.
He sang lead on “Come And Get It,” Badfinger’s smash hit debut, written and produced by Paul McCartney; his soaring tenor voice made “Maybe Tomorrow,” recorded for the Beatles’ Apple Records when they were still calling themselves The Iveys, an international sensation.
Among the 20 tracks on I Believe In You, six went on to be recorded by Badfinger: “Money,” “When I Say,” “Blind Owl,” “Queen Of Darkness,” “Lost Inside Your Love” and “Sail Away”. Another song, “Get To You” went on to be released by The Dodgers in 1976 as the B-side of their debut single, “Don’t Let Me Be Wrong.”
Performed mainly on acoustic guitar plus some on electric guitar or piano, with some assistance on guitar and backing vocals from Badfinger/Dodgers member, Bob Jackson, the album showcases Tommy’s growing maturity as a serious songwriter and lyricist during the 1970s spanning the middle period of his musical career between 1970-1977.
I Believe In You came to be after an exhaustive 2 year search for previously unheard songs and demo versions of well known Tom Evans tracks for Badfinger and The Dodgers. The recordings were once again compiled & edited by Tom Brennan, and restored & mastered by Kevin McElligott.
Marianne Evans shared photos from her personal collection for the 12-page booklet included with this new collection and Tim Boyle took the front cover photo. Released with the full support and cooperation of the Evans Estate, I Believe In You is a limited edition of 1200 CDs.
Earlier in 2026, Y&T Music issued Miniskirts And Rainbows, their 2nd collection of unreleased demo recordings by The Iveys, which included Tom Evans on rhythm guitar and vocals.
I BELIEVE IN YOU track listing: 1. I Believe In You (version 2) 2. Try To See Eye To Eye 3. Don’t Let it Go 4. Friday Night 5. It’ll Be Alright 6. Money (original demo) 7. When I Say (original demo) 8. Blind Owl (demo version 2) 9. Queen Of Darkness (demo version 2) 10. So Far 11. I’m Gonna Love You 12. Till You Came Along 13. A Dream Come True 14. Fade Away 15. Lost Inside Your Love (demo version) 16. Sail Away (demo version) 17. Get To You (demo version) 18. Twenty-Four Reasons 19. Has Anybody Seen Her 20. I Believe In You (version 1)
Recently looking in to my favorite HURRICANE album, Liquifury, from 2000. This was the last Hurricane album, (the 80s band) that featured singer Kelly Hansen (later of FOREIGNER, now of DEAD DAISIES). Among the guitar players and songwriters on that album was Sean Manning. I knew little about Manning, but was aware he also had an association with QUIET RIOT (see 1993’s Terrified album). I also found The Exiles, and in checking this out, discovered the band’s lone album from 1996 has more recently been given a 30th Anniversary reissue. The Exiles was a project released by Manning, and (singer) Paul Rafferty. both British, who had relocated at some point to the US. Rafferty had been the original singer in BONHAM, though before the band released anything. The original 10 track CD release of The Exiles was produced by Neil Giraldo (Pat Benatar), and included members of Benatar;s band, as well as White Lion, Foreigner and Santana.
With this 30th Anniversary reissue, THE EXILES – Turning Time spearheaded by Manning, 5 recently unreleased tracks were discovered, mixed, and included. Now, if you like your classic British blues influenced rock, like FREE, BAD COMPANY, LED ZEPPELIN, and even pre-hair metal WHITESNAKE. Turning Time will seem like a long lost album you need to have. It is in that style, feel, and class, and it’s genuine, without coming off as another Zeppelin clone act. Highlights include “Rainmaker”, with it’s acoustic intro and heavy rock feel, the more laid back “Ain’t No Fool”, the ballad “Woman Let It Shine”, which really reminds of The Alllman Brothers (especially with the harmonies), and the rockin’ “Tearing Up A Storm”. There’s lots to get in to here, with different tracks, plenty of acoustics, harmonies, organ, …Check out the 3 videos and links below.
THE EXILES have released the music video for the track ‘I’m The (One’ from their album ‘Turning Time”, available now on Bad Reputation Records.
The first single “Rainmaker” recently entered the top 10 on 97 Underground radio, debuting at #4.
Lead Guitarist Sean Manning talks about the song “I’m The One”, “I was really into Jimmy’s Outrider solo album when I initially wrote this riff. I love the Telecaster—such a raw and honest guitar. Paul came up with the chorus, which really finishes it off, and I added the heavy Les Paul onto the new track here in Dallas at Empire Studios….And it sounds like I nicked some early Bernie Marsden rhythm work for the chorus.”
Well overdue, EUROPE’s brand new album comes 9 years after Walk The Earth. I really got reintroduced to the band with 2015’s War Of Kings, an outstanding record that made me want to go back and pick up all the albums since their reunion, so after 2 great albums, 9 years is a pretty lengthy break. So, was Come This Madness worth such a wait!? I think so. Musically heavier than it’s precdecessor, lyrically a bit deeper in places, as the band take on a few topics in the state of the world these days, as well as hope.
Certainly songs like “One On One”, “Scandinavian Eyes”, “In A Different World”, and the ballad “This Time Of Year” all stand out for me and sit comfortably among the band’s best. But really a very strong album, that I’m sure someone else could easily pick a few different favorites. John Norum stands out more here via his solos, and riffs on this record than the previous few, there’s a few classic intros from Mic Michaeli , and Joey Tempest, who’s voice hasn;t lost anything over the years. Again, for those who never got past Europe in their 80s pop-rock era, this is an excellent guitar driven, classic rock album, with latter day Europe filling the void of bands like Thin Lizzy and Gary Moore. Ends on a high note with “Nothing Can Follow This”.
*See below for the videos from this album, as well as press info, links…..
Europe’s new studio album Come This Madness signals a powerful new chapter for one of rock’s most enduring acts. Across songs like ‘One on One’, ‘The Cult of Ignorance’, and the title track ‘Come This Madness’, the band channel tension, truth, and raw energy into a record that feels both deeply personal and globally resonant.
Come This Madness was recorded at RMV Studio, the Stockholm-based recording facility founded by Benny Andersson and Ludvig Andersson. The album features special guest appearances from Tobias Forge (Ghost) and Mikael Åkerfeldt (Opeth) and was produced by acclaimed producer Tom Dalgety (Ghost, Rammstein, Pixies, The Cult, Opeth), who became a true creative force throughout the process, deeply embedded in the band’s writing and recording, shaping the album’s sound from the ground up. To bring the project to its final stage and complete their vision, the band turned to one of rock’s most respected recording and mixing legends Mike Fraser (AC/DC, Van Halen, Metallica, The Cult, Loverboy) to mix the record.
With Come This Madness, Europe deliver a landmark record that finds them fully realised and present, confronting the realities of the modern world with conviction and creativity. Building on the momentum surrounding the album’s release, the band will also embark on an extensive run of live dates, including numerous festival appearances and a major tour to celebrate the 40th anniversary of The Final Countdown. Kicking off in Glasgow on September 30th, The Final Countdown 40th Anniversary Tour promises to unite the legacy that defined them with the renewed energy, driving them forward today.
Come This Madness album artwork by Storm Studios (Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin…).
Track listing: One on One The Cult of Ignorance Come This Madness This Time of Year In a Different World Scandinavian Eyes Takin’ It Back In the Absence of Grace The Angels Must Have Flown The Devil’s Back Nothing Can Follow Thi
Come This Madnesswill be available on vinyl, CD and digital formats. Pre-orders can be placed Here
EUROPE are: Joey Tempest – Lead Vocals John Norum – Guitars John Levén – Bass Mic Michaeli – Keyboards Ian Haugland – Drums
Canadian drummer Paul Marangoni played with a number of acts in the 80s and 90s, notable Canuck acts like Coney Hatch, The Works, Kim Mitchell, and FM. The latter is currently preparing for a 50th anniversary show in November, with Marangoni behind the drums. Hopefully this 50th anniversary show will lead to more. Paul relocated to California decades ago, and played on a number of albums with guitarist Alex Masi, such as the 2001 Masi album, Eternal Struggle, and 2 albums of fusion instrumentals / covers under the name ‘The Trio Of Stridence’ (more on these in another post), and worked with former Alias frontman Freddy Curci (Zion).
This was a pretty casual disussion with Paul, and a lot of fun; we talked about the upcoming FM reunion show, a few other things he’s done since being in California, and what he’s listening to these days. Enjoy the read, and please check out all the links at the end.
I was going through those CDs you gave me (The Trio Of Stridence, Jazz Martyrs), and you did a lot of writing on them and a lot of producing them, so it’s kind of a…
Well, I think I wrote two songs on all those CDs. I arranged everything though, definitely.
Yeah, they’re very different. The Trio Of Stridence. I like that; I love the cover of “Red”. The other stuff is kind of straight up jazz. I put it on at one point, there is a Chuck Mangione song, and I was like, Wow, what is this?
Yeah, it’s too bad Chuck died. I was hoping he would hear my version, because my version is in seven as opposed to four.
Going back to when you were in the band FM (late 80s-early 90s), how long did that whole period last?
Not long, like two or three years. I can’t even remember. I really should have kept a diary. That was like 35 years ago or something. It’s scary to even say that number.
And you guys did recordings?
We were working on new music, but it was never recorded.
So, at what point did you relocate to LA?
January of 2000.
So you were still around then, in Toronto and that for much of the 90s then?
Yeah, definitely.
What else were you doing then? I have this on cassette (hold up The Works cassette).
Wow. Not much. I was just playing in a bunch of cover bands and I was doing the Genesis Tribute. Actually, at one point, we had a Yes Tribute, which Cameron Hawkins was playing bass and singing in. But we only did a few shows. And Phil Naro was singing in that band. I had a recording of a live gig we did at the Tralf in Buffalo. It was really good, but for some reason, that ended too. I don’t know what happened there. That was a good band. I love playing that stuff.
I saw Phil about 20 years ago, 15 years ago. He was playing in a club in Toronto, like an upstairs somewhere. It was him, Don Mancuso. I think his son. And so they’re doing a lot of Yes stuff.
I can’t believe he’s gone. Everyone’s dying, man. Holy cow.
Last time I saw him, he was doing an acoustic guitar duo, at a small place somewhere in Toronto. They were just doing acoustic tunes, the two of them. Would have been around 2007, 2006, (something like that).
There’s been other versions of FM. I saw them in ‘94 when they did the reunion tour, and there’s a few other things since then, live albums and the studio album from 2015… You weren’t involved in any of those. So how did this new line-up kind of come together?
Well, I kept in touch with Cam over the years because I was going up to Toronto like three or four times a year while my parents were still alive. And we’d get together now and then. And a couple of years ago, I was up there. And before I went up, I contacted him. I said, Hey, let’s get together for lunch. And he told me he was thinking of doing some shows to coincide with the release of this new documentary about Nash the Slash. And he said, It’s been 50 years. And I said, Well, if you need a drummer. I’m totally down. So that was when it started. So, the two of us were sending files back and forth on the tunes to work on. So he would have my drumming to along with. And then he set about to find someone to play mandolin and violin. It took a while.
I assume Ben Mink is not around anymore (locally)
Ben Mink is out in British Columbia. So, if for some reason this turns into doing a lot of shows, and if we ever end up on the West Coast, I’m sure we’ll get Ben Mink to sit on a bunch of tunes because I love Ben Mink’s playing.
Is the show going to focus mainly on the Black Noise stuff? Or is it going to be…
Yeah, it’s just going to be Black Noise and maybe a couple of other tunes. Some of the hits or other tunes.
When I saw them in 94, they put out that from it, but I always wonder, they called the FM Archives Volume One, there was no volume two.
(lol) Yeah, I don’t know what happened there. I got that too somewhere. They were kind of screwed over by labels all the time.
Other than Black Noise, what might you play or what do you like out of that catalog?
I really like Surveillance a lot. That was my favorite record. And then off of City of Fear, there’s one tune off there we’re probably going to play, “Surface to Air”. We’ll probably play that. We’ll probably do “Shapes of Things”; that got a lot of airplay. And that’s it. We’ll be extending solo sections and stuff like that, so it’ll be a lot of fun.
I don’t see much of Cameron Hawkins online, so I don’t… I never know what he’s up to.
Right. He said he’s going to probably put up an Instagram account one of these days. That was the plan, to do that and start promoting, but without any promotion, the show sold out in like three days.
Wow. So…
And there’s talk about, hopefully a show at the El Mocambo in January. And then if these shows go well, we’ll see where it goes next. We’ll probably stick to Canada for the time being, especially now that this arrangement in the US and Canada has kind of gotten pretty messy.
I wonder if the band ever actually played outside of Canada in that whole period of the late 70s, early 80s.
I’m not sure. I know they did a lot of shows with Rush.
And there’s some people that have posted some of those shows online pretty wild. It’s funny how fast they played a lot of those tunes.
I think it was Con-test that must have been the album that was current when I saw them. And then they did Tonight, which is funny because I watched an interview with Nash where he did not like that album. He mentions that they brought in a “hair guitar guy”.
Simon! (lol) Apparently Simon is now doing pyrotechnics for Katy Perry or something.
Really?
Yeah. That’s what Barry Connors was telling me.
He’s not playing?
I’m not sure. He was a good guitarist.
I know he did those albums with Andy Curran, post- Coney Hatch.
Yeah. He was the one that got me the FM gig. Because I was hanging out with him and Andy, and Simon said, We need a drummer for these shows coming up. And I said, Dude, I know all that shit. I grew up listening to FM. So, I jammed with them and got the gig.
What else are you doing? Are you playing a lot live?
No, I moved to Indio three years ago, and I can’t find players around here to do anything. I was working on doing more Trio Of Stridence stuff or some jazz stuff; working on my own and then sending files to people either in Europe or in LA. I love doing stuff with Alex (Masi), and before I left LA, me and Alex, we were thinking of doing a Jeff Beck Tribute thing after Jeff Beck died. We rehearsed a bit. I put together a little promo video. I sent it to a bunch of booking agents. No one was interested. It was too bad. It would have been cool.
I saw him over at Artpark (Lewiston, NY). the last time through here.
Yeah, I love Jeff Beck. And, like I said, I was working on writing some stuff, working on my own thing, and then the FM thing happened. So, I’ve just been focused on that since then. Rehearsing all the old FM stuff and working on making sure it’s going to sound good.
Do you know these other guys that are playing with you guys?
No, I’ve never met them, Kevin (Breit) and Hugh (Marsh). Actually, I did a recording with someone in the ‘80s that Hugh Marsh played violin on, but we weren’t in the room at the same time.
I imagine Cameron found them somehow(?)
We were trying to reach him through social media. Couldn’t do it. And then I was having lunch with Andy, and he said, Well, let me talk to Alex Lifeson, he’s a good friend of Hugh. So, he got Hugh’s email from Alex Lifeson. And that’s how we got in touch with Hugh.
Wow. So that was like more recent?
Yeah, that was like last December.
That’s interesting, all the connections with all the Toronto bands. I like picking up some of the late 70s Canadian stuff. I picked up the first Hunt album.
Wow. I remember seeing them at the Gasworks….
And you posted something recently about a band called Teaze.
Yeah, I saw them last week.
I remember them being big at some point, and I remember the logo. The logo looked cool, and the name was cool, but I didn’t know much about the band. And when you posted that stuff, I was reading something, and I said, Holy shit, these guys are Canadian! I didn’t know that.
(Talk ensues about Teaze, their comeback, and Canadian rock festivals)
It seems like most of these Canadian bands, especially from the last few decades, they tend to play a bunch of festivals. Three or four times a year, there’ll be a festival in Alberta or Newfoundland or Quebec, and then they all get together.
I hear about these things from Barry. Do you remember the band Alias with Freddy Curci?
Yeah, I’ve got that somewhere.
I recorded with Freddy a few years ago, and I was actually… I got together with him about a year ago, and I told him, I think it’s time you should go out on the road again, get the band going. He considered it. I haven’t talked to him in a while, but I think that would be good, too.
I find the connections with the Canadian band interesting. There’s so many… It’s kind of like the British bands where you have some of those connections between Whitesnake and Deep Purple and Rainbow, all those bands.
That’s right.
But, I mean you look at Helix and Honeymoon Suite and a few others. It’s almost like they (occasionally) share members.
Actually, I remember I auditioned for Helix when I was 17. I drove out to….they were playing a gig somewhere in London, I think. I played some tunes with them. And it went well, but they said, You’re just too young. We can’t take the chance. Yeah, I was a fan of Helix.
And their drummer and the guitarist were twins. Brian Doerner was the drummer, and he recommended me for a gig. I didn’t even know he knew me. And then me and a guitarist named Lawrence Falcomer flew down to LA to try putting a band together with Brad Gillis and Mark Free. So, for a week, we rehearsed and wrote some music. And the guy that was paying for it all was the producer from Night Ranger. And at the end of the week, he told us what the deal would be where he was going to take 50 or 60% of all proceeds from the songwriting. And we just couldn’t come to terms with it. Nothing ever happened of it.
(Talk about Brad Gillis being on Rick Hughes album).
What are you listening to these days? Is it mostly jazz type stuff?
Let me see what’s on my phone here (lol)
You know what I got recently, Genesis The Lamb Lies Down box set. And it has a live concert that they did in L.A., and the live concert is amazing! I don’t know if they touched up a bunch of stuff, but it sounds better than the studio record. It’s amazing.
I haven’t got that.
It’s actually all on YouTube, too. Simon Phillips’ latest record, I got that. That’s more of a fusion thing. Pat Metheny’s latest; I’m on the fence with that. A guitarist named Nir Felder. I really like his stuff. It’s kind of a fusion-y kind of thing. I probably listen to mostly jazz lately. I got the Jethro Tull Bursting Out re-release. That’s pretty good. Yeah, mostly jazz stuff.
You mentioned Genesis. Have you picked up any of the Steve Hackett live albums where he recreates each of the albums?
No, I haven’t. I saw Steve Hackett in Toronto. It was probably 1978 or 79 at the O’Keefe Center. That was amazing. love Steve Hackett. Speaking of Steve Hackett, You’ve heard of this Cruise to the Edge thing!? (No) It’s a cruise out of Miami, and it’s a bunch of progressive rock bands for like a week, and Steve Hackett is the headliner. I think Kevin Labrie is playing with the keyboard player from Dream Theater. Check it out, CruiseToTheEdge.com. Anyway, I figure it’s all progressive rock, and they leave port in April, so I sent an email to them, see if maybe I can get FM on the gig. But I never heard back from anyone as far as who to contact about booking, so maybe we’ll try to get the next year. They do it every year, apparently.
That’d be quite the slot to get on.
(Talk ensues a bit about Genesis, Phil Collins, Paul – “He was my favorite.”)
Any other Canadian bands you were really into?
Kim Mitchell, Saga, FM. I was a huge Rush fan from the beginning. I can’t really think and differentiate which ones were Canadian. I mean, going downtown and seeing stuff at the Gasworks. Dave Bendeth, he was kind of doing like a Jeff Beck thing, that was cool.
Well, did you keep your vinyl over the years or did you get rid of it?
I sold a bunch of it. Since I moved to California, it’s been like 26 years now. I’ve moved 11 times. So, you just keep throwing stuff away every time.
At one point, when we sold my parents’ house in Toronto, I had all my albums there, so we had to get rid of stuff. So, I took them all downtown to some vinyl place and sold them all and whatever they didn’t want to buy, I gave to friends of mine who were collecting vinyl. So, I don’t have any more vinyl.
(Further chat about records, Unidisc, Wireless – “I remember seeing them open for Rush, they were really good too.”)
BOSTON’s debut album has become a staple of FM radio over the past 50 years, and not just with 1 or 2 songs. The album written and recorded largely by guitarist Tom Scholz, along with singer Brad Delp, with Scholz and John Boylan producing.
Now, I know many may pass over this as an album they’ve overheard, especially with the album’s biggest hit “More Than A Feeling”. But there is no denying this album’s huge sound and impact at the time. And, if you’re a classic rock fan, you don’t know just 1 of the 3 hit singles – you probably know most of the album, as most of it (if not all) occasionally still gets FM radio play, somewhere. The hit singles “More Than A Feeling“, “Piece Of Mind” and “Long Time” are all featured on side one, with “Long Time” being part of the epic piece, accompanied with the instrumental “Foreplay”, rivalling anything Deep Purple or Uriah Heep had done. There is also the classics on side two, most notably “Smokin‘”and “Rock & Roll Band“. Then there’s no less impressive string of songs on that side – “Something About You“, and the softer “Hitch A Ride” and the closing ballad “Let Me Take Me You Home Tonight“. These guys mixed and layered melodic guitars (acoustic and electric), along with vocal harmonies in the choruses, and organ on many tracks.
Boston became the biggest selling debut album at that time. It’s since sold over 20 million copies worldwide. This album has become one of the most recognizeable albums in classic rock, not just with it’s distinctive sound, but with a number of songs from it appearing in lots of movies and TV shows over the years. The album’s cover is also outstanding, IMO, despite it’s artist once calling it “mediocre”; it is easily recognizeable with the upside down guitar, appearing to resemble a spaceship. The upside down guitar theme and logo would become part of the band’s subsequent album covers. Boston is absolute essential ’70s rock listening. The band’s follow up, Don’t Look Back, did not sell nearly many copies, but it was an excellent follow up.
*see below for Press items from that time, and various related links
BOSTON in the press:
BOSTON -Epic PE34188. This highly touted New England group more than lives up to its billing as being able to rock in heaviest metal style while remaining warm and fluid. The uniqueness would appear to emanate from Tom Scholz, an MIT mechanical engineer in product development for Polar- oid who played a mean local guitar in bar bands by night. Scholz was chief engineer and co- producer of this album, which grew at least partially from some phenomenal demo tapes he made in his own home studio. Lead singer Brad Delp and his many overdubs vocalize with a lot more feeling and beauty than the often perfunctory singing often found in even big -name hard rock groups. Scholz and Delp individually wrote all the songs on the album too, again with much more melody and imagination than one usually expects to find on a heavy metal outing. An unusually auspicious debut in an era of particularly high standards for new rock groups. Best cuts: “More Than A Feeling,” “Let Me Take You Home Tonight,” “Smokin’.” Dealers: This is a particular autumn push group for Epic. (Billboard, 09/11/79)
BOSTON — Epic PE 34188 — Producers: John Boylan, Tom Scholz — List: 6.98 Not many hard rock bands show even a smidgeon of the concern for pleasing melody lines and supporting harmonics that are the hallmarks of the Boston sound. An extremely impressive debut effort, “Boston” demonstrates all the essential in- gredients for first rate rock ’n’ roll — glassshattering vocals, molten guitar lines and just enough use of keyboards to make the whole package interesting. Don’t be surprised if you hear a majority of the cuts from this LP on the FMprogressive airwaves. In fact, tunes like the autobiographical “Rock & Roll Band” will also be warmly received by the pop programmers. Boston is a very promising group.(CashBox, 09/04/76)
BOSTON -More Than A Feeling (3:25); producers: John Boylan and Tom Scholz; writer: T. Scholz; publisher: Pure Songs, BMI. Epic 8 -50266 (CBS). Electric guitar-dominated rocker is made commercial with an accessible beat and hand- clap backup and smooth, soaring vocals. (Billboard, 08/28/76)
BOSTON -Long Time (3:03); producer John Boylan. writer Tom Scholz. publisher Blackwood. BMI Columbia 850329 The group had a top 10 single its first time out and Mrs lollowup is comparably catchy in its combination of spacey electronic fills and soaring, lull bodied vocal har monies. (Billboard, 01/22/77)
John Sloman is ready to release his brand new 2-part (2CD) album Meridian Man‘. This will be issued in a very limited CD run (to start), direct from John, himself. Contact John via his Facebook page or email (johnsloman@yahoo.co.uk)
Meridian Man marks the end of an era for John Sloman, as the Welsh singer and multi-instrumentalist, has left London, after decades, back to Wales. Like John’s previous 8 solo albums, which were made in his home studio, in London, John performs all instruments, vocals, and choirs, as well as produces and mixes this. The 2 CD set will come with booklet, as well as cover design by Tuula Halén.
I will write more on Meridian Man later. My early impressions are that the 2 tracks making up this release, both well over 20 minutes, are quite the musical epic journeys. So much has gone in to the music, with each track given memorable intros, as welll as various changes, various instrumentation. and vocals. It is a lot to dig into, but the songs flow well, and one can play a number of times (as I did today), and get more into it with each listen. If you are a fan of John’s albums, particularly his latest 2, you will not be disappointed in this new one. Definitely John’s most ambitious album yet. At 69, John is one of those few artists whose voice has aged better, and as an artist seems to have a lot more interesting things to create.
*Read John’s description below the album cover.
Further to Meridian Man, John is aiming to release ‘Rock Heaven – The Soundtrack Album‘, in 2027, which is a companion to his 2025 novel ‘Rock Heaven‘, available on Amazon with his previous books. He’s also planning to release his 4th book, a novel – ‘Diary of Dimensionist‘ next year. also.
Meridian Man , John Sloman´s 11th solo album
MERIDIAN MAN– For many years I lived near Greenwich in South East London. The area was steeped in Britain’s history. The River Thames was walking distance away and on Saturday mornings I would run up the steps in Greenwich Park and gaze down in wonder at the Royal Naval buildings stretching along the river. From this elevated vantage point, I could turn to my left to admire the Royal Observatory situated on its own plateau, next to which was the traditional home of the Astronomer Royal. As much of a magnet for tourists the observatory undoubtedly is, the “prime” reason for people visiting the site is to stand on (and photograph) a metal strip set made of brass and stainless steel set in the ground known as the Prime Meridian (0 degrees longitude) from which all of time is measured.Meridian Man is a melding of myth and reality. Psychologists often refer to mythology to explain the underlying impulses of the human psyche. This is sometimes referred to as the “Heroes Journey”. The man I am versus the man I aspire to be. We all fall short of this. It is called being alive. But still we are inspired by stories of ancient myth and folklore. The story of Meridian Man is told over two CDs. CD 1 is The Myth. And CD 2 is The Man. The mythological Meridian Man (The Myth) is responsible for the sun’s movement across the sky and comes armed with a sword and is prepared to use it if necessary. He is a man of honour and duty. He knows great loneliness and sometimes wishes he could party. But to him, “Life is a meditation, practice and dedication, it’s just the way it’s got to be, there is no other way for me.” When a woman urges him to come away with her, he replies “But who would mind the sun when the day is done?” He is fundamental to our existence, yet nobody knows he exists. And that is just how he wants it to be. He is as mysterious as the meridians in Chinese medicine – or the arcane signs and symbols which adorn our reality. He knows all and sees all while at the same time being both unknowable and invisible. The human Meridian Man (The Man) is based on the three decades I spent living close to the Prime Meridian. Like my mythological counterpart, I too existed in anonymity while aspiring to something better both artistically and spiritually. For seventeen years, initially as a coping strategy for dealing with the stresses of the artistic life, I immersed myself in the world of Tai Chi, learning hand forms and that of sword, spear and sabre. I have spent much of my adult life in search of a deeper meaning to this existence of ours. And on the rare occasion, I have caught a glimpse of it only for it to vanish like tracks in the snow. But just as the mythological Meridian Man will continue to carry the sun across the sky, so I, the mortal Meridian Man will continue to search for a deeper meaning to this thing we call LIFE. (JS)
A new SWEET live album, from the band’s most recent tour will be released October 23, on Metalville. Live 25, will feature 16 tracks from Andy Scott and company. This is available for pre-order through Metalville’s website, on CD and colored vinyl.
With Full Circle (2024), the rock institution SWEET released an album that critics and fans around the world considered to be their strongest album since Level Headed (1978), the last album recorded by the four original band members. Full Circle was also the band’s first Top 20 entry in the German album charts since the release of the 1978 classic.
With such a strong album under their belt, it was only natural for the band, led by founding member Andy Scott, to present the new songs live. The album Live 25 is now ready for release. Alongside tracks from Full Circle, the band performed all the classics hits plus a few heavy rock tracks that had rarely made it onto the setlist in previous years.
The current SWEET lineup has proved to be the perfect team. The sound and dynamics of the band live carries the audience on a magic carpet ride of pure emotion.
Andy Scott comments: “Live 25 is more than just a live recording; it’s a celebration of what SWEET do best. From the 1970s, performing live has always been at the heart of who we are, and that fire still burns bright. So crank up the volume, sing your heart out, and experience the energy of a SWEET live concert.”
LINE-UP: Paul Manzi – lead vocals, Lee Small – bass guitar / vocals, Tom Cory – guitars / keys / vocals, Adam Booth – drums / percussion, Andy Scott – guitars / vocals
Since TEAZE, got back together in 2019, this was my 3rd time to see the band. Since the previous show I saw (Windsor, 2022), the band have released 2 albums – Live At Liege (2025) and their first new studio album since 1980 – Rev Your Engines, came out earlier this summer. In there the band also went through a change in drummers, with Mike Kozak retiring, and new drummer Jim Bonventre joining the band and playing on the new album.
Prior to the show we learned that Jim was unable to play due to a health emergency the day before, but last minute arrangements were made with Mike Kozak stepping in. Prior to Teaze, Christian Vegh performed, as did Rick LaBonte And The Band Of Brothers. Rick’s set featured classic rock covers as well as originals. I preferred the originals, and look forward to Rick’s new album coming out in the near future.
Teaze came out, and with the last minute change in drummers, meant a couple of changes in the set-list, leaving out a couple of the new songs. But the set was full of the band’s high energy guitar rockers, which resembled the Live At Liege set, but with the band adding a few, notably a cover of Rainbow’s “Man On The Silver Mountain” (which is on Rev Your Engines) and fan favorite “Boys Night Out”. A Teaze live show is a genuinely good time; these guys play like they are having a great time, with Mark Bradac all over the place, and singer Brian Danter, sounding like he hasn’t aged (check out recent clips of “Heartless World“), and Kozak, who hadn’t played in 2 years, stepped in like he hadn’t left, and seemed to have a good time. The band is completed with guitarist Charlie Lambrick (who joined the band in 2019), who also produced and engineered the new album. I did take a few pics of Rick LaBonte And The Band Of Brothers, and an excessive amount of Teaze. So, for I’m just going to put them all here. Here’s looking forward to more shows from these guys!
When 1985s Power Windows came out, I loved the lead off single “Big Money”. Again, it was different than their previous album, a step further into their change to a more keyboard sound, modern, lighter…but beyond “Big Money”, I didn’t get too much into Power Windows. I saw that tour, at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, but that was the last Rush album I picked up early on in release, and last tour until the 2000s.
Roll The Bones was produced by Rupert Hine, a British musican/producer, who was more known for producing more 80s pop & New wave then, such as The Fixx, Howard Jones, and The Thompson Twins. He did do a couple of excellent Saga albums as well. So, with Rush’s lighter and modern direction for the past few albums, Hine, I guess, seemed like a good fit for what the band was going for then.
This album featured the singles – “Dreamline” (promo) “Ghost Of A Chance” (US, UK, Germany) and the title track. “Roll The Bones” (being the only video released), is the best known from this album, with it’s brief ‘rap’ section, which though I could do without, it is something different (again) and made for a great visual video and live. The stand-out track on this album for though is “Bravado”, and hearing this one in recent months (prior to the tour) is what had me revisiting this album. Seeing the live clips of it from the 50 Something Tour, and then hearing it in Toronto, along with the Neal Peart tribute collection of photos that went along with it, made more of an impact. Such a unqiue melody, lyirc and song in the band’s catalogue. One thing about the lighter sound, Alex Lifeson’s solos were always spot on during this period, such as on “Bravado”. Although I really like the 3 songs chosen as singles, I can’t imagine why “Bravado” was not issued as a single (tho there was promos of this in the US & France).
Other good songs on Roll The Bones (for me) include the instrumental “Where’s My Thing” (which was nominated for a Grammy), and “Heresy”. Can’t say I’m crazy about everything here, but there is enough classic Rush to make me want to put this on more, and rethink and revisit previous albums I never really got into so much.
The list of reunions and reformations of great Canadian bands adds another to 2026, with a new line up of progressive band ‘FM’ scheduled to play a 50th Anniversary show in Toronto, in November.
FM, formed in the mid 70s, with Cameron Hawkins (keyboards, lead vocals, bass) and Nash The Slash (electric violins, madolin, vocals…), and first appeared on TVOntario, performing as a duo. They added (drummer) Martin Deller to record their debut album Black Noise, which became a Canadian classic, featuring the band’s best known (and still played on classic rock radio here), “Phasors On Stun“. Slash left, recording numerous solo albums, and was replaced by Ben Mink. This line up recorded Head Room (aka Direct To Disc), Surveillance, and City Of Fear. The latter 2 albums included such favorites as “Horizons”, the band’s cover of “Shapes Of Things“, “City Of Fear“, and “Surface To Air”.
After a hiatus, the band reformed with Nash The Slash, for 1985’s more modern radio friendly (AOR) album Con-Test, followed by 1987’s Tonight (with drummer Greg Chrchley and added guitariast Simon Brierley)). With these 2 albums, FM had a few hit singles in Canada, and could be seen on MuchMusic with songs like “Just Like You” and “Dream Girl“. FM also opened 4 shows for Rush in Ontario, on Rush’s Power Windows tour in 1986.
The band went through a few more line up changes, with Nash The Slash leaving following the Tonight tour. By the end of the 80s, FM was Cameron Hawkins, Simon Brierley, Martin Shaw (mandolin & violin), and Paul Marangoni (drums). This line up played some shows and recorded material that was never released.
In 1994 Hawkins, Deller, and Nash The Slash reunited for the CD release of Black Noise. They played 5 shows in Ontario, (I attended 2 of these.) From this tour, Retroactive: FM Archives, Volume 1. was recorded. An excellent live album, but there wouldn’t be a follow up. FM next appeared in 2006, at NEARfest, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania (with another live CD & DVD from this show). Another new line up was put together for the 2015 album Transformation. And that is the last release/activity from FM until the announcement of a 50th Anniversary show.
