domingo, 27 de dezembro de 2020

Cactus - Black Dawn


















Cactus - Black Dawn - 2020

Coming off a very successful US tour and the release of its first studio album in 10 years, Black Dawn, the time has come for founding member and world renown drummer Carmine Appice to re-energize and rebuild Cactus. The band was once heralded by critics as America’s answer to Led Zeppelin.

Appice announced today two new members to the legendary band’s line-up: bassist Jimmy Caputo and guitarist Paul Warren. Caputo replaces bassist Pete Bremy, who has left Cactus to pursue other projects. Warren, best known as lead guitarist for Rod Stewart, Tina Turner and Joe Cocker, will be the band’s new guitarist for touring, taking over for founding member Jim McCarty. McCarty remains a writing and recording member of Cactus but unfortunately i s unable to tour with the band due to health reasons.

Lead vocalist extraordinare Jimmy Kunes and harmonica wizard Randy Pratt, both of whom joined when the band re-grouped in 2006 remain in the line-up. “Nearly five decades after I formed this band, the time has come to re-invent Cactus once again,” says Appice, who also still drums for Vanilla Fudge, The Appice Brothers, and The Platinum Rock All Stars. Adds Appice: “The music remains the same and Cactus is still a ‘hot and sweaty’ band. The level, quality and consistence of the band’s musicianship is as strong as ever.”

"I saw the original Cactus live a few times, and they absolutely killed it,” says guitarist Paul Warren. “That was one of the great bands of the era, and they are still a great band, today. I am excited, and honored, to play with such an historic band!” Warren, who has his own successful solo band, is a native of Detroit and who considers Jim McCarty as one of his biggest musical influences. “"Filling in for Jim McCarty will be a challenge. Not only is he a founding member of the band, he is a brilliant guitarist and one of the best to ever come out of Detroit. Jimmy could never be replaced. I plan to honor and pay homage to his work with Cactus while still bringing some of my own ‘Detroit attitude’ to the legendary music of this band.”

Bassist Jimmy Caputo has worked in a myriad of national touring acts including The Appice Brothers Drum Wars show, which also includes both Carmine and his brother Vinny.

Cactus returned in 2016 with Black Dawn, a new studio album, its first in almost 10 years. Featuring the blistering riff-rock that the band built its reputation upon, Black Dawn is a classic Cactus album with a fresh new energy that the band has not had since its heyday in the early 1970s.

The band has had a long and turbulent history. Formed in 1970 from the ashes of The Vanilla Fudge by Carmine Appice and Tim Bogert. the initial line up also featured McCarty and vocalist Rusty Day. (Appice and Bogert had originally planned a new band with Jeff Beck which was put off until 1973 because of Beck’s near fatal car crash in 1969). Jim McCarty had come from Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels and was playing with The Buddy Miles Express. Tim and Carmine also found vocalist Day in The Amboy Dukes with Ted Nugent. Together, the four musicians formed Cactus, named after the peyote cactus, which provided a key ingredient in mind-altering drugs.

While Cactus saw success from the start and soon built a loyal fan base, by early 1973 the band had collapsed mainly due to lack of real support from its label and the fact that Beck was now ready play with Carmine and Tim.

It would not be until 2006, three decades after the tragic death of Rusty Day that the group reformed with Pratt and Kunes to record CACTUS V and play Sweden Rock. When Tim Bogert was forced into retirement due to complications after a serious motorcycle accident, Pete Bremy joined on bass in both in Cactus and Vanilla Fudge.

Now, with Jimmy Caputo and Paul Warren onboard, Cactus embarks on a new and exciting musical journey – just as powerful as before – and bound to be just as successful...one way or another.

Carmine Appice - Drums, Vocals
Jimmy Kunes - Vocals
Paul Warren - Guitar
Jimmy Caputo - Bass
Randy Pratt - Harmonica

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quarta-feira, 23 de dezembro de 2020

Mick Ronson - Only After Dark - The Complet Mainman Recordings


















Mick Ronson - Only After Dark - The Complet Mainman Recordings - 2020

When David Bowie announced at the Hammersmith Odeon on 3rd July 1973 that he (or, as it subsequently turned out, alter-ego Ziggy Stardust) was breaking up the band, manager Tony Defries glimpsed a golden opportunity rather than the end of an era. With the MainMan agency’s main man coming off the road for at least a while, there was, Defries reasoned, space in the rock star firmament for a new Bowie, particularly one who would also be under MainMan’s management…

Thus it was that Bowie’s faithful right-hand man, Mick Ronson, was thrust into the spotlight. Possibly the most reluctant solo performer ever, Ronno was given three weeks to write and record a debut solo album. With Bowie’s help (he contributed three songs to the set), “Slaughter On 10th Avenue” was quickly pieced together after the conclusion of the “Pin Ups” sessions. Despite its rushed nature it was a strong effort, and the LP reached the UK album charts Top Ten.

Buoyed by this success, Ronson then recorded a second album, “Play Don’t Worry” – although before it could appear, he’d accepted Ian Hunter’s invitation to join Mott The Hoople. As a result, Mick’s sophomore solo set was largely overlooked, and his lukewarm attempts to promote it were further scuppered by his and Ian Hunter’s decision to leave Mott and relocate to America.

Sadly “Slaughter On 10th Avenue” and “Play Don’t Worry” would be the only solo albums released during Mick’s lifetime: after his departure from MainMan in mid-1976, he largely preferred to work in a group context rather than as a solo performer.

Nevertheless, he did continue to record sporadically as a solo act. A 4-CD set, Only After Dark chronicles his peripatetic solo work during the rest of the seventies after his split with Bowie, with those two official albums joined by B-sides, alternative versions, outtakes and a plethora of unissued-at-the-time studio recordings (including a handful with Guam, the backing band for Bob Dylan’s legendary 1975 Rolling Thunder tour) and various highlights from his live shows. Featuring some rare photos and a lengthy new essay on his Seventies career, Only After Dark is the most comprehensive anthology to date of a major talent


CD 01 - Slaughter On 10th Avenue

01. Love Me Tender
02. Growing Up And I'm Fine
03. Only After Dark
04. Music Is Lethal
05. I'm The One
06. Pleasure Man/Hey Ma Get Papa
07. Slaughter On 10th Avenue
08. Leave My Heart Alone (Live)
09. Slaughter On 10th Avenue - Solo Guitar Sections (Alias Solo On 10th Avenue) (Live)
10. Love Me Tender (Live)
11. Slaughter On 10th Avenue (Live)
12. "Teen Magazine" Interview (Spoken Word)
13. Slaughter On 10th Avenue (Live)
14. Angel No. 9
15. F.B.I. (Live)

CD 02 - Play Don't Worry

01. Billy Porter
02. Angel No. 9
03. This Is For You
04. White Light/White Heat
05. Play Don't Worry
06. Hazy Days
07. Girl Can't Help It
08. Empty Bed (Io Me Ne Andrei)
09. Woman
10. Seven Days
11. 28 Days Jam (Out-Take)
12. Stone Love (Soul Love) (Demo)
13. I'd Rather Be Me (Demo)
14. (Is There) Life On Mars? (Demo)
15. Pain In The City (Demo)
16. Dogs (French Girl) (Demo)
17. Woman (Out-Take)
18. Seven Days (Out-Take)

CD 03 - 1976 Sessions

01. Just Like This (Alias All Night Long)
02. I'd Give Anything To See You
03. Takin' A Train
04. Hard Life
05. (I'm Just A) Junkie For Your Love
06. Crazy Love
07. Hey Grandma
08. Is That Any Way
09. I've Got No Secrets
10. Hard Headed Woman
11. Roll Like The River
12. Angel No. 9
13. Junkie (Demo)
14. Just Like This (Alias All Night Long) (Demo)
15. Ronno's Bar And Grill (Studio Out-Take)

CD 04 - Rarities

01. Hey Grandma (Demo)
02. Crazy Love (Demo)
03. Hard Life (Demo - Ballad Version)
04. I'd Give Anything To See You (Demo)
05. Takin' The Next Train (Demo)
06. Crazy Love (Live)
07. Hey Grandma (Live)
08. (Takin' A) Train (Live)
09. Junkie (Live)
10. I'd Give Anything To See You (Live)
11. Hard Life (Live)
12. Just Like This (Alias All Night Long) (Live)


+@320

quinta-feira, 17 de dezembro de 2020

Phenomena - Still The Night


















Tom and Mel Galley put Phenomena together in 1984. Glenn Hughes, Don Airey, Cozy Powell, Neil Murray had been enlisted…Whitesnake versus Deep Purple, a metalised marriage made in hard rock heaven. The following year they released the debut. It was to be the first of an art rock triptych with a supernatural theme.

The second and third albums brought in additional vocalists and musicians, but it was recognised that Hughes was the marquee name, thus this compilation cherry picks the Hughes tracks from the trilogy.

Rumours that MTV had killed the concept album stone dead proved to have been exagerrated, as Phenomena sold over a million copies. Unquestionably a product of its times, it ignored the musicians’ day job and opted for a focus on Radio Rock, big on mood and atmosphere. ‘Dance With The Devil’ lighly underscores the drama, with celtic flavoured keyboard frills and understated axework, leaving Hughes’s macho tones centre stage. The especially good ‘Who’s Watching You’ and ‘Twilight Zone’ particularly combine keyboard heavy pop and overt AOR tropes, recalling Asia and ELO.

Galley assembled a cast of thousands for the follow up, Dream Runner (1987). It is a considerably more expansive affair. ‘Hearts On Fire and ‘Surrender’ lead the way with bigger choruses and juicier axe solos. Both sound like lost pages from Europe’s 80s songbook, full of cascading keys and dramatic choruses. And even up against Ray (Badlands) Gillen and Max (GTR/Bronz) Bacon, Hughes doing his mucho macho thing on these two tracks is what grabs your attention.

We skip the “Hughes free” Inner Visions (1992), and move onto Psycho Fantasy (2006), with Hughes handling vocals on three tracks.

The entire album was a much heavier affair than the Project’s first two releases, with some interesting songwriting going on. Tony Martin’s and Lee Small’s vocals are a thrill to listen to, but it’s Hughes who gives the album weight and momentum. His lived in vocals, a legacy from his dalliance with the darkside a decade and more before, are a compelling driving force on the hard rocking ‘Touch My Life’ and the funked up ‘How Do You Feel’, with the riffy, metallised ‘Higher’ boldly reminding us of the musician’s seventies roots.

Still The Night is as much a salute to Hughes as it is a Phenomena compilation, providing us with the best of both worlds. 

This compilation collects together all 17 Tracks featuring Glenn Hughes on Lead Vocals.

01. Still The Night
02. How Do You Feel?
03. Surrender
04. Dance With The Devil
05. Touch My Life
06. Phoenix Rising

07. Hearts On Fire
08. Believe
09. Running With The Pack
10. Who’s Watching You?
11. Assassins Of The Night
12. Double 6, 55, Double 4
13. Kiss Of Fire
14. Higher
16. Twilight Zone
17. Still the Night (12″ Remix)

segunda-feira, 14 de dezembro de 2020

(Glory) (Damnation Of Adam Blessing) - Glory



















(Glory) (Damnation Of Adam Blessing) - Glory - 1973

Cleveland acid rock combo the Damnation of Adam Blessing was formed in 1968 from the ashes of a pair of local garage bands, the Society and Dust; led by frontman Adam Blessing (Bill Constable), the group also included guitarists Jim Quinn and Bob Kalamasz, bassist Ray Benich, and drummer Bill Schwark. After months of relentless local gigging -- often as the opener for hometown heroes the James Gang -- the Damnation of Adam Blessing signed to United Artists and issued their self-titled debut LP in 1969, followed by a tour in support of the Faces. Second Damnation followed a year later, generating the minor hit "Back to the River"; with their third album, 1971's Which Is Justice, Which Is the Thief, Schwark was replaced by Blessing's drummer brother Ken Constable. In 1973, the group renamed itself Glory, releasing a self-titled LP on the UA subsidiary Avalanche before disbanding. The Italian reissue imprint Akarma re-released all of the Damnation of Adam Blessing's albums in the early to mid-2000s as either straight-up re-releases or with additional bonus tracks. The label even released a reissue of the obscure Glory album and offered deluxe vinyl pressings of most of the CDs as well.

Glory is Damnation's final album, recorded in 1973. The Damnation Of Adam Blessing - Glory released their final album in 1973, but not under the same name. There were some changes in the group’s direction prior to the release of this album. After being dropped by United Artist, the group broke up and then resurfaced as Glory. Ironically the label Avalanche released the album - they were a subsidiary of UA. Adam Blessing reverted back to his given name Bill Constable, and brother Ken also joined the group on vocals and guitar. Ken had a higher voice than Bill, so this made for a splendid give and take between the two brothers, and some soaring sweet harmonies were the product of that sibling vocal tandem.

01. Sunny Days
02. Find Out Lover
03. I Got A Feeling
04. Mrs. Walker
05. You Can Believe
06. Hot Momma
07. Get Up
08. Nightmare
09. Dan


+@320

domingo, 13 de dezembro de 2020

Chris Cornell - No One Sings Like You Anymore


















Chris Cornell - No One Sings Like You Anymore - 2020

No One Sings Like You Anymore (which takes its name from Cornell's "Black Hole Sun" lyrics) includes renditions of John Lennon's "Watching the Wheels," Ghostland Observatory's "Sad Sad City," Harry Nilsson's "Jump Into the Fire," Carl Hall's "You Don't Know Nothing About Love," Electric Light Orchestra's "Showdown," Terry Reid's "To Be Treated Rite," Lorraine Ellison's "Stay With Me Baby" (originally released for HBO's show Vinyl), Janis Joplin's "Get It While You Can," a new studio recording of Prince-penned Sinéad O'Connor hit "Nothing Compares 2 U," and Guns N' Roses "Patience" (which was first released earlier this year on his birthday, and earned him his first solo Billboard Number 1).

Chris Cornell teamed with producer/multi-instrumentalist Brendan O'Brien for No One Sings Like You Anymore (who also worked on the singer's 2015 solo album, Higher Truth), and both musicians handled all instruments during the recording. Cornell personally finalized the song choice and album sequencing.

01 Get it While You Can – Howard Tate/Janis Joplin
02 Jump Into the Fire – Harry Nilsson
03 Sad Sad City – Ghostland Observatory
04 Patience – Guns N’ Roses
05 Nothing Compares 2 U – Prince
06 Watching the Wheels – John Lennon
07 You Don’t Know Nothing About Love – Carl Hall
08 Showdown – Electric Light Orchestra
09 To Be Treated Rite – Terry Reid
10 Stay with Me Baby – Lorraine Ellison


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sexta-feira, 11 de dezembro de 2020

Dean Ford - Dean Ford


















Dean Ford - Dean Ford - 1975

Dean Ford (born Thomas McAleese; 5 September 1945 – 31 December 2018) was a Scottish singer and songwriter best known for his tenure as lead vocalist and frontman of the beat pop group Marmalade from 1966 to 1974. Ford (credited as McAleese) co-wrote the group's worldwide hit "Reflections of My Life" with fellow band member Junior Campbell.[1] "Reflections of My Life" has sold more than two million units globally, and in 1998 the writers were awarded a Special Citation of Achievement by BMI for attaining radio broadcast performances in excess of one million in the U.S. alone

01. Hey My Love
02. Crying In My Sleep
03. The Wishin' Well
04. The Captain
05. Hello
06. Easy Kind Of Feeling
07. Mr. Heartbreaker
08. The Funny Things You Do
09. So Far Away
10. Doin' Something

Dean Ford - Vocal, Acoustic Guitar
Barry De Souza - Drums
Tim Renwick - Electric Guitar
Pete Moss - Bass Guitar 
Pete Wingfield - Keyboards
John Elstar - Harmonica
Barry St. John, Jean Hawker, Ingrind Lintonw - Backing Vocals
BJ Cole - Pedal Steel Guitar




+@192


sexta-feira, 4 de dezembro de 2020

Frank Zappa - Zappa Original Motion Picture Soundtrack


Frank Zappa - Zappa Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - 2020

The soundtrack features songs from Zappa’s record labels Straight and Bizarre Records such as “No Longer Umpire” from Alice Cooper’s debut album, Pretties For You, originally released on Straight in 1969; “The Captain’s Fat Theresa Shoes” by GTO’s, from the all-girl group’s one and only album, Permanent Damage, produced by Zappa. It also includes two classical compositions by Zappa’s lifetime inspirations Edgard Varèse and Igor Stravinsky as well as several interview clips. The soundtrack is rounded out with 26 original score cues newly composed by John Frizzell for the documentary.

With unfettered access to the Zappa Trust and all archival footage, “Zappa” explores the private life behind the mammoth musical career that never shied away from the political turbulence of its time. Winter’s assembly features appearances by Zappa’s widow Gail Zappa and several of his musical collaborators including Mike Keneally, Ian Underwood, Steve Vai, Pamela Des Barres, Bunk Gardner, David Harrington, Scott Thunes, Ruth Underwood, Ray White and others. Announced on Kickstarter in 2016, the film became the highest-funded documentary in the crowdfunding site’s history.

Taken together “Zappa” and the companion soundtrack offer a riveting, revealing and emotional portrait of Frank Zappa, a trailblazer, iconoclast, virtuosic musician and fearless artist who forever changed music and culture with his unconventional and uncompromising vision. From his early psychedelic rock beginnings to his avant-garde experimentation, jazz-rock explorations, symphonic suites and satirical send-ups to his conceptual, compositional and technological innovations, Zappa shattered the norms every step of the way and his influence and ethos continues to reverberate as strongly today as ever.

01. Anyway The Wind Blows (from Freak Out!) – The Mothers of Invention
02. You’re Probably Wondering Why I’m Here (from Freak Out!) – The Mothers of Invention
03. Everytime I See You – The Heartbreakers^
04. Motherly Love (from Freak Out!) – The Mothers of Invention
05. Memories Of El Monte (Live from the Whisky A Go-Go – June 23, 1968) – The Mothers of Invention*
06. Oh! In The Sky (Live from the Whisky A Go-Go – June 23, 1968) – The Mothers of Invention*
07. The Duke (Live from the Whisky A Go-Go – June 23, 1968) – The Mothers of Invention*
08. How Could I Be Such A Fool? (from Mystery Disc) – Frank Zappa
09. “The Reason We Have Stayed Together…” – Frank Zappa interview with Warren Duffy / WMEX Boston, MA – January 31, 1969*
10. Black Beauty (from Mystery Disc) – Frank Zappa
11. Absolutely Free (from We’re Only In It For The Money) – The Mothers of Invention
12. You Didn’t Try To Call Me (Basic Tracks) (from The MOFO Project/Object) – Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention
13. Agency Man (from Mystery Disc) – Frank Zappa
14. Oh No (from Weasels Ripped My Flesh) – The Mothers of Invention
15. Mother People (from We’re Only In It For The Money) – The Mothers of Invention
16. Stravinsky: The Firebird Suite: Finale – Orchestre de l’Opéra Bastille & Myung Whun Chung
17. “FZ on Varèse” – Frank Zappa interview with Craig Eldon Pinkus, Indiana University Radio-TV Center – April 25, 1974*
18. Varèse: Ionisation – Chicago Symphony Orchestra & Pierre Boulez
19. The Captain’s Fat Theresa Shoes – GTO’s^
20. No Longer Umpire – Alice Cooper
21. Road Ladies (from Chunga’s Revenge) – Frank Zappa

CD2:

22. Call Any Vegetable (Excerpts) (Live at Fillmore West – November 6, 1970) – Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention*
23. Happy Together (Live at Fillmore West – November 6, 1970) – Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention*
24. Scumbag (Live at Fillmore East, NYC, 1971) (from Playground Psychotics) – Frank Zappa, The Mothers of Invention, John Lennon, Yoko Ono
25. Your Mouth (from Waka/Jawaka) – Frank Zappa
26. Cheepnis (Live at the Roxy, 12/10/73, Show 1) (from The Roxy Performances) – Frank Zappa
27. Apostrophe’ (Live in Los Angeles, Rehearsal Hall – June 21, 1974) – Frank Zappa*
28. Muffin Man (Live at The Palladium, NYC, 1977) (from Baby Snakes – The Compleat Soundtrack) – Frank Zappa^
29. Dancin’ Fool (Live on “Saturday Night Live” – October 21, 1978) – Frank Zappa*
30. Mo’s Vacation (Live in Munich 1978) – Frank Zappa*
31. The Black Page #1 (Piano Version) (from Zappa In New York 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) – Frank Zappa
32. Sofa (1977 Mix, Live) (from Zappa In New York 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) – Frank Zappa
33. Fembot In A Wet T-shirt (from Joe’s Garage – Act I) – Frank Zappa
34. Valley Girl (from Ship Arriving Too Late To Save A Drowning Witch) – Frank Zappa & Moon Zappa
35. The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing (Live at The Pier, NYC – 1984) – Frank Zappa*
36. H.R. 2911 (from Frank Zappa Meets The Mothers Of Prevention) – Frank Zappa
37. G-Spot Tornado (from The Yellow Shark) – Frank Zappa

CD3:

38. Frank’s Library – Original Documentary Score by John Frizzell
39. Edgewood Arsenal – Original Documentary Score by John Frizzell
40. Frank’s Parents – Original Documentary Score by John Frizzell
41. The Blackouts – Original Documentary Score by John Frizzell
42. Greeting Cards – Original Documentary Score by John Frizzell
43. Studio Z – Original Documentary Score by John Frizzell
44. Frank Goes To Jail – Original Documentary Score by John Frizzell
45. Musically Difficult – Original Documentary Score by John Frizzell
46. The Parts Are Complicated – Original Documentary Score by John Frizzell
47. Murray Roman’s TV Show – Original Documentary Score by John Frizzell
48. Frank Put His Foot Down – Original Documentary Score by John Frizzell
49. Laurel Canyon – Original Documentary Score by John Frizzell
50. The Manson Family – Original Documentary Score by John Frizzell
51. Are We Going To Get Paid – Original Documentary Score by John Frizzell
52. Steve Vai’s Perspective – Original Documentary Score by John Frizzell
53. Frank Could Be Hardcore – Original Documentary Score by John Frizzell
54. Bruce Bickford’s Zappa Head – Original Documentary Score by John Frizzell
55. If I’m Alive – Original Documentary Score by John Frizzell
56. Keep This Guy Under Check – Original Documentary Score by John Frizzell
57. Frank’s Business Perspective – Original Documentary Score by John Frizzell
58. Fake It – Original Documentary Score by John Frizzell
59. Don’t Have Any Friends – Original Documentary Score by John Frizzell
60. Hi, I’m Moon – Original Documentary Score by John Frizzell
61. Frank Addresses Congress – Original Documentary Score by John Frizzell
62. Turn Off That Zappa Music – Original Documentary Score by John Frizzell
63. Frank Getting Sick – Original Documentary Score by John Frizzell
64. Envelopes (1983 Original Vinyl Mix) – Frank Zappa, London Symphony Orchestra^
65. Overture (Live in Frankfurt, Germany – September 19, 1992) – Ensemble Modern, Conducted by Frank Zappa*
66. Get Whitey (from The Yellow Shark) – Frank Zappa
67. Nap Time (from Everything Is Healing Nicely) – Frank Zappa
68. Watermelon In Easter Hay (Live, 1978) (from Frank Zappa Plays The Music Of Frank Zappa – A Memorial Tribute) – Frank Zappa


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