http://www.lipulse.com/ en info@lipulse.com Copyright 2015 2015-05-11T13:29:00+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/post-grammy-hangover http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/post-grammy-hangover#When:14:00:00Z Musical artists and categories that remain Grammy pariahs While it’s great to see artists like Sam Smith, Hozier, Bastille, Haim, Sia, Ed Sheeran, John Legend and Coldplay and even Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga’s collaboration nominated in the major categories, the Grammy awards show this year remains controversial. There seem to be many musical artists and various categories that are still Grammy pariahs. Although nominated in the best rock album category, U2 was one of the big losers this year, before any awards were even given out. Their album Songs of Innocence was criticized for the way it was released for free on iTunes. The group has also been criticized for making what some refer to as boring boomer rock and, to add insult to injury, prior to the group’s tour to promote their new album, lead singer Bono was seriously hurt in a bicycle accident in Manhattan’s Central Park. It’s a shame that the music press reviewed the way the album was released instead of the music. The fact is that the album is one of the group’s best. It is very reflective, with the group looking back at its roots and Bono writes eloquently about his family. Attesting to the continued healthy state of the British pop music scene, Sam Smith’s debut release Stay With Me was one of the big winners this year, despite the breaking news that he settled out of court with Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne over songwriting credit for the title track. Hozier’s eponymous debut breakthrough reminds one of the Gotye Making Mirrors album from 2011. Hozier has made a quirky passionate album but has clearly broken through to that elusive larger audience. There were a number of excellent albums worth mentioning that were completely ignored by the Grammy voters. Mutineers (IHT) from David Gray is the Irish artist’s first album in ten years and one that all the young Ed Sheeran fans should check out. Half the City (Thirty Tigers) from St. Paul & The Broken Bones is the debut album from an exciting Alabama-based soul band that marks the beginning of a musical group that is destined for big things. Midnight Sun (Chimera) from Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger proves once again that Sean Lennon and his partner Charlotte Kemp Mull are creating original and exciting music that proves Lennon is making music on his own terms and long ago stepped out of the musical shadow of his late great dad. Thompson Family (Fantasy), from Richard and Linda Thompson, their son Teddy Thompson with various other children and relations is a mostly acoustic roots album from one of the great musical families in British folk history. Radiohead’s Phil Selway’s release Weatherhouse (Bella Union) is an album of lush electronica that fans of Radiohead will love and once again proves that its drummer is an accomplished artist in his own right.    Music: Mixed Media Online, 2015-02-27T14:00:00+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/guide-to-holiday-music http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/guide-to-holiday-music#When:14:00:00Z Are you listening? If you are tired of sharing the mall with other stressed-out, over-drawn shoppers and would like to spend this holiday season in regal splendor in a time gone by, pick up Christmas at Downton Abbey (Warner Bros.). This 2-CD set features period holiday music and even a few numbers from members of the cast. Other performances include heavenly holiday chestnuts from Choir of Kings College Cambridge, Taverner Choir and Taverner Consort, among many other artists. A perfect follow-up to the mostly classical and choral-inspired Downton Abbey Christmas is A Michael Feinstein Christmas (Concord). Feinstein is a New Yorker, but an American treasure in the way his career has been devoted to keeping the great American songbook fresh for new generations of music listeners. This sparse piano and vocal outing perfectly captures the simple melodies and timelessness of holiday songs from various eras, but with an obvious emphasis on pre-rock ballads. Idina Menzel has become a superstar as the voice of Elsa in the animated family blockbuster film Frozen. This Christmas CD Holiday Wishes (Warner Bros.) is the perfect follow-up to the film and with her current star turn on Broadway in If/Then, she claims a unique place in the world of music. Her duet here with Michael Buble on “Baby It’s Cold Outside” alone makes this CD worth the price of admission. An American group who has created a unique hybrid of holiday and winter music in the past and now has another fresh take on the season is Over The Rhine. The group is basically led by the husband and wife team of Linford Detweiler and Karin Bergquist. Their newest, Blood Oranges in the Snow (Great Speckled Dog), continues in the vein of previous releases with original songs that directly address the holiday season and others that reflect the many moods of winter. Dan Hicks has had a remarkable career as a member of both the seminal Psychedelic San Francisco group The Charlatans and Bay-area retro faves Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks. If that is not enough, Hicks has been making holiday music with various friends as the Christmas Jug Band. Their newest CD, Jugology: Greatest Near Misses (Best Of…), on Globe Records, collects tracks from their five acclaimed albums. There are two tracks not available on previous releases, making this an indispensable new release for hardcore Jug Band fans. A new seven song-EP worth searching out this season is I’ll Be Home For Christmas (Epic). The main draw here is Fiona Apple’s one-of-a-kind take on “Frosty the Snowman” and the duet of “Winter Song” from Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson. Finally, don’t miss the reissue of Imagene Peise: Atlas Eets Christmas (Warner Bros.)from the Flaming Lips originally released in 2007. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2014-12-17T14:00:00+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/basement-bootleg-bob http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/basement-bootleg-bob#When:17:00:00Z Dylan’s in the basement mixing up the medicine The Legacy-released Bob Dylan Bootleg Series has been a tremendous success. When a bootleg entitled the Great White Wonder of Bob Dylan’s music was released in July of 1969, it singlehandedly launched the rock bootleg industry that is still thriving today. The culmination of that release and the resulting underground cottage industry are manifested in what is perhaps the most anticipated reissue of the Legacy series: The Basement Tapes Complete: The Bootleg Series Vol. 11. The Deluxe Edition is a beautiful boxed set that contains 138 tracks on six CDs of music and a hardbound book. Originally released officially as only a double-album in 1975, the music contained on these six CDs is of superior sound quality and includes nearly all of the recordings Bob Dylan and the Band recorded in 1967 at the mythic split-level house in West Saugerties, New York dubbed “Big Pink” as well as other recordings recorded at Dylan’s upstate home in the “Red Room.” The full history of these recordings has been told in entire books and as part of the many biographies of Dylan and the few books on The Band. The recordings took place after Dylan’s equally chronicled motorcycle accident and include songs he was demoing for his song publishers, covers the musicians jammed on for fun, songs Dylan went on to record himself on official studio releases and songs that later appeared on albums from The Band. Released in the midst of psychedelia, the music here is homespun American encompassing a broad range of roots styles that resonate today in dozens of groups and artists such as the commercially successful Mumford & Sons and celebrated veterans such as Wilco, to name just two. What is great about this boxed set is that now these recordings are available in the best sound quality for Dylan fans and a new generation of music listeners and have been preserved forever for the future. Basement Tapes Revisited Somewhat of a companion to the new Dylan and the Band Basement Tapes project is Lost on the River: The New Basement Tapes (Electromagnetic Recordings/Harvest Records). This T-Bone Burnett produced project features a group comprised of Elvis Costello, Taylor Goldsmith (Dawes), Jim James (My Morning Jacket), Marcus Mumford (Mumford & Sons) and Rhiannon Giddens (Carolina Chocolate Drops), who took lyrics Bob Dylan wrote during the Basement Tapes sessions in 1967 and created music to both update the Basement Tapes 1967 feel and make something brand new. Bobfest Two other Dylan Legacy releases include the Deluxe Edition of The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration of the music of Bob Dylan on Blu-ray and on a two-CD set. The October 1992 concert featured an all-star cast of musical legends and friends, along with Dylan himself performing Dylan favorites, hits and obscurities in an event Neil Young dubbed Bobfest. Of particular note are the performances here of Richie Havens, The Band, George Harrison, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers and Roger McGuinn. It’s interesting to point out that Dylan now has been at it for more than 50 years and, given his recent albums and tours, shows no signs of slowing down. Bloomfield Blues One of the most chronicled and controversial periods of Bob Dylan’s career was his conversion from folky troubadour to electric rocker. An artist who was a musical key to this transformation was Mike Bloomfield. His significance to Dylan, along with his time as a member of both The Paul Butterfield Blues Band and The Electric Flag, and his varied his solo recordings are the basis of a 3-CD/DVD box set from Legacy entitled From His Head to His Heart To His Hands. While a relatively unknown figure to casual music fans, Bloomfield’s place in music and the respect he garners as an innovative guitarist are immeasurable. While the music contained here is more than testament to his talent, the DVD Sweet Blues: A Film About Mike Bloomfield directed by Bob Sarles, evocatively places Bloomfield in the exalted musical context in which he belongs, but also leavens his artistic triumphs with reference to his troubled personality that ultimately derailed his brilliant career and caused his early death at the age of 37. His work with Dylan on his key electric solo albums, his stint with The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, and his recordings with his closest musical partner, Al Kooper, alone make this box set a definitive proclamation of Bloomfield’s guitar talent and musical taste. Dylan’s Back Pages While there have been a plethora of books on Bob Dylan through the years, two recent books are more than worthy additions. Another Side of Bob Dylan (St. Martin’s Press) from Victor Maymudes, which was co-written and edited by his son Jacob Maymudes, tells the story of Victor’s personal and professional relationship with Dylan. Jacob took many hours of tape of his father dictating for a book on Dylan that he never completed in his lifetime. This revealing book offers keen insights into some of Dylan’s key periods and is also a poignant reflection of a son discovering his father and himself through the journey of writing. Equally insightful is The Dylanologists (Simon & Schuster) by David Kinney. Although on the surface it seems like a Dylan side-trip the book is actually a very illuminating, well-researched and perfectly written account of the sub-culture of Dylan fans whose obsession with his life and career careens from the weird to the wonderful. Kinney tells Dylan’s history through fans who follow him from show to show and those who chronicle his life and art in everything from mimeographed fanzines and blogs to those who write widely read, published tomes on the legend. The book is a surprisingly sober and thoughtful account of the relationship this sub-culture has with Dylan and how it affects the commentary, scholarship and perception of perhaps the single most important individual in the history of rock. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2014-12-01T17:00:00+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/legends-in-print-and-on-stage http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/legends-in-print-and-on-stage#When:14:00:00Z The Long Island musical event of the fall © Stevie Nicks/courtesy of Morrison Hotel Gallery Stevie Nicks Crystal Photographic Visions Fleetwood Mac fans have recently had a chance to see the classic line-up of Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Lindsay Buckingham, Stevie Nicks and, for the first time in how many years, Christine McVie. On the same day that the group announced it was extending its tour into 2015 with 40 additional dates, a private party was held for Stevie Nicks. The party took place at the downtown Manhattan Openspace Gallery. It was hosted by the Morrison Hotel Gallery, the premier art-world representatives of the world’s most distinguished rock photographers. The Morrison Hotel has a permanent downtown location and one in Los Angeles, but it held the lavish event at the cavernous Openspace to accommodate the many photographers, music biz heavyweights and over-sized framed prints of Stevie Nicks’s photographs from the 70s, which are being exhibited for the first time. There was also a massive sound system playing Nicks’s new release, 24 Karat Gold – Songs From the Vault (Reprise), on vinyl. © Stevie Nicks/courtesy of Morrison Hotel Gallery The event truly was a party and once Nicks entered, the crush of photographers was intense.  Nicks seemed relaxed, friendly and appreciative that such a large crowd showed up not to hear her sing but to see her photographs. After a short period, her mates in the Mac, Mick Fleetwood and Christine McVie, showed up. McVie was beaming, as she held her dog in her arms; she seemed to be so content surrounded by her Fleetwood Mac bandmates. Fleetwood, who towered over nearly everyone in attendance, radiated his calm, friendly manner and was also besieged by photographers. Nicks took Fleetwood around the entire gallery, giving him a personal tour of all the photos. He stayed for quite some time and appeared captivated by the photos. © Stevie Nicks/courtesy of Morrison Hotel Gallery Long after Nicks, Fleetwood and McVie left, the party raged on. I caught up with Dave Stewart, formerly of the Eurhythmics, who produced Nicks’s previous album and directed the documentary on Nicks entitled Stevie Nicks – In Your Dreams. Sipping a martini, Stewart indicated he is working on four projects of mostly unknown, young new artists. The affable producer seemed excited about these productions, which include London-based soul singer Hollie Stephenson; Los Angeles-based Brit singer-songwriter Kaya; the Lake Poets (great name!); and Steward and Lindsey, a duo project. As of this writing, news from the Nicks camp is that she is planning a 24 Karat Gold – Songs From the Vault, volume two. A Time to Celebrate The Long Island musical event of the fall is David Amram’s 84th Birthday Concert: Remembering Pete Seeger, which will take place on November 20, 2014 at 7 pm., at the Hillwood Recital Hall at Tilles Center at C.W. Post in Brookville, NY. The evening’s performers will include David Amram and his quintet (David Amram, Kevin Twigg, Rene Hart, Robbie Winterhawk and Adam Amram), Peter Yarrow (of Peter, Paul, and Mary), Tom Chapin, Holly Near, Guy Davis, Garland Jeffreys, Kim & Reggie Harris, Joel Rafael, The Amigos, The Chapin Sisters, Bethany & Rufus, and the Connecticut State Troubadour Kristen Graves. Tickets are $55 in advance and can be purchased by visiting movementmusicrecords.com. There is also a VIP meet-and-greet with the performers available for an additional $45. For more information about Hillwood Recital Hall at the Tilles Center at C.W. Post, visit http://www.tillescenter.org and wcwp.org. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2014-11-12T14:00:00+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/show-biz-kids http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/show-biz-kids#When:13:00:00Z 60s and 70s survivors outshine current chart-toppers at two Long Island shows Steely Dan rolled into the Paramount in Huntington on September 13th as part of the group’s Jamalot Ever After tour. For several years now the group has been avoiding the summer concert season and touring in the fall. Recent years have seen the group do multi-night runs at the Beacon Theatre, often playing entire albums from its 70s golden era in one night.   At the Paramount, with 14 musicians on stage, the group played a familiar selection of songs, including a healthy serving of its defining Aja album. Particular favorites included “Hey Nineteen,” “Show Biz Kids,” “Bodhisattva,” and the night’s grand finale, “Kid Charlemagne.” The lone cover was the Joe Tex chestnut “I Want to (Do Everything for You).” While early r&b and particularly soul music had an obvious major influence on the group’s biggest hits, there is a structure in the way that Donald Fagen and Walter Becker approach the composing and arranging of their music that is similar to that of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn. Of course, Strayhorn wasn’t really a performer and wasn’t part of Ellington’s orchestra, but the Ellington/Strayhorn model does seem to be the base structure from which their music springs. The two-hour show featured impeccable musicianship, and slight variations from the original studio tracks freshened up the music for the stage. With the high level of musicianship and featuring songs as good as any in rock history, Steely Dan’s music, more than 30 years after the group’s heyday, still out-shines nearly anything on the charts today. Steely Dan was not just an album band; it scored many hit singles as well. There isn’t one song on the charts today that could rival the Dan’s mightiest hits. For all their focus on the music, both Fagan and particularly Becker had fun telling stories, including their heartfelt fondness for their Long Island connections, in a dry, deadpan manner that was hilarious and often had the crowd convulsive with laughter. The British Invade Again The following night at the NYCB Theatre at Westbury was the 2014 British Invasion Tour, featuring Mike Pender’s Searchers, Chad & Jeremy, Billy J. Kramer and Denny Laine. Terry Sylvester, formerly of the Hollies, opened the show, replacing headliner Gerry & the Pacemakers, due to Gerry Marsden’s being hospitalized in Spain. Pender’s jangly Rickenbacker 12-string and his still-strong voice brought alive such Searchers British Invasion gold as “Needles and Pins,” “Love Potion #9,” “Sweet for My Sweet” and “Sugar and Spice.” It would be great to see another full Searchers reunion, given how successful the group was even beyond its 60s heyday. Next up was Chad & Jeremy. The pair played some of their biggest hits, told stories and maintained the magic chemistry that made them one of the biggest duos of the British Invasion. Long Island resident Billy J. Kramer stole the show. Playing with the house band for the evening, which included former Billy Joel drummer and current drummer in Kramer’s band, Liberty Devito’s perfect back-beat, Kramer brought his regular guitarist out and mixed his biggest hits, new songs and more to rapturous applause. Kramer’s new album I Won the Fight, features strong material he wrote and spotlights a new-found toughness and depth to his vocals that if possible sounds even better than back in the 60s. Kramer closed with a cover of the Walker Brothers’ “The Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Any More” that was stunning. Denny Laine closed the show and brought the house down with the hit he sang with the Moody Blues, “Go Now.” All the artists came on in the end and performed a spirited “Band On The Run.” The entire evening was augmented by wonderful visual video images of the various artists’ 60s singles and album sleeves and photos, something rarely seen at a concert like this and very welcome. #9 Dream British Invasion, Beatles and John Lennon fans will want to be at The Dix Hills Center for the Performing Arts on Sunday, October 26th at 2:00 P.M., featuring Mostly Moptop, as part of The #9 Lennon Birthday Special. The band will be joined by percussionist Donald Larsen and nine additional guest artists: Susan Devita; Judith Zweiman; Gear Head Freaks; Joe Gioglio; EV Sweet; Andrew Lubman; Marci Geller; Ben Phillip and former Strawbs member and Long Island-resident John Ford. The Dix Hills Performing Arts Center is located at Five Towns College, 305 North Service Road in Dix Hills.  Music: Mixed Media Online, 2014-10-08T13:00:00+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/british-invasion-on-the-island http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/british-invasion-on-the-island#When:13:00:00Z Gerry Marsden on the enduring appeal of his music On Sunday, Sept., 14 at the NYCB Theatre at Westbury at 8pm, the British Invasion Tour 2014 will feature Gerry & the Pacemakers, Chad & Jeremy, Billy J. Kramer, Mike Pender’s Searchers and Denny Laine. Gerry & the Pacemakers, who scored three number one singles during the British Invasion and like the Beatles were managed by Brian Epstein and produced by George Martin was the first band to follow in the Beatles’ footsteps in conquering America and then the world in the mid 60s. The groups scored three other hits that reached the Top 10, including “Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying” and the iconic “Ferry Cross the Mersey,” which became emblematic of the allure and romance of the birth-place of The Beatles and the Liverpool music scene. Gerry Marsden remains the youthful face and voice of the group. He turns 72 this month and from his home in England discussed the enduring appeal of his music and his fellow Liverpudlians Long Island Pulse: Gerry & the Pacemakers came up almost at the exact time as the Beatles.  What was your earliest memory of any of the Beatles? Did you know them around Liverpool as school-age children? Gerry Marsden: I first met the Beatles when we were teenagers with our skiffle groups, We played a lot of the same shows and John (Lennon) went on to be one of my closest friends, even though on stage We were great rivals. LIP: Did any of the members of the group ever play with the Beatles? GM: We were on the same bill one night at one of the shows so just for a laugh we all played on stage together and we called ourselves “The Beatmakers,” which is obviously a mix of both groups names. LIP: Your group had many parallels to the Beatles. Could you give some insights into your experiences in these areas and how they were the same or different than the Beatles? GM: We both played at the Cavern Club but in the lunchtime session at the Cavern was originally a Jazz club. Paul McCartney and I went down to the Cavern to see if we could play there. Once the owner realized how busy it was at lunchtimes with people queuing down the road to get in, then he decided to forget about the Jazz and we then got to play in the evenings. Also, we took turns most of the time playing Hamburg at two different clubs and the Cavern. But quite a few times we would both be in Hamburg at the same time. That’s when John and I would hang around together. We were also signed and managed by Brian Epstein. Brian came down to the Cavern to see what the Beatles and the Pacemakers were about. Paul and I used to go to get Rock ‘n’ Roll records from America from Brian’s shop. He asked us why we wanted them and we told him we played in groups at the Cavern. He came to the Cavern and saw how the audience were reacting and asked the Beatles if he could manage them. He then approached me saying he could get the Beatles work and a recording contract so could he manage us too. Of course I said yes. We were also produced by George Martin and recorded at Abbey Road (then EMI studios). George was a talented man but he had mainly worked with orchestras. That was great in the long term though because of his use of stings on our recordings. He made sure he got the best out of both groups no matter how long it took. LIP: What was happening in Liverpool when the Beatles finally broke in America? How did Liverpool musical artists and fans feel about the Beatles breaking through? GM: Of course everyone was excited and happy for them, because it gave hope to all the other bands working around Liverpool. Up to 500 bands were in Liverpool at the time both known but a lot more unknown hoping for their big break. LIP: Talk about your early hits, starting with “How Do You Do It,” which the Beatles turned down. GM: “How Do You Do It” was the first of my three consecutive number One hits, It was written by Mitch Murray but it was offered to another singer called Adam Faith before being offered to the Beatles. John turned it down saying they wanted to sing their own songs. He said to Brian and George Martin “Give it to Gerry he’ll do it.” The rest was history as they say. LIP: Your group turned down recording “Hello Little Girl,” which was written by the Beatles. Why did you turn it down and what did you think of the Fourmost version? GM: I turned down “Hello Little Girl” which John wrote because I wanted to do more of a ballad type song. I wasn’t sure if that would have been the right song for us, but it gave the Fourmost a chance so good came out of it. LIP: How did the group come to record “Ferry Cross the Mersey” and what was the recording process like? GM: “Ferry Cross the Mersey” came about because it was the title track of the film we made. I wrote all the songs for the film but the title song was the hardest one to come up with because it had to be Ferry “Cross” and not Ferry “Across,” which would have been easier to write. It took me months to come up with it but when I did I wrote it in about 15minutes and when I went down to record it in the studio I did it in one take. LIP: Talk about the writing and recording of “Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying.” GM: I wrote the song while I was in Germany. I’d split up with my girlfriend Pauline (who is now my wife) so I wondered how I could get her back, so I wrote the song and sent it to her on a tape. She listened to it and of course wanted me back (laughs). Music: Mixed Media Online, 2014-09-10T13:00:00+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/eno-sylvian http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/eno-sylvian#When:13:00:00Z Few musical artists are as influential and multi-faceted as Brian Eno. Founding member of Roxy Music, godfather of Ambient music, and avant-garde collaborator with the likes of Robert Fripp, John Cale, David Byrne and many others, Eno has been best known for decades as the uber-producer of such artists as Talking Heads, David Bowie, U2 and Coldplay. Many books have been written about his Roxy Music and solo works, along with his autobiographical writings. “Visual Music” is the first book by Eno to properly place his work in a multi-media context, perhaps the best way to truly understand the magnitude of his singular genius in how he straddles a myriad of artistic disciplines and popular and avant-garde art. The book reflects to a great degree his multi-media visual installations and the working artistic process behind the finished creations. Summing up 40 years of an artist’s attempt to forge a new way of looking and listening, this book holds an abundance of richly conceived art and a deep, thoughtful and at times whimsical insight into the fertile mind of a great artist. The parts of the book that detail what Eno calls his Oblique Strategies alone make this book worth the price of admission. On the musical front, Eno is at one of the most overtly accessible phases of his recording career with the release of Someday World (Warp), a collaboration with Karl Hyde of Underworld. The album will immediately thrill fans of Eno’s work with John Cale and other non-Ambient solo works, as it reflects the most straightforward, vocal-based music Eno has recorded in years. The electro-pop features all the quirky keyboard and tape effects that one expects from Eno. Another Eno-Hyde release will appear shortly. David Sylvian has had a career that in many respects shadows the career of Brian Eno. Like Eno, Sylvian is British, left a major British band (Japan), retreated from pop stardom and has collaborated with avant-garde artists such as Jon Hassell, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Robert Fripp and others. “On the Periphery: David Sylvian – A Biography The Solo Years,” by Christopher E. Young, ambitiously and effectively takes on the unenviable task of chronicling the dense and diffuse, 30-plus-year solo career of one of the most challenging cult artists in music. Young’s book is more than just a linear biography, it seeks to explore, unravel and summarize a wide range of musical projects, many with strong visual, poetic and spiritual elements. Unlike many cheesy rock star biographies focused on sex, drugs, alcohol, rehab, rumors, breakups, personal love and family dirt, Young’s book successfully explores an artist of many creative shades. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2014-07-02T13:00:00+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/how-does-it-feelto-be-73-years-old http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/how-does-it-feelto-be-73-years-old#When:11:58:00Z This Saturday, May 17, at 8 p.m. at the University Café at Stony Brook University is Bob Dylan’s 73 Birthday Celebration with The Kennedys, Rod MacDonald, Russ Seeger, Steve Kaplan, Tom Ryan, Brian Kachejian and others, produced by Charlie Backfish, the host of Sunday Street. Sunday Street is broadcast every Sunday from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on WUSB 90.1 FM. Dylan just released a cover of the 1945 song “Full Moon and Empty Arms,” which was popularized by Frank Sinatra. It will be on Dylan’s next album “Shadows in the Night.” Tickets are $30 in advance. SundayStreetWUSB@aol.com. 631-632-1093. http://www.universitycafe.org/ Music: Mixed Media Online, 2014-05-15T11:58:00+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/rolling-stones-as-guitars-go-by-and-blue-note-jazz http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/rolling-stones-as-guitars-go-by-and-blue-note-jazz#When:16:00:00Z Rolling Stones – As Guitars Go By Andy Babiuk is a member of the group the Chesterfield Kings and the owner of a guitar shop. His writings on music and his knowledge of musical instruments have made him a living legend. His Beatles Gear book, published in 2001, told the story of the Fab Four through their instruments. Employing exhaustive research, Babiuk and his co-author Greg Prevost interviewed 400 individuals that helped them elucidate the history, technology and pure musicality of how those instruments shaped the group and rock history. For years, Babiuk fans have heard that he was working on an even more challenging project. That project is now a reality: Rolling Stones Gear (Backbeat). Babiuk and Prevost dig even deeper here than they did in their Beatles book. They also had the daunting task of covering a group who is still actively recording and touring, unlike the Beatles, who broke up in 1970. This book is more than twice the number of pages and required a wider scope of knowledge given that it covers the seven core members of the group, as opposed to four with the Beatles. Babiuk was able to draw heavily from ex-Rolling Stones bassist Bill Wyman, who is the de-facto, unofficial archivist of the group. I can’t imagine a better book on the group. This beautiful, hardcover, coffee-table book is all about the music and completely ignores the gossip, cultural baggage and myth-making that have at times detracted from the sheer musical importance of the greatest rock and roll band in the world. It is also important to point out that, as with the Beatles book, the reader does not have to be a musician or a gear-head to totally enjoy the book. Blue Note Jazz Blue Note Records is marking its 75th anniversary with a reissue program that will delight fans of classic American jazz and especially vinyl purists. Spearheaded by the label’s president, musician/producer Don Was, the series launched its first batch of reissues in March of this year with five defining albums from the likes of John Coltrane and Art Blakey. Five albums will be released every month until October of 2015. Blue Note is perhaps jazz music’s most celebrated label. While classic jazz has been recorded through the years by other independent and major labels such as Verve, Atlantic and many others, Blue Note released many of the cornerstone recordings of the genre. Equally important is where the albums were recorded: many at Rudy Van Gelder’s famed New Jersey studio. Also significant are the photography and artwork of the original albums, most of which were done by photographer Francis Wolf, with the covers designed by Reid Miles.  The second batch has just been released and includes two live albums: At The Golden Circle, Stockholm Volume One from the Ornette Coleman Trio and A Night at the Village Vanguard from Sonny Rollins. Also included are two classic jazz albums that have been enormously popular for years, Our Man in Paris from Dexter Gordon, and Herbie Hancock’s Maiden Voyage. Perhaps one of the greatest one-off jazz session albums of all time rounds out the second batch: Somethin’ Else, featuring Cannonball Adderly, Miles Davis, Hank Jones, Sam Jones and Art Blakey. The next batch will feature the classic Song for My Father from Horace Silver, and the reissue of Idle Moments from Grant Green, a nod to one of the great jazz guitarists. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2014-05-09T16:00:00+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/send-lawyers-guns-and-especially-money-the-snow-and-ice-have-hit-the-tower http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/send-lawyers-guns-and-especially-money-the-snow-and-ice-have-hit-the-tower#When:13:56:00Z To commemorate the music of Warren Zevon and to raise much needed funds for WUSB (90.1 FM) radio in Stony Brook, Paradiddle Records and The Sunday Street Acoustic Series are staging a benefit concert on April 5th, 2014, at the University Café on the Stony Brook campus. The show will be hosted by Charlie Backfish, who can be heard every Sunday morning from 9 AM until 11:30 AM on WUSB’s Sunday Street. The house band for the evening includes guitarist and fiddle player Russ Seeger of The Last Hombres, bass player Dave March (of Miles To Dayton), drummer Bill Herman, Bob “Hootch” Paolucci on harmonica, and a special guest keyboard player. Guest artists who will share their interpretations of Zevon’s songs include Kerry Kearney, Mick Hargreaves, Cindy Lopez, Claudia Jacobs, and Pete Mancini (of Butchers Blind). Paradiddle Records will be recording the evening for a subsequent release. Proceeds from the show will benefit WUSB-FM to help defray costs associated with the recent repair of its broadcast tower, which was severely damaged during the recent winter storms. Tickets are $15 in advance online and $20 at the door. Further Information is available at http://www.universitycafe.org. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2014-04-01T13:56:00+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/the-last-hombres-ride-again http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/the-last-hombres-ride-again#When:20:16:00Z The Last Hombres return to the concert stage on March 29th at the Boulton Center in Bay Shore. Their first album in more than ten years, Odd Fellows Rest, will be released in the coming months. The group features core members Michael Meehan, Russ Seeger and Paul Schmitz. Tom Ryan has replaced the late Levon Helm on drums and Chris James of the Hideaways plays keyboards. Their new album was recorded at One East Recording in Manhattan, with additional recording at Piety Studios in New Orleans. It was produced by Yohei Goto and mastered by the legendary Scott Hull at Masterdisk. The show is already sold out, but the group will be playing more shows in the coming months in the New York area. Butchers Blind will open. The group’s most recent album is Destination Blues and it was released on Paradiddle Records. Butchers Blind is comprised of Pete Mancini, Paul Cianciaruso, Brian Reilly and Christopher Smith. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2014-03-24T20:16:00+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/patchogue-folk-festival http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/patchogue-folk-festival#When:14:09:00Z The 5th annual Patchogue Folk Festival will feature Suzanne Vega, Amy Helm and Caroline Doctorow on Saturday, March 22 at 8:00 PM at the Patchogue Theatre of the Performing Arts in a folk/singer-songwriter/roots fan’s dream triple bill. Vega recently released her first album of all new material in seven years Tales from the Realm of the Queen of Pentacles. Amy Helm is one of the guiding forces behind Ollabelle and also leads the band Amy Helm & The Handsome Strangers. She is the daughter of the late drummer of The Band Levon Helm and singer Libby Titus. Caroline Doctorow is a singer/songwriter based in Bridgehampton. She has released recordings on her own Narrow Lane Records and her latest release is I Carry All I Own from 2012. Her father is renowned author E.L. Doctorow. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2014-03-19T14:09:00+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/beatles-64 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/beatles-64#When:15:21:00Z Beatles at the Beeb Kevin Howlett is one of the foremost Beatles experts in the world. He wrote the liner notes and is one of the executive producers of the latest double-CD sets Beatles Live at the BBC and compiled and edited Let It Be Naked, which came out in 2003. The first official Live at the BBC reissue was released in 1994 (and just reissued using new sound sources for some tracks) and the newest On Air – Live at the BBC Volume 2 came out at the end of 2013. Howlett is the author of the recent book The Beatles: The BBC Archives: 1962-1970 (Harper Design) which looks at the group’s appearances on the BBC and its entire history. The beautiful coffee-table book is housed in a 12-inch, replica tape box and also includes memorabilia connected to the group’s appearances. Unlike the BBC CDs, which primarily cover the group’s earlier period, Howlett’s book covers the group’s entire history. Howlett spoke about his long tenure as the primary curator of the Beatles’ BBC recordings, which dates back to his legendary production of the “The Beeb’s Lost Beatles Tapes,” broadcast in 1988. SM: Your book covers the entire history of the Beatles BBC radio and television broadcasts, yet the two BBC sets thus far released by Apple only cover up to 1966. Will Apple continue to release more BBC discs without waiting so long and will Apple eventually release all of the appropriately significant performances of good enough recording quality? KH: I have not heard of any plans to release more discs of BBC material. SM: The availability of pristine vinyl transcriptions would seem to be one of the best sources for these kinds of projects. Have all of the BBC broadcasts that were pressed on vinyl been uncovered and used as much as possible on the two projects? KH: All of the songs on the BBC Transcription vinyl discs have been included on the two volumes of Live At The BBC. SM: The Beatles first U.S. television exposure was on the Jack Paar NBC Tonight Show in January of 1964 of a clip of “She Loves You” from the BBC “Mersey Sound” program. Was there any other Beatles U.S. television exposure of a full performance clip prior to their appearance on Ed Sullivan in February? KH: I have seen no information that indicates a full performance by The Beatles was shown on U.S. TV prior to the group’s appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.  SM: Were there any BBC broadcasts in particular that were not included on the first two sets because a good enough sound source has not yet been discovered that you’re still hoping to find and conversely what is your own favorite broadcast performance thus far included? KH: With the release of the second volume, it is now possible to own 81 of the 88 songs recorded by The Beatles for BBC radio. The missing songs are: “Besame Mucho,” “Dream Baby,” “I Call Your Name,” “I’m Happy Just To Dance With You,” “I Should Have Known Better,” “The Night Before” and “A Picture Of You.” Some of the 88 songs were performed many times, but each of the missing seven was only performed once at the BBC. I have heard recordings made from radio broadcasts of all of them, but my co-executive producer Mike Heatley and I agreed that they fell below the audio quality threshold we had set for On Air - Live At The BBC Volume 2. We would be thrilled to discover good sound quality versions of those seven songs. Interestingly, three were recorded in 1964 and “The Night Before” is from their last ever music session for the BBC broadcast in June 1965. I find it astonishing that even by mid-1964 and 1965 no one at the BBC thought it worthwhile preserving these recordings. It’s impossible to pick a favorite broadcast performance from the two albums - there are so many gems. However, hearing “Soldier Of Love” for the first time when I began researching this material for the 1982 radio special “The Beatles At The Beeb” was enormously exciting. That Beatles cover version of Arthur Alexander’s record could have graced any of the early U.K.-released Beatles LPs like With The Beatles or Beatles For Sale. It is a great example of the group finding a song that was so obscure in the U.K. and brilliantly re-arranging it for their beat group line-up. John’s vocal is wonderful - passionate yet tender, really soulful. From On Air - Live At The BBC Volume 2, I love the energy and spirit you hear in “Lucille,” “I Saw Her Standing There,” “Anna” and “Money.” Hearing “I’ll Get You” without the harmonica parts that are on the record is also great. The BBC albums prove that the Beatles were so proficient, dynamic and exciting as a live group. SM: A new reissue of the first BBC set has been released with some of the tracks taken from better sound sources. What tracks were significantly upgraded? KH: “Things We Said Today” on the original 1994 release of Live At The BBC was taken from the BBC Transcription radio show Top Of The Pops and has Brian Matthew talking over the introduction. The re-mastered album uses a tape of the song broadcast on the BBC Light Programme show Top Gear. This does not have Brian talking over the introduction, but is the same musical performance recorded on July 14th, 1964. You’ll notice a great improvement in the sound quality of “I Forgot To Remember To Forget.” Two additional speech tracks have been added to the Live At The BBC set. Placed before “Soldier Of Love,” “What Is It, George?” is the original broadcast introduction of George Harrison reading a listener’s request during Pop Go The Beatles. “Ringo? Yep!” restores the original introduction to “I Wanna Be Your Man” heard in the 1964 radio show From Us To You. SM: There are a great deal of early rock ‘n’ roll and R&B covered through the years, as well as a healthy amount of Buddy Holly and some girl group music. There was only a cover of one Spector-related song. Was the heavy production of Spector productions the reason the group did not cover more of his works? KH: There is no doubt that they adored records by girl-groups such as The Shirelles, The Marvelettes, The Donays and The Cookies and the way they covered them had a big influence on the formation of The Beatles’ sound. They loved recreating the harmonies on Spector’s song “To Know Him Is To Love Him.” Never underestimate The Beatles’ love of harmony vocals and their great ability when singing harmony themselves. SM: There are interview discs mentioned in your bibliography. Are they all still available and are they legitimate releases and if so, why weren’t they issued by Apple? KH: The two Audio Go releases - Paul McCartney - In His Own Words and John Lennon - In His Own Words - are legitimate releases with all the material officially licensed. I am not sure if The Beatles Tapes is still available, but it was released by a major record company - Polydor - on LP in 1976 and on CD in the 1990s. SM: Were there any BBC broadcasts that included Stu Sutcliffe? KH: No. SM: There are a number of Beatles releases that are still not available such as Let It Be, The Beatles at Shea Stadium, The Beatles Story, The Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl and even the Christmas messages. Are there any plans to reissue any of these projects and if so are you involved and/or have any particular insights or rough release dates that you could discuss? KH: I have not heard of any current plans to release them. SM: There have been BBC broadcasts from other groups from many musical eras released commercially in the past several years. Do you anticipate any releases from other British Invasion or Mersey-beat artists released or a compilation of the best-of these recordings ever released? KH: The material is really good so I hope such recordings might be released in the future, but I am not aware of any scheduled releases. SM: Are there any plans to issue a full performance or compilation project of television broadcast performances? KH: No. SM: Of all the venues/studios the BBC recordings are taken from, other than Broadcasting House, what venues/studios are still around and feature live concerts or host recording sessions? KH: The only BBC London radio studio used by The Beatles that is still used to record music is BBC Maida Vale. In fact, Paul McCartney and his band performed there for BBC Radio 2 and BBC 6 Music on October 16th, 2013. Beatles for Sale With February of 2014 being the 50th anniversary of the Beatles appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show and their first U.S. concerts and visit, a myriad of recent CDs, Blu-ray’s, DVDs and books,  on the group have been published. Not all the projects deal directly with the 50th anniversary. As we discussed above in detail, another double-CD Beatles BBC project has been released, entitled On Air – Live at the BBC Volume 2 (Apple). The original 1994 Live at the BBC has also been reissued with new packaging and in some cases tracks with better sound sources used.  This new set is wonderful and picks up where the previous release left off in terms of delivering exciting and in many cases rare recordings of the Beatles performing their own early compositions and a myriad of cover versions. All the tracks were originally broadcast by the BBC and were taken from various sound sources, as the BBC wiped most, if not all of the Beatles appearances from this period, which runs roughly from their earliest days with Ringo Starr as their drummer, through 1966.     The other big Beatles reissue project from Apple is the release of the group’s albums as they appeared on Capitol Records in the United States. The project is available as a box set, or as separate albums. The series contains 13 albums in the box and 12 can be purchased as separate discs. This upgrade is a vast improvement over the original two box set reissues, with the superb individual disc packaging. The fact that the original double album, interview recording The Beatles Story is not available apart from the box is a challenge for budget-conscious collectors. Also, the entire controversy over the way the Capitol discs were edited, packaged, remixed and presented both originally and when they were first reissued remain entangled in debate. The debate pits the purists, who prefer the original British releases against those who first remember hearing the Beatles in America in the way they are presented on these discs and the original albums. Nonetheless, since the discs are presented in stereo and mono and boast excellent packaging, hardcore Beatle collectors will want to own some or all of these reissues. Paperback Writer The Beatles: Six Days That Changed The World (Rizzoli) featuring the photography of Bill Eppridge focuses solely on the Beatles initial weeks of their first U.S. visit. This beautiful coffee-table book captures the exuberance, frenzy, joy and madcap spirit of the Beatles, their fans and much more and is one of the best new books out on the 50th anniversary of their initial stateside invasion.     The Beatles Solo (Race Point Press) by Mat Snow is a beautiful gift-book package that will delight fans of the group’s solo period. The coffee-table gift set consists of four individual hardcover books housed in a slip-case. The books give a brief survey of each member’s life and career and boast an array of photos.     Three recent books look almost exclusively on the group’s early days. Tune In: The Beatles: All These Years Vol. 1 (Crown/Archetype), by Mark Lewisohn, is the kick-off of Lewisohn’s definitive trilogy of the group. Comprising more than 900 pages, the book covers the history of the group up until 1962. Lewisohn, who is perhaps the most respected Beatles expert in the world and the author of the indispensable The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions, also published a longer version of the book in the U.K. that has surprisingly sold out several editions. When They Were Boys (Running Press), by Larry Kane, looks at the meteoric rise of the group in a condensed and breezy style. Kane is a Philadelphia-based broadcaster and journalist who spent a considerable amount of time interviewing the group early on, which he chronicled in his book Ticket To Ride. Changin’ Times: 101 Days That Shaped A Generation (Parading Press), by Al Sussman, looks at the period from the day John Kennedy was assassinated (November 22, 1963) through just after the group departed from their first U.S visit (March 1, 1964). Sussman gives a sense of America at the time, politically, historically, socially and culturally. It might have been interesting if Sussman had given a day-by-day account of the JFK assassination and its aftermath parallel with the Beatles history of those few months.     Books looking at other aspects of the group’s history have also been released. Beatles vs. Stones (Simon & Schuster), by John McMillian, looks at the two groups’ competitive, yet always very close friendship, as a metaphor for the culture of the 1960s. The Beatles At Shea Stadium (North Shore Publishing) by Dave Schwensen chronicles the group’s first historic Queens, New York concert in August of 1965, with rare photos and ephemera and places the concert in its rightful place as a key moment in Beatles history. Finally, Revolver: How The Beatles Reimagined Rock ‘N’ Roll (Backbeat Books), by Robert Rodriquez, painstakingly assesses the significance of Revolver in the group’s evolution and makes the solid case that the 1966 album in retrospect is more important, better and musically revolutionary than Sgt. Pepper. Here, There and Everywhere Some recent Blu-rays reflect various aspects of Beatles history.     Help! (Apple), the group’s second full-length feature film, has been reissued on Blu-ray. While not as lauded as the group’s film debut A Hard Day’s Night, the color film is a cheeky romp that’s part A Hard Day’s Night and part Austin Powers. The music is terrific and this reissue features a myriad of excellent bonus features including a 30-minute documentary.     Good Ol’ Freda (Magnolia) has been a phenomenon on the documentary film circuit. This charming story of the group’s fan-club secretary and secretary for Brian Epstein will appeal to both hardcore Beatle fans and anyone who loves a story about a life well lived.     Fans of Paul McCartney will delight in the concert film Rockshow (Eagle Vision), now available on Blu-ray, which captures McCartney’s first big tour with Wings in 1976. This was perhaps McCartney’s first peak as a solo artist and features the first live Wings lineup with his wife Linda, Denny Laine, Jimmy McCulloch and Joe English. Wings over America (Concord) is a reissue of the original three-album set that chronicled the 1976 tour. This new three-disc reissue includes the three albums on two CDs and the bonus film Wings over the World as well as the bonus Photographer’s Pass on DVD. This is another excellent reissue from the Paul McCartney Archive Collection.     Four new releases will be of interest to Beatles fans. Paul McCartney’s New (Concord) is his first solo album of all new material in six years and it’s easily one of his best solo albums in years. McCartney enlisted a slew of producers, including Giles Martin, son of George Martin; Paul Epworth, who works with Adele; as well as Mark Ronson and Ethan Johns, and recorded at various locations to come up with an album that sounds contemporary but retains Macca’s trademark gifts. Yoko Ono released the Plastic Ono Band album Take Me To The Land of Hell (Chimera), her first solo album in four years. At the age of 81 she continues to defy her critics, gain new listeners and appeal to young, hip music fans.  Ono’s electronic revolution music is at times jarring and dissonant, but it is also free, joyous and very danceable. Beatles Reimagined (Community Music) is another project to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Beatles’ first U.S. visit. It features mostly young, up and coming artists covering early Beatles music from the 1963-1964 period. This project is evidence that new audiences will likely continue to discover the group’s music well into the future. Billy J. Kramer, one of the original British Invasion artists, recorded Beatle songs Lennon and McCartney gave to him, recorded at Abbey Road, was produced by George Martin and was managed by Brian Epstein. Kramer’s new album, I Won The Fight, his first in decades, boasts a whole new approach and sound. Kramer is now writing his own songs and his voice had a tough, firey, r&b feel. The song “To Liverpool With Love” was a catalyst in getting Brian Epstein finally elected to the Rock “n” Roll Hall of Fame. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2014-03-06T15:21:00+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/liverpool-beat http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/liverpool-beat#When:16:23:00Z In our continuing February celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Beatles’ Ed Sullivan appearance, here is an interview with the founder of Mersey Beat magazine, Bill Harry. Harry attended the Liverpool College of Art with John Lennon and Stuart Sutcliffe. Harry was responsible for introducing Lennon and Sutcliffe and visited such Liverpool hangouts as the Ye Cracke and the Jacaranda Club. It was at Harry’s urging that Brian Epstein went to see the Beatles perform a lunchtime set at the Cavern Club in Liverpool that contributed to Epstein’s managing the Beatles. Harry published Mersey Beat for years and has brought the chronicle of the Liverpool music scene back from extinction several times. Along with publishing his many books on the Beatles and the Liverpool music scene, Harry worked as a journalist and as a publicist for such artists as Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, Procol Harum, David Bowie, Led Zeppelin and the Beach Boys. There are few figures from the early history of the Beatles who had such a close personal relationship with the group and the Mersey-beat scene as Harry, who also chronicled the scene as it happened and who have written so extensively about it through the years. Do you remember introducing Stuart Sutcliffe to John Lennon and why did you introduce them to each other? At the college I heard word of a very talented student, Stuart Sutcliffe. I looked at one of his paintings and decided I wanted to get to know him. I always seemed to be attracted to talented people. I first noticed John in the art college canteen. He was too unusual to miss, with most of the students dressed the same, in duffle coats and turtle neck sweaters–and he dressed like a teddy boy. They were the conventional ones, he was the rebel. I immediately knew I had to befriend him. When I took John to Ye Cracke, the art college watering hole, I saw Stuart with his best friend Rod Murray and introduced John to them. The four of us used to get together all the time in flats, at pubs, at parties–and we called ourselves the Dissenters. When you were at Liverpool Art College, you spent time hanging out John and Stu at the Ye Cracke pub and the Jacaranda. What most stands out from that time? What stands out is the night we decided that we should make Liverpool famous–John with his music, Stuart and Rod with their paintings and me with my writing. That was the aim of the Dissenters. We’d been to see beat poet Royston Ellis at Liverpool University and over our pints, felt that he owed a lot to the American Beat poets. We felt that Liverpool was full of creative people–artists, sculptors, poets, writers, musicians and felt we should strive to make the city famous with our own efforts. John was to achieve this in an incredible way, I coined the phrase Mersey Beat and published a newspaper to report on the Beatles and the other bands and Stuart would have become an internationally famous painter in his own right if he had lived. Rod went on to become a master at Britain’s leading art college–he got snipped to be a Beatle by Stuart. John asked both Rod and Stuart to become their bass guitarist. They didn’t have enough money to buy an instrument, but Rod began to make one himself (he still has it). He was nipped to the post by Stuart who sold a painting at John Moore’s Exhibition. How long did Mersey Beat publish every two weeks? What happened next? It was an evolution. There was only me and my girlfriend Virginia publishing a newspaper which had to be written, events had to be reported on, distribution had to be arranged, as well as advertising, plus checking the newspaper at the printers. Then we evolved from a six pager almost immediately and after that we later became a weekly after our circulation grew throughout the country. Did Cilla Black write for Mersey Beat before she became a singer? Cilla only wrote a small fashion column in issue No.2. She had already been singing with Rory Storm & the Hurricanes and the Big Three. At least I gave her a showbiz name by mistakenly calling her Cilla Black in an article I wrote about her in Issue No. 1. Her name was actually Cilla White What was your first impressions of seeing the Beatles at the Jacaranda club? I had been booking them for our art colleges dances before their Jacaranda gigs, so I was already a fervent fan. The first time Stu played with them he showed me his new bass guitar in the room behind the canteen stage. I began plucking it until I noticed blood dripping on it, I’d been plucking the strings so hard it took the skin off my fingers! So I was always present when they played in the coal hole of the coffee bar. Cynthia and Dot Rhone were sitting on chairs directly in front of them holding broom handles to which the mics were attached. The Jacaranda is where I met my lifelong partner Virginia, who started Mersey Beat with me. We used to leave the Jacaranda to go to Streates to listen to the Liverpool poets–and regularly saw Paul and Dot and John and Cynthia necking in the doorways! Do you remember The Beatles performing “The One After 909” in their early days? If so, how did it differ from the version that ended up on Let It Be and Let It Be Naked? I heard so many of their performances, but can’t remember the difference. Did you travel with The Beatles to the U.S.A. for their first visit? If so describe what it was like, just before, during, and after? No. I was too busy producing Mersey Beat. If I’d gone to America it would have ceased publication. Besides, I could never afford it, not like publications such as Liverpool Echo, which sent their reporter George Harrison on the trip. If you didn’t go, describe what was happening in Liverpool, just before, during, and after? We had been experiencing every step of the Beatles evolution, but in those days when they were out of the country, we only received second-hand information. There was no system of TV contact between the USA and the UK because the system hadn’t been developed to link us across the Atlantic. The entire city of Liverpool was excited, but those young fans who had always supported them at all the Liverpool venues were saddened, because they knew they’d never really be able to see them again and listen to the music they used to play in local clubs. When they did their concert tours they played a standard 20 minute set with screaming fans blotting out the music, not like their hour long gigs around the ’Pool, chatting to the fans, taking their requests and producing a powerhouse sound that made the hair stand out on your neck. As John said, their best music was performing in Liverpool and Hamburg. Do you have any particular stories about your time as press agent for the likes of The Kinks, The Hollies and Pink Floyd? Far too many memories of all those bands I represented over an 18 year period. I loved all the artists I was press agent for and there were so many stories. I took Pink Floyd to the Radiophonics workshop in Maida Vale. This was part of the BBC and where the sounds for programs like “Dr. Who” were created. I knew the lads were interested in unique sounds, so I suggested they come along. They were fascinated as the radiophonics people were showing them interesting sound creations, such as what could be done amplifying a dripping tap. Can you talk about Tracks and Idols magazine? I’d begun to tire of being a press agent and the last artist I represented was Kim Wilde. I was approached by someone who wanted to produce a pop newspaper distributed throughout the Boots chain. I said that wouldn’t work, but a glossy colour magazine would–and we were able to ship out 450,000 a month. I also said a standard pop magazine wouldn’t work. I wanted it to be focused on albums, not singles. I also felt that the music scene was changing and there would be more interest in albums, particularly since the advent of the CD. It was the first magazine in Britain to focus on albums and I interviewed so many artists discussing their latest releases–Tina Turner, Barry Manilow, Meatloaf and dozens of others. The publishing group IPC got their hands on our demographical research and came out with Q. Then the people funding the paper didn’t give me the percentage promised, so I left to launch IDOLS: 20th Century Legends, a full color monthly on great legends from the Beatles and Elvis to James Dean and Marilyn Monroe. Virginia and I had the same problems we had with Mersey Beat–finance. However, one of the major newspaper groups in Britain agreed to work with me. I would produce the magazine each month and they would handle all advertising and distribution–the week before we were to come up with the first dummy image of a new style IDOLS, the owner of the newspaper group died in mysterious circumstances. As I’d ceased publishing while the negotiations took months to complete, I couldn’t bother re-starting it and spent the next decade writing features which were syndicated to 50 countries around the world. Is Mersey Beat, the album you did for Parlophone still in print? No. It was only released on vinyl and cassette. It was the only compilation at the time which contained Beatles tracks. It was a double album which I regard as the best collection of Mersey records so far released. Are you in touch with Paul or Ringo? No. I used to be in touch regularly when we were all in London, meeting them at the Speakeasy, Scotch of St James, the Revolution, with John giving me and Virginia lifts between clubs and my regular visits to Apple in Savile Row when I used to take members of the Beach Boys and spend time in Derek Taylor’s office listening to previews of their forthcoming releases. Last time I saw John was at the Speakeasy, same with George, last time I saw Ringo was at Tramp. Paul invited me to a couple of his Buddy Holly lunches, but I lost touch as I haven’t met up with many of the former groups I represented for decades. The only one I keep in touch with is Suzi Quatro. Who are you still in touch with from The Beatles world? I have always been in touch by e-mail and phone with numerous people from the Beatle world. I no longer kept in touch with Apple after Neil and Derek passed away and men in suits then took over. Mersey Beat started publishing again in 2009. Prior to that, when was the last issue? The original series ended in 1965. Brian Epstein wanted me to produce a national music magazine for him and I created Music Echo, but he interfered so much that I knew it could never succeed, so I left for Manchester and became manager of the Four Pennies. Does Mersey Beat still publish? Occasionally I’ll produce an issue with a particular theme. I did a couple of issues in association with the Liverpool Echo. I’m now working on a Mersey Beat magazine, basically ‘Mersey Beat Files’ with the history of the entire Mersey scene. I have also created a website www.mersey-beat.com Can people buy any of the original editions of Mersey Beat from the 60s? I am negotiating with a merchandising company to produce replica issues. Do you have any books coming out in the United States? The publishing industry has changed. Despite having had 25 books published without an agent, most major publishers will only deal with agents. I have five Beatles books covering angles not explored before. However, I have to find a publisher. Any other projects? Finding a company to license Mersey Beat merchandise, completing books, having a magazine Bill Harry’s Mersey Beatle to go online and working on several new projects.   Music: Mixed Media Online, 2014-02-18T16:23:00+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/the-beatles-invade-america http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/the-beatles-invade-america#When:18:33:00Z © Apple Corps Ltd. As a supplement to our Beatles Ed Sullivan 50th anniversary article in the February issue, this is the first in a series of articles that will appear throughout the month of February to continue our Beatles anniversary coverage. The Fest for Beatles Fans celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. The East Coast Fest usually happens in the spring in New Jersey, but this year it will be held at the Grand Hyatt in Manhattan on February 7-9, to coincide with the Sullivan anniversary. Each year, the Fest features musical guests, a dance party, special exhibitions, interviews and much more. This year, along with such authors as Mark Lewisohn and Bruce Spizer and former Beatles secretary Freda Kelly (the subject of a new film), there will be many musical guests. Musical guests already booked are Donovan, Peter Asher, the Smithereens, Mark Hudson and Mark Rivera. Also of special musical interest is Billy J. Kramer, who lives part of the year on Long Island and who will be debuting material from his upcoming album I Won The Fight, his first album in 30 years. New York’s own Bambi Kino will also be playing at the Fest’s special “Cavern Club”. In addition, there will be a tribute to the late Sid Bernstein, also from New York; a photo exhibit featuring Bob Gruen, another New Yorker who figures prominently in Beatles history; and an appearance by the beloved New York radio legend Cousin Brucie. One of the other musical headliners is the group Chad & Jeremy. The 60s British duo scored seven top-40 hits, including their biggest hit “A Summer Song”. Like Peter & Gordon, the group’s Everly Brothers-inspired harmonies and lush British pop production made them favorites at home and in America. The group’s unmistakable sound remains eerily the same. Jeremy Clyde, one half of the group, spoke to Pulse about the enduring influence of the Beatles, the British Invasion sound and much more.  LIP: Are you surprised that there is still so much interest in the music of the Beatles? JC: I’m not at all surprised that the music of the Beatles has lasted.  In fact I can remember that we all thought so at the time. There was that astonishing moment when you rushed home with their newest album and then played it again & again, hearing more amazing things each time. LIP: How much of a direct influence were the Beatles on Chad & Jeremy? JC: We were all in awe of their abilities. Perhaps C&J were less influenced than some others, coming from a folk[ish] background. That said, I wrote a couple of songs in the mid-sixties that have a definite Beatley feel. For those that are interested, check out “What Do You Want With Me.” LIP: It would seem that along with the Motown sound, the British Invasion sound is the most loved genre of popular music since the birth of rock ‘n’ roll. Are you surprised at the resurgent interest of the British Invasion sound? JC: I’m not quite certain what a British Invasion Sound is exactly. And I think that a younger generation hears old stuff without the cultural baggage that I associate with records of a certain era. For example, what is now termed Lounge Music I hear as over arranged and sugary, but is now viewed as the height of sophistication by the younger crowd.  That said, the two guitars bass and drums band will always be with us. And that is pure 60s. LIP: Chad & Jeremy were not from Liverpool, but was there any kinship felt with the Liverpool groups? JC: Musicians are musicians wherever they come from. I can remember hanging with the Hollies, from Manchester I think, also in the north of England. But Liverpool has its own sense of self, its own “Scouser” sense of identity that is denied the rest of us. I have friends from there and it never leaves them. LIP: What were Chad & Jeremy’s first experiences meeting the Beatles? JC: I first met Paul through my pal Peter Asher. We used to hang out in the attic room of their tall house in, I think, Wimpole Street when Paul was with Jane [Asher]. Later, Chad met John a couple of times in LA. But I’ll let him tell the story when we do the show. LIP: Did the Beatles ever offer Chad & Jeremy any particular songs? JC: No. Instead, a certain Peter Asher got in there, just because he had a cute sister. Much grinding of teeth. LIP: Obviously Chad & Jeremy were very influenced by the Everly Brothers. Was there ever any talk with the Beatles about the influence the Everly Brothers also had on their careers? JC: I don’t remember any particular conversations. They were just there…giants, like Buddy Holly, like Elvis. And they all lived in this wonderful land of plenty called America, somewhere we’d never get to.  Funny how it worked out. LIP: Given that Peter & Gordon were also obviously influenced by the Everly Brothers and Peter Asher became a record producer, was there ever any talk of him producing Chad & Jeremy? JC: It never came up, possibly because Chad and I were breaking up at the time Peter was getting into producing. I used to drop into Apple to see what he was up to. But I was doing a play in London’s West End at the time. Later, I went over to Peter’s place to hear a new discovery of his, one James Taylor. An evening to remember. LIP: I saw the show Chad & Jeremy did with Peter & Gordon in New York some years back and the four of you came out and performed together. Did the four of you ever do that in the 1960s? JC: No, we never actually performed together, which is strange, looking back. I used to hang out at the Pickwick Club where they performed and I remember listening to them rehearsing. When we were signed by John Barry we left our regular gig at Tina’s Bar and they wanted a replacement.  And of course we suggested Peter & Gordon. We never thought that within a year we would both be in the charts. And being confused with one another, for that matter. LIP: With the new Chad & Jeremy recordings from the past few years it would seem like a complete re-birth. What are your future plans? JC: Amazingly, we’re doing three tours this year, so that doesn’t look like retirement. And we can still handle the high notes. So keep on keeping on, I guess. As long as people still want to hear us. Fifty years, eh? Surely some mistake….. Here are some other upcoming Beatles 50th anniversary events: On February 8, 2014, Long Island Beatles tribute band Mostly Moptop will present The Fab ’64 Show, at the Dix Hills Performing Arts Center at Five Towns College. The concert will feature music from Meet The Beatles, A Hard Day’s Night and Beatles for Sale. 7:30pm. Tickets are $35, $30 and $25. It Was 50 Years Ago Today at the Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor will also celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Beatles Ed Sullivan appearance on February 7-9. On February 7th at 8pm will be Legends: The Beatles with archivist and filmmaker Joe Lauro, presenting an evening of the group on film. Tickets are $15 for general seating. On Saturday, February 8th at 8pm check out Celebrating the Beatles with Inda Eaton, Gene Casey, Corky Laing, Mama Lee & Rose, Joe Delia, Dawnette Darden, Joe Lauro, Caroline Doctorow, Jim Turner, and Jewlee. Tickets are $25 in advance and $35 the day of the show. Both are general seating and include a glass of house wine for adults. The evening is hosted by Cynthia Daniels (host of Monk Music Radio). On Sunday, February 9th at 7pm will be The Beatles on Ed Sullivan, featuring the complete February 9th broadcast and rare film of The Beatles’ first visit. Tickets are $5 for general seating. For all three nights, Bay Street is offering a Fab 4 Fan Pass for $40. Other Long island-based Beatles events include the Beatles tribute band the Fab Four at the Paramount in Huntington on February 8th. At the NYCB Theater in Westbury on February 8th and 9th will be All You Need Is Love: A Beatles Tribute Concert. On February 23rd, the multi-media tribute show Rain will be at the Tilles Center in Brookville. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2014-02-06T18:33:00+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/playlist-supplement http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/playlist-supplement#When:01:12:00Z This Mixed Media online blog is a companion to the December/January print Playlist and features CD reissues, DVDs, Blu-rays and books from and/or about U.K. artists. CD Reissues Moondance—Van Morrison (Warner Bros.) There are few albums that rival Van Morrison’s Moondance for defining the music of the 70s. Warner Brothers has recently reissued the album in various configurations. The two-disc set features the original album with a complete second disc of all previously unissued alternate and outtake versions from the historic sessions. Rarities—Rod Stewart (Mercury) Here is the Rod Stewart that was once considered one of the greatest singers in rock. Covering roughly 1969 through 1974 on the Mercury label, these two CDs of rarities showcase what a great song interpreter Stewart could be. It’s remarkable that he recorded much of the music here while simultaneously fronting The Faces. The live BBC material is of particular note, as are most of these early, mostly acoustic, alternate versions of some of his best-loved songs and covers. The Third Eye Centre—Belle and Sebastian (Matador) In the period between Brit Pop’s final fizzle in America and the latest British Invasion of the past ten years, Belle & Sebastian was the only bright spot on the U.K. scene. Their twee songs and knowing 60s sensibility made for a delicious pop confection. Although they never even sniffed at any commercial success in America and have since shed many members and many of the elements that made them so special, it’s nice to have this 19-song collection of rarities of mostly rare imported B-sides. The earliest incarnation of this Scottish band boasts an impressive array of talent that merged to create an unforgettable sound that is sadly missed. I Robot—The Alan Parsons Project (Arista/Legacy) This is an album that is a favorite of Dr. Evil and is now issued as a Legacy Edition 35th anniversary edition on two CDs. The set contains the original album on disc one and 14 bonus tracks on disc two, including nine previously unreleased tracks. The album is also another example of what a key member the late Eric Woolfson was in the creation of the group’s sound. Although they at times veered toward an almost Spinal Tap-like progressive mode, there’s no denying the sonic brilliance of these recordings and how much of a studio wizard Parsons is in the recording world. It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll Fans of the Rolling Stones have their pick of several reissues of some of the group’s classic London year’s recordings from ABKCO. In 2009 a box set of audio and video discs of the group’s live Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out album was released. It is now out-of-print, but the same material is available again. Drawn from the original album of the group’s performances at Madison Square Garden, the music here represents the best available live Stones recording period. This 3-CD/1 DVD set includes the original album, one disc of five bonus performances, one disc of opening acts Ike & Tina Turner and B.B. King and a DVD of the Stones performance, along with backstage and additional bonus footage. Three Stones albums have also been reissued on vinyl. Hot Rocks is a double-album that neatly chronicles the best of the group’s London Brian Jones years and the first stirrings of the new Mick Taylor lineup. The real vinyl gems, though, are Beggars Banquet and Let It Bleed. The Beggars Banquet reissue features the original, infamous bathroom wall-themed album cover and Let It Bleed is arguably the group’s best album from the 60s. Sweet Summer Sun: Hyde Park Live—The Rolling Stones (Eagle). Say what you will about the Rolling Stones, but given the excellence of this live concert from London’s Hyde Park from last summer, the Stones can still rock you. This release features a virtual greatest hits of the group’s mid-60s to mid-70s output, and attests to the fact that there are few groups who boast as impressive a song catalog and ability to still deliver the goods live. It’s wonderful to see Mick Taylor back in the fold, if only briefly. This concert, like any Rolling Stones show, conveys such a sense of occasion that makes it more than a mere rock concert. It’s only rock ‘n’ roll indeed. Also look for A Prince Among Stones (Bloomsbury) from Prince Rupert Lowenstein. Lowenstein was the de-facto business manager and accountant for the Rolling Stones for 37 years, guiding them through their rebellious 60s apex to their place as rock band as corporate enterprise behemoth. This erudite and surprisingly even-handed account of the Stones navigates through the world of rock, finance and high society with insight and aplomb. Guitar, Spirit and Switzerland Invitation to Illumination Live at Montreux 2011—Santana & McLaughlin (Eagle) There are probably no two guitarists who bring so much spirit and spirituality to playing the electric guitar than John McLaughlin and Carlos Santana. While many electric rock guitarists bring so much macho male attitude to their playing, these two veteran masters are more about the notes they don’t play than the ones they do play. They have reunited after not having played together in decades and remind us all what an extraordinary collaboration their 1973 Love Devotion and Surrender album was and how far ahead of its time the album remains. There are songs from that release as well as extraordinary covers of everyone from John Coltrane to Bob Dylan and Led Zeppelin. It’s a shame these two guitar giants couldn’t take this extraordinary show out on a full-scale tour. Slowhand Eric Clapton released a new studio album Old Sock earlier this year, but a number of other Clapton recordings have been released. Crossroads: Eric Clapton Guitar Festival (Rhino/Reprise) is available as double, Blu-ray, DVD and CD packages. The fourth festival is as stunning in its line-up and collaborations as previous festivals. The fact that this show was filmed and recorded at the more intimate and acoustically forgiving Madison Square Garden makes for even more of a guitar extravaganza. There are many great performances, but the highlight is Clapton performing “Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad” with the Allman Brothers Band. The premier Eric Clapton reissue project for this year is the release of Give Me Strength: The ‘74/’75 Recordings (Universal) from Eric Clapton. The 5-CD/1-DVD set includes the original 461 Ocean Boulevard album with additional session outtakes on disc one. Disc two features the album There’s One In Every Crowd with session outtakes and non-album single releases. Disc three and four include the live double-album E.C. Was Here with additional performances, with some of these performances from Clapton’s 1975 Nassau Coliseum performance. Disc four includes tracks from the Freddie King Criteria Studios sessions and features two previously unreleased recordings. Disc five is a Blu-ray that includes a 5.1 surround sound mix of the 461 Ocean Boulevard album, the original Quadrophonic mix and a Quadrophonic mix of There’s One In Every Crowd. The music here represents Clapton’s 70s comeback from his self-imposed drug exile. There is also a 60-page hardcover book. Clapton’s Grammy-winning MTV Unplugged (Reprise/MTV) receives the deluxe treatment. This three-disc set includes the original album and DVD along with an audio disk of six rehearsal performances, with two songs that were not included in the MTV airing, album or telecast. Hal Leonard publishes many of the best books on popular music. There have been a slew of recent titles, but three are definitive texts on Eric Clapton. Marc Roberty is the acknowledged Boswell of Eric Clapton scholarship who has published many books on Slowhand through the years. His two newest books, from the Day-By-Day Series, The Early Years 1963-1982 and The Later Years 1983-2013, offer a detailed diary of Clapton’s music career that will form the backbone of all future research into Clapton’s still evolving career. The beautiful hardcover books are also filled with illustrations and color photography. Also from Hal Leonard is Eric Clapton FAQ: All That’s Left To Know About Slowhand from David Bowling. This compendium of facts, figures, dates and names is the ultimate Clapton dictionary and is a nice companion to the two Roberty books. Who is Pink? From the Who comes perhaps the best-ever reissue of the group’s music. Tommy (Universal) includes four discs, a hardback book and a poster. Disc one includes the original double album on CD in HD. Disc two includes 25 bonus recordings, 20 of which are, never-before-released tracks, and 23 of which are cuts of Pete Townshend’s original demos. There are also two Who demo/outtakes. Disc three includes a Hi-Fidelity Pure-Audio Blu-ray of the original album in 5.1. The fourth disc includes 21 previously unreleased live performances from 1969. It’s inconceivable that a more valued reissue of the music of the Who could ever be released. The perfect gift book from Hal Leonard is Treasures of The Who from Chris Welch. This hardcover book, housed in a beautiful case, is a dizzying illustrated history of the band filled with concert tickets, posters and ephemera to make any Mod or Who fan be swept up in a frenzy of ecstasy. Another fine Hal Leonard book is Roger Waters The Man Behind The Wall from Dave Thompson. This is surprisingly the first full-length biography of Waters. British ex-pat Thompson brings his considerable experience and musical knowledge to unmasking the former Pink Floyd bassist and principal songwriter. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2013-12-31T01:12:00+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/sounds-of-the-season http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/sounds-of-the-season#When:19:47:00Z Holiday Reissues While 2013 has not been one of the best years for Christmas music, there have been some very worthwhile releases. At the head of the class are reissues from Real Gone Music. Six releases of vintage music from a variety of styles and labels make for great yuletide listening. For easy listening fans, two double-CDs are real standouts. The Complete Music of Christmas from Percy Faith includes the albums The Music of Christmas and Hallelujah! It also contains three bonus Columbia singles including the 78 rpm version of “Sleigh Ride.” From the king of Christmas crooners Andy Williams comes The Complete Christmas Recordings. The two-CD set includes three complete classic Williams holiday releases: Christmas Album from 1963, Merry Christmas from 1965 and Christmas Present from 1974. It also features three singles and two unreleased versions of “White Christmas.” There are also four single disc releases. Funky Christmas, featuring various artists including Lou Donaldson, is a jazzy and soulful take on holiday music. Merry Christmas! The Complete Columbia Christmas Recordings 1963-1966, from The New Christy Minstrels, includes the albums Merry Christmas! and Christmas with the Christies!, spotlighting the group during its choral folk heyday. Christmas with Patti Page features her 1955 holiday album and six bonus tracks, including three rare performances from her 1950s show and a radio commercial. Finally, there is The 25th Day Of December With Bobby Darin from 1960 which features one bonus track. Two of the best Christmas albums ever released have recently been reissued from Concord on the Fantasy imprint. A Charlie Brown Christmas from the Vince Guaraldi Trio, features three bonus tracks and packaging that replicates Snoopy’s doghouse and four Peanuts characters. Christmas Soli from John Fahey is a compilation that draws from four defining releases that were the seminal recordings of acoustic holiday music. Two holiday compilation CDs released this year worth searching out are Now Christmas (Universal) and Motown Christmas (Motown). The Now two-disc set includes one disc of mostly post-war, standards, big band, orchestral and instrumental chestnuts and disc two features primarily rock and pop contemporary holiday classics. The Motown disc collects holiday music, primarily from the 1960s superstars of Motown. New This Season Three new holiday releases cover a variety of styles. The best new holiday release this year is Quality Street: A Seasonal Selection For All The Family, from Nick Lowe on yepRoc. Lowe croons his way through eight yuletide chestnuts and has written four new songs in his unmistakable pure pop style. On the heels of its Piano Guys 2 release comes A Family Christmas on Portrait. The deluxe edition features the group’s trademark pop classical instrumental take on traditional Christmas songs and a bonus DVD of selections from the audio disc and the group’s take on “Rudolph” and “A Family Christmas Yule Log Edition.” From Erasure comes Snow Globe on Mute. The synth-pop duo has stripped its sound down for the most part and has come up with a sparse sound for this superb holiday package. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2013-12-18T19:47:00+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/dylan-and-the-band http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/dylan-and-the-band#When:17:48:00Z When Bob Dylan and The Band announced their joint tour of 1974, the newspaper ad simply stated Bob Dylan/The Band. No further explanation, details, or hype was needed. The group (sometimes with drummer Levon Helm) had backed Dylan on previous tours, shows and albums in the 1960s and early 1970s. The tour, though, would be Dylan’s first full-scale tour since he suffered his mythical motorcycle accident in Woodstock in 1966. The relationship that Dylan and The Band had at various stages of Dylan’s career represents the best working relationship he had with any set of musicians. Now, nearly 40 years since that legendary tour, come two major reissue projects, one from Dylan (Another Self Portrait (1969-71): The Bootleg Series, Vol. 10) from Columbia/Legacy and one from The Band (Live At The Academy Of Music 1971: The Rock of Ages Concerts) from Capitol/UME from roughly the same period (primarily the early 70s) with Dylan appearing on the release from The Band and The Band appearing on the release from Dylan. That, in many respects, is where the similarities end. The original album that contained some of the material on The Band set, entitled Rock of Ages, released in 1972, is perhaps the group’s best loved album, although critics will cite Music From Big Pink as its best work. The music that made up the original release that the Dylan set is based on, Self-Portrait, released in 1970, was not viewed very positively when it was first released and that’s putting it mildly. Greil Marcus, in his infamous Rolling Stone review (quoted in his liner notes included with the box set), opened his review with, “What is this shit?” His review of the original album reflected what many people felt at the time: that Dylan, the great songwriter, had released a double album of mostly uninspired covers. This new Dylan reissue boasts a box set that contains four CDs of music that offer a different perspective on the original release. The first two CDs (which can be purchased separately) include 35 rarities and previously unreleased recordings that draw from almost all of the albums that Dylan released on Columbia after his motorcycle accident and the music that would appear on the Basement Tapes, before signing with Asylum Records. In light of his more recent country-tinged recordings and the folk cover albums he recorded just before those albums, Good As I Been To You and World Gone Wrong, one can view the music here in a more favorable light. There is quite a lot of music taken from New Morning period, an album of original material that far outshines the covers. The real treat of the four-CD set, that also includes the original album, is a live disc of Dylan and The Band’s complete 19-song performance at the Isle of Wight from August 31st, 1969, Dylan’s first full concert since his motorcycle accident. These historic and infamous recordings are another chapter in the authorized bootleg series that scholars, critics and fans can pour over, analyze and critique and which simultaneously demystify and add to the myth of Dylan. The Band reissue is easier to understand and in fact requires no secret decoder ring to comprehend. While rock critics (Greil Marcus again) and rock musicians (namely Eric Clapton) rhapsodize over Music From Big Pink, the group’s fans most likely fell head over heels in love with the group through the original Rock of Ages live double-album released in 1972. This new box set (four CDs and one DVD) contains 19 previously unreleased recordings drawn from the four-night run that culminated in the now legendary New Year’s Eve performance of 1971 that included Bob Dylan. Disc one and two includes one performance of every one of the songs performed over the four nights, including four with Dylan (which can be purchased separately). Discs three and four include a complete, unedited performance of the New Year’s Eve show. The DVD includes a surround-sound mix of the New Year’s Eve show and two filmed performances from December 30th. Assuming at least one of the shows were filmed, it would have been off the charts if a full filmed concert DVD had been included. These live Band recordings represent a zenith in live rock concert performances from that period that also include Mad Dogs & Englishmen, The Allman Brothers’ Live At The Fillmore East, Live At Leeds from The Who, Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out from the Rolling Stones, Performance: Rockin’ the Fillmore from Humble Pie, and Full House from The J. Geils Band. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2013-11-04T17:48:00+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/live-from-stony-brook-its-sunday-afternoon http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/live-from-stony-brook-its-sunday-afternoon#When:17:15:00Z The Sunday Street Acoustic Series at the University Café in Stony Brook, hosted by Charlie Backfish, celebrates its 10th year this September. Backfish can be heard on WUSB-FM, 90.1 from 9 A.M. until 11:30 A.M. every Sunday. Here is the schedule for this fall’s shows: Sunday, September 29th, 2 P.M. - Mary Gauthier; Scott Nolan and Joanna Miller Sunday, October 6th, 2 P.M. - John Wesley Harding Sunday, October 20th, 7 P.M. - James Keelaghan and Jez Lowe Sunday, November 3rd, 2 P.M. - Brooks Williams and Beacoup Blue Sunday, November 17th, 2 P.M. - Tim Chaisson duo and Robert Bruey Sunday, December 8th,  2 P.M. -  Ellis Paul and Rebecca Loebe Here is the spring of 2014 schedule: Sunday, January 5th, 2 P.M.. - Guy Davis Sunday, January 26th, 2 P.M.. - James Maddock Sunday, February 9th, 2 P.M.. - Toby Walker Sunday, February 23rd, 2 P.M.. - Pesky J. Nixon and Miles To Dayton Sunday, March 23rd, 2 P.M.. - The Paul McKenna Band Sunday, April 13th, 2 P.M.. - Rod Picott Saturday, May 17th, 8 P.M.. - Bob Dylan’s Birthday Celebration with The Kennedys, Rod MacDonald, Russ Seeger and others Music: Mixed Media Online, 2013-09-27T17:15:00+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/butchers-blind-album-release-party-and-last-hombres-reunion-manhattan-debut http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/butchers-blind-album-release-party-and-last-hombres-reunion-manhattan-debut#When:17:24:00Z An album release show and party will take place on Saturday, August 31st at the Mercury Lounge in New York at 8 PM. Two of Long Island’s most prominent bands will perform: Butchers Blind and The Last Hombres. The evening will feature headliners Butchers Blind, performing their new album Destination Blues (Paradiddle Records) in its entirety. The event will also mark the Manhattan debut of the new lineup of legendary roots rockers The Last Hombres, whose new album Shadowland is being mixed at One East Recording in Manhattan and will be released in the coming months. Butchers Blind is comprised of Pete Mancini, Paul Cianciaruso and Brian Reilly. The group’s 2011 Paradiddle debut Plays For Films was a unanimous critical success and the dynamic young band quickly drew comparisons to Wilco, Gram Parsons and a host of raucous Americana faves. The return of The Last Hombres is one of the most anticipated reunions of the year. The group disbanded in 2003 after its second release, Redemption. The lineup for the group’s second album consisted of Paul Schmitz, Russ Seeger, Michael Meehan and Levon Helm. Buddy Cage also played pedal steel on several tracks. The new lineup consists of core members Schmitz, Seeger and Meehan, with Hideaways keyboardist, multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter Chris James and the group’s new drummer Tom Ryan, one of the most versatile and in-demand drummers on the New York music scene. He is also one of the principals of the New York Roots Music Association (NYRMA). Music: Mixed Media Online, 2013-08-21T17:24:00+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/mad-dogs-englishmen http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/mad-dogs-englishmen#When:16:41:41Z On June 15th at 8 PM at The Boulton Center For The Performing Arts in Bay Shore, The New York Roots Music Association (NYRMA) will recreate the film and double album drawn from one of the most famous tours in rock music history, Mad Dogs & Englishmen. The 1970 tour, film and recording, which took its name from one of Noel Coward’s most famous songs, featured Joe Cocker and an all-star cast. Cocker was joined by musical director Leon Russell, Jim Keltner, Rolling Stones horn players Bobby Keys and Jim Price; two of the founding members of Derek & the Dominos, Jim Gordon and Carl Radle; Rita Coolidge and many others. In the October 2012 issue of Pulse Rita Coolidge looked back with glee and wonder at the tour and how it came together so quickly. “Leon Russell was the ringmaster,” said Coolidge. “He pulled the whole circus together. Joe Cocker needed a band for his tour and movie. Joe called Leon [Russell]. Leon called me and said, ‘Put a choir together.’ We only had four days to rehearse.” It was as much a roving party as a tour; the DC8 they flew in had “Cocker Power” emblazoned on the outside and performances often included up to 40 or 50 people on stage. “There were no rules anytime,” Coolidge said. The evening will feature an all-star lineup of local musicians, including Mark Mancini (musical director), Tom Ryan, Howie Silverman, Steve Kaplan, Rich Hall, Dave Wise, Rich Umbach, Joe Perricone, Steven Prisco and Barry Schwalb. Featured vocalists include: Anna Coronna, Annie Mark, Bobby Barca, Eammon Bowles, Racine Coles, Willy Maiorello, Andy Fortiere, Al Santoriello, Claudia Jacobs, Michelle Sivori, Jessica Upham and Paul Schmitz. All attendees are asked to bring along a healthy, non-perishable food donation (no glass, please) to be collected by RockCanRoll and distributed to local food banks. Tickets for this event are $20 ($15 for Boulton VIP Members). Music: Mixed Media Online, 2013-06-10T16:41:41+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/the-jazz-age-and-modern-day-flappers http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/the-jazz-age-and-modern-day-flappers#When:18:51:18Z Lana Del Rey Can Repeat The Past Amid much fanfare, Baz Luhrman’s film version of The Great Gatsby was recently released. While I have not seen the fourth film adaption of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Jazz Age novel published in 1925, I have listened to the soundtrack album released by Interscope. Some of the more heavy-handed material from Jay Z and Jack White leaves me a little cold, but there are some fine selections from Florence and the Machine, XX and, of course, the Bryan Ferry Orchestra. Ferry is profiled in our May issue. Sia and Gotye also contribute, but the real star of the show is Lana Del Rey who shines on two versions of her song “Young and Beautiful.” I’m amazed how some writers, in reviewing the album, barely mentioned this song, which should become the anthem of the summer of 2013. Del Rey has shown tremendous promise on her recent debut album Born To Die and EP Paradise, both released on Interscope, but this song launches her into the stratosphere. Her voice, songwriting and artistic vision are vast for an artist so young. It’s clear that she is about to become a star, but for all the right reasons. Girl Power Two other female artists that recently released albums in the past year and that are quickly rising are Paloma Faith, with her album Fall To Grace (Epic), and Ellie Goulding, with her album Halcyon (Cherrytree/Interscope). Goulding is yet another great new artist to emerge from England and shows immense promise with only two albums. Paloma Faith, like Goulding, is British and has two albums out. Less pop than Goulding and more in the timeless, dramatic vein of Del Rey, Faith is an artist to watch. One final note: Check out Once Upon Another Time (Epic), a Ben Folds-produced EP from Sara Bareilles. Here next full-length album, The Blessed Unrest, will be released in mid-July.   Music: Mixed Media Online, 2013-05-28T18:51:18+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/sunday-street-university-cafe-series-and-paradiddle-records-news http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/sunday-street-university-cafe-series-and-paradiddle-records-news#When:17:05:12Z Live From Stony Brook The University Café Acoustic Series, hosted by Charlie Backfish at Stony Brook University, is going out with a bang this spring, before it returns in the fall. James Maddock, formerly of the band Wood, will appear on Sunday, April 21st at 2 PM. Wreckless Eric and Amy Rigby, in the most eclectic bill of the series, happens on Sunday, May 5th at 7 PM. The series closes out on Saturday, May 11th at 8 PM with Bob Dylan’s 72nd Birthday Celebration with The Kennedys, Rod MacDonald, Russ Seeger, Steve Kaplan, Bill Herman, Brian Kachejian and additional guests. Backfish is the host of Sunday Street, which is broadcast on WUSB (90.1) every Sunday morning from 9 AM until 11:30 AM. Long Island: Music Row The Kennedys, Russ Seeger and Bill Herman are coming off the success of two albums. Herman is the co-owner with Tom Crawford of Long Island-based Paradiddle Records. In the past year, the label released two of its most successful albums: The Kennedys-produced Trouble In The Fields: An Artists’ Tribute to Nanci Griffith, featuring the likes of Jerry Jeff Walker, John Stewart, Julie Gold and Carolyn Hester, among others, and the latest solo album from Russ Seeger, Live In Peace. The Griffith tribute is the label’s most high-profile and successful release to date and the Seeger album is the best solo album of his distinguished career. Paradiddle will also be releasing the second release from Butchers Blind, Destination Blues. The album is destined to launch the band nationally and prove further that Paradiddle is emerging as one of the most important independent American labels on the scene today. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2013-04-16T17:05:12+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/spring-mixed-media-miscellany http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/spring-mixed-media-miscellany#When:16:47:54Z New Kid Back in Town? Even though spring is barely here, the summer concert season is starting to take shape. One of the hottest rumors is the Eagles summer reunion tour will include a former member of the group added to the lineup of Don Henley, Glenn Frey, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit. Don Henley, who will release a solo album prior to the tour, hinted it may be original member Bernie Leadon. A review of the latest Joe Walsh album is included in the March Mixed Media Playlist. Two other Eagles recently released solo albums. Glenn Frey croons standards on After Hours (Hip-O) and former Eagle Don Felder, like Walsh, also puts on a rock guitar clinic with Road to Forever (Forever Road).  Crescent City Serenade Music guaranteed to chase away the cold winds of March is the 4-CD box set 50th Anniversary Collection from the Preservation Hall Jazz Band on Legacy. The box includes the classics of this great New Orleans institution, as well as previously unreleased material. The guests include a broad range of musicians, such as Tom Waits, Andrew Bird and Pete Seeger. Trench Town Rock Another box guaranteed to turn the cold late winter/early spring into summer is Reggae Golden Jubilee from VP Records. The four-CD box is one of the most comprehensive overviews of the history of reggae music. The 100-song selection was chosen by Jamaica’s former Prime Minister, Edward Seaga. It marks the 50th anniversary of Jamaican independence. The limited-edition box includes a 64-page booklet. Carry On A DVD/2-CD set that will conjure up images of summer is 2012 from Crosby, Stills and Nash on CSN Records. Filmed in California in 2012, this is the trio’s first concert film in 20 years. The set includes bonus material including an interview with all three members, as well as interviews on the road with the band and crew. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2013-03-05T16:47:54+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/zep-at-moma http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/zep-at-moma#When:17:34:31Z When the invitation to the Led Zeppelin press conference inauspiciously arrived in my e-mail in-box, it almost seemed like a joke, or spam. The three surviving members of Led Zeppelin—Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones—and Jason Bonham, son of the band’s late drummer John, all in the same room seemed too good to be true. In fact, it was true and when my e-mail confirmation arrived with a date, a time and a place precisely detailed, I simply printed it out and began the short countdown. The press conference and film screening took place at the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan, wisely on a Tuesday, when the museum is closed. The event started off with a screening of a new film entitled Celebration Day (the title taken from a song on III) recently released on Swan Song/Atlantic in nine different vinyl/CD/DVD/Blu-ray configurations. The film, masterfully directed by Dick Carruthers, a veteran of U.K. music documentaries and concert films, is beautifully photographed and captures the band at the height of its musical powers. The film is taken from the band’s 2007 reunion tribute concert for Atlantic Records’ founder Amhet Ertegun at the O2 Arena in London. While the band briefly appeared at its Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 1995, performed at the Atlantic Records anniversary concert in 1988 and at Live Aid in 1985, this is by far its best post-breakup performance. The jaded crowd of record company honchos and New York rock radio veterans and journalists hooted, hollered and clapped as if they were seeing the band live back in the day at the Fillmore East. Carol Miller, the veteran New York rock DJ, whose new memoir Up All Night (Ecco) in many parts details her love affair with the band and time spent with Robert Plant in particular, attended the O2 show and the press conference. On her nightly show on Q 104.3, she does her “Get the Led Out” segment. After seeing the film, she said, “I liked Celebration Day more than The Song Remains the Same,” the group’s 1976 concert film. Eddie Kramer, who worked behind the boards on four of the group’s studio albums, engineered most of Jimi Hendrix’s albums and worked with the Beatles, Traffic, Derek & the Dominos and Humble Pie, has not seen the film. However, in terms of the group calling it a day, he said, “It’s about bloody time. They’ve said it all. They know what they’re doing.” The press conference itself was both a classic rock love-fest and a contentious boxing match between the group and a few members of the press. There were also plenty of moments of levity. When asked how it felt looking at the group’s original concert film The Song Remains the Same, Plant said, “I used to be better looking than this.” He also asked, “Whatever happened to the blond chick?” On a more serious note, Plant fondly recalled his time with Ahmet Ertegun, when the band recorded for Atlantic. “Ahmet was a vinyl junkie,” Plant began. In regard to being signed to the label, he said, “It didn’t matter what happened after that because everybody hated you. Ahmet became quite attached to us. He liked the after-show relaxations that we had.” As for the tribute concert for Ahmet, Plant indicated that initial talks for the show included a possible appearance by the Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton reforming Cream. Plant recalled “wonderful times, talking (with Ahmet) about everyone from Coltrane and the Modern Jazz Quartet to Ratt and White Lion,” with Plant making a face that clearly indicated his disdain for such heavy-metal posers as the latter two groups. The question that seemed to cause the most consternation was whether the group would head out on the road for a full-scale tour. Plant in particular tried to skirt the issue, or not even answer at all, and instead merely stared off into space with a blank look on his face. After side-stepping the question, he said vaguely, “We were thinking about all sorts of things but we couldn’t remember what they were.” It’s interesting that no one asked about whether the group would do any new recordings. Miller surmised why there are no further shows. “Jimmy Page has been on a mission for years to get Zeppelin to perform again,” she stated. As for Plant, she said, “Robert Plant doesn’t want to tour. He wants to establish himself as a musicologist and get into these art forms of music.” Kramer talked about working with Page to get the group’s sound down on tape in the studio. He recalled when he was working on the group’s second album, II, at A&R Studios in New York and mixing the album in two days over a weekend. “He’s thinking so far ahead down the road, it’s like a fantastic chess game that has all these musical pieces attached to it,” he stated. The group’s third album, III, was recorded at Mick Jagger’s home Stargroves in England, using the Rolling Stones’ mobile recording gear. Kramer remembers “sounds coming together quickly and tracking the guitars outside on the lawn.” It was there that parts of the group’s later release Physical Graffiti were also recorded. In regard to the quality of the benefit concert experience, Plant said, “We were propelled by Jason: By his enthusiasm and his dark glasses.” He went on to poke fun at Bonham due to his extensive Led Zeppelin bootleg collection and finally said, “He knows more about us than we do!” In recalling the concert, Plant said, “We were just hanging on for dear life. We were so happy that we were getting it right and enjoying it. There were moments where we just took off.” Perhaps addressing the continued questions about whether they would tour, Page added, “The responsibility of doing that four nights a week for the rest of time is a mistake.” Plant then added something about inane questions from syndicated outlets. While Plant appeared perhaps a bit too touchy on the issue, his frustration was understandable. Some of the attendees acted as if they were covering a “celebrity” event and had no real clue exactly who these guys really are in the history of rock. The other elephant in the room concerned whether Plant’s work with Alison Krauss and his Band of Joy projects had anything to do with derailing any full-scale touring or recording. In regard to their playing together again, Miller surprisingly said, “Whether they will play together again, I would say possibly yes. Plant is prone to change his mind a lot. “As for whether they would record again, she doubts it due to the economics of the music business today and said, “They would have to want to do it.” When asked a question about vinyl records, Page said, “Well, it’s a matter of taste really, isn’t it? Personally, I never let go of vinyl all the way through, even when CDs came on the scene. What I would recommend to you is that you don’t listen to Led Zeppelin on MP3s.” In recalling John Bonham, Plant spoke affectionately about Bonzo’s great singing voice. He recalled that when the group was just starting to form, Bonham said to him, “You’re not very good. Just go out there and look good.” Plant said, “And he was right.” Kramer said of the band’s legacy that it was the “hardest hitting and heaviest rock and roll band of the past 40 years.” Looking back on the group’s early albums, Plant said, “There were no rules back then.” Page added, “We made the album and gave it to the record company and the record company would put it out and there was no interference.” Music: Mixed Media Online, 2013-02-04T17:34:31+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/benefits-rock-for-a-cause http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/benefits-rock-for-a-cause#When:22:56:40Z Cutting Room Sandy Benefit Ricky Byrd and Rockers in Recovery present an all-star concert for hurricane Sandy. The concert is on January 25th at The Cutting Room in New York City at 8 p.m. Proceeds from ticket sales, merchandise, and auction items will be donated to The Graybeards (a non-profit Rockaway Beach-based organization), West Hamilton Beach Volunteer Fire Department, and The Broad Channel Volunteer Fire Department. The concert will feature the Rockers in Recovery All-Star Band with special guests, including Long Island’s own Billy J. Kramer, Gary US Bonds, Ian Hunter, Michael Des Barres, LaLa Brooks, Gene Cornish, Simon Kirke, Handsome Dick Manitoba, Ross The Boss, Peppy Castro, Mark Bosch and the Capris. The Rockers in Recovery All-Star Band is made up of Musical Director Ricky Byrd, Liberty DeVitto, Richie Supa, Kasim Sulton, Christine Ohlman, and Mark Stein. The Cutting Room is located at 44 East 32nd Street. Tickets are $50 for general admission. VIP meet-and-greet packages are also available for $150. Elvis Goes to the Movies The following night on January 26th is another worthy benefit that also includes great music. The legendary Elvis Show returns to the Boulton Center in Bay Shore at 8 PM. This year’s show is being billed as “Elvis At The Movies” and will feature songs from the soundtracks of movies Elvis starred in over the years. As in the past, the concert will benefit rockCANroll with proceeds going to local food banks, soup kitchens, safe homes and shelters. Musicians performing include The NYRMA All-Stars featuring Steve Prisco, Tom Ryan, Howie Silverman, Mick Hargreaves, Stephan DiRaffelle, Chris James, Dave Wise, Annie Mark, Gary Dawson, Peter Crugnale and Jeff McLary, along with Mark Mancini, Michelle Sivori and Jessica Upham. Guest vocalists include Bill Walsh, Bobby Volkman, Karen Hudson, Monica Passin, Eric Crugnale, Pete Mancini, Tom Gould, John McGraw, Mike Drance, Claudia Jacobs, Jon Geffner, Tom Cioricari, Paul Schmitz, Jenna Silverman, Raecine Coles, Mary Lamont, Terry Day, Andrew Fortier, Tom Pfeifer and more to be announced. The Boulton Center is located at 37 West Main Street, Bay Shore, NY. Tickets are $20. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2013-01-17T22:56:40+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/Mixed-Media-Online-British-Invasion http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/Mixed-Media-Online-British-Invasion#When:17:49:39Z There was a time when a person’s musical tastes were defined by whether he or she liked the Beatles or the Rolling Stones. Here at the Mixed Media online blog, we love both. Here are some Beatles and Stones related reissues and releases. Here they are, the Beatles! Beatles Wax for Sale All of the Beatles’ British albums on Parlaphone, along with the Past Masters release, are now available on vinyl for the first time, through EMI in America. All of the original packaging is included and the albums are pressed on heavyweight 180g vinyl. The albums were mostly mastered from the 2009 stereo digital re-masters. Some purists are not happy with this method, particularly in the case of the Beatles albums that they were originally mastered in England in mono. This issue has been debated since the very first Beatles albums were reissued on CD in stereo in the 1980s and due to space will not be debated here. While I doubt I could honestly recommend all of these releases over the original vinyl albums, it’s great to be able to purchase such vinyl albums as the White Album with all the packaging. It certainly is nice to have brand-new vinyl albums complete with all the packaging, minus the wear and pops and clicks of the old albums. Roll Up for the Mystery Trip The Beatles’ controversial film Magical Mystery Tour (EMI) has been reissued in a glorious box set that may once and for all bury any lingering criticism the film has received since it was released in 1967. The deluxe collector’s edition includes the film on DVD and Blu-ray. There are also lots of extra special features including a director’s commentary by Paul McCartney, a documentary on the making of the film, a music video of Traffic performing the title song of the film “Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush” (who knows why this is included, but who’s complaining!) and many more excellent bonus features. If that’s not enough, the package comes with the original vinyl double, disc of the soundtrack EP in mono and a 65-page collector’s book. Act Naturally Two new videos from Eagle will thrill Beatles fans. Produced by George Martin, originally aired on the BBC is now available on Blu-ray. This glorious documentary is a fitting tribute to the erudite British producer. The documentary also reveals that Martin was more than just the Beatles’ producer although certainly that alone would be enough. Martin worked with Peter Sellers, America, Jeff Beck and countless others. He also launched one of the greatest studios in British music history: AIR studios. The life and work of George Martin has always been a key part of the success and personal appeal of the Beatles and their world. Other than James Bond himself, no figure from the world of British 60s popular culture was classier than George Martin. Paul McCartney’s recent foray into the American popular songbook has now been captured on a highly entertaining documentary, Live Kisses. The DVD chronicles the making of McCartney’s Kisses on The Bottom album released in 2012. Filmed almost exclusively at the legendary Capitol Studios in Hollywood, the film celebrates McCartney’s album and the historic sessions that took place at the iconic studio located in the famed circular Capitol Tower. There are performances, videos, interviews and loads of bonus material also included. Ladies and Gentlemen, the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are celebrating their 50th anniversary and many Stones-related releases have come out this year. Easily the best release and perhaps the best reissue of the year is Charlie is my Darling, Ireland 1965 (ABKCO). The title refers to a film that Andrew Loog Oldham, the group’s manager at the time, produced that was directed by Peter Whitehead. The stark, black- and-white film was a screen test of sorts to launch the group’s film career. It turned out to be a cinema-verite, behind-the-scenes glimpse of the band just as they were about to explode around the world. The live performances are riveting and add greatly to the group’s live filmography. The super deluxe box-set package includes the film in Blu-ray and DVD versions. There are also a soundtrack CD, a CD with unreleased live recordings from the tour (!), a 10” vinyl LP of live recordings from the tour and many more bonus materials. There have been some excellent Stones reissues of late, but this package is truly special. Grrr! Grrr! from Universal, released in various configurations, is a career retrospective that is most notable for including two new excellent Stones songs. While many have been buying best-of Stones collections since the 1960s, this set may be the last such release of consequence since it contains what will probably be the group’s final recordings together. Face of the Stones Two new videos from the group’s Ron Wood era are worth searching out. Muddy Waters/The Rolling Stones/Checkerboard Lounge/Live Chicago 1981 (Eagle) captures various members of the Rolling Stones at the famous Chicago club with a host of blues legends, most notably Muddy Waters. To see the Stones in such an intimate setting jamming on old blues songs with the icons of the genre is a thrill. The Rolling Stones Under Review 1975-1983 The Ronnie Wood Years (Pt. 1), distributed by MVD, covers the years when Wood first joined the group and reflects the best studio recordings he made with the group. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2013-01-07T17:49:39+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/the-twelve-cds-of-christmas http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/the-twelve-cds-of-christmas#When:03:15:37Z Sufjan Stevens - Silver & Gold (Asthmatic Kitty) The second box-set of holiday music from Stevens contains five CDs of music, a poster, stickers and artwork all housed in an ornate gift box. This heartfelt, whimsical take on a wide range of styles from many eras, along with glorious originals, is the best Christmas release of the season and like his first Christmas music box set is a treasure for the ages. Tracey Thorn - Tinsel and Light (Merge) One half of the duo Everything But the Girl applies her lovely voice to originals, vintage holiday classics and newer Christmas songs. Aside from Stevens’s massive set, this is the best holiday music release of 2012. The Polyphonic Spree - Holiday Season: Sounds of the Season Vol. One (Heartland) The indescribable sound of The Polyphonic Spree, a cross between the Hillside Singers, Love and Donovan produced Marjoe Gortner has created the trippiest Christmas CD of this or any year. Various artists - Holidays Rule (Hear Music) This is one of the better compilation holiday releases of the year and includes such artists as Calexico, the Punch Brothers, the Civil Wars, The Shins, Rufus Wainwright, Andrew Bird, Irma Thomas and Paul McCartney. Colbie Caillat - Christmas in the Sand (Universal Republic) Caillat imbues these holiday chestnuts with her warm, ebullient and sunny take on pop with joyous results. Rod Stewart - Merry Christmas, Baby (Verve) Rod Stewart has made a slick, modern holiday release with jazzy overtones, masterfully produced by Verve Chairman David Foster. Rita Coolidge - A Rita Coolidge Christmas (429) Rita Coolidge also brings a jazzy feel to holiday favorites, but in a very stripped- down, standards style. Lady Antebellum - On This Winter’s Night (Capitol) For a harmony-filled country take on holiday favorites, this may be the best of that genre from 2012. Emily Hurd - Any Given Day (Breakthrough Audio) On her first seasonal album, Hurd offers a sultry and soulful feel on music that will sound great long past December 25th. SpongeBob Squarepants - It’s a SpongeBob Christmas Album! (Nickelodeon) This amusing and quirky holiday album from an animated cartoon character is more fun than a bowl-ful of jelly, or a galley full of crabby patties. The Chipmunks - Chipmunks Christmas (Capitol) The Chipmunks remain one of the most beloved animated children’s groups of all time and any new music from these squeaky cut-ups is always welcome. Original Broadway Cast Recording - A Christmas Story (Masterworks Broadway) This recording of songs from the stage musical is filled with all the nostalgia and mischief of the original classic movie. Christmas Television Special For a great holiday DVD, check out Christmas with Danny Kaye (Inception), two television episodes from 1966, featuring Peggy Lee and Nat King Cole. Music of Christmas Past For holiday music reissues, seek out the two-CD box-set ‘Twas The Night Before Hanukkah (The Idelsohn Society) featuring various artists, James Taylor at Christmas (Universal) from James Taylor and The Edie Adams Christmas Album (Omnivore). From Legacy don’t miss Death Might Be You Santa Claus from various artists and The Classic Christmas Album series, featuring such artists as Willie Nelson, Elvis Presley, Luther Vandross and John Denver. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2012-12-18T03:15:37+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/christmas-in-england http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/christmas-in-england#When:22:01:11Z Here are some releases from U.K. artists to make one feel like one is spending the Christmas season in England. Viva La Coldplay Coldplay has its third live release, Coldplay: Live 2012 (Capitol), out. It features the group on its Mylo Xyloto tour at stops in Scotland, France and Canada. It is available as a CD/DVD or a Blu-ray package. The CD includes 23 performances and the Blu-ray and DVD package includes two bonus tracks and a photo gallery. As great as the Viva La Vida tour was, anyone who attended both tours knows the Mylo Xyloto shows were somehow even better. As I said about the group’s Mylo Xyloto stop in New Jersey, a Coldplay concert is a joyous experience. The group’s songs are filled with hope and empathy. They bring the same kind of triumphant sense of celebrating life groups like The Who and U2 display in concert.  High Flying Birds Prior to Coldplay’s success, the group’s predecessor in carrying the torch as one of the best U.K. groups was Oasis. Noel Gallagher of Oasis released his debut solo album High Flying Birds in 2011. Mercury has released a deluxe edition of the album with a bonus DVD on the making of the album. It’s good that Gallagher has done this documentary, as it reminds listener of how strong an album he produced. It’s easy to be sad that Oasis has broken up, but the result has been a great Noel Gallagher solo album and an excellent new project from his brother Liam with his band Beady Eye. Diamond Live After a relatively long period of inactivity, Sade is back again with her second release in two years, a new live CD/DVD or Blu-ray release, Bring Me Home Alive 2011 (Epic), her first live outing since 2002. The concert was recorded in 2011 in California. The CD includes 13 performances. The DVD or Blu-ray boasts 21 performances. There is also a documentary, backstage footage, outtakes and other bonus material. Sade dose not make music very frequently. She has only released one studio album (in 2010), since her previous album in 2000. This is a breathtaking concert performance that will remind everyone of what a great singer Sade is and how timeless her music is. Which One’s Pink? Pink Floyd’s albums Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall are always considered two of the greatest albums ever recorded, but the group’s Wish You Were Here album, released in 1975, is also a rock classic. Eagle has issued The Story of Wish You Were Here. The Blu-ray contains new interviews with Roger Waters, David Gilmour and Nick Mason and archival interviews with the late Richard Wright. The Blu-ray includes many interviews, including with Storm Thorgerson, legendary album artist who created many of the Pink Floyd album covers, and musician Roy Harper. There is also footage from Abbey Road studios and lots of bonus material not on the original DVD release. ELP Audio Surgery Prog rock fans will be thrilled by the recent reissue from Razor & Tie of the first two albums of supergroup Emerson, Lake & Palmer. These reissues are an audiophile’s delight. The group’s self-titled debut, originally released in 1970, is a three-disc set. Disc one contains the original album and disc two features bonus tracks, new stereo and extended mixes and a solo version by Greg Lake of “Lucky Man.” The third disc is a DVD audio disc with 5.1 mix and high-res mixes. The group’s second album Tarkus, released in 1971, is also reissued on three discs. Disc one includes the original album and disc two includes bonus tracks and new stereo mixes. Disc three is a DVD with a 5.1 mix and new stereo mixes. Green is Blue The former Bluesbreaker and founding member of Fleetwood Mac Peter Green was plagued by years of substance abuse and mental problems. While many of Green’s demons still haunt him, he occasionally still performs and even records, with surprisingly good results. Blues Don’t Change (Eagle) is an album of blues classics from Green and his Splinter Group from 2001. It was originally only available on Green’s website and at his rare gigs. This is a superb album of British blues interpretations of American blues masters and a happy sign of Green’s musical attempt to re-enter the real world. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2012-12-10T22:01:11+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/mixed-media-online-holiday-gift-guide http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/mixed-media-online-holiday-gift-guide#When:17:12:20Z This column is a follow-up to our last blog post. It includes some post-Thanksgiving, holiday gift ideas from American artists. You Can Call Him Paul To commemorate the 25th anniversary of Paul Simon’s classic Graceland, Sony/Legacy has issued a box set that celebrates the momentous release. The four-disc box contains a lavish booklet, a replica of the pad that included Simon’s original lyrics, two audio CDs and two DVDs. The first CD features the original album and the second CD includes demos, alternate takes and “The Story of Graceland,” as told by Paul Simon. The first DVD contains the documentary “Under African Skies,” two music videos and Simon’s historic performance of “Diamonds On The Soles of Her Shoes” on Saturday Night Live, from 1986. The Joe Berlinger-directed documentary originally aired on A&E. The second DVD is “Graceland: The African Concert.” Shelby Lynne is a Revelation Shelby Lynne’s second album on her label Revelation Road was an even stronger and more fleshed out effort than her Everso label debut. Now, Lynne is re-releasing the album with lots of bonus content over four discs. The beautiful box set contains the original album with five bonus tracks and an 18-track live concert recorded at the famed McCabe’s this past May. Along with these two CDs are two DVDs: “Live in London” filmed in February at the Union Chapel, and a documentary on the making of Revelation Road at Lynne’s studio. The package also includes detailed liner notes, photos and a postcard. Bound for Glory Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions on Nonesuch, is a collaboration between the American group Wilco and the British musician Billy Bragg. It is perhaps the best and most original tribute to one of the most quintessential American musical artists: Woody Guthrie. This four-disc set includes the first two albums of music that Wilco and Bragg released. On these albums, Wilco and Bragg took previously unpublished writings of Guthrie and set the words to music. That music comprises the first two CDs and the third CD includes previously unreleased tracks from the sessions. The DVD features Kim Hopkins’s 1999 documentary “Man in the Sand” that chronicles the sessions. Linemen for the County Fans of Jimmy Webb and Glen Campbell will be thrilled by the reissue of In Session from Fantasy. The two-disc set captures the legends live from a Canadian television special in 1983. The CD features eight performances. The DVD includes performances and Webb and Campbell talking about their unique and fruitful musical partnership. This is a riveting and historical document that has been rescued from obscurity. Waltz of the Satellite Video Star Old 97s continue to develop a following as one of the premier roots groups in music today. Also, the solo career of lead singer Rhett Miller only enhances and expands on the group’s appeal. The group’s seminal, return-to-form, 2004 release Drag It Up (New West) has been reissued with a bonus DVD. The DVD includes four live performances, a mini-documentary and a music video of “In the Satellite Video a Star.” People Have the Power Patti Smith’s National Book Award-winning memoir, Just Us Kids, has kick-started her career again and brought her back into the spotlight. Banga (Columbia) is Smith’s first album in five years. It is easily one of the best albums she has made in a long time and the first album of hers that includes songs she either wrote or co-wrote since her Columbia debut in 2004. Also recently released is Live at Montreux 2005 (Eagle), a concert from the Montreux Jazz Festival, which offers a great overview of her career and rightly spotlights her great backing band and includes such amazing covers as “Like a Rolling Stone.” Bound For Glory Part Two Pete Seeger also pays tribute to Woody Guthrie on the 100th anniversary of his birth. Seeger released Pete Remembers Woody on Appleseed, a collection of songs, recollections and collaborations on Appleseed. The two-disc set features guests such as Woody’s son Arlo and, like the aforementioned Wilco and Billy Bragg projects, includes new recordings of songs based on unpublished Guthrie lyrics. Also on Appleseed is A More Perfect Union. The album features Seeger and Lorre Wyatt. It includes such guests as Bruce Springsteen, Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle and many others. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2012-11-29T17:12:20+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/holiday-shopping-season-releases http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/holiday-shopping-season-releases#When:17:35:09Z Releases destined to be big winners during the holiday shopping season are already popping up. Here are a few to keep in mind. Rastaman Vibration Kevin McDonald’s documentary Marley (Magnolia) on the life of reggae king Bob Marley is one of the best music documentaries I’ve ever seen. MacDonald is both a documentary and feature film director. The Scottish filmmaker is the grandson of the esteemed film legend Emeric Pressburger, who, along with Michael Powell, made such cinematic classics as the Red Shoes and Black Narcissus. The film is a deep meditation on reggae music, African and Rastafarian culture and the unlikely journey Marley took to international music stardom. Few music films offer such a richness and balance. While music films in the documentary category rarely gain attention by Academy Award voters, this film must be given serious consideration. The Blu-ray version offers a lush palette of vibrant images and bracing sound. Memories Are Made of This Switching gears completely is Collected Cool (Universal) from Dean Martin. This hardcover, book-shaped set includes four discs. Disc one surveys Martin’s Capitol years from 1949 through 1961, while disc two covers his Reprise years from 1962 through 1985. The third CD is a live concert recorded in Lake Tahoe, California, in 1962 at the Cal-Neva Lodge. The fourth disc is a DVD of Martin performing in London in 1983 at the Apollo Victoria Theatre. Surprisingly, it’s actually Martin’s Reprise recordings that best reflect his seemingly effortless, laid-back, Rat-Pack cool. Few entertainers cut across generations as effectively as Martin. This set only further fuels the growing appreciation of Martin as a singer, a personality and an icon. R.E.M. Feel Fine Document (Capitol) was R.E.M.’s fifth studio album and their last recording for I.R.S. Records before the band signed with Warner Brothers. It is the group’s first album with producer Scott Litt. It includes one of the band’s most popular songs, “It’s the End of the World as We Know (and I Feel Fine).” It also includes two other popular R.E.M. songs: “Finest Worksong” and “The One I Love.” This two-CD box-set includes the original album, a concert recorded in Holland in 1987, an expanded booklet and collectible postcards. This is R.E.M. at the height of its powers. Natural Blues Taj Mahal is one of the most beloved cult musicians in America. His unmistakable country/blues style has often been imitated, but never duplicated. The Hidden Treasures of Taj Mahal 1969-1973 (Columbia/Legacy) is two-CD collection that will delight fans of his early solo years. Disc one includes rarities from 1969-1973. Disc two features a concert from 1970 recorded at the Royal Albert Hall in London, when Taj was the opening act for Santana. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2012-10-31T17:35:09+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/the-fray-songs-and-stories-from-the-west http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/the-fray-songs-and-stories-from-the-west#When:15:50:15Z The last time The Fray performed at Jones Beach, on June 25th, 2009 was the day Michael Jackson died. The news of Jackson’s death began circulating during the opening acts and was confirmed by the time the group took the stage. No such earth-shattering music news accompanied The Fray’s concert this time. While it might seem odd to find The Fray on a co-headlining tour with Kelly Clarkson, the group met with an enthusiastic response when it hit the stage. The group’s concerts are like its albums: no songs are included merely as filler. The group continues to artfully blend powerful American guitar rock with melodic, piano-based songs. Of course, the group is led by its impassioned lead singer Isaac Slade. The group does boast another fine singer and songwriter in his own right, Joe King. King really shined on one of the highlights of the show “Ungodly Hour.” Isaac Slade brought up the recent shootings in Aurora, Colorado. The group is from Denver and was back at home at the time. Slade voiced his horror and disbelief and asked the crowd to stand. He dedicated the songs “Happiness” and “Be Still” to those who died and their families and friends. Later in the show, Slade performed a snippet of the Temptations’ “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” before launching into one of its biggest hits, “How to Save a Life.” The Fray continues to grow stronger with each album and is great live. It must be considered one of the best American groups on the scene today. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2012-08-30T15:50:15+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/winter-in-august http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/winter-in-august#When:17:13:59Z Johnny Winter will be headlining the “Rock ‘N’ Blues Fest” at the NYCB Theatre in Westbury on Saturday, August 18th. His brother’s group, the Edgar Winter Band, will also be on the bill. Other acts scheduled to perform include Rick Derringer, Leslie West of Mountain fame and Kim Simmonds of the seminal British blues group Savoy Brown. Johnny Winter is continuing to release a series of live recordings through Friday Music. The most recent release is Live From Tokyo in HD on DVD. Another release from this year is Live Bootleg Series Volume 8 (Limited Edition) on CD. Winter’s current touring band consists of Paul Nelson on guitar, Scott Spray on bass and Vito Liuzzi on drums. There is no doubt the Winter brothers will jam, and with guitar gods Leslie West, Rick Derringer and Kim Simmonds on the bill, an all-star guitar jam seems inevitable. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2012-08-16T17:13:59+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/coldplays-concert-paradise http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/coldplays-concert-paradise#When:17:10:31Z Coldplay last played in the New York area in 2009, headlining the final day of the late, lamented All Points West festival, supporting its Viva La Vida album. The show almost didn’t happen due to severe storms and flooding at the venue. The group’s recent New York area appearance at the IZOD Center in New Jersey faced no atmospheric challenges. The triumphant second night of the group’s local area Mylo Xyloto tour stop on August 4th miraculously eclipsed its scintillating 2009 All Points West show. The roughly one hour and 45 minute show featured 21 songs from the band’s five studio albums. The new Mylo Xyloto material seamlessly worked alongside the Viva La Vida material and select songs from the group’s first three albums. Coldplay worked hard to deliver a show of uncompromising quality music and complementary staging, complete with a hailstorm of origami-like confetti, gnome–like holograms appearing like apparitions in the arena and spinning, day-glo laser lights. Every ticket holder also received an electronic wristband. The wristbands lit up during certain songs, bathing the darkened arena like a sea of human Christmas light displays. During “Yellow,” what appeared to be over-sized beach balls, filled with even more origami confetti, bounced playfully all around the arena. A Coldplay concert is, in a word, a joyous experience. The group’s songs are filled with hope and empathy. They bring the same kind of triumphant sense of celebrating life groups like The Who and U2 display in concert. Unlike those groups, Coldplay eschews any anger in its music, or politics in its lyrics. Coldplay continues to work hard at claiming the spot of biggest group in the world. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2012-08-16T17:10:31+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/playing-in-the-band-with-mickey-hart http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/playing-in-the-band-with-mickey-hart#When:17:46:26Z Mickey Hart of Grateful Dead fame is playing three area shows in the coming weeks. He is playing the Paramount in Huntington, New York on August 16th, the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, New Jersey on August 17th and the Bearsville Theater in Woodstock, New York on September 5th. This is a rare opportunity to see Hart in an intimate setting and in the legendary venues the Stone Pony and the Bearsville Theatre. Hart’s most recent album is Mysterium Tremendum (360 Productions), released on his own label in the spring. The album was recorded in Hart’s Studio Z in Sonoma County, California. Hart worked with many celebrated collaborators, including longtime Dead lyricist Robert Hunter, Widespread Panic bassist Dave Schools and Zakir Hussain, who is one of Indian music’s most legendary figures, known for his work in Shakti with guitar god John McLaughlin. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2012-08-06T17:46:26+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/july-mixed-media-online http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/july-mixed-media-online#When:20:07:07Z They’re Gonna Put Me in the Movies George Harrison: Living In the Material World (Universal Music) is finally available on blu-ray and dvd. Martin Scorsese’s epic documentary, originally aired on HBO, is the defining film on the former Beatle. The single-disc release features five bonus segments. There is also a companion cd, Early Takes Volume 1 (Universal Music). It primarily contains demos of songs from Harrison’s sprawling masterwork, All Things Must Pass. These two projects are some of the best material released about Harrison since his death. A great double bill for home viewing would be the Scorsese documentary followed by The Concert for George film. Yellow Submarine (Apple) is finally available again for home viewing. After an aborted attempt to remake the film (with Robert Zemeckis directing), Apple saw no reason to keep the original off the market. The reissue of the 1968 animated film contains lots of bonus material, such as the theatrical trailer, the “Mod Odyssey” featurette, interviews with the cast and crew, stickers, a booklet and much more. Strange Fruit: The Beatles’ Apple Records (Chrome Dreams) is a nearly three-hour documentary on the Beatles’ infamous Apple Records label. While there are no interviews with any of the Beatles, there are interviews with artists who were in groups signed to the label, including Badfinger, solo artists such as Jackie Lomax, and those behind the scenes during the period such as Tony Bramwell. McCartney Solo Delight Paul McCartney’s second solo album Ram (Hear Music) is now available as a deluxe two-cd edition. More polished and produced than his self-titled solo debut, the album contains such charming gems as “Heart of the Country” and “Monkberry Moon Delight.” There is also the big hit “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey” and the rocker “Too Many People.” This deluxe edition contains an extra disc of B-Sides and rarities. Ram is easily one of McCartney’s best post-Beatles efforts and a joyful listen. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2012-07-13T20:07:07+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/the-occupation-will-not-be-televised http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/the-occupation-will-not-be-televised#When:17:48:45Z The Occupy Wall Street organization is one of the most unusual political movements in American history. While many political parties and organizations grew out of strictly social or legislative causes, Occupy Wall Street is primarily economic. This is a powerful and highly controversial group. The group has drawn strong support from the world of music. Many major musical artists have performed at Wall Street rallies. It’s no surprise to find the music community coming together to create an ambitious project to help support the cause. Occupy This Album: A Benefit Album for The Occupy Wall Street Movement (Razor & Tie), released in May, is a four-CD set. The set includes 99 tracks (plus a hidden track) from a wide array of musicians. It’s a wonderful collection of music accurately reflecting the frustration, hope and anger of the movement. The project is spearheaded by Long Island resident Jason Samel, the executive producer of Music for Occupy. There is also a strong New York flavor to the musical artists who participated, with many artists who either make their home in New York or who once did. Also prevalent, are artists who support progressive political causes such as Jackson Browne, Patti Smith, Willie Nelson, Ani DiFranco, Yoko Ono, Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, Steve Earle, David Crosby and Graham Nash. Some of the highlights include Patti Smith’s live version of “People Have the Power,” The Mammals, featuring Pete Seeger on “Industrial Park,” Joan Baez with James McMurtry and Steve Earle on “We Can’t Make It Here” and Dylan Chambers with Lester Chambers on “Make A Stand.” From a musical point of view, this is a fantastic collection of music. Economically, it’s four CDs for roughly the price of one and will raise awareness about our economy in general. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2012-06-14T17:48:45+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/paul-wellers-ever-changing-mood http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/paul-wellers-ever-changing-mood#When:16:15:06Z Paul Weller is at a crossroads in his musical career. His solo discography boasts11 studio albums, equaling the number of studio albums of the two previous groups he founded, The Jam (six) and The Style Council (five). It’s also 20 years since he released his self-titled debut album. May marks 35 year since The Jam first played CBGB’s in Manhattan. Weller played three shows in New York (his entire U.S. tour) in May. On May 17th he played an invite only, intimate show at the John Varvatos store on the Bowery, coincidentally the same site as the former CBGBs. He also performed two nights at the Best Buy Theater. At the Saturday Best Buy show, May 19th, Weller essentially gave three separate concerts and played for two and a half hours. He played his new solo album Sonik Kicks almost straight through the first hour. Few artists would take such a risk, but the adoring crowd seemed to be fine with the unusual presentation. Weller and his group took a ten-minute break and then played a relaxed acoustic set featuring four acoustic guitarists. Through the opening Sonik Kicks set and the acoustic set, the additional support of a string section worked particularly well. Without taking a break, after the acoustic set, Weller and his group plugged back in and played a long, riveting electric rock set. The music veered between Dave Mason-era Traffic (also evident during the Sonik Kicks portion), and Beatles- and Small Faces-inspired melodic, yet forceful Brit-pop and punkish rock. Weller cautiously reeled off guitar god licks frequently near the end of the show - a side of his talent he is often reluctant to display. Like the music on Sonik Kicks, Weller rarely showed the soul side of his music during the concert. The entire show was dominated by Weller’s solo material, with songs such as “Stanley Road,” “22 Dreams,” “Amongst Butterflies,” “The Changingman,” “From the Floorboards Up,” “All I Wanna Do (Is Be With You)” and “Wake Up the Nation,” being particular highlights. Weller did not play any Style Council songs, although “Town Called Malice” from his Jam days thrilled the crowd. Weller shows no signs of slowing down. His uncompromising approach to his career and the high level of musicianship and songwriting he continues to maintain place him at the vanguard of British musical artists to emerge after the 1960s. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2012-05-31T16:15:06+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/here-comes-the-sonjames-mccartney-in-amityville http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/here-comes-the-sonjames-mccartney-in-amityville#When:16:55:16Z James McCartney will begin his North American tour on May 11th at Ollie’s Point in Amityville. The son of Paul McCartney recently released the two-CD set The Complete EP Collection (Engine Company/MaybeNot). Disc One, originally released as Available Light includes three bonus tracks. There is one cover: a wonderful reworking of Neil Young’s “Old Man.” Disc two originally released as Close At Hand, includes two bonus tracks. There is also a cover: Carl Perkins’s “Your True Love.” The album is produced by veteran producer David Kahne and Paul McCartney. This collection boasts excellent songs and a tight rock sound. Engine Company is located in New York and although the recording sessions took place in England and New York, there is a New York sensibility to the music. While there are a few keyboard, acoustic guitar and 50s rock echoes of his dad’s work, the most discernable influence might be tri-state based Richard Barone or his band the Bongos. This is timeless rock music and very original. It will be great to hear these songs played live and future recording will be welcomed. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2012-04-24T16:55:16+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/from-the-u.k-to-new-york-snow-patrol-at-terminal-5 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/from-the-u.k-to-new-york-snow-patrol-at-terminal-5#When:16:53:48Z Snow Patrol performed on April 13th at Terminal 5 in Manhattan in support of the group’s brilliant new album Fallen Empires (Island/Fiction). The group’s lineup is expanded and they sound even better than they did on their last tour. Surprisingly, the group’s newest album received mixed reviews. What the critics don’t like about the album is unclear to me. There are at least three songs with hit potential: “Called Out In The Dark,” “This Isn’t Everything You Are” and the heartfelt “Lifening.” There is also lots of anthemic rock fans of U2 and Coldplay will love. “New York,” from the new album also thrilled the crowd. Lead singer Gary Lightbody said it was the first time the group would be playing the song live in New York. They also played such favorites as “Chasing Cars,” “Crack the Shutters” and “Just Say Yes.”  Although Terminal 5 is a fairly big club, it’s hard to believe the band is still playing such a moderate sized venue and charging such a reasonable price for tickets. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2012-04-24T16:53:48+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/mixed-media-explores-sounds-from-the-60s-and-today http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/mixed-media-explores-sounds-from-the-60s-and-today#When:16:29:08Z It’s-A-Happening This Saturday, March 31, from 8:00 PM until 12:00 AM, The New York Roots Music Association presents, in its entirety, Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era. The influential compilation of American garage rock singles released in the mid- to- late 1960s originally came out as double album in 1972 on Elektra Records. Sire Records re-issued the set in 1976 on the cusp of the punk explosion. Originally assembled by Jac Holzman, the esteemed founder of Elektra Records, and Lenny Kaye, the long-time lead guitarist for the Patti Smith Group, an expanded edition of the double-album, released as a four-CD box set, came out on Rhino in 1998. Owing to the extraordinary influence of the first collection, four more sets have been released over the years. Nuggets II: Original Artyfacts From The British Empire And Beyond came out on Rhino in 2001. It reflects the British side of the psychedelic/garage coin. Is the best of all the boxes, other than the original. Oddly, it is out of print. Two additional sets of American music are also available. Love Is the Song We Sing: San Francisco Nuggets 1965-1970, a four-CD set released on Rhino, came out in 2007. Where The Action Is! Los Angeles Nuggets 1965-1968, an oversized, coffee table, book-shaped, four- CD set came out on Rhino in 2009. There is also Children of Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the Second Psychedelic Era - 1976-1996, released on Rhino in 2005. It is now out of print. The four-CD set of post-punk, psychedelic-influenced bands includes some artists from the short-lived, West Coast “paisley underground” scene. NYRMA Presents Nuggets Vol. 1 includes performances from a panorama of local music legends, iconoclasts and 60’s music aficionados. Those performing include Joe Lauro, Jon Geffner, Danil Dreger, Annie Mark, Bill Walsh, Eammon Bowles, Stephen Lombardo, Tom Pfiefer, Rich Wisneski, Stephen Hunking, Andrew Fortier, Mary Lamont, Jim Marchese, Randy Hudson, Anthony Liberatore, Paul Schmitz, Terry Day, Eric Crugnale, Rich Umbach, Steve Kaplan and many more. The evening will feature Long Island’s answer to the famed “Wrecking Crew,” the NYRMA All-Stars: Tom Ryan, Howard Silverman, Steve Prisco, Gary Dawson, Mick Hargreaves, Dave Wise, Chris James and Pete Crugnale. The cover is $10, with a full cash bar. The event will be held at the American Legion Post 1812 at 115 Southern Pkwy, in Plainview. Yesterday and Today Fans of 60s music should look for the two new albums from ex-Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. McCartney’s Kisses On The Bottom (Hear Music) is a departure for McCartney. The great songwriter only penned two songs for this collection. The rest of the album features his interpretations of songs from the great American songbook. The album works well and McCartney clearly understands and appreciates the material. McCartney is assisted on the album by the veteran jazz production team of producer Tommy LiPuma and engineer Al Schmitt. Primarily recorded at Capitol Studios at the iconic Capitol Tower in Los Angeles, the recording took place in the same room where Frank Sinatra and many others cut some of the greatest jazz/songbook tracks in American recording history. The other half of the Beatles’ rhythm section, Ringo Starr, is back with 2012 (Hip-O). Mr. Starkey is on a roll. Since Liverpool 8 in 2008 and Y Not in 2010, Ringo is being reflective in his songwriting lyrics, yet making fresh-sounding new music. Ringo produced the album and is supported by such musicians as Joe Walsh, Benmont Tench from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Don Was, Dave Stewart, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Edgar Winter. In a stroke of genius, two other musicians joined this album. Legendary jazz bassist Charlie Haden plays on “Think It Over” and Van Dyke Parks plays various instruments on “Samba.” Starr’s looking back to his seminal Liverpool days seems to be rejuvenating him to enter a new phase of creativity. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2012-03-30T16:29:08+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/mixed-media-online-gets-a-backstage-pass http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/mixed-media-online-gets-a-backstage-pass#When:18:52:19Z In the aftermath of Christmas and near the end of the football season, I managed to attend two music events that were very much under the radar and visited a recording session in progress. Fornatale & Garfunkel Pete Fornatale, legendary FM DJ and author, gave a talk and an audio-video presentation in support of his book on Simon & Garfunkel’s Bookends album at the Port Washington public library on December 28th. At the end of the presentation he stunned the small crowd by bringing out Art Garfunkel. Garfunkel is slowly recuperating from throat problems and is easing back into singing. The small, intimate performance, Garfunkel’s second recent one with Fornatale, featured four songs sung with just acoustic guitar backing. Although a little ragged and tentative, Garfunkel at less than 100% is still a better singer than 90% of the auto-tuned voices on the charts these days. Garfunkel sang four songs, including “Scarborough Fair” and “Sounds of Silence”. He also hung around long enough for an informal Q&A, fielding questions from both Fornatale and the audience. When asked to name his favorite songwriters for example he said, “Randy Newman, Paul Simon, James Taylor, Jimmy Webb and Stephen Sondheim.” He praised Taylor as someone with whom he loves to sing. Garfunkel appeared very relaxed, articulate and thoughtful in his answers. I will treasure hearing one of the truly great singers of the rock era perform in such an informal intimate setting and to hear him answer questions about his remarkable career. By the way, Fornatale, actress Phylicia Rashad and singer Rosanne Cash will be the recipients of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) Foundation’s 2012 AFTRA Media and Entertainment Excellence Awards (The AMEES). The honorees will receive their awards at the AMEES dinner gala benefit to be held Feb. 6, 2012 at The Plaza Hotel in New York.                Secret Soul Special James Morrison is part of the British soul revival since he released his debut album in 2006. His new CD The Awakening (Universal/Republic), his first album in three years, is his best yet and appears on the brink of exploding in America. Morrison played an exclusive, secret, invite only show at the tiny Dominion bar and performing space in NoHo in Manhattan on January 17th.  With the CEO of Universal Records in attendance, Morrison played one of those shows by an artist about to break wide open in a small club people will be talk about for years to come. Playing his new album almost in its entirety, Morrison sang great and received wonderful support from his crack band. The new album is beautifully produced and I really wondered how it would come across live. If anything, some of the songs sounded even better live, expanding into to raucous soul rave-ups. Morrison is an engaging and energetic performer bursting with youthful exuberance. He truly seemed to be enjoying himself and is very lighthearted in his approach. He will return to the states with a full-scale tour in the spring. Dylan Uncovered Revisited I sat in on one of the sessions for the upcoming Huntington-based Paradiddle Records second Dylan Uncovered release. Butchers Blind was the band and the Dylan song it cut, “Queen Jane Approximately,” is one of my favorite Dylan songs for many reasons. The band’s take on the song is almost Steely Dan, Can’t By A Thrill-like in feel. Butchers Blind is one of the local bands most likely to explode nationally and it’s scary how good this band is considering how young its members are. Bill Herman, who runs the label with Tom Crawford, also played me a few other tracks for the upcoming Dylan release. A track by Jack’s Waterfall, another local band on the cusp of breaking out nationally is also a knock-out. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2012-02-07T18:52:19+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/mixed-media-winter-onlineamerican-heroes-and-villains http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/mixed-media-winter-onlineamerican-heroes-and-villains#When:18:29:12Z Elvis: The 2012 Comeback Special The New York Roots Music Association (NYRMA) presents on January 28, 2012 at 8 PM The Elvis Show, an Elvis Presley tribute and charity event featuring more than 30 local musicians and vocalists at the YMCA Boulton Center for the Performing Arts in Bay Shore. Some of the musicians performing include Los Blaggards, The Bluebeats, Butcher’s Blind, The Bossa Nova Beatniks, The Mary Lamont Band, Mike Drance, Tom Gould, Mick Hargreaves, Claudia Jacobs, Chris James, Steve Prisco, Tom Ryan, Paul Schmitz, Russ Seeger, Bill Walsh and many others.    This year’s show will feature all 30 of the King’s number-one hits. The annual Elvis tribute is the most anticipated local music event of the year. RockCANRoll, who will be collecting non-perishable food donations at the door, will also distribute the net proceeds to area food banks and outreach centers. Presley was born on January 8th, 1935, and died on August 16, 1977. To Know Him Is To Love Him Phil Spector’s image is clearly tarnished by his current time in jail after being convicted of the murder of actress Lana Clarkson, but there’s no denying his musical legacy and his lofty place in the history of rock and pop music. Phil Spector Presents the Phillies Album Collection (Legacy) is a beautifully packaged box set. It collects together for the first time on CD the six albums originally released on his Phillies label. The box also includes Phil’s Flipsides: a disc of rare B-Sides, many never before released since they were first pressed on 45 RPM singles. All the music is presented as it was originally recorded in glorious mono. Spector’s often imitated Wall of Sound, laid the bedrock sound of popular rock music, but it retains it’s appeal, power and charm, even in case of some of the tracks, more than 60 years later. As part of a massive Spector reissue project from Legacy, the label also released the two-disc set The Essential Phil Spector. Single-disc reissues include Wall Of Sound: The Very Best of Phil Spector 1961-1966; Be My Baby: The Very Best of the Ronettes; The DA Do Ron Ron: The Very Best of the Crystals and The Sound of Love: The Very Best of Darlene Love. Smile Maybe the only other popular rock figure to equal Spector in genius, eccentricity, talent and influence, is Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys. While Pet Sounds is Wilson’s masterwork with the Beach Boys and his watershed moment, even influencing Sgt. Pepper, Smile, his 1967 aborted follow-up to Pet Sounds with the Beach Boys is his most infamous and mythic work. Capitol has recently reissued new definitive boxes of the sessions, with the 2-CD box released on November 1, 2011 already out of print because of demand and a limited pressing. The 2-CD set includes core session tracks, alternate takes, various song versions and lots of collectible goodies. Few reissues give insight into the creative process of one of the true geniuses of popular music as he is slipping from top form into chemically induced studio meltdown. Songs like “Surf’s Up,” “Heroes and Villains” and “Good Vibrations” would show up in different forms on other releases, but to hear them as part of the Smile sessions is to truly understand their brilliance.           The Complete Experience While Phil Spector’s and Brian Wilson’s domain was the studio, Jimi Hendrix, who made ground- breaking albums with his Experience, is best heard live in concert. The shows that Hendrix performed at Bill Graham’s famed concert venue in San Francisco, the Winterland Ballroom, in October of 1968 are some of his best, featuring the Experience just as Electric Ladyland was being released. This five-disc set is easily one of the best Hendrix reissues ever released, with jaw-dropping performances of Bob Dylan’s “Like A Rolling Stone,” Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love” and “Killing Floor” with Jefferson Airplane’s Jack Casady on bass. Many performances from the three-day, two-shows-a-night stint are released here for the first time and far exceed the long-out-of-print Rykodisc reissues from many years ago. An interview with Hendrix recorded a few weeks after the San Francisco shows backstage at the Boston Garden is also included. An official bootleg, soundboard recording, taking up the entirety of disc five, is included with Buddy Miles sitting in on drums for Mitch Mitchell doing Traffic’s “Dear Mr. Fantasy.” There is also a single-disc, best-of version of the Winterland box. Another recent Legacy Hendrix reissue is the long out of print Hendrix in the West. It includes definitive live recordings from the late 60s of both versions of the Experience, prior to the birth of Band of Gypsys. South Saturn Delta, also recently reissued, includes rarities from all four bands Hendrix led and is very much for the Hendrix die-hard fan. Finally, check out Blue Wild Angel, a DVD of Hendrix filmed at the Isle of Wight festival in August 1970. This three-hour disc includes lots of rarities and special features.             Etc. Three other Legacy reissues from this period worth searching out are the Legacy Edition of Elvis Presley; Live Around the World; Bootleg, Vol III from Johnny Cash and The Bang Years from Neil Diamond. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2012-01-09T18:29:12+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/mixed-media-u.k.-holiday-musical-tour-vol.-3 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/mixed-media-u.k.-holiday-musical-tour-vol.-3#When:20:17:25Z Our Christmas holiday season in England (part Charles Dickens and part British rock) continues with some recent reissues, DVDs, CD/DVD packages and CDs. Boxing Day The following are released primarily as box sets and are perfect for Boxing Day. Along with the Derek & the Dominoes Layla box, released earlier this year, 25 Years (A&M) from Sting is one of the best box sets of 2011. The beautifully packaged box contains three CDs of music from Sting’s solo career, including rarities and live performances. There is also a lavish hardcover book and a DVD of a recent concert from Irving Plaza. This collection primarily features Sting’s solo rock music and not his classical or holiday/winter music. Hopefully, a collection of his non-rock music will also be released with rarities. It’s hard to believe that Sting’s solo career is so much longer than his short seven years with the Police. Two Deluxe Edition two-CD box sets not to be missed are Quadrophenia (Geffen) from The Who and Achtung Baby (Island) from U2. Both releases appear in other various configurations. Achtung Baby is now 20 years old and is arguably the group’s best work, although certainly The Joshua Tree must also be given serious consideration. Along with the original release, there is a 14-song bonus disc of B-sides and rarities. My favorite rarities are covers of The Rolling Stones’ “Paint It Black,” Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son” and Lou Reed’s “Satellite of Love.” On its most recent tour, the group played more songs from this album than from any other album it released through the years. Fans of The Who could certainly argue Quadrophenia from 1973 is the group’s best album, although Tommy, Who’s Next and even Live at Leeds would also be in the running. What makes Quadrophenia so fascinating to explore is the unreleased material. The unreleased tracks give insight into the genesis of this mod epic. Eight previously unreleased demos of Pete Townshend’s original ideas for his second rock opera are illuminating. These often bootlegged gems are long coveted by serious Who collectors. It’s amazing to listen to Townshend’s demos and hear how fully realized his ideas were long before The Who took them into the studio. Also included are two books and essays written by Townshend. A reissue of more recent music is Sigh No More (Glassnote) from Mumford and Sons. This beautifully packaged, three-CD set includes the original album from 2008, a concert disc, Live At Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London and a DVD. The DVD is the documentary Gentlemen of the Road, Parts 1, 2 & 3. CD/DVDs       A CD/DVD package not to miss is Live At The Royal Albert Hall (Columbia) from Adele. 2011 was Adele’s year and this London concert captures her at her peak. The music is primarily from her two solo albums. Along with her originals are some covers. The best of the covers is her version of Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me.” Adele makes great recordings, but she is a powerhouse performer. Another recent CD/DVD set is Wynton Marsalis and Eric Clapton Play the Blues - Live From Lincoln Center (Reprise) from Eric Clapton and Wynton Marsalis. This once-in-a-lifetime concert finds one of the great champions of jazz (Marsalis) and one of the blues (Clapton) finding common musical ground. Since a blues song can be jazz and a jazz song can be bluesy, it’s not much of a stretch for these two artists to make beautiful music together. Other than keyboardist Chris Stainton, the musicians here are mostly from the jazz world of Marsalis, with Taj Mahal handling vocals on “Just A Closer Walk With Me” and also banjo on “Corrine, Corrina.” This is a living, breathing musical concert and not a stuffy, museum-piece approach to making music. These are two artists who keep moving in new directions while also preserving and exposing to a larger audience great roots music. Peter Gabriel has two separate, yet connected projects out on CD and DVD. New Blood (Real World) is his second orchestral covers release. His first, from 2010, Scratch My Back, is orchestral covers of other artist’s music and with repeated listens becomes engaging. This new release of his own compositions is more readily likeable. Gabriel’s more intimate knowledge of his own music and by a subtle use of rhythms, he better evokes the inherent musical intention of the original, with new musical ideas. On the DVD New Blood Live In London (Real World/Eagle) Gabriel masterfully conveys his new orchestral approach to his music and others. Gabriel is an electrifying performer. The DVD draws from performances culled from two nights at the Hammersmith Apollo London, in March of 2011, with the backing of a 46-piece orchestra. This extraordinary, 22-song, nearly three-hour concert disc, with bonus features, is yet another Peter Gabriel music video that raises the home concert viewing experience to its highest potential. A Saucerful Full of Reissues The most ambitious reissue project of 2011 is Capitol’s massive, complete Pink Floyd catalog overhaul. The group’s entire catalog beginning with The Piper at Gates of Dawn in 1967 and ending with The Division Bell in 1994 are been reissued in various configurations.  This is for the Floyd fan who simply wants the latest CD remasters of the group’s 14 albums, nicely packaged in affordable editions that are easy to find. These discs may be the final re-mastering of the group’s classic catalog. For the fan who wants a bit more, check out the Experience versions of two of their best releases Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here. Dark Side of the Moon includes a bonus disc of an entire live performance of the album recorded in 1974 at The Empire Pool, Wembley in London. The reissue of Wish You Were Here includes three more live performances from the Wembley show, an alternate version of “Have A Cigar,” a track from the rare Household Objects project and a version of “Wish You Were Here,” with Stephane Grappelli.                   A Collection of Acoustic Curios       A single-disc compilation, Acoustic Gold (Witchwood Media), from the Strawbs gives a wonderful overview of the music of the group from the past ten years. Primarily headed by Dave Cousins and Dave Lambert, the group eschews its heavier, synthesizer sound and is primarily now featuring acoustic guitars. While the classic sound of the band still sounds great on the old vinyl records, this new approach is also excellent.                           Live In Concert Live at the Mar Y Sol Festival ‘72 is Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s third vintage live release on Shout Factory. While A Time and a Place is a massive, career-spanning live box and Live at Nassau Coliseum ‘78 featured the band in its waning days, this single-disc release, previously available only on the group’s six-disc definitive box From the Beginning, reflects the group’s earliest live sound. Of particular note is the more dominant presence of Greg Lake’s vocals in the band’s earlier music. This is a must-have for Prog-rock fans. Paul Rodgers continues to make solo albums, while reuniting with Bad Company, performing with the surviving members of Queen and of course as part of other bands such as The Firm and The Law. Along with his first band, the celebrated Free, and his blues releases, Rodgers is as good as just about any British contemporary front-man in rock. On Paul Rodgers & Friends Live at Montreux 1994 (Eagle), Rodgers performs songs from the many different periods of his long career. The backing band is a supergroup made up of such players as Jason Bonham, Brian May and many others. It’s nice to see this concert finally available on CD.       DVDs From the British Invasion DVD series through Reelin’ In The Years comes The Hollies Look Through Any Window 1963-1975 (Eagle). This series contains the best DVDs of British music of the 60s. There are 22 performances here from the Graham Nash period and from after he left during the group’s 70s hitmaking peak. There are also film clips of the band in 1967 recording at Abbey Road studios, home movies, backstage tour footage and interviews. This is a must-have DVD and runs more than three hours. Also from Eagle is Live at the Union Chapel filmed in December of 2003 from Procol Harum, which was originally released in 2004. The concert was taken from one of the last tours when organist Matthew Fisher was part of the band. There are 21 songs from the group’s entire career, including music from its most recent studio album, The Well’s On Fire. There is an interactive interview with Gary Brooker and other special features. This disc makes an excellent companion to the group’s previous Procol Harum: In Concert with the Danish National Concert Orchestra & Choir. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2011-12-26T20:17:25+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/mixed-media-christmas-holiday-special-part-two http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/mixed-media-christmas-holiday-special-part-two#When:20:15:23Z Sounds of the Season Once again it’s time to go through the latest batch of holiday music releases. It seems each year a handful of new offerings add to this ever-growing musical genre. My favorite release this year is A Very She & Him Christmas (Merge) from She & Him. The duo is actually producer M. Ward and the multi-talented Zooey Deschanel. This is their third release and it has a sparse, at times retro feel. While their holiday selections are not very unusual, they manage to make music with an authentic feel but with a fresh take. The other stellar holiday release this year is Christmas (Reprise) from Michael Buble. Buble is an old hand at holiday music with limited-edition, now rare releases worth searching out. The Canadian crooner, who carries on the tradition of the great American popular singers such as Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett, finds just the right balance between tradition and today’s sounds. Buble is one of the most likeable singers in music today and the runaway success of this beautifully produced instant Christmas classic is no surprise. Speaking of Tony Bennett, his The Classic Christmas Album (RPM/Columbia/Legacy) is reissued again. Bennett’s interpretations of Christmas music rank among the greatest recordings of the genre. Whether the recordings come from the earliest days of his career or more recently, and are backed by a big band or a small jazz group, these are American musical treasures. A Holiday Carole (Hear Music) is Carole King’s first holiday album in her career that spans 50-years. The opening track, an interpretation of “My Favorite Things,” is given a production treatment much like her Tapestry hit “It’s Too Late.” This is a wonderful holiday release and sure to become a favorite. Another new holiday entry this year that is destined to be a classic is A Vince Guaraldi Christmas Live at Middletree (Alderman) from The Ornaments. This live recording perfectly captures the spirit of Guaraldi’s score for the animated Peanuts television classic. The group focuses on the simple joy and beauty of Guaraldi’s compositions and also pays homage to one of the great jazz pianists of the cool West Coast era. An Appalachian Christmas (OMAC) from Marc O’Connor mixes touches of folk, country, classical and jazz in a mostly instrumental album. There are also tracks that feature the vocals of Jane Monheit, Renee Flemming, Steve Wariner, Alison Krauss and James Taylor. Easily the hippest, most progressive rock take on sounds of the season this year is Winterland (Vibro-Phonic) from the Jigsaw Seen. The band’s pop psychedelic sound is light and fun. What’s really great about this album is the band recorded its unique compositions and made an album one will play long after the egg nog has soured. Jack Johnson’s label has its second holiday release, This Warm December: A Brushfire Holiday Vol. 2 (Brushfire) featuring Johnson, along with artists such as Rogue Wave, Matt Costa and others. This quirky and cool singer-songwriter compilation, much like the She & Him release, feels like something new to refresh the holiday genre. There are a few other holiday releases not to miss. They include the original Broadway cast recording of Elf, The Broadway Musical (Ghostlight). Vanessa Carlton’s lovely four-song EP, Hear the Bells (Razor & Tie) includes a cover of John and Yoko’s Happy Xmas and an acoustic version of her smash hit “A Thousand Miles”. Schuyler Fisk, who will appeal to fans of Colbie Caillat, Sara Bareilles and others, delightful new six-song EP, Sounds of the Holiday (Cassidy Barks), comes on the heels of her excellent Blue Ribbon Winner The Album (Cassidy Barks). Billy Burnette’s “Rock N Roll Christmas” single and his Rock N Roll With It (Rock N Roll With It) album are recently released. Check out the trippy Polyphonic Spree on their groovy new holiday single, “It’s Christmas.” CDs of Christmas Past If you missed Mandy Barnett’s Winter Wonderland (Rounder) from last year it’s worth seeking out for this season. Barnett is one of the great voices in country music. Unlike the slick, overproduced, image-conscious country hit-makers of today, Barnett’s music recalls a sophisticated country sound happening 50 years ago. Christmas at the Speed of Sound To segue into our continuing musical Christmas in England, seek out Winter Guitar (Solid Air) from Laurence Juber. This acoustic collection of holiday favorites from 1999 from the former Wings guitarist is a Master’s class in acoustic music and a beautiful recording. Also on Solid Air, Juber has recorded many excellent solo albums, including a CD of Wings music entitled, One Wing and two collections of interpretations of the music of the Beatles, LJ Plays The Beatles and LJ Plays The Beatles Vol. 2. McCartney’s Tragical New York City Tour The Love We Make (Eagle) is a DVD of Paul McCartney’s experiences in New York in the aftermath of 9/11. This heart-wrenching, yet ultimately uplifting film includes performances from the historic 9/11 concerts McCartney produced, as well as behind-the-scenes footage, rehearsals and interviews. A number of filmmakers were involved in the film, including celebrated documentary director Albert Maysles. This is one of the most ambitious and moving visual projects ever from McCartney. Black and Blue Christmas In order to be fair and balanced, we must give equal time this holiday season to the Rolling Stones. The group’s Some Girls period has been given special treatment this year. Some Girls is reissued by Universal Republic as a two-CD set, including a full disc of bonus tracks. The album is the group’s best recording after its seminal 60s singles era and classic late 60s/early 70s album period. Like it did with Exile On Main Street, the group went back and fleshed out some unreleased tracks with dazzling results. Of particular interest is the release of the much-bootlegged and controversial “Claudine,” about Claudine Longet, who was married to Andy Willams and allegedly murdered skier Spider Sabich in a lover’s quarrel, but who was convicted of a lesser crime instead. A concert from the 1978 Miss You tour, The Rolling Stones Some Girls Live In Texas 1978 (Eagle), is also now available on DVD. This excellent concert from one of the group’s most underrated and stripped down tours shows the band at its first full peak with Ron Wood. There are some amazing extras on this disc, including such television appearances as the group’s historic Saturday Night Live spot. This is a must-have concert DVD for Stones fans, as it captures the band at one of its best, yet often overlooked and forgotten peaks. Speaking of the Rolling Stones on television, 6 Ed Sullivan Shows Starring the Rolling Stones (Sofa Entertainment), on two-discs, not only captures the band in some of its finest television appearances of the 60s Brian Jones period, but offers a rare glimpse at the cultural collision of variety shows, mass entertainment and the pop explosion. Along with 17 performances from the Stones, there are also performances from Dusty Springfield, Petula Clark and my own personal favorite Topo Gigio. These discs contain full episodes and run for more than five hours. Write It In Black Three new books on the Rolling Stones not to miss are Jagger: Rebel, Rock Star, Rogue (Gotham) by Marc Spitz; The Lost Rolling Stones Photographs (It) by Larry Marion and The Treasures of the Rolling Stones (Sterling) by Glenn Crouch. Stones On Film On December 27th at the Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington, Bill Shelley will present another night of the music of the Rolling Stones, billed as the Mick Taylor years, as part of the Rock Legends Live! series. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2011-12-13T20:15:23+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/mixed-media-white-album-christmas-holiday-special http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/mixed-media-white-album-christmas-holiday-special#When:20:14:16Z Beatles for Sale Here’s a roundup of all things fab four for your Beatles fan holiday shopping list. Beatles for the Record The Beatles With Tony Sheridan: First Recordings 50th Anniversary Edition (Time Life) is a two- CD set marking the 50th anniversary of the recordings the original Beatles (John, Paul, George, Pete Best and Stu Sutcliffe) made with Tony Sheridan in 1961 and 1962, produced by Bert Kaempfert for Polydor. This is the first U.S. reissue to include both stereo and mono versions and to omit the post-sessions overdubs from 1964. The historical value of these recordings, the surprisingly good sound quality and the beautiful packaging make this a must for real Beatles fans. The well-received Ocean Kingdom (Hear Music) is another classical outing for Paul McCartney, this time composed for the New York City Ballet, with music performed by The London Classical Orchestra. Both McCartney’s pop music fans and the classical community embraced this recording. This is yet another side of a great songwriter and also the kind of musical project bringing new fans to ballet. Another interesting McCartney project out, released through his MPL Communications is: Rave On Buddy Holly (Fantasy). A longtime Holly booster for years, McCartney owns the Holly song catalog. This tribute CD features Holly songs as interpreted by a wide variety of artists including McCartney, Graham Nash, Lou Reed, Patti Smith, Nick Lowe My Morning Jacket, Julian Casablancas, She & Him and many others. Listen To Me: Buddy Holly (Verve/Forecast) is another excellent Holly set. It includes interpretations form Brian Wilson, Ringo Starr, Chris Isaak, Lyle Lovett and many others. Two really fun Beatles-inspired projects recently released are: Rubber Soulive (Royal Family) from the San Francisco-based, jazz-soul band Soulive; a gritty album of Beatles covers and Abbey Dub (Goldlion) from Yellow Dubmarine, billed as a reggae Beatles tribute, a fun and original take on the fab four’s music. One of the classic Beatles-inspired albums of all time, McLemore Avenue, an interpretation of Abbey Road from Booker T. & The M.G.’s, is reissued with six bonus tracks. This, along with George Benson’s The Other Side of Abbey Road, ranks as one of the best albums of Beatles music ever recorded. Two members of Booker T. & The M.G.’s recently released excellent solo albums: The Road From Memphis (Anti) from Booker T. Jones and Dedicated: A Salute to the 5 Royales (429), from Steve Cropper. Paperback Writers Beatles For Sale on Parlophone Records by Bruce Spizer (498 Productions) is yet another extraordinary book on the Beatles from one of the giants of Beatles scholarship. Spizer, an attorney who   lives in New Orleans, self-publishes the books himself. His new Parlophone book takes the same route of his previous books. He looks at the music of the group through the prism of a record label the group recorded for, presented in a hard-cover book with a graphic presentation beautifully rendered and exhaustive. Anyone who says there are no need for any new books on the Beatles, isn’t aware of Bruce Spizer. George Harrison: Living in the Material World (Abrams), by Olivia Harrison, is the companion book to Martin Scorsese’s epic HBO documentary. This gorgeous coffee-table book emotionally evokes the man and the musical artist whose solo career is finally being given its proper due. Beatles Memorabilia: The Julian Lennon Collection (Goodman) from Julian Lennon and Brian Southall is a collection of the John Lennon memorabilia Julian Lennon owns. The collection mostly includes guitars and gold records and adds further to the history of John Lennon’s time with the Beatles and as a solo artist. The Lost Beatles Photographs: The Bob Bonis Archive, 1964-1966 (It Books) contains long-lost photos of the Beatles. Most of the pictures reveal the band relaxing while on its American tours and greatly add to the background of the few short years the Beatles performed live in America. Lennon: The Man, the Myth, the Music - The Definitive Life (Hyperion) by Tim Riley an exhaustive and certainly up-to-date book on the life of one of the most iconic figures in rock history. Riley’s previous Tell Me Why: A Beatles Commentary is one of the most enduring books on the Beatles and this Lennon biography is even better. The Beatles in Hamburg: The Stories, the Scene and How It All Began (Chicago Review Press) by Spencer Leigh is the most visually arresting book on one of the most important periods in Beatles history. Leigh brings the period alive much the way he did with his book on the Cavern Club and takes the story up to today. A Hard Day’s Night (Limelight Editions), by Ray Morton, part of the Music on Film series, presents a condensed exploration of the making of the Beatles’ film debut. This detailed and insightful book puts the movie into context in terms of the evolution of the Beatles’ impact on culture and reflects the important place the A Hard Day’s Night holds in film history. Fab Gear: The Beatles and Fashion (Prestel), by Paolo Hewitt, is a beautiful hardcover book on the 60s fashion and style influence of the Beatles. Hewitt, who chronicled The Jam and Oasis, runs his own mod fashion company in Italy and is one of rock music journalism’s most respected writers. He is the perfect person to do this long-overdue book. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2011-12-01T20:14:16+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/mixed-media-bonus-bakers-dozen-holiday-cd-playlist http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/mixed-media-bonus-bakers-dozen-holiday-cd-playlist#When:18:11:37Z Here’s a baker’s dozen roundup of CDs to complement holiday turkey and treats Dawes - Nothing Is Wrong (ATO) Dawes, on its second album, is drawing many new fans primarily through the song “Time Spent In Los Angeles.” The group’s vocal approach occasionally recalls Jackson Browne, who appears on the album. Also, the influence of Browne’s former guitarist David Lindley’s guitar sound is evident throughout the album. The group, led by two brothers, backed-up Robbie Robertson on a handful of television appearances with talk of a possible tour. This is easily one of the best albums of the year. Wilco - The Whole Love (dBpm) Once again Wilco declares its independence and flees a major record company for its own label. While Nonesuch seemed a sympathetic home for the group, change and independence seem to be the hallmarks of one of the best American bands on the scene today. In their uncompromising musical stand, unpredictability and respect for its audience, the group carries the torch high passed on from groups like R.E.M. Weird, fun, melodic and filled with all kinds of rhythms, The Whole Love may be the band’s best album. The Jayhawks - Mockingbird Time (Rounder) Fans of the Jayhawks can hardly believe their luck: after eight long years the group makes its triumphant return. The group’s gorgeous harmonies, midwestern twang and more than ever well-crafted compositions make this an album to treasure. In the context of American music, the Jayhawks are to The Byrds what Uncle Tupelo is to Buffalo Springfield. Ryan Adams - Ashes & Fire (Pax Am) Adams released two albums last year (and three in 2005), but seems like he is about to begin a new phase in his career with the production, engineering and mixing assistance of Glyn Johns. Ashes & Fire is an album of happiness and deep reflection. It’s about a man who came through the fire and found peace. There is still no solo artist in music today more prolific and who writes better songs than Adams. It’s hard to say if this is Adams best album, but it’s certainly the most enjoyable to listen to. John Hiatt - Dirty Jeans and Mudslide Hymns (New West) It’s hard to believe John Hiatt first released an album in 1974, with many phases, brushes with stardom and projects that were somewhat out of the singer-songwriter genre. At this point in his career, he’s become an artist incapable of making a bad album and in fact is someone whose is vastly underrated. Like the album it references (Mudslide Slim and the New Horizon), this release places the songs in very distinct times and places, mixing rootsy singer-songwriter reflection and southern twang. John Hiatt is one those legends without a big audience but one who just get better with age. Shelby Lynne - Revelation Road (Everso) After her tribute to Dusty Springfield in 2008 on Verve, Shelby Lynne started her own record company and released a stripped-down love chronicle Tears, Lies and Alibis as well as a holiday album Merry Christmas, in 2010. While both of those albums were solid releases to get her label off the ground, this new one can stand alongside her best work and may be her most personal and accessible release to date. On this CD Lynne went for a more fleshed-out sound. Surprisingly, she wrote all the songs, played all the instruments, did all the singing and produced the album herself. Lynne proves again what a truly rare talent she is. Ollabelle - Neon Blue Bird (Thirty Tigers) With Levon Helm’s daughter Amy, Ollabelle has always made likeable roots music. The album has just the right production touch to make the music more than simply a roots outing. Now, on its third album the group tapped a songwriting vein producing the best crop of songs it ever recorded, resulting in its best album and one that should finally propel the band into the big leagues. Rachel Yamagata - Chesapeake (Frankenfish) After two albums on two different major labels, Rachel Yamagata takes the indie route on her first full album in three years. A truly gifted singer-songwriter, she sounds relaxed and grounded on this superior collection of songs. The music reflects a languid, embracing glow, like the beginning of a love on a summer vacation. Yamagata possesses the ability to write and sing songs of effortlessness and may blossom more naturally away from the unforgiving spotlight of major label expectations. All of You - Colbie Caillat (Universal Republic) Through three albums, Colbie Caillat continues to make sunny folk-pop that’s irresistible. She is able to write light-hearted and joyous love songs without sounding saccharine or juvenile. Her newest is even more confident and bold. Her music reminds listeners of the potent pop L.A. sound that flourished in 1970s. This is an artist who is so young and who is so talented that she should be around for a long time to come. Pieta Brown - Mercury (Red House Records) The daughter of Greg Brown, Pieta Brown quietly releases superb albums that mix great songs with a rootsy yet inviting approach. Brown co-produced the album with Bo Ramsey (one of the most underrated producers in music today) and continues to refine her sound. By slowly building a following on her own terms, Brown is emerging as an artist poised to break through to a larger audience. Mat Kearney - Young Love (Aware/Universal Republic) Like Amos Lee, Matt Nathanson and a few other artists, Mat Kearney is exploding after years of toiling on the singer-songwriter scene. While “Hey Mama” has become a hit, there are plenty of other tracks here destined for the charts. Kearney is one of those rare artists who can balance being a singer-songwriter and employing modern instrumental and production techniques. Brett Dennen - Lover Boy (Dualtone) Brett Dennan, like Mat Kearney, figured out how to maintain his personal style as a singer-songwriter with songs like “Comeback Kid” and Sydney” becoming big hits. Without abandoning his quirky sound or vocal style, Dennen is now writing songs that are so upbeat and fun that one can’t resist his musical charms. NEEDTOBREATHE - The Reckoning (Atlantic) Yet another band with brothers, NEEDTOBREATHE possesses an anthemic, country-inflected, big rock sound. While rock radio formats continue to disappear, great rock bands keep emerging in such large numbers, eventually a groundswell of support should reverse the tide. While the group doesn’t exactly sound like either Bruce Springsteen or U2 it makes the kind of grand musical sound that is perfect for arenas filled with passionate fans. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2011-11-21T18:11:37+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/from-stony-brook-to-huntingtonmixed-media-on-the-road http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/from-stony-brook-to-huntingtonmixed-media-on-the-road#When:17:48:58Z Concert Review: The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger at Staller Center, Stony Brook University (10/15) The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger performed at the Staller Center at Stony Brook University on October 15th. The band is led by Sean Lennon and his girlfriend Charlotte Kemp Muhl. Anyone who attended the show in the intimate and acoustically superior confines of the Staller Center looking for an evening of Beatles or John Lennon-like music would be disappointed. However, anyone who entered with an open mind or who is charmed by the duo’s two CDs, released on its own Chimera label, experienced a great evening of music. While Sean Lennon made some excellent, largely overlooked solo albums, his amusingly named new group is truly a treasure. Lennon sang and played guitar, while sitting on a stool behind a drum kit he occasionally played simultaneously. Muhl switched between xylophone, bass, accordion, mouth organ and vocals. A third musician, C.J. Camerieri, supplied trumpet, French horn and percussion. From the very start, Lennon and Muhl exchanged pithy and humorous quips, as entertaining as the wonderful music. The group’s sound is a timeless and indescribable mix of cabaret, French film music, jazz, folk and experimental sounds. Lennon’s dreamy vocals blended beautifully with Muhl’s. Her voice alternately reminds one of Lætitia Sadier of Stereolab, Sarah Cracknell of Saint Etienne, Dominique Durand of Ivy, Carla Bruni, Coralie Clément, and Juliet Greco. The simple instrumentation worked well and Camerieri added Burt Bacharach-styled touches. The song “Jardin du Luxembourg” a signature song of the evening, in a better world, would be a big hit. Songs such as “Lavender Road,” “Candy Necklace,” “Rainbows In Gasoline” and “Dark Matter” revealed a songwriting style that mixes the dark and serious and silly with the light. The lyrics are dense, complex and very poetic. This is a very mature, evolved group who seems to be completely bypassing what passes for pop music. Also, anyone who thinks Muhl is merely in the group because she is Lennon’s girlfriend is sadly mistaken. Her lovely voice and particularly her gritty bass work spotlight her as a serious and confident musician. The show coincided with the final night of “Yoko Ono Imagine Peace,” an exhibit held at the adjacent University Art Gallery. The exhibit featured art installations, multi-media presentations, photographs, music memorabilia and more and chronicled “John & Yoko’s Year of Peace (1969-1970).” Starkly moving, but also playfully thought-provoking, the exhibit chronicled the couple’s activities and political stance on peace and while it could be misconstrued as naive, in fact it recalls a time of possibilities rather than limitations. Concert Review: Amos Lee at The Paramount, Huntington (10/29) Two nights before Halloween and feeling more like two nights before Christmas due to a snowy storm that blanketed much of the Northeast, Amos Lee’s warm musical vibe made everyone forget the weather outside of the Paramount in Huntington. Lee and his amazing band put on a show that will long be remembered. Lee is at a point in his career where he is about to break through to a very large audience. “He performed Windows Are Rolled Down,” somewhat of a hit from his latest album Mission Bell, to rapturous cheers. “Shout Out Loud,” a real show-stopper from his second album Supply and Demand, released in 2006, also thrilled the crowd. It clearly shows that Lee can reach a larger audience without pandering to commercial trickery. It’s great to see an artist whose music is rooted in the acoustic singer-songwriter scene perform with such a large accomplished band. Lee was backed by a drummer, a keyboardist, a bassist, two backup singers and two guitarists, including a pedal-steel player whose signature sound made “Windows Are Rolled Down” sound as good as the studio original. Lee could easily tour solo, or with minimal support given his music is so acoustic and song-based. To see him with such a large band was a treasure. A raucous version of Queen’s “Fat Bottomed Girls,” a surprising cover near the end of the show, pulled off completely deadpan, gleefully amused the crowd. Lee’s music has touches of country, blues, pop and rock and, although he sings soulfully, he played down this aspect of his sound in concert. On some songs he strapped on a Telecaster and played gritty blues-rock. He’s not much of an entertainer, and rarely spoke other than saying thank you and introducing the individual members of the band. He possesses the quiet, laconic look of a character in a Sebastian Junger or a Jon Krakauer book. He’s compact, and bookish and although he looks like he could be some young cool professor everyone likes, there’s a tough resolve to him. The audience cheered loudly in voicing their pleasure in celebrating the lyrics of his songs. To see a crowd cheering for the words of an artist is a rare thing. For those who don’t know Lee, he mixes folk and soul with a great voice like such 70s icons as James Taylor and Jonathan Edwards. In terms of more contemporary artists, there’s the same songwriting chops and bluesy grit of John Hiatt. Lee has the potential to break out and become as hugely successful as some like Norah Jones.. Concert Review: Willie Nelson at The Paramount, Huntington (11/2) Like a scene out of Urban Cowboy, Long Islanders donned cowboy hats, and buckskin jackets and kept the bartenders more than busy when Willie Nelson and Family brought their down-home country review to the Paramount on November 2nd. With his long-graying hair in his signature braids, the 78-year-old red-headed stranger, dressed in black jeans, black tee-shirt and sneakers, may not look very powerful when he first stepped on stage, but as soon as he let out those first few notes of his signature show opener “Whiskey River,” clearly country court came to order. Nelson began the show at a fast pace, moving from one song to the next with no letup. With the backing of bass and drums, along with sister Bobbie on keyboards and the now legendary Mickey Raphael on harp, Nelson charmed the capacity crowd with his talent, song selection, craggy velvet voice and amazing guitar pickin’. Nelson plays his battered acoustic guitar like a rock god, churning out exquisite, if at times ragged, lead. It’s this approach that at times influenced Bob Dylan’s more recent bands, where acoustic guitar becomes a lead, as opposed to merely just a rhythm instrument. The songs veered between Nelson’s own country classics and those of other songwriters important to the country canon or to Nelson’s life and music. Long past the mid-point, he performed three Hank Williams classics. He did two songs by his friend and former bandmate in the Highwaymen, Kris Kristofferson. There were songs he performed such as “Georgia,” and also songs he changed in his own way, such as Steve Goodman’s “City of New Orleans.” Other show-stoppers included “Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain,” “Mama Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys,” “Always On My Mind” and “To All The Girls I Loved.” Of course Nelson performed songs he wrote and made famous such as “On The Road Again” and songs he wrote for others such as the hits “Nightlife” and “Crazy.” Many people are called legends, but Nelson truly is one. Through his sheer will, originality, place in country music and fearless approach to life, Nelson only becomes more loved and honored. Through his radicalism, uncompromising nature and refusal to adhere to the status quo, Nelson exhibits the best of what an American can be. He stands alongside contemporaries like Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger, B.B. King and Quincy Jones and is easily part of a very small of not only musicians like Woody Guthrie, Hank Williams and Elvis Presley, but American iconoclasts such as Walt Whitman and Mark Twain. Let’s hope Willie Nelson stays on the road forever. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2011-11-07T17:48:58+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/october-mixed-media-online-supplement http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/october-mixed-media-online-supplement#When:16:08:33Z Ten Years After Morrison Hotel, the gallery of fine art, music and photography will be celebrating its 10th anniversary on October 13th at the Cutting Room in Manhattan. Morrison Hotel is the premier gallery that showcases great rock photographers. Scheduled performers so far include The Modern Folk Quartet in a rare reunion; 70s singer-songwriter Johnathan Edwards and the Tangiers Blues Band. MFQ’s leader Henry Diltz, is one of the most esteemed rock photographers in history and the co-owner of Morrison Hotel. The Tangiers Blues Band features Danny Clinch, the most renowned rock music photographer on the scene today. Other musical guests will be announced. There will also be an open bar with admission and a limited number of VIP seats are available. Some of the famed photographers who will be attending include: Long Island’s own Bob Gruen, Julian Lennon, Ethan Russell, Lynn Goldmsith, Elliot Landy, Mick Rock, Ebet Roberts, Elaine Mayes, Neil Preston, Ken Reagen and Timothy White and many more to be announced. The live music starts at 8 PM and doors open at 7 PM. The Cutting Room is located at 44 East 32nd Street. For more information, call 212 965-5102. Tickets can also be purchased at both of the Morrison Hotel galleries in Manhattan. The Soho location is 124 Prince Street (212 941-8770) and the Bowery location is 313 Bowery (212-677-2253). Happenings Ten Years Time Ago The latest lineup of The Yardbirds performed at the NYCB Theatre at Westbury on September 9th. Original members Jim McCarty and Chris Dreja are now augmented by bassist David Smale, guitarist Ben King and lead singer Andy Mitchell. The original Yardbirds disbanded in the late 60s and spawned many solo projects and groups, including a reunion of sorts as Box of Frogs in the 1980s. For the past twenty years, various lineups of the band tour, and in 2003 an album entitled Birdland (Favored Nations), with original members McCarty and Dreja, met with unanimous critical praise. Subsequent tours continue to be equally successful. The band’s set at the NYCB Theatre received and enthusiastically response, with the appreciative audience on its feet by set’s end. While McCarty still delivers his trademark rave-up drum sound and essential backing vocals and Dreja’s chiming rhythm guitar and backing vocals provides the group’s musical foundation, the three new members of the group exceeded expectations. Bassist Smale works perfectly with McCarty and guitarist King responded to the unenviable task of replicating the famed guitar lines of the various guitar gods that graced the music of the band’s heyday, with aplomb and originality. Lead singer Mitchell faces an equally daunting task on vocals and harmonica. He met the challenge and is a powerhouse singer and performer. The band played many of the group’s early hits and classic tracks, including stand out numbers such as “Over, Under, Sideways, Down,” “The Nazz Are Blue” and “Shapes of Things.” It also performed “Dazed and Confused,” a song the band did when Jimmy Page was a member, just before Led Zeppelin was born. It seems that The Yardbirds continue to be reborn and will be flying high for years to come. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2011-10-11T16:08:33+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/interview-with-the-script http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/interview-with-the-script#When:21:02:35Z With only two albums under its belt, the Irish rock group The Script scored hit singles and opened for U2 and Paul McCartney. The band continues to tour the world and October 14th it will headline at The Paramount in Huntington. Although the group’s second album, Science & Faith (RCA) is from 2010, several singles from it continue to chart. While album sales and chart position are great, what’s most impressive is the leap the band made musically from its self-titled debut in 2008 to its latest CD. Many bands release strong debuts, but their second album sometimes does not fulfill expectations. If anything, given how good Science & Faith is, the band is possibly poised to follow in the footsteps of fellow Dublin-born band U2. The Script’s music however is more pop than U2’s and the focus is on melodic songs mixing r&b, with unforgettable vocals from lead singer Danny O’Donoghue, shimmering guitar from Mark Sheehan and the heart of the band’s live sound, Glen Power’s solid drumming. Though the band is augmented by bassist Ben Sergeant in concert, in the studio all three members share songwriting duties and contribute musically beyond their principal instrument. Power for example also plays guitar, Sheehan does drum programming and O’Donoghue plays piano. It’s second album has catapulted the band onto the international music scene. However, Power cringes when people think the band is an overnight sensation, and said in his thick Irish accent, “We’ve been in the business for so many years. People think we’re an overnight success. If they think that’s true, well it’s been the longest night of our lives.” Power is full of quips and jokey asides, but he is sincere in stressing how proud the band is of its Dublin roots and emphasized the members want to continue to earn their success through the quality of their music. “We’re hungry and passionate - we’re working-class heroes,” he began. “U2 was the first band to lift the torch and show a small band from a small country could make one hell of a big noise.” Power talked about how thrilling it is when people tell the band how much its music means to them. “The beautiful thing about a song is sometimes when the lyrics are vague people get what they want from it and they stamp their own identity on it,” he stated. The band is building a following as a great live act, but what’s gained them such a large audience so quickly is their songs. “Our music resonates with people.” Powers stated. “People can connect with it because we deal with themes for the everyday person. They’re told from the heart and we speak directly from experience. When people hear a message that they can relate to, then they don’t feel so alone. There’s a sense of hope. A problem shared is a problem halfed.” Music: Mixed Media Online, 2011-09-23T21:02:35+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/mixed-media-september-online-supplement http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/mixed-media-september-online-supplement#When:16:43:48Z Getting High With Matt Nathanson It would be easy to suddenly declare Matt Nathanson some kind of overnight sensation. The fact is that Nathanson released his debut album back in 1993. After four albums and ten years, Nathanson finally appeared on a major label with Beneath These Fireworks, on Universal and then was dropped from the label. However, his two most recent albums, both on Vanguard - Some Mad Hope in 2007 and Modern Love from this year - rocketed the singer-songwriter onto the charts. What’s great about Nathanson’s story is that he stuck to his guns, making heartfelt music featuring fine songcraft and an unassuming and distinctive vocal style. Achieving all this success on Vanguard, a label that puts more emphasis on quality music instead chart position, makes the victory even sweeter. Nathanson recently brought his show to Long Island, opening for Train and Maroon 5 at Jones Beach as a last-minute replacement for Gavin DeGraw on August 12th. Nathanson and his tight band quickly won over the crowd, who was obviously familiar with songs such as “Come On Get High” and the more recent “Faster.” His newest hit, “Faster,” shows how a clever use of rhythms make a song very accessible. Throughout his short set, Nathanson, an engaging and relaxed performer, brought just enough rock edge to his music. The next time Nathanson comes through the area, he very likely will be a headliner and should not be missed. Solid Gold With the success of the iPod and iTunes, it would appear that the days of the CD are numbered. Thankfully, not only is there a revival in long-playing, 12-inch, vinyl records, but one company seems intent on also championing high-quality CDs. Audio Fidelity is releasing classic recording, pressing them on 24-KT gold discs, mastering them on HDCD and including beautiful packaging. The company is also releasing vinyl albums using 180+ virgin vinyl. These limited- edition, numbered releases are succeeding because many music fans simply want better sound reproduction than is available from standard digital downloads. Four recent releases from the company represent distinct listening experiences for discerning music fans. Arguably, the jewel in the crown is the company’s reissue of Stevie Wonder’s double album Songs In The Key of Life from 1976. The double album boasts superior HDCD sound, a feature not found on all CD players or DVD players and easily can claim the best non-Blu-Ray audio sound mastering available. What might be Wonder’s best album in many respects sounds better on CD than on vinyl. The original vinyl release sometimes suffered from groove-cramming. Also, the original release came with a 45 of bonus tracks, and because it had an inferior pressing vinyl 45, it sounded poor. Now, those bonus tracks are available in pristine digital-quality sound. Two other CD’s in the series represent two different sides of classic 1970s music: No Secrets from Carly Simon from 1972 and Straight Shooter from Bad Company from 1975. For all of Bad Company’s occasional bombast, there’s no denying the power of the group’s first two albums, particularly Paul Rodgers’s vocals. This second album is often overlooked in favor of their self-titled debut. For fans of 1970s rock, the availability of this album in an audiophile pressing is a rock-and-roll fantasy come true. At the other extreme is No Secrets, one of the best albums of the 1970s and a cornerstone release of the singer-songwriter movement. Simon’s fantastic voice and Richard Perry’s state-of-the-art production make this an album that is perfect for audiophile treatment. Oh, and the album cover photo isn’t too bad either. To taste one of the company’s vinyl offerings, a perfect start would be Herbie Mann at the Village Gate. Live jazz is probably one of the best kinds of music to listen to on vinyl. The warm, intimate vibe and true natural room ambience of this sorely missed Greenwich Village venue, come alive in this Tom Dowd-produced recording celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Masterworks Reissues Classic CTI Jazz Classic For a number of years in music history, record labels, run by real music people, defined the sound and evolution of the business, particularly with jazz. Some of the labels include Blue Note, Verve, Fantasy, Prestige, Contemporary and Impulse, among others, although majors like Atlantic, Columbia and RCA also boasted celebrated jazz catalogs. One of the last great jazz labels is CTI, who as headed by producer Creed Taylor, released the bulk of its classic recordings during the 1970s. Sony’s Masterworks division recently released some of the legendary recordings from CTI as part of a 40th anniversary celebration of the label. All of the CD’s boast superior sound; not surprising given Taylor’s production prowess. They are also all beautifully packaged and many include bonus tracks. In many cases, some of these albums could be considered the last important recordings from some of the greatest names in jazz history. If there was only one release in this series every serious jazz fan must get it would be Stone Flower from Antonio Carlos Jobim. This is one of the many CTI releases from Jobim during the period when A&M distributed CTI. Jobim’s albums were also released during this period through Verve and Warner Brothers. This is often considered a transitional period for Jobim. His music became even more lush and his influence continued to spread. A release from CTI’s heyday that is familiar to even non-jazz fans is Prelude from Deodato from 1972. Eumir Deodato is also Brazilian, and like Jobim, achieved hit crossover success. “Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001),” an adaption of the Richard Strauss composition, originally popularized in Stanley Kubrick’s film 2001: A Space Odyssey, became a huge hit. This rhythmic, jazzy interpretation of a classical piece included the crack support of Ron Carter, Stanley Clarke and Billy Cobham. Deodato’s orchestral arranging abilities and visionary instrumental approach still must be considered revolutionary all these years later. Another must-have disc in the series is Paul Desmond’s self-titled release recorded in 1974 and is his penultimate solo studio album. It came at the end of his most prolific period as a solo artist. While Desmond’s recordings with the Dave Brubeck Quartet are honored as his greatest achievement and are considered some of the most popular jazz recordings of all time, his solo work for a slew of labels should not be overlooked. Along with Stan Getz, Desmond brought one of the most beautiful tones to the saxophone of any jazz player who ever lived. Desmond fans will also be advised to seek out three other releases in this series that he plays on: She Was Too Good To Me, from Chet Baker; Concierto, from Jim Hall; and Giant Box from Don Sebesky. There are many other great releases from this series including two classics from George Benson: Beyond the Blue Horizon and White Rabbit. Two other must-have releases from this series include Sunflower from Milt Jackson and God Bless The Child from Kenny Burrell. Finally, look for the two-CD set California Concert, recorded at the California Palladium from 1972. It features an all-star cast of George Benson, Freddie Hubbard, Hubert Laws, Stanley Turrentine, Hank Crawford, Johnny Hammond, Ron Carter, Billy Cobham and Airto. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2011-09-06T16:43:48+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/mid-summers-night-mixed-media-online-column http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/mid-summers-night-mixed-media-online-column#When:17:14:46Z Legends of the Fall Bill Shelley continues to present his Rock Legends Live monthly music film series at the Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington. On August 23rd, Shelley will screen an evening of rare Neil Young clips, starting at 7:30 PM. In the coming months will be The Doors in September, The Police in October, the Grateful Dead in November and in December: The Rolling Stones, the Mick Taylor years. My Father’s Place and WLIR-FM Remembered Local music fans will get a chance to celebrate one of the great area radio stations, WLIR-FM, and maybe the best Long Island music venues ever, My Father’s Place, at a 40th Anniversary Reunion to take place at Mirelle’s in Westbury on August 19th. Former MFP owner Eppy, along with former, famed WLIR personalities Malibu Sue and Larry The Duck will appear together, with musical guests APB. The party comes on the heels of the publication of the book Fun + Dangerous (Ardent Artists) by Steve Rosenfield and Michael “Eppy” Epstein. The limited-edition beautiful hardcover book features essays on the history of the former bowling alley from the likes of Kurt Loder and Denis McNamara and immortal photographs of shows from the legendary bar from 1975-1980. There are also backstage shots and a nine-song CD of performances from the likes of Peter Tosh, NRBQ and Muddy Waters that were originally broadcast on WLIR. 60s Rewind Universal continues to reissue classic albums with beautiful packaging, lots of extra music and on discs manufactured in Europe with superior sound quality. In an age when downloading is destroying the art of music packaging and eliminating good sound quality, these discs are true treasures. Released in various configurations to coincide with the 40th anniversary of its release is Layla from Derek & the Dominoes on Polydor. Arguably one of the greatest albums of all time (in my top five), Layla now receives another sonic upgrade with the current crop of various reissues aimed at upgrading the 20th anniversary Layla Sessions 3-CD set. Buyers can decide for themselves what new configuration to purchase based on their budget and whether they can even still find copies of the massive box of vinyl albums, CD’s, a DVD and other extras. The readily available and affordable two-CD deluxe edition includes the original album and 13 bonus tracks from various sources, including George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass sessions, live performances from the Johnny Cash television show and other Layla sessions outtakes. Traffic, headed by Steve Winwood, Eric Clapton’s bandmate in Blind Faith, gets the deluxe edition treatment with John Barleycorn Must Die on Island. One of the band’s best albums, with its heady mix of rock, jazz, soul and folk, the album is long overdue for a CD upgrade. This two-CD set includes extra tracks and six live performances recorded at the Fillmore East in 1970. While any Traffic album is worthy of the deluxe-edition treatment, this one is a superb choice. The first three Kinks albums - Kinks, Kinda Kinks and Kinks Kontroversey - get the deluxe- edition treatment and are released on Polydor. The band went through many stylistic and personnel changes through the years and perhaps enjoyed its greatest success when Ray Davies composed thematic albums that mixed many musical styles, but the pure charm and energy of these early British Invasion-era albums is undeniable. Having these albums finally given an audio upgrade is more than welcome, in that many of the group’s early recordings were recorded poorly. All the releases are two-CD sets, with pristine sound quality and loads of extra tracks, including a healthy amount of live BBC radio performances making these releases true collector items. It doesn’t get much better than this for serious fans of British rock. Legacy, recently acquired the rights of Phil Spector’s recordings from ABKCO. A long-overdue overhaul of Spector’s seminal wall-of-sound recordings from the early 60s is now available. While no digital remastering can overhaul his tattered image, there’s no denying the importance and pure brilliance of Spector’s production work. The four discs released by Legacy are: Wall Of Sound: The Very Best of Phil Spector 1961-1966: Be My Baby: The Very Best of the Ronettes; The Doo Ron Ron: The Very Best of The Crystals; and The Sound of Love: The Very Best of Darlene Love. These four discs, along with Legacy’s reissue of The Phil Spector Christmas album, comprise one of the singular most influential bodies of work from the music of the 60s. While the original ABKCO box of Spector’s music still contains a few gems not included here, the sound quality of these discs is far superior. One of the more obscure reissues of the year and one released as either limited-edition vinyl or a CD is Follow Me Down: Vanguard’s Lost Psychedelic Era (1966-1970). It contains truly obscure tracks, since, other than its artist Country Joe and the Fish, Vanguard was primarily a folk label. While some music listeners may be familiar with Circus Maximus and The Vagrants, both of whom are included here, most of the other artists who appear on this 18-track, still-in-print double-vinyl album are truly psychedelic relics. Paul McCartney’s debut album McCartney is now reissued by Hear Music. The reissue appears in several configurations. The one that most fans will seek out is the three-disc set. The set includes the original album on one disc; a bonus audio CD that includes live tracks, outtakes and a version of “Maybe I’m Amazed” from the film One Hand Clapping; and a bonus DVD, with a short documentary on the making of the album, a music video, more material from the One Hand Clapping film and two performances from MTV Unplugged. Finally, Shout Factory is releasing A Musicares Tribute to Neil Young on DVD. The concert, from January, filmed in Los Angeles, features artists such as John Fogerty, Dave Matthews, Jackson Browne, Wilco, Elvis Costello, Elton John, Leon Russell and Crosby, Stills & Nash covering Young’s songs. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2011-08-08T17:14:46+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/mixed-media-on-the-road-evening-of-burning-heat-u2-live-at-the-new-meadowla http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/mixed-media-on-the-road-evening-of-burning-heat-u2-live-at-the-new-meadowla#When:18:46:13Z “I was born, I was born to sing for you I didn’t have a choice but to lift you up” -“Magnificent” The U2 360 tour of 2011, which began with a handful of dates in the early part of the year outside the U.S. and had only three shows remaining on its North American peaked on a hot night in New Jersey at the New Meadowlands on July 20th. Much of the tour, including this show was the result of rescheduling after U2 had to cancel the 2010 dates because Bono had hurt his back during rehearsals in Europe. The emotional, technically imaginative and career-spanning 2 ½-hour performance was as long a concert as the group has ever done and by most accounts a vast improvement over the still excellent 2009 stop in the states. The band began the show with a heavy dose of songs from the now 20-year-old Achtung Baby album. Nearly dwarfed by the giant “claw” overhead, which looked like a cross between huge spider legs and a space-age tower, the foursome blasted out an endless barrage of stadium-sized guitar rock that mixed queasy futuristic despair with mostly heartfelt hope and the search for possibilities in a time of limitations. There was also a general futuristic space-age feel to the show, including trippy outer-space animation. The two songs that bracketed the band’s performance were “Space Oddity” from David Bowie and immediately after the last encore, “Rocket Man” from Elton John. Also, “Beautiful Day” was introduced by astronaut Mark Kelly, via a clip recorded from the space shuttle back in early June. Some of the high points included an anthemic “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” and impassioned vocals from Bono on “Miss Sarajevo.” A techno reworking of “I Still Go Crazy” did not improve on the wonderful original and a thundering “Beautiful Day” was a little ragged. These are minor quibbles though, as the band diligently worked hard to prove its place in the pantheon of rock. The group never simply relied on its old hits, nor did it appear remote or aloof, despite playing in such a cavernous setting. As usual, the group performed songs with heart, as was particularly evident on “Magnificent,” “Beautiful Day,” Pride,” “City of Blinding Light,” “Walk On” and “One.” There was also no overt promoting of the Spider Man Turn Off the Dark play or CD, both of which, now that the false starts have ended, have rightfully been well received. Bono acknowledged the recent passing of Clarence Clemons of the E-Street Band and with Bruce Springsteen and his wife Patti in attendance, dedicated “Moment of Surrender” to the big man and added a little of Bruce’s “Promised Land” to the song. In an age when every musical genre seems to be encroaching on not only rock’s former dominance but its actual relevancy, U2 is a reminder of the power of the simple four-piece, guitar -based rock band. Like that of The Who before it, the music is both cathartic and a key to truth and freedom. While the members of The Who often brought a stinging anger to their music, U2 prefers to plead for hope and forgiveness. In many respects the band is the last great rock band. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2011-08-01T18:46:13+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/july-online-only-expanded-playlist-bonus-12-pack http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/july-online-only-expanded-playlist-bonus-12-pack#When:18:15:44Z 1960’s Artists Bringing It All Back Home Many musical legends who started out in the 1960s have released excellent new CDs this year. Paul Simon - So Beautiful Or So What (Hear Music). Of the cream of the great songwriters to emerge from the seminal 1960s, no one has remained more relevant than Paul Simon. While often reaching a mainstream audience, Simon continues to innovate, draw from many musical sources and use rhythms in his music in new and exciting ways. Even better than the excellent You’re The One, the album before Surprise, his somewhat strained collaboration with Brian Eno, this new album has a magic and a grace that make one think Simon still has so much good music yet to make. Ray Davies - See My Friends (Decca). Ray Davies, like some other 60s artists in this roundup, is also in a nostalgic mood these days and is looking back at his music and re-imagining it. After the surprisingly successful choral interpretation of some of his best-loved Kinks songs, he has now paired up with other artists and rec-recorded classic Kinks songs. While some of the collaborations fall flat due to heavy-handed collaborators (Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, Metallica), just about everything else here works like a charm, particularly Davies collaborations with Alex Chilton, Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol, and Mumford and Sons. Ray Davies, like Paul Simon, has written songs that raise the level of rock composition to great heights. Hot Tuna - Steady As She Goes (Red House). It’s been 12 years since Hot Tuna put out an album, but it was worth the wait. Larry Campbell’s production gives the band a clean electric vibe, but the Hot Tuna sound is still intact. The highlights are when Kaukonen, Cassady and friends put their stamp on shrewdly chosen covers, such as the Reverend Gary Davis compositions. Bruce Cockburn - Small Source of Comfort (True North). After a five-year hiatus, Bruce Cockburn is back with an album that reaffirms his place as one of the most insightful songwriters in music. Leavening his social and political observations with a great sense of humor and play, Cockburn obviously still has a lot to say. The album is also filled with great music, cool rhythmic touches and his unmistakable vocal approach. Marianne Faithfull - Horses and High Heels (Naive). Ever since Broken English in 1979, Marianne Faithful has forged a musical career far removed from her ingenue days as Mick Jagger’s girlfriend and the breathy-voiced singer of “As Tears Go By.” Strong, daring, edgy and varied in style, this new Hal Wilner-produced disc shows Faithfull never sounding more current. Recorded in New Orleans, the CD, like her previous release Easy Come, Easy Go, has many well-chosen covers. Zombies - Breathe Out, Breathe In (Red House). On only its third post-60s album and its first since 2004, the Zombies, led by original core members Colin Blunstone and Rod Argent, proves to be a band very much of today. Some of the songs surprisingly draw from such influences as Steely Dan, Procol Harum, the Beatles and Sting, yet this is an album of highly original music, spotlighting a band people associate with the 60s stepping out in new exciting directions. “Shine On Sunshine” looks like a hit and “Christmas for the Free” is likely to become a holiday staple. Randy Newman - Randy Newman Songbook, Volume 2 (Nonesuch). Randy Newman, like other artists covered here, knows a thing or two about pre-rock American musical styles. Although he balances his career between making solo albums and scoring films, his deft gift as a songwriter was well established long before he started writing film music. On this new album, a followup to Volume 1, released in 2003, Newman goes back and reinterprets, with just piano, some of his best-loved (or in some cases loathed) songs. The bare-bones structure only sharpens the cutting message of Newman’s songs. Robbie Robertson - How To Become Clairvoyant (429). The former member of the Band has not made a solo album since 1998. Although he keeps himself very busy as a record company honcho and an active member of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame as well as working on the soundtracks of Martin Scorsese films, it’s great to see Robertson back in the game. This is as good as any of his previous solo efforts and grows stronger as the album moves from track to track. With musical help by folks like Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood and a large cast including the crack rhythm section of Pino Palladino and Ian Wallace, the release shows Robertson writing more about his own life than ever before. At 68, Robertson sounds as engaged and sharp as ever. In fact, this album may signal a rebirth of sorts, as rumors suggest he may tour backed by the Los Angeles-based band Dawes, who has recently supported him on a handful of television appearances. Levon Helm - Ramble at the Ryman (Vanguard). Robertson’s former partner in The Band is equally at a solo musical highpoint, even as he passes 70. This bristling live album, captured live at the former home of the Grand Ole Opry, is a thrilling and intimate document of Helm and his band available on CD and DVD. Whether it be Band songs, solo songs, or vintage roots covers, Helm makes music in a great American tradition. Once the member of a great 60s/70s group, Helm has now become an integral figure in American music and culture, bridging the gap between pre-rock blues, country, folk and roots music and today. Emmylou Harris - Hard Bargain (Nonesuch). While she’s never left country music behind, Emmylou Harris makes music as modern and relevant as anyone in music today. The consistency of her work continues on this very simple and live-sounding release quickly recorded in four weeks with only two other musicians assisting her on a myriad of different instruments. Her first album in three years and her third on Nonesuch, the album has been one of her fastest sellers in years. It’s nice to hear her continue to maintain the legacy of her former musical partner Gram Parsons on the opening cut “The Road” and paying tribute to the late Kate McGarrigle on “Darlin’ Kate.” A deluxe edition includes a DVD with in-studio performances of six songs from the album. Once again Emmylou Harris proves she’s incapable of making a bad album. Neil Young - A Treasure (Reprise). This live album of music taken from the 1984-1985 tour of Young’s band the International Harvesters is yet another excellent Archives Performance Series release. It features Young during one of the better seismic stylistic changes he went through during the 1980s. The superstar band includes such legends as Spooner Oldham and Rufus Thibodeaux, along with frequent collaborators Tim Drummond and co-producer Ben Keith, among others. Not as mellow as Harvest or as raucous as Crazy Horse releases, this country version of the Neil Young sound has just the right energy and authentic western feel. In many ways it’s a lost side of Young’s more country leaning music and a perfect companion to his Harvest, Comes A Time, Harvest Revisited and Buffalo Springfield music. Neil Young proves once again that what he has hidden in his archives is better than 99% of the music on the charts today. Gregg Allman - Low Country Blues (Rounder). Gregg Allman’s solo albums have often been overshadowed by his place in the Allman Brothers Band. He has not released a solo album since the excellent, underrated and out-of-print Searching for Simplicity in 1997. With the aid of uber-producer T. Bone Burnett, Allman has made another superb solo album that reflects the genuine roots of his music. Uncluttered, sparse, primarily acoustic-guitar driven blues makes this album as good as anything Allman has ever done. Now let’s get Burnett in the studio with the Brothers and keep the momentum going. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2011-07-14T18:15:44+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/mixed-media-june-online-supplement http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/mixed-media-june-online-supplement#When:19:19:26Z There were a couple of cool shows I caught this spring as a warmup to the upcoming summer concert season. To celebrate the release of its self-titled CD on Tapete, Bambi Kino played a three-night residency at Bowery Electric, in Manhattan. I caught the group’s April 20th show and it was even better than its performance last summer at a private party that I attended. The group is tighter and more comfortable as a band and was clearly having a great time. Its set still consists of music that the Beatles were performing in their early Hamburg days. Some of the people from the Slipper Room (which is closed for renovations) added a seedy, yet fun Burlesque feel to the proceedings and made the evening a great night out musically and visually. Raphael Saadiq played the Westhampton Beach PAC on May 21st in support of his new release Stone Rollin’ (Columbia). Saadiq is the lone American spearheading the r&b and soul revival that has been going on for several years, but which has been dominated by British artists. Saadiq’s newest band is real tight and provides a crack, guitar-based foundation for his sound. The show primarily consisted of material from Saadiq’s latest album and previous breakthrough, The Way I See It, although “Anniversary” from his earlier solo period received a great reaction. Saadiq puts on a great concert and shows flashes of Stevie Wonder, Sam Cooke and Smokey Robinson. Oddly, there was no encore, but the audience definitely left pleased. Live CDs/DVDs As a kickoff to the summer concert season, let’s take a look at some recent live CDs, CD/DVDs and DVDs. The Dave Matthews Band continues to release live CDs and DVDs at a fairly consistent rate. Live In New York City (Bama/Rags/RCA) is a double-CD set of the group’s historic concert at Citi Field on July 17th, 2010 as part of its continuing Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King tour, its first tour without the late LeRoi Moore. This is the third live release since Moore’s death (Live at Wrigley Field is also just about to be released). As it has done throughout this tour, the band makes music that simultaneously celebrates and remembers Moore, while moving ahead with its new lineup. Live concerts, recorded many years ago, that have never been released before, have just come out on CD. Bob Marley and the Wailers Live Forever (Island/Tuff Gong), is a double-CD set recorded at the Stanley Theatre, in Pittsburgh, in September of 1980. The concert was the last recorded of Marley live and includes stellar support from his late-period incarnation of the Wailers. This is a must-have for serious reggae fans. Long Island music fans will be thrilled to know that Emerson Lake & Palmer’s 1978 stop at the Nassau Coliseum has now been released. Live at Nassau Coliseum ‘78 (Shout Factory), a double-CD, captures the band at the height of its prog-rock rule. Fans of classic English folk-rock will no doubt race to their local music store to pick up a copy of Ebbets Field 74 (Itsaboutmusic.com) from Fairport Convention With Sandy Denny. This Denver, Colorado, recording features Denny’s time in Fairport Convention when Richard Thompson was not in the group. This single-CD, intimate club performance is a thing of true beauty and yet another unearthed musical remembrance of one of the greatest voices in English music history and the single greatest English folk-rock band. The band Gram Parsons formed after leaving The Byrds and a group that included a future Eagle (Bernie Leadon), was The Flying Burrito Brothers, who, even without Parsons made some great music. Authorized Bootleg/Fillmore East, New York, N.Y. - Late Show, November 7, 1970 (Hip-O Select/A&M) is a single CD that features the Rick Roberts-led era of the band at its best at Bill Graham’s East Coast palace of rock. This limited-edition package is an excellent addition to the Burritos’ exalted musical legacy and thankfully yet another living musical document of one of the great rock music halls of all time. To launch their label Blue Castle Records, Graham Nash and David Crosby have put out their inaugural release, Another Stoney Evening, of a concert they performed at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in 1971. While listening to this mellow, acoustic recording made during the height of their musical powers, one can almost smell the incense and patchouli. There are several recent live CD/VD packages worth searching out. Live at Shea Stadium: The Concert (Columbia/Legacy), from Billy Joel, is a double-CD/single DVD package that chronicles Joel’s historic concert at Shea Stadium that marked the final concert at the Mets’ former home. The concert features Joel’s best-loved songs and his crack band, along with such superstar guests as Tony Bennett, John Mayer, Roger Daltrey and others. The real highlight, though, is Paul McCartney’s appearance on Beatle classics “I Saw Her Standing There” and “Let It Be.” Songs From the Road (Columbia/Legacy), from Leonard Cohen, is a DVD/CD of performances from Cohen’s triumphant comeback world tour. The performances, from 2008 and 2009, are accompanied on the DVD by backstage footage. Live In London (Sire), from Regina Spektor, is a CD/DVD release that features a live concert recorded and filmed at the Hammersmith Apollo Theatre in London. The DVD also includes backstage footage, sound checks and more. Several recent releases feature live concerts and can be purchased as either a single CD or a single DVD. The Avett Brothers Live, Volume 3 (American), captures the group in concert just before it was to release its major label debut and breakthrough album, I and Love and You. This North Carolina homecoming concert shows just how amazing this band is live. Rock ‘n’ Roll Party Honoring Les Paul (Eagle) is yet another chapter in the great re-birth of Jeff Beck. Recorded at the Iridium Jazz Club in Manhattan, the concert also features guests Brian Setzer, Gary U.S. Bonds and Trombone Shorty. The real discovery here, though, is Imelda May, who not only does justice to the Mary Ford vocal tributes here, but who is an extraordinary vocalist and yet another great Beck discovery. Finally on DVD is Hendrix (Experience Hendrix/Legacy). The one and only concert captured on film of the great Band of Gypsys is presented here in its original black-and-white glory from the Fillmore East on New Year’s Day 1970. This concert documentary also includes Hendrix, Mitch Mitchell, Noel Redding, Billy Cox, Buddy Mules, Vernon Reid, Slash, Lenny Kravitz and engineer Eddie Kramer discussing the band and its legacy. Rockin’ The Fillmore There is also the original Band of Gypsys album, which was one of the many albums released of a concert recorded at one of the two Fillmore Auditoriums. This month marks the 40th anniversary of the closing of the two Fillmore halls in New York and San Francisco. To mark this sad date, I’ve assembled a list of the live albums released of concerts recorded at either the Fillmore East or the Fillmore West. I have not included any bootlegs, recent CD-age issues, or reissues. If I’ve missed anything, or if you’d like to comment on your favorite album from the list or recall a favorite Fillmore show you might have attended, drop us a line. 4 Way Street - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young At Fillmore East - The Allman Brothers Band Eat A Peach - The Allman Brothers Band Bless It’s Pointed Little Head - Jefferson Airplane Elegy - The Nice The Album - The Nice Fillmore East, June 1971 - The Mothers Flowers of Evil - Mountain Grateful Dead, Bear’s Choice - Grateful Dead Happy Trails - Quicksilver Messenger Service In Concert - Derek & the Dominoes Mad Dogs & Englishmen - Joe Cocker Black Beauty: Miles Davis at Fillmore West - Miles Davis Miles Davis at Fillmore: Live at the Fillmore East - Miles Davis Performance Rockin’ the Fillmore - Humble Pie The Real Thing - Taj Mahal Sometime In New York City - John Lennon The Turning Point - John Mayall Wheels of Fire - Cream Live Cream - Cream Live at Fillmore Auditorium - Chuck Berry Golden Filth - The Fugs Joplin In Concert - Janis Joplin The Live Adventures of Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper - Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper Live at Bill Graham’s Fillmore West - Mike Bloomfield At Fillmore - Don Ellis Bach Live at Fillmore East - Virgil Fox Live at Fillmore West - King Curtis Aretha Live at Fillmore West - Aretha Franklin Love, Peace and Happiness - The Chambers Brothers Live Johnny Winter And - Johnny Winter Live at Fillmore East - Buffalo Bob Smith Last Exit - Traffic Fillmore: The Last Days - Various Artists Music: Mixed Media Online, 2011-06-03T19:19:26+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/mixed-media-online-supplement2 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/mixed-media-online-supplement2#When:18:56:29Z Talkin’ Bob Dylan’s Birthday Blues How does it feel to turn 70? Just ask Bob Dylan. On May 24th Mr. Zimmerman turns 70, and with his recent albums and tours, it’s obvious the best is yet to come. Here on Long Island, a great Dylan birthday bash will take place on May 17th. Paradiddle Records and Live In The Lobby will present Dylan In The Lobby at 7:30 PM, with tickets only $10, at the Patchogue Theater for the Performing Arts. The Long Island musicians who will be performing Dylan music that night include Miles to Dayton, Russ Seeger & Chris James, The Jay Scott Band, Katie Pearlman, Tom Groney, Leah Kay, Brian Gallo, Chris P Cauley, Butchers Blind, and the Ghosts of Electricity (question: What Dylan song does “ghosts of electricity” come from?). Russ Seeger will also be appearing at the Stony Brook University Café on May 21st at 8 PM with The Kennedys, Rod McDonald, Rob Stein, Steve Sollog and many others for Bob Dylan’s 70th Birthday Celebration. Tickets are $30 in advance and $35 at the door. The concert will be hosted by Charlie Backfish, who runs the University Café’s Sunday Street Acoustic Series and is the host of Sunday Street, every Sunday at 9 AM on WUSB, Stony Brook, at 90.1 FM. Closing out the series this spring are two not-to-be-missed shows. On May 28th at 8 PM at the First United Methodist Church in Port Jefferson will be an evening with Jimmy Webb. Tickets are $30. On June 5th at 7 PM, a supergroup of sorts will close out the series for this season when Maura Kennedy, Terry Roche and Sloan Wainwright will perform. Tickets are $22 in advance and $27 at the door. Bootleg Bob For Volume 9 of the much-lauded Bootleg Series, Bob Dylan offers up The Witmark Demos: 1962-1964 (Legacy). This two-CD set includes stark demos of Dylan’s earliest compositions from his Woody Guthrie-influenced songs, finger-pointing songs and the beginning of his visionary, personal songs that are among some of the greatest songs written by any one songwriter in the folk and rock eras. Although not considered part of the Bootleg Series, Bob Dylan In Concert: Brandeis University 1963, another previously unreleased CD of Bob Dylan music has just been put out by Columbia/Legacy. Recorded two weeks before the release of The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, the tapes used were found in the archive of the late San Francisco-based writer Ralph Gleason, who co-founded Rolling Stone magazine, with Jann Wenner. The CD will only be available for a limited time. As welcome as these two releases and previous ones in the series are, even more anticipated are the works that Dylan recorded in the studio and especially onstage with Tom Petty. Bookends: Boyd and Hitchcock As a sidebar to our Joe Boyd interview, we wanted to report on Boyd’s appearance on March 11th at Le Poisson Rouge in Manhattan with Robyn Hitchcock. Boyd read excerpts from his memoir of the 1960s, White Bicycles (Serpent’s Tail), and Hitchcock performed appropriate songs from the likes of Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd, the Incredible String Band, Nick Drake and others. Seeing Hitchcock live reminded me of what an amazing artist he is. The former member of the Soft Boys is fast becoming a cult figure that before long will join the ranks of the eccentric innovators he often covers and clearly admires. Hitchcock’s recent releases should not be missed. He has primarily been recording with The Venus 3, an offshoot of The Minus 5. The Venus 3 includes Peter Buck of R.E.M. Scott McCaughey of The Minus 5 and the Young Fresh Fellows, and Bill Fieflin, who is equally eccentric yet even more experimental than Hitchcock. The group has recorded three albums: Ole Tarantula, released in 2006 Goodnight Oslo, released in 2009; and the most recent, the 2010 release Propellor Time; all are from Yep Roc. In 2009, Hitchcock also released I Often Dream of Trains in New York, also on Yep Roc. The live rendering of his classic solo album also features a DVD of a live performance of the album and is another addition to Hitchock’s filmed works, which include his starring role in the performance film Storefront Hitchcock, directed by Jonathan Demme in 1997. Hitchcock was also the subject of Robyn Hitchcock: Sex, Food, Death… and Insects, directed by John Edginton in 2008. In 2009, Hitchcock also participated in the Pocket release Surround Him With Love (24 Hour Service Station), a five-song EP. Heartbeats Accelerating On May 3rd, Nonesuch is releasing a three-CD set of the music of Kate & Anna McGarrigle entitled Tell My Sister. Disc one features their self-titled debut, disc two features their second album, Dancer with Bruised Knees, and disc three is entitled Tell My Sister (Demos and Unreleased Recordings 1971-74). All three discs were produced by Joe Boyd, with the debut album co-produced by Boyd and Greg Prestopino. The remastering of the first two albums was done by Boyd and John Wood. Don’t forget, on May 12th and 13th will be a New York Celebration of Kate McGarrigle at Town Hall, produced by Joe Boyd, featuring Anna McGariggle, Rufus Wainwright, Martha Wainwright, and Emmylou Harris with more guests to be announced and hosted by Jimmy Fallon. British Folk With all this talk of great English folk and folk-rock, I would be remiss to not mention the hottest sound to come from the British, Isles these days. There is a huge folk-revival going on that was been spearheaded by the success of Mumford & Sons and its album Sigh No More (Glassnote). Three other artists who are right at the forefront of the trend are Johnny Flynn, Noah & The Whale, and Laura Marling. Flynn’s latest, Been Listening (Trangressive), is his second release and is beginning to gain momentum as the next big album of the new folk-influenced British sound. Flynn’s plaintive vocals, average bloke appeal and sound you’ll find yourself humming long after the CD is put away, are infectious. Noah & The Whale has been around a bit longer than any of its English folk peers and has a sound that has touches of Mumford & Songs and even Phoenix. The recently released Last Night On Earth (Mercury) has been receiving considerable airplay and the band does incorporate more pop and electronic touches to its sound then on previous releases. Marling’s I Speak Because I Can (Astralwerks) is easily one of the best albums of the past year. Reminiscent of Blue-era Joni Mitchell in her vocal delivery, sparse instrumentation and stark emotional fragility, Marling, on only her second album, has made an instant classic. Fans of Cat Power, Linda Thompson, Nick Drake and Sandy Denny will also be drawn to Marling’s vocal and instrumental approach. Marling was in the original lineup of Noah & The Whale. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2011-05-03T18:56:29+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/april-mixed-media-online-supplement http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/april-mixed-media-online-supplement#When:19:30:15Z CD/DVDs Two recent CDs that come with DVDs include Bitches Brew (Columbia/Legacy) from Miles Davis and Teen Dream (Sub Pop) from Beach House. The Davis set is a Legacy Edition 40th anniversary celebration of one of the most trail-blazing albums in jazz history. When it was released in 1970 some people called it he ultimate jazz-rock album while others called it the first jazz-fusion album. With a supporting cast that included John McLaughlin, Joe Zawinul, Chick Corea, Lenny White and many others, Davis went through his most drastic stylistic change on the album. The original double album is here in its entirety, along with two previously unreleased bonus tracks. The DVD includes a concert in Holland from 1969. Still sounding revolutionary 40 years later, Bitches Brew is a magic elixir for whatever ails you. Beach House makes quite a splash with its Sub Pop debut. The band’s dreamy indie pop is mesmerizing and infectious. The DVD includes creative visual effects to accompany each track. This is a band that is clearly poised to make waves. CD Updates John Mayer and Train, who toured together last summer and played Jones Beach, both have reissues of their most recent albums. John Mayer’s Battle Studies (Columbia) is out in an Expanded Edition, with a bonus DVD that includes his VH1 Storytellers program, a short documentary entitled A trip to Japan Alone and two videos. Train’s Save Me San Francisco (Columbia) is now out in a Golden Gate Edition and has been expanded from 11 to 17 tracks; it includes the group’s holiday song “Shake Up Christmas.” Promises at the Edge of Town Bruce Springsteen’s The Promise (Columbia) is a two-CD set that features unreleased music that Springsteen recorded during the Darkness on the Edge of Town period. The two CDs include Springsteen’s version of songs such as “Because the Night,” “Fire,” and “Talk To Me,” as well as many other great, previously unreleased Springsteen compositions. This is one of four formats in which this package was released. Featuring the Best Two best-of packages worth checking out are Featuring (Blue Note) from Norah Jones, which is an 18-track compilation of Jones’s collaborations with other artists, and The Best of The American Songbook (J) from Rod Stewart, which includes a selection of material from Stewart’s five Great American Songbook albums. Grammy’s on Fire at the Music Arcade The reverberations of the Arcade Fire winning the Grammy for album of the year for the group’s album The Suburbs (Merge) continues, weeks after the conclusion of the ceremony. Indie music tastemakers, conspiracy theorists, those who seem to know little about music, and everyone in between have their own theories about how a pretty cool band, who records for a real indie label, won an award that usually goes to blockbuster artists. Although the last few years have seen the likes of Herbie Hancock and Alison Krauss win the award, it certainly was a surprise that the Arcade Fire won. Regardless of the controversy, I thought it would be a good time to look back over the past year or so at some other albums from groups that, given the Arcade Fire’s win, could also be coming to an awards show near you in the not-too-distant future. Once Around (Yep Roc), from The Autumn Defense, who is led by John Stirratt of Wilco and seminal No Depression godfathers Uncle Tupelo and Pat Sansone is an album of rustic and beautiful music that is light years beyond many of the trendy indie bands with a short shelf life. This Yep Roc debut is the group’s best to date. Veckatimest (Warp) from Grizzly Bear is another album that features a band with a bright future. Lush and eccentric, the band’s third album has been out for some time now, but the album just keeps gaining more and more admirers. This is a band that may be pointing the way toward the future of music. The Outsiders (Atlantic), from Need to Breathe is another case where a group’s third album is a breakout that only gains it more fans every day. Surprisingly accessible, the album features great songs and unforgettable vocal harmonies from a band from South Carolina that, like Kings of Leon, could cross over to rock stardom. Brothers (Nonesuch), from The Black Keys, a blues-based duo from Akron has the same kind of appeal as the debut album from Broken Bells, but with more of a blues feel. Proof that rootsy music can be as catchy as hell, The Black Keys also seems poised for stardom on its own terms. Come Around Sundown (RCA), from Kings of Leon, may not have sold as much as everyone thought it would, but it’s still an excellent American rock album. With three brothers and a cousin, the band has maintained a surprisingly low profile, given the twisted history of bands made up of so many siblings (The Kinks and Oasis anyone?). You get the feeling these guys are in it for the long haul. Kings of Leon proves on its latest to be another great American rock band from the south. Heaven Is Whenever (Vagrant), from The Hold Steady is a bit in the style of Marah (from Philadelphia). The band writes, sings and performs no-holds-barred, good old-fashioned rock ‘n’ roll. One can’t help but be affected by the band’s spirit, and hey, they’re from Brooklyn! American Slang (SideOneDummy), from the Gaslight Anthem, shares the same kind of music and spirit as Marah and the Hold Steady and, hailing from New Jersey, the Springsteen connection is inevitable. Contra (XL), from Vampire Weekend, is the band’s second album and, given the press on this Manhattan-based band, it could have won the Grammy for album of the year as easily as Arcade Fire. Somehow it seems the band gets a bit over-hyped, but it does have interesting musical ideas, given its rhythmic and classical influences. Congratulations (Columbia), from MGMT is the duos second album and, like Vampire Weekend, I think the group is a little overrated. Still, it is one of the few American bands to use electronics in an inventive way. Interpol (Matador), from Interpol, is the group’s fourth album and the Manhattan-based band’s dark, mysterious sound is quite intriguing. High Voltage (4AD), from The National, is the album that many thought would put this Ohio band over the top. The group is now based in Brooklyn, which has been ground zero for the American indie band scene for some time. Like Interpol, the band has a dark, foreboding sound and with its 4AD debut, it has reached a critical mass that will no doubt soon propel it toward its commercial breakthrough. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2011-03-31T19:30:15+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/mixed-media-online-supplement1 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/mixed-media-online-supplement1#When:18:04:26Z Endless U.K. Music Scene Update Joe Boyd Alert! On March 11th at Le Poisson Rouge in Manhattan, former Hannibal Record’s label owner, record producer, concert promoter, author, radio host, and music legend Joe Boyd will be doing a reading/talk/performance that’s billed as Live and Direct from 1967! Robyn Hitchcock and Joe Boyd “Chinese White Bicycles.” On May 12th and 13th the Joe Boyd-produced New York Celebration of Kate McGarrigle at Town Hall, will occur, featuring Anna McGarrigle, Rufus Wainwright, Martha Wainwright, and Emmylou Harris, with more guests to be announced. In our May issue, we will have an extensive and exclusive rare interview with Boyd. Radiohead Go Out On a Limb Radiohead’s newest album, King of Limbs, the group’s first since 2007’s In Rainbows, was released on February 18th as a digital download only. The album will be released on March 28th in the states on TBD as a physical CD. While it doesn’t match up to In Rainbows and hasn’t been released with the same fanfare and paradigm-changing hype, it’s still a wonderful recording and confirms again that Radiohead is simply the most important band on the music scene today. The techno rhythms that have continued to shape the sound of the group are even more prominent than in the past. The music and lyrics also continue to reflect a world of spiraling alienation and perhaps inevitable apocalypse. In fact, The King of Limb, even more than In Rainbows, sounds like the soundtrack to end of the world. Yet, there’s something thankfully cathartic about the music. One point that must be made about this and the group’s previous album is how underatted Phil Sleway, the group’s drummer, is. While Thom Yorke’s vocals often become the focal point of the group’s sound, Selway sets the tone for the rest of the music. Hopefully, the band will tour behind the album. This music seems ideally suited to live concerts, since it’s essentially very sparse and simple. The Metallic Side of the Sphere The Orb’s new album would be a nice followup to the Radiohead album on your iPod. England’s ambient king’s new album Metallic Spheres (Columbia) is billed as The Orb featuring David Gilmour. The Pink Floyd guitarist adds a nice, spacey, rock touch. There is a limited-edition, 2-CD edition that includes a 3D60 version of the album. The disc offers a 3 Dimensional sound while listening through a conventional two-channel sound system. This version sounds particularly cool on headphones. It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll On March 14, the 26th Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place at the Waldorf Astoria in Manhattan. This year’s inductees include Alice Cooper, Neil Diamond, Dr. John, Darlene Love, Tom Waits, Jac Holzman, Art Rupe and Leon Russell. One of the best things the people who run the organization have done of late is release CD’s and DVD’s from various induction ceremonies as well as the 25th Anniversary Concerts through Time Life. The 25th Anniversary Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Concerts have been released as a 4-CD box set and a 3-DVD set. These were the concerts held on October 29th and 30th, 2009, at Madison Square Garden and include a lineup heavy on American artists, from Jerry Lee Lewis to Bruce Springsteen. There are lots of great collaborations, tributes and special guests. Also recently released is Live Legends, a 3-DVD set. The DVD’s include 45 performances from the entire history of the annual ceremony. There are also four hours of behind-the-scenes and rehearsal footage and induction speeches. One can choose from three different packages that include similar material to the Live Legends package. There are a nine-DVD and a single-DVD package from 2010 and one that was released in 2009 that is a four-DVD package. A Classical Shade of Sting Since 2006 Sting has been recording non-pop/rock music that has classical leanings, including the collaborative Songs From the Labyrinth, the holiday/winter release If On A Winter’s Night and the classical take on songs from the Police entitled Symphonicities, all on the classical Deutsche Grammophon label, all of which we have covered in previous columns. Sting took the Symphonicities album on the road and his latest release from the tour is Sting Live In Berlin. The set includes the full concert on DVD with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra and an abbreviated version on CD. A Blu-ray version of the full concert also has been released. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2011-03-01T18:04:26+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/mixed-media-online-february http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/mixed-media-online-february#When:19:32:56Z U.K. Musical Cure for the Wintertime Blues As a followup to our December/January coverage of music from the U.K., here are some more recent CD’s, DVDs and books well worth checking out. Perhaps the reissue of the year is Live At Leeds (Polydor) from The Who. The album-shaped box includes two CD’s of the entire famed live concert from February 14th1970, which now includes the entire performance of Tommy. There are also two CD’s of the next night’s performance at Hull. A heavyweight vinyl reproduction of the original album is also included with a 60-page hardcover book, a 7-inch single of “Summertime Blues,” a poster of Pete Townshend and all the memorabilia that was released with the original album. Manufactured in Germany and presenting arguably the greatest live album in rock history, this package is destined to be a collector’s item. Members of the bands Snow Patrol and Keane have excellent spin-off projects out right now. Tired Pony’s The Place We Ran From (Mom and Pop) features Snow Patrol lead singer Gary Lightbody and an all-star cast that includes Richard Colburn of Belle & Sebastian, Pete Buck of R.E.M. and many others. On most cuts the sometime-country tinge and more American sound don’t overshadow Lightbody’s impassioned lead vocals, which are the heart of the album’s sound. Mt. Desolation, on its self-titled debut from Cherrytree/Interscope, features Keane’s keyboardist Tim Rice Oxley and the band’s touring fourth member Jesse Quin. There is even more of an American country/folk feel here with help from members of Mumford & Sons, Noah & the Whale, and others. Belle and Sebastian is back with Write About Love (Matador). Unfortunately, since the band’s soundtrack for the Todd Solondz film Storytelling in 2002, the group has made three albums that simply don’t capture the naive winsome originality of its now classic first four albums. Thankfully, this latest release does bring back some of the more subtle shades of the band’s early sound. Speaking of Belle & Sebastian, former member Isobel Campbell is back with Hawk (Vanguard), her third collaboration with American Mark Lanegan. Her collaborations with Lanegan, often sounds like two separate solo albums. This release also lacks the breathy sweetness of her other works outside of Belle & Sebastian and of her work with Belle & Sebastian. The group James, part of the pre-Coldplay, Britpop scene, took a long hiatus after their 2001 Pleased To Meet You release. After returning with Hey Ma in 2008, the band is now back with a release that includes two EP’s in one package: The Morning after and The Night Before on Mercury. Comprised of 15 total tracks, this two-CD set proves what an accomplished band James continues to be and once again leaves stateside fans wondering why it has still not broken through in the U.S. Elvis Costello, with T-Bone Burnett back after not having produced Costello since the three albums they worked together on in the 1980s, has recently released the brilliant National, Ransom (Hear Music). The prolific singer-songwriter, who bounces from genre to genre and works with an ever-shifting cast of collaborators, remains a caustic and sharp observer of both the boardroom and the bedroom. Burnett’s uncluttered, genre-less production is the perfect musical backdrop for the compositions of one of the best songwriters in music. Few artists consistently make so many great albums, year after year. On the British music front there are three CDs with bonus DVDs well worth searching out. Elton John’s collaboration with American Leon Russell entitled The Union (Decca/Rocket) was easily one of the best albums of the year. Although I would have liked to see Russell sing lead on more of the cuts, it’s a splendid album and is further proof that both of these music veterans are still at the top of their game. A special edition of the release includes a bonus DVD with a documentary on the making of the album directed by Cameron Crowe and a CD with two extra tracks. The Pretenders released the live album Live In London (Strobosonic/E1), which includes a DVD with a film by Pierre and Francois Lamoureux. Jethro Tull’s second album Stand Up was reissued by EMI as a three-disc set. The reissue includes the original 1969 album, BBC radio recordings, radio spots, a CD of the group’s 1970 Carnegie Hall concert and an audio DVD of the concert, along with a new interview with Ian Anderson. Two music DVD’s feature two of the best four British bands of all time. The Rolling Stones 1969-1974 The Mick Taylor Years (Chrome Dreams) takes a much deserved look at the Stones’ career between Brian Jones and Ron Wood, when the group released perhaps its best albums, including Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out, Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers and Exile On Main Street. Also, don’t miss You Really Got Me The Story of The Kinks (Voiceprint). This 90-minute film includes a career-spanning survey of much of the group’s best music. Three new books on U.K. music will make for great reading by the fire. The Art of British Rock (Francis Lincoln), by Mike Evans and Paul Palmer-Edwards, is a coffee-table book that presents a dazzling visual tour through the history of British rock concert posters. When That Rough God Goes Riding: Listening to Van Morrison (Public Affairs), by Greil Marcus, is a probing collection of essays on the Belfast cowboy’s unparalleled musical career. Viva Coldplay (Omnibus), by Martin Roach, is the most up-to-date biography of the acclaimed group and proves how hard the band worked to achieve its huge success. Finally, Kate Rusby’s Sweet Bells (Pure) will sound great and warm your heart long past the Christmas season, with its music that reflects the solitude and darkness of the winter season. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2011-01-28T19:32:56+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/mixed-media-online-bonus-january-guitar-god-expanded-playlist http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/mixed-media-online-bonus-january-guitar-god-expanded-playlist#When:16:10:32Z Here is a bonus nine-pack Playlist for January of some of the best guitar-based artists and bands who have recent releases. Clapton - Eric Clapton (Reprise). This new Slowhand solo effort is very much a laid-back mixed bag. Parts of the disc recall the easygoing folk-blues of his recent J.J. Cale collaboration, while other parts recall his roots blues albums and even his jazz forays. The jazz songs have a decidedly New Orleans feel or lush strings. It is not one of his best solo albums, but it makes for enjoyable listening. On DVD, check out the third Of Eric Clapton’s benefit Crossroads Guitar Festival two-DVD sets from Rhino. This one again boasts a guitar-lover’s dream roster that includes Jeff Beck, Robert Cray, Jimmie Vaughn, Bert Jansch, Stefan Grosman, Derek Trucks, Warren Haynes, Buddy Guy, Ron Wood, B.B. King and countless others. Also on DVD is Eric Clapton The 1960’s Review (Chrome Dreams), a documentary which includes interviews with John Mayall, Chris Dreja, Paul Jones and rare footage of Clapton with the Yardbirds backing up Sonny Boy Williamson. Steve Miller Band - Bingo! (Roadrunner). Steve Miller’s first album in years reflects his true blues roots as a guitarist. The album is also a loving tribute and a farewell to longtime harmonica player Norton Buffalo, whose work on the album and on previous Miller outings is grossly underrated. While Miller’s classic 70’s album-rock pop continues in heavy rotation on the radio, this authentic blues album is the real deal. Santana - Guitar Heaven (Arista). Carlos Santana has revived his career by recording albums filled with modern guest vocalists. While the concept here and some song selections seem like a good idea, most of the pairings seem heavy-handed at best. The pungent subtlety of Santana’s playing, the mix of styles and a lack of rhythmic juice make most of these songs fall flat. Jimmie Vaughn - Plays Blues, Ballads & Favorites (Shout Factory). Often overshadowed by Kim Wilson during his time in the Fabulous Thunderbirds and by his big brother Stevie Ray, Vaughn, like Ron Wood, is a guitar player whose feel is irresistible. He also has the kind of sly, easy-going vocal style that makes the blues he makes fun. This is yet another in a long line of underrated albums that make Vaughn one of the brightest stars in the world of bluesy guitar rock. Buddy Guy - Living Proof (Silvertone/Jive). At 74, bluesman Buddy Guy proves that the music he is making today should not be overshadowed by his enormous influence on rock guitarists (e.g. Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton). This superb studio set, with cameos by B.B. King and Carlos Santana, features Guy playing blistering guitar. Thankfully, Guy saves his on-stage act for concerts. Guy should bring more of this kind of focus to his live sets. Doobie Bros - World Gone Crazy (HOR). After a ten-year absence from the recording studio, the Doobie Brothers return with Ted Tempelman, the man who produced most of their classic 70s albums. With a good mix of electric and acoustic guitar rock and just the right touches of horns, and featuring Michael McDonald on vocals on one track, this Tom Johnson-led Doobies is back on track. A bonus DVD contains a documentary on the group and a music video of “Nobody.” Robert Cray - Cookin’ In Mobile (Vanguard). Here is yet another excellent live album from one of the hottest blues guitarists on the planet. He has released live CDs before, but this set, taken from a show in Mobile, Alabama also includes a DVD of the concert, backstage footage and two videos. Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Troubles - Couldn’t Stand The Weather (Epic/Legacy). Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble’s second album gets the Legacy Edition treatment. This two-CD set includes the original album, 11 bonus tracks and an entire disc of their 1984 concert at the Spectrum in Montreal. Jimi Hendrix - West Coast Seattle Boy (Experience Hendrix/Legacy). The seemingly endless treasure trove of unreleased Jimi Hendrix recordings continues with this four CD/single DVD box set. 45 previously unreleased tracks and the documentary Jimi Hendrix: Voodoo Child on the DVD makes this a great box set. There is also a 60-page booklet and, via a computer link, bonus video footage and additional content. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2011-01-03T16:10:32+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/winter-mixed-media-online http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/winter-mixed-media-online#When:18:03:03Z Are you listening? The benefit CD A Christmas Cornucopia (Decca), from Annie Lennox, features one of the most powerful voices in music today. It covers holiday music from many eras and parts of the world, along with one original song. Some songs are recorded sparsely, others with an orchestra, or with the support of the African Children’s Choir. Another great vocalist (and songwriter), Shelby Lynne, has just released her first holiday album, Merry Christmas!, on her own Everso Records, which features classic holiday fare and two originals. One of the most imaginative holiday CD’s I’ve heard in a long time is Joy To The World from Pink Martini on Heinz Records. Mixing retro jazz, exotica, world touches and impeccable sound, the group somehow manages to make a truly original holiday album. Christmas With The Puppini Sisters (Verve) features an all-girl trio (who are not sisters), putting a 40’s swing spin on mostly holiday classics. What makes this more than a retro outing, however, is how the group gives the swing treatment to such modern holiday faves as “Step Into Christmas” (Elton John) and “Last Christmas” (George Michael). The Christmas Jug Band has just released its fifth holiday CD, On The Holiday Highway (Globe). The brainchild of Dan Hicks, this new disc includes guests Country Joe and the late Norton Buffalo. On its first album in seven years, Wilson-Philips reunites for a holiday album Christmas in Harmony (Sony Masterworks), which features holiday favorites and “Christmastime” co-written by Chynna Philips and producer Glen Ballard. The Indigo Girls’ Holly Happy Days (Vanguard), features original and classic holiday songs in a beautiful gift package. The duo has also released Staring Down The Brilliant Dream (Vanguard), a 2-CD live collection from 2006-2009, that is also beautifully packaged. The Brian Setzer Orchestra has released its sixth holiday CD, Christmas Comes Alive (Surfdog). Massapequa native Setzer puts a great deal of zip into a genre that sometimes sounds like it’s been entombed in mothballs in an attic since last January. The BSO also has a two-CD live set out: Don’t Mess With A Big Band Live! (Surfdog). Three holiday reissues worth checking out are Christmas From The Rat Pack (Capitol) featuring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. and two unique DVD’s. The Yule Log series are DVDs that features various seasonal scenes accompanied by a classic holiday album from Legacy. Two installments in the series for this year feature two of the all-time greatest holiday rock albums of all time: A Christmas Gift For You From Phil Spector and Elvis Christmas album from Elvis Presley. Finally on DVD, look for This Christmas Live In Chicago, from Michael McDonald (Eagle). Christmas in England Continued John, Paul, Ringo, the Beatles and Apple To mark the year of John Lennon’s 70th birthday and the tragic 40th anniversary of his passing, Apple has undertaken a massive Lennon reissue project. Along with the 11-CD Signature Box and the four-CD Gimmie Some Truth, Apple has reissued nearly all of the music Lennon recorded as a solo artist, and the works on which he collaborated with Yoko Ono. Lennon’s main solo studio albums that primarily featured original compositions are Plastic Ono Band, Imagine, Mind Games and Walls & Bridges. Also reissued are the double-disc, studio and live collaboration with Ono, Elephant’s Memory and others entitled Some Time In New York City, the Phil Spector-produced oldies covers album Rock ‘n’ Roll, Lennon and Ono’s Double Fantasy, and the posthumous Milk & Honey, Lennon and Ono’s followup to Double Fantasy. Also in the reissue series is the CD/DVD Power to the People: The Hits, which features a 15-song DVD. The main solo studio albums of original material and Rock ‘N’ Roll benefit from superior sound and beautiful packaging, but previous reissues of these albums included bonus tracks. Some Time In New York City is a real improvement over the previous reissue, as it preserves the second disc of live recordings. Diehards will also want to check out additional, albeit remixed, music from these shows on Frank Zappa’s Playground Psychotics. Double Fantasy includes an entire bonus disc of the album in a “Stripped Down” version. The 15-song DVD on the Power To The People DVD contains only one video not found on the Lennon Legend DVD, which also featured 20 videos and included seven additional special features. Apple has also just reissued the Beatles’ Red and Blue, double-CD sets with beautiful packaging. Hear Music has reissued arguably Paul McCartney’s best solo album, Band On The Run, in various configurations. The configuration in my possession includes three discs. Disc one is made up of the original album. Disc two includes outtakes including audio from the One Hand Clapping film. Then third disc is a DVD which includes film from One Hand Clapping, videos and footage of Wings recording the album in Lagos in Africa. In packaging similar to the individual Lennon CDs, EMI has reissued all of the albums that were released by the Beatles’ Apple Records that were not from the Beatles as a group, or as solo artists. While some of these albums have been reissued previously, they all have bonus tracks and beautiful packaging. There are also discs in this new series that have never been released on CD. There are four Badfinger CDs, two Billy Preston CDs and two Mary Hopkin CDs. There are also discs from Jackie Lomax, Doris Troy and The Radha Krsna Temple. Two new reissues each have two albums on one disc: Under The Jasmin Tree and Space are on one disc from The Modern Jazz Quartet and The Whale and Celtic Requiem are on one disc from John Tavener. The most treasured disc of the series is the self-titled debut album from James Taylor. This was the long-out-of-print album that launched Taylor, prior to his commercial breakthrough on Warner Brothers. There is also a single-CD Come and Get It: The Best of Apple Records. From Sofa Entertainment and the Hip-O imprint of Universal comes The 4 Complete Ed Sullivan Shows. This four-hour DVD includes the full Sullivan programs of the four times the Beatles appeared on the show, plus bonus material. From Hip-O Select is the DVD Ringo Starr & His All Star Band: Live at the Greek Theatre 2008, from the same tour of Ringo’s that came through Long Island that year and from MVD Visual is the DVD John Lennon: Rare and Unseen. Beatles-related books recently published include Fab: An Intimate Life of Paul McCartney (DaCapo) from Howard Sounes, who goes as in depth here with McCartney’s life and career as he did with Bob Dylan. From Omnibus Press comes The Beatles: The Myth and the Music, from two of England’s most well- respected music chroniclers Peter Doggett and Patrick Humphries. Rolling Reissued, Keef and Woody Eagle has just issued Ladies & Gentlemen The Rolling Stones from the group’s historic 1972 tour. The DVD includes rehearsal footage, jamming, an interview from the Old Grey Whistle Test and a new interview with Mick Jagger. Fans of the Rolling Stones will not want to miss Life (Little, Brown), Keith Richards’s autobiography written with James Fox. The New Yorker’s editor David Remnick summed it up best when describing the Richards in the book as “a man who knew every pleasure, denied himself nothing, and never paid the price.” Rolling Stones guitarist Ron Wood’s new solo CD, I Feel Like Playing (Eagle), again spotlights Woody as a guitarist whose feel, rather than his virtuosity, has made him a legend. With a supporting all-star cast that includes Flea, Slash, Billy Gibbons, and old mate Ian McLagan, among others, Woody has come up with another bloozy, no-frills gem that sounds like the most fun he’s had on a solo record in years. Boxing Day Thanks to EMI, David Bowie fans can have two full CDs of Bowie’s renowned 1976 show from Nassau Coliseum from his Station to Station tour, along with a third disc that includes a remastered edition of an album that some Bowie fans love and some critics loathe. This Thin White Duke-era Bowie was both brilliant and personally shaky. The album set the stage for Bowie’s Eno-produced trilogy of Low. Heroes and Lodger. From Universal, an Island Deluxe Edition of Live at Leeds is now available on two CD’s. It is not the Who album, however. Instead, I’m referring to John Martyn’s album of that name, which is now out with a bonus disc of rehearsals and additional songs from the 1975 concert featuring Paul Kossoff from Free on guitar. For those of you who want to hear the BBC in America this holiday season, do not miss Live at the BBC from the Strawbs, from A&M. Volume One, subtitled In Session, was recorded live from 1968 through 1973 from various BBC radio shows on which the Strawbs appeared live. Volume Two, subtitled In Concert, is a two-disc set recorded at the Paris Theatre in London in 1971 and 1973 and at Golders Green Hippodrome in 1974. Like the Martyn set, these are superior-quality packages with discs manufactured in Germany. Are you watching? Two music DVDs that would make great gifts are: Going Back Live at Roseland Ballroom, NYC, from Phil Collins, which features rehearsal footage and an interview with Collins and Live (Island), from the Cranberries filmed in London in 1994.   Music: Mixed Media Online, 2010-12-10T18:03:03+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/the-life-of-brian-and-bryan http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/the-life-of-brian-and-bryan#When:18:39:20Z Roxy Music was one of the most groundbreaking groups of the 1970s and its influence only grows. While the group has reunited several times since first breaking up, original member Brian Eno has not been an official member of the group since 1973 after it finished its second album. While rumors of a full Roxy reunion with Eno have been rife for years, Eno has played on three of Bryan Ferry’s last four solo albums. Both Ferry and Eno have new albums out and both are simply some of the best music either has made as solo artists. Eno’s new one is Small Craft On A Milk Sea (Warp) and is billed as a collaboration with Jon Hopkins and Leo Abrahams. Traces of the instrumental breaks on Coldplay’s Viva La Vida, which Eno produced and Hopkins contributed to are evident, as are the fierce techno rhythms that Eno supplied to his production of Paul Simon’s Surprise and Everything That Happens Will Happen Today, his collaboration with David Byrne. Ferry’s album Olympia, which may be as good as anything he did with Roxy Music, is his debut on Astralwerks and his first album of original music since 2002’s Frantic. He released a wonderful album of Dylan covers called Dylanesque in 2007. The new album includes considerable support from Roxy studio and road band almuni Eno, Phil Manzanera, Andy McKay, Chris Spedding, Neil Hubbard, and Andy Newmark, along with appearances by Nile Rodgers, Flea, Dave Stewart, Marcus Miller, David Gilmour, Jonny Greenwood, and Steve Nieve. The album is a passionate and stylish mix of Ferry’s suave, lounge-lizard cabaret rock and Roxy Music’s slick art-pop. It’s hard to imagine that Ferry is 65. This energetic set and Ferry’s Dorian Gray fountain-of-youth visage make one think he sold his soul to the devil to be able to make an album this good and look so good doing it. The only thing to top these two albums would be a full Roxy reunion, on record and on the road.   Music: Mixed Media Online, 2010-11-19T18:39:20+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/the-palace-of-rock http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/the-palace-of-rock#When:16:38:36Z Rockpalast, the Germany-based televison music program, has been going strong since 1974. While DVD’s of some of the shows have trickled out over the years, several historical broadcasts from the late 70s are now available, along with a few CD releases. As part of Rockpalast: The DVD Collection West Coast Legends series come several discs not to be missed. The John Cipollina/Nick Gravenites Band disc, filmed in 1980, features one of the key members of the Quicksilver Messenger Service (Cipollina) who also worked with the Grateful Dead, Robert Hunter, Mickey Hart and many other groups and artists and a blues-rock legend (Nick Gravenites), who worked with many West-Coast artists and produced the first Quicksilver album. This rare concert video features these legends of West-Coast psychedelia mixing blues and rock in a must-have DVD. Another legendary West-Coast band was Spirit and it is featured on a disc that includes a couple of inspired Dylan covers that bear the stamp of Jimi Hendrix. Dicky Betts guests on the finale. In addition to The Byrds, his solos albums and the handful of McGuinn, Clark & Hillmen albums, Roger McGuinn briefly fronted his own Thunderbyrd band. Like the Spirit DVD, this one is also from 1977 and features a rejuvenated McGuinn tearing through Byrds classics, solo favorites and the then just newly released “American Girl,” written by Tom Petty. The cream of the entire series may be the two-DVD release Dickey Betts & Great Southern: 30 Years Of Southern Rock (1978-2000). Disc one features the band in its heyday from 1978, and disc two was recently filmed in 2008. Blues fans won’t want to miss the Paul Butterfield Band from the Blues Legends series. The disc was from a 1978 concert and also features an interview with the late bluesman. There are also CDs in the series, with two not to be missed: Jorma Kaukonen & Vital Parts from the West Coast Legends series and Commander Cody from the Blues-Rock Legends series. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2010-11-04T16:38:36+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/bambi-kino-beatles-star-time http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/bambi-kino-beatles-star-time#When:20:13:11Z Deep in the dense woods of northern East Hampton is an area many summer weekend tourists fleeing Manhattan rarely see. Not far geographically from the shops, eateries and other diversions of the tony downtown area, but seemingly miles away in its beauty and quietness, it is definitely far from the milieu in the early 60s in Hamburg Germany that nurtured the fledgling British Invasion, ultimately shaping the look and sound of the Beatles just before Beatlemania first conquered Liverpool and then the world. Yet, during the ceremonial final weekend of the summer, on the Sunday before Labor Day, the look, sound and vibe of the sweaty clubs of the St. Pauli district of Hamburg, such as the Kaiserkellar, the Star Club and the Indra Club, came back to life for a few hours, amidst the green splendor of a charming East Hampton estate. Performing at a private party not far from Cedar Point County Park was a relatively new group called Bambi Kino. The group was playing only its seventh show together, including recent shows at clubs in the famed city of Hamburg. Taking its name from the movie theater that was partly used as makeshift housing for the Beatles when they stayed in Hamburg, the veritable supergroup boasts members of Maplewood, Nada Surf and Cat Power’s band, as well as a member of the long-disbanded legendary indie band Guided By Voices. Much like the studio band that performed the songs for the live performances of the film Backbeat, the band delves deep into the late 50s and early 60s rock and r&b catalog that comprised the bulk of the music the Beatles performed in Hamburg and also Liverpool at that time. Just like the Beatles in Hamburg in the early 60s, Bambi Kino also performs a few choice early Lennon and McCartney compositions, including “One After 909,” which Lennon and McCartney wrote early on, but which wasn’t officially released until the Let It Be album. The Beatles first played at the Indra Club in Hamburg on August 17th, 1960, and over the next two years they went on to play nearly 300 shows in Hamburg. Bambi Kino could not have picked a better day to play one of the few American shows of its young career. In the crisp late-summer air, at twilight, the four lads, almost all dressed in black, with minimal gear, set up on a deck, with a pool only a few feet away, and began their authentic, at times raucous and fun first of two sets. As dark descended over the pastoral scene, the mix of locals, many of whom were artists, musicians, and surfers, crowded onto the small slate patio right in front of the band. The crowd dressed more like prep-school summer vacationers than German club denizens from the early 60s, shed their inhibitions to send off the summer with some dancing and drinking. In a curious aside, for this particular band to be playing this sound on the east end is not such an odd occurrence. Paul McCartney has had a home on the East End for many years now. Also, Pauline Sutcliffe, sister of original Beatle Stuart Sutcliffe, also lives on the East End. The group effortlessly plowed through tracks familiar to those who have the unofficial Beatles Live at the Star-Club double album that first came out in 1977. The Star-Club album was surreptitiously recorded by another British musical denizen of the scene, Kingsize Taylor. Highlights of Bambi Kino’s set included “Hippy Hippy Shake,” “Mr. Moonlight, “A Taste of Honey,” “Besame Mucho,” “Red Sails In The Sunset,” “Boys,” “Slow Down,” “Anna,” “Three Cool Cats,” “Honey Don’t,” “Over the Rainbow.” “Kansas City,” “I Saw Her Standing There,” “Shakin’ All Over,” and other songs. The band peppered its set with German words of thanks and good-natured ribbing, and, in the spirit of the Beatles film A Hard Day’s Night and maybe even the Rutles televison special, joked, faked their way through Liverpool-inflected asides and, keeping with the casual, fun mood, interjected riffs from Led Zeppelin, Wings and a healthy snatch of Steve Martin’s “King Tut.” The guests included the likes of JayDee Daugherty (the Church, Tom Verlaine, Patti Smith) and Pat Place of the Bush Tetras. With the little children of the hosts fast sleep and nearly all the guests long gone, the band wrapped up its second set long before ten PM, nearly midday for these musicians. While drummer Ira Elliot packed up his drum kit and bassist Erik Paparazzi’s iPod mix quietly played in the background (and his vintage Hofner bass safely put away in its case), guitarist Doug Gillard and guitarist and lead vocalist Mark Rozzo were discussing the set. Gillard was lobbying for a few additions, which would add much to the show, but Rozzo wondered if the changes would compromise the authenticity of the sets. It is authenticity that the band is striving for. Rozzo indicated that he pored through many books to make sure the set lists accurately reflected what the Beatles were playing night after night in Hamburg 50 years ago. As for the future of the band, Rozzo indicated that the band would be performing at a John Lennon tribute on the West Coast later this year. He also indicated that it would most likely return to New York to perform around the holidays. The band played at the Bowery Electric in Manhattan a few days before the private party. As for recording, Rozzo wasn’t entirely sure if that would happen, but a live album of the Indra shows will be released in November. Also, nearly all of it’s Hamburg performances were filmed, and German television aired a documentary on the band’s historic shows in August, which would make for a nice DVD. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2010-10-04T20:13:11+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/the-look-of-rock http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/the-look-of-rock#When:20:12:51Z The Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington has been featuring the monthly Rock Legends Live series with host Bill Shelley for about a year. The series will join forces with Huntington’s Hecksher Museum in conjunction with the museum’s Rock On! Masterworks of Rock Photography exhibit. From October 2, 2010 through January 9, 2011, the museum will feature the iconic rock photography of, among others, Bob Gruen, Gered Mankowitz, Mick Rock and many others. On November 7, the Cinema Arts Centre’s Rock Legend’s Live series will feature the Summer of Love. The admission will include a bagel brunch and a post-screening trip to the museum, with Shelley hosting a tour of the Rock On! exhibit. Other not-to-be missed events at the Cinema that are part of the series will feature the British Invasion on October 19, Eric Clapton on November 23 and Crosby, Still, Nash & Young on December 28. On November 9, the Cinema Arts Centre will also be screening more music on film, when it shows The Agony and the Ecstasy of Phil Spector, a documentary produced by the BBC and directed by Vikram Jayanti. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2010-10-04T20:12:51+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/this-is-the-british-blues http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/this-is-the-british-blues#When:18:05:59Z The four CD’s of the This Is The Blues series pay tribute to some of the great blues artists of all time and reflect the plethora of great British blues artists, many of whom have gone on to become classic rock superstars. The first two discs feature 18 tracks of songs written by either John Lee Hooker or Peter Green. While most blues fans know who Hooker is, some may not know Green. Green played in John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers and was the guiding force behind the original Fleetwood Mac. All four discs feature such British blues luminaries as Jeff Beck, Savoy Brown, Mick Taylor, Jack Bruce, Mick Jagger, Peter Green and Jim McCarty. There are also contributions by American artists such as John Lee Hooker, Southside Johnny and Billy Sheehan. Rounding out the contributors are some of the key British Blues artists who didn’t cross over to American rock fame such as Dick Heckstall-Smith, and artists more associated with rock, such as Ian Anderson, Gary Brooker and Arthur Brown. This is one of the few compilation series that clearly highlights the intersection of blues and rock. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2010-08-23T18:05:59+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/exiles-return http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/exiles-return#When:18:05:26Z The Rolling Stones recently released one of their most ambitious reissue projects ever. The band has gone back to its 1972 release Exile on Main Street and has re-released the album in various versions through Universal/Republic. The two-CD Deluxe edition includes the original double album on disc one and various previously unreleased tracks on disc two. Disc two features 10 tracks originally recorded during the Exile period, some with added parts that were recorded recently, including contributions by long-departed guitarist Mick Taylor. There are also alternate versions of various original tracks. While purists may question the choice to sweeten the older tracks with new recordings, it’s nice to hear some of the music that was done during that fertile period that didn’t make it onto the original album. A companion DVD, Stones in Exile (Eagle), has also been released. The DVD features footage from Nellcôte, a house that Keith Richards rented in Villefranche-sur-Mer, in the south of France, where much of the album was primitively recorded in the house’s damp basement. There are also interviews with the group, footage from Robert Frank’s notoriously titled film of the band from this period, and footage from three other locations where the group worked on the album: Los Angeles, Olympic Studios in London and Mick Jagger’s English country house Stargroves. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2010-08-23T18:05:26+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/jimi-hendrix-oasis-joan-armatrading http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/jimi-hendrix-oasis-joan-armatrading#When:16:44:51Z Jimi Hendrix Re-experienced With apologies to Jeff Beck and Duane Allman, Jimi Hendrix is arguably the greatest rock guitarist of all time. While at times the reissuing of his catalog becomes redundant at best, the latest reissue series from Legacy is truly welcome. First up is Valleys of Neptune, an excellent single-disc, primarily of unreleased tracks, on par with First Rays of the New Rising Sun and South Saturn Delta, which were released in 1997, and BBC Sessions, which was released in 1998. The music here is from early 1968 and features the Jimi Hendrix Experience in the studio fresh off the success of the group’s monster double album Electric Ladyland. The disc includes versions in various stages of such Experience staples as “Stone Free,” “Fire” and “Red House.” While it’s great hearing different versions of those classics, there are plenty of previously unreleased tracks. Of particular note is the title track that fans have longed for as an official release, which includes Experience drummer Mitch Mitchell and percussionist Juma Sultan. The other gems are previously unreleased covers of Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love” and the Elmore James song “Bleeding Heart,” which features bassist Billy Cox, who would join Hendrix in the Band of Gypsys and drummer Rocky Isaac. Other previously unreleased tracks include “Ships Passing Through the Night” and “Lullaby for the Summer/Crying Blue Rain.” While some of these songs appeared in different versions on previous reissues, these versions are either far superior or are now the only official releases of the songs that are still in print. The other reissues in the series include the first three Jimi Hendrix Experience albums (Are You Experienced, Axis Bold As Love and Electric Ladyland) and the previously mentioned First Rays of the New Rising Sun. Each set includes a remastered disc of the original album, a 36-page booklet and a bonus DVD that includes making of the album documentaries. Oasis: What’s the Story? In what will no doubt be the final word on the career of Oasis, Big Brother/Columbia is releasing Time Flies…1994-2009. While it’s always possible that the feuding Gallagher brothers may get back together again, after 15 years and a lifetime of brotherly infighting, it would appear that this could be it for Oasis. Released in three separate configurations, this collection features the band’s 26 A-side, single releases on two-CD’s. A four-disc version also includes a DVD compilation of all the bands video clips and a CD of the final concert that Oasis performed that was recorded at the Roundhouse in London in July of 2009. A U.K., five-album vinyl version of the package is also available. Joan Armatrading Live Fans of Joan Armatrading won’t want to miss the DVD Steppin’ Out, Greatest Hits Live from Rockpalast. This 1980 concert, filmed at Armatrading’s peak in Germany is a reminder of what a powerful and unique artist she was at that point in her career. The DVD is also a reminder of what a major influence she would have on future artists such as Tracy Chapman, among others. The disc includes a bonus interview. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2010-06-30T16:44:51+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/my-fathers-place-series-with-rich-pagano http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/my-fathers-place-series-with-rich-pagano#When:17:30:09Z Long Island Live Rich Pagano and the Sugarcane Cups Inaugurates My Father’s Place Series at Mirelle’s The first in a series of My Father’s Place shows will be Rich Pagano and the Sugarcane Cups. Pagano is the drummer and a founding member of the Faub Faux. He has also played with Patti Smith, Roseanne Cash, Levon Helm, Ray Davies, and Elvis Costello. The group will be playing music from its new, self-titled CD as well as choice covers. Trey Anastasio, Ian Hunter, Willie Nile and the Fab Faux all appear on the CD. The show is June 11th at Mirelle’s in Westbury at 8:00 PM. Tickets are $15.00. Live at Knebworth Released only as an import, Live at Knebworth (Eagle) is now available domestically. This is a two-CD set that is a companion to the two-DVD set released in 2002. The concert was held in June of 1990 to raise funds for the Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Fund. The concert was held on the grounds of Knebworth House in England and featured some of the biggest names in British rock. Along with a generous selection of performances by Genesis, there are also performances by Eric Clapton, Dire Straits, Elton John, Paul McCartney and Pink Floyd. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2010-06-04T17:30:09+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/mixed-media-online-supplement http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/mixed-media-online-supplement#When:17:55:42Z You’re So Vain A small, invitation-only group of mostly film industry people mixed and mingled during the Tribeca Film Festival on April 29th at the exclusive 1-Oak club in Manhattan. One of many Tribeca events, this gathering centered around music, specifically an intimate club appearance by the stage-shy Carly Simon. Not only did everyone get to see Simon perform, but they got to see her perform in a small club not much bigger than the corner bar. The evening was co-sponsored by the Tribeca Film Festival, AOL Music’s Spinner and son Ben Taylor’s Iris Records label. The event marked the selection of the winning video for the Simon song “You’re So Vain,” a contest that Simon and her son’s label have been running for months on her web site, in support of her latest album Never Been Gone, which features new, mostly acoustic interpretations of her best-loved songs. Chosen from countless submissions and whittled down to five finalists, the winner was filmmaker Brett Bisogno, who was presented with a $10,000 check by Simon. Along with Simon’s brief performance, which included songs sung by David Shaw, John Forte, and Ben Taylor, Jane Rosenthal, who runs the festival with Robert DeNiro, also spoke. The highlight of the evening was seeing Carly and sister Lucy sing their folk hit from when they were the Simon Sisters, “Wynken, Blynken and Nod.” It has also just been announced that Carly Simon will play three dates on the upcoming Lilith Fair tour: July 30th at the Comcast Center in Boston, July 31st at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey, and August 1st at the Comcast Theatre in Hartford. Sunday Cafe The Sunday Street Acoustic Series at the University Café at Stony Brook University, hosted by Charlie Backfish will hold its annual Bob Dylan birthday party again this year. Bob Dylan’s 69th Birthday Celebration with the Kennedys, Rod MacDonald, Russ Seeger, Rob Stein, Steve Sollog and many others will take place on Saturday, May 22nd at 8:00 P.M. The final show of the series for this school year will be on Sunday, June 6th at 7:00 PM and will feature Tom Russell, hot off the success of his recently released Blood and Candle Smoke album. Five Live Yardbirds in Bay Shore The Yardbirds featuring original members Jim McCarty and Chris Dreja will be playing the Boulton Center in Bay Shore on May 27th at 8:00 PM. Joining McCarty and Dreja in the current lineup of the band is guitarist Ben King, bassist Dave Smale and vocalist and harmonica player Andy Mitchell. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2010-05-10T17:55:42+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/british-invasion-reelin-in-the-years http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/british-invasion-reelin-in-the-years#When:17:24:56Z The place to be on April 8th was at the British Consulate-General in Manhattan, along the bustling section of 3rd Avenue where such famed Manhattan eateries as P. J. Clarke’s and Smith & Wollensky Steakhouse are. The occasion was the official press launch for the just-released British Invasion (Reelin’ In The Years) 5-DVD box set. The deluxe box includes individual DVDs of performance documentaries of the Small Faces, Dusty Springfield, Gerry & the Pacemakers and Herman’s Hermits. The discs can be purchased separately, but if purchased as part of the box set, they include an additional 2 1/2 hours of bonus interviews and performances. In attendance at the event were musicians Marshall Crenshaw, Genya Ravan, Dick Manitoba and Robert Kenison, better known as Troy Charmell of the legendary cult band Dr. Bop & the Headliners. Kenison had crossed paths with Herman’s Hermits guitarist Keith Hopwood back when Herman’s Hermits was topping the charts in the 60s. Hopwood, along with Ian McLagan of the Small Faces was in attendance, and Kenison and Hopwood were trading guitar tips and generally enjoying each other’s company. McLagan couldn’t take a moment to even sip his drink, as he was constantly overwhelmed with those in attendance wanting to chat not just about his time in the Small Faces, but also about his experience with the Faces with Rod Stewart and about his stint with the Rolling Stones. For our profile of McLagan some months back, I talked to him about the recent rehearsals for a possible Faces reunion tour that would have included McLagan, Kenny Jones, Ron Wood and Rod Stewart. Att that time McLagan didn’t think the tour would happen. He told me that it was finally official that Wood, Jones, himself, Glen Matlock from the Sex Pistols filling in for the late Ronnie Lane on bass, and Mick Hucknall of Simply Red on vocals would be playing a concert in England, but that they have no further plans so far. Also in attendance at the event was famed rock photographer Bob Gruen (the man who took the iconic photo of John Lennon in a New York City tee-shirt); New York radio legends Dennis Elsas and Dan Neer; Mark Lapidos, who runs Beatlefest; author Bill Flanagan; and the Examiner’s Jim Bessman. The event was hosted by the esteemed British Consul-General, Sir Alan Collins, whose impassioned speech on the continued vitality of British music moved the appreciative crowd. It was announced at the event that in the fall, a second set of DVDs will be released and will include the Hollies, Manfred Mann and the Pretty Things. A brief glimpse of the Hollies DVD drew a rousing round of applause. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2010-04-15T17:24:56+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/mixed-media-april-online http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/mixed-media-april-online#When:18:18:41Z It’s one of those dreary April days and the game is rained out, the barbecue is cancelled and renting another dumb movie from Blockbuster (if they are still around by the time you read this) has gotten pretty old. So, what to do? The following are some great music DVDs and CDs that come with DVDs that will make even the cloudiest day (or night) fun. The newest box-set of music performances from the Ed Sullivan Show, Ed Sullivan’s Rock & Roll Classics (Sofa), is the best yet. Produced as a documentary of the time period (1950s through 1970s), the seven-disc set includes full-length performances of the greatest artists of the era. In addition to including every historic appearance of the Beatles on the show, each disc is categorized by various music genres and time periods. The video quality and 5.1 sound mix are excellent given that these are television performances that are at least 40 years old. The perfect companion to the Sullivan set is the T.A.M.I. Show Collector’s Edition (Shout Factory). Held up in legal limbo for years, the complete movie from 1964 is available in its entirety. Historic performances of James Brown, Chuck Berry, the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, the Supremes, Marvin Gaye and many more are here in all their exuberant 60’s grooviness. This is one of the defining rock movies of all time. Two other releases not to miss are Free Forever (Eagle) and A Concert By The Lake (Eagle). The Free set is a two-DVD package that includes a DVD audio disc of the band’s career-changing 1970 Isle of Wight show. The other DVD includes performances from the German television program Beat Club and a Granada television taping, both from 1970, and the original videos of five songs. There are also many special features, including interviews. Free was one of the bridge bands that reflected the shift in blues-based English rock into a harder, near-heavy metal sound. It was also the band which spawned Bad Company (along with which also included members of Mott the Hoople). A Concert By The Lake is a benefit concert film, available only on Blu-Ray, that was performed in England and organized by Gary Brooker of Procol Harum. The concert includes performances by Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Paul Carrack, Mike Rutherford and many more. One of the most ambitious musical projects from the past year is One Fast Move Or I’m Gone (Atlantic) by Jay Farrar and Benjamin Gibbard. Farrar, of Son Volt, and Gibbard, of Death Cab For Cutie, have taken words from Jack Kerouac’s corrosive novel Big Sur and set them to music. There is also a special-edition package that includes an additional song, a digital booklet and a full-length film of the project. Jeff Tweedy, Farrar’s former bandmate in Uncle Tupelo, has also recently been involved in a project with the group Wilco that has some similar undertones. There was the group’s album Wilco, The Album (Nonesuch), which got my vote as best album of 2009 and, on DVD, Wilco Live: Ashes of the American Flag (Nonesuch). Like the Kerouac project, Wilco is attempting on the DVD to reflect the beauty and contradictions of America in this case, in a concert film recorded on its 2008 tour, by using live performances from some of American music’s most treasured and intimate concert venues. The DVD also includes interviews and on-the-road footage. Fellow “No Depression” practitioners the Jayhawks released Music from the North Country (The Jayhawks Anthology) on CD on American, which is available as a one- or two-disc set that fans of the two aforementioned projects will have to have. Also worth checking out is Farrar’s band Son Volt’s recent album American Central Dust (Rounder). From Razor & Tie is the DVD How Sweet The Sound from Joan Baez, an American Masters documentary on not only the extraordinary musical career of Baez, but on her social and political activism as well. A companion CD is also available. CDs that are worth searching out that include bonus DVDs include The Blue Ridge Rangers Ride Again (Verve) from John Fogerty; White Lies for Dark Times (Virgin) from Ben Harper and the Relentless Seven; The BQE (Original Music Soundtrack) from Sufjan Stevens (Asthmatic Kitty); and Michael Buble Meets Madison Square Garden (Warner Brothers). The Fogerty disc, one of his best in years, includes such guests as Bruce Springsteen. The bonus DVD includes a making-of- the-album documentary, acoustic performances and a preview of his upcoming live album. Stevens’s CD/DVD is music that he wrote for a theater piece inspired by, believe it or not, the BQE and the hula hoop. This instrumental-heavy work is classical in nature and very dramatic sounding. Harper’s DVD bonus release primarily features live performances as part of a documentary, along with other extras. The Buble set is a concert recorded at Madison Square Garden. Buble also released the studio album Crazy Love at around the same time. April is shaping up to be a fine time to check out some great local shows. At the Boulton Center, don’t miss Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons on April 7th, Allen Toussaint on April 9th, Moya Brenna on April 10th, David Bromberg on April 11th, Cowboy Junkies on April 21st, Graham Parker & the Figgs on April 22nd and the Church on April 23rd. The next New York Roots Music Association & Saturday Night Social Club event, an evening of the Kinks’ Muswell Hillbillies album, will be presented on April 17th at the American Legion 1812 at 115 Southern Parkway, in Plainview and features Russ Seeger, The Blaggards, The Hornets, Lizz Smith, Caroline Doctorow and Steve Sollog. Don’t miss the next installment of Rock Legends Live, at the Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington, which, as always, is hosted by Bill Shelley. On April 18th, at 2 PM Sid Bernstein will appear. There will be clips from artists that Bernstein produced concerts for, including the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Kinks, the Bay City Rollers and, while not rock, certainly legends, Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and many others. Sing SOS! Songs of the Spectrum, featuring Jackson Browne, Dar Williams, Teddy Geiger, Marshall Crenshaw, Dan Bern, Jonatha Brooke and others has recently been released. On Wednesday, April 7 a CD release benefit concert starring Dar Williams, Marshall Crenshaw, Ari Hest, Fiona McBain of Ollabelle, and others will be held at the Bitter End in Greenwich Village as part of Autism Awareness Month. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2010-03-31T18:18:41+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/mixed-media-march-online-supplement http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/mixed-media-march-online-supplement#When:18:15:52Z Jazz In Hollywood As the major record labels begin the dreaded, slow process of moving toward a completely digital music future, lavish multi-disc sets of reissues on CD of unreleased music, particularly non-pop and non-rock, have slowed to a trickle. Given that, Twelve Nights In Hollywood (Verve), from Ella Fitzgerald, may mark the last great jazz box set to be released by a major record company. The four-CD set includes recordings from 1961 and 1962 recorded at the intimate Crescendo club in Los Angeles. While there was an album released in the early ‘60s entitled Ella in Hollywood, it sold poorly and was marred by bizarre editing and poor sound. This new box, culled from 12 complete concerts and including 73 never-before-released recordings, makes for maybe the best small-group recordings of Ella Fitzgerald live, during what was considered by many jazz scholars as her peak as a vocalist. The set is housed in a beautiful slip case with a book-like box that includes exhaustive liner notes, photos and extensive album cover art of many classic Ella recordings of the period. One of the delights of the set is hearing the guitar playing of Herb Ellis in such a relaxed, joyous setting. The box was produced as a Limited Edition of only 8,000 and will no doubt sell out fairly quickly. All She Wants To Do Is Have Some Fun Tuesday Night Music Club (A&M), Sheryl Crow’s 1993 debut album, is now available as a Deluxe Edition. The three-disc set includes the original album; a CD of B-Sides, rarities and out-takes; and a DVD that includes seven music videos and a documentary of life on the road, which includes live performances, sound-checks, backstage footage and more of the tour in support of the album. Long May You Run Neil Young’s first four albums (Neil Young, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere, After The Gold Rush, Harvest), have been reissued by Reprise as part of the ongoing New Young Archive Series. This batch is the first four releases of the Official Release Series. The four discs have all been remastered in HDCD and for many constitute the peak of Young’s early solo career. Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere has officially been billed as Neil Young and Crazy Horse. Also released among the Neil Young Archive Series as part of the Performance Series is Dreamin’ Man Live ‘92 (Reprise). This a live solo recording of the songs that appeared on Young’s Harvest Moon album. The album is not only a unique glimpse at what was to become Harvest Moon, but the perfect companion to Young’s 1993 Unplugged album. Neil Young’s musical brother, Stephen Stills, who appeared with him in the Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and the Stills-Young Band, has two releases out on Eyewall/Atco/Rhino that are worth searching out. Live At Shepherd’s Bush from Stephen Stills is a live concert on CD and DVD. What makes this set so enjoyable is that it spotlights Stills in both an acoustic and an electric setting, giving the full spectrum of his career the various musical settings needed. The other Stills release is from Manassas, a band that Stills was in that is sometimes forgotten. The original group, which also included Chris Hillman of The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers, only released two albums, so it’s nice to hear some of the music it recorded that was never released on this album called Pieces, which also includes Joe Walsh and Bonnie Raitt. This CD and the Stephen Stills & Manassas Live DVD from 2005 nicely round out the all-too-brief tenure of a very underrated and somewhat forgotten group. Got Live If You Want It After watching the live Crow documentary and listening to live performances of Neil Young and Stephen Stills, some more live concert music is always welcome. One of the best live box sets ever released (and I mean that) is The Live Anthology (Reprise) from Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers. This four-disc set is a survey of some of the best live performances from various phase of the band’s history. What makes this set so wonderful is the healthy selection of covers the band performs, particularly “Any Way You Want It,” “Friend of the Devil,” and “Goldfinger.” Perhaps the only other American band to emerge in the late ‘70s who is still going strong today and that could rival Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers is R.E.M. R.E.M. also has a live album out: R.E.M. Live at the Olympia in Dublin 30 Songs (Warner Bros.). The two-disc set is an interesting take on a live recording. Most of the music on it features working rehearsals for concerts the group was to perform at the Olympia in Dublin in 2007 for the Accelerate tour. Northern Soul Train The coolest dance scene in the world these days, which has been raging since the ‘60s is the Northern Soul scene in England. One of the few visible collections of this sound is the 28-track Keb Darge & Paul Weller Present Lost & Found Real R’N’B & Soul (BBE). This is the only domestically available set of Darge compilations, with many of his U.K. collections either out of print or hard to find and very expensive. The music here features deep soul, r&b, funk and obscure 50’s blues sides from such known artists as Big Mama Thornton, Major Lance, Tammi Terrell, The Dells, Bobby Blue Bland, Albert King, Jimmy Witherspoon and Slim Harpo, with a healthy dose of delicious, hip-shaking rarities. Buy one now, before they’re all gone and cost $100 for a worn copy. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2010-03-01T18:15:52+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/mixed-media-february-online-supplement http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/mixed-media-february-online-supplement#When:06:10:55Z Guitar Studies John Mayer seems to be at his zenith right now. On the heels of his Battle Studies (Columbia) album, he will be playing two nights at Madison Square Garden on February 25th and 26th. His new album is easily his most popular album in some time. Don’t waste your time reading the tabloid stories about Mayer’s private life. He continues to get better as an artist and proves again and again to be more than a precocious child prodigy. There is not another triple threat as lethal as Mayer in music today given his unique vocal style, ability as a songwriter and of course dazzling guitar work. Rock Band(s) We’ve been covering a lot of singer-songwriters lately, given the wealth of good ones around, so how about giving some of the great bands on the scene right now their due? The Flaming Lips are back with a very adventurous new album Embryonic (Warner Bros.). The Lips have come up with an even more atmospheric and rhythmically terse recording than on previous releases. Their music continues to evolve into a sound that would best be described as the soundtrack to the apocalypse filmed in the deepest corner of a cold, forbidding universe. While the Lips have only gotten more edgy, Pearl Jam is downright loveable on its latest album, Back Spacer, its first for its own Monkey Wrench label. They certainly haven’t become a pop band, but with the help of producer Brendan O’Brien, the group has come up with its best collection of songs to date. The Low Anthem has really created a stir with its latest album Oh My God, Charlie Darwin (Nonesuch). The bands moves from rustic and sparse sounds that recall Fleet Foxes, the Avett Brothers and The Band to more dissonant and raucous instrumentation and vocals. This is clearly a band to watch for. Five For Fighting is back with another blockbuster album, Slice (Aware/Columbia). Like The Fray, Five For Fighting has the ability to make great, melodic music that reaches a large audience without sacrificing quality. There is also a hint of the vocal and keyboard approach of Bruce Hornsby, but ultimately the band has a sound all its own. Its latest is just a monster success. Train is also a band that seems to be able to write memorable, hooky songs, without ever pandering to pop trends, as evidenced by its latest Save Me, San Francisco (Columbia). This new album is a real rocking effort and is no doubt material that will really take off live. Yo La Tango was indie rock before the phrase was ever invented. Led by the husband and wife team of Georgia Hubley and Ira Kaplan, these Hoboken denizens have been making wonderful, grossly under-rated albums for years. Their subtle sound moves from understated concise pop to jam-like instrumentals on their latest Popular Songs (Matador), ironically their most popular album to date. One of the most influential bands in the last 15 years, Yo La Tango will continue on long after the next trend evaporates on your video screen. Weezer has had great success with its recent album Raditude (Interscope), but it also suffered a major setback with the injury of lead singer Rivers Cuomo in a bus accident, which forced the band to cancel some key December dates. Oddly enough, the band is ending its tenure with Interscope, but will soon release a collection of rarities. Death Cab For Cutie has released a five-song EP entitled The Open Door (Atlantic). “Little Bribes” has been receiving steady airplay for months and fans will have to own this release since it includes a demo of “Talking Bird.” Music: Mixed Media Online, 2010-02-01T06:10:55+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/u.k.-music-travelouge-part-two http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/u.k.-music-travelouge-part-two#When:21:19:06Z Beatles For Sale Good Evening New York City (Hear Music), from Paul McCartney, is a two-CD, one-DVD set that captures the historic first-ever, concerts at Citi Field in Queens, New York. McCartney’s exuberant performances reflect both the lasting power of all of his music and how this lad from Liverpool is inextricably tied to the musical history of our beloved New York. Beatles Books A book sure to enter the music book canon as one of the most important on John Lennon is John Lennon The Life (Ecco) by Philip Norman. Norman’s Shout! remains one of the best books on the Beatles and Norman brings the same scholarship and writing eloquence to this doorstop of a book on Lennon. The Beatles London (Interlink) by Piet Schreuders, Mark Lewisohn and Adam Smith, is a reissue of the ultimate Beatles travelogue. This is a great book for Beatles fans to have on hand when visiting London. Beatles For Sale (Jawbone), by John Blaney, is yet another fine Beatles-related book by Blaney. The book shows both how the group’s art influenced so many musicians as well as the way they conducted the business of releasing records shaped the music business at large right up until today. The books Way Beyond Compare and That Magic Feeling by John C. Winn (Three Rivers Press) are easily two of the best new books on the Beatles. Winn’s detailed and exhaustively researched books scrupulously analyze every recording, concert, film clip and more to give all the pertinent information about their creation and where they fit in the larger story of the group. These books are a must-have for serious Beatles fans. On the DVD front, MVD has another Beatles DVD out: Beatles Rare and Unseen. The DVD is a mix of rare footage interspersed with interviews with the likes of Phil Collins. Although there is not a great deal of new footage or insights here, it is nonetheless a worthy DVD addition for Beatles completists. Paperback Writer The U.K. music scene is well represented, as usual by a slew of recent books. Here are a few to help keep the winter nights ahead a little more interesting. Two books on the late, celebrated disc jockey John Peel have recently been published. While not as well known in America as he was in England, Peel was probably the single most influential DJ in the U.K. during the rock era. The two books are perfect complements to each other. Margrave of the Marshes (Chicago Review Press) is essentially an autobiography by Peel and his wife Sheila Ravenscroft that is a thoughtful, heartfelt, historical view inside one’s man’s obsession with music. The Peel Sessions (BBC Books), by Ken Garner, offers a more balanced biography and is filled with detailed information on Peel’s famous live-performance radio programs. Both of these books are remarkable in their relationship to the history of U.K. rock and, like the recent film Pirate Radio, give Americans a rare view into how certain radio DJ’s shaped U.K. music. Another book that gives a unique insight into the history of U.K. music from a very different point of view is The Rise & Fall of EMI Records (Omnibus Press), by Brian Southall. Like many other major record labels on both sides of the Atlantic, history, digital music and other major changes have brought these once mighty companies to their knees and Southall was shrewd to detail EMI as it reflects the good, the bad and the ugly of the music business. Two major British artists, who have in fact worked together, now both are the subject of mammoth biographies that do justice to their long, influential and mercurial careers. First up is Bowie (Crown), from Marc Spitz. Spitz has given Bowie the full treatment he so deserves and reveals the full spectrum of changes he has gone through. Brian Eno also gets the full biographical treatment in what has to be the most complete Eno biography to date: On Some Faraway Beach The Life and Times of Brian Eno (Chicago Review Press), by David Sheppard. Eno is even more difficult to pin down, as he has been both a successful musician and recently a record producer. One of the great innovators and pioneers of musical styles as ambient music and “found sounds,” Eno has actually produced some of the most commercially successful albums of the rock era for the likes of U2, Coldplay and others. Two other Omnibus Press titles worth searching out are U2 A Diary, by Matt McGee, and Reluctant Heroes The Story of Elbow, by Mick Middles. Etc. As an addendum to our December U.K. music travelogue, a few more gold-plated discs came my way just before the holidays that are all can’t-miss CD’s. Jon Hopkins’s domestic debut, Insides (Domino) has been out for some time now, but it is a worthy contender for one of the most underrated albums of the past year. Hopkins has worked with Brian Eno, Massive Attack and Imogen Heap. His electronic ambient sound is quite varied. Check out “Light Through The Veins,” which had the unique distinction of being used as the introduction for Coldplay’s Viva La Vida album as part of the track “Life In Technicolor” and the album’s uncredited closing instrumental track “The Escapist,” which was also the music that played after Coldplay left the stage on it’s Viva La Vida concert tour. Hopkins is an artist worth watching and we eagerly anticipate his next album. Richard Hawley, who has toured with Britpop legends Pulp, has been making gorgeous, guitar-based singer-songwriter albums throughout the past decade. On his sixth album, Truelove’s Gutter (Mute), his sound has only become more refined. Sounding like Nick Lowe on a romantic date in guitar heaven, Hawley has made yet another timeless album. Washes of guitar chords, backed by lush soundscapes, make this either the perfect break-up record or music for modern lovers. Guitar geeks will love the liner notes that detail all the various instruments played on this truly underrated album. Speaking of Pulp, Jarvis Cocker the de-facto leader of the now defunct band, returns with only his second full-length album, Further Complications (Rough Trade). This mixed bag ranges far and wide and reflects the diversity of Cocker’s musical interests, from tender pop to dissonant rock. One of England’s true musical iconoclasts, Cocker may now hopefully record solo albums more regularly. Joss Stone’s latest album Colour Me Free (Virgin), her fourth solo effort, sort of slipped by quietly late last year and that’s a shame. The young English soul force of nature has edged up the funk and come up with a gritty, mature work that shows her to be getting only better. While there are no instant hits that jump off the disc, Stone is a r&b vocalist to be reckoned with. The great English soul revival continues. Camera Obscura returns with its first album in three years, its fourth release, My Maudlin Career (4AD). This is the band’s first album on 4 AD and the Scottish band seems right at home on a label that always puts out very atmospheric music. Having said that, there is nothing too trippy or yes maudlin about this record. Anchored by Tracyanne Campbell’s quirky vocals and an electro-Spectorish musical backing, Camera Obscura actually writes and plays quite poppy and very likeable music. This is one of those bands that once you really start listening to its music you completely fall in love with it and call them all your own. Findlay Brown also owes much to Phil Spector, not to mention Roy Orbison in terms of the sound he gets on Love Will Find You (Verve Forecast), his second album and major label debut. Stuart Murdoch of Belle & Sebastian has an exciting new side project entitled God Help The Girl (Matador). Enlisting various female lead singers; Rick Wentworth, composer of the film Whihtnail & I and other film music; along with a 45-piece orchestra, Murdoch has come up with an album far more interesting than recent Belle & Sebastian releases. John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin) and Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Foo Fighters) can add yet another superstar band to their resume with the release of the self-titled debut album from Them Crooked Vultures (Interscope), which also includes Josh Homme of Queens of the Stoneage on guitar and vocals. The album marks the second time in so many years that a former Led Zep member has stepped out in style with an exciting new project. Add to that Jimmy Page starring in It Might Get Loud with The Edge and Jack White, and it’s no wonder that Led Zep reunion tour has yet to materialize. Winter Sounds Tori Amos released Abnormally Attracted To Sin (Republic) earlier this year and has just released Midwinter Graces (Republic). Midwinter Graces is less a Christmas recording and more a true album of winter or solstice music. Amos brings back her more baroque classical sound, featuring her wonderful piano playing. The release also includes a DVD, with an interview with Amos. A reissue of the Melissa Etheridge holiday release A New Thought For Christmas from 2008 (Island) includes a bonus DVD of the entire album live in concert. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2010-01-18T21:19:06+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/bound-for-patchogue http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/bound-for-patchogue#When:19:27:22Z Arlo Guthrie and Family at the Patchogue Theatre Arlo Guthrie will be performingat the Patchogue Theatre on February 21st in what is being billed as the “Guthrie Family Rides Again.” Of course that family extends back to the late Woody Guthrie, Arlo’s dad. This special evening of music will feature Arlo with son Abe on keyboards and vocals, and his daughters Cathy, Annie and Sarah Lee Guthrie. Guthrie, like his dad, is an American music folk hero. His appearance at Woodstock, which was chronicled on the soundtrack album and seminal rock film, along with his appearance in the film Alice’s Restaurant and his writing and recording of the famous title song of the film (which has become a Thanksgiving staple), along with his hit cover of Steve Goodman’s “City of New Orleans,” marked only the beginning of a career that spans generations and many American musical styles. Guthrie will draw songs from the nearly 30 albums he’s recorded since the debut of Alice’s Restaurant in 1967. He will also include music from the great American folk songbook, and pay homage to his dad and many of his father’s contemporaries. This rare musical evening will also be filled with Guthrie’s wit and storytelling prowess. Keep your fingers crossed and hope that this is a show where Guthrie performs his famous song about Alice, since he doesn’t perform it at every show. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2010-01-11T19:27:22+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/mixed-media-december-online-supplement http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/mixed-media-december-online-supplement#When:08:00:13Z U.K. Music Travelouge Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out and Gimmie Shelter As a followup to our profile of rock photographer Ethan Russell in the November issue, we will now give a little more information on the just-released Rolling Stones projects we discussed with Russell. First up is the reissue of the Rolling Stones album Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out!. What many consider the best live rock concert album of all time is now available from Abcko in a four-disc box set. Along with the original album there is a disc of five previously unreleased live performances and a DVD of those performances. There is a also a bonus CD of five live tracks from B.B. King and seven from Ike & Tina Turner, who were the opening acts on the tour. There is also a beautiful hardcover book with an essay by Russell, his photographs, fans’ notes and expanded liner notes, along with a lobby card-sized reproduction of the tour poster. Russell’s new book, Let It Bleed (Springboard), is now finally out and it’s a stunning visual look back on the infamous tour and the watershed Altamont concert. Russell doesn’t just provide his historic photos (which would be sufficient), but, like in his previous Dear Mr. Fantasy book, he serves as an insightful eyewitness of the greatest rock tour in history and rock music’s 60’s live Waterloo. CD/DVD’s The debut album from Oasis in the late 80’s was one of the key albums in the birth of a revitalized British music scene of bands carrying the torch of U.K. rock, after a long drought. Another one of those bands was the Stone Roses. Legacy has just reissued what has to be considered one of the key albums of that period and of British rock in the post-60’s/70’s: the self-titled album from the Stone Roses. It includes that album, along with a bonus CD of lost demos and a DVD of the group’s historic Blackpool Empress Ballroom show and six videos. Continuing our coverage of the reissue of the U2 catalog, The Unforgettable Fire (Island/Interscope) is now available in a two-CD boxed set. The bonus CD includes songs that did not appear on the original album release, live tracks, remixes and a Celtic Dub Mix of “Wire.” There is also a beautiful 36-page hardcover book. The Very Best of Enya (Warner Bros.), comprises a CD of Enya’s most popular music and a DVD. The DVD includes thirteen videos, an interview and two behind the scenes making of the videos of “Caribbean Blue” and “Only Time.” Another CD with bonus discs is the just released Strict Joy (Anti) from Swell Season. Swell Season is the duo of Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova, the stars of the improbable little hit movie Once. This breakup album is a beautiful and heartfelt album that is destined to be a classic. A limited edition of the album contains a bonus live concert DVD and a CD. David Gray is back with a superb solo album Draw The Line (Mercer Street). “Fugitive” is yet another example of Gray’s talents as one of the great songwriters of his era. A bonus DVD is included of selections from a live concert recorded at the Roundhouse in London. Companion CD and DVD’s The latest project from Jack Bruce and Robin Trower is Seven Moons Live (Ruf), which comprises separate live CD and DVD releases of the duo’s recent tour in support of their grossly underrated Seven Moons studio album. Versatile and powerful drummer Gary Husband, who like Bruce is comfortable with jazz or rock, comprises the third member of this trio, who performs songs from its Seven Moons album, solo songs and a handful of Cream classics. This is a once-in-a-lifetime gathering of three master musicians generously sharing their love for the music, each other and the enthusiastic fans who were lucky enough to witness this rare evening of music. Former Yes keyboardist Rick Wakemen returns with brand-new separate live CD and DVD releases of his monumental solo concept album The Six Wives of Henry VIII Live at Hampton Court Palace (Eagle). The album, which is ambitious, literate and at the time was either lauded for its scope or lambasted for its grandiose scale, shows there is no denying that the piece has held up well. Also, while great listening, it makes for a truly engaging visual experience. Keane also have two different projects out now on DVD and CD. Keane Live (Interscope) features the complete July of 2007 concert filmed at London’s O2 arena. The DVD also includes a short film, soundcheck and more. Also from Insterscope is a Deluxe Edition of Keane’s debut album Hopes and Fears released in 2004. This two-CD edition includes previously unreleased live performances from the Roundhouse in London and Jo Whiley’s BBC radio show, from the Forum at London, Germany, Toronto and Iceland, along with remixes, demos and more. DVD’s First up are two DVD’s from the Who. Maximum R&B Live (Geffen) is a two-DVD set that includes live performance clips from 1965 through 1989. Disc two is an entire performance from the German Television show Rockpalast from 1981. There are additional interviews, liner notes, performances and 5.1 sound on this reissue. Who fans will also love The Who, The Mods and The Quadrophenia Connection from MVD. Including interviews with Mod and Who experts Richard Barnes, Paolo Hewitt, Terry Rawlins and others, along with performance clips from mod bands from the Who to the Jam and those that influenced them, this is a must-have look at England’s celebrated mod explosion. Also from MVD are three DVD’s that comprise noted music documentary director Wolfgang Buld’s trilogy of the late 70’s English music scene. Punk In London celebrates the first wave of England’s punk explosion featuring the Clash, the Jam and others. Punk In England documents the flowering of English music in the late 70’s and, although entitled “punk,” comprises new wave, the two-tone ska revival and more, with clips from Ian Dury, Madness, the Pretenders and others. Reggae In A Babylon focuses on the English reggae scene made up of West Indian and Jamaican immigrants whose influence on English pop music styles is still prevalent today. Two live concert DVD’s from MVD include Odyssey & Oracle Revisited The 40th Anniversary Concert Live At Sheperd’s Bush Empire, London 2008 from the Zombies. While the Zombies were known for such hits as “Time of the Season,” “Tell Her No” and “She’s Not There,” they were consummate album makers and Odyssey & Oracle was their Sgt. Pepper. The original group does a great job here with the album and also gets to shine when performing music from Rod Argent’s later band and Colin Blunstone’s highly underrated solo albums. The other is Song of Scheherazade Renaissance live from the seminal orchestral-rock group Renaissance. This disc includes two live concerts filmed in New Jersey, one from the Capital Theatre from 1976 and one from Convention Hall in 1979. Another great live concert DVD is Food For Thought (Eagle), from UB40, from the Rockpalast Greatest Hits Live series filmed in 1981. Three documentaries take a very different approach from each other, but all are worth searching out. More Than This The Story of Roxy Music (Eagle) is a top-rate documentary about one of the most influential, stylish, and important English groups of all time. The documentary contains interviews with members of the band, bonus live performances and additional interviews not shown on the original television broadcast. U2: A Rock Crusade (Infinity) is a unique look at how U2 has used its fame to engage in philanthropic activities. This is easily one of the most unique rock music documentaries I have ever seen and shows how rock music can be used to make the world a better place. Rock of Ages An Unauthorized Story on the Rolling Stones (World Wide Entertainment) takes a very different approach. It focuses more on the Rolling Stones’ more notorious and infamous moments, yet it is also highly entertaining. Two DVD’s take a varied approach to presenting talented females artists. Portrait of Petula Clark (Infinity) is a whirlwind musical trip showcasing the unique talents of British Invasion singer Petula Clark, filmed in Paris, London, New York and Los Angeles, many guest stars and music from Broadway, to pop to rock. From Hear Music is TV Is My Parent from Sia and features a concert from 2007 from New York’s Hiro Ballroom, a tour documentary and four music videos. Reissues Capitol has reissued the first six studio albums from Radiohead. All have been released as two-CD sets and include additional remix, acoustic, demo, and live versions. The live versions, including BBC radio program performances, really make these reissues worth searching out. From Arista/Legacy come seven more albums reissued from the Alan Parsons Project, following the 2007 reissue of I Robot, Eye In The Sky and The Essential Alan Parsons Project. All the discs include previously unreleased alternate versions, demos, and more, along with enlightening liner notes about each release from the two main figures behind the group, Parsons and Eric Woolfson. As we went to press, news of the passing of Woolfson, at age 64, was just breaking. Hardcore Phil Manzanera fans will be ecstatic over the issuing of four releases from his Roxy Music spinoff project 801 from Expression Records. Live 801, which features Brian Eno, includes the original album from 1976 on one disc and a bonus disc recorded of the band’s tour rehearsal. There is also Manchester, recorded in 1977, and reissued twice before, which has a different lineup including Paul Thompson on drums, replacing Simon Philips and Andy Mackay, also from Roxy Music, along with Lol Creme and Kevin Godley of 10CC fame. Two other 801 live releases included in this reissue series are Live @ Hull featuring Eddie Jobson on electric violin and Latino. Snow Patrol is in the hottest period of its career and now has released its first retrospective, Up To Now (Fiction/Geffen). The two-CD set not only includes selections from its three American albums, but also tracks from its earlier U.K.-only releases, live performances, previously unreleased tracks, music from such spinoff projects as the Reindeer Section and more. Beth Orton’s Trailer Park (Arista/Legacy) is a two-CD Deluxe Edition that includes the original 1996 album, along with live performances, various alternate versions and several one-of-a-kind collaborations. Also, check out The Costello Show Live at the El Mocambo (Hip-O), the famous, originally, promo-only, radio broadcast from 1978. Etc. We covered some recently released CD’s from U.K. artists in the December print edition and have a few more to add that I have finally caught up with or which recently arrived. Rod Stewart is following up his Songbook releases with something a little closer to his heart: Soulbook (J), a collection of soul and r&b classics. With the production assistance of Steve Jordan and Steve Tyrell, Stewart faithfully recaptures the great 60’s and 70’s hit r&b and soul period and does these songs justice. This is the perfect complement to Michael McDonald’s two Motown albums. Another 70’s English sensation was Mott the Hoople. The group’s leader, Ian Hunter, who has been making superb solo albums since the 70’s, is back with Man Overboard (New West). Like other recent works, the album showcases Hunter’s songwriting prowess. Yusuf Islam, the musician formerly known as Cat Stevens, is back with his second comeback release, Roadsinger (Eder). More conceptual than his previous release, Roadsinger finds Islam looking back on his days as young touring musician. While a bit too somber in spots, Roadsinger, like its predecessor, sounds like music from an artist who never went away. Elvis Costello has made yet another stylistic detour with the countrified and edgy Secret, Profane & Sugarcane (Hear Music). Produced by T-Bone Burnett and featuring a core group that includes Jerry Douglas, Stuart Duncan and Jim Lauderdale, among others, the album presents Elvis looking and sounding good in his Western threads. Changing gears completely, David Sylvian has once again made another impossibly haunting recording that is not for the faint of heart or the casual music fan. Manafon (Samadhisound) continues Sylvian’s infatuation with dissonant soundscapes and new approaches to music, while continuing to successfully echo the same indescribable futuristic ideas of Brian Eno, Robert Fripp and, to a lesser degree, David Byrne. Zero 7, while not as experimental as Sylvian, is also playing in the same cosmic sandbox. Trippy electronics and space-age sounds dominate and thanks to the group’s human approach, Zero 7 has fast become one of the most important groups on the scene today. Its new release, Yeah Ghost (Atlantic), is its most challenging to date and would make the perfect soundtrack for a science fiction film that takes place in the cold, foreboding outer reaches of the universe. Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck, two British guitar gods, who both spent time in The Yardbirds, will be sharing the stage together and apart on February 18th and 19th at Madison Square Garden. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2009-12-09T08:00:13+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/holiday-music-gift-guide-sounds-of-the-season http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/holiday-music-gift-guide-sounds-of-the-season#When:19:55:33Z Sting’s newest release, If On A Winter’s Night (Deutsche Grammophon), is not so much a holiday album as it is a timeless exploration of songs for the season of winter. This experimental, classically influenced, acoustic based recording is available in a limited deluxe CD + DVD edition which includes on the DVD a documentary on the making of the album. A Christmas Gift For You from Phil Spector must be regarded as the best Christmas album of the rock era and has now been reissued by Legacy. It’s amazing that a man so troubled could have produced a recording so filled with the joy and warm feelings of the holiday season. On the surface, it may almost seem like a joke that Bob Dylan would make a Christmas album. However, Christmas In The Heart (Columbia), is a successful and well-intentioned album of holiday classics that was done for all the right musical and philanthropic reasons (the proceeds are going to charity). Dylan is in love with older American musical forms and this wonderful album is yet another example of that. Michael McDonald’s This Christmas (Razor & Tie) includes holiday songs from McDonald from two albums, From The Holidays and Through The Many Winters: A Christmas Album, along with four other recordings. A wonderful family holiday CD is the soundtrack for Curious George A Very Monkey Christmas (Denon),which features Dr. John’s vocals and lyrics on several tracks from Franklin Square native and Emmy-award winning writer Joe Fallon. Eban Schletter’s Cosmic Christmas (Oglio) is a space-age take on holiday music, highlighted by the eerie sound of the Theremin. Another holiday album to benefit the Special Olympics, A Very Special Christmas 7 (A&M), this time mostly featuring country artists and singer-songwriter Colbie Caillat’s version of “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas.” Andrea Bocelli’s My Christmas (Decca) is a beautiful holiday album, that feature’s the theme from the new Disney film A Christmas Carol and such guests as Mary J. Blige and Natalie Cole. Legacy has come up with a unique take on Christmas DVD’s. They have just reissued 17 Christmas albums on DVD, with a visual component that includes three different holiday scenes to watch while the music plays. Of the seventeen, the four that really hit the mark are A Traditional Christmas, The Andy Williams Christmas Album, Christmas With Johnny Cash, and the self-titled holiday album from Jose Feliciano. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2009-12-07T19:55:33+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/must-have-cd-dvd-reissues http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/must-have-cd-dvd-reissues#When:22:23:12Z Reissues, previously unreleased live concerts, DVDs and related releases are really starting to pour in during the early stages of the biggest music release season of the year. The following are some early candidates for must-have gets. Reissues, previously unreleased live concerts, DVDs and related releases are really starting to pour in during the early stages of the biggest music release season of the year. The following are some early candidates for must-have gets. The Universal labels continue to be one of the reissue leaders in terms of the quality and quantity of releases. First up is The Very Best of Don Henley (Geffen) from Don Henley. This is the first solo best-of spanning all three labels Henley has recorded for as a solo artist. There is also a bonus DVD, which includes six videos and four rare soundtrack recordings in DVD-audio quality. Few artists have had the level of solo success that Henley has had after being in one of the biggest groups of all time and this collection is a testament to Henley’s mammoth solo career. R.E.M’s original Chronic Town EP and full-length debut album Murmur have often gotten the most attention from early die-hard fans, but the group’s second album, 1984’s Reckoning, solidified the group’s place as more than critic’s darlings. A new Deluxe Edition of Reckoning (I.R.S./A&M) includes the original album on one disc and a bonus disc of a live concert recorded at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago in 1984 and broadcast over WXRT-FM. The concert’s sometime shambling pace, off-kilter rhythms, bum notes and out-of-tune vocals are what make this recording so charming. For all the beauty of the group’s albums, the members were young punk rockers at heart in their early days and this live disc captures that magic. Universal has also just issued two previously unreleased live radio broadcasts from the BBC: Steve Earle Live at the BBC (MCA), which features performances from 1987, recorded at Manchester, England and most of the disc from 1989, recorded at the Town & Country Club in London and, from B.B. King, Live at the BBC (Geffen), which primarily features recordings spanning 1978 through 1991, from various venues, including the “The Thrill Is Gone” from both the Hammersmith Odeon in 1978 and an in-studio performance from 1989 with Andy Kershaw. Soulive is celebrating its tenth anniversary in a big way. Up Here (Royal Family) is the group’s followup to No Place Like Soul and includes a bonus DVD recorded live at the Blue Note club in Tokyo. The band has also just issued the iTunes exclusive Live In San Francisco, which is yet another live album from the band who has issued over 10 “Instant Live” recordings. Two DVDs not to be missed are The Mama Cass Television Program from Infinity, which features rare television appearances from Joni Mitchell and others and the cult favorite, My Dinner with Jimi, which in faux documentary fashion chronicles the night in London in 1967 on which the Turtles met the cream of British music aristocracy.   Music: Mixed Media Online, 2009-11-06T22:23:12+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/rock-roll-celebration http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/rock-roll-celebration#When:20:07:17Z The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is celebrating its 25th anniversary with two benefit shows at Madison Square Garden on October 29th and October 30th at 7:30pm. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is celebrating its 25th anniversary with two benefit shows at Madison Square Garden on October 29th and October 30th at 7:30pm. The lineup for the first night so far includes Stevie Wonder; Simon & Garfunkel; Bruce Springsteen; Sting; Paul Simon; James Taylor; Jackson Browne; Little Richard; Crosby, Stills & Nash and friends; Bonnie Raitt; Smokey Robinson; Art Garfunkel; and Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band. The second night features Eric Clapton, U2, Metallica, Aretha Franklin, Jerry Lee Lewis, Jeff Beck and Van Morrison. Given that the Edge appears in the new film It Might Get Loud and that Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck will be playing together in London in February, don’t be surprised if the second night features Jimmy Page showing up and jamming with Clapton, Beck and the Edge from U2. Keep your fingers crossed. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2009-10-28T20:07:17+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/pete-yorn- http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/pete-yorn-#When:20:06:50Z This has been quite a year for Pete Yorn. He had released three albums prior to this year, with his last one in 2006. Now he has two new albums out. Pete Yorn - Back & Fourth and Breaking Up This has been quite a year for Pete Yorn. He had released three albums prior to this year, with his last one in 2006. Now he has two new albums out. Back & Fourth (Columbia) is his breakthrough solo studio release. With the help of executive producer Rick Rubin, Yorn has made a lush and ornate, yet edgy singer-songwriter tour-de-force album that is easily one of the best albums of the year. Yorn has shown flashes of brilliance in the past, but this new album is a powerful, confident outing that solidifies his place in music. He has also made an album with actress Scarlett Johansson entitled Break Up (Atco/Rhino). Johansson has already recorded one album, Anywhere I Lay My Head, which featured covers of Tom Waits songs. This collaboration with Yorn again shows Johansson to be more than just an actress trying her hand at music. The two together have come up with a unified concept album that, given the subject matter, never wallows in misery or melancholy. While not as immediately accessible as Yorn’s solo album, it is an excellent album. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2009-10-28T20:06:50+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/dave-matthews-at-jones-beach http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/dave-matthews-at-jones-beach#When:19:13:11Z The new Dave Matthews Band album, Big Whiskey and GrooGrux King, and the tour supporting it could have easily been a somber affair. Reeling from the tragic death of the group’s sax player, LeRoi Moore, in August of 2008, the group soldiered on to complete the recording of its latest album. Dave Matthews Takes A Sad Song And Makes It Better Dave Matthews Band Jones Beach, July 22, 2009 The new Dave Matthews Band album, Big Whiskey and GrooGrux King, and the tour supporting it could have easily been a somber affair. Reeling from the tragic death of the group’s sax player, LeRoi Moore, in August of 2008, the group soldiered on to complete the recording of its latest album. While many thought the album was named solely as a tribute to the late Moore, the name is actually a nickname that Moore shared with the band’s drummer, Carter Beauford. The spirit of the album’s ultimately optimistic tone and its general dance-jam groove were sometimes undercut by the tentative start of the show, due to what Matthews said was his “waking up with a frog in my throat.” Playing mellower and more instrumental-based songs early on, the group gave Matthews a chance to slowly work his voice into shape and, as the night wore on, he seemed comfortable uncorking some of his quirky, improvisational vocal-scat histrionics. Sometimes mistakenly lumped in only with the jam-band scene, the group shows on its latest album how adept its members are at writing confident, controlled, hook-laden songs and performing them with concise playing and tight musicianship. Producer Rob Cavallo did an excellent job reigning in the group’s jams and focused on the songs that sometimes can get lost in the jams. In addition, the mix by Chris Lord-Alge, who has worked wonders for the likes of Steve Winwood, mixed some of the opening tracks in a way that makes them truly radio-friendly. The standing room-only crowd, which included actor Richard Gere and his girlfriend Carey Lowell sitting two seats in front of me, was having fun taking pictures, dancing, singing along to every song and generally gooving on the whole “funky” vibe. There are few bands who can sustain the level of intensity and true group playing that DMB can over two hours and 45 minutes, which was how long the show was. While Moore is certainly missed, the two new horn players add a jazzy improvisation in a way that adds something new and exciting to the group’s sound. Guitarist Tim Reynolds, who has played with the group before both live and on record and has toured as part of a duo with Matthews, really adds some rock muscle to the group. His versatile style at times recalls Earl Slick, who played with David Bowie after Mick Ronson. Reynolds also adds fluttery, wind-chime pure guitar tones to the band’s sound and would probably be a nice fit with the Dead. A great thing about the group is that even with a new album to promote, the members change the set around each night, keeping it fresh for the fans and for themselves. At Jones Beach on the second night, the group performed seven of the 13 songs from the new album. There were also such classics as “Crash (Into Me),” “Jimi Thing,” “Gravedigger” and the closer, “Tripping Billies.” The lyrics to “Tripping Billies” have more meaning now than ever before, with the lines “Eat, drink, and be merry For tomorrow we die” summing up the band’s current state of mind and offering all of us words to live by. If you attended either of the DMB Jones Beach shows and would like to share your thoughts and/or photos, please submit them below. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2009-10-27T19:13:11+00:00 http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/ive-got-my-own-album-to-do http://www.lipulse.com/blog/article/ive-got-my-own-album-to-do#When:21:07:36Z I caught the group’s second show on September 23rd, 2009, and was completely blown away. Snow Patrol at the Beacon Theatre Snow Patrol played two nights at the Beacon Theatre. I caught the group’s second show on September 23rd, 2009, and was completely blown away. It appears that we are in one of those rare periods in music where the mainstream seems to be inhabited by some very good music–not a lot, but more than usual. Coldplay is simply the most dominant band in music today and now Snow Patrol, another UK band, may be getting close to even wider popular success than it has already enjoyed. Made up of members originally from Northern Ireland and Scotland who now make Glasgow, Scotland their home, Snow Patrol has gone through many personnel changes since its original formation in 1994. The group released two albums before its latest three American releases, and members of the group have also been involved in a slew of side projects, including spinoff group the Reindeer Section. It’s amazing that Snow Patrol chose to play relatively intimate concert halls on its latest American tour. After many European festival dates, including stepping in as a headliner to replace Oasis at the V Festival in England in August, the band could easily be playing bigger venues. Add to that the group’s choice to keep the top ticket price to $49, and clearly what you have is a band that is about the music and respecting its fans. The group’s latest album, A Hundred Million Suns, was the centerpiece of the show and is clearly the group’s best album to date. Although I expected a good show, the group’s energy throughout its performance was amped way up. The musicianship of the group is not to be questioned, as the members have found the perfect balance of guitar-driven pop and a shrewd use of keyboards and effects. The members also clearly love what they do, enjoy each other’s company and have a solid bond with their fans. Lead singer Gary Lightbody is the focus of the group. His nervous passion and vocal performance style are occasionally so intense and heartfelt that he looks as if he is on the verge of tears. While the group primarily plays tracks from its newest release, songs from its last two albums, Eyes Open and Final Straw, still resonate and only get better with age. The group’s performance of “The Lightning Strike” suite, from their latest album, at the end, complete with an animated film, raised the bar above the event’s being a mere concert. If that wasn’t enough, on the group’s current tour, it has borrowed Belle & Sebastian’s drummer, Richard Colburn, who played with the group in its early days and who is also a part of the Reindeer Section. It’s extraordinary how the band maintains such an adventurous sound and cool rock muscle while doing songs that are so unforgettable in their pop tunefulness. Anybody who saw either of the band’s shows should thank their lucky stars, because this is a group with too much appeal, talent and staying power to be able to accommodate its growing legion of fans in small concert halls much longer. Music: Mixed Media Online, 2009-10-20T21:07:36+00:00