News Of The Music World

Elton John: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. The Making of an Epic Album

2025-08-31T18:09:00.000+02:00

Released on 29 August 2025, Elton John: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. The Making of an Epic Album by Andrea Grasso and Luca Perasi (L.I.L.Y. Publishing, 164 pages, paperback) tells the story of one of the most important records of pop music, an epic double album that established itself as the pinnacle of Elton John’s career. “This is a key release in the Milestones series,” says Luca Perasi, music journalist known for his works on Paul McCartney and collaborator of his company MPL in 2022, who now runs the publisher. “How could a series of books about some of the most important rock albums not include such a record? It took a while to gather all the information, but I’m very happy with the results.”

The book is co-authored with Andrea Grasso, of one the most important Elton John’s collectors and experts. “From 1970 to 1973, Elton slowly built his reputation as a top-class singer-songwriter with each album,” adds Andrea Grasso, “but Goodbye Yellow Brick Road was the definitive statement of his and Bernie’s vision, which projected them onto the path of superstardom. They continued to enjoy worldwide success and top sales for decades to come, but in terms of sales and creativity, this was their peak.”

Despite the album's importance — it had its own DVD and has been reissued several times over the decades — this is the first time a book has been entirely dedicated to it. “When Luca offered me to write this book with him, I was enthusiastic,” reflects Grasso, who could rely on his collection, part of which had been referred to in an article of Record Collector magazine. “This is my favourite Elton album and one of my favourites by any artist and I started searching in my huge archive anything that Elton, Bernie and all the people involved in the album narrated about its sessions, finding many great little-known anecdotes… this work was pure fun!”

Enriched with exclusive interviews with Ian Beck and David Paton, the book provides a historical account of the circumstances that led to the recording of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and offers an unprecedented insight into this ambitious double album in the tradition of The Beatles’ “White Album” but recorded mostly in just 16 days in the studio.

“This is an album imbued with film heroes and heroines as well and fantasy characters and depicts its own world,” adds Perasi. “Musically, there’s an incredible variety of scenarios, ranging from rock ‘n’ roll to pop, from country to music hall. The vocabulary that Elton brought into it is a marvel. A book on such an album was long overdue.”

Drawing on archive material and numerous contemporary and retrospective interviews and reviews, the book explores all the aspects that made this a legendary record: the failure of the recordings in Jamaica, the whole process behind the sessions, their timeline – for the first time, all the exact recording dates are presented in this volume – the stories behind the songs (including B-sides and the single “Step Into Christmas”), their harmonic inventions, the various instrumental contributions by the band a and a short lyrical analysis. The legacy of the album is also explored.

This is the fourth volume in the Milestones series, which includes books on Paul McCartney’s Band on the Run and Press to Play and XTC’s Skylarking. Upcoming titles and artists in the series will include The Police’s Regatta de Blanc, Wings’ Back to the Egg, George Harrison’s eponymous album and Al Stewart’s Year of the Cat.

Available only through Amazon:

Amazon UK
Amazon US
Amazon IT

Queen News Of The World 40th Anniversary Edition

2017-09-04T16:17:00.002+02:00

A special box set of Queen's landmark 1977 album News of the World is set for release on November 17th, marking the 40th anniversary of the original release.

Released in October 1977, News of the World is one of Queen's biggest selling albums of all time.

The new box includes the original album on CD, plus two further CDs of recently unearthed out-takes and rarities from the band's archives, one of which is a newly created ‘alternative’ version of the whole album, titled Raw Sessions.

Mined deep from long-vaulted studio multi-track tapes, this bonus CD brings to light never-before-heard alternative versions of each of the album’s 11 tracks. Every lead vocal is different, as are most of the lead guitar parts and a great many other instrumental details. Here we experience We Are The Champions anew, with many unfamiliar vocal and instrumental elements, and for the first time at its full-recorded length rather than the edited 1977 album cut. Here also is the chance to discover peak era Freddie Mercury vocals on a track that nobody outside Queen’s inner circle has heard him sing before at all – Brian May’s All Dead, All Dead (the original album version features May himself on vocals). Roger Taylor’s Sheer Heart Attack can be heard with its original long-lost guitar intro and uncut ending. Taylor’s other song, Fight From The Inside, is more remarkable in that we hear his demo vocal worked on in his home studio in preparation for the next sessions, ‘homework’ that all of the band members would regularly carry out. As a point of note, Taylor plays all instruments on these two recordings, except for some lead guitar.

The third CD in the package, Bonus Tracks, features a feast of previously released but hard-to-find versions of News of the World tracks recorded in concert, for radio shows, or in alternate mixes. Included is the band's entire five-song final live session recorded for BBC Radio in October 1977, seven live performances of NOTW songs, plus rare backing tracks and instrumentals of the Queen classics We Will Rock You, We Are The Champions, Spread Your Wings, Get Down, Make Love and Fight From The Inside. Also on this third disc is the seldom-heard US radio edit of It's Late, making its belated CD debut, and the rowdy stomper Feelings Feelings, which was recorded during the original NOTW sessions but not included on the final album.

Another outstanding feature of this weighty 40th anniversary box is another first – a pure analogue re-cut of the original vinyl LP, direct from the unmastered analogue master mix tapes, presented in a facsimile original sleeve. There is also a rich selection of NOTW related memorabilia including three posters and a 60-page book of images, mostly previously unseen.

The package is completed with a brand new one-hour DVD documentary, Queen : The American Dream, created from backstage material filmed during Queen’s 1977 USA News of the World tour. In November that year, Queen embarked on another headlining US tour. The highly respected British radio and TV presenter Bob Harris, complete with full film crew, followed their journey as part of a proposed documentary that has remained incomplete and unreleased – until now. The crew had unlimited access to the band on and off stage, in the recording studio and during rehearsals. This one-hour documentary includes superb live footage of Queen at the Houston Summit in December. We also see moments from the birth of We Will Rock You and We Are The Champions, songs that would both earn a place in the Grammy Hall of Fame. Queen : The American Dream is a fascinating behind-the-scenes.

Queen : News of the World – 40th Anniversary Edition – Track Listing.

VINYL LP: The Original News of the World Album – new Pure Analogue Cut.

CD 1: The Original Album (Bob Ludwig 2011 master)

1. We Will Rock You (May) 2:01

2. We Are The Champions (Mercury) 2:59

3. Sheer Heart Attack (Taylor) 3:26

4. All Dead, All Dead (May) 3:10

5. Spread Your Wings (Deacon) 4:34

6. Fight From The Inside (Taylor) 3:03

7. Get Down, Make Love (Mercury) 3:51

8. Sleeping On The Sidewalk (May) 3:06

9. Who Needs You (Deacon) 3:05

10. It's Late (May) 6.26

11. My Melancholy Blues (Mercury) 3:29

CD2: NEWS OF THE WORLD : RAW SESSIONS

1. We Will Rock You (Alternative Version) 2:29

2. We Are The Champions (Alternative Version) 4:33

3. Sheer Heart Attack (Original Rough Mix) 4:17

4. All Dead, All Dead (Original Rough Mix) 3:08

5. Spread Your Wings (Alternative Take) 4:56

6. Fight From The Inside (Demo Vocal Version) 3:08

7. Get Down, Make Love (Early Take) 4:02

8. Sleeping On The Sidewalk (Live in the USA, 1977) 3:49

9. Who Needs You (Acoustic Take) 2:46

10. It's Late (Alternative Version) 6:44

11. My Melancholy Blues (Original Rough Mix) 3:36

CD3: NEWS OF THE WORLD : BONUS TRACKS

1. Feelings Feelings (Take 10, July 1977) 1:55

2. We Will Rock You (BBC Session) 1:36

3. We Will Rock You (Fast) (BBC Session) 2:52

4. Spread Your Wings (BBC Session) 5:33

5. It's Late (BBC Session) 6:39

6. My Melancholy Blues (BBC Session) 3:13

7. We Will Rock You (Backing Track) 2:03

8. We Are The Champions (Backing Track) 2:59

9. Spread Your Wings (Instrumental) 4:23

10. Fight From The Inside (Instrumental) 3:02

11. Get Down, Make Love (Instrumental) 3:49

12. It's Late (USA Radio Edit 1978) 3:52

13. Sheer Heart Attack (Live in Paris 1979) 3:35

14. We Will Rock You (Live in Tokyo 1982) 2:55

15. My Melancholy Blues (Live in Houston 1977) 3:48

16. Get Down, Make Love (Live in Montreal 1981) 4:35

17. Spread Your Wings (Live in Europe 1979) 5:20

18. We Will Rock You (Live at the MK Bowl 1982) 2:08

19. We Are The Champions (Live at the MK Bowl 1982) 3:32

DVD: QUEEN : THE AMERICAN DREAM (One hour)

[Source:Queenonline]

Pink Floyd: The Early Years 1965-1972

2016-07-28T22:49:00.003+02:00

Un sogno che diventa realtà per i fan dei Pink Floyd: The Early Years 1965 – 1972 è un box di ben 27 dischi per oltre 25 ore tra materiale audio e video, che uscirà il prossimo 11 Novembre.
Il contenuto, in breve, è di 10 CD, 8 Blu-Ray, 9 DVD, 5 singoli 7" più varie memorabilia (riproduzioni di poster, volantini, tour program, biglietti pubblicità da riviste); i dischi contengono brani inediti, remix, outtake, versioni alternative, brani dalle sessioni per la BBC Radio, brani live, apparizioni TV e mix quadrifonici; il tutto confezionato in 7 volumi a forma di libro.

Entrando più nei dettagli, i brani inediti sono 20, tra cui Vegetable Man e In the Beechwoods, mixati per la prima volta apposta per questa uscita; inoltre ci sono 7 ore di performance live inedite e oltre 5 ore di filmati da concerti.
E come se non bastasse ci sono anche i mix quadrifonici degli album Atom Heart Mother e Echoes, un remix di Obscured by Clouds fatto nel 2016, un mix 5.1 di Live in Pompeii e i filmati di More e La Vallèe.

Box (UK) / Box (Italia)

Tracklist completa del box:
1965-67 CAMBRIDGE ST/ATION

CD 1:

1965 Recordings*:

Lucy Leave*2.57
Double O Bo* 2.57
Remember Me* 2.46
Walk With Me Sydney* 3.11
Butterfly* 3.00
I’m A King Bee* 3.13
Arnold Layne 2.57
See Emily Play 8.57
Apples And Oranges 3.05
Candy And A Currant Bun 2.45
Paintbox 3.48
Matilda Mother (2010 mix) 4.01
Jugband Blues (2010 mix)^† 3.01
In The Beechwoods (2010 mix)^† 4.43
Vegetable Man (2010 mix)^† 2.32
Scream Thy Last Scream (2010 mix)^† 4.43

Total: 50 mins, 32 secs

Tracks 1-11 mono.

Tracks 12-16 stereo

*including Rado Klose on guitar and Juliette Gale on vocals on ‘Walk With Me Sydney’

CD 2:

Live in Stockholm 1967:

Introduction^†0.25
Reaction in G^† 7.18
Matilda Mother^† 5.34
Pow R. Toc H.^† 11.56
Scream Thy Last Scream^† 4.00
Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun^† 7.17
See Emily Play^† 3.16
Interstellar Overdrive^† 8.57

John Latham (studio recordings 1967)

John Latham Version 1^† 4.32
John Latham Version 2^† 5.06
John Latham Version 3^† 3.45
John Latham Version 4^† 2.59
John Latham Version 5^† 2.48
John Latham Version 6^† 3.17
John Latham Version 7^† 2.36
John Latham Version 8^† 2.49
John Latham Version 9^† 2.38

Total: 79 mins, 13 secs

Tracks 1-8 recorded live Sept 10, 1967 at Gyllene Cirkeln, Stockholm, Sweden

Tracks 9-17 recorded at De Lane Lea Studios, London, 20 October 1967

All tracks stereo

DVD/Blu-ray

Chapter 24: Syd Barrett in the Gog Magog Hills, Cambridgeshire, UK 1966 / Pink Floyd at EMI Studios, London, April 1967 3.40
Nick’s Boogie^†: recording Interstellar Overdrive and Nick’s Boogie at Sound Techniques Studio, Chelsea, January 11, 1967 6.36

Live at UFO, The Blarney Club, London, January 13, 1967

Interstellar Overdrive: ‘Scene – Underground’ UFO at The Blarney Club, London, January 27, 1967 4.15
Arnold Layne: promo video. Wittering Beach, UK, early 1967 2.54
Pow R. Toc H. / Astronomy Domine: plus Syd Barrett and Roger Waters interview: BBC ‘The Look Of The Week’ – BBC Studios, 9.22 London, May 14, 1967

The Scarecrow: ‘Pathé Pictorial’, UK, July 1967 2.05
Jugband Blues: ‘London Line’ promo video, 1967, London 2.58
Apples And Oranges: plus Dick Clark interview: ‘American Bandstand’, Los Angeles, USA, November 7, 1967 4.51
Instrumental Improvisation^†: BBC ‘Tomorrow’s World’, London, December 12, 1967 2.11
Instrumental Improvisation^†: ‘Die Jungen Nachtwandler’, UFO, The Blarney Club, London, February 24, 1967 4.32
See Emily Play: BBC ‘Top Of The Pops’ – partially restored BBC Studios, London, July 6, 1967 2.55
The Scarecrow (outtakes): ‘Pathé Pictorial’, UK, July 1967 2.07
Interstellar Overdrive: ‘Science Fiction – Das Universum Des Ichs’, The Roundhouse, London, 1967 9.33

Total: 57 mins, 59 secs

1968 GERMIN/ATION

Point Me At The Sky 3.40
It Would Be So Nice 3.46
Julia Dream 2.34
Careful With That Axe, Eugene (single version) 5.46
Song 1, Capital Studios, Los Angeles, 22 August 1968^† 3.19
Roger’s Boogie, Capitol Studios, Los Angeles, 22 August 1968^† 4.35

BBC Radio Session, 25 June 1968:

Murderotic Woman (Careful With That Axe, Eugene)^† 3.38
The Massed Gadgets Of Hercules (A Saucerful Of Secrets)^† 7.18
Let There Be More Light^† 4.32
Julia Dream^† 2.50

BBC Radio Session, 20 December 1968:

Point Me At The Sky^† 4.25
Embryo^† 3.13
Interstellar Overdrive^† 9.37

Total: 59 mins, 14 secs

DVD/Blu-ray

‘Tienerklanken’, Brussels, Belgium, 18-19 February 1968: 22.28

Astronomy Domine
The Scarecrow
Corporal Clegg
Paintbox
Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun
See Emily Play
Bike
Apples And Oranges: ‘Vibrato’, Brussels, Belgium, February 1968 3.03

‘Bouton Rouge’, Paris, France, 20 February 1968: 13.35

Astronomy Domine
Flaming
Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun
Let There Be More Light

Paintbox: ‘Discorama’, Paris, France, 21 February 1968 3.40
Instrumental Improvisation^†: ‘The Sound Of Change’, London, UK, March 1968 2.15
Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun: ‘All My Loving’, London, UK, 28 March 1968 2.40
It Would Be So Nice (excerpt): ‘Release-Rome Goes Pop’, Rome, Italy, April 1968 1.21
Interstellar Overdrive: ‘Pop 68’, Rome, Italy, 6 May 1968 6.59

‘Tienerklanken – Kastival’, Kasterlee, Belgiu, 31 August 1968:

Astronomy Domine 3.48
+ Roger Waters interview

‘Samedi et Compagnie’, Paris, France, 6 September 1968: 5.31

Let There Be More Light
Remember A Day
Let There Be More Light: ‘A L’Affiche du Monde’, London, UK, 1968 1.53

‘Tous En Scene’, Paris, France, 21 October 1968: 6.39

Let There Be More Light
Flaming

Let There Be More Light: ‘Surprise Partie’, Paris, France, 1 November 1968 6.35
Point Me At The Sky: Restored promo video, UK, 1968 3.19

Total: 84 mins, 18 secs

1969 DRAMATIS/ATION

CD 1:

‘More’ album non-album tracks

Hollywood (non-album track)^† 1.21
Theme (Beat version) (Alternative version)^† 5.38
More Blues (Alternative version)^† 3.49
Seabirds (non-album track)^† 4.20
Embryo (from ‘Picnic’, Harvest Records sampler) 4.43

BBC Radio Session, 12 May 1969:

Grantchester Meadows^† 3.36
Cymbaline^† 3.38
The Narrow Way^† 4.48
Green Is The Colour^† 3.21
Careful With That Axe, Eugene^† 3.26

Live at the Paradiso, Amsterdam, 9 August 1969:

Interstellar Overdrive^† 4.20
Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun^†

CD 2:

Part 1: ‘The Man’, Amsterdam, 17 September 1969

Daybreak (Grantchester Meadows)^† 8.14
Work^† 4.12
Afternoon (Biding My Time)^† 6.39
Doing It^† 3.54
Sleeping^† 4.38
Nightmare (Cymbaline)^† 9.15
Labyrinth^† 1.10

Part 2: ‘The Journey’, Amsterdam, 17 September 1969

The Beginning (Green Is The Colour)^† 3.25
Beset By Creatures Of The Deep (Careful With That Axe, Eugene)^† 6.27
The Narrow Way, Part 3^† 5.11
The Pink Jungle (Pow R. Toc H.)^† 4.56
The Labyrinths Of Auximines^† 3.20
Footsteps / Doors^† 3.12
Behold The Temple Of Light^† 5.32

DVD/Blu-ray:

‘Forum Musiques’, Paris, France, 22 January 1969: 19.25

Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun

David Gilmour interview

A Saucerful Of Secrets

‘The Man’ and ‘The Journey’: Royal Festival Hall, London, rehearsal, April 14, 1969: 14.05

Afternoon (Biding My Time)

The Beginning (Green Is The Colour)

Cymbaline

Beset By Creatures Of The Deep^†

The End Of The Beginning (A Saucerful Of Secrets)

Essencer Pop & Blues Festival, Essen, Germany, October 11 1969: 19.14

Careful With That Axe, Eugene
A Saucerful Of Secrets

Music Power & European Music Revolution, Festival Actuel, 27.53

Amougies Mont de l’Enclus, Belgium, 25 October 1969:

6. Green Is The Colour

Careful With That Axe, Eugene
Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun
Interstellar Overdrive with Frank Zappa 11.26

Total: 71 mins, 14 secs

1970 DEVI/ATION

CD 1:

Atom Heart Mother live in Montreux, 21 Nov 1970^† 17.58

BBC Radio Session, 16 July 1970:

Embryo^† 11.10
Fat Old Sun^† 5.52
Green Is The Colour^† 3.27
Careful With That Axe, Eugene^† 8.25
If^† 5.47
Atom Heart Mother^† with choir, cello & brass ensemble 25.30

CD 2:

Unreleased tracks from the ‘Zabriskie Point’ soundtrack recordings:

On The Highway^† 1.16
Auto Scene Version 2^† 1.13
Auto Scene Version 3^† 1.31
Aeroplane^† 2.18
Explosion^† 5.47
The Riot Scene^† 1.40
Looking At Map^† 1.57
Love Scene Version 7^† 5.03
Love Scene Version 1^† 3.26
Take Off^† 1.20
Take Off Version 2^† 1.12
Love Scene Version 2^† 1.56
Love Scene (Take 1)^† 2.16
Unknown Song (Take 1)^† 5.56
Love Scene (Take 2)^† 6.40
Crumbling Land (Take 1)^† 4.09
Atom Heart Mother^† Early studio version, band only 19.15

Total: 67 mins, 9 secs

DVD 1:

An Hour with Pink Floyd:

KQED, San Francisco, USA, 30 April 1970:

Atom Heart Mother 17.37
Cymbaline 8.38
Grantchester Meadows 7.37
Green Is The Colour 3.31
Careful With That Axe, Eugene 9.09
Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun 12.37

Total: 59 mins, 9 secs

Audio only:

Atom Heart Mother album original 4.0 Quad mix 1970:

Atom Heart Mother 23.42
If 4.31
Summer ’68 5.29
Fat Old Sun 5.24
Alan’s Psychedelic Breakfast 13.01

Total: 52 mins, 7 secs

DVD 2:

‘Pop Deux – Festival de St. Tropez’, France, 8 August 1970:

Part 1:

Cymbaline (sound check) 3.54
Atom Heart Mother 13.46
Embryo 11.23

Part 2:

Green Is The Colour/
Careful With That Axe, Eugene 12.21
Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun 12.07

Roland Petit Ballet, Paris, France, 5 December 1970:

Instrumental Improvisations 1,2,3^† live in the studio 3.28
Embryo 2.39

Blackhill’s Garden Party, Hyde Park, London, UK, 18 July 1970:

9. Atom Heart Mother with the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble/John Alldis Choir

1971 REVERBER/ATION

CD:

Nothing Part 14 (Echoes work in progress)^† 7.01

BBC Radio Session, 30 September 1971:

Fat Old Sun^† 15.33
One Of These Days^† 7.19
Embryo^† 10.43
Echoes^† 26.25

Total: 67 mins 1 sec

DVD/Blu-ray:

‘Aspekte’ feature 9.51

Interview + Atom Heart Mother (extracts)

Hamburg, Germany, 25 February 1971

Brass & Choir conducted by Jeffrey Mitchell

A Saucerful Of Secrets (extract)

Offenbach, Germany, 26 February 1971

‘Cinq Grands Sur La Deux’ 17.55

Abbaye de Royaumont, Asnierès-sur-Oise, France, 15 June 1971

Set The Control For The Heart Of The Sun
Cymbaline
Atom Heart Mother (extract) 3.12

‘Musikforum Ossiachersee’, Ossiach, Austria, 1 July 1971

Brass & Choir conducted by Jeffrey Mitchell

‘Get To Know’ 6.23

Randwick Race Course, Sydney, Australia, 15 August 1971

Careful With That Axe, Eugene

Band interview

’24 hours – Bootleg Records’, London, UK, 1971

Documentary including Pink Floyd and manager Steve O’Rourke 2.27

‘Review’, London, UK, 1971 3.37

Storm Thorgerson & Aubrey ‘Po’ Powell interviewed re: record cover design

One of These Days (‘French Windows’) 4.17

Ian Emes animation created July 1972, Birmingham, UK

Atom Heart Mother (extract, in colour): 5.10

‘Musikforum Ossiachersee’, Ossiach, Austria, 1 July 1971

Brass & Choir conducted by Jeffrey Mitchell

Atom Heart Mother: ’71 Hakone Aphrodite 15.11

Open Air Festival, Hakone, Japan, 6-7 August 1971

Total: 68 mins 3 secs

Audio-only material:

Echoes original 4.0 Quad mix 1971 23.35

1972 OBFUSC/ATION

CD:

Obscured By Clouds 2016 Remix

Obscured By Clouds^† 3.03
When You’re In^† 2.31
Burning Bridges^†3.30
The Gold It’s In The…^†3.07
Wot’s…Uh The Deal^†5.09
Mudmen^† 4.18
Childhood’s End^† 4.33
Free Four^†4.16
Stay^†

DVD/Blu-ray:

Recording Obscured by Clouds, Château d’Hérouville,

France, 23-29 February 1972

Wot’s…Uh The Deal: with recording session photos 5.04
Pop Deux: Documentary recording Obscured By Clouds 7.14

+ David Gilmour and Roger Waters interview

Brighton Dome, UK, 29 June 1972 16.44

Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun
Careful With That Axe, Eugene

Roland Petit Pink Floyd Ballet, France, news reports 1972-73

Actualités Méditerranée, Marseille, 22 November 1972 3.29
JT Nuit – Les Pink Floyd, Marseille, 26 November 1972 3.04
JT 20^h– Pink Floyd, Paris, 12 January 1973 3.01
Journal de Paris – Les Pink Floyd, Paris, 12 January 1973 5.03

Poitiers – Autour Du Passage Des Pink Floyd 4.27

Concert set up news report – France, 29 November 1972

Live At Pompeii (with 2016 5.1 Audio Remix)

Careful With That Axe, Eugene 6.40
A Saucerful Of Secrets 10.09
One Of These Days 5.58
Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun 10.24
Echoes 26.10

Total: 107 mins 27 secs

BONUS CONTINU/ATION

CD:

BBC Radio Session, 25 September 1967:

Flaming^† 2.42
The Scarecrow^† 1.59
The Gnome^† 2.08
Matilda Mother^† 3.20
Reaction in G^† 0.34
Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun^† 3.19

BBC Radio Session, 20 December 1967:

Scream Thy Last Scream^† 3.35

BBC Radio Session, 2 December 1968:

Baby Blue Shuffle In D Major^† 3.58
Blues^† 4.59
US Radio ad 0.22
Music from The Committee No. 1 1.06
Music from The Committee No. 2 3.25
Moonhead^† 7.16 live on 1969 BBC TV moon landings broadcast
Echoes^† 24.10 live at Wembley 1974

Total: 72 mins 35 secs

DVD/Blu-ray 1:

Arnold Layne (Alternative version) 2.56

Hampstead Heath and St. Michael’s Church, Highgate, London, UK, March 1967

‘P1 – P wie Petersilie’ 16.52

Stuggart, Germany, 22 July 1969

Corporal Clegg

Band interview

A Saucerful of Secrets

Atom Heart Mother 3.46

‘Bath Festival of Blues & Progressive Music’, Shepton Mallet, UK, 27 June 1970

‘Kralingen Music Festival’ 10.16

Rotterdam, The Netherlands, 28 June 1970

Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun

A Saucerful Of Secrets

‘The Amsterdam Rock Circus’ 35.41

Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 22 May 1972

Atom Heart Mother

Careful With That Axe, Eugene

A Saucerful Of Secrets

The Committee – (Feature Film) 55.18

Score by Pink Floyd

Total: 124 mins 49 secs

DVD/Blu-ray 2:

‘More’ feature film 1.56.00

‘La Vallée’ (Obscured By Clouds) feature film 1.45.00

Total: 3 hours 41 mins

^{† brano o versione inedita}

7” VINYL SINGLES IN REPRODUCTION SLEEVES :

— Arnold Layne C/W Candy And A Currant Bun

— See Emily Play C/W The Scarecrow

— Apples And Oranges C/W Paintbox

— It Would Be So Nice C/W Julia Dream

— Point Me At The Sky C/W Careful With That Axe, Eugene

Box (UK) / Box (Italia)

Nuovi album in uscita

2016-02-26T00:16:00.000+01:00

Elvis Presley - The Rca Albums Collection (60 CD)(18 Marzo 2016)

Fleetwood Mac - Tusk (superdeluxeedition: 5CD+2LP+DVD)(4 Dicembre 2015)

Enya - Dark Sky Island (20 Novembre 2015)

Jethro Tull - Too Old To Rock'n'Roll: Too Young To Die! (super-deluxe) (27 Novembre 2015)

Al Stewart - Live at Musikladen 1979 (CD+DVD) (13 Novembre 2015)

Yes - Fragile (CD+BluRay) (30 Ottobre 2015)

Muore David Bowie, il suo ultimo clamoroso colpo di scena

2016-01-11T09:52:00.004+01:00

David Bowie è morto nella notte tra il 10 e l'11 Gennaio a 69 anni, dopo una lotta di 18 mesi contro il cancro.
E' questa la notizia che si è diffusa stamattina, confermata sui social network anche dal figlio di Bowie, e che arriva come un fulmine a ciel sereno ai milioni di suoi fan ancora entusiasti per il suo ritorno di appena due giorni fa, nel suo 69° compleanno, con l'album "Blackstar".
Così come Bowie è riuscito a tenere segrete le lavorazioni dei suoi due ultimi album, è riuscito a nascondere pubblicamente la sua malattia, e anche se negli ultimi videoclip si era notato il suo dimagrimento, nessuno poteva immaginare le sue condizioni e pensare che quelli sarebbero stati i suoi ultimi videoclip; anche lo stesso annuncio di non voler fare tour promozionali per Blackstar è stata interpretata come una conseguenza dei suoi problemi di cuore.
Uno degli artisti inglese più amati e idolatrati nel mondo, viene adesso pianto da milioni di fan ma anche di appassionati di musica che ne riconoscono la grandezza, l'istrionicità e la capacità di reinventarsi continuamente diventando uno dei punti di riferimento della scena musicale mondiale. Se ne va così il Bowie umano e comincia la sua leggenda.

Wonderful Crazy Night, il nuovo album di Elton John

2016-01-08T12:09:00.001+01:00

Il nuovo album di Elton John, intitolato “Wonderful Crazy Night”, uscirà il 5 Febbraio 2016.

Prodotto dallo stesso Elton insieme a T-Bone Burnett (produttore dei due precedenti album, The Union e The Diving Board), l’album vede il ritorno della Elton John Band dopo 9 anni, cioè dall'album del 2006 The Captain and the Kid (i due album successivi sono stati invece suonati da sessionmen).

Infatti tutti i brani dell’album vedono Elton accompagnato dai musicisti che suonano con lui nei concerti: gli storici Davey Johnstone (chitarre) e Nigel Olsson (batteria), insieme a Matt Bissonette (basso), Kim Bullard (tastiere) e John Mahon (percussioni); inoltre in cinque brani (non è ancora chiaro se in questo numero siano comprese delle bonus track) ci sarà alle percussioni anche un altro membro storico, Ray Cooper.

I formati fisici dell’album saranno i seguenti:

•CD standard (10 brani)

•CD deluxe (12 brani)

•Box superdeluxe: 2CD (14 brani) + LP + libro fotografico di 20 pagine con foto di Elton

•LP da 180 grammi (10 brani)

Tracklist edizione standard:
1. Wonderful Crazy Night [3:13]
2. In The Name Of You [4:33]
3. Claw Hammer [4:22]
4. Blue Wonderful [3:37]
5. I’ve Got 2 Wings [4:35]
6. A Good Heart [4:50]
7. Looking Up [4:06]
8. Guilty Pleasure [3:38]
9. Tambourine [4:17]
10. The Open Chord [4:04]
[durata totale 41:15]

Bonus track nell'edizione deluxe:
1. Free And Easy [3:55]
2. England And America [3:50]
[durata totale 49:00]

Bonus track nell'edizione super-deluxe:
1. Free And Easy
2. Children’s Song
3. No Monsters
4. England And America

Come sempre tutti i brani sono scritti da Elton su testi di Bernie Taupin.

La copertina dell’album vede un primo piano di Elton con dietro un quadro di Mariah Robertson intitolato “268”, di proprietà dello stesso Elton (infatti si pensa che la foto sia stata scattata a casa sua); l’autore della foto di copertina, così come delle foto del booklet e del libro fotografico del box, è Juergen Teller, famoso fotografo di moda tedesco che aveva già collaborato con Elton in altre occasioni.

Il primo singolo per lanciare l'album è stato il brano “Looking Up”, un rock’n’roll allegro e vivace, che oltre al classico pianoforte riporta in primo piano la chitarra elettrica; il testo è un inno all’ottimismo, che consiglia di guardare alla vita con occhi diversi e di smetterla di piangersi addosso.

Un secondo singolo, uscito a dicembre, è la title-track dell'album, ovvero "Wonderful Crazy Night", un pezzo pop uptempo caratterizzato da una predominanza di tastiere, che racconta di una folle e meravigliosa notte trascorsa da una coppia e che verrà ricordata per sempre; in questo brano Elton abbandona il suo classico pianoforte per suonare invece un pano elettrico, raddoppiato dal lavoro del tastierista Kim Bullard.

Il terzo singolo infine, uscito il 6 Gennaio, è "Blue Wonderful", un mid-tempo con la presenza dei cori della band, uno dei marchi di fabbrica della Elton John Band degli anni 70; il testo inneggia a qualcosa di un colore blu, un meraviglioso blu, ma non è stato ancora chiarito se ci si riferisca al colore degli occhi di una persona o a quello del cielo e del mare o di qualcos'altro. In questo senso i fan di Elton si sono già scatenati nelle più disparate interpretazioni, senza però arrivare ancora a una conclusione certa.

Le prime dichiarazioni di Elton in proposito affermano che le 14 canzoni dell’album (bonus track incluse) sono state registrate in soli 17 giorni, in quanto il ritmo di lavoro è stato di circa un brano al giorno; nel dettaglio, Elton ogni giorno scriveva un brano nuovo e subito dopo lo registrava con la band in una o due take, quindi in un’atmosfera quasi dal vivo. Elton conferma che si tratta di un album gioioso e ottimista, che riflette il suo attuale stato d’animo, e che si ispira molto agli anni 70; ovvero, pur essendo stato registrato nel 2015, è un album che ci riporta alle sonorità degli anni 70; Elton conclude dicendo che è molto orgoglioso di questo album (così come degli altri suoi ultimi) e che si augura solamente che alla gente piaccia.

Da altre fonti come il canale Instagram di Elton e il blog di Davey Johnstone, sappiamo inoltre che Elton e la band hanno registrato in una prima sessione svoltasi nei primi giorni di Febbraio, mentre una seconda sessione che ha visto anche l’aggiunta di Ray Cooper si è svolta ad Aprile.

Fonte: Elton John Italia

Blackstar, il regalo di compleanno di Bowie ai suoi fan

2016-01-08T00:59:00.001+01:00

Oggi 8 Gennaio i fan di David Bowie possono festeggiare doppiamente: sia per il 69° compleanno del Duca Bianco sia per l’uscita del suo nuovo album, il 26° di studio, intitolato Blackstar (in realtà il titolo è simboleggiato proprio dal disegno di una stella nera), che esce a tre anni esatti dal precedente e acclamato The Next Day

Prodotto ancora una volta da Tony Visconti, l’album è stato registrato anche a casa di Bowie a Manhattan, e secondo le dichiarazioni dello stesso Visconti l’obiettivo stavolta è stato quello evitare il rock a tutti i costi: per questo motivo infatti è stata reclutata una band di musicisti jazz che l’artista ha visto per caso in un concerto a New York e che ha in seguito contattato per email; di conseguenza l’album promette di essere sperimentale e dai suoni ricercati, e già la stampa lo ha definito potenzialmente il suo lavoro più strano.

Già nelle scorse settimane sono state anticipate due delle sette nuove tracce: la title-track, della durata di dieci minuti, destinata alla serie tv The Last Panthers, e il brano “Lazarus”, tratto invece dal musical omonimo composto da suoi classici ed inediti che già il mese scorso ha debuttato a New York; in entrambi i casi i brani sono stati accompagnati da videoclip visibili su Youtube.

Inoltre nel nuovo album ci sono altri due brani già usciti in precedenza, "Sue (Or in a Season of Crime)"
e "'Tis a Pity She Was a Whore", che vengono però qui riproposti in una versione differente in quanto riregistrati.

Al contrario delle tendenze recenti che vogliono per ogni uscita almeno un’edizione deluxe con bonus track aggiunte rispetto all’edizione standard, Blackstar esce in un’unica edizione a 7 tracce sia in CD che in vinile; l’unico bonus spetta alla versione digitale, che aggiunge il video della title-track.

Al momento non sono però annunciati concerti per promuovere l’album, confermando ancora una volta il fatto che probabilmente il Duca, che già nel 2004 ebbe dei problemi cardiaci in tour, non ha intenzione di tornare a cantare dal vivo.

Tracklist:

1.    "Blackstar"
2.    "'Tis a Pity She Was a Whore"
3.    "Lazarus"
4.    "Sue (Or in a Season of Crime)"
5.    "Girl Loves Me"
6.    "Dollar Days"
7.    "I Can't Give Everything Away"

CD (UK) / CD (ITA)
LP (UK) / LP (ITA)

Queen: 'A Night At The Odeon' To Be Released On November 20th

2015-10-12T16:49:00.001+02:00

December 24, 1975. London’s Hammersmith Odeon. Onstage at this legendary venue, the four members of Queen are bringing to a close a ground-breaking show, transmitted live on BBC TV, and also bringing to a climax the most eventful and exciting year in their careers so far – one that has taken them from the UK to America to Japan, sealing their transition from ambitious upstarts into one of the biggest and most important bands of the era - and beyond.
Forty years later, this groundbreaking show officially takes to the World Stage. On November 20, Queen - A Night At The Odeon - Hammersmith 1975 is released through Virgin EMI. As well as a live recording of this legendary gig, the packages also include extra-special bonus features for the Queen fans.

Featuring 15 tracks from their first four albums, plus covers of four classic rock’n’roll staples delivered with characteristic panache, A Night At The Odeon - Hammersmith 1975 captures a band in full flight and radiating megawatts of self-confidence.

The Christmas Eve show was the climax of the 26-date ‘Queen Invite You To A Night At The Opera Tour’, which had begun mid-November and had already seen the band play four nights at the same venue a month earlier.

By the time the band returned to Hammersmith on Christmas Eve, they were truly firing on all cylinders. No expense had been spared, from the stellar light show which lent a spectacular visual element to the night’s proceedings to the suitably lavish white Bechstein grand piano which had been hired especially for this show. Nor had the band themselves overlooked the finer sartorial details. Freddie Mercury sported two different satin cat suits – one black one white – during the show, designed by Wendy deSmet with the singer’s input. Similarly, Freddie had painted the nails of his left hand black for the occasion, while Brian May had his (at the time) trademark white nails.

It was also the tour when they first unleashed the soon-to-be-legendary Bohemian Rhapsody on an unsuspecting public – to a rapturous reception.

The Christmas Eve show stood as more than just a concert. It was simultaneously broadcast in stereo on BBC Radio 1 and on the BBC 2 television institution The Old Grey Whistle Test (the show’s host Bob Harris introduced the band onstage). Luckily, although the TV cameras were turned off before the band returned for their second encore, and consequently video footage of Seven Seas Of Rhye and See What A Fool I’ve Been doesn’t exist – the audio team did continue recording and so the CD and LP formats do feature the entire show.
As a result of the coverage, the show was heavily bootlegged in subsequent years, appearing under such unlikely titles as Command Performance, Rhapsody In Red, Christmas At The Beeb, Cardiac Arrest and Halfpence.
With the issue of A Night At The Odeon this legendary show has finally been given the pedestal it deserves, delivered in fitting style, featuring an incredible new audio mix in stereo and 5.1 surround-sound plus an absolute state-of-the-art restoration of the video.
As well as audio and visual footage of the gig, the DVD and SD Blu-Ray versions feature two special bonus features – 'Looking Back At The Odeon’, a brand new 22-minute documentary featuring a previously unseen interview with Brian May and Roger Taylor by Old Grey Whistle Test presenter Bob Harris about the 1975 Hammersmith Odeon show, plus the rarely seen Live At The Budokan – Japan 1975 footage, featuring three songs (Now I'm Here, Killer Queen and In The Lap Of The Gods… Revisited) recorded during their legendary tour of the Far East.

The Super Deluxe Box Set also includes a never-before-heard recording from the pre-show soundcheck – something that no one outside of the band themselves knew existed until now.

Queen - A Night At The Odeon - Hammersmith 1975 is available on the following formats:

1 CD (see below for tracklist):

Amazon UK

1 DVD (see below for tracklist):

1 BluRay SD (see below for tracklist):

CD + DVD (see below for tracklist):

Amazon UK

CD + BluRay SD (see below for tracklist):

Amazon UK

double LP (see below for tracklist):

box superdeluxe with: CD + DVD + BluRay SD + 12"single Bohemian Rhapsody / Now I'm Here (soundcheck) + 60 page hardback book containing previously unseen photographs, reproduction of ticket from the concert, concert programme, badges, tour itinerary, tour poster, pass:

Amazon UK

Tracklist CD/LP:

1. Now I'm Here
2. Ogre Battle
3. White Queen
4. Bohemian Rhapsody
5. Killer Queen
6. The March Of The Black Queen
7. Bohemian Rhapsody (reprise)
8. Bring Back That Leroy Brown
9. Brighton Rock
10. Guitar Solo
11. Son And Daughter
12. Keep Yourself Alive
13. Liar
14. In The Lap Of The Gods... revisited
15. Big Spender
16. Jailhouse Rock / Stupid Cupid / Be Bop A Lula / Jailhouse Rock (reprise)
17. Seven Seas Of Rhye
18. See What a Fool I've Been
19. God Save The Queen

Tracklist DVD/BluRay:

1. Now I'm Here
2. Ogre Battle
3. White Queen
4. Bohemian Rhapsody
5. Killer Queen
6. The March Of The Black Queen
7. Bohemian Rhapsody (reprise)
8. Bring Back That Leroy Brown
9. Brighton Rock
10. Guitar Solo
11. Son And Daughter
12. Keep Yourself Alive
13. Liar
14. In The Lap Of The Gods... revisited
15. Big Spender
16. Jailhouse Rock / Stupid Cupid / Be Bop A Lula / Jailhouse Rock (reprise)
17. God Save The Queen
(Bonus tracks)
1. Looking back at the Odeon (22 min documentary)
2. Now I'm Here (live at the Budokan, Tokyo 1st May 1975)
3. Killer Queen (live at the Budokan, Tokyo 1st May 1975)
4. In The Lap Of The Gods... revisited (live at the Budokan, Tokyo 1st May 1975)

35th Anniversary Edition of The Alan Parsons Project ‘The Turn of a Friendly Card’ with unreleased bonus tracks

2015-09-25T10:11:00.000+02:00

The 35th Anniversary Deluxe edition of ‘The Turn of a Friendly Card’ by The Alan Parsons Project will be released on 6th November 2015.
The 2CD package includes re-mastered original album (a brand new remaster, overseen by Alan Parsons), 17 previously unreleased bonus tracks (including Eric Woolfson’s songwriting diary home demos) plus 10 bonus tracks and new 20-page booklet with lyrics, notes on the making of the album and rare photos. Also available a limited edition vinyl 7” of three single edits.

CD1:
1. May Be A Price To Pay
2. Games People Play
3. Time
4. I Don’t Wanna Go Home
5. The Gold Bug InstrumentalThe Turn Of A Friendly Card
6. The Turn Of A Friendly Card (Part One)
7. Snake Eyes
8. The Ace Of Swords
9. Nothing Left To Lose
10. The Turn Of A Friendly Card(Part Two)
BONUS TRACKS
11. May Be A Price To Pay (Intro Demo)
12. Nothing Left To Lose (Basic Backing Track)
13. Nothing Left To Lose (Chris Rainbow VocalOverdub Compilation)
14. Nothing Left To Lose (Early Studio Version with Eric’s Guide Vocal)
15. Time (Early Studio Attempt)
16. GamesPeople Play (Rough Mix)
17. The Gold Bug (Demo)

CD2:
1. May Be A Price to Pay (Eric's Songwriting Diary)
2. Games People Play (Eric's Songwriting Diary)
3. Time (Eric's Songwriting Diary)
4. I Don’t Wanna Go Home (Eric's Songwriting Diary)
5. The Turn of a Friendly Card (Eric's Songwriting Diary)
6. Snake Eyes (Eric's Songwriting Diary)
7. Nothing Left to Lose (Eric's Songwriting Diary)
8. TOFC/ Snake Eyes/ I Don’t Wanna Go Home (Eric's Songwriting Diary)
EXTRA BONUS TRACKS
9. May Be A Price to Pay (Early Version - Eric Guide Vocal & Unused Guitar Solo)
10. Games People Play (Early version - Eric Guide Vocal)
11. Time (Orchestra & Chris Rainbow Backing Vocals)
12. The Gold Bug (Early Reference Version)
13. The Turn of a Friendly Card Part 1 (Early Backing Track)
14. Snake Eyes (Early Version - Eric Guide Vocal)
15. The Ace of Swords (Early Version with Synth “Orchestration")
16. The Ace Of Swords (Early Version with Piano on Melody)
17. The Turn of a Friendly Card Part Two (Eric Guide Vocal and Extended Guitar Solo)
18. Games People Play (Single Edit)
19. The Turn of a Friendly Card (Single Edit)
20. Snake Eyes (Single Edit)

Order 2CD Deluxe Edition

Jeff Lynne's ELO: Alone in the Universe is the first album in 15 years

2015-09-24T20:55:00.001+02:00

After a long hiatus (the proper last studio album was Zoom in 2001) Electric Light Orchestra return with a new album and a new name.
For reasons still not officially confirmed, now the group (actually formed by one person since 2001) is called "Jeff Lynne's ELO"; just few days ago it was announced that Lynne had signed with Columbia for a new album, and now we have all the details about it.
The album wil be called "Alone In The Universe" and it will be released on 13th November.
The standard CD edition will feature 10 tracks, while a deluxe edition will also have two additional bonus tracks; also, there will be a vinyl edition.

Tracklist:
1. When I Was A Boy
2. Love & Rain

3. Dirty To The Bone

4. When The Night Comes

5. The Sun Will Shine On You

6. Ain't It A Drag

7. All My Life

8. I'm Leaving You

9. One Step At A Time

10. Alone In The Universe

(bonus tracks on the deluxe edition only)

11. Faultline

12. Blue

On their official Youtube channel (ELOVEVO) you can also find the audio of the first single, "When I Was A Boy".

Jeff Lynne said in a press release about the album:
"Music is such a powerful force in our lives. A good song can make people feel much less alone in this universe. And trying to create one of those songs somehow makes me feel less alone too. My whole life-from being that kid with a dream in Birmingham right until today-proves how much music can do."

Ashley Newton, President of Columbia Records, also adds:
"Jeff Lynne is a total master of his craft and 'Alone In The Universe' is pure pop perfection. We are thrilled to be involved in the return of ELO and enormously proud to be releasing this contemporary classic on Columbia Records."

Available for pre-order:
standard CD
deluxe CD
vinyl LP

La collezione degli album dei Queen in vinile colorato

2015-09-22T00:17:00.001+02:00

E' in uscita il prossimo 25 Settembre un box che farà gola a molti collezionisti dei Queen: si tratta di un box contenente l'intera discografia del gruppo ristampata per l'occasione su vinili colorati.
Gli album hanno come sorgente i master originali restaurati digitalmente, e inoltre sono stati masterizzati con la tecnica della velocità dimezzata, che ne migliora la resa sonora, e stampati su vinile da 180 grammi, anche in questo caso per una maggiore fedeltà del suono; il tutto è stato masterizzato da Bob Ludwig, che si ritiene sia uno dei migliori mastering engineer al mondo.
Inoltre ci sono un paio di sorprese: anche se gli album sono 15, in realtà i vinili presenti nel box saranno 18; infatti il secondo album del gruppo, Queen II, è stato stampato (per tenere fede all'LP originale il cui lato A era denominato "white side" e il lato B "black side") su due vinili, uno bianco e uno nero; ognuno dei due ha da un lato l'incisione di mezzo album, mentre nell'altro lato, senza musica, c'è una serigrafia del logo del gruppo.
Inoltre, gli album Innuendo e Made in Heaven vengono per la prima volta stampati in doppio vinile al fine di ripristinare la loro lunghezza originale; infatti quando uscirono, la versione integrale di entrambi gli album si poteva ottenere solo su CD, mentre la versione in vinile per motivi di spazio era più corta: nello specifico in Innuendo sono stati mantenuti tutti i brani ma alcuni di essi sono stati "accorciati" (togliendo ad esempio parte delle congas in These Are the Days of Our Lives e un assolo di chitarra in Bijou), mentre in Made in Heaven è stata tagliata del tutto la traccia finale, la famosa ghost-track strumentale di circa 23 minuti che Brian, Roger e David Richards hanno preparato come tributo a Freddie unendo vari suoni ed effetti sonori. Sarà quindi possibile per la prima volta ascoltare in vinile sia la cosiddetta "track 13" sia le versioni complete dei brani di Innuendo.

Ogni album avrà un colore diverso, e ad arricchire il box c'è anche un libro esclusivo di 108 pagine contenente introduzioni per ogni album, dichiarazioni degli stessi Queen, testi originali scritti a mano, foto rare, memorabilia e informazioni approfondite su singoli e video, tutto proveniente dall'archivio dei Queen e da qualche collezionista privato.

Un box, molto ben curato, non alla portata di tutte le tasche, che sicuramente nel tempo non sarà facile da trovare a prezzi contenuti.

Infine, per chi non può permettersi l'intero box, gli album saranno disponibili anche singolarmente ma in vinile standard (non colorato), sempre però con le incisioni di alta qualità menzionate per il box e in versione doppia dove previsto.

Ordina il box su:
-Amazon Italia
-Amazon UK

One: the new audio and video compilation by The Beatles

2015-09-15T17:48:00.005+02:00

A new audio and video The Beatles compilation titled "One" is set to be released on 6th November.

Showcasing the band’s filmed work to accompany their 27 No.1, U.K. and U.S. singles, The Beatles 1 is newly restored and expanded in multiple configuration.
The 27-track CD/DVD and CD/Blu-ray pairs beautifully restored videos for each song, with new stereo and 5.1 Dolby Digital and DTS HD surround audio mixes. The brand new Beatles 1+ celebrates their career in over 200 minutes through 50 promotional films and videos. This includes the 27 No.1s, with the restored videos, along with a second disc of 23 videos, including alternate versions, as well as rarely seen and newly restored films and videos; all include new audio mixes in deluxe CD/2-DVD and CD/2-Blu-ray packages. The 27-track audio CD is also being made available with new stereo mixes. A 2 LP, 180-gram vinyl package will follow.

The new editions of The Beatles 1 have been made possible following extensive research, and restoration of the original promo films, classic television appearances and other carefully selected videos spanning the band’s history.
Apple Corps dug deep into The Beatles’ vaults to select a broad range of films and videos for their rarity, historical significance and quality of performance. An 18-person team of film and video technicians and restoration artists was assembled by Apple Corps to undertake painstaking frame-by-frame cleaning, colour-grading, digital enhancement and new edits that took months of dedicated, ‘round-the-clock work to accomplish.
The result is a visual run down of The Beatles’ number one records, as well as the additional tracks on the bonus disc of Beatles 1+ that show the band in previously unseen standards of clarity and quality; many of the films and videos have never before been commercially released, in whole or in part.

Beatles 1 and Beatles 1+ offers the restored films, including 35mm negatives scanned in 4K and digitally restored with new stereo and 5.1 surround audio remixes, produced from the original analogue tapes by the team of Giles Martin with Sam Okell at Abbey Road Studios.

For four of the videos, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr have provided exclusive audio commentary and filmed introductions, respectively. The 1+ Deluxe Edition, presented in an expanded 124-page illustrated hardcover book includes ‘an appreciation’ of The Beatles’ ground-breaking films and videos by music journalist and author Mark Ellen and extensive, detailed track/video annotation by music historian and author Richard Havers.

DISC 1 AUDIO (CD) + DISC 1 VIDEO (DVD or Blu-ray)

Love Me Do
From Me To You
She Loves You
I Want To Hold Your Hand
Can’t Buy Me Love
A Hard Day’s Night
I Feel Fine
Eight Days a Week
Ticket To Ride
Help!
Yesterday
Day Tripper
We Can Work It Out
Paperback Writer
Yellow Submarine
Eleanor Rigby
Penny Lane
All You Need Is Love
Hello, Goodbye
Lady Madonna
Hey Jude
Get Back
The Ballad of John and Yoko
Something
Come Together
Let It Be
The Long and Winding Road

DISC 1 VIDEO EXTRAS

Paul McCartney audio commentary
Penny Lane
Hello, Goodbye
Hey Jude
Ringo Starr filmed introductions
Penny Lane
Hello, Goodbye
Hey Jude
Get Back

DISC 2 VIDEO (DVD or Blu-Ray)

Twist & Shout
Baby It’s You
Words Of Love
Please Please Me
I Feel Fine
Day Tripper *
Day Tripper *
We Can Work It Out *
Paperback Writer *
Rain *
Rain *
Strawberry Fields Forever
Within You Without You/Tomorrow Never Knows
A Day In The Life
Hello, Goodbye *
Hello, Goodbye *
Hey Bulldog
Hey Jude *
Revolution
Get Back *
Don’t Let Me Down
Free As A Bird
Real Love

DISC 2 VIDEO EXTRA

Paul McCartney audio commentary
Strawberry Fields Forever

* alternate version

Here are the details of every videoclip featured in this compilation:

1. LOVE ME DO
Newly edited clip, featuring material from BBC TV’s The Mersey Sound, with performance footage filmed on 27 August 1963 at the Little Theatre, Southport.
2. FROM ME TO YOU
A live performance at the 1963 Royal Variety Show, filmed at The Prince Of Wales Theatre, London, on 4 November 1963.
3. SHE LOVES YOU
A live performance from the Swedish Television show Drop In, recorded on 30 October 1963 during a short Scandinavian tour.
4. I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND
From the Granada TV programme Late Scene Extra filmed on 25 November 1963.
5. CAN’T BUY ME LOVE
First broadcast in the TV show Around The Beatles, filmed on 28 April 1964 and broadcast the following month. It features a different audio track to that of hit single, recorded by The Beatles on 19 April 1964.
6. A HARD DAY’S NIGHT
Live performance at the Palais des Sports, Paris on 20 June 1965, while on a short European tour.
7. I FEEL FINE
Filmed at Twickenham Film Studios on 23 November 1965. One of ten films shot that day to satisfy global TV demand for broadcast material to accompany The Beatles’ hit records.
8. EIGHT DAYS A WEEK
A brand new clip edited from material filmed at the Shea Stadium concert in New York City on 15 August 1965, during which the band performed twelve songs, but ‘Eight Days A Week’ was not among them. The clip says so much about the band’s frenetic lifestyle in 1965, at the height of Beatlemania.
9. TICKET TO RIDE
Filmed at Twickenham Film Studios on 23 November 1965.
10. HELP!
The less frequently seen clip of those filmed at Twickenham Film Studios on 23 November 1965.
11. YESTERDAY
Paul performing on The Ed Sullivan Show, videotaped in New York City on 14 August 1965 and broadcast the following month, the day before the single was released in America.
12. DAY TRIPPER
Three versions of this clip were filmed at Twickenham Film Studios on 23 November 1965. This is version 2, in which all of the group are wearing polo neck sweaters, except for Paul, who wears a black shirt.
13. WE CAN WORK IT OUT
There were three versions of the ‘We Can Work It Out’ video filmed atat Twickenham Film Studios on 23 November 1965. This is version 2 in which all four Beatles are wearing black polo neck sweaters.
14. PAPERBACK WRITER
Filmed in 35mm, and in colour, in Chiswick Park, West London, by director Michael Lindsay-Hogg.
15. YELLOW SUBMARINE
This clip is newly created from original Yellow Submarine footage.
16. ELEANOR RIGBY
This clip is taken directly from the Yellow Submarine movie.
17. PENNY LANE
A ground-breaking clip by Swedish director Peter Goldmann that captures The Beatles in Stratford, London, and at Knole Park in Kent, with additional material shot in Liverpool.
18. ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE
Filmed in Studio One at Abbey Road, on 25 June 1967, and beamed around the globe as a part of the TV programme Our World. This colourised version was created for The Beatles Anthology TV programme in 1995.
19. HELLO, GOODBYE
London’s Saville Theatre was the location for this promo film, shot on 10 November 1967; The Beatles wear their Sgt. Pepper outfits.
20. LADY MADONNA
Just prior to leaving for India, The Beatles met up in Studio Three at Abbey Road, on 11 February 1968. They were filmed while recording ‘Hey Bulldog’.
21. HEY JUDE
Filmed at Twickenham Film Studios on 4 September, for broadcast on David Frost’s TV show, Frost On Sunday. The introduction by David Frost is different from that on disc 2.
22. GET BACK
The promo clip made available at the time of the original release of the single featured performances from the Apple rooftop synched to the record. This new clip has been rebuilt to replicate the original but with improved picture quality.
23. THE BALLAD OF JOHN AND YOKO
This original promo clip features outtakes from the Let It Be movie, with other private footage shot in Amsterdam, London, Paris and Vienna.
24. SOMETHING
The video features George and Pattie, John and Yoko, Paul and Linda, and Ringo and Maureen. and was filmed at locations in Berkshire, Surrey, and the Mull of Kintyre.
25. COME TOGETHER
The clip was created in 2000 by Melon Dezign for the launch of thebeatles.com and the original Beatles 1 album.
26. LET IT BE
A 1970 promo clip was made available to support the release of the single and it was different to the one featured in the Let It Be movie; this clip has been rebuilt from the original footage.
27. THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD
This clip is taken straight from the Let It Be movie.

DISC TWO

1. TWIST AND SHOUT
From the Granada Television programme Scene At 6.30, which was videotaped on 14 August 1963.
2. BABY IT’S YOU
One of two clips used to promote the single taken from the 1995 Live At The BBC album. The clip is enhanced by the inclusion of unique colour footage of The Beatles filmed outside the BBC’s Paris Studio on Lower Regent Street, London.
3. WORDS OF LOVE
When On Air – Live At The BBC Volume 2 was released in 2013, it included ‘Words Of Love’, a Buddy Holly composition that the band recorded for radio. This new clip is a mix of existing footage and innovative animation.
4. PLEASE PLEASE ME
A live performance videotaped on 9 February for The Ed Sullivan Show, which was screened on 23 February 1964.
5. I FEEL FINE
Filmed at Twickenham Film Studios on 23 November 1965, this clip shows The Beatles eating fish and chips during their lunch break.
6. DAY TRIPPER
From the TV special The Music Of Lennon & McCartney that first broadcast in mid-December 1965.
7. DAY TRIPPER
Filmed at Twickenham Film Studios on 23 November 1965, with the group wearing their Shea Stadium Jackets with the ‘Nehru’ collars.
8. WE CAN WORK IT OUT
Filmed at Twickenham Film Studios on 23 November 1965 – showing The Beatles wearing the Shea Stadium jackets.
9. PAPERBACK WRITER
Shot on videotape at Abbey Road, on 19 May 1966, this studio version is prefaced by a short introduction by Ringo. It was broadcast on The Ed Sullivan Show in America.
10. RAIN
‘Rain’, the B-side of ‘Paperback Writer’, was filmed in colour at Chiswick House, West London, on 20 May 1966.
11. RAIN
This black and white clip is a new edit from several takes of ‘Rain’ videotaped at Abbey Road on 19 May 1966.
12. STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER
Directed by Peter Goldmann and with newly restored footage, this was filmed at Knole Park, Kent on 30 and 31 January 1967.
13. WITHIN YOU WITHOUT YOU/TOMORROW NEVER KNOWS
The merging of these two tracks, one from Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, the other from Revolver, was created for The Beatles Love show by Cirque du Soleil, which opened in June 2006 in Las Vegas. This video was created to promote the Love album released later that year.
14. A DAY IN THE LIFE
Filmed in Studio One at Abbey Road on 10 February 1967, this includes classical musicians, who were asked to wear evening dress, fake noses and funny hats for the recording session.
15. HELLO, GOODBYE
This clip is another shot at London’s Saville Theatre on 10 November 1967; The Beatles wear their ‘street clothes’.
16. HELLO, GOODBYE
This third version was also shot at London’s Saville Theatre on 10 November 1967; it includes elements from the first two films but with additional footage unique to this edit.
17. HEY BULLDOG
The original footage from a 1968 shoot for the ‘Lady Madonna’ promo film was unearthed in the mid-1990s. It was revealed that The Beatles were recording ‘Hey Bulldog’ and is an edit done to promote the reissue of the Yellow Submarine movie in 1999.
18. HEY JUDE
This is an edit of the two other takes filmed on 4 September 1968 for the Frost On Sunday TV show. This has a different David Frost intro to the clip on disc 1.
19. REVOLUTION
One of two versions, this was shot the same day as ‘Hey Jude’. John’s lead vocal is completely live, as are most of Paul and George’s backing vocals. The instrumentation, including Nicky Hopkins’ electric piano, is from the master tape.
20. GET BACK
This clip was assembled in 2003 to support the release of the album Let It Be…Naked and utilises studio footage from the famous Get Back/Let It Be sessions.
21. DON’T LET ME DOWN
This was the B-side of ‘Get Back’ and this clip is a composite of two live performances from the Apple rooftop in 1969. It was made available to support the release of Let It Be…Naked in 2003.
22. FREE AS A BIRD
The 1995 video is a work of art by director Joe Pytka, who used the concept of a bird’s-eye view to pay homage to many Beatles songs and images.
23. REAL LOVE
This video directed by Geoff Wonfor and ex-10cc and leading pop promo-maker Kevin Godley, this video was made in 1996 to support the release of the single.

1 CD+2 BD:
1 CD+2 DVD:
1 CD+1 BD:
1 CD+1 DVD:
1 BD:
1 DVD:

Queen: A Night at the Odeon '75, in uscita il concerto all'Hammersmith Odeon del 24 Dicembre 1975

2015-09-11T19:49:00.001+02:00

Il prossimo 20 Novembre verrà pubblicato in vari formati "A Night at the Odeon '75", il concerto che i Queen tennero il 24 Dicembre del 1975 all'Hammersmith Odeon di Londra.
Tra i fan di lunga data è sicuramente uno dei concerti più famosi (a parte il famigerato Wembley del 1986) in quanto, pur non essendo mai stato pubblicato ufficialmente, è stato trasmesso varie volte in TV (in origine infatti fu filmato dalla BBC) e pubblicato illegalmente sui bootleg.
Adesso, grazie alla decisione della Queen Productions di pubblicarlo, avremo finalmente la possibilità di gustarlo per intero e soprattutto in versione restaurata che ci garantisce la massima qualità sia audio che video.
Restaurato da pellicola già nel 2009 (quando probabilmente c'era l'intenzione di pubblicarlo, poi abortita e rimandata fino ad oggi), esce proprio in occasione del suo 40° compleanno.
Addirittura in quel periodo Brian May chiese l'aiuto dei fan per cercare di recuperare il filmato dei bis, che a quanto pare non vennero ripresi dalle telecamere della BBC.

Oltre al video, anche l'audio è stato restaurato e in DVD e BluRay è sia in versione stereo che 5.1 surround.
Il video documentario bonus di 22 minuti contiene un'intervista inedita a Brian May e Roger Taylor, che commentano lo show con Bob Harris, mentre gli altri bonus sono tre brani da un concerto a Tokyo dello stesso tour.

Infine, il box superdeluxe contiene anche un 12" che celebra il 40° compleanno di Bohemian Rhapsody (lato A) e fornisce un ulteriore chicca: Now I'm Here dal soundcheck del concerto (sul lato B).

Come già il live at Rainbow uscito lo scorso anno, sono previsti vari formati:

1 CD (vedi sotto per tracklist):

Amazon UK / Amazon IT

1 DVD (vedi sotto per tracklist):

Amazon UK / Amazon IT

1 BluRay SD (vedi sotto per tracklist):

Amazon UK / Amazon IT

CD + DVD (vedi sotto per tracklist):

Amazon UK / Amazon IT

CD + BluRay SD (vedi sotto per tracklist):

Amazon UK / Amazon IT

doppio LP (vedi sotto per tracklist):

Amazon UK / Amazon IT

box superdeluxe con: CD + DVD + BluRay SD + singolo 12" Boohemian Rhapsody / Now I'm Here (soundcheck) + libro di 60 pagine con foto inedite + memorabilia del concerto (riproduzioni di: biglietto, programma, badge, poster, itinerario, pass)

Amazon UK / Amazon IT

Tracklist CD/LP:

1. Now I'm Here
2. Ogre Battle
3. White Queen
4. Bohemian Rhapsody
5. Killer Queen
6. The March Of The Black Queen
7. Bohemian Rhapsody (reprise)
8. Bring Back That Leroy Brown
9. Brighton Rock
10. Guitar Solo
11. Son And Daughter
12. Keep Yourself Alive
13. Liar
14. In The Lap Of The Gods... revisited
15. Big Spender
16. Jailhouse Rock / Stupid Cupid / Be Bop A Lula / Jailhouse Rock (reprise)
17. Seven Seas Of Rhye
18. See What a Fool I've Been
19. God Save The Queen

Tracklist DVD/BluRay:

1. Now I'm Here
2. Ogre Battle
3. White Queen
4. Bohemian Rhapsody
5. Killer Queen
6. The March Of The Black Queen
7. Bohemian Rhapsody (reprise)
8. Bring Back That Leroy Brown
9. Brighton Rock
10. Guitar Solo
11. Son And Daughter
12. Keep Yourself Alive
13. Liar
14. In The Lap Of The Gods... revisited
15. Big Spender
16. Jailhouse Rock / Stupid Cupid / Be Bop A Lula / Jailhouse Rock (reprise)
17. God Save The Queen
(Bonus tracks)
1. Looking back at the Odeon (documentario inedito di 22 minuti)
2. Now I'm Here (live al Budokan, Tokyo 1 Maggio 1975)
3. Killer Queen (live al Budokan, Tokyo 1 Maggio 1975)
4. In The Lap Of The Gods... revisited (live al Budokan, Tokyo 1 Maggio 1975)

David Bowie: Five Years 1969-1973 boxsets

2015-06-23T13:57:00.000+02:00

On 25th September, Parlophone Records will release Five Years, a 12CD and 13LP box set that will feature all of the material officially released by David Bowie between 1969 and 1973.

Bowie’s six studio albums of this period – David Bowie / Space Oddity*, The Man Who Sold The World*, Hunky Dory*, The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars, Aladdin Sane, and PinUps* – are all included, and the asterisks indicate new 2015 remasters.
There will be no bonus tracks appended to the albums, instead Five Years comes with Re:Call 1, an exclusive two disc compilation of non-album singles, single versions and B-sides, including a previously unreleased single edit of All The Madmen and the original single version of Holy Holy, which was only ever released on the original 1971 Mercury single and hasn’t been available on any official release since.

Another box set exclusive will be the inclusion of Ken Scott’s 2003 stereo remix of The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars – previously only available on DVD with the LP/DVD format of the 40th anniversary edition of the album. This is in addition to the standard version, which presumably uses the 2012 40th Anniversary remaster. The 2003 remix version comes with an alternate cover which features an outtake from the original Heddon Street photo session.
Finally, Five Years also includes the two live albums officially released: Live Santa Monica ‘72 and Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture Soundtrack.

The vinyl version of Five Years has exactly the same content as the CD edition and is pressed on 180g ‘audiophile’ vinyl.
Both CD and vinyl boxes come with an accompanying book (128 pages in the CD box and 84 in the vinyl set) which feature rare photos and technical notes about each album from producers Tony Visconti and Ken Scott.
The CD box set will include “faithfully reproduced mini-vinyl versions” of the original albums and the CDs will be gold rather than the usual silver.

In The Box:

• David Bowie AKA Space Oddity*
• The Man Who Sold The World*
• Hunky Dory*
• The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars
• Aladdin Sane
• Pin Ups*

• Live Santa Monica ‘72
• Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture Soundtrack

• The Rise and Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars (2003 Ken Scott mix)
• Re:Call 1 (2CD set)

Re:Call 1 tracklisting

CD1

Space Oddity (original UK mono single edit)*
Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud (original UK mono single version)*
Ragazzo Solo, Ragazza Sola
The Prettiest Star (original mono single version)*
Conversation Piece*
Memory Of A Free Festival (Part 1)
Memory Of A Free Festival (Part 2)
All The Madmen (mono single edit)* previously unreleased
Janine*
Holy Holy (original mono single version)* only ever issued on original ‘71 Mercury single
Moonage Daydream (The Arnold Corns single version)*
Hang On To Yourself (The Arnold Corns single version)*

CD 2

Changes (mono single version)*
Andy Warhol (mono single version)*
Starman (original single mix)
John, I’m Only Dancing (original single version)
The Jean Genie (original single mix)
Drive-In Saturday (German single edit)
Round And Round
John, I’m Only Dancing (sax version)
Time (U.S. single edit)
Amsterdam
Holy Holy (Spiders version)
Velvet Goldmine

All tracks stereo except *mono.

[Source: SuperDeluxeEdition]

Big Love: the first brand-new Simply Red album in 8 years

2015-05-26T18:55:00.002+02:00

Mick Hucknall believes that important anniversaries should be celebrated in style. So when it was suggested that he did something special to mark 30 years since the release of Simply Red’s 1985 debut album Picture Book, it seemed a good idea to go back on the road with a band who had been a fixture in British pop for a quarter of a century until bringing the curtain down with an emotional farewell show at London’s O2 Arena in December 2010.

But, as he contemplated just what Simply Red might mean in 2015, his mind started racing and the creative juices suddenly and unexpectedly began to flow. ‘Once I began wondering how Simply Red were going to sound, I started writing songs,’ says Mick. ‘It then dawned on me that we could make a new Simply Red album to tie in with the tour.’

Written and recorded with an ease and spontaneity that surprised everyone involved, Big Love is a record that will remind us all just why we fell in love with Simply Red in the first place. Putting a tuneful, quintessentially British spin on the rhythms of black America, it frames Hucknall’s silky, soulful voice with wonderfully melodic hooks, deft arrangements and first-class musicianship. The first Simply Red album since 1995’s Life to feature only original compositions, it also contains some of the most personal lyrics of Hucknall’s three-decade career.

‘I wouldn’t have had a problem with just playing the hits on tour,’ continues the singer. ‘If you write decent songs, you should shout that from the tallest tower. But my mind kept drifting back to Picture Book, and I wanted to give our narrative a more fitting finale. I see Big Love and Picture Book as bookends to the Simply Red story.’

When Hucknall disbanded Simply Red after 25 years and an astonishing 55 million album sales, he was adamant that there would be no going back. ‘For me, that’s it,’ he said at the time. He continued to make music, stretching his artistic wings with two acclaimed solo albums, Tribute To Bobby (a heartfelt homage to the Memphis blues legend Bobby Bland) and American Soul (a set of classy blues and soul covers). Only last year, he recorded a new version of the mystical Streets Of Arklow with another of his musical heroes, Van Morrison.

He also devoted his time to his wife Gabriella and the couple’s young daughter, Romy. ‘I wanted to get completely away from jet-set living and the responsibilities of leading a band,’ he says. ‘The fans knew I’d gone away, so there was no demand for a new Simply Red record. I wanted to show total dedication to my family, and mirror everything that my father did for me. I’d resigned myself to spending a few years enjoying fatherhood, and I’m grateful I was able to do that.’

Returning to Simply Red refreshed, he now has a much clearer appreciation of the group’s legacy. Admitting that the band’s last album, 2007’s Stay, was an attempt to pull away from the ‘smooth, jazzy’ sound of old, he is now keen to reiterate a few core values. And, while he acknowledges an ongoing fondness for classic Seventies soul, Big Love also draws on his broad knowledge of a range of styles that has seen the band cover artists as diverse as Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Talking Heads, Cole Porter, Dennis Brown and Gregory Isaacs over the decades.

‘With Stay, I was running away from Simply Red,’ he says. ‘But I’m now comfortable with the notion of us as a blue-eyed soul group. I had to stop myself fighting that idea. But our sound is original, too. I honestly don’t know of another band that has pulled so many different musical strands together. We’ve never followed trends. We weren’t New Romantics in the Eighties. We were big before Britpop in the Nineties. And we had a hit in the new millennium with Home, which was Britain’s best-selling independent album for two years running.’

There are certainly some echoes of past musical glories on Big Love. With its honking brass, funky drums and refined melody, celebratory opening track Shine On is a reiteration of Simply Red’s blue-eyed soul credentials, blending R&B flavours with a distinctly British identity in a manner that harks back to The Right Thing, from 1987’s Men And Women.

There are other songs, such as Daydreaming and Love Gave Me More, that edge towards the shimmering, uptown sounds of albums like 1989’s A New Flame and 1991’s all-conquering Stars. There are also, naturally, some big ballads, including the Bacharach-style title track and the plangent, guitar-driven closing number Each Day, one of the first tracks written for the album.

On 2003’s Home, Hucknall sung of ‘real life, depicted in song’, and Big Love finds him baring his emotions to an even greater degree. And, while there are tracks inspired by family life, there are honest reflections of past hardships, too. ‘Most of the songs were written after we announced the tour in November 2014,’ says Mick. ‘They came thick and fast. I wanted to make an album, like Stars, that has a consistent theme. And the theme here is life from a family viewpoint. It’s an album that deals with birth, love, death, and all the stuff in between.’

When Mick wrote the timeless Holding Back The Years at 17 (originally for his punk group the Frantic Elevators), the song was a reaction to the upheaval caused after his mother walked out on the family when Mick was just three in 1963, leaving the singer to be raised single-handedly in East Denton, Manchester, by his father Reg. It is an experience that he touches on again here, firstly on a title track that celebrates the unconditional love of his wife and daughter and secondly on Dad, a heart-warming lament that tearfully salutes the ‘years of devotion’ put in by Reg, who sadly passed away in 2009: ‘She left, you stayed / It really wasn’t simple at all / You cried, I smiled / I really wasn’t lonely at all’. It would take the hardest of hearts not to be moved.

‘When I lost my dad in 2009, I could have lost everything,’ reflects Mick. ‘I didn’t have that traditional family support structure. Luckily for me, I did have my wife and daughter, my new family. I had to go through a learning process, though, finding out what a traditional family felt like. And that experience has been so rewarding that I’ve tried to express it in songs like Big Love.
‘My dad was devoted to me, and I wanted to do him proud by dedicating a song to him. I wanted to put into words the contribution he made in building me up. The prospects for children of single-parent families are not always good. That was even more the case during the Sixties. I have to give so much credit to my dad, as he was such a wonderful father.’

The downsides of abandonment, whether physical or emotional, are addressed on The Ghost Of Love, a big soul number punctuated by wah-wah guitar, piped applause and the kind of bold, orchestral brush strokes that once powered the hits of Barry White and his Love Unlimited Orchestra. ‘The ghost in question is the sense of abandonment after something or someone has let you down. It could be about an orphan or anyone with a bad experience. But the song is saying: don’t blame love for that – look forward and try to give love a round of applause.’

Buoyed by the excellence of a new album that even Mick Hucknall could not have envisaged a year ago, Simply Red will hit the road again in high spirits. With the singer joined by long-serving bandmates Ian Kirkham (sax), Steve Lewinson (bass), Kenji Suzuki (guitar), Kevin Robinson (trumpet and flute) and Dave Clayton (keyboards) plus new drummer Roman Roth, their reputation as one of the great British groups is set for some timely enhancement.
‘The band should feel incredibly proud of their work on Big Love, because they are all exceptional musicians,’ says Mick. ‘There’s plenty of group harmony, too. I’m the bandleader, but I don’t order the group around. I’m more of an editor, and it’s vital that the band expresses itself.’

Tracklist:

1. Shine On
2. Daydreaming
3. Big Love
4. The Ghost Of Love
5. Dad
6. Love Wonders
7. Love Gave Me More
8. Tight Tones
9. WORU
10. Coming Home
11. The Old Man and the Beer
12. Each Day

[Source: EastWestRecords press release]

Il nuovo album di Noel Gallagher, Chasing Yesterday

2015-02-28T15:10:00.002+01:00

Noel Gallagher, un tempo principale compositore nonché chitarrista del gruppo rock Oasis, fondato insieme al fratello Liam, che ne era il cantante principale e con cui i litigi erano all’ordine del giorno, continua adesso la sua brillante carriera solista. Avendo infatti deciso di separarsi dal fratello nel 2009 dopo l’ennesimo pesante litigio e avendo così automaticamente posto fine agli Oasis, nel 2011 ha iniziato la sua carriera solista con l’album “High Flying Birds” (che in realtà sarebbe il nome del gruppo da lui stesso capitanato), che ha riscosso ottimi riscontri di critica e di vendite; le sue composizioni infatti, scritte in stile più maturo rispetto al rock’n’roll interpretato dagli Oasis, vengono finalmente interpretate dalla voce dello stesso autore, che seppur molto diversa da quella del fratello non sfigura affatto e dà vita ad un album di buon livello.

Dopo il tour di rito e la pausa altrettanto canonica, Noel inizia nei mesi scorsi a scrivere e incidere il seguito di quell’album, e finalmente il prossimo 2 Marzo uscirà “Chasing Yesterday”, il suo nuovo album già preannunciato negli scorsi mesi dai due singoli "In The Heat Of The Moment" e "Ballad Of The Mighty I", disponibili in formato fisico su vinile.

Ecco la tracklist del nuovo album:

1. Riverman
2. In The Heat Of The Moment
3. The Girl With X-Ray Eyes
4. Lock All The Doors
5. The Dying Of The Light
6. The Right Stuff
7. While The Song Remains The Same
8. The Mexican
9. You Know We Can't Go Back
10. Ballad Of The Mighty I

Da segnalare anche la presenza di una versione deluxe contenente in più un secondo CD con i seguenti brani bonus:

1. Do The Damage
2. Revolution Song
3. Freaky Teeth
4. In The Heat Of The Moment (Remix)

Inoltre a marzo partirà anche un tour mondiale che toccherà inizialmente l’Europa ma che promette di spostarsi in seguito anche in USA e Giappone; tra le date annunciate, ce n’è anche una in Italia: il 14 Marzo al Fabrique di Milano.

Amazon UK:

Amazon IT:

I Supertramp festeggiano i 40 anni di Crime of the Century

2014-12-06T14:58:00.002+01:00

Crime of the Century, il famoso album dei Supertramp pubblicato nel 1974 (il loro terzo, ma il loro primo con quella che sarà la formazione classica e più di successo), uscirà il prossimo 8 dicembre in varie edizioni speciali per celebrarne il 40° anniversario.

Scritto e cantato dai due leader della band, Roger Hodgson e Rick Davies, fu l’album che portò i Supertramp dall’anonimato al successo e che viene ricordato come uno dei classici progressive- pop/rock degli anni 70, che ai tempi veniva sfruttato anche per testare gli impianti hi-fi dato l’alto livello della sua produzione; contiene alcuni dei brani più famosi del loro repertorio, tra cui School, Dreamer, Bloody Well Right e la semi-strumentale title-track, affiancati a brani meno conosciuti al grande pubblico ma adorati dai fan come Hide in Your Shell, particolarmente sentito per il significativo testo che si rivolge col cuore in mano alle persone timide.

Ci saranno vari formati di questa uscita celebrativa, tra cui un Pure-Audio BluRay (che dovrebbe garantire la massima qualità audio possibile in stereo, visto che purtroppo, a meno di smentite, non avrà l’audio in 5.1), un CD “semplice” con l’album originale remasterizzato da Ray Staff, un LP a 180 grammi (che assicura una maggior qualità di riproduzione rispetto al vinile più leggero), e due box.
Un box sarà costituito da due CD e un booklet di 24 pagine con foto e interviste a Roger Hodgson, Dougie Thomson, John Helliwell, Bob Siebenberg (praticamente quattro su cinque componenti della band originale), Ken Scott (produttore dell’album) e Dave Margereson (l’allora manager del gruppo); il secondo CD è la registrazione del concerto tenuto a Londra all’Hammersmith Odeon nel Marzo 1975, mixato dai nastri originali dallo stesso Ken Scott, e contenente oltre all’intero Crime eseguito dal vivo anche brani di quello che sarebbe stato il loro album successivo, “Crisis? What Crisis?”.
L’altro box invece al posto dei CD avrà i vinili: tre LP (sempre da 180g) con lo stesso contenuto audio (album originale e concerto), ma a quanto pare il pezzo con le interviste sarà più lungo rispetto al box precedente, e inoltre ci saranno due stampe 10×8 e un codice per il download digitale.

Sicuramente una lodevole iniziativa per ricordare al grande pubblico che grande album sia Crime of the Century e magari per farlo scoprire a chi ancora non lo conosce; sappiamo però che i fan incalliti della band resteranno delusi in quanto, interviste e rimasterizzazioni a parte, non c’è molto di nuovo, visto che il concerto girava già da anni sotto forma di bootleg (seppure ovviamente in qualità audio inferiore a quella che si suppone avremo nella nuova edizione), e si sperava nell’inclusione di demo, video e altro materiale inedito e raro dell’epoca di cui si conosce l’esistenza ma che evidentemente si è preferito conservare per un futuro box antologico.

Dispiace, infine, che il leader attuale Rick Davies (avendo Hodgson abbandonato il gruppo nel 1983 per proseguire come solista) si sia rifiutato di prendere parte alle interviste, probabilmente in segno di protesta verso i suoi ex-compagni con cui di recente ha avuto grossi screzi (legati anche all’uscita del DVD di Paris), e che forse ha anche deciso di interrompere definitivamente la sua carriera musicale.
Attualmente dunque chi vuole ascoltare metà dei brani dei Supertramp eseguiti dal vivo dal suo autore e interprete originale, deve necessariamente andare a vedere un concerto di Roger Hodgson, che da anni gira il mondo con un’ottima band che non fa rimpiangere quella originale e che nel 2012 ha anche fatto tre date italiane.

CD1 (album originale)
1. School
2. Bloody Well Right
3. Hide In Your Shell
4. Asylum
5. Dreamer
6. Rudy
7. If Everyone Was Listening
8. Crime Of The Century

CD2 (live Hammersmith 1975)
1. School
2. Bloody Well Right
3. Hide In Your Shell
4. Asylum
5. Sister Moonshine
6. Just A Normal Day
7. Another Man’s Woman
8. Lady
9. A – You’re Adorable
10. Dreamer
11. Rudy
12. If Everyone Was Listening
13. Crime Of The Century

Queen Forever: il ritorno della voce di Freddie Mercury in tre brani inediti

2014-09-19T16:00:00.000+02:00

Il 10 Novembre uscirà per la Virgin Records una nuova raccolta dei Queen, intitolata Queen Forever e contenente tre brani inediti con Freddie Mercury alla voce:

-"Let Me In Your Heart Again", registrato dalla band al completo per le sessioni di The Works (quindi 1983/84) e rimasto incompiuto; il brano, scritto da Brian May, è stato qualche anno dopo ceduto ad Anita Dobson (futura moglie di Brian) per un suo album, ma la sua versione resta comunque poco conosciuta ai fan, e in ogni caso la versione cantata da Freddie era rimasta finora totalmente inedita, non circolando nemmeno in modo non ufficiale tra i numerosi demo della band trapelati in rete. Evidentemente il brano rimasto incompiuto era comunque quasi terminato, e a Brian e Roger non è rimasto altro da fare in tempi recenti che qualche overdubs di chitarra e l'aggiunta dei cori; sembra quindi confermato che il basso sia stato suonato ai tempi della registrazione originale proprio da John Deacon, che invece al presente si è ritirato dai Queen, e quindi il risultato finale ci fa sentire comunque i quattro membri originali della band;

-"Love Kills - The Ballad", un brano pubblicato da Freddie solista nel 1984, che rappresentò anche il primo singolo a suo nome, in collaborazione con Giorgio Moroder; questa nuova versione è di base quella registrata dai Queen, sempre al completo e sempre nel 1983, ma con l'aggiunta di nuove parti di chitarra e batteria, anche se all'ascolto sembra piuttosto che la voce di Freddie Mercury sia la stessa della versione poi pubblicata. In ogni caso la rivisitazione in chiave Queen ha trasformato un brano synth-pop moderatamente veloce in una ballata rock d'atmosfera;

-"There Must Be More To Life Than This", in duetto con Michael Jackson: già da qualche anno i Queen superstiti nelle interviste affermano di essere al lavoro sui brani che nel 1983 Freddie Mercury registrò insieme a Michael Jackson, che come i fan accaniti sanno furono almeno tre (oltre a questa, State of Shock e Victory), facendo anche intendere però che gli eredi di Jackson hanno a più riprese concesso e ritirato l'autorizzazione ad usare questi brani. Non ci è dato sapere se gli altri due brani mancanti vedranno mai una release ufficiale, ma per ora dovremo accontentarci di uno solo di questi duetti, probabilmente il meno atteso in quanto il brano è già conosciuto per essere stato poi pubblicato dal solo Freddie nel suo primo album solista Mr.Bad Guy nel 1985. E apparentemente la parte vocale di Freddie sembra molto simile a quella poi effettivamente uscita, mentre la parte di Jackson è ufficialmente una novità (in realtà non ufficialmente era già trapelato il demo del solo Jackson che cantava il brano sulla base di piano suonata da Freddie, il che ci fa venire il dubbio che forse il duetto sia stato creato "artificialmente", e anche la dichiarazione del produttore William Orbit sembra far intendere questo); in compenso però viene confermato che la traccia strumentale è quella originale suonata dai Queen, anche se non è chiaro se sia quella suonata nel 1981 durante le sessioni di Hot Space o nel 1984 per The Works. Viene inoltre specificato che questo è il "William Orbit Mix", quindi chissà se successivamente ne verrà fuori anche una versione diversa a cura di un altro produttore...

La compilation in questione, oltre ai tre inediti menzionati, conterrà inoltre altri brani vecchi della band scelti da May e Taylor con l'obiettivo di mettere insieme una raccolta definitiva dei loro brani romantici:
alcuni di questi sono stati dei successi ma molti altri sono brani poco conosciuti finora apparsi solo sugli album; si parla anche di nuove registrazioni di brani conosciuti, ma non è stato al momento annunciato a quali brani ci si riferisca, e se si tratti sempre di nuove registrazioni fatte da May e Taylor in anni recenti o piuttosto di esecuzioni vocali alternative fatte da Mercury ai tempi.

Queen Forever sarà disponibile in due formati, uno con un CD di 20 brani e uno con doppio CD di 36 brani.

Tracklist versione 1 CD:
Let Me In Your Heart Again
Love Kills – The Ballad
There Must Be More To Life Than This (William Orbit Mix)
It’s A Hard Life
You’re My Best Friend
Love Of My Life
Drowse
Long Away
Lily Of The Valley
Don’t Try So Hard
Bijou
These Are The Days Of Our Lives
Las Palabras De Amor
Who Wants To Live Forever
A Winter’s Tale
Play The Game
Save Me
Somebody To Love
Too Much Love Will Kill You
Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Tracklist versione 2 CD:
CD1
Let Me In Your Heart Again
Love Kills – The Ballad
There Must Be More To Life Than This (William Orbit Mix)
Play The Game
Dear Friends
You’re My Best Friend
Love Of My Life
Drowse
You Take My Breath Away
Spread Your Wings
Long Away
Lily Of The Valley
Don’t Try So Hard
Bijou
These Are The Days Of Our Lives
Nevermore
Las Palabras De Amor
Who Wants To Live Forever
CD2
I Was Born To Love You
Somebody To Love
Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Friends Will Be Friends
Jealousy
One Year of Love
A Winters Tale
‘39
Mother Love
It’s A Hard Life
Save Me
Made in Heaven
Too Much Love Will Kill You
Sail Away Sweet Sister
The Miracle
Is This The World We Created
In The Lap Of The Gods…Revisited
Forever

Da segnalare un po' di delusione da parte dei fan, che seppur entusiasti dei nuovi brani (in particolar modo di Let Me In), si aspettavano sia gli altri due duetti con Michael Jackson sia altri brani inediti con Freddie alla voce (che sappiamo esistere proprio perchè i demo sono trapelati in rete già da tempo), anche in base alle interviste degli ultimi anni di May e Taylor che lasciavano presagire più o meno esplicitamente la riscoperta di altri brani.

[Fonte: Queenonline]

The Art of McCartney, a new tribute album to Paul McCartney featuring some of the world's greatest artists

2014-09-10T14:32:00.003+02:00

The Art Of McCartney is a long awaited and very special project celebrating one of the most universally acclaimed songwriters of all time, Sir Paul McCartney. With backing provided by McCartney’s long time band, classic tracks from his Beatles and solo career, including Wings, have been recorded by some of the world’s greatest artists.
The calibre of artists showing their respect to Paul’s songwriting genius is truly staggering: Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, The Cure, The Who’s Roger Daltrey, Brian Wilson, Alice Cooper, Def Leppard, Dr John, Yusuf (Cat Stevens), Barry Gibb, Jamie Cullum, KISS, Chrissie Hynde, ELO legend Jeff Lynne, and many more have recorded McCartney songs exclusively for this album.

The Art Of McCartney is the brainchild of Los Angeles producer, Beatles and McCartney fanatic, Ralph Sall, who has driven this project from conception to delivery: Sall met and worked alongside Paul in 2003 when they revived a song from the 1971 Ram sessions for a movie soundtrack ("The In-Laws"); Ralph then asked Paul and his publishing company if they would support his making this album to honour him. They came back with Paul’s own blessing and thumbs aloft for the project to go ahead.

Ralph became a man on a mission, first recruiting McCartney’s gifted backing guitarists, Rusty Anderson and Brian Ray, keyboard player Paul “Wix” Wickens, plus the larger than life drummer, Abe Laboriel, Jr; they know Paul’s extensive back catalogue intimately and this is the first time they have recorded his songs with anyone else since they first started working together with Paul over 12 years ago.
Ralph then set about approaching the world’s greatest performers to invite them to step forward and make their mark. This has been a labour of love, not only for Ralph but also for the artists who gave their time to be part of it. All have spoken of the importance of McCartney and his songwriting in their own careers and wanted to show their appreciation.

Legendary Beach Boy, Brian Wilson, was the first to take up the challenge. Undoubtedly he set the bar very high with his rendition of Wanderlust from the underrated 1982 album Tug Of War.
There are very few artists whose own work rivals The Beatles, so when producer Ralph Sall approached Bob Dylan to take part, he knew it was ambitious. Dylan’s choice was Things We Said Today – a track from The Beatles’ soundtrack A Hard Days Night – and audiences will be captivated as he growls his way through his remarkable version.

All aspects of Paul’s peerless back catalogue have been explored from The Beatles to his experimental early solo work, to Wings and his latter solo output. Lesser-known hidden classics such as Junk and Every Night are given a fresh outing and interpretation.

Released on November 17th in several formats:

-2CD with the following tracklist:

CD1

Maybe I'm Amazed - Billy Joel
Things We Said Today - Bob Dylan
Band On The Run - Heart
Junior's Farm - Steve Miller
The Long And Winding Road - Yusuf/Cat Stevens
My Love - Harry Connick, Jr
Wanderlust - Brian Wilson
Bluebird - Corinne Bailey Rae
Yesterday - Willie Nelson
Junk - Jeff Lynne
When I'm 64 - Barry Gibb
Every Night - Jamie Cullum
Venus And Mars/Rock Show - KISS
Let Me Roll It - Paul Rodgers
Helter Skelter - Roger Daltrey
Helen Wheels - Def Leppard
Hello Goodbye - The Cure Featuring James McCartney

CD2

Live And Let Die - Billy Joel
Let It Be - Chrissie Hynde
Jet - Robin Zander & Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick
Hi Hi Hi - Joe Elliot
Letting Go - Heart
Hey Jude - Steve Miller
Listen To What The Man Said - Owl City
Got To Get You Into My Life - Perry Farrell
Drive My Car - Dion
Lady Madonna - Allen Toussaint
Let Em In - Dr. John
So Bad - Smokey Robinson
No More Lonely Nights - The Airborne Toxic Event
Eleanor Rigby - Alice Cooper
Come And Get It - Toots Hibbert with Sly & Robbie
On The Way - B.B. King
Birthday - Sammy Hagar

Amazon's exclusive version will also have the following bonus tracks:
18. C Moon (Amazon Bonus Track) - Robert Smith
19. Put It There (Amazon Bonus Track) - Peter, Bjorn & John

-2CD + DVD "The Making of The Art Of McCartney" featuring behind-the-scenes and interviews with the artists contributing to the project; the 2CD tracklist is identical to the above and also in this case Amazon will have an exclusive version with the same two bonus tracks

-3LP with the same 34-song tracklist as the standard 2CD

Also, on 15th December, two limited run boxsets will be released:

-vinyl-only boxset, with four 180-gram coloured vinyls (see below for the bonus tracks of the 4th LP) and an illustrated guide within a 12" bound book

-Deluxe boxset, featuring apart from the 2 CDs and DVD as above:

2 pieces of specially commissioned artwork by Alan Aldridge
Höfner guitar USB with FLAC files of 34 tracks
The Making of The Art Of McCartney - Audio documentary about the making of the album narrated by Bill Nighy
Illustrated guide within a 64-page 12” hardback book
4 black and white artcards
42 track quadruple 12", 180 gram coloured vinyl
Certificate of authenticity hand numbered
A bonus CD with the following bonus tracks:

C Moon - Robert Smith
Can't Buy Me Love - Booker T-Jones
P.S. I Love You - Ronnie Spector
All My Loving - Darlene Love
For No One - Ian McCulloch
Put It There - Peter, Bjorn & John
Run Devil Run - Wanda Jackson
Smile Away - Alice Cooper

[Source: The Art of McCartney]

A new single, new compilation and rarities from David Bowie

2014-09-09T14:03:00.002+02:00

David Bowie has just announced his first new music since he surprised the world by returning in 2013 with the single Where Are We Now, followed by the album The Next Day.
His new single Sue (Or in a Season of Crime), about eight minutes in length, was recorded with long-time collaborator Tony Visconti especially for inclusion on a new compilation, Nothing Has Changed, which spans 50 years of Bowie from 1964 to 2014. It will be given a separate release as a digital download and as a limited-edition 10-inch single.

Nothing Has Changed also features some rarities for die-hard fans: Let Me Sleep Beside You comes from the 2001 sessions from the unreleased album Toy; Your Turn to Drive, previously only available as a download, makes its debut on CD; and also a 2001 rerecording of the 1971 outtake Shadow Man.

The single and compilation will both be released on 17 November. Nothing Has Changed will be available in 3CD, 2CD, 2LP and download formats.

The full tracklisting of the 3CD version is:

CD 1:
Sue (or In A Season Of Crime) (7.40)
Where Are We Now? (4.09)
Love Is Lost (Hello Steve Reich Mix by James Murphy for the DFA Edit) (4.07)
The Stars (Are Out Tonight) (3.57)
New Killer Star (radio edit) (3.42)
Everyone Says ‘Hi’ (edit) (3.29)
Slow Burn (radio edit) (3.55)
Let Me Sleep Beside You (3.14)
Your Turn To Drive (4.44)
Shadow Man (4.48)
Seven (Marius De Vries mix) (4.12)
Survive (Marius De Vries mix) (4.18)
Thursday’s Child (radio edit) (4.25)
I’m Afraid Of Americans (V1) (clean edit) (4.30)
Little Wonder (edit) (3.40)
Hallo Spaceboy (PSB Remix) (with The Pet Shop Boys) (4.23)
Heart’s Filthy Lesson (radio edit) (3.32)
Strangers When We Meet (single version) (4.21)

CD 2:
Buddha Of Suburbia (4.24)
Jump They Say (radio edit) (3.53)
Time Will Crawl (MM remix) (4.18)
Absolute Beginners (single version) (5.35)
Dancing In The Street (with Mick Jagger) (3.20)
Loving The Alien (single remix) (4.45)
This Is Not America (with The Pat Metheny Group) (3.51)
Blue Jean (3.11)
Modern Love (single version) (3.56)
China Girl (single version) (4.15)
Let’s Dance (single version) (4.08)
Fashion (single version) (3.25)
Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) (single version) (3.32)
Ashes To Ashes (single version) (3.35)
Under Pressure (with Queen) (3.56)
Boys Keep Swinging (3.17)
‘Heroes’ (single version) (3.35)
Sound And Vision (3.03)
Golden Years (single version) (3.27)
Wild Is The Wind (2010 Harry Maslin Mix) (5.58)

CD 3:
Fame (4.14)
Young Americans (2007 Tony Visconti mix single edit) (3.13)
Diamond Dogs (5.56)
Rebel Rebel (4.28)
Sorrow (2.53)
Drive-In Saturday (4.29)
All The Young Dudes (3.08)
The Jean Genie (original single mix) (4.05)
Moonage Daydream (4.40)
Ziggy Stardust (3.12)
Starman (original single mix) (4.10)
Life On Mars? (2003 Ken Scott Mix) (3.49)
Oh! You Pretty Things (3.11)
Changes (3.33)
The Man Who Sold The World (3.56)
Space Oddity (5.12)
In The Heat Of The Morning (3.00)
Silly Boy Blue (3.54)
Can’t Help Thinking About Me (2.46)
You’ve Got A Habit Of Leaving (2.32)
Liza Jane (2.18)

[Source: The Guardian]

Paul McCartney Archive Collection: Venus and Mars e At The Speed Of Sound

2014-07-30T22:39:00.000+02:00

Continua la ripubblicazione dei vecchi album di Paul McCartney e dei suoi Wings che prevede, oltre alla remasterizzazione degli album stessi, alcune bonus track inedite, contenuti video altrettanto inediti, libri con foto d'epoca e gadget vari.
I prossimi album a subire questo trattamento sono Venus and Mars e At The Speed Of Sound, usciti a nome del gruppo capeggiato da McCartney, gli Wings, rispettivamente nel 1975 e 1976; entrambi usciranno il prossimo 22 Settembre con l'aggiunta di parecchio materiale bonus che ha già riscosso l'entusiasmo dei fan; gli album sono rimasterizzati ad Abbey Road dallo stesso team che ha rimasterizzato l'intero atalogo dei Beatles, e il tutto ha la supervisione di Paul in persona.

Vediamo nel dettaglio i formati e il contenuto; ognuno dei due album uscirà nei seguenti formati:

-edizione standard (2CD): il primo CD è l'album original rimasterizzato, mentre nel secondo ci sono bonus track quali demo e brani inediti

-edizione deluxe (2CD+1DVD+libro): i due CD sono uguali a quelli dell'edizione standard, mentre il DVD avrà materiale video filmato all'epoca della registrazione e uscita dell'album corrispondente, molto del quale inedito; inoltre, il libro di oltre 100 pagine conterrà foto inedite, nuove interviste a Paul, informazioni dettagliate sui singoli brani e materiale d'archivio come i facsimile dei testi originali scritti da Paul, di locandine e altro materiale promozionale; il tutto verrà racchiuso in un box rigido sullo stile delle precedenti edizioni deluxe

-LP: in vinile con copertina apribile e tessera con un codice per poter scaricare l'album in formato digitale

-digitale: si potranno scaricare le versioni standard e deluxe e nei formati "ottimizzato per iTunes" e in alta risoluzione.

Ecco in dettaglio le tracce di ogni album:

Venus & Mars

CD 1 – Album rimasterizzato
1. Venus and Mars
2. Rock Show
3. Love In Song
4. You Gave Me The Answer
5. Magneto and Titanium Man
6. Letting Go
7. Venus and Mars – Reprise
8. Spirits Of Ancient Egypt
9. Medicine Jar
10. Call Me Back Again
11. Listen To What The Man Said
12. Treat Her Gently – Lonely Old People
13. Crossroads

CD 2 – Tracce audio bonus
1. Junior’s Farm
2. Sally G
3. Walking In The Park With Eloise
4. Bridge On The River Suite
5. My Carnival
6. Going To New Orleans (My Carnival)
7. Hey Diddle [Ernie Winfrey Mix]
8. Let’s Love
9. Soily [da One Hand Clapping]
10. Baby Face [da One Hand Clapping]
11. Lunch Box/Odd Sox
12. 4th Of July
13. Rock Show [Old Version]
14. Letting Go [Single Edit]

DVD – Tracce video bonus [solo edizione deluxe]
1. Recording My Carnival
2. Bon Voyageur
3. Wings At Elstree
4. Venus and Mars TV Ad

At The Speed Of Sound

CD 1 – Album rimasterizzato
1. Let 'Em In
2. The Note You Never Wrote
3. She’s My Baby
4. Beware My Love
5. Wino Junko
6. Silly Love Songs
7. Cook Of The House
8. Time To Hide
9. Must Do Something About It
10. San Ferry Anne
11. Warm And Beautiful

CD 2 – Tracce audio bonus
1. Silly Love Songs [Demo]
2. She’s My Baby [Demo]
3. Message To Joe
4. Beware My Love [Versione con John Bonham]
5. Must Do Something About It [Versione cantata da Paul]
6. Let ‘Em In [Demo]
7. Warm And Beautiful [Demo strumentale]

DVD – Tracce video bonus [solo edizione deluxe]
1. Silly Love Songs Music Video
2. Wings Over Wembley
3. Wings In Venice

Oasis: (What's The Story) Morning Glory? reissue with unreleased bonus tracks

2014-07-02T17:57:00.000+02:00

After the re-release of their first album in May, Oasis will reissue their second album (What's The Story) Morning Glory? on 29th Semptember 2014.

The new edition has been remastered from the original tapes by Ian Cooper at London’s Metropolis Studios, supervised by the album’s original producer Owen Morris. A group of contributors including original members of the inner circle who were involved in studio and live recordings came together to hunt down unheard demos and live material. The team also unearthed a wealth of never-seen-before photos and vintage memorabilia which will be included in the new artwork.

Alongside the original album remastered, the Special Edition CD includes two CDs of all the B-sides plus rare and unreleased Oasis tracks from the Morning Glory era.
The limited edition box set comes packaged in a deluxe box with magnetic closure lid, and includes both the three CD set and vinyl edition of the album as well as a 56-pages hard backed coffee table book which includes extensive sleeve notes from music critic Neil McCormick.
Additional content includes a replica 12" promo (Cum On Feel The Noise/Lynch Mob Beats Remix), Exclusive 7" vinyl of Hello (demo) - She's Electric (demo), replica promo cassette plus exclusive merch.
Highlights of the bonus content include:
• Previously unheard demos of She’s Electric and Rockin’ Chair recorded at Mark Coyle’s Manchester studio.
• Demos of Some Might Say, Hey Now, and Bonehead's Bank Holiday recorded by Mark Coyle for the first time at the band’s soundcheck, Club Quattro in Tokyo in September 1994.
• Live recordings from legendary gigs such as Knebworth House, Maine Road Stadium, Earls Court and Bath Pavilion.
• All of the Morning Glory B-sides.

The LP will also be available separately: it's manufactured on heavyweight vinyl and contains a high quality MP3 (320kbps) download code including all the bonus content featured on the Special Edition CD.

Tracklisting:

Disc 1
1. Hello (Remastered)
2. Roll With It (Remastered)
3. Wonderwall (Remastered)
4. Don’t Look Back In Anger (Remastered)
5. Hey Now! (Remastered)
6. [Untitled] (Remastered)
7. Some Might Say (Remastered)
8. Cast No Shadow (Remastered)
9. She’s Electric (Remastered)
10. Morning Glory (Remastered)
11. [Untitled] (Remastered)
12. Champagne Supernova (Remastered)

Disc 2
1. Talk Tonight (Remastered)
2. Acquiesce (Remastered)
3. Headshrinker (Remastered)
4. It’s Better People (Remastered)
5. Rockin’ Chair (Remastered)
6. Step Out (Remastered)
7. Underneath The Sky (Remastered)
8. Cum On Feel The Noize (Remastered)
9. Round Are Way (Remastered)
10. The Swamp Song (Remastered)
11. The Masterplan (Remastered)
12. Bonehead’s Bank Holiday (Remastered)
13. Champagne Supernova (Brendan Lynch Mix) (Remastered)
14. You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away (Remastered)

Disc 3
1. Acquiesce (Live At Earls Court)
2. Some Might Say (Demo)
3. Some Might Say (Live at Roskilde)
4. She’s Electric (Demo)
5. Talk Tonight (Live At Bath Pavilion)
6. Rockin’ Chair (Demo)
7. Hello (Live At Roskilde)
8. Roll With It (Live At Roskilde)
9. Morning Glory (Live At Roskilde)
10. Hey Now (Demo)
11. Bonehead’s Bank Holiday (Demo)
12. Round Are Way (MTV Unplugged)
13. Cast No Shadow (Live At Maine Road)
14. The Masterplan (Live At Knebworth Park)

Queen Live at Rainbow 1974 to be released in September

2014-06-19T22:05:00.001+02:00

Queen: Live at the Rainbow ‘74 will be released on 8th September 2014 (UK on Virgin Records) and 9th September 2014 (US through Hollywood Records) in a variety of formats all newly mixed and mastered to the highest contemporary standard. These range from a standard two CD package, a DVD, an SD Blu-ray, a gate-fold double vinyl (including an audio reproduction of the aforementioned original live album), a quadruple vinyl boxed set, to a super deluxe collector’s edition including two CDs, a DVD and Blu-Ray, a 60 page hardback book containing many rare photographs, and various items of memorabilia such as reproductions of the tickets, show souvenir programme and poster, as well as material from the band members’ personal archives. Vinyl and super deluxe formats are released as limited editions.

QUEEN: LIVE AT THE RAINBOW ’74 - Package details
Package one
One CD featuring the November show
Package two
Two CD digi-pack, with one CD featuring the March show and the second CD featuring the November show
Package three
DVD or SD Blu-Ray of the November show with four “bonus” tracks from March
Package four (released in North America only)
SD Blu-Ray & CD combo box
Package five
2 Vinyl - Limited edition gate-fold double vinyl package, with one LP featuring an audio reproduction of the original March show live album and the other LP featuring highlights from the November show.
Package six
4 Vinyl - Limited edition four vinyl LP boxed set, two LPs featuring the March show and two featuring the November show
Package seven
Super Deluxe Box - Limited edition Super Deluxe lidded boxed set package containing:
1) Two CDs, one CD featuring the March show and the second CD featuring the November show
2) A DVD and SD Blu-Ray of the November show with four “bonus” tracks from March
3) A 60 page hardback book containing lots of previously unseen photographs, and (among other items), reproductions of two reviews, one from The Times and one from Disc and Music Echo. A series of four articles from the latter publication is also included.
4) Reproductions of two tickets from the March concert (those actually used by Brian’s parents)
5) A reproduction of the tour itinerary folder for the March concert from promoter Mel Bush, including a letter instructing the band not to trash the hotel room or there will be dire consequences!
6) A reproduction of the 8 page show souvenir brochure
7) Two button badges – reproductions of items available at the concert
8) A reproduction of the purple and gold March concert poster
9) A reproduction of a fashion shoot in The Telegraph Magazine, featuring the band with fashion models.
10) A reproduction of the sticker stage pass from the March concert

Queen: Live at the Rainbow ’74 - track listings:
One CD:
SHEER HEART ATTACK TOUR
Live at the Rainbow, November ’74
1. Procession
2. Now I’m Here
3. Ogre Battle
4. Father To Son
5. White Queen (As It Began)
6. Flick Of The Wrist
7. In The Lap Of The Gods
8. Killer Queen
9. The March Of The Black Queen
10. Bring Back That Leroy Brown
11. Son And Daughter
12. Guitar Solo
13. Son And Daughter (Reprise)
14. Keep Yourself Alive
15. Drum Solo
16. Keep Yourself Alive (Reprise)
17. Seven Seas Of Rhye
18. Stone Cold Crazy
19. Liar
20. In The Lap Of The Gods… Revisited
21. Big Spender
22. Modern Times Rock ’n’ Roll
23. Jailhouse Rock
24. God Save The Queen
Two CD digi-pack & four vinyl LP boxed set:
CD 1
QUEEN II TOUR
Live at the Rainbow, March ’74
1. Procession
2. Father To Son
3. Ogre Battle
4. Son And Daughter
5. Guitar Solo
6. Son And Daughter (Reprise)
7. White Queen (As It Began)
8. Great King Rat
9. The Fairy Feller’s Master-Stroke
10. Keep Yourself Alive
11. Drum Solo
12. Keep Yourself Alive (Reprise)
13. Seven Seas Of Rhye
14. Modern Times Rock ’n’ Roll
15. Jailhouse Rock / Stupid Cupid / Be Bop A Lula (Medley)
16. Liar
17. See What A Fool I’ve Been
CD 2
SHEER HEART ATTACK TOUR
Live at the Rainbow, November ’74
1. Procession
2. Now I’m Here
3. Ogre Battle
4. Father To Son
5. White Queen (As It Began)
6. Flick Of The Wrist
7. In The Lap Of The Gods
8. Killer Queen
9. The March Of The Black Queen
10. Bring Back That Leroy Brown
11. Son And Daughter
12. Guitar Solo
13. Son And Daughter (Reprise)
14. Keep Yourself Alive
15. Drum Solo
16. Keep Yourself Alive (Reprise)
17. Seven Seas Of Rhye
18. Stone Cold Crazy
19. Liar
20. In The Lap Of The Gods… Revisited
21. Big Spender
22. Modern Times Rock ’n’ Roll
23. Jailhouse Rock
24. God Save The Queen
Standard DVD and SD Blu-Ray:
SHEER HEART ATTACK TOUR
Live at the Rainbow, November ’74
1. Procession
2. Now I’m Here
3. Ogre Battle
4. Father To Son
5. White Queen (As It Began)
6. Flick Of The Wrist
7. In The Lap Of The Gods
8. Killer Queen
9. The March Of The Black Queen
10. Bring Back That Leroy Brown
11. Son And Daughter
12. Guitar Solo
13. Son And Daughter (Reprise)
14. Keep Yourself Alive
15. Drum Solo
16. Keep Yourself Alive (Reprise)
17. Seven Seas Of Rhye
18. Stone Cold Crazy
19. Liar
20. In The Lap Of The Gods… Revisited
21. Big Spender
22. Modern Times Rock ’n’ Roll
23. Jailhouse Rock
24. God Save The Queen
BONUS TRACKS
QUEEN II TOUR
Live at the Rainbow, March ’74
1. Son And Daughter
2. Guitar Solo
3. Son And Daughter (Reprise)
4. Modern Times Rock ’n’ Roll
Double Vinyl LP Package:
QUEEN II TOUR
Live at the Rainbow, March ’74
1. Procession
2. Father To Son
3. Ogre Battle
4. Son And Daughter
5. Guitar Solo
6. Son And Daughter (Reprise)
7. Keep Yourself Alive
8.Drum Solo
9. Keep Yourself Alive (Reprise)
10. Seven Seas Of Rhye
11. Modern Times Rock ’n’ Roll
12. Liar
SHEER HEART ATTACK TOUR
Live at the Rainbow, November ’74
1. Procession
2. Now I’m Here
3. White Queen (As It Began)
4. Flick Of The Wrist
5. In The Lap Of The Gods
6. Killer Queen
7. The March Of The Black Queen
8. Bring Back That Leroy Brown
9. Stone Cold Crazy
10. In The Lap Of The Gods… Revisited

[Source: Queenonline.com]

Queen Live at the Rainbow 1974 pubblicato a Settembre in sette formati

2014-06-17T14:06:00.001+02:00

Il primo vero album live dei Queen vede la luce dopo 40 anni di attesa!
Il concerto del 31 marzo 1974 è una pietra miliare nella storia del rock, il culmine del loro primo tour inglese da headliners. La pubblicazione era prevista per lo stesso anno, ma la forza creativa dei Queen in studio fece sì che il progetto, anche se completato, slittasse e venisse poi accantonato. A novembre fecero altri due show tutto-esaurito al Rainbow, il 19 e il 20.
Ora il tutto uscirà in CD, doppio vinile LP, DVD e Blu-Ray SD, in versione standard, edizione speciale limitata e digitale.
Queen, Virgin Records e Eagle Rock Entertainment sono infatti fieri di annunciarne la pubblicazione ─ lunedì 8 settembre nel Regno Unito dalla Virgin Records e martedì 9 negli USA dalla Hollywood Records ─ anche in quadruplo vinile boxato e in super deluxe collector’s edition, comprendente un libro di 60 pagine!

Ecco tutti i dettagli dei sette formati disponibili:

1 CD con il concerto di novembre
2 CD digi-pack, show di marzo sul primo e di novembre sul secondo
DVD dello show di novembre, con 4 bonus track dallo show di marzo
Blu-Ray SD dello show di novembre, con 4 bonus track dallo show di marzo
Doppio LP in edizione limitata con copertina apribile: show di marzo sul primo (in versione "1974", cioè con il mix originale fatto in quell'anno in previsione dell'uscita dell'album live, pare contenga anche qualche ritocco fatto in studio; non disponibile in nessun altro formato) e gli highlights di novembre sul secondo
Quadruplo LP in box in edizione limitata: due LP con le registrazioni non editate e non remixate di marzo e gli altri due con quelle di novembre, missaggio del 19 (in quota molto minore) e del 20 (stragrande maggioranza)
Super Deluxe Box in edizione limitata: box contenente:

2 CD, uno con le registrazioni di marzo e l’altro con quelle di novembre
1 DVD / 1 Blu-Ray SD dello show di novembre con 4 bonus track da quello di marzo
Libro di 60 pagine con copertina rigida, con tante foto inedite, riproduzioni di articoli dell’epoca dal The Times, da Disc e da Music Echo, inclusa anche una serie di 4 articoli successivamente pubblicati
Riproduzioni dei biglietti del concerto di marzo, quelli effettivamente usati dai genitori di Brian!
Riproduzione della cartella con le disposizioni del tour del concerto di marzo del promotore Mel Bush, inclusa una lettera con l'invito al gruppo di non sfasciare le stanze dell’hotel!
Una riproduzione della brochure souvenir di 8 pagine
Due spille-distintivo, riproduzione di quelle disponibili al concerto
Riproduzione del poster color porpora e color oro dei concerti di marzo
Riproduzione delle foto del The Telegraph Magazine, con il gruppo insieme a delle modelle
Riproduzione dei pass adesivi per il palco del concerto di marzo.

Ecco le tracklist delle varie versioni:
► 1 CD ─ Sheer Heart Attack Tour - Live at the Rainbow, novembre ’74:
[tracklist come il CD 2 della versione doppio CD qui di seguito]
► 2 CD digi-pack & 4 vinili LP boxati:
[CD 1] ─ Queen II Tour - Live at the Rainbow, marzo ’74 :
Procession - Father To Son - Ogre Battle - Son And Daughter - Guitar Solo - Son And Daughter (Reprise) - White Queen (As It Began) - Great King Rat - The Fairy Feller’s Master-Stroke - Keep Yourself Alive - Drum Solo - Keep Yourself Alive (Reprise) - Seven Seas Of Rhye - Modern Times Rock ’n’ Roll - Jailhouse Rock / Stupid Cupid / Be Bop A Lula (Medley) - Liar - See What A Fool I’ve Been
[CD 2] ─ Sheer Heart Attack Tour - Live at the Rainbow, novembre ’74:
Procession - Now I’m Here - Ogre Battle - Father To Son - White Queen (As It Began) - Flick Of The Wrist - In The Lap Of The Gods - Killer Queen - The March Of The Black Queen - Bring Back That Leroy Brown - Son And Daughter - Guitar Solo - Son And Daughter (Reprise) - Keep Yourself Alive - Drum Solo - Keep Yourself Alive (Reprise) - Seven Seas Of Rhye - Stone Cold Crazy - Liar - In The Lap Of The Gods… Revisited - Big Spender - Modern Times Rock ’n’ Roll - Jailhouse Rock - God Save The Queen
► Doppio Vinile LP:
[LP 1] Queen II Tour - Live at the Rainbow, marzo ’74:
Procession - Father To Son - Ogre Battle - Son And Daughter - Guitar Solo - Son And Daughter (Reprise) - Keep Yourself Alive - Drum Solo - Keep Yourself Alive (Reprise) - Seven Seas Of Rhye - Modern Times Rock ’n’ Roll - Liar.
[LP 2] Sheer Heart Attack Tour - Live at the Rainbow, novembre ’74:
Procession - Now I’m Here - White Queen (As It Began) - Flick Of The Wrist - In The Lap Of The Gods - Killer Queen - The March Of The Black Queen - Bring Back That Leroy Brown - Stone Cold Crazy - In The Lap Of The Gods… Revisited.
► Standard DVD e Blu-Ray SD:
Sheer Heart Attack Tour - Live at the Rainbow, novembre ’74:
Procession - Now I’m Here - Ogre Battle - Father To Son - White Queen (As It Began) - Flick Of The Wrist - In The Lap Of The Gods - Killer Queen - The March Of The Black Queen - Bring Back That Leroy Brown - Son And Daughter - Guitar Solo - Son And Daughter (Reprise) - Keep Yourself Alive - Drum Solo - Keep Yourself Alive (Reprise) - Seven Seas Of Rhye - Stone Cold Crazy - Liar - In The Lap Of The Gods… Revisited - Big Spender - Modern Times Rock ’n’ Roll - Jailhouse Rock
[BONUS TRACKS] Queen II Tour - Live at the Rainbow, marzo ’74:
Son And Daughter - Guitar Solo - Son And Daughter (Reprise) - Modern Times Rock ’n’ Roll

Alcune note aggiuntive:
The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke venne suonata dal vivo per l'ultima volta al concerto del 31 marzo!
Dagli show di novembre, Great King Rat and Modern Times Rock'n'Roll (from the first album), See What A Fool I've Been e Flick of the Wrist vengono pubblicate per la prima volta in un prodotto live dei Queen.
Parte dei concerti di novembre erano usciti nel Box Of Tricks in VHS, ma quello di marzo non era mai stato pubblicato ufficialmente.
Nella VHS del 1992 (Box Of Tricks), Liar, Keep Yourself Alive, Father To Son e Jailhouse Rock erano presenti solo in parte, mentre ora usciranno complete per la prima volta. Modern Times Rock'n'Roll, Flick Of The Wrist, Seven Seas of Rhye e Big Spender dagli show di novembre non erano nella VHS e quindi escono per la prima volta.
Queste 15 canzoni dei concerti di marzo e novembre 1974 al Rainbow non sono mai state pubblicate in nessun album ufficiale dei Queen: Procession, Father to Son, Ogre Battle, Son and Daughter, White Queen, Great King Rat, The Fairy Feller's Master-Stroke, Modern Times Rock'n'Roll, Liar, See What A Fool I've Been, Flick of the Wrist, In the Lap of the Gods (not to be confused with In The Lap Of The Gods... Revisited), The March of the Black Queen, Bring Back that Leroy Brown e Stone Cold Crazy.

[Fonte: Queenonline.com
Traduzione di Claudio Tassone per Comunità Queeniana: www.facebook.com/groups/comunitaqueeniana/ ]

A Hard Day's Night dei Beatles in edizione HS restaurata

2014-05-21T19:14:00.002+02:00

Il film dei Beatles A Hard Day’s Night del 1964 uscirà il prossimo 21 Luglio in Bluray e DVD in una versione restaurata a 4k, approvata dal regista Richard Lester, contenente anche una colonna sonora ricreata in 5.1 DTS-HD surround (ma anche in stereo e mono), supervisionata da Giles Martin (il figlio di George) agli studi Abbey Road.

Tra i bonus di questa nuova versione abbiamo:

In Their Own Voices: un misto di interviste ai Beatles del 1964 con foto e filmati dietro le quinte
You Can't Do That: il "making of" del film
Un documentario del produttore Walter Shenson che include anche una performance inedita dei Beatles
Things They Said Today: commenti e racconti del regista Richard Lester, il produttore musicale George Martin, lo sceneggiatore Alun Owen e il direttore della fotografia Gilbert Taylor
Picturewise: intervista col regista Richard Lester che prende in considerazione anche i suoi lavori precedenti
Anatomy of a Style: esamina i metodi usati dal regista
Una nuova intervista con Mark Lewisohn, uno dei più autorevoli esperti sui Beatles
Commenti audio del cast e dello staff del film
Nuovo trailer per il 50° anniversario del film