prog rockers

Asher Quinn - Open Secret

2009-02-14T01:12:00.002-06:00

Coming soon for PRE-order! (release date 16th March 2009)
All pre-orders will be signed by Asher Quinn & Anthony Phillips!!!
Please read our Pre-order & Despatch Information HERE

This was Asher’s debut album originally released in 1987 - a haunting, lyrical suite with a progressive, classical, quietly epic feel to it, and a deeply evocative nature where each piece conjures up a striking visual narrative

Produced and arranged with original Genesis guitarist Anthony Phillips (who plays on the album) 'Open Secret' also features rock legend Andy Latimer of Camel, and Tony Freer of The Enid

Having been remastered since its original release this edition includes five bonus tracks not on the original 1987 album

Two of the bonus tracks include ‘Little Wolf’, a piano piece previously released on Asher's album ‘Single As Love’ (under the title ‘The King's Wolf’) and ‘Open Secret (vocal version)’, a recording from 2005

The three other bonus tracks ('The Power of Love', 'Song of the Morning' and 'Shine Brightly') were all recorded during the original sessions for the album but have remained unreleased until now. They have been newly mixed for inclusion on this re-issue

All music composed by Asher Quinn
Original album arranged and produced by Anthony Phillips and Asher Quinn

Musicians:
Asher Quinn: Piano, Keyboards, Vocals
Anthony Phillips: Keyboards, Spanish, Bass, Rhythm & 12-string Guitars, Mandocello
Andy Latimer: Lead, Tex-Mex guitars
Tristan Maillot: Drums, Percussion
Ivor McGregor: Violin
Cythia Robertson: Flute
Anthony Freer: Oboe
Jemma Sidell: Pizzicato Cello
Phil Thornton: Recorder on Open Secret (vocal version)

Remastered by Phil Thornton

Asher has sold over half a million albums since this debut, and 4 of them – ‘Open Secret’, ‘Mystic Heart’, ‘Wings of Fire’ and ‘Concert of Angels’ - have topped new-age and ambient album charts around the world. To date he has released more than 20 albums

Asher’s music has drawn comparisons with Peter Gabriel, Phillip Glass and film score composers Ennio Morricone and Hans Zimmer

Track List
Sacred Heart
Journey To A Remarkable Place
Soldier of Love
A Solitary Bird
Days of Honey
Violette
Luna Nueva
Little Wolf (bonus track)
Open Secret
Open Secret (vocal version) (bonus track)
The Power of Love (bonus track)
Song of the Morning (bonus track)
Shine Brightly (bonus track)

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Genesis - SACD/DVD Remasters - 1970-1975 Box Set (SACD/DVD)

2008-10-10T23:39:00.000-06:00

GENESIS: 1970-1975 is the final instalment of Genesis' reissued albums in 5.1, including new stereo mixes, exclusive DVD footage and rare extras. This third and final studio boxed set goes back to the band’s early years with lead singer Peter Gabriel

This is the only chance fans will have to purchase these albums in this format as they will not be released individually in 5.1 at any time in the future

A beautifully packaged boxed set presenting five of Genesis' earliest studio albums as SACD/CD Hybrid and DVD Dual Disc sets featuring 5.1 DTS and Dolby Digital Surround Sound and new stereo mixes of the original albums (5.1 and news stereo mixes created by Tony Banks, Nick Davis and Mike Rutherford), plus bonus videos and new interviews with band members filmed exclusively for these reissues. The set contains hours of previously unreleased video. A booklet accompanies each album featuring sleeve notes by Richard McPhail (Trespass), David Baddiel (Nursery Cryme), Roger Taylor (Foxtrot), Jeremy Clarkson (Selling England By The Pound) and Tony Robinson (The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway). The set also contains new liner notes from the band including Peter Gabriel

The set includes a bonus extras disc full of rarities including 'Genesis Plays Jackson', an aborted soundtrack project for a BBC Art film on the work of painter Michael Jackson. Fans will notice how sections of this music evolved into other songs. "Frustration" is an early version of "Anyway" from The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, while "Manipulation" features themes heard later in "The Musical Box" from Nursery Cryme. The bonus SACD/DVD only comes with the box set

As part of Selling England By The Pound's extras there is a hidden gem for Genesis fans - previously unreleased footage of an extraordinary performance at Shepperton Studios

See below for full track lists and DVD video extras

For each album ('The Lamb' being the exception - see below):
Disc 1 - CD/SACD (CD Stereo - playable on normal CD players/SACD Stereo/SACD 5.1 Surround Sound)
Disc 2 - DVD (Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound (24bit/48K)/DTS 5.1 Surround Sound (24bit/96K)

'The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway' has it's own special packaging and contains 2 SACD/CD discs and 1 DVD disc

PLEASE NOTE: The video extras on the DVDs discs are in PAL (European) picture format (All Region). NTSC editions ARE being released but we're unable to buy-in/sell these as we are in the UK

Track List

Trespass
Looking For Someone
White Mountain
Visions Of Angels
Stagnation
Dusk
The Knife

DVD includes Video extras:
(please note the video content is in PAL (European) picture format)
i) Genesis: Reissues Interview 2007

Nursery Cryme
The Musical Box
For Absent Friends
The Return Of The Giant Hogweed
Seven Stones
Harold The Barrel
Harlequin
The Fountain Of Salmacis

DVD includes Video extras:
(please note the video content is in PAL (European) picture format)
i) Genesis: Reissues Interview 2007

Foxtrot
Watcher Of The Skies
Time Table
Get 'Em Out By Friday
Can-Utility And The Coastliners
Horizons
Supper's Ready

DVD includes Video extras:
(please note the video content is in PAL (European) picture format)
i) Genesis: Reissues Interview 2007
ii) Brussels, Belgium - Rock Of The 70's 1972
iii) Rome, Italy - Piper Club 1972

Selling England By The Pound
Dancing With The Moonlit Knight
I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe)
Firth Of Fifth
More Fool Me
The Battle Of Epping Forest
After The Ordeal
The Cinema Show
Aisle Of Plenty

DVD includes Video extras:
(please note the video content is in PAL (European) picture format)
i) Genesis: Reissues Interview 2007
ii) Shepperton Studios, Italian TV 1973
iii) Bataclan, France 1973

The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway
SACD/CD1
The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway
Fly On A Windshield
Broadway Melody Of 1974
Cuckoo Cocoon
In The Cage
The Grand Parade Of Lifeless Packaging
Back In N.Y.C.
Hairless Heart
Counting Out Time
Carpet Crawlers
The Chamber Of 32 Doors

SACD/CD2
Lilywhite Lilith
The Waiting Room
Anyway
Here Comes The Supernatural Anaesthetist
The Lamia
Silent Sorrow In Empty Boats
The Colony Of Slipperman (The Arrival / A Visit To The Doktor / Raven)
Ravine
The Light Dies Down On Broadway
Riding The Scree
In The Rapids
It

DVD includes all tracks plus Video extras:
(please note the video content is in PAL (European) picture format)
i) Genesis: Reissues Interview 2007
ii) Melody - French TV 1974
iii) Slide Show
iv) Photo Gallery

Extra Tracks 1970 - 1975 (Bonus Disc)
Happy the Man (7" single)
Twilight Alehouse (B-side - I Know What I Like)
Going Out To Get You (Demo 1969)
Shepherd (BBC Nightride 1970)
Pacidy (BBC Nightride 1970)
Let Us Now Make Love (BBC Nightride 1970)
Provocation (Genesis Plays Jackson)
Frustration (Genesis Plays Jackson)
Manipulation (Genesis Plays Jackson)
Resignation (Genesis Plays Jackson)

DVD includes Video extras:
(please note the video content is in PAL (European) picture format)
i) Genesis: Reissues Interview 2007
ii) 1967 - 1975 VH1 Special
iii) Midnight Special Performance:
Watcher Of The Skies
The Musical Box

For more info and PRE-ordering go here: http://www.camino.co.uk/product/1970-1975_box_set_sacddvd.html
Please read our 'Pre-order & Despatch' info here: http://www.camino.co.uk/preordering.html

http://www.stevehackett.com
http://www.camino.co.uk

Stop Press - Camino Records News Update

2008-04-28T05:11:00.000-06:00

The Genesis 2007 Live DVD 'When In Rome' is now available for PRE-order from the Camino Shop (release date 26th May).

A triple DVD featuring over 4 and a half hours of material shot during Genesis' first tour in 15 Years.

During the European leg of the 'Turn It On Again Tour' Tony, Phil and Mike (along with with Daryl and Chester) played a series of stadiums ending with a spectacular concert in Rome in front of 500,000 fans at the beautiful Circo Massimo on 14th July. This final European date was captured in all its glory by director David Mallet.

In addition to the 2 hour 40 minute show (with extras) which spans 2 DVDs, the third DVD is devoted to an extraordinary fly-on-the-wall documentary filmed from the inception of the tour back in 2006 by Anthony Mathile. This runs for a full 1 hour 50 minutes and is called 'Come Rain Or Shine'.

Please Note: This DVD is in PAL (European) picture format - as we're in the UK this is the format we can buy-in/sell (we understand that a North American version is also being released).

For more info and PRE-ordering, go here: http://www.camino.co.uk/product/when_in_rome_-_genesis_live_2007_dvd_pal.html
Please read our 'Pre-ordering & Dispatch Information' here: http://www.camino.co.uk/preordering.html

Also,

We're pleased to announce that the next Anthony Phillips reissue/remaster 'Wise After The Event' is available for PRE-order (release date 19th May). The first 300 PRE-ordered copies will be signed by Ant! (this will be on a first-come first-served basis).

Originally released in 1978, 'Wise After The Event' has been remastered from the original master tapes by Simon Heyworth for this 30th anniversary 2 CD reissue. It includes the non-album track 'Squirrel' as an extra track on disc one.

Disc two includes no less than 64 minutes of variations, demos and alternate versions of the songs from the album, including some unique new mixes made from the original multitrack masters especially for this release. The edited single version of 'We're All As We Lie' (which has not previously been available on CD) is also included.

For more info and PRE-ordering, go here: http://www.camino.co.uk/product/wise_after_the_event_2008_reissue.html
Please read our 'Pre-ordering & Dispatch Information' here: http://www.camino.co.uk/preordering.html
Please Note: There may (or may not) be a slight delay in dispatch due to signing, but as usual we'll be as quick as we can!

That's it for now.

All the best,
--
Andy Lodge
Camino Records / stevehackett.com

http://www.stevehackett.com
http://www.camino.co.uk

Stop Press - NEKTAR on iTunes

2008-03-28T19:08:00.001-06:00

NEKTAR Releases Entire Catalog Digitally Via Hybrid Recordings

Hybrid Recordings and the legendary progressive rock band Nektar have entered into an agreement granting Hybrid worldwide rights (excluding Germany, Switzerland, and Austria) to digitally distribute Nektar’s entire catalog.

“We are thrilled to have Nektar’s remastered catalog available digitally through Hybrid Recordings,” says Al Cafaro, co-CEO Metropolitan Talent, Inc. “Our hope is to have their catalog revitalized through this process maybe leading us to work together on a new Nektar release.”
Formed in Hamburg, Germany, in 1969, Nektar was one of the first rock bands to introduce concept albums and full-album-length suites. Among the group’s storied successes are three gold-certified albums, “Remember the Future,” “Down to Earth” and “Recycled.” Nektar has continued into the present day with new albums and world tours.

In October 2003, Nektar negotiated full rights for its entire back catalog outside of Germany and began a full remastering campaign. April 2004 saw the release of the classic albums “Journey to the Centre of the Eye,” “A Tab in the Ocean,” and “Recycled” (all with previously unreleased bonus material). That month, a special, remixed CD boxed set of the band’s entire August 1974 concert at New York City’s Academy of Music was also released on the band’s own Dream Nebula imprint, part of the UK label Electric Discs.

The above albums and all future releases – remastered from the original tapes, using the highest standards – are available via download from sites such as iTunes.

Hybrid Recordings is a subsidiary of Metropolitan Talent, Inc., a multifaceted entertainment company led by co-CEO’s John Scher and Al Cafaro. The company’s concert division, Metropolitan Talent Presents, produces live events throughout the Northeast. An artist management division (Bruce Hornsby, Little Feat, Art Garfunkel, the Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir & RatDog) and the independent Hybrid imprint (Johnette Napolitano, Gin Blossoms, Assembly of Dust, Jen Chapin) are also under the Metropolitan umbrella.

Hybrid Recordings

Stop Press - Camino Records News Update

2008-03-28T19:03:00.001-06:00

Camino Records News Update - Signed Anthony Phillips Albums Available For PRE-order!

Dear All,

We're pleased to announce the new album 'Wildlife' by Anthony Phillips & Joji Hirota is available for PRE-order from the Camino Shop (release date 21st April). All PRE-orders will be signed by Ant!

Between 1994 and 2000, Anthony and Joji collaborated on a number of outstanding soundtracks for wildlife television programmes in the award-winning 'Survival' series. In addition, Anthony also wrote and recorded the music for a programme in the BBC series 'The Natural World'.
Now for the first time highlights from these richly atmospheric and evocative soundtracks are available as a new collection 'Wildlife'.

For more info and PRE-ordering, go here: http://www.camino.co.uk/product/wildlife.html
Please read our 'Pre-ordering & Dispatch Information' here: http://www.camino.co.uk/preordering.html
Please Note: There may (or may not) be a slight delay in dispatch due to signing, but as usual we'll be as quick as we can!

As if that wasn't enough, the 30th anniversary 2 CD remastered reissue of Ant's 'The Geese And The Ghost' is also available for PRE-order (release date 14th April). Again, all PRE-orders will be signed by Ant!

The Geese And The Ghost was originally released in 1977 and features performances from Mike Rutherford, Phil Collins and John Hackett alongside Anthony. The album itself has been expertly remastered from the original master tapes by recording engineer and co-producer of the original album Simon Heyworth. Check-out the album on the site for details of the heap of extras on the second CD!

For more info and PRE-ordering, go here: http://www.camino.co.uk/product/the_geese_and_the_ghost_2008_reissue.html
Please read our 'Pre-ordering & Dispatch Information' here: http://www.camino.co.uk/preordering.html
Please Note: If pre-ordered with 'Wildlife' then both albums will be sent together once Wildlife is released on 21st April. Again, there may (or may not) be a slight delay in dispatch due to signing, but we'll be as quick as possible!

That's it for now.

All the best,
--
Andy Lodge
Camino Records / stevehackett.com

http://www.stevehackett.com
http://www.camino.co.uk

James LaBrie

2008-03-04T02:55:00.003-06:00

@ Wikipedia
Kevin James LaBrie (born May 5, 1963) is a Canadian vocalist who is best known for being the lead singer in progressive metal band Dream Theater.

Biography
Kevin LaBrie was born in Penetanguishene, Ontario, Canada and started singing and playing drums at age 5. By his mid-teens, he was a member of several bands as a singer and/or drummer, and in 1981, at age 18, he moved to Toronto to further his musical pursuits. He currently resides in Midland, Ontario, with his wife Karen, daughter Chloe, and son Chance.

After stints with various bands, he became the vocalist for glam metal band Winter Rose, who released a self-titled album in 1987.

In 1991 he learned that an American progressive metal band called Dream Theater was in the market for a singer, so he sent down a tape and was quickly flown to New York for a full audition. The trial went well, and he was chosen ahead of 200 other hopefuls to fill the full-time vocalist position in that band.

Having two Johns (Myung and Petrucci) in the band already, and with another Kevin in the band, LaBrie dropped his first name and adopted his current stage name of James LaBrie.

In 1993, he was the first choice consideration to replace departed Iron Maiden vocalist, Bruce Dickinson, as well as a consideration to replace Rob Halford in Judas Priest. (Dream Theater went on to record Deep Purple's "Perfect Strangers" at the BBC radio studios with Bruce Dickinson, as well as perform an Iron Maiden medley live with Dickinson in Los Angeles.) LaBrie has since had a significant impact on the vocal melodies on each Dream Theater album, but continues to have little input into the musical side of Dream Theater. To date he has written lyrics for at least one song on each album (excluding Images and Words) Dream Theater has released with him in the band.

On December 29, 1994, while vacationing in Cuba, LaBrie suffered a severe case of food poisoning and while vomiting, ruptured his vocal cords. He saw three throat specialists who all said there was nothing they could do for him and the only thing he could do was rest his voice as much as possible. However, on January 12, 1995, and against doctor's orders, he was on the "Awake" tour in Japan with his voice far from normal. James has said he didn't feel vocally "normal" until at least 1997.

His musical inspiration comes from many different genres, including such artists as Metallica, Ludwig van Beethoven, Nat King Cole [2], Queen and Sting, whose inspiration, according to LaBrie, is shown on the Dream Theater's album, Octavarium.

Throughout his career with Dream Theater, he has lent his voice to many other artists' records as well as tribute albums to some influential artists. He has appeared on many Trent Gardner releases (including Leonardo: The Absolute Man and Explorer's Club), as well as appearing on albums by such artists as Ayreon (The Human Equation, released 2004), Shadow Gallery, Tim Donohue and Frameshift.

With Matt Guillory and Mike Mangini, LaBrie has released three solo albums under various names (Mullmuzzler, James LaBrie's Mullmuzzler, and simply James LaBrie). His latest, Elements of Persuasion, was released in March, 2005. A fourth solo album is widely rumored to be in the works.

Since 2004, LaBrie has been working with the True Symphonic Rockestra project, along with Thomas Dewald, Vladimir Grishko, Dirk Ulrich, Christopher Jesidero, Sandro Martinez, Paul Mayland, Marvin Philippi, and Igor Marin. Their 2006 album, TSR, has been finished since early July, with Brainworx and Marinsound working on a release.

LaBrie is also a featured vocalist on Henning Pauly's "Babysteps" project released in 2006, LaBrie plays the role of the arrogant doctor.

James has said in many older interviews that he is Christian, and actively practices the religion. However, more recent interviews, along with some of his lyrics (including "Undecided" on Elements of Persuasion) imply a more spiritual and deist perspective, separate from any form of organized religion.

============ blogprock ============

@ James LaBrie
Kevin James Labrie was born on May 5, 1963 in Penetanguishene, a town in Ontario, Canada. James' parents say that when he was three years old, he would walk around the house singing whatever songs were on the radio. Although he didn't get the words right, he could sing the melodies. Inspired by his father, James started singing and playing drums at age 5: "My parents say I was tapping on everything so if they didn't get me a drum set, I'd ruin the house!" When he was six years old, he was very intent on replicating different vocal styles and techniques. It was obvious that his voice was very mature for a six year old. When James was in elementary school, his teacher put him in singing class to further his training. Meanwhile, his father, uncle, and brothers were in a barber shop quartet, which James was made a part of.

Yet James' real love was rock music which he pursued by his early teens. By fourteen, James was singing and playing drums in several bands. However, James knew that drums were secondary to his true passion, singing. At eighteen, James moved to Toronto, Canada.

At age 21, he began vocal training with the renowned vocal coach Rosemary Patricia Burns. After working with several Canadian bands, James became the vocalist for Winter Rose, which almost signed with Atlantic Records. Then Pierre Paradis, who managed the band Voi Vod, approached James regarding a solo project with Aquarius Records. He also told James about a New York based band called Dream Theater who were looking for a vocalist. The rest, as they say, is history.

James' musical tastes are quite varied as he names Metallica, Aerosmith, Van Halen, Journey and Judas Priest as well as classical composers Mozart, Vivaldi and Beethoven as favorites. Influential vocalists include Steve Perry (formerly of Journey), Freddie Mercury, Sting, Paul Rodgers and Nat King Cole. James continues to practice with Ms. Burns and encourages other vocalists to pursue formal training.

Throughout his musical career, James has become one of the most well-respected and admired vocalists in progressive rock. As the voice of Dream Theater and guest performer on numerous side projects, James has helped to define the sound of progressive music for the next millenium. His incredible range and distinctive, intense vocal performances have earned him accolades from fans and critics alike.

In addition to Dream Theater's numerous studio and live releases (Images & Words, Live at the Marquee, Awake, A Change of Seasons, Falling Into Infinity, Once in a LIVEtime, Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From A Memory, Live Scenes From New York, Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence, Train of Thought, Live At Budokan, and Octavarium), James has also appeared on releases by Fates Warning and Shadow Gallery, Trent Gardner's Explorer's Club and Leonardo the Absolute Man, the first Frameshift album (Unweaving the Rainbow), Ayreon's The Human Equation, as well as tribute albums to Rush, Emerson Lake & Palmer, and Queen. In 1999, James completed and released the first MullMuzzler cd, Keep it to Yourself to much critical acclaim. The followup, James LaBrie's MullMuzzler 2, was released on September 11th, 2001. In 2005, James dropped the MullMuzzler moniker and released Elements of Persuasion, the third and arguably greatest of his solo efforts. A fourth solo album is already in the works so stay tuned.

When not on the road, James enjoys camping, downhill skiing and reading. His favorite authors include Anne Rice, Dee Brown, Robert Utley and Forest Carter. James currently lives in Toronto, Canada with his wife Karen, daughter Chloe, and son Chance Abraham.

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@Ayreon
Studio report - The Human Equation

Dream Theater frontman James LaBrie had told reporters and fans that he really wanted to work with Arjen one day. In November that day had finally come as James flew over from Toronto to enter the Electric Castle and record his vocals. Read the report and check out the pictures (click to enlarge)!

- What made you choose James LaBrie for this Ayreon project?

Arjen: When I first heard Dream Theater I especially liked - besides the excellent instrumentalists of course- the soft and emotional side of James' warm voice. When I bought 'Scenes' and I listened to it, I was convinced. I just had to have that voice on Ayreon, he would fit in very well with my music.

- How did you get in touch with James?

Arjen: My good friend (just in case he reads this ;-) Gary 'Shadow Gallery' Wehrkamp played my album 'Into The Electric Castle' to James, and James absolutely loved it. Gary told me about this, and obviously I sent James an email straight away asking him if he would be interested to guest on one of my projects one day. He immediately answered me and wrote me that he really likes my music and that he would love to be a part of it. He told me he would sing as much as I wanted him to. That was some years ago. I was waiting for the right project to come along for him, and this is it. He plays the main character on the album.

- Describe the recording session in three words.

Arjen: Professional, emotional, well-prepared.

- How would you describe James' voice?

Arjen: Personally I love his warm, emotional and full voice, but I also had him do some really impressive high screams!

- What was the most memorable moment?

Arjen: When James went jogging for 20 minutes before the first session, and he hadn't returned an hour later! He got lost (in the dark) and I had to search for him in my car. He was freezing and just wearing a t-shirt! Luckily he could laugh about the whole thing.

- What was something you absolutely didn't expect?

Arjen: That he would come so well-prepared. He knew the story and the character he had to portray even better than I did! And the amount of emotion he put into his performance, I can easily see why he sells millions of albums.

- What was something James did not expect?

Arjen: I think he came here with pretty high expectations, because he speaks so highly about me to people I know and to the press. I just hope I lived up to his expectations.

- James has the unique ability to...

Arjen: ...become the character he's portraying.

- Describe the endresult of the session.

Arjen: Hey, I've got the voice of Dream Theater on my album!

============ blogprock ============

James LaBrie - Drained Solo @ Youtube

Steve Hackett News

2007-11-28T18:28:00.000-06:00

Dear Hacketteers,

Just a quick note to let you know that Steve is to be a guest on BBC Radio 2's "Celebrity Popmaster" pop quiz!

Station: BBC Radio 2
Broadcast Date: December 5th 2007
Show: Ken Bruce
Approx. Broadcast Time: 10:25am to 10:50am GMT (the show is broadcast live)

Steve is on Popmaster with Chris Squire of 'Yes', each tackling the music questions put to them, and having a bit of a chat generally.
If we're lucky and there's time, there may be an exclusive advance playing of a new Hackett rock track featuring Chris on bass - this can't be guaranteed though!

BBC radio can be listened to in various ways such as Analogue/Digital Radio, the Internet, and Digital TV.
For info/help in listening, go here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/help/
There's a 'listen again' archive feature on the BBC Radio site, so if you miss the show live you should still be able to catch it online for 7 days.
For more info/help on 'Listen Again', go here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/help/listenagain.shtml
For more info on the Ken Bruce show, go here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/shows/bruce/

Also,

Steve has contributed guitar to 'Chris Squire's Swiss Choir' album which takes traditional English Christmas music and adds a rock backing.
It features the English Baroque Choir, Gerard Johnson (keys), Jeremy Stacey (drums), and Chris on bass guitar.
Released on 26th November, orders are being taken via Chris's store. Go here: http://www.interstellar9.com/chris_squire.htm
An MP3 of 'Silent Night/Night Of Silence' can be heard on Chris's site. Go here: http://www.chrissquire.net/music.html

That's it for now.

All the best,
--
http://www.stevehackett.com
http://www.camino.co.uk

Hands of priestess (Steve Hackett) - Horizons Orchestra

Steve Hackett@Youtube

Tony Levin

2007-06-15T21:43:00.000-06:00

@ Wiki
Tony Levin (born June 6, 1946, Boston, Massachusetts) is an influential American bass player. He has played with Peter Gabriel, King Crimson, Yes, Liquid Tension Experiment, Pink Floyd, John Lennon, Dire Straits, Joan Armatrading, Alice Cooper, Seal, David Bowie, Deodato, Pandora's Box, Carly Simon, California Guitar Trio, Sarah McLachlan, Kevin Max, The Roches and Paul Simon, among many others.

Known for his innovative spirit, Tony Levin is partly responsible for popularizing the Chapman Stick and the NS upright bass. He has also created funk fingers, a device for mimicking the sound of hitting the strings with drumsticks (which sounds very similar to slap style bass).

Levin is a widely-respected bass player, probably most famous for the bassline from Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer", but many fans point to King Crimson as his best work.

In addition to his work as a sideman and in collaborative projects, he has various solo albums (Waters of Eden, Pieces of the Sun), and a live Tony Levin Band album. In April, 2006 he released Resonator and launched a North American tour of the same name, which also travelled to Italy, Russia and Mexico.

Biography
Tony Levin was born in Boston, Massachusetts and grew up in the suburb of Brookline. He began playing upright bass at 10 years old. In high school, he picked up tuba, soloing with the concert band. He also started a barbershop quartet. He primarily played classical music on the upright, most notably performing at the White House with a youth orchestra for John and Jackie Kennedy.

He then attended the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY and played in the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. Also at the school was Steve Gadd, now a renowned drummer, who introduced Tony to playing a higher level of jazz and rock. He traded in his Ampeg electric upright Baby Bass for an old (at that time) Fender Precision Bass, which was his only instrument for many years.

In 1970, Tony moved to New York City, joined a band called Aha, the Attack of the Green Slime Beast, with Don Preston of The Mothers of Invention. Soon after, he began working as a session musician, and through the 1970's he played bass on many albums.

In the late '70s, wanting to do more live playing, Tony joined Peter Gabriel's band. He had met Peter through producer Bob Ezrin (with whom Tony had recorded Alice Cooper's Welcome to My Nightmare, and Lou Reed's Berlin). Tony has played with Gabriel, both on the road and in the studio, since then. On that first Peter Gabriel album, Tony played some tuba as well as bass, and directed a short barbershop quartet version of a song.

It was in these early years with Gabriel that Tony developed his playing of the Chapman Stick. More recently, the song "Big Time", from Gabriel's So album, inspired the development of funk fingers, which are chopped off drumsticks used to hammer on the bass strings. Levin credits Gabriel with the idea, and Andy Moore, his tech at the time, with actually making them workable.

In 1978, Tony moved to Woodstock, New York, to join the band L'Image, which included his old friend Steve Gadd, as well as Mike Mainieri and Warren Bernhardt. The band broke up after a year, and Tony stayed in Woodstock, where he still lives.

On Peter Gabriel's first album, Tony met Robert Fripp and, in 1980, after having played on Fripp's solo album Exposure, he became a member of the '80s incarnation of King Crimson.

Through the years, Tony has toured with quite a few artists including: Paul Simon (with whom Tony appeared in Simon's 1980 film "One Trick Pony"), Gary Burton, James Taylor, Herbie Mann, Goro Noguchi, Judy Collins, Joe Yamanaka, Carly Simon, Peter Frampton, Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe, Tim Finn, Richie Sambora, and Claudio Baglioni.

In 1984 Tony released Road Photos, a collection of black & white photos taken during his travels with Crimson, Gabriel, Simon and others. Tony's brother, Pete Levin, is a New York keyboardist and writer who is best known for his work with Gil Evans. Back in the 70's, Tony and Pete collaborated with Steve Gadd in the comedy band The Clams. Some of the Clams's material may eventually be released, as previously stated by Levin.

Tony was part of King Crimson up until the breakup of the "Double Trio" line-up of the band which consisted of Tony Levin, Robert Fripp, Adrian Belew, Trey Gunn, Pat Mastelotto and Bill Bruford. Robert Fripp then reformed King Crimson as a quartet, without Levin and Bruford. Levin also took part in two of the post-breakup experimental sub-groups ProjeKct One (1997) and ProjeKct Four (1998).

In 1998, Levin and Bruford formed Bruford Levin Upper Extremities with trumpeter Chris Botti and guitarist David Torn; the group released albums in 1998 and 2000. Levin also continued producing albums with his own band, the Tony Levin Band (see discography).

In 1998, Levin teamed up with Mike Portnoy and John Petrucci, members of Dream Theater, as well as future Dream Theater keyboardist, Jordan Rudess for a project called Liquid Tension Experiment. The combo recorded two albums, Liquid Tension Experiment and Liquid Tension Experiment 2 in 1998 and 1999 respectively. They also played some live shows in New York, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles.

In 2004, Trey Gunn left King Crimson, and Robert Fripp reinstated Levin as the bassist. Although the future of King Crimson, especially as a touring band, is unclear, Tony Levin remains a member of the band.

In 2006, Levin released "[Resonator]" a new album featuring his singing along with long time band mates Jerry Marrotta, Jesse Gress, Larry Fast, and his brother Pete Levin.
Discography
Levin has played on hundreds of records as session musician or guest artist. The following records are those on which he played as fully contributing band member or composer.
Peter Gabriel I (Car) (1977) — Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel II (Scratch) (1978) — Peter Gabriel
Exposure (1979) — Robert Fripp
Peter Gabriel III (Melt) (1980) — Peter Gabriel
Discipline (1981) — King Crimson
Security (1982) — Peter Gabriel
Beat (1982) — King Crimson
Spin 1ne 2wo (1993) — Spin 1ne 2wo
Three of a Perfect Pair (1984) — King Crimson
So (1986) — Peter Gabriel
Us (1992) — Peter Gabriel
THRAK (1995) — King Crimson
World Diary (1996) — solo
Black Light Syndrome (1997) — Bozzio Levin Stevens
From the Caves of the Iron Mountain (1997) — Gorn, Levin, Marotta
Liquid Tension Experiment (1998) — Liquid Tension Experiment
Bruford Levin Upper Extremities (1998) — Bruford Levin Upper Extremities
Liquid Tension Experiment 2 (1999) — Liquid Tension Experiment
Waters of Eden (2000) — solo
Situation Dangerous (2000) — Bozzio Levin Stevens
B.L.U.E. Nights (2000) — Bruford Levin Upper Extremities
Up (2002) — Peter Gabriel
Pieces of the Sun (2002) — solo
Double Espresso (2002) — solo
Resonator (2006) — solo =>>>>>>>>>>>

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Jason Ankeny @ Allmusic
Famed for his work with Peter Gabriel and King Crimson, bass virtuoso Tony Levin was born in Boston on June 6, 1946. At age ten, he began studying upright bass, also playing tuba in his high-school marching band and even forming his own barbershop quartet; as a member of a local youth orchestra, Levin additionally performed at the White House for President John F. Kennedy. After attending the Eastman School of Music, he appeared with the Rochester Philharmonic, but over time turned away from classical music to play rock and jazz, relocating to New York City in 1970 to join Aha!, ex-Mothers of Invention keyboardist Don Preston's band.

A busy session career followed, with fluid, expressive work on classic LPs, including Lou Reed's Berlin, Kate & Anna McGarrigle's self-titled debut, and Paul Simon's Still Crazy After All These Years. After collaborating with Peter Gabriel on his eponymous 1977 debut, Levin joined the ex-Genesis frontman's touring unit, during which time he honed his skills on the Chapman Stick, a unique 10-stringed instrument in which the strings are not plucked but tapped, a process allowing the individual to play notes with both hands and create complete multi-part arrangements.

In 1978, Levin settled in Woodstock, NY, serving in the short-lived L'Image; a year later, he played on Robert Fripp's solo effort Exposure, soon thereafter agreeing to join the guitarist in new a incarnation of his groundbreaking progressive unit King Crimson, and remaining a member of the group for over two decades. (His tour experiences subsequently yielded a 1984 book of photographs, Road Photos.) While working on Gabriel's 1986 smash So, Levin developed Funk Fingers, essentially chopped-off drumsticks designed to hammer on the bass strings; he later sold Funk Fingers through his own Papa Bear Records label as well. Sessions with everyone from Robbie Robertson (his 1987 self-titled solo debut) to Laurie Anderson (1989's Strange Angels) to Yes (1991's Union) followed, and in 1996, Levin finally made his solo debut with World Diary. From the Caves of the Iron Mountain, recorded with bamboo flute master Steve Gorn and drummer Jerry Marotta, appeared a year later and in 1998, he formed Bruford Levin Upper Extremities (B.L.U.E.) with longtime King Crimson drummer Bill Bruford, guitarist David Torn, and trumpeter Chris Botti.

Waters of Eden, Levin's Narada label debut, followed in the spring of 2000. Pieces of the Sun was released in 2001 (an expanded edition came out a year later on Pony Canyon), with many of the same tracks also included on his 2002 record, Double Espresso. Prime Cuts, a compilation of his work on sessions led by other artists on the Magna Carta label during the '90s, was issued in 2005. A bona fide new solo effort, Resonator, followed the next year, for the first time featuring Levin as a singer/songwriter as well as a bassist. =>>>>>>>>>>>

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Tony Levin Band: "Elephant Talk"

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Tony Levin [Interview]

2007-06-15T21:34:00.000-06:00

The Tony Levin Band - European Tour

@ musicmirror.net
Is this a new chapter in the history of the Tony Levin Band with this upcoming european tour and a new album?
It Is a big victory for me to finally be coming to Europe with my band. We have been touring, on and off, for years - but only now am I finally able to bring these players to Germany (We came to Italy last October - because it was a big success and the audiences wanted to see our “Gabriel Alumni” in action, we were able to book more countries this time.Also, my Resonator CD is a big step in some directions I haven’t gone with my earlier solo albums. (There have been quite a few.) This time I am singing, in addition to the instrumental pieces, and I’ve worked quite some time on the lyrics of these rock pieces - they are not just some casual words thrown on the music.The album isn’t out yet, so I can’t tell how people will react, but I think the Crimson fans and Gabriel listeners will enjoy what surprises I have this time.

For how long is this band going on now, and how often did the line up change so far? Please describe the other members briefly.
We started touring as the Tony Levin Band ... well maybe 5 years ago. (I’m not sure the year.) The lineup has stayed the same, but this tour (and the new Cd) I have added my brother Pete Levin, on piano and organ. Pete has played with Annie Lenox, Paul Simon, and jazz greats like Gil Evans Band. Jerry Marotta, of Peter Gabriel Band and many more groups, is our drummer, and he sings on some songs too (he’s great - we will probably do some Gabriel or even Genesis material that we used to play with Peter, and Jerry can sing it.) Larry Fast (“Synergy”) is also from the Peter Gabriel Band, and Nectar, and his own Synergy records. On guitar is Jesse Gress, of Todd Rundgren Band.We are great friends, with years of experience playing together. You will see what fun we have, while, hopefully, making some great music for the audience.

You have made 3 studioalbums and 1 Live CD so far. Now the fourth one is coming out. Does the new one stylistically connect to the ones before. Or does it go in a different direction. What’t the title and when you reckon, we get it over here?
I hope the CD will be released in Germany (on EMI Germany) in April, before we arrive. The title is RESONATOR, and yes it still sounds like ME, in that I write music in my style. But there is a lot of humor on this record (a heavy metal version of Sabre Dance, a song with my dog barking on it, called “Throw the God a Bone”, a song about coming home to Mars...) And the ballads “Utopia” and “Fragile as a Song” are, I think, pretty special. (“Fragile” is written about an experience with Peter Gabriel, just the two of us did some jamming with apes!!! Bonobo Apes, in Atlanta, who were very good at communicating. )

Have the tracks on the CD been around for a longer while, or have the just been written before you actually went to the studio?
I had worked for years on the lyrics, and about a year on the music. I also took longer than usual to record the tracks -being more particular than I usually am, because I felt this music deserved it.

Any most favorite track on the album? And why so?
It’s always hard to choose because you get very close to the music and lose your objectivity. I think my favorite would be one no-one else would choose, it’s very odd. I liked it because it’s the most experimental. Called “Crisis of Faith” it is a choir of 12 voices (mine) singing quite rhythmically - this, even though it has lyrics, provides the backdrop for a wild drum solo, and when that calms down, I enter with a freaked out fuzz tone cello solo - still over the almost atonal chorus voices. That’s it - just voices, drums, and cello.

You’ve taken longer than you wanted to, to put that album together. Was it, due to too many other duties or have there been any difficulties etc.?
Mostly the complexity of the music, and that I felt that it had to be done right. But also there was the stuff of life. My father passed away 16 months ago, and I moved my elderly mother to live across the street from me. And I became what we call her primary caregiver - in other words, I could only work on my music between visits to make sure she’s okay. I almost called the CD “Bingo With Betty” because on Thursdays, my mother’s neighbor Betty picks her up and they go to play bingo! (two 90 year olds in a car!!) So I could do much more work on Thursdays than other days!

Is your live-set mainly containing stuff of the new CD, or is it more going to be a – Best of Tony Levin - Live set over here?.
I like shows that contain new material, and familiar material, and surprises. So I am sure to have all that in our set. Sometimes we do jams too, but now there is so much material I want to cover, and so many options, there probably wont’ be experimental jams in this show. THere will be some of the new album, some of my previous music, some Gabriel, some Crimson - we may start off with a barbershop quartet that’s funny and fun, we may have Larry do a Synergy piece, we may break into a Hendrix or Zeppelin piece... I think that gives some idea what the show is like. Mostly people with see this: players who love to play, and have a special history together, doing what they do!

Are you gonna play the stick as well ? And what kind of bass are you currently playing?
I’ll play the Stick, of course - on some of the new music, and will probably break out something familiar on it. I also play fretless melodic bass on some songs, and the NS Electric Cello on some - and my good old Music Man 5 string a lot (though this tour I may use, instead, the new Stealth Bongo 4 string, by Music Man.)

You have worked with so many other well known musicians and have been on a world tour with Peter Gabriel. Please try to pull out a brief retrospective.
Ouch, that’s hard. Albums, the most famous are probably those with John Lennon, Pink Floyd, James Taylor, Paul Simon, Alice Cooper, Lou Reed. And I’ve been out on the road with Peter Gabriel, King Crimson, Seal, and many others.

I remember you’ve been here last autumn, I think it was, Switzerland etc. So this is literally the second time for the T.L.Band. Is it ver y different to play in Europe compared to the states, what’s up to the audience, locations and the generell vibe?

Well, it’s lot of fun for us in Europe - the distances are (usually) less than in the States, and audiences are more diverse - each different from the other. There is more appreciation that we came to the city, in Europe, and, let’s face it, the food and coffee are better!!

Are you gonna concentrate now purely on your own project for the near future. Or are there already plans for work with other musicians as well – most of all in concern of touring?
King Crimson is quiet - and Peter Gabriel hasn’t told me of any plans coming up, so i will concentrate on the Tony Levin Band, and try to bring this new music to as broad an audience as we can.

Are you still involved in the King Crimson project? And is there something going on in this direction in the future?
No word of anything that I know of. (That could change at any minute!!!)

Any kind of musical dream of yours, which hasn’t come true yet, but you really wanna do it one day. Or any Musician you haven’t been working so far, but would love to. Or better -who is the one, you enjoyed working with most?
I used to say “David Bowie” but then I got the chance to record bass on one of his songs (even told him that story) . There are lots of great musicians i would love to play with - my first choice, if I’m dreaming here, would have been Hendrix.

Any other futureplans after this european TL tour?
only to go back to the U.S. and do a lot more shows.

What do you think about present music tendences in general. Anything you really think which is good or bad ?
I think there is a lot more good music being made than ever before. Alas, the problem is, with so much music out there, it’s harder than ever to get attention for your music. But to me the music itself is the important thing, not the business, so it’s a good time for music.I also think there is a lot of political upheaval (much of it caused by the terrible policies of my country!) and that often sparks special movements and ideas in the arts community. I know that, for me, the events and complex situations in my country, from 1999, are what spurred me to start writing lyrics, feeling that I can no longer express all the things I want to communicate with just instrumental music.

What’s your personal wish for the future?
All the conflicts and mis-understandings between countries, between tribes. I’m lucky to be playing music around the world - we connect, we musicians, onstage. Players who dont’ even speak the same language can make music together - can communicate in some other way, and that other non-verbal language reaches out to the audience too - the musicians and the audience realize that we share something profound with each other. It’s important to know that, and remember it, when the other, verbal, languages drag us down into arguing about our differences. For the future? I’m going to focus on that miracle of music, and hope that those who share it with me are equally brought up out of the dark by it. =>>>>>>>>>>>

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Around The World in a Disc
by Anil Prasad @ innerviews.org
Interview date: May 4, 1996

If there was a Most Valuable Player award in the bass world, Tony Levin would be a top contender. A quick glance at his musical resume reveals how highly-regarded the Boston native is. Robbie Robertson, Pink Floyd, Peter Gabriel, Paul Simon and Lou Reed are just a few of the legends who rely on Levin for his highly versatile and melodic approach.

Beyond his session work for the stars, Levin is best-known as a member of avant-rockers King Crimson. After a 10 year hiatus, the group resurfaced in 1994 with a heavier, darker sound than its '80s counterpart. That's likely the result of the band choosing to operate largely at the indie level through Robert Fripp's DGM label. Free of music business pressures, it was allowed to explore its collective muse without the burden of delivering radio-friendly material.

Levin chose a similar route for his first solo CD World Diary. In fact, he went one step further by establishing his own label—Papa Bear Records—for its distribution. The album features Levin performing with worldbeat musicians he’s encountered during life on the road. They include doudouk master Levon Minassian, percussion ensemble Nexus, drummer Manu Katche and violinist Shankar. The disc also lives up to its name in that it was recorded in Germany, Britain, Canada, Norway and France.

When Levin isn't recording or touring, he can be found exploring his passion for photography. Many of the photos featured in this interview were originally published in his book Road Photos.

It’s been more than a year since you released World Diary. What sort of perspective do you have on it?
Well, I knew from the beginning that I wouldn’t release it in an organized way and I fully planned on having it exist virtually as a new record for about a year-and-a-half. For that reason, I haven’t started recording a second one. Partly it’s because I’m very busy with King Crimson and other things. Running a small record company is new stuff to me. I had a lot to learn and I still have a lot to learn and I don’t have the full time to devote to it that I figured is necessary to announce a new release and I was correct about that. It’s really hard to get to your constituents who know the groups you’re in and let them know you have an album out. Frankly, the ’net has been a big help to me. I’m pretty confident that Internet users, who are King Crimson fans, know that there’s an album out. The general public—the ones that come to our shows—don’t know yet. It’s not easy for me to reach them.

I wanted to do a very non-commercial record and I know plenty about the record business. I decided near the beginning to form my own little record company just so I could do it the way I wanted. And having decided that, that led me to the decision to have it be mail-order only. Using a distributor and then getting it in record stores would be wonderful, but that’s a whole industry that I’m really not prepared to jump into. I could get a distributor to take a certain number of my CDs and put them in stores, but they would want the stores to sell them and re-order them, otherwise it would seem to be a failure. The stores, in order to sell them and re-order them, would want me to get radio play and they would want the general public—and I mean the big general public, not the ones who read Bass Player Magazine—to know about that record and so I would need a department in my record company to send it to all the radio stations in the country and to then try to get them to play it.

Now, this is a very esoteric album. It’s not for every station and the record company just consists of me. I don’t have someone to pester radio stations and I just don’t want to get into that. Selling through mail-order appeals to the musician in me. I’m in direct contact with the person who’s buying it. He wants to hear my music. I send him the music. If he doesn’t like it, he sends it back—it’s not problem. It’s not a big company, there’s nobody in-between. That appeals to me a lot. I think if I couldn’t do that, I wouldn’t do the whole rigmarole of having a record company. But consequently, I have a lot less sales, but that’s okay. It was never my intention to have a big, huge, selling record anyway. And with less middlemen, the $15 that a CD costs goes directly to my record company.

It's surprising that a musician of your stature chose to go this route.
Anyone who’s had my experience without making their own record would have made the same decision. I could have picked a nice record company but there would still be an inherent pressure on me to sell records or cut corners with the music or compromise the music. I’ll give you a few examples. I’m intent with having packaging the way I like it, not the way some art department wants it. Frankly, some of King Crimson’s recent artwork appalls me. If it’s my record, I’m certainly going to do all of the artwork and the packaging itself. I don’t like jewel boxes. I hate them in fact. I don’t see any reason why I should use them. Record companies, big and small, tend to avoid cardboard packaging, because it costs—and I’m not kidding now—a few pennies more. Those few pennies mean a lot to a company that’s business-conscious. For me, I just don’t understand why they don’t do it, but I knew that I was going to do it and probably the hardest work I did on the record had nothing to do with the music—it was trying to get manufacturers to make the package I wanted. I couldn’t find any manufacturers who were willing to make such a package. I had to start from zero, from the cardboard to the printer, and then a different company to fold it.

The truth of it is, I never wanted to get into that stuff, but darn it, I was gonna have the package I wanted. I’m very satisfied with the way that came out and it’s not only the music I wanted but it’s the packaging I wanted. I don’t mean to imply that I was inventing some type of new packaging. I’ve seen other cases where companies used that type of package, but the record companies only did it as a favor to the groups and it was in a limited edition. I also decided against shrink-wrap and bar codes as well and that was causing a problem in export sales and the countries were saying "We need to have shrink wrap on them" and I would tell them "Well, I guess you’ll have to put it on there."

How do you look back at World Diary from a musical standpoint?
Once an album is done, I don’t listen to it anymore. And when I’m actively doing interviews and talking about the tracks, I kinda become focused on the stories about how it was done. In the case of World Diary, that is very interesting. It’s a good story. But the actual tracks I haven’t listened to in a while. I hope they still hold up when I hear them. I felt good. I felt like I had achieved the mood and the musical direction that I had hoped to. This was my own album and I was in charge. I wanted to focus on the thing that instrumental players can do, if they’re allowed to. And it’s really cool, it’s really great because there is no shortage of great instrumental players. I know I’m lucky. I can travel and I know some great guys. So I chose guys who live the way they play. I wanted to give them the opportunity to just play with no rules.

In the case of one guy, we didn’t even speak the same language—Levon Minassian who plays the doudouk, an Armenian double reed instrument. In all cases I did minimal technical set up. I got a tape player and a mike ready and ran it. In some cases I did go into the studio. There were never more than two takes, and often there was only one take. That was the direction I wanted to go in—to let the other guys just do what they do. And I guess that’s the kinda thing that I do well too. So, I think that I succeeded in that the music that came out was wonderful and warm and very real and very, very analog. I don’t mean that there were big mistakes but there were none of the subtle, modern devices to keep things studio-friendly like a click track or drum machine. Whenever I was in a studio and there was an engineer, they couldn’t believe I didn’t want a click track and they would say "How are you going to intercut in between the tapes?" These are things that are nowadays standard kinds of things, but I just wanted to be sure that I focused on the analog side of the music.

What else do you recall about making the album?
I had some adventures. I found this Koto player named Brian Yamakoshi and was really fascinated by what would happen when the koto—which has about 20 strings and is a percussive string instrument—and the Stick were in the same room. We didn’t know. I spoke to him a few times and we laughed about it. We didn’t know what would happen musically. In that case, we didn’t just start recording. We had to play quite a bit together before we could do a take. But it was interesting and successful. I also went to Oslo to meet my friend Bendik, a sax player from up there. I wanted to him to take me to the fjords and record outdoors. Musically, he plays in a very pure way with a kind of open harmonic structure and I thought that would be perfect with a Stick and that we’ll get something that is impressionistic of the fjords and we’ll name it "Freedom" or "Purity" or something. The reality was very different from what I thought it would be. Oslo was a zoo, the Olympics were going on and it was very crowded and we couldn’t get to the fjords. So, we went to a studio and a club. There were a lot of drunks around in this smoky jazz club we went to, so the real song we ended up doing was utterly different than what I had envisioned. I had some fun in that I had to go with the way it was and not impose my idea of the music on it—we were being influenced by the time and the place.

It’s interesting to hear that the album was recorded under so many different circumstances. It hangs together very cohesively.
That wasn’t difficult because there’s me—one of the two other players in each case. Or in a sense, if I’m playing Stick, I’m two of the three players. I tried to avoid getting too focused on technical stuff. I do know a bit about technical stuff, but I didn’t know much about recording. I had this DAT recorder which is easy to use, but I didn’t know how to set the levels or anything. So I’m relieved that the thing ended up sounding good because I could have fallen down there—especially since my focus when we are actually working was not wasting even five minutes on technical stuff because the machine always worked. If the machine didn’t work, I would have brought a cassette player. I didn’t want to lose a moment. The moment is very important. It's more important to me than the technical stuff. So, I was relieved that the technical stuff worked out.

You’ve recently started selling Funk Fingers—sawed-off drumsticks that attach to a bassist’s fingers. Where did the initial idea for them come from?
I’ve been playing the bass with them for quite a few years now. Its basis was when I recorded a solo album with Peter Gabriel and we did the track "Big Time" and I asked Jerry Marotta, the drummer, to play on the bass strings while I did the fingering—it just seemed appropriate for that song. I had first heard that technique when I heard a Gene Krupa album that was recorded in the '40s or early '50s.

How difficult is it to adapt to playing with Funk Fingers?
Some people just pick it up and have an easy time with it and some people are just utterly puzzled by it. I would say I practice quite a bit. At first, I did it in a simple way with Peter Gabriel onstage—it wasn’t very hard. I had to do some practicing to hit the string that I aimed at. It’s a small target with the bridge not curved and I would say that’s very hard. The hardest thing was to dampen the other strings to keep them from ringing because really it’s a Stick hitting the whole instrument. It takes some left-hand technique. I would say it’s not the easiest way to play in the world, but it’s not extremely difficult. I’m hoping during the Crimson tour to do a little duo segment with Bill Bruford similar to what we did on the ABWH [Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe] tour. I’d like to combine the funk fingers and the bass, and get Bill playing on the bass and maybe the funk fingers playing on the drums. I don’t know if he’ll do that, but I’d like to and I’ll see him in a few weeks and I’ll lay it on him and see what he thinks.

The ABWH duet was great fun to watch. It was far more mercurial live than it was on record. [The track was released as "Evensong" on Yes' Union album]
It was utterly and completely different every night. When it did get recorded, we were in a different headspace. The piece that we recorded was a quiet ballad. That’s what it was like on some nights. It wasn’t always raging. Bill and I have many things in common and one thing is when you say "improvise" it gets really loose.

Which brings us to King Crimson’s THRaK aTTak. Whose idea was it to put together an album of improvised music based on "Thrak"?
I have the feeling it was a letter on the Internet on Elephant Talk [a King Crimson mailing list]. I’m a big follower of that stuff. I’m not saying I read Elephant Talk every week, but I know what some people are saying on the Internet and I read it to the band on the bus. My memory’s not so great, but I think that’s the way it came about. We kind of chuckled about it and later Robert [Fripp] said to himself "Hey, that would be a darn good album." When he first told me that it was in the offing, I was excited about it. This side of King Crimson—the improvisational side—which frankly only appeals to a small segment of our fans, I feel is the least represented, certainly on records. We kind of struggle to have more of that in the show and that’s not always easy either. On this last tour, I felt there was a good amount of improvisation. Consequently, we’re getting better at it and I was very pleased to think that something could come out of it. To me that’s about the most important thing we do. It’s amazing how different "Thrak" can be and that brings us back to the duet between me and Bill in ABWH—it’s just a completely different piece of composition every night.

How does THRaK aTTak hold up as a long-term listening experience in your opinion?
I’m pretty confident that it’s great as a composition. I would listen to it as a classical piece. There’s no problem for me because I mostly listen to classical music. I think it’s gonna be an instrumental adventure for the listener. [laughs]

Describe how King Crimson has evolved since the Vrooom sessions.
It’s still very much evolving. I think we have a good combination of people onstage and we have so many options with six of us, that it’s really taking years to settle into which of those options works best for us. You’ve probably heard about the "double trio" idea which was an idea from the beginning of how we break down the six of us and it just didn’t work. We spent a little time trying to do it. In another sense, we’ve been waiting for it to work out that way. This year we’re going to attack new directions and new material. Robert tries to lead us, to direct us towards his vision, but sometimes the ‘Crimson-ness’ of King Crimson just kind of takes over no matter what anybody wants or thinks. In that sense, I think we’ve come a ways and we’re certainly going to go in directions I don’t know about. It was a theme from the beginning for me and Trey [Gunn] to play two Sticks and do duets or be the basis of tracks with the Sticks and then other people add on their parts and that didn’t particularly work out. We did do a duo live, but generally I kind of moved away from the Stick with King Crimson and towards the electric upright. I don’t know why two Sticks wasn’t helping. That’s a good example of everybody thinking "Hey, two Sticks, two drums" but it didn’t work out.

It sounds as though you’re talking about this incarnation of King Crimson as a long-term entity.
It is. I hope so. You never know, do you? [laughs] For sure, our plan is to stay together indefinitely, which is always the plan of a rock band. I think the last time, maybe we had a 10 year plan. That changed pretty quickly. Was it four years we were together? It’s really foolish to predict what a rock band will do, but even though I know that, I predict that this band will last longer only because we spend less of the year together. I think it’s great and smart for the longevity of the band.

The internal tension during the '80s incarnation of the band has been well documented. One assumes that's dissipated.
The four of us from the '80s group are very intense guys and that hasn’t changed. We had some sense in the early '80s that we’d better spend limited amounts of time together, especially in the creative writing process—something which is very, very intense. So, we had that plan but we just didn’t stick to it. Tours got longer, the albums got longer, pressure built up and whatever it takes to see that coming and change it, we didn’t do. We let the pressure build until it just disintegrated the band. This time one would hope that we’ve learned from that. We certainly have periods like I’m in right now—months where we don’t get together to rehearse or do anything except plan our next thing. It’s a funny way to have a band in that part of me wants to spend all year on King Crimson and focus on it and work hard at it. Like I said, we’ll last longer this way. Our output will be a little slower. We’ll do it every few years now, but we won’t do it every six months.

Can you define how your role in the band is different than it was in the '80s?
I haven’t really thought about it much. I don’t really actually think about my role in any musical project. I’m a guy with a bass and I have to say I don’t think about it. I don’t have to define it. I hear the music and I have a bunch of basses that hopefully fit my hand. Some part of me feels that a certain bass part will be right and that’s not my intellect. So, I don’t even know what the logic is or the rationale is behind that decision, but that’s about as far as it goes. There have been times in the '80s where the main writers of Crimson kind of dried up a bit. Robert and Adrian [Belew] were a bit burned out from doing their own albums and there was room for me to come up with basic ideas for tracks on the Stick. I did that and they weren’t bad tracks, but I think we all felt it wasn’t our best stuff. None of us wants to go back to that way of writing—where Tony Levin brings in the basis of an idea and then the guitarists try to add onto it. We can do that, but it’s not the best way we write.

King Crimson has been around in one form or another for almost 30 years. With that comes a great deal of expectations and baggage. How have you dealt with it?
To me, Crimson is about Robert’s vision and I have great respect for him. I did the first time I heard him play. I met him on Peter Gabriel’s session and the more I heard of what he did, the more I developed a good respect for his musical vision. I think that a band like Crimson really needs to be somewhat led by one person’s vision, so I’m happy. I think we have the right guy, whether I’m in the band or not. He’s got great vision and he’s a very good musician. But we need to have our artistic input to be able to influence the way things go and we get that. But the overall vision continues to lead the general direction we’re going. I think we’ve been successful with that. Part of the definition of King Crimson has to come from what Robert has percolated in his mind about the way we’re going to go in this decade and so far he never fails to surprise me and impress me with radical ideas. He called me and said "How about another Stick player in the band?" There was probably a long silence on the phone after that. [laughs] It’s probably the way I still feel—that’s not the easiest way to go. But if I’m going to do it with anyone, let’s do it with this band. I didn’t know Trey. I didn’t know his playing, but I have enough confidence in Robert and I can’t say this about everybody I work with. I had enough confidence in Robert to feel that he would pick a guy who’s good. So, I accepted Trey as a good player before I heard Trey. Of course, I was very pleased to find out that he’s a great player that has a lot of ideas and plays the Stick in a way that’s utterly different from the way I play. So, even though we play the same instrument, we’re two different players. I know I’ve learned quite a bit about Stick playing by being in a band with him.

Earlier, you mentioned you disliked recent King Crimson artwork. Why?
Well, partly because I had to autograph 2,000 CD inserts. I wrote an essay on my feelings about signing 2,000 inserts. You get really familiar with that piece of art. I think some of it is okay. I think I expect King Crimson to have artwork and music that will hold up for many years. I don’t want to hear or look at it ten years later and think "Oh, that’s what was going on in 1984." I want to see and hear it 10 years later and think "Wow, that looks and sounds very adventurous today." And our album covers in the '80s were classic. They were simple. They didn’t make any kind of big statement but they still look great. So do the t-shirts. They look fresh and not dated. I think some of our recent covers are going to look a lot more dated someday. If you were taking a close look at it, you couldn’t help but notice that there is something of a similarity graphically between the World Diary cover and the '80s Crimson albums. I copied the idea of a basic color and a little piece of artwork in the center.

Where can one find your essay about autographing CD inserts?
It will be in my upcoming bass method book which I hope to have out soon on Papa Bear Records. I’ve been working on that book for almost as long as I’ve been playing bass. It will be a bunch of anecdotes and stories about things that have happened to me as a bass player. And a bunch of essays and possibly a fiction story will be one third of the book.

That doesn’t sound like a standard bass method book.
No, it is not your standard bass method. It will be a bass method that actually has nothing to do technically with how to play the bass but is all about bass playing. I really thought I’d get it done a decade ago and I didn’t. I’m going to take it on the road with King Crimson and work on it mornings.

You’ve been in this business long enough to see many ideas about the role of the bass come and go. Do you feel the instrument has overcome the stigma of being perceived purely as a support instrument?
I don’t see a big difference between the '90s and the '80s. I think that there have, for a long time, been occasional innovators who stretch the function of the bass to a place where it has not been before. I first heard a guy like that when I was a kid playing bass, so they have been around awhile. Sometimes that innovator, as in the case of Jaco Pastorius, will also not only take the bass somewhere else but will have a talent for doing what I would call ‘valid music’—very good quality music. And the bass has been taken to more of a lead role. I think that’s cool. I had nothing to do with that movement myself, nor have I followed it. But I think that is a good option for the bass. I think there are others that have not been explored much that are good options for the for the bass. I don’t really know what people think of in respect to the bass or what its role should be. And not only don’t I know about that, but I’ve got to say the groups and the circle that I work in don’t talk about it either.

What are some of those unexplored options areas you just mentioned?
I don’t know what the unexplored options are. I’m just saying that every few years or maybe every six months there is a bass player somewhere doing stuff that no-one ever did before. And sometimes that person is heard and gets out on record and sometimes it captures the attention of other players and people start following. This happened back in the '70s with thumb-slapping. We all had to deal with thumb-slapping in the '70s. It happens with certain effects once in a while. There was a flanger movement on the bass and then putting it on phase and goodness, Jaco with all his phenomenal technique and use of harmonics in more of an out-front way. Here I am trying to define the movement of the bass! [laughs] Jaco used harmonics in a more out-front solo kinda way and it never happened before. And he was just kinda brazen about his technique in the middle of other things. And it worked, so people started copying that. Then we have finger-tapping on the bass. So again, it takes it to another place. I think there has always been stuff like this around. I would say in general that the bass is more prominent on a lot of records than it used to be, and that’s nice. At the same time it’s nice that there is still basic bass playing going on in a lot of records in just a groove way that does not step out and take a solo function. I think it’s all valid to me if it‘s all done well. If it is inappropriate to the music for even five seconds, to my ears it makes me want to go home or turn off the music. But it’s that way not only with the bass but with every instrument. So when I listen, I listen to what I think is the quality of the music and not the technique. Only later will I become aware of the technique of the player.

You had a three-string bass custom-built for you. Were you trying to make a statement about your views on the instrument?
Yeah, I guess so. I think nowadays six-string basses are not unheard of and I have a five-string bass, but generally I play a four string bass. And it occurred to me at some point—I don’t know why or where—that I don’t really use all four strings that much. Now, since we talked about King Crimson, this is a little inappropriate. [laughs] The fact is, a lot of the playing I do is not with King Crimson. In King Crimson, I need all the strings I can get. [laughs] I don’t know how many strings is enough with King Crimson. Most of the stuff I play is low stuff. And I don’t mean it’s not interesting. Peter Gabriel stuff and a lot of other good stuff I have done I began thinking I don’t need all the strings. I started thinking "Well, how many do I need?" I’ve never had a bass made and originally I thought about two strings and then I had problems with the neck being that small, so I compromised with three strings: E, A and D. I considered B, E and A at one point but that didn’t work out either. So, I went with E, A and D and I worked with Music Man [bass guitar manufacturer] on getting the spacing right. I did have them do the spacing a little further apart so that it made it easier to play with the Funk Fingers—easier to stay on each string. By then I had a pretty good technique with the Funk Fingers with the normal spacing anyway. I also wanted a bass with no tone controls or volume control. Especially the volume control—I never use that thing. So they made me a bass without that and with no knobs on it. It was just a bass. I say this in the past tense because unfortunately there was this fire at my place and it burnt up. There is no more three-string bass.

Are you going to have another one made?
Music Man tells me they’re gonna make me another one, and we’ll get that replaced. It was a bass that I took on the road with Peter Gabriel and not with King Crimson. And I won’t take the replacement one out with King Crimson. I don’t do a lot of stuff with it. I just like the way Music Man basses sounds. I don’t really fool around with the EQ on them much. Once I get it the way I like it, I pretty much leave it that way. So, I like the concept of having a bass that just sounds good. It plays notes low and kinda high but not real, real high. Yes, it is a personal statement in that it’s enough and more is unnecessary. I’m a player who feels good having that instrument. I did a lot of gigs with it. It feels very good having an instrument that does that and no more.

Many have tried to place or situate your contributions to the evolution of the bass…
Oh goodness...

Here comes the dreaded question.
Fortunately, I play more than three strings. If I didn’t then probably no one would be interested!

What do you consider to be your impact on the instrument?
I’ve never really ever thought about that. I mean if you ask me when I’m ready to retire… I’m more interested in just about anything than that. I am more interested in what I’m going to do and what I’m trying to do right now. Right now, I’m practicing more with the Funk Fingers. I’m having a new Stick made—it’s a little bit different electronically. I’m trying to work on my playing at the top end of the Stick, which is tough. The Stick is a whole different thing than the bass, but to me as a player, it’s all wrapped in because I don’t know which I’m going to play until I hear each song. I’m working on some new techniques, but I’m trying to go further with some old techniques. So, that’s the type of thing I focus on with my playing. Not what I’ve done or what it means to anybody.

What are some of the sonic challenges in having two Stick and bass players in King Crimson?
There were some. Less than we might have thought because Trey moved up on the Stick, but not always out of the bass range. I’d say about a quarter of the show we’re playing the same parts in unison or in octaves. We spent a lot of time working out the bass parts when writing material. We also alternate and I don’t think you can tell if you see the band live or hear a record. There are times when he’s playing the bass part eight bars and then I’m playing it. The obviously hard thing for any bass player is having another guy in the bass range—even if it’s the keyboard player with a synth sound down there it’s a problem. What bass player isn’t very sensitive to what is going on down in the bass range? I’m very sensitive to it. The sound of two guys playing different notes down in the bass range is awful unless you’re trying to make a point with it. If you’re playing the same part and you’re playing it with the same phrasing, I have a problem with that. If you’re just doubling bass parts, I want there to be a reason for it—I want it to make a better sound or something.

So, yeah, two players on the same instrument is largely a matter of staying out of each other’s way and finding something good to play. It’s not easy. It’s easier when one guy has the Stick and one guy has the electric bass, which I play a lot ‘cause I have the option of bowing the notes which is an entirely different animal. So, our challenge was staying out of each other’s way. In Trey’s case, he wanted to establish the kind of playing that he likes to do. With me it was obvious. I’ve been in King Crimson. He knew the kind of playing I like to do. It’s been interesting. It’s been a challenge and I feel like we are doing okay with it. We haven’t shaken the world of bass players with new ideas, so obviously we have further to go. But we haven’t embarrassed ourselves from the point of view of what me and Trey are doing. The shows are good. It is very hard for the listener at the concert to hear what is coming from each guy, but I think we have been successful in allowing each other some room.

One thing I've noticed about you is that you're always diplomatic when talking about your many musical associations. I can't recall a single occasion in which you've dissed a fellow musician.
I’m just the way I am. I don’t think I’m particularly aware about how I am about that stuff. I’ll say that bands are political animals—there are politics in any band and I didn’t know that until I was in King Crimson. It’s a dreadful part of being in a band [laughs] and you have to deal with it in some way. If I’ve managed to avoid provoking people, then that’s something to feel good about. It’s good doing an interview in which you learn stuff about yourself.

I understand you have some very definite ideas and opinions about the interview process.
For many years, I was dead against interviews at all. In the beginning when I was in King Crimson and was finally asked to do interviews, like anyone else I did them. In interviews, you’re asked to talk about yourself and it kinda feels good. But at the end, I always felt very uncomfortable. And I figured out why as the interviews went on. First of all, most interviews—unlike this one—are with people who really don’t know who you are or what a good question would be to ask. What I figured out made me uncomfortable was there is an expectation from both the interviewer and the person who is doing it that a certain kind of event will happen and a certain kind of mood will be presented, especially by a rock guy or a rock band together. I just never wanted to go into that role and I didn’t quite understand for awhile that there was a role required for me to play. In my reluctance to play the role, or in my confusion about what the role was, I was giving bad interviews and was not giving answers in the way that was expected. I felt like I had failed and the interviewer certainly felt like he had failed. Anyway, I just said "I won’t do them anymore" and I didn’t do them for a long time—eight or 10 years. And then, with that three string bass, I felt so good about it when it was made, I said "I think I’ll do some interviews and talk about this bass." Having decided to engage the interviewer and be willing to do it, I tried to take responsibility for what is it that I wanted to say and what is it that I won’t say.

Now, I go into an interview quite differently than I used to. I’m more aware that I’m allowed to just be myself and I don’t have to present an image that the interviewer might want. Sometimes they kinda steer you towards that. For instance, an interviewer might keep asking about other players that I might say something bad about because provocative statements make for a better-reading interview. I have nothing to say about issues like that, even if I hate the guy an interviewer is asking about. [laughs]. I can’t think of anyone I hate. But there are some unpleasant things that have happened to me in all these years of playing music. That’s not something I want to talk about in an interview. Why? Because my purpose in doing the interview isn’t really to help the interviewer find something provocative that he wants to present to his editor. My purpose is either to talk about King Crimson or to talk about a bass. I have an agenda to do the interview. What never falls into it is the quote that says "Hey, I’m a happy-go-lucky rock player!" And especially with a video interview with a camera running, you’re expected to have that. But that’s not a problem in King Crimson because we’re generally an anything-goes band. [laughs] The interviewers, when they get us together, don’t expect us to be happy-go-lucky.

I could probably go on all day about my feelings about interviews. It made me happy when I realized what bothered me about them. And as will happen, once I realized what bothers me about them, I could think it over and figure out a way that it wouldn’t bother me anymore. It was a little bit coming from interviewers or just from the nature of the way interviewers are, but most of it was coming from me—from my preconceived ideas, or my lack of thinking about the whole thing. So, now I can do a bad interview or a good interview and it doesn’t ruin my day if it is not a useful interview to the person.

I had been around Adrian [Belew] and Robert for a lot of years, hearing them do interviews—all those years in the '80s when I didn’t do them. I heard them and I wasn’t listening to what they were saying, but I was kinda following. I was thinking to myself "How can they do this?" and "What are they up to?" They have very different approaches to interviews. What I learned about doing interviews probably came about from listening to the two of them. To a smaller extent, Bill Bruford too, but Adrian and Robert were called up to do really a lot of interviews. Robert tends to come into an interview with an agenda—a complete agenda of what he wants to talk about. Adrian kinda bounces around with the interviewer to wherever they want. Bill is more like me. I’ve done a lot of interviews on the radio with him—especially when they want someone to come to the radio station and only Bill and I are willing. [laughs] Bill brings a very good sense of humor. I’d have to ask him if it is conscious, but I think he feels it is necessary to counterbalance the heaviness of King Crimson. So, even though the playing we do onstage is not generally terrifically humorous, Bill’s direction in interviews is usually humor which I find amusing in some way. You got to find some humor in THRaK aTTak. [laughs]

You’re well-known by the public for your look, if not your name. I've met several people who know you only as the "tall, bald bass player with the moustache."
[laughs] Yeah. I saw this very funny website last night. It was called the Tony Levin website and the guy was playing a Stick the way I do with his legs widespread the way I do. He had the very outfit I had on during a Peter Gabriel tour back in the '80s—an English mechanic’s outfit, only he had hair. "I know I don’t look like Tony Levin" the caption said. It was pretty funny. It’s a funny feeling to have a quote unquote "look." I think I am very grounded about this stuff largely because I live with my daughter—a wonderful 11-year-old girl—and we joke about these kind of things. Regardless of how a person is, it is one thing to be out on the road with a rock band and to be getting all the attention of the press and things like that. It’s very different to be taking your kid to school and to be just one of the housewives or parents in the schoolyard. And I spend most of my time doing the latter. So, I kinda smile whenever I think about anyone knowing or caring what I look like. "The Tony Levin Look" doesn’t mean much around Woodstock, New York where I live. And that’s the way it should be.

Describe the fateful day you decided to adopt "the look."
It was one day in the early '70s when it was very hot. It was a heat wave in August and I lived in New York City at the time. I said "I’m getting rid of anything that is getting me warm" and I shaved my head, dealt with the sunburn and all that kind of stuff. By the end of the summer I kinda liked the way it looked. For a few years, I would grow all my hair and beard from the first cold day—September/October through the winter. As soon as it started getting warm in May, I would start shaving everything. I did that for maybe two years. In a streak of vanity, I felt I looked a lot better and certainly younger without the hair than I did with the beard and the long hair, so I stuck with this. I don’t remember when I grew a mustache. I never had a plan that "Hey, it will be a look." I do remember that when I first did it kids would say "Hey!" Sometimes they would associate it with Yul Brenner. This will date me quite a bit. Later, they would say "Hey, Kojak." [laughs] This was particularly in Europe. First, when I shaved my head it was the Yul Brenner thing, then it was the Kojak thing. And in the years since then, I gotta say a lot of rock bands have bald heads. It had to happen. Every look has to recycle itself and be popular.

What’s in the future for you in terms of solo music and your photography career?
I have been buried in getting my web site going and Papa Bear Records—just doing the things to keep it functioning while I’m home so that I can go on the road and ignore it. The main thing of that little record company is that it can be a vehicle for whatever I want to put out. So, I have the opportunity, but lately I haven’t been able to focus on what it is that I’ll put out because I’ve been doing the nitty gritty work of it. This year I’ll finish the bass method and I’ll put that out. I will try to re-release Road Photos, the photo book I did in the '80s which had Crimson and Gabriel pictures. I’ve been gradually working on a new photo book. To have enough for a photo book, you really need years of photos. So, since we reformed Crimson, I’ve been documenting the band intently and there will someday be another photo book of that. I’ll be doing a photo exhibition almost a year from now in Italy and as soon as Crimson gets off the road in September, I’ll have to bear down and get the photography ready for that. Eventually, I’ll record another album of my own. I have a few ideas.

The main thing I’d like to do of to take a trip across the United States on my Harley with a Stick on my back and record duets and other ensembles with American musicians in the houses where they live—kind of a complement to World Diary. World Diary was recorded pretty much in Europe in hotel rooms and with a lot of world musicians and no American musicians. I consciously did that as I wanted to leave room for an American version with different music—more American music. The Harley’s kind of an integral part of that. It’s important to me that it be an adventure, not only musically, but in every way. I can’t really do that in January though. It needs to be summer and Crimson tours every summer, so I don’t see how I can do that album. Logistically, that’s a problem. So, I might have to do other albums for a few years and someday I’ll do that album.

I also have an album that I’ve completed. It’s a concept that I got and completed a few months ago now—quite a few months ago on a break from Crimson. There’s a local cave with a lake in it and I wanted to record down there and I got two very good local musicians, Jerry Marotta who’s a drummer and Steve Gorn, who’s an Indian flute player. We recorded down there in the cave and made a very nice album which is kinda done and I don’t really have the time to put it out on my own label. I’m just too busy. I’d like to get that record out somehow and I haven’t done any of the work necessary to get it out like calling record companies. And knowing me, it is quite likely that I’ll end up putting it out myself so that I can have the right kind of album cover and stuff like that. I’m going to have to deal with that in the next year or two. So, I guess that’s what you call an album "in the can." but it’s hard to think of it as a normal album as it was recorded live in a place with a 10-second delay. There’s a huge reverb in there.

Rumor has it you’re a 'net veteran.
I started using e-mail a very long time ago. I forget the year, but there’s a time when I was touring with King Crimson and Peter Gabriel in the '80s when I finally was able to get both managements on e-mail so that we could all communicate while on the road about when the next tour or tour segment started and it worked really well. Of course, you couldn’t do any of the kinds of things then that you can do now, but the system was called Valcomm or something and I was like the 39th person to get on it. About a year later, they started piling up new charges for stored mail and it wasn’t going the direction that I liked, so I left it for a while. I was the first of anyone I know to get a fax. As soon as I saw that technology and even though it was a step backwards towards paper, I thought "this is going to solve a lot of problems for me." So, I jumped on that really, really quick.

You’re one of very few major musicians that's made their e-mail address available to fans.
Well the fact is, when I joined America Online, I didn’t carefully read the instructions, which is a habit I have, and I didn’t know that you weren’t supposed to use your own name, but I had already chosen it and have not found that it’s any problem. I’m not a superstar, so I don’t get pestered a lot anyway. I go through periods when I have time to answer all my mail and other periods when I’m too busy to answer any of my mail. And if I get a few messages from strangers, it’s no problem. I’ve found it’s surprisingly problem-free using the ‘net.

I remember when you first started popping up on Usenet newsgroups a couple of years ago. People were pretty skeptical that it was actually you.
Yeah, I got a lot of that. How about this unusual question—I never thought of this until the '90s: "How can I know that it’s you? That you’re really Tony Levin?" That’s a perplexing question for any person on the planet and I usually respond by saying "Well, you don’t, so deal with it. I don’t care whether you believe I’m me. How do I know that you’re you?" [laughs] =>>>>>>>>>>>

============ prog-rockers ============

The Stick & Emmett Chapman

2007-06-15T21:17:00.000-06:00

A Brief History of the Stick
I created a new stringed instrument to embody all the advantages of the tapping method I had been playing on guitar. I needed an all-fingerboard instrument, an expanded playing surface of strings and frets with the room and the range to explore two-handed playing to its full extent. At the same time I reduced the design to the essentials, solely for this basic method.

A member of the guitar and bass family, The Stick introduced a full two-handed piano technique applied directly onto the strings. It has a longer natural sustain than guitar, and yet is extremely percussive, the "drumming" of fingers executing sharp, staccato rhythms. It also has a strong and distinctive bass voice. And so, the techniques of four major instruments - guitar, piano, bass and drums - are all brought together on this single Touchboard® instrument.

The technique came before the instrument, a sudden discovery while playing my guitar in 1969. No known guitarist, bassist, or fingerboard player had ever before used a basic three and four fingered technique in each hand simultaneously to play independent lines, scales and chords. It was unique, yet basic and logical - both hands aligned parallel to the frets and perpendicular to the strings, the fingers of each hand fitting sequentially into selected fret spaces at any point along the board.

This is the common orientation of a fingering hand, more or less at right angles to the neck, and has from antiquity been the manner in which pickers, pluckers and strummers of stringed instruments finger-stopped their notes, usually with the left hand. I dedicated this fingering role to both hands, each addressing the board from opposite sides, and I began to perform, teach, and demonstrate this new method, as well as inventing and manufacturing a new instrument to fully realize its potential.

By 1970 I was playing L.A. clubs with jazz guitarist Barney Kessel, using this light-touch method of independent hands to play simultaneous bass, chords and melody on my modified guitar. Later that year I built a bodiless version out of an ebony board and called it "The Electric Stick". Refinements of the instrument and the method then evolved together, with my first production run of Sticks in 1974, as well as my first nationally televised Stick performance on "What's My Line" that year.

Stick Enterprises was founded in 1974 to manufacture and distribute the Stick. Since then we have added many new features and created a variety of related tapping instruments, including 8, 10, and 12 string models, an 8-string NS/Stick bass guitar, and related accessories. =>>>>>>>>>>>

============ prog-rockers ============

The Evolution Of A Musical Art
by Emmett Chapman
Originally published in Electronic Musician Magazine, May 1987

In 1969 in a Laurel Canyon Studio, a new playing method was born that bridged the guitar and keyboard.

In addition to running Stick Enterprises, Inc. with his wife Yuta, and regularly performing in concerts and lectures (especially in the Los Angeles area where he lives), Emmett Chapman is an active tennis player, a seasoned astrologer and enjoys reading scientific and humanistic literature. His second album will feature The Stick in an all solo Latin-jazz format, with MIDI interface to his TX-7 synth.

Contrary to what seems to be prevailing popular opinion, two-handed tapping of the guitar didn't begin with Stanley Jordan or Eddie Van Halen. In fact, when you see a guitarist using this technique, you're seeing the influence of Emmett Chapman, who started popularizing this method of guitar playing in the late '60s. But he didn't stop with the guitar, choosing instead to optimize an instrument with the two-handed playing technique in mind. The result was The Stick(TM) which is being used by an increasing number of musicians. What makes a person design a new instrument? What design problems are involved? What are the economic considerations? How long does it take to turn an idea into reality, and at what point is the evolution complete? Since The Stick is almost exclusively the product of one person, we thought we would go directly to the inventor to find out exactly what is involved in the evolution of a musical art. --Craig Anderton

How It All Started
As a musician, my goal has been to create a new musical language. Improvisation has always been a key element, drawing upon all mainstreams of music, past and present, with the intention to be to communicate in a new way with the audience and the musicians on stage. I began playing guitar in 1959 to back my vocals while I sang in a trio to work my way through college. After listening to Barney Kessel's guitar trio albums I began the long road as an instrumentalist.

From 1959 to 1969 my instrument, the guitar, evolved with my music. To make the kind of instrument I wanted, it was necessary to become an instrument builder and customizer. I made the neck wider, then longer--I added strings, springs, levers, and other novel mechanisms. The purpose of these changes was to allow greater expressiveness; they all worked rather well and I enjoyed using them for about four years, up until I discovered the two-handed playing technique.

I then built a rectangular fingerboard with no arch and no taper (a precursor to the fingerboard design on The Stick). I even reversed the three lowest bass strings from fourths going down in pitch to fifths going up in pitch, without changing the letter-named notes.

By the late '60s I had taken my guitars, techniques, and music through some 40 major changes. The final guitar had nine strings, including a gear shift for a "wild string." This was a companion to the high E; by pushing on the gear shift lever, it was possible to obtain various intervals, from an octave lower than high E (the string's normal pitch) up to unison high E. Also, instead of using a regular pick. I used a baby comb shaped like a pick. The fine comb teeth, when held at a slight angle, sounded more bow-like than the regular old "slap against the string." (I think this idea might still be worth pursuing for guitarists.)

Then, one evening in August, 1969, while practicing guitar in my Laurel Canyon Hills studio, a sudden impulse struck from "out of the blue," and I started to play the full two-handed technique. Realizing the implications this would have for my music sent me leaping around the house in sheer delight.

The Playing Technique
At that time I was under the spell of Jimi Hendrix and the new language of melodic expression he created for guitarists. I was always trying to play expressive free melody lines like what I was hearing from Hendrix and John Coltrane, and at the same time play harmonically and orchestrally (like pianists Bill Evans and McCoy Tyner). Trying to combine both elements on a guitar was not easy, yet I didn't want to give up all the chordal techniques and contrapuntal guitar techniques that I'd assimilated from jazz pianists in exchange for the melodic freedom of Hendrix.

However, with only one hand (the left one at that) doing all the fingering, the choice had always been "either-or," never the full musical statement for which I was searching. But when I placed my right hand over the fingerboard, tapped the strings, and turned my amplifiers up, I could immediately play some fast and fluid lead lines. Then with my left hand in its normal position, but tapping the strings independently, it was possible to play the chords and bass lines familiar to that hand, thus giving harmonic and rhythmic depth to my new-found right-hand voice. Not only that, the right-hand fingerings exactly matched those for the left hand with the index finger on each hand closer to the tuning pegs than their respective pinky (these hand positions are illustrated in the photo of Tony Levin). I knew immediately that in spite of my previous ten years of research it was going to be like starting from scratch. From one minute to the next I had resolved the melodic versus harmonic limitations in the one-handed guitar fingering techniques, which completely changed my character as a musician.

At that time, I had never before heard of anyone playing a two-handed fingering technique on guitar. I later learned that back in the late-'40s when electric guitar was just developing, there were two or three guitarists who recognized a connection between electrical amplification and independent two- handed playing. But they played with the right hand addressing strings in the orthodox guitarist's position with the right arm, hand, and fingers parallel to the strings (see Fig. 1). Among them was Jimmy Webster who wrote an instructional pamphlet and recorded an album featuring this form of the "touch system," as he referred to it.

However, this position severely limited the right-hand techniques of these players. They used one or two fingers to poke or punch individual notes, and compensated for the lack of finger alignment with successive frets by moving the entire right arm back and forth to find the notes. Their discoveries remained virtually unknown to guitarists and teachers, and were not passed on.

From the outset of using the full-fingered technique of both hands, even back in 1969, I brought my right hand onto the strings from the side of the fingerboard opposite to that of the left hand. My right arm and fingers were now perpendicular to the strings, so that the fingers were overlying adjacent fret spaces. All fingers of both hands were now locked in and matched the frets anywhere on the board; this step is essential for a true sequential fingering technique on a stringed instrument. The musical result is that you can play two, three, or even four notes on a single string with only finger manipulation and no arm movement. If you hold your fingers parallel to the strings, to play chromatic scales on a single string you have to move your whole arm at the shoulder joint. Although Eddie Van Halen does this very elegantly and plays some highly exciting parts, paradoxically it's difficult to play regular old scales and melody lines. Note that the full two-handed approach offers a pianistic technique to the fretboard player (the keyboard player's hands must also be perpendicular to the row of keys in order to sequentially play a succession of adjacent notes).

Now that the playing technique had been discovered it was time to adjust the instrument to make it more suited to this style of playing. At the moment of first discovery I brought my guitar to a more vertical position. Had I continued to hold the guitar in the traditional horizontal guitar position, my right hand would have accessed the strings from over the board, and the left hand from under. Both wrists would have been somewhat contorted, and the right shoulder hunched upward. The basic playing method is the same, regardless of the fretboard angle, but my new position felt more natural. I could still "wear" The Stick like a guitar, but with both hands hovering over the board and coming down upon the strings, as if I were playing patterns on my chest.

This change felt very natural and simplified everything. As the days went by, my guitar began to shed some of its sophisticated accessories. I found a more straightforward tuning of uniform intervals for two groupings of strings (nine strings in total at that time), and I dropped the whammy bar, the "sliding capo" (a way to do quick and easy transpositions), and the odd-shaped picks.

Developing The Instrument
It took several days to set up my solid body electric guitar to accommodate the new playing style. For the first year, I played on a guitar I built myself set up with very low string action, somewhat looser strings than a regular electric guitar, precision fret work, close pickup adjustment, and a string damper by the nut.

In 1970 I built a much abbreviated version of the current Stick out of an ebony board and named it "The Electric Stick." With the two-handed percussive playing method everything became simple in the design--a uniform, logical tuning, and no more gadgets. In the following two years I added extra bass strings, divided the strings into two groups of melody and bass, made the pickups stereo for these two groups, and designed a belt hook and neck strap for the more vertical playing position. I now had an instrument with a greatly extended range more like piano, and with the double tuning concept of uniform fifths reciprocally matching uniform fourths.

By placing two groups of strings on the same fingerboard, I reconciled another dilemma having to do with basic techniques. It was now possible to play with full independence of hands, each on its own group of strings, as if The Stick were a double-necked instrument. But I could also play the ten-fingered "interwoven" patterns possible only on a single neck, with all ten fingers selecting notes from any of the ten strings--something one certainly can't do with a double-neck.

Between 1970 and 1974 I made five prototypes, each looking more like the present sculptured design and representing an advance over the previous model (see Figs. 2 and 3). Tuners, fretwork, and the overall shape improved with each model. In 1973 I went from nine strings to ten. In 1974, I built the first production models--six of them, all with hand tools. I built up quite a physique during the production process, and might as well have been building the instruments with my teeth! Although The Stick itself could have been conceived in any shape, I designed a minimal one. Also, I could have chosen from a wide variety of tunings, but settled on the double grouping of ten strings--five melody strings tuned in descending fourths, and five bass and chord strings tuned in ascending fifths, which I found would optimize the two- handed possibilities.

While I refined the instrument to meet my own musical needs and instincts, I also began to emerge as a performer, doing West Coast concerts with guitarist Barney Kessel and singer Tim Buckley. In 1974 I began manufacturing The Stick for other musicians and teaching the two-handed technique at large. Since then I've been about equally active in playing concerts, recording, teaching and touring, as well as manufacturing, marketing, and running the business. Although many artists seem to dislike the business aspects of their art, somehow it all seems to fit together for me, with each endeavor giving depth to the other.

The Stick Today
Originally The Stick was manufactured from Brazilian Iron Wood, a dense and stable material of unusual variety in grain color and texture. I embedded two non-adjustable, spring tempered steel rods buried in black epoxy into the rear of the fretted area to prevent warping.

I still make the Iron Wood Stick, and last year I introduced a new model made of injection molded polycarbonate resin reinforced with spring steel bars. The sustain is almost exactly equivalent to the wood version, but the tone is a little brighter. This thermoplastic, a material much like stone and metal combined, is injected in a molten state into the cavities of the mold, producing the 3 1/2-foot long by 3 1/4-inch wide neck and body. The fingerboard is flat, with no arch and no taper; although the fingerboard could have been curved, as stated earlier I prefer a minimal approach, and a curved fingerboard is not necessary for the two-handed playing technique. A flat fingerboard is also easier to make, and provides a uniformity of tactile cues that a curved fingerboard does not provide.

Regarding overall range of the instrument, the 25 frets and ten strings cover 5 1/4 octaves. Like a bass guitar, the overall range from the bridge to the nut is 34 inches. Although custom round wound Stick string sets are available, it is possible to use equivalent guitar and bass stings except for bass strings six and seven (which are O.095 inches and O.065 inches in diameter respectively).

While the wood Stick uses jumbo guitar type frets, the frets on the polycarbonate Stick are even larger, and consist of stainless steel rods anchored firmly into the molded grooves of the fingerboard. My patented Fret- RodTM design is exceptionally smooth to the fingers and these frets won't wear down. While the traditional fret metals, brass and aluminum, would work, there's no advantage to using them. The reason why soft metals are used is that when the frets are hammered in to the neck, you don't want one side to rock out when you bang the other in; soft metal, which has a certain amount of "give," allows for easy fret hammering. Since the polycarbonate Stick frets are glued and locked in rather than hammered, a harder metal can be used.

Considering that The Stick owes its heritage to the guitar, some people wonder why The Stick has a unique tone above and beyond that caused by using ten strings and a two-hand playing technique. The answer is that much of the Stick's distinctive, clav-type sound is due to metal strings tapping against metal frets; this creates a somewhat "dry," precisely articulated sound that is nonetheless rich in harmonics. Most guitarists use a plastic pick, which is of a softer material and therefore gives a softer kind of sound. Of course. I'm not saying that one method is better than the other--just that it's nice to have options. Some guitarists, in fact, use metal picks for a harder sound, or their fingers for an even softer attack.

The stereo pickups (one for each set of five strings) use standard, double- coil humbucking technology. There's no fancy electronics--just a volume pot for each pickup. Considering the need to amplify these relatively small string vibrations, shielding is important. For some reason, it seems that all-metal housings cause a loss of highs, so for the past four years, the pickups have used a metallized plastic housing. Since these housings are injection-molded, during the molding process conductive carbon graphite fibers are injected into the housing. The high level of shielding this provides means that the strings need not be grounded, which makes for a safer instrument. The one problem I have encountered is some minor crosstalk between the bass and treble strings. Possibly in the future some kind of optical pickup could solve that problem.

Enter Midi
The Stick, like any other instrument, continues to evolve. One recent addition is MIDI. I've done two MIDI Sticks for myself based on IVL's guitar-to-MIDI technology (essentially a Pitchrider 7000, labeled as Touch Board MIDI, with some software changes to best accommodate The Stick's characteristics) with the top five strings going to MIDI. This adds $900 to the cost of The Stick; retrofits are also $900. Interestingly, The Stick seems to provide a signal that's easier to "MIDIfy" than a guitar, possibly because a pick isn't involved, The next step is to try out a modified version of the IVL Steelrider, a ten string device designed for steel guitar, to see if all ten strings can be used with MIDI.

Production
I manufacture The Stick from the raw Brazilian Iron Wood from start to finish at my workshop in production runs of 70 instruments at a time. I have a second ongoing production of injection molded polycarbonate Sticks which began in l986. Customization is also a part of production; I have done customized tunings in my production for musicians who have their own preferences. These have included double guitar tunings, guitar and violin, guitar and standard bass, bass in fourths plus bass in fifths, single sequences of strings, left- handed (reversed) models, fretless ones, and others that are exotic (such as a double-bass model recently completed for an album project I played on for Ryuichi Sakamoto).

So Is It A Guitar?
I was a guitarist for ten years until 1969 when my guitar became the vehicle for this radically new method. Guitarists have provided the main inspirations for my music, especially John McLaughlin. That I chose to name this instrument "The Stick" does not detract from its guitar-like qualities. It's a stringed instrument in the family of fretted guitar-like instruments. I could have chosen any shape or tuning for my new "guitar" but settled on a minimalist design. What I'm saying is, this method and approach applies to all electric instruments that have strings and frets, not just The Stick.

The Stick was created more by my fingers and my music than by any plan to invent something. The core ingredient of the instrument then is the playing method itself, which is what I've been telling students and audiences since 1974. I could have called my instrument a guitar. "The Stick" is simply my brand name for a musical instrument in the guitar family. The two-handed playing technique that I developed works best on The Stick but is still available to guitarists. In fact, I enjoy a lot of the music produced by the two-handed touch guitarists today, including the novel approach taken by Michael Hedges.

Most of the currently publicized guitarists who are playing the two-handed touch technique remain committed to holding the right arm horizontally and parallel to the strings, so that they can still pick and pluck the strings at will. These guitarists are currently playing double-handed melody lines with the notes interwoven between the hands, or else they play right-hand embellishments to their left-hand fingerings. Some of these musicians, Eddie Van Halen most prominent among them but also musicians like David Torn, are playing some unique, energetic, and expressive lead lines with this "combined hands" technique. However, while certainly valid, this should not be confused with the same method that I've been playing and teaching.

The Spread Of A Musical Language
There's no use in inventing a new musical language without making it available to those who might also find it useful. Over the past 12 years, upon requests from individuals and institutions, Stick Enterprises has provided over 250,000 Stick brochures that describe the two-handed tapping method in detail. These brochures, along with many thousands of accompanying recorded and printed materials, have been given to individual musicians, music stores, and have been available at most of the US music trade shows since 1975.

Before 1969, no one I know was using my two-handed technique. Now there are close to 2,000 musicians in the world who play The Stick, mostly in the US, who are using this method on the instruments that I've built for them. Some of them have been on world tours using The Stick to support major recording groups. Many of them I've personally taught. All of them have my lesson book Free Hands, first published in 1974. I've referred many new players to Stick teachers all over the world. Many have learned to play without a teacher, strictly on their own, or after seeing The Stick live or on television (l first played The Stick on national television in 1974). The ease with which one can learn to play the Stick is largely due to the natural finger positions and the instrument's ergonomic design, which complements the two-handed, fingers-perpendicular-to-the-strings technique.

It is good to look back over the past 17 years of work and know that it has proven fruitful and productive for many musicians--not just myself. Considering how many artists don't have the chance to see their work accepted, I consider myself fortunate to have accomplished the goal of creating a new musical language. =>>>>>>>>>>>

============ prog-rockers ============

The Birth of Two-Handed Tapping
By Jim Reilly
Originally published in the UK publication, Bass Guitar Magazine, issue 6/2003

House lights dim. A musician starts up, fighting for attention over a boisterous crowd in a small coffee shop. A street busker drops his hat and plays for passing tourists. But something is different. There's too much sound coming from just one musician. Bass lines merge with melodies. Chords play off each other. It would be all right if this were a piano but it sounds like a guitar, or maybe a bass, maybe even both at the same time. The musician is holding an odd looking instrument. It looks like a big guitar neck-but just the neck, no body. While listening to the instrument's inventor performing at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, 14 year-old Morag Musk leaned over to her father and whispered, "It looks like what's left over after you hit somebody over the head with a guitar". Quickly she added, "But I like the way it sounds".

It looks like an odd guitar but the musician isn't playing it like a guitar. The instrument is hanging almost vertically, right in front of the player. He's not strumming or plucking the strings like he would on a guitar. Both hands are reaching up from either side of the instrument and tapping the strings. Both hands create all the sounds coming from the instrument. Each hand, each finger, determines pitch, volume, expression and tone. One hand chases the other, one steers, the other follows, both drive unhurriedly ahead together.

This story began on a typically hot Southern California evening, back in the late 60s. A 32-year-old guitar player was woodshedding in his Yucca Trail home near Los Angeles. He was inspired by the times: his ears full of the revolutionary sounds of McCoy Tyner and Oscar Peterson, his heart full of the electricity of Jimi Hendrix. He'd been tinkering with his guitar. He added strings, changed the tuning and oiled the fretboard so his fingers could fly up and down the neck. He had started standing up: before he had always played sitting down. That night, around 6:30 p.m., after already playing for a while, something happened. In an instant, without knowing why or stopping to think, this soon to be ex-guitar player brought his right hand up from above the pickup and began tapping the strings. In the next instant he shifted the angle of his guitar from its traditional horizontal position to a more vertical one so both hands lined up at right angles to the guitar neck and reached around from opposite sides. The night was August 26, 1969. The player was Emmett Chapman. History had been made.

Other guitar players had tapped on their guitars before, but none had approached the neck in the way Emmett did that August evening in 1969. By approaching the strings at right angles, the notes lined up as a sequence along the frets. Harry DeArmond, Dave Bunker, Jimmie Webster and others tapped while holding the guitar in its traditional manner, with the right hand's fingers parallel to the strings. In order to play scales, or runs of single notes, these other guitarists had to move their entire right arm at the shoulder. The old technique was used successfully but lacked practicality. It was cumbersome. With Emmett's technique, the right and left hands could stay in a single position along the neck and access a full range of notes and chords. The technique was a synthesis of guitar, bass, piano, even percussion.

Between 1969 and 1974, Emmett created the Chapman Stick - a ten-stringed fretboard, tuned in a uniform tuning, with the strings arranged in two groups of five to enable one hand to play the lower bass strings and the other hand to play the higher melody strings. Gigs with Barney Kessel and Tim Buckley brought Emmett's new instrument and technique to the attention of musicians on the West Coast. Gigs in New York at the Five Spot and at the Museum of Modern Art led to articles in Downbeat and Guitar Player magazines and an appearance on the television show What's My Line?.

The Chapman Stick found enthusiastic players since its first production run in 1974. One night in New York at the 5-Spot, Joe Zawinul, who had already made a name for himself with Miles Davis and Weather Report, picked up Emmett's Stick, climbed up on a table and with much gusto and showmanship tapped away, playing the instrument quite well. The rest of Emmett's band joined in and off they went on an impromptu concert. Zawinul was so impressed, he bought one of the first five Sticks ever made. Later Emmett would see a young bass player named Alphonso Johnson playing with Zawinul in Weather Report. Bass legend Tony Levin bought a Stick from Emmett in 1976 and was using it live and in the studio with Peter Gabriel as early as 1977. The Stick is now a main part of Levin's arsenal. He has tapped his Stick on albums by Laurie Anderson, The California Guitar Trio, Paula Cole, Al DiMeola, Peter Gabriel, King Crimson, Pink Floyd and Yes, to name a few.

Through the 70s and into the 80s, The Stick made its way from Emmett's workshop out into the world. Tony Levin was only one of several thousand players using Emmett's technique on the Stick. Fergus Marsh toured with Bruce Cockburn and recorded his Stealing Fire album with him. Nick Beggs made a name for himself first with the 80s pop band Kajagoogoo, then with a host of other projects including Belinda Carlisle, Warren Cuccurullo and Gary Numan. Pino Paladino played Stick with Paul Young. Alphonso Johnson continued tapping and playing Stick on various projects. Emmett himself recorded a solo album titled Parallel Galaxy.

The 90s saw many Stick players come into their own and create some outstanding music. Greg Howard of Charlottesville, Virginia shows off the polyphonic potential of The Stick and two-handed tapping. He has several solo recordings and a touring band, and made a guest appearance on the Dave Matthews Band CD Before These Crowded Streets. New York's Steve Adelson recently released a straight ahead jazz album featuring performances with himself and Larry Coryell on guitar and Tony Levin on Stick. Guillermo Cides from Argentina recorded a stunning CD of Bach concertos. San Jose's Bob Culbertson explored the classical music repertoire on a pair of discs called Romantica Vols. 1 and 2. Nick Beggs released his solo Stick debut, Stick Insect, to rave reviews. Tony Levin, Alphonso Johnson and Fergus Marsh are reported to be working on solo Stick projects.

The number of Stick players and others using Emmett's technique continues to grow. Recent estimates place the number of active Stick players at over 5,000. Countless others are tapping on guitars and basses and other stringed instruments. Emmett is still busily working away playing and building Sticks. Sticks are now available in 8, 10 and 12-string versions with a hybrid guitar/Stick instrument, the NS Stick, co-designed with Ned Steinberger also available.

New musical innovations are rare. Howard Goodall chose five for his book Big Bangs: The Story of Five Discoveries That Changed Musical History. He prefaced his five choices with the following stipulation: "Changes to music that happened in one place at one time: one day the invention wasn't there, the next it was." This ruled out things like the symphony or the violin, both of which evolved slowly over centuries.

Following Goodall's edict, we have to go back to Adolph Sax in the late nineteenth century to find the previous inventor who successfully created a new musical instrument with a lasting social impact. Beyond that we need to go back, with smaller stops along the way, to Bartolomeo Cristofori and his 'amazing loud and soft machine', the pianoforte. The saxophone, the piano and now the Chapman Stick all involved a shift. A shift that may have seemed radical, but with hindsight proved an inevitable reflection of the musical times. These shifts altered people's perceptions of how sound can be created, manipulated and maintained. Rather than merely offering a new tonal palette for the musician to explore, as with the modern day synthesizer, Emmett's realization in 1969 brought forth a new way for the musician to interact with, to control, to converse with his instrument.

The fact that The Stick is, in itself, the physical embodiment of a technique puts Emmett's work in a category above the common instrument maker. The fact that the technique predates the instrument is at the core of why the instrument works. The shift in perception Emmett experienced in 1969 makes the story extraordinary. The fact that he had the character to fulfill the potential presented to him that day makes this whole thing revolutionary. =>>>>>>>>>>>

============ prog-rockers ============

Parallel Hands
By Jim Reilly

It was 35 years ago, August 26, 1969, that Emmett Chapman first aligned both hands in fingering positions parallel to each other on his guitar neck, reached each hand around from opposite sides and tapped. An innocuous beginning. Merely a musician woodshedding by himself. Lost in the moment. Struck by a flash of creative energy. The moment could have been lost. Emmett could have said, "Hey that was cool," and gone back to picking and strumming, but he didn't.

It really happened just that fast. In an instant and without knowing why, Emmett brought his right hand up from its normal position picking the strings and began to tap. In the next instant he shifted the nine-string guitar, which he built himself and continually modified, from horizontal to almost vertical. Perhaps if he hadn't done that, if he hadn't brought his guitar upright, more in line with the player, he wouldn't have realized the full potential of his surprise discovery.

"It felt like an old, familiar sensation of encountering something extra in the equation," Emmett says. "Something I wasn't looking for, an extra finger or toe, a conceptually new approach that transforms the game."

You see, when one taps on guitar strings holding the guitar the way you normally hold it, the left hand is in the guitarist's normal fingering position but the right hand lines up parallel to the strings, not the frets. The guitar is oriented perpendicular to the left hand. You can roll your fingers quickly from string to string or hunt and peck individual notes by moving the whole arm at the shoulder, but the technique Emmett discovered 35 years ago offers much more.

While he didn't now it at the time, Emmett wasn't the first to tap guitar strings. Harry DeArmond, Jimmy Webster, Dave Bunker and others tapped before Emmett, but they all held their guitars the way you're supposed to hold your guitar - horizontally. When Emmett changed the angle, moved his hands parallel to the neck and came around from opposite sides, his fingers fell very naturally in a straight line, a straight line of attack along the strings. Suddenly scales, chord shapes, melodies fell quickly and easily right under all of his fingers. "It felt like flying," he says.

Today string tapping has become a required tool in the modern guitar and bassist's toolbox. Better and better technologies both in instrument manufacturing and sound reproduction allows for even the most inexpensive of instruments and the most novice of players to experiment with tapping on strings. While many musicians tap with no knowledge of The Stick or of Emmett directly, the influence of both the instrument and the man are undeniable. Many guitarists and bassists even use Emmett's method of parallel hands on their own instruments. Stanley Jordan perhaps best demonstrates what can be achieved with a dedicated two-handed tapping technique on a guitar. Clinics and concerts Emmett gave across the U.S. exposed countless musicians to two-handed tapping. One clinic at the Guitar Institute of Technology in Hollywood inspired G.I.T. grads Steve Lynch and Jennifer Batten to incorporate, adapt and integrate parallel two-handed tapping into their arsenals.

First for Emmett-then for anyone else so inclined-this 35-year-old method of parallel hand string tapping has proven that tapping is an all encompassing, complete technique: rhythm, harmony and melody all falling under the fingers. The two hands combine to open a universe of music, a world of polyphony, harmony and counterpoint previously only available to keyboardists.

Now, only 35 years later, a short time in the world of musical instruments, I think were just beginning to see the potential of Emmett's technique. It's like we've just looked up and noticed the midnight stars, never mind even comprehending that one day we may actually travel there. As audiences begin to understand just what it is we're doing, as more players tap and the music keeps getting better and better, the road this technique can take us down will prove to be one of endless creativity.

Congratulations Emmett on 35 years of string tapping. Thank you for taking your original discovery to the next level and creating The Stick, the perfect instrument to realize your technique. Thank you to Yuta and Grace and the rest at Stick Enterprises for getting these instruments into our hands. I can't wait to hear what's going to come out from under fingers of all the great Stick players playing now and those to come over the next 35 years. =>>>>>>>>>>>

============ prog-rockers ============

Moody Blues

2007-05-30T03:51:00.000-06:00

@ Starling

Introduction
I was relatively new to the Moodies, I confess, when I started this page, and really hadn't had the chance to absorb their music with as much tenacity and zest as, say, that of Jethro Tull (no kidding). However, I did have enough time to take some serious listens and draw some interesting conclusions which are no doubt your only excuse for opening this page. So let's have it this way: you take my comments seriously and I'll try not to be neither too sceptical nor too pathetic. Okay?

Before I proceed to the actual reviews, I'd like to notice this one little peculiar thing about the Moodies' music. The Moody Blues are often dubbed 'prog-rockers' and put into the same bag with bands like the above-mentioned Tull, Yes, Genesis, etc., etc. Now I really don't know that much about the exact genre terminology, but it seems to me this is no less than a fatal mistake. The Moodies were made of an entirely different dough than all of these mature 'proggers' (hey, good word! sounds almost like 'frogger', doesn't it?) First of all, their music never even approached the level of complexity that was absolutely necessary for being called 'prog'. Their instrumentation, even though it did heavily rely on keyboards and/or orchestral arrangements, was deeply rooted in happy British pop of the early Sixties, with bands like the Hollies providing inspiration for most of the Moodies' songwriters, while Yes and company usually ventured into a much deeper past - medieval music and stuff like that. Second: the famous 'conceptuality' of the band (practically every album they made, at least in their 'golden years', had a central theme) was generally understandable - sometimes too naive, sometimes thoughtful and intelligent, but always clear and explainable to the average listener, unlike the twisted, mystical, and often purely nonsensical 'concepts' of prog-rockers. So were the lyrics: sometimes unbearingly banal and derivative, but sometimes quite fascinating - and always straightforward and, once again, easily understandable. Both of these factors certainly contributed to the Moodies' sell-out status in the late Sixties/early Seventies, but both of these factors also contributed to their (also very popular) image of lame artsy guys with lots of pretension and bombast but little real talent, an image mainly fostered by Rolling Stone, whose staff has probably hardly ever gotten further than Graeme Edge's lame 'poetic' introductions at the beginning of each album, and the likes of it. You decide who to side with.

Actually, at times I'm a bit puzzled as to why the Moodies receive such a lot of hatred in their address. Deep down inside, I feel that this hatred is pretty much artificial - it's easy to choose somebody as a symbol of rock's past failures and flaws, and the Moodies are one of the obvious candidates. I mean, some people prefer to poke at Yes or ELP instead, but these bands' fans poke back at their critics by emphasizing these bands' virtuosity and sheer rockin' power. So the Moodies fall easy prey to art-rock haters since they are quite limited as to what concerns their instrumental skills. The fact that all the five members were undisputed professionals, and Mike Pinder was one of the most creative and intelligent Mellotron tamers in history, is somewhat disregarded, of course. But the Moodies can't play fifty notes per second like Steve Howe, right? They can't play fifty different synths all at a time like Keith Emerson, right? And they are pretentious, stupid and vain. Naturally, they suck big time. Well, I'll just tell you that I never cared much for such simplistic 'logics' and will probably never care for it. Don't bother arguing with me on that one.

One thing's for certain: the Moodies are unique in many ways. Whether that uniqueness is something to like or something to shrug your shoulders about - that's up to the consumer. I don't tend to idolize them (as lots of hardcore fans do), and I don't tend to underrate them (as even more scepticists do). The classic Moodies' sound is somewhat uniform to my ears, but you can't deny the catchiness and melodicism of quite a good percent of their output. Not to mention the fact that they really can sing, especially Justin Hayward, and do it with gusto - unlike, say, Jon Anderson. It's also interesting to note that the band was a truly democratic organisation - a phenomenon which is quite rare among art rock bands. Everybody contributed to the band's sound, trying to make it as diverse as possible. Oh well - it wasn't their fault that they mostly failed at that. Their 'classic seven' albums mostly follow the same formula, and in a certain way, they just kept re-writing the same stuff over and over again, being more or less the art rock equivalent of AC/DC.

SPECIAL WARNING: It is worth noticing, thus, that I haven't yet seen not even two Moody Blues fans whose views on the band's best/worst stuff would coincide; a typical case for bands whose albums all sound the same - the accent is then carried over to nitpicking and saying 'I hate this song because the vocals sound ugly' or 'I love this song because there's a nice Mellotron bend'. In my reviews, I have tried where possible to evade this approach: of course, it's not always possible, but my primary opinion is that the Moodies were good as long as they weren't totally ripping off themselves, because their rip-offs always tend to be less catchy and memorable than their 'originals'. It should also be said that, while my own personal ratings of the Moodies' 'classic period' differ rather seriously, it doesn't really matter where to start and where to finish with it - the differences are never crucial. The Moodies were very highly formulaic; but, of course, their main difference is, unlike AC/DC, they never stopped using brains, not brawns, to produce their music...

Let's move on to the lineup, shall we? Here's the original Moody Blues as nobody knows them: Denny Laine - guitar, vocals; Clint Warwick - bass guitar; Mike Pinder - keyboards, notably Mellotron; Ray Thomas - guitar, flute, different thingamajigs; Graeme Edge - drums, dumb bits of dumb poetry. This lineup was formed somewhere around 1965, recorded one (or more) albums and dissolved in a year or so, with both Laine and Warwick quitting for good (Laine kicked around for a couple of years more before becoming McCartney's sideman in Wings). They were replaced by Justin Hayward (guitar, vocals) and John Lodge (bass, vocals), thus forming the second lineup (as everybody knows them). Er, I just noticed I assigned 'vocals' to Hayward, when it's really incorrect: everybody had his share in singing. Hayward's was just the most prominent one.

The band dissolved in 1972, then reformed as an 'oldies act' in 1978, spewing forth an album (Octave). In 1981 they reconvened again, having replaced Pinder with Patrick Moraz (ex-Yes keyboard jester). The latter, however, didn't stay for too long, having quit by the time they started recording Keys Of The Kingdom in 1991, and they've carried on with side players since then. Hey, seems like they're still around and kickin'! Ain't it fun?

Let me warn you, though, that all that 'reunion' stuff, beginning with Octave, is really only necessary for you if you adore the original 'big seven'. The Eighties and Nineties stuff has some particularly high points and some particularly low ones, but it's all rooted in Eighties' production values, and even the best of it stands so close to the border that separates 'cheese' from 'class' that I fully understand people who dis every single album of the 'Newdy Blues', even if I don't always agree with them. Wanna try your luck? Start with The Present and see if you can tolerate the rest. Oh, their latest product is quite good, too; you might pick up that one (Strange Times) without too much fear.

General Evaluation:
Listenability: 4/5. Accessible and gorgeous melodies, for the most part, but the Moodies were often on the brink of falling into "schlock and pap", and sometimes crossing that brink.
Resonance: 4/5. Hard to deny that the Moodies are always up and down on your emotional centers, but sometimes the sap gets too much.
Originality: 3/5. Their first album was a revolutionary masterwork, but that's pretty much everything they did - they spent the next thirty years of their career coasting on its success. Great coasting, though.
Adequacy: 2/5. Anybody wants to argue? Get me Mr Graeme Edge for personal execution.
Diversity: 2/5. Oh boy. If the Moodies didn't have a FORMULA, with all capitals, then nobody had.
Overall: 3.0 = C on the rating scale. =>>>>>>>>>>>

============ prog-rockers ============

@ Wiki
The Moody Blues is a British rock band originally from Birmingham, England. Founding members Michael Pinder and Ray Thomas performed an initially rhythm and blues-based sound in Birmingham in 1964 along with Graeme Edge and others, and were later joined by John Lodge and Justin Hayward as they inspired and evolved the progressive rock style. Among their innovations was a fusion with classical music, most notably in their seminal 1967 album Days of Future Passed.

The band has had numerous hit albums in the UK, US, and worldwide, and has seen several additional musicians come and go, and they remain active even as of 2007, with a North American summer tour scheduled.

Founding and early history
The Moody Blues formed on 4 May 1964 in Erdington, Birmingham, Warwickshire, England. Ray Thomas, John Lodge, and Michael Pinder had been members of El Riot & the Rebels, a regionally-popular band. They disbanded when Lodge, the youngest member, went to technical college and Pinder joined the army. Pinder then rejoined Thomas to form the Krew Cats and enjoyed moderate success. The pair recruited guitarist/vocalist Denny Laine, band manager-turned drummer Graeme Edge, and bassist Clint Warwick (born Albert Eccles, 25 June 1940, in Wilton Street, Aston, Birmingham, Warwickshire). The five appeared as the Moody Blues for the first time in Birmingham in 1964. The name developed from a planned sponsorship from the M&B Brewery and was also a subtle reference to the Duke Ellington song, "Mood Indigo".

Soon, the band obtained a London-based management company, 'Ridgepride', formed by ex-Decca A&R man Alex Murray (Alex Wharton), who helped them land a recording contract with Decca Records in the spring of 1964. They released a single, "Steal Your Heart Away" that year which made it onto the charts. But it was their second single, "Go Now" (released later that year), which really launched their career, being promoted on TV with the among the first purpose-made promotional films in the pop era, produced and directed by Wharton. The single became a huge hit in the United Kingdom (where it remains their only Number 1 single to date) and in the United States where it reached #10.

Wharton left the management firm and the group released a series of unsuccessful singles. In mid-1966 Warwick left the group. He was briefly replaced by Rod Clarke but in November 1966 Laine and Clarke had also departed the group. They were immediately replaced by Pinder and Thomas' El Riot bandmate, John Lodge, and Justin Hayward, formerly of The Wilde Three. The band soon realised that their style of American blues covers and novelty tunes was not working for them and decided to develop an original style. Their new style, featuring the symphonic sounds of the mellotron and Ray Thomas's flute, was to be developed in a concept album revolving around a day in the life of everyman.

Deram Records contract and founding of signature style
The Moody Blues' contract with Decca Records was set to expire and they owed the label several thousands of pounds in advances. However, Deram Records (a London/Decca imprint) chose the band to make a LP in order to promote Deramic Stereo and the group was to be forgiven its debt to the label to make a rock and roll version of Antonín Dvořák's New World Symphony. The Moody Blues agreed but insisted that they be given artistic freedom and be left without supervision. They then convinced Peter Knight, who had been assigned to arrange and conduct the orchestral interludes, to collaborate on a recording of their stage show instead. Deram executives were initially skeptical about the hybrid style of the resulting concept album, Days of Future Passed (1967). However, it was to become one of the most successful commercial releases of all time. Decca producer Tony Clarke was chosen to produce the album and the Moodies carried on a durable working relationship with Clarke who would end up producing all of their albums and singles for the next eleven years. Engineer Derek Varnals would also contribute heavily to the creation of the early Moodies' studio sound.

The album plus two singles, "Nights in White Satin" and "Tuesday Afternoon", became massively popular, as was the 1968 follow-up LP, In Search of the Lost Chord. Also included on this album is the song "Legend of a Mind," a song written by Ray Thomas in tribute to LSD guru Timothy Leary which encompassed a masterful flute solo performed by Thomas. Justin Hayward began playing sitar and incorporating it into Moody Blues music, having been inspired by George Harrison. Graeme Edge found a significant secondary role in the band as a writer of poetry, and nearly all of their early albums from the late 60's begin with Mike Pinder reciting poems by Edge that were conceptually related to the lyrics of the songs that would follow. The band's music continued to become more complex and symphonic, resulting in 1969's To Our Children's Children's Children - a concept album based around the band's celebration of the first moon landing. The album reportedly even went to the moon on Apollo space missions. (According to the booklet in the 4-disc anthology "Time Traveler")[citation needed] The album closes with the fan-favorite 'Watching and Waiting', composed by Ray Thomas and Justin Hayward.

Although the Moodies had by now defined a somewhat psychedelic style and helped to define the progressive rock (then also known as 'art rock') sound, the group decided for a while to record only albums that could be played in concert, losing some of their full-blown sound for their next album, A Question of Balance (1970). This album, reaching #3 in the American charts and #1 in the British charts, was indicative of the band's growing success in America. Justin Hayward began an artful exploration of guitar tone through the use of numerous effects pedals and fuzz-boxes, and developed for himself a very melodic buzzing guitar-solo sound. For their next two albums, Every Good Boy Deserves Favour (1971) and Seventh Sojourn (1972) (that reached #1 in both the UK and the US), the band returned to their signature orchestral sound which, while difficult to reproduce in concert, had become their trademark. Edge, the long standing drummer-poet, started writing lyrics intended to be sung, rather than verses to be spoken.

In late 1972, a re-issue of the five-year-old "Nights In White Satin" became the Moody Blues' biggest US hit, soaring to number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and becoming a certified million-seller; the song had "bubbled under" the Hot 100 charts on its original release. The song also returned to the UK charts, reaching #9, ten places higher than its original release in 1967.

The Moodies were also among the pioneers of the idea that a successful rock band could promote itself through its own label, following the Beatles' creation of Apple Records. After their On the Threshold of a Dream album (1969), they created Threshold Records, prompted in part by disputes with London/Deram over album design costs (their gatefold record jackets and expensive cover art were not popular with company executives). Threshold would produce new albums and deliver them to London/Decca who acted as distributor. The group attempted to build Threshold into a major label by developing new talent - most notably the UK hard rock band Trapeze and the Portland, Oregon classical-acoustic sextet Providence - but these efforts proved unsuccessful and the Moodies eventually returned to more traditional recording contracts. However, they did lay the groundwork for other major acts to set up similar personal labels and distribution deals including The Rolling Stones' own label and Led Zeppelin's Swan Song, and all of the Moodies' studio releases from 1969 to 1999 would bear the Threshold logo on at least one of their format versions.

Hiatus, solo work
In 1973, the group took an extended break — originally announced as a permanent break-up - Justin Hayward the only one eager to go on; the other bandmembers feeling overshadowed. (This said by Justin himself in the last and current issue of Higher & Higher magazine 2006)

Hayward and Lodge released a duo album, the very successful Blue Jays (1975), and the members each released solo albums.

Edge produced two, Kick Off Your Muddy Boots (1975) and Paradise Ballroom (1976); Hayward elegantly composed Songwriter (1977), and Night Flight (1980), which would in later years be followed up by Moving Mountains (1985), The View From The Hill (1996), and Live In San Juan Capistrano (1998). Lodge released Natural Avenue (1977); Pinder produced The Promise (1976); and Thomas also two, From Mighty Oaks (1975) and Hopes, Wishes and Dreams (1976).

Reunion, 1977–1990
In 1977, as the group made a decision to record together again, London Records decided to release a somewhat poorly mixed then-eight year old recording of the band performing at the Royal Albert Hall, against their artistic wishes. London did this in an attempt to redevelop a somewhat waning public interest in the Moody Blues prior to their anticipated new album, but the crude sound of the concert from 1969 titled "Caught Live +5" would clash sharply with the lush and refined sound the modern Moodies were capable of producing in the studio. By this time Pinder had married and started a family in California, so for their reunion recording the band decamped there with producer Clarke. By all accounts, the sessions had moments of tension and difficulty, but by autumn 1978 Octave was released. Pinder, citing his young family, excused himself from any tour commitments and was replaced by former Yes keyboardist, Patrick Moraz. In spite of these difficulties, the album sold well and produced the hits "Steppin' In A Slide Zone", written by Lodge and "Driftwood", written by Hayward. The music video produced for "Driftwood" features Moraz, although Mike Pinder was the one who played on the actual recording; the video for "Steppin' In A Slide Zone" simply shows the other four members without Pinder.

The band toured in 1979 and by 1980 was ready to record again, this time bringing in producer Pip Williams. Moraz was retained as the band's permanent keyboardist, though Pinder had understood that he would continue to record even if not tour with the band. Pinder attempted legal measures to prevent the new Moody Blues album from reaching the public without his contribution, but he was not successful. Released in 1981, Long Distance Voyager was a colossal success, reaching #1 on Billboard and top 5 in the UK. The album yielded two hits, "The Voice," written by Hayward, and "Gemini Dream," written by Hayward and Lodge. By now, the mellotron had been set aside as their primary synthesizer and the band embraced a more modern, less symphonic approach. The marketing formula for the band demanded from this time forward that a Justin Hayward song would be used to lead off their studio albums, as his material was the most successful.

The Present (1983), again produced by Williams, proved less successful than its predecessor, though it did spawn a UK top 40 hit in "Blue World" (#62 in the US) and a US top 40 hit in "Sitting At the Wheel" (which failed to chart in the UK). Videos were also produced for both singles. "The Present" was released in conjunction with Talencora Ltd. Records shortly before a major label shift for the band.

In 1986 they enjoyed renewed success with their album The Other Side of Life and in particular with the track, "Your Wildest Dreams" - a US Top 10 hit (and #1 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary singles chart for two weeks) which garnered a Billboard Video of the Year award after being frequently featured on MTV. Newly-hired producer Tony Visconti delivered a modern sound the Moodies had been after in order to remain competitive with their pop contemporaries. The album's title song also charted in the US, at #58.

They performed live at the charity event concert "Heartbeat '86" which raised money for the Birmingham Children's Hospital. The band played four songs, and later provided backup with Electric Light Orchestra for George Harrison.

The Moodies continued their early video-generation success with Sur La Mer (1988) and its video/single, "I Know You're Out There Somewhere", a sequel to "Your Wildest Dreams". Their sound took on an ever- increasingly synthetic and technical quality as Moraz and Visconti began utilising modern sequencers, samplers, and drum machines. During this time, Justin Hayward and John Lodge wrote and sang on most of the songs as the band came under pressure from the new record company, PolyGram Records, to promote those it deemed to be the two more commercial looking and sounding members. Ray Thomas was playing a diminshed role in the studio. There seemed to be no room for his ethereal flute in these new songs which were awash in high-tech 80s production. He provided some backing vocals for both The Other Side of Life and Sur La Mer, but according to Visconti, his vocal tracks were never mixed into the final version of the latter album.

1990s, new millennium, and present
Thomas' high value remained on stage primarily from his continued ability to boisterously sing out his 60's and 70's Moodies classics, and also in dynamic flute and keyboard duets he composed with Moraz which were only performed by the two during Moodies' concerts. The band had begun to reinforce their concert sound in the later 1980s with the addition of a second keyboardist, Bias Boshell, as well as female backing singers. They also hired second drummer Gordon Marshall. As they began work in 1990 for their new studio album, Patrick Moraz made some comments in an article in Keyboard magazine regarding his dissatisfaction with his role in the Moodies and he was dismissed before completing work on the album. Bias Boshell and Paul Bliss were brought in to play keyboards on the remaining tracks.

Keys of the Kingdom (1991) had modest commercial success. It featured the new single "Say It with Love" and its follow-up "Bless the Wings" as well as a new flute masterpiece by Ray Thomas entitled "Celtic Sonant". John Lodge would make a defining shift in his songwriting on this album, leaving his trademark high-energy rock music, and instead gravitating towards slow love ballads. This trend would continue on the two successive Moodies albums. Instead it was Hayward who wrote the driving two-part piece "Say What You Mean" which featured compelling chord and melody structures as well as a spoken-word section. Tony Visconti produced some of the tracks on "Keys", as did Christopher Neil and Alan Tarney.

For touring purposes, the band decided not to hire a permanent replacement in the keyboard chair but instead to tour as a quartet with extra hired musicians. However, keyboardist Paul Bliss has consistently fulfilled keyboard duties with the band on-stage since 1991 - successfully recreating the Mike Pinder and Patrick Moraz sound live with the Moody Blues. Thomas and Bliss continued the tradition of a flute/keyboard duet for many tours. The Moodies remained among the highest-earning concert acts, and a series of video and audio versions of their Night at Red Rocks concert enjoyed great success, particularly as a fund-raiser for American public television where it had been first broadcast. Instead of beginning on a new studio project, they would instead attempt to perfect the art of playing with an orchestra during these years, working with several talented orchestral ensembles and trying new arrangements for well-known pieces. The second hiatus from recording ended in 1998.

Their first studio album in eight years, Strange Times (1999), proved to be the first Moodies album in almost two decades to be more than moderately received by UK critics; released by Universal Music Group, it made the UK top 10. It was recorded in a studio in Recco, Italy, at Hayward's suggestion, and was produced by the Moodies themselves - attesting to their 3 decades of recording experience. This album was the first to feature Danilo Madonia as an arranger and electric organist. Madonia would go on to play keyboards on all future Moodies studio tracks, including on the follow-up album, "December". The CD opened with the unusual "English Sunset," an RPM techno song written by Justin Hayward. "Strange Times" was also the first album since 1970 to include a new poem by Graeme Edge, in an effort to partially recreate their "concept" album sound of the late 60s/early 70s. It became clear to fans that Thomas' interest in the group was waning as he only provided one song for the new CD that, while highly whimsical, was less than two-minutes in length.

Also in 1999, The Moody Blues appeared in one episode of "The Simpsons" called "Viva Ned Flanders".

In 2000, the band released "Hall of Fame," a new live concert from Royal Albert Hall on the Ark 21 label.

In 2001, an IMAX film was released, entitled "Journey into Amazing Caves", which featured two new songs written and performed by the Moody Blues. The soundtrack also featured Justin Hayward performing vocals and playing guitar throughout. One of these songs, entitled "Water," is the Moody Blues' first instrumental studio recording since their 1983 "Hole in the World" from The Present LP.

The new millennium saw the Moody Blues reducing their touring schedule. In 2002, founding member Ray Thomas retired from the group, reducing The Moody Blues to a trio (with Edge as the only remaining original member). Flutist Norda Mullen has been a versatile player on-stage and in the studio in Thomas' stead. In 2003, they released, with the absence of Thomas, a Christmas-themed album entitled December. The songs included originals and covers such as John Lennon's "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)".

Original bassist Clint Warwick, who had left the group in 1966 to become a carpenter and raise a family, returned to the music scene in 2002 and released a solo CD. He died of liver disease on May 15, 2004.

On October 23, 2005, Hayward, Lodge, and Edge joined Tennessee musicians David Harvey, Tim O'Brien, John Cowan, and others for a concert of "Moody Bluegrass" at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville; the Moodies had been impressed by the group's CD of the same name featuring well-known MB songs interpreted in bluegrass style.

November 2005, Hayward, Lodge, and Edge - accompanied by Norda Mullen, Gordon Marshall, Paul Bliss and second keyboard player Bernie Barlow released a live-DVD, entitled Lovely To See You LIVE, recorded at The Greek Theatre, Los Angeles.

The remaining Moody Blues trio continues to tour. Moody Blues toured the UK, US and Europe (Amsterdam, Berlin, Copenhagen and Helsinki) throughout late 2006. They toured the U.S this past winter and will undertaking a tour of the U.S and Canada during the summer of 2007. In addition, Hayward took part in the first UK tour of Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds in April 2006 with a proposed DVD release of the show in November 2006 and a second tour in November 2007.

In March of 2006, the first five of the band's 'Core 7' albums were re-released in Super Audio CD format with Deluxe Editions, featuring bonus songs and some rare previously unreleased tracks by the group. In April 2007, the last two of these classic albums were re-released by Universal/Threshold. Digital remastering for these Deluxe Editions was done by Justin Hayward himself.

Bassist John Lodge has said in an interview on the radio show "Acoustic Storm" on January 30, 2007 that a new Moody Blues album is "not far away."

Since Pink Floyd's induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Moody Blues (along with King Crimson and Yes) are at the head of the list of progressive rock groups which have not yet been inducted and consistently top opinion polls of acts who the public feel should be inducted.

Discography
Original lineup of Denny Laine, Clint Warwick, Mike Pinder, Ray Thomas, & Graeme Edge
* The Magnificent Moodies (a.k.a. The Moody Blues #1 - Go Now) (London LL-3428, PS-428 -- 1965)
* In The Beginning (Deram DES-18051 -- 1970 reissue of "Go Now-The Moody Blues #1")
* An Introduction to the Moody Blues (Fuel -- 2005)

Laine & Warwick replaced by Justin Hayward & John Lodge
* Days of Future Passed (Deram DE-16012, DES-18012 -- 1967 -- US #3)
* In Search of the Lost Chord (Deram DES-18017 -- 1968 -- US #23)
* On the Threshold of a Dream (Deram DES-18025 -- 1969 -- US #20)
* To Our Children's Children's Children (Threshold THS-1 -- 1969 -- US #14)
* A Question of Balance (Threshold THS-3 -- 1970 -- US #3)
* Every Good Boy Deserves Favour (Threshold THS-5 -- 1971 -- US #2)
* Seventh Sojourn (Threshold THS-7 -- 1972 -- US #1)
* This Is The Moody Blues (Compilation double album) (Threshold THS 12/13 -- 1974 -- US #11)
* Caught Live + 5 (London 2PS-690/691 -- 1977 -- US #26)
* Octave (London PS-708 -- 1978 -- US #13)

Pinder replaced by Patrick Moraz
* Long Distance Voyager (Threshold TRL-2901 -- 1981 -- US #1)
* The Present (Threshold/Talencora LTD TRL-2902 -- 1983 -- US #26)
* Voices In The Sky--The Best Of The Moody Blues (Threshold 820155 -- 1985 -- US #132)
* The Other Side of Life (Polydor 829179 -- 1986 -- US #9)
* Prelude (Compilation of 1967-69 odds & ends) (London 820517 -- 1987)
* Sur La Mer (Polydor 835756 -- 1988 -- US #38)
* Greatest Hits (Threshold 840659 -- 1989 -- US #113)
* "Legend of a Band" (PolyGram Video --Documentary 1990)

Band becomes a quartet with Moraz's departure
* Keys of the Kingdom (Polydor 849558 -- 1991 -- US #94)
* A Night at Red Rocks with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra (Polydor/Threshold B0002602-00) (1993 -- US #93)
* "The Best of the Moody Blues" (Decca/Polydor) (1996)
* Strange Times (Universal 153565 -- 1999 -- US #93)
* Hall Of Fame - Live at the Royal Albert Hall (Ark 21) (2000)
* Journey Into Amazing Caves (IMAX movie soundtrack) (Ark 21) (2001)

Band becomes a trio with Thomas's departure
* December (Universal TV 15630 -- 2003)
* Lovely to See You: Live (Live concert double album) (Image ID2851RQ) (2005)

In 2006 and 2007, the seven 1967-1972 albums were re-released on SACD with bonus material.

Singles
Original lineup (Denny Laine, Clint Warwick, Mike Pinder, Ray Thomas, & Graeme Edge)
* 1964 August - "Lose Your Money"
* 1964 November - "Go Now!" (Famously used many years later on an episode of Spitting Image when pressure grew on Margaret Thatcher to resign as Prime Minister.) - UK #1 / US #10
* 1965 February - "I Don't Want To Go On Without You" - UK #33
* 1965 May - "From The Bottom Of My Heart" - UK #22 / US #93
* 1965 October - "Ev'ry Day" - UK #44
* 1966 March - "Stop!" - US #98
* 1966 July - "This Is My House (But Nobody Calls)" - US #119
* 1966 October - "Boulevard de la Madeleine"
* 1967 January - "Life's Not Life"

Laine & Warwick replaced by Justin Hayward & John Lodge
* 1967 May - "Fly Me High"
* 1967 August - "Love And Beauty"
* 1967 November - "Nights In White Satin" (3:06 edit)/"Cities" - UK #19 / US #103
* 1968 - "Tuesday Afternoon" (2:16 edit)/"Another Morning" - US #24
* 1968 - "Voices in the Sky" - UK #27
* 1968 - "Ride My See-Saw" - UK #42 / US #61
* 1969 - "Never Comes the Day" - US #91
* 1970 - "Question" - UK #2 / US #21
* 1971 - "The Story in Your Eyes" - US #23 (UK release of the single was cancelled, at the band's request)
* 1972 - "Isn't Life Strange" - UK #13 / US #29
* 1972 - "Nights In White Satin" (4:26 edit)/"Cities" (reissued) - UK #9 / US #2
* 1973 - "I'm Just a Singer (In a Rock 'n' Roll Band)" - UK #36 / US #12
* 1975 - "Blue Guitar" (Justin Hayward & John Lodge) - UK #8 / US #94
* 1978 - "Steppin' In a Slide Zone" (3:29 edit) - US #38
* 1978 - "Driftwood" - US #59

Mike Pinder replaced by Patrick Moraz
* 1981 - "Gemini Dream" - US #12
* 1981 - "The Voice" - US #15 (#1 Album Rock hit)
* 1981 - "Talking Out of Turn" - US #65
* 1983 - "Blue World" - UK #35 / US #62
* 1983 - "Sitting At the Wheel" - US #27
* 1986 - "Your Wildest Dreams" - US #9 (#1 Adult Contemporary hit)
* 1986 - "The Other Side Of Life" (4:49 edit) - US #58
* 1988 - "I Know You're Out There Somewhere" - UK #52 / US #30
* 1988 - "No More Lies"

Band becomes a quartet with Moraz's departure
* 1991 - "Say It With Love"/"Lean on Me (Tonight)"
* 1991 - "Bless the Wings"
* 1999 - "English Sunset" =>>>>>>>>>>>

============ prog-rockers ============

The Moody Blues - Nights in White satin´67

============ prog-rockers ============

Nektar

2007-05-28T03:25:00.000-06:00

Bruce Eder @ All Music
Formed in Germany in 1969, Nektar was a quartet of Englishmen who met in Germany and, for a little while in the early to mid-'70s, seemed like they might take American rock by storm. It was mostly hype, and by 1975 their big moment had already passed, although they lingered on until the end of the decade.

Allan Freeman (keyboards, vocals), Ray Albrighton (guitar, vocals), Derek Moore (bass, Mellotron, vocals), and Ron Howden (drums) all came to Hamburg from England in 1965 as members of different bands. They met in 1968 at the Star Club, where they discovered some common ground in the Beatles as well as early rock & roll, but were drawn to the more experimental sounds just beginning to emerge on the rock scene. A year later they formed Nektar and began working at combining these influences into an effective whole. By 1970, with a light show (designed and operated by unofficial fifth member Mick Brockett) added to their stage act, they began attracting a growing following in Germany.

They were signed to the Bellaphon label in 1971 and released their debut album, Journey to the Center of the Eye, a year later. Their second album, A Tab in the Ocean, followed later the same year, and achieved a cult following as a direct import. Their extended songs, usually involving extensive variations on the same theme, found a growing audience in an era dominated by the sounds of Emerson Lake & Palmer and Yes. Nektar's sound, built around guitar, electronic keyboards, and bass, was far more gothic, with dense textures that didn't always reproduce well on stage -- the fans didn't seem to notice. On radio, however, their music filled in large patches of time and attracted listeners ready to graduate from Iron Butterfly and Vanilla Fudge, and seeking a recreation of the drug experience in progressive rock.

Their third album, Remember the Future, released in Germany in 1973, was the group's breakthrough record. The title track, broken into two side-length halves, took up the entire record, and became a favorite of FM radio in 1974. The album was followed later in 1973 by Sounds Like This, which was made up of shorter, simpler songs, but it was eclipsed in the United States by the American release of Remember the Future on the Passport label, their first U.S. release. When the group made their New York debut at the Academy of Music on September 28, 1974, Remember the Future was still the only one of their albums available officially in the United States. An indication of their stage presence and the nature of their act can be gleaned from the fact that between the wattage of their instruments and their light show, they blew the power at the Academy of Music upon taking the stage.

Their next album, Down to Earth (1974), featured ten support musicians and singers, among them P. P. (Pat) Arnold, but it didn't attract nearly the radio play of Remember the Future. Their next album, Live at the Roundhouse (1974), was cut live at the London venue, and didn't include "Remember the Future" among its tracks. They maintained a devoted and significant cult following in America as well as Germany, and their German label later released two double live albums from concerts in New York (which, between them, included two versions of "Remember the Future Part I" and two versions of "Part 2"). Ironically, Passport Records never released either album in the United States.

Albrighton was gone by Magic Is a Child (which featured one of the worst punning titles ever, "Eerie Lackawanna"), replaced on guitar by Dave Nelson, and synthesizer virtuoso Larry Fast joined the line-up for this album. The release of a double-LP best-of anthology in 1978 heralded the end of the group's run of success, although they did get one subsequent release, Man in the Moon, with David Prater on drums, issued in 1980. =>>>>>>>>>>>

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@ Wiki
Nektar is a 1970s English progressive rock band based in Germany.

History
The band formed in Hamburg, Germany in 1969, members included Englishmen Roye Albrighton on guitars and vocals, Allan "Taff" Freeman on keyboards, Derek "Mo" Moore on Rickenbacker bass, Ron Howden on drums, and Mick Brockett on lights, special effects and other miscellania. Songwriting was always considered a group effort.

The band's early albums such as Journey to the Centre of the Eye, Sounds Like This and A Tab in the Ocean were obscure psychedelic rock albums that won the band a small but growing cult following, based largely on word of mouth. The last of those albums was the first Nektar album to be released in the U.S., on the small Passport Records label.

It was Nektar's second U.S. release, Remember the Future (1974), that propelled the band briefly into mass popularity. A concept album about a blind boy who communicates with an extraterrestrial being, the music was a big leap forward for the band with a much more melodic sound than on previous albums. It shot into the Top 20 album charts in the U.S. The follow up album, Down to Earth (1975), was another concept album with a circus theme; it also sold well, breaking into the Top 40 album charts and included Nektar's only song to chart on the Billboard singles charts, "Astral Man." The next album, Recycled (1976), was stylistically close to bands like Gentle Giant and is considered by many fans to be Nektar's finest moment. Nektar's first major-label release, Magic is a Child (1977) was more eclectic, although with shorter songs and fairly straightforward rhythms many fans thought it was too pop-oriented; lyrically the album covered a wide range of subjects from Norse mythology and magic to more down to earth subjects like railroads, truck drivers, and an anti-drug song. Overall, fans considered the album a misfire and it proved to be the end of Nektar's brief popularity, although a few more albums were released, mostly live albums and compilations.

When the Nektar back catalog was first released on compact disc in the early 1990s, the wrong master was used for the Bellaphon CD release of "Remember The Future", infuriating many fans. The master used for that CD release contained a very different mix than the original vinyl release of the album did, one that practically buried Roye Albrighton's lead guitar. Although this was corrected in later CD releases, those looking for Nektar's music on CD should be aware of this if buying used CDs.

Nektar regrouped in 2002 and released their first album of new material since the 1970s, "The Prodigal Son". They followed this release up in 2004 with "Evolution". Recent members of Nektar have included Randy Dembo on bass, and Tom Hughes on Hammond organ alongside original members Albrighton and Howden. Dembo and Hughes left in August, 2006 citing communication problems, money issues, and personality issues. All of Nektar's back catalogue has either been remastered and re-released or is in the process of being so. This includes "A Tab In The Ocean" which now features the original 1972 German mix, as well as an alternate 1976 "American" mix, "Remember The Future" with two bonus tracks in the form of two radio promo singles. The re-issue of "Recycled" features the original album release mix, and an alternate mix by Beatles Engineer Geoff Emerick, something many fans found akin to hearing the music for the first time all over again. Nektar's re-issue of "Down To Earth" contains seven bonus tracks, including hilarious out-takes by Robert Calvert. The re-issue of "Magic Is A Child" (an album which did not feature founding member Roye Albrighton) features amazing clear sound, and four bonus tracks including a live-from-the radio version of "Midnight Light".

In 2006, the band found new management to replace The Eclectic Records staff, playing "Prog fests" around the globe on a part-time basis, and occasionally appearing in some of their old haunts in the New Jersey/New York area.

The band also embarked on the production of a new album (Book of Days) although not yet released (March 2007). A new release date of April 10,2007 had been announced, but by early that month, seemed in doubt as debts mounted and rumors that the album had not been completed circulated.

A planned 2007 tour of The USA was canceled when promised record label funding never materialized. Due to financial commitments made and promotional funds expended in advance of the tour, some fans never received product or show tickets and no funds were immediately available for refunds. In early to mid 2007 these debts remained un-repaid causing a major split in the fan base, with a some fans voicing their displeasure, and calling for new band management.

In mid 2007 a solo tour by lead singer Roye Albrighton to be followed by a full band tour of Europe (primarily Germany) was scheduled by a European-based promoter. =>>>>>>>>>>>

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@ Regent Theatre

A very special evening with Nektar
Friday, September 10, 7:30pm

Reserved Seats: $21.50 advance, $25.50 day of show

Nektar
“Take a trip back in time – Evolution”

The scene is the Liver transplant centre at a hospital in Birmingham, England. With only weeks to live, following a potentially fatal liver infection, guitarist and Nektar front man Roye Albrighton is given the precious gift of life when a suitable liver donor is found. The situation was touch and go for a while, but thanks to the expertise of medical staff he pulls through.

Determined to live life to the full, Roye Albrighton resurrects the band that made him a household name in Germany and America. That band is Nektar and a new album; “The Prodigal Son” is released by Bellaphon records. So opened a new chapter for Albrighton and also for the Nektar legacy. It is a chapter that has led to the triumphant reformation of the original line-up of this legendary band with Roye Albrighton joining once more with Mo Moore, Taff Freeman and Ron Howden, accompanied by Mick Brockett’s light show.

The story of Nektar is a remarkable one. A British rock band that found stardom and success in Germany and the USA, yet failed to make the significant breakthrough in their own country. With three gold albums under their belt (“Remember the Future”, “Down to Earth” and “Recycled”), Nektar produced some of the most original work of the seventies.

In virtuoso guitarist Roye Albrighton Nektar had a charismatic front man who had shared a stage with Jimi Hendrix, in Allan “Taff” Freeman a unique keyboard player, in Derek “Mo” Moore a bass playing powerhouse and in Ron Howden a fluidity rarely found in a drummer. Fifth member Mick Brockett was not a musician, but was responsible for one of the most stunning light and visual shows ever to grace the rock stage.

The roots of Nektar lay in Hamburg in 1970. The band Prophecy, (featuring Freeman, Moore and Howden), were performing in the legendary Star Club. It was here that Prophecy met an extremely talented guitarist Roye Albrighton, also playing the German club circuit. Disillusioned with his own outfit, Albrighton was approached by Prophecy to join them as a guitar player. Light technician Mick Brockett (who had worked with Pink Floyd in the late sixties), had been providing visual backdrops for Prophecy in Germany and was invited to become a permanent fixture in the new band. Opting for a name change, Nektar was born.

Signing to German label Bellaphon later that year, Nektar quickly made an impact with their space rock classic “Journey to the Centre of the Eye”. This was followed in 1972 by the conceptual album, “A Tab in the Ocean” which featured the songs “Desolation Valley” and “King of Twilight”, (later covered in 1984 by Iron Maiden), all of which were to become staples of Nektar’s live show over the next few years. 1973 saw the release of the double album “Sounds Like This”. Recorded “live” in the recording studio, (and described by Elton John as “an extraordinary album”), the set became the bands first release in Britain and resulted in two appearances on “The Old Grey Whistle Test” TV show. It was with “Remember the Future” that Nektar’s real breakthrough came. Another concept, the album became Nektar’s first American release and entered the Billboard album chart, attaining Gold status without the band having ever visiting the USA. An American tour was swiftly booked, with Nektar becoming a major concert attraction. For 1974’s “Down to Earth” the band enlisted the services of Hawkwind poet Robert Calvert to provide humorous links between songs for their Circus-style concept, earning another Gold disc.
“Recycled”, released in 1975, was recorded in France and London and was engineered by ex-Beatles technician Geoff Emerick. The album featured a full choir and the guest appearance of American synthesiser wizz-kid Larry Fast, (from the group Synergy and later a member of Peter Gabriel’s band), and earned yet another Gold disc in Germany and the USA.

By now Nektar concentrated on America, undertaking a rigorous touring schedule, with the most impressive show yet staged, necessitating in the hiring of a Jumbo jet to transport the bands lighting and sound equipment. Touring took its toll, leading to the departure of Roye Albrighton in December 1976. He was replaced by American Dave Nelson, who recorded “Magic is a Child” (featuring a young Brooke Shields on the sleeve), with the band in 1977.

This line-up soon disintegrated leaving a gap of two years before Nektar regrouped with Roye Albrighton and Taff Freeman at the helm. With musicians Carmine Rojas and David Prater the superb “Man in the Moon” (soon to be released on CD for the first time by Voiceprint Records) was released in Europe only, with the band touring to great acclaim.
By now Freeman opted to remain in the USA and Albrighton formed Grand Alliance with ex-Climax Blues Band member Derek Holt. The Nektar story appeared to be over.

In 1999, following a potentially fatal liver infection, guitarist and Nektar front man Roye Albrighton was given only weeks to live. At the last minute he is given the precious gift of life when a suitable liver donor is found. The situation was touch and go for a while, but thanks to the expertise of medical staff he pulls through. Determined to live life to the full, Roye Albrighton resurrects the band that made him a household name in Germany and America. That band is Nektar and a new album; “The Prodigal Son” is released by Bellaphon records. So opened a new chapter for Albrighton and also for the Nektar legacy. It is a chapter that led to the triumphant reformation of this legendary band with Roye Albrighton.

In 2000, following Albrighton’s health scare, Bellaphon records approached Albrighton to record a new Nektar album. Enlisting the services of Taff Freeman and drummer Ray Hardwick, “The Prodigal Son” (Bellaphon 9729520) was recorded in a matter of weeks. A worthy successor to the previous Nektar catalogue, TPS has received five star reviews in German and American magazines and heralds a new dawn for Nektar.

2002 saw the remastering of the Nektar classic album “Remember the Future” and the release of the entire London Roundhouse Concert from 1973 with previously unreleased bonus material, and amazingly, a full reunion of Albrighton, Freeman, Moore and Howden, along with Mick Brockett’s light show for a concert at the annual NearFest event at The Patriot’s Theater, Trenton, New Jersey on June 29th with guest musician Larry Fast, and a further triumphant live show at The Town Hall in New York City in October 2002 and two US shows in late May and early June 2003. This was followed in July 2003 by the first Nektar concert in London since 1976 and two German concerts (at the Herzberg Festival and at The Centralstation in Darmstadt). These European concerts were unqualified successes.

In October 2003 Nektar negotiated full rights for their back catalogue outside of Germany and have begun a full remastering campaign on their entire catalogue. April 2004 will see the release of the classic albums “Journey to the Centre of the Eye”, “A Tab in the Ocean”, and “Recycled” (all with previously unreleased bonus material). Also released that month will be a special remixed CD Boxed set of the bands entire concert at The Academy of Music in New York City recorded in August 1974 on the bands own “Dream Nebula” imprint, part of UK label Eclectic Discs. All releases will include previously unreleased bonus material and will be remastered to the highest standard from the original tapes.

Also in October, original bass player Derek “Mo” Moore announced his intention to leave Nektar. Citing other commitments, unable to tour on a large scale and generously not wishing to impede a revitalised Nektar, Mo stepped aside for his replacement, fellow Rickenbacker user Randy Dembo. A fan of Nektar since the 70’s, Randy has proved a worthy successor to Mo Moore. His joining the ranks of Nektar was an amicable affair and is approved by all, including Mo Moore. =>>>>>>>>>>>

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Discography
Journey To The Centre Of The Eye - 1971
A Tab in the Ocean - 1972
Sounds Like This - 1973
Remember the Future - 1974
Down to Earth - 1974
Sunday Night at London Roundhouse - 1974
Recycled - 1975
Nektar - 1976
Magic is a Child - 1977
Nektar - Live in New York - 1977
More Live Nektar in New York - 1978
Thru The Ears - 1978
Man in the Moon - 1980
Highlights - The Best OIf Nektar - 1994
The Dream Nebula: The Best Of 1971-1975 - 1998
The Prodigal Son - 2001
Unidentified Flying Abstract - Live At Chipping Norton 1974 - 2002
Nearfest 2002 (Studio M Recording) - 2002
Greatest Hits Live - 2002
Live - 2002
Sunday Night At The London Roundhouse (1974) - 2002
Evolution - 2004
Door To The Future - 2005
Pure: Live In Germany 2005 - 2005
Book Of Days - 2007

Nektar - Cryin in the Dark/King of Twilight 1

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Roye Albrighton

2007-05-28T03:24:00.003-06:00

François Couture @ All Music
Best and mostly known for his tenure as lead guitarist in the 1970s progressive rock group Nektar, Roye Albrighton enjoys a small but devoted following, both in his native England and in Germany. After the demise of his group in the late ‘70s he laid very low. By 1999 he was warming up for a come-back and released his first solo album in 2002, synchronized with the reunion of his old band.

Albrighton is born in 1949 in Coventry, England. After a client had paid his TV repairman brother with a half-broken guitar, he began to learn by himself at the age of 10. Dropping out of high school at 15 he dived head first into the turbulent life of a rock guitarist. He cut his first sides in 1965 with a local group called The Peeps (or occasionally Martin Cure and The Peeps), a Beatlesque quartet. After the addition of a keyboardist, it was rechristened Rainbows and recorded two more singles for CBS in 1969. As it occasionally happened in those days, the group was promoted in Germany and toured there. Albrighton decided to stay and performed on the blues-rock circuit in continental Europe and Scandinavia. He met Ron Howden and Allan Freeman in Hamburg, where they decided to form the group that would become Nektar.

The guitarist enjoyed relative fame with Nektar, earning himself a place in progressive rock history and almost making it big in the USA around the time of 1973's Remember the Future -- the group remains one of the most widely known non-British European prog rock acts, right after Focus. After the completion of Nektar's seventh LP, Recycled (1976), Albrighton tried to convince his record company to cut him some slack for a solo career. Denied this option, he called it quits. He joined the jazz-rock group Snowball for a while and recorded with Quantum Jump (which had in its ranks Rupert Hine, future producer extraordinaire). When neither projects proved to be anything more than recreational he hooked up with Freeman, hired a new rhythm section and reformed Nektar for one last album: Man in the Moon, released in 1980.

With bassist Derick Holt and drummer Brendan Day, Albrighton formed Grand Alliance which remained active for a couple of years in the early ‘80s, releasing one album. After that project fell apart he remained very quiet and relocated to England. In the mid-'90s he started to work on his first solo project, The Follies of Rupert Treacle, released privately in 1999 and publicly in 2002, the year the original Nektar line-up was reunited for the album Prodigal Son. =>>>>>>>>>>>

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Alan Parsons Project

2007-05-25T05:24:00.002-06:00

@ Wiki
The Alan Parsons Project was a British progressive rock and pop group active between 1975 and 1987 founded by Englishman Alan Parsons and Scotsman Eric Woolfson.

Band history
During the summer of 1974, Alan Parsons met Eric Woolfson in the canteen of Abbey Road Studios. Parsons had recently engineered Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon and had already produced a number of acts for EMI Records. On that day, Woolfson had been working as a session pianist, but he was also a songwriter and had already composed material for a concept album idea based on the work of Edgar Allan Poe.

Parsons asked Woolfson to become his manager and Woolfson managed Parsons's career as a producer/ engineer through a string of successes including Pilot, Steve Harley, Cockney Rebel, John Miles, Al Stewart, Ambrosia and The Hollies. Parsons commented at the time that he felt frustrated in having to accommodate the views of some of the artists which he felt interfered with his production. Woolfson came up with the idea of making an album based on developments in the film business, where directors such as Alfred Hitchcock and Stanley Kubrick were the focal point of the film's promotion, rather than individual film stars. If the film business was becoming a director's medium, Woolfson felt the music business might well become a producer's medium.

Recalling his earlier Edgar Allan Poe material, Woolfson saw a way to combine his and Parsons' respective talents. Parsons would produce and engineer songs written by the two, and the Alan Parsons Project was born. After the success of their first album, Tales of Mystery and Imagination, Arista Records signed them for further albums.

Through the late 1970s and early 1980s, the group's popularity continued to grow, with singles such as "Games People Play," "Time" (Woolfson's first lead vocal), and "Eye in the Sky" making an impact on the pop charts. After the #3 success of the latter, however, the group began to fade from view. There were fewer hit singles, and declining album sales. 1987's Gaudi would be the Project's last release, through they did not know it at the time, and planned to record an album called Freudiana next.

Although the studio version of Freudiana was produced by Alan Parsons (and featured the regular Project backing musicians, making it an 'unofficial' Project album), it was primarily Eric Woolfson's idea to turn it into a musical. This eventually led to a rift between the two artists. While Alan Parsons pursued his own solo career and took many members of the Project on the road for the first time in a successful worldwide tour. Eric Woolfson went on to produce musical plays influenced by the Project's music. Freudiana, Gaudi and Gambler were three musicals that included some Project songs like "Eye in the Sky", "Time", "Inside Looking Out," and "Limelight." The live music from Gambler was only distributed at the performance site (in Moenchengladbach, Germany).

Parsons released titles under his name (Try Anything Once, On Air, The Time Machine, and A Valid Path), while Woolfson made concept albums named Freudiana (about Sigmund Freud's work on psychology) and Poe - More Tales of Mystery and Imagination (continuing from the Alan Parsons Project's first album about Edgar Allan Poe's literature).

The 'Project sound'
Most of the Project's titles, especially the early work, share common traits (likely influenced by Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, on which Parsons was the audio engineer in 1973). They were concept albums, and typically began with an instrumental introduction which faded into the first song, often had an instrumental piece in the middle of the second LP side, and concluded with a quiet, melancholic, or powerful song. The opening instrumental was largely done away with by 1980; no later Project album except Eye in the Sky featured one (although every album includes at least one instrumental somewhere in the running order). The instrumental on that album, "Sirius," eventually became the best-known Parsons instrumental[citation needed] because of its use as entrance music by various American sports teams, most notably[citation needed] the Chicago Bulls during their 1990s NBA dynasty.

The group was notable for using several vocal performers instead of having a single lead vocalist. Lead vocal duties alternate between Woolfson (mostly for slow or melancholic songs) and a stream of guest vocalists chosen by their vocal style to complement each song. Woolfson sang lead on many of the group's hits (including "Time" and "Eye In The Sky") and the record company pressured Parsons to use him more, but Parsons preferred "real" singers, which Woolfson admitted he was not. In addition to Woolfson, Eric Stewart, Chris Rainbow, Lenny Zakatek, and Colin Blunstone made regular appearances. Other singers, such as Ambrosia's David Pack, Vitamin Z's Geoff Barradale, and Procol Harum's Gary Brooker, have recorded only once or twice with the Project. Parsons himself only sang lead on one song ("The Raven") and can be heard singing backup on another ("To One in Paradise"). Both of those songs appeared on the group's first record, Tales of Mystery and Imagination, an album containing music based on the stories and poetry of Edgar Allan Poe.

Although the vocalists varied, a small number of musicians worked with the Alan Parsons Project regularly. These core musicians contribute to the recognizable style of a Project song in spite of the varied singer lineup. Together with Parsons and Woolfson, the Project originally consisted of the group Pilot, with Ian Bairnson (guitar), David Paton (bass) and Stuart Tosh (drums). Pilot's Billy Lyall also contributed. From "Pyramid" on, Tosh was replaced by Stuart Elliott of Cockney Rebel. Paton stayed almost until the end. Bairnson, along with Andrew Powell (composer and arranger of orchestral music throughout the life of the Project), and Richard Cottle (synthesizer and saxophone) were integral parts of the Project's sound. Powell is also notable for having composed a film score in the Project style for Richard Donner's film Ladyhawke.

Behind the revolving lineup and the regular sidemen, the true core of the Project was the duo of Parsons and Woolfson. Eric Woolfson was a lawyer by profession, but was a classically-trained composer and pianist as well. Alan Parsons was a successful producer and accomplished engineer. Both worked together to craft noteworthy songs with impeccable fidelity, and almost all songs on Project albums are credited to "Woolfson/Parsons."

Members
Alan Parsons - keyboards, production, engineering
Eric Woolfson - keyboards, executive production
Andrew Powell - keyboards, orchestral arrangements
Ian Bairnson - guitar
Richard Cottle - keyboards, saxophone

Notable or frequent contributors
Note that these are not official members of The Alan Parsons Project, but musicians who have made significant studio contributions
David Paton - Bass, vocals
Laurence Cottle - Bass
Stuart Tosh - Drums, Percussion
Stuart Elliott (musician) - Drums, Percussion
Mel Collins - saxophone
Lenny Zakatek - vocals
John Miles - vocals
Chris Rainbow - vocals
Colin Blunstone - vocals
Arthur Brown - vocals
Graham Dye - vocals
Steven Dye - vocals
Steve Harley - vocals

Trivia
In 1981 [1] Parsons/Woolfson and their record company Arista were stalled in contract renegotiations when on March 5th the two submitted an all-instrumental atonal album tentatively titled, "The Sicilian Defense" (an aggressive opening move in chess with three pawns advancing in a gambit that allows for subsequent attack) arguably to get out of their contract. Aristas refusal to release said album had two known effects: the negotiations led to a renewed contract and the album has remained unreleased to this day.

"The Sicilian Defense was our attempt at quickly fulfilling our contractual obligation after I Robot, Pyramid and Eve had been delivered. The album was rejected by Arista - not surprisingly - and we then renegotiated our deal for the future and the next album, The Turn Of A Friendly Card. The Sicilian Defense album was never released and never will be if I have anything to do with it. I have not heard it since it was finished. I hope the tapes no longer exist." - Alan Parsons [2]

On every album there are acknowledgements to Smokey and Hazel, Smokey is Parsons' ex-wife, (he married Lisa Griffiths on April 12, 2003) and Hazel is Woolfson's wife.

Tales of Mystery and Imagination was first remixed in 1987 for release on CD and included narration by Orson Welles which had been recorded in 1975 but arrived too late to be included on the original album. On the 2007 Deluxe Edition release it is revealed that parts of this tape were used for the 1976 Griffith Park Planetarium launch of the original album, the 1987 remix and various radio spots, all of which are included as bonus material.

In the Austin Powers movie The Spy who Shagged Me, Doctor Evil devised a "laser", calling it "The Alan Parsons Project" after the "noted Cambridge physicist Dr. Parsons." Parsons subsequently incorporated a number of sound bites from the movie into a remixed version of the title track (called "the Dr. Evil Edit") from The Time Machine.

Grandaddy's promo-only single "Alan Parsons in a Winter Wonderland" is a humorous cover of the Christmas song Winter Wonderland, with lyrics altered to make the song about Alan Parsons.

Games People Play is featured in the soundtrack of the 1980s themed video game Vice City Stories under the Flash FM station which plays pop music.

Discography
Albums
* Tales of Mystery and Imagination - 1976
Concept: Based on stories by the writer Edgar Allan Poe. The later reissue on CD (in 1987) was remixed from the original master tapes, enhancing some of the tracks and restoring the Orson Welles narration (recorded 1975 but left off the original due to record company 'concerns').

* I Robot - 1977
Concept: The title quotes Isaac Asimov's work, "a view of tomorrow through the eyes of today". Includes minor hits "I Wouldn't Want to Be Like You" and "Breakdown," as well as the title track, a short instrumental popular among APP fans.

* Pyramid - 1978
Concept: References to pyramid power and ancient Egypt surface repeatedly, the album is called "a view of yesterday through the eyes of today". The theme of rise and fall is prominent throughout.

* Eve - 1979
Concept: Women; this is the only Project album to feature female lead vocalists - and even then only on two tracks.

* The Turn of a Friendly Card - 1980
Concept: Gambling, literally and figuratively. Influenced by the Philip K. Dick novel The Game-Players of Titan. Includes their hits "Time" and "Games People Play."

* Eye in the Sky - 1982
Concept: Surveillance, with the album title inspired by the Eye in the sky cameras used in casinos. Also explores Life and the Universe, but some insist the album is about "forgotten and lost values". Album contains their most famous single, "Eye in the Sky," the ballad "Old and Wise", and their best-known instrumental, "Sirius."

* Ammonia Avenue - 1984
Concept: "The album focused on the possible misunderstanding of industrial scientific developments from a public perspective and a lack of understanding of the public from a scientific perspective" (Eric Woolfson, May 1983). It is their most "radio-friendly" album. Includes "Don't Answer Me", "Prime Time", and "You Don't Believe" (the latter first appeared on a 1983 "best of" collection).

* Vulture Culture - 1985
Concept: A critique of consumerism and, in particular, American popular culture. Includes "Let's Talk About Me."

* Stereotomy - 1985
Concept: The effect of fame and fortune on various people - singers, actors, etc.

* Gaudi - 1987
Concept: Songs inspired by the life and work of Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí.

All ten Alan Parsons Project albums have been digitally remastered and are being released throughout 2007 in expanded editions with additional artwork and bonus tracks.

Compilation album(s)
The Best of the Alan Parsons Project (1983)
The Best of the Alan Parsons Project, Vol. 2 (1987)
Instrumental Works (1988)
Pop Classics (1989)
Anthology (1991)
The Best of the Alan Parsons Project (2CD) (1992)
The Very Best of: Live (1995)
The Definitive Collection (1997)
Gold Collection (1998)
Master Hits: The Alan Parsons Project (1999)
Love Songs (2002)
Ultimate The Alan Parsons Project (2004)
Silence & I: The Very Best of the Alan Parsons Project (2005)
The Essential Alan Parsons Project (2007)

Singles
"(The System Of) Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether" (1976) #37 US
"The Raven" (1976) #80 US
"I Wouldn't Want To Be Like You" (1977) #36 US
"Don't Let It Show" (1977) #92 US
"What Goes Up" (1978) #87 US
"Damned If I Do" (1979) #27 US
"Games People Play" (1981) #16 US
"Time" (1981) #15 US
"Snake Eyes" (1981) #67 US
"Eye in the Sky" (1982) #3 US
"Psychobabble" (1982) #57 US
"You Don't Believe" (1983) #54 US
"Don't Answer Me" (1984) #15 US (video)
"Prime Time" (1984) #34 US
"Let's Talk About Me" (1985) #56 US
"Days Are Numbers (The Traveller)" (1985) #71 US
"Stereotomy" (1986) #82 US (video) =>>>>>>>>>>>

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Alan Parsons Project - Time Machine

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Alan Parsons Project

2007-05-25T05:24:00.001-06:00

@ Wiki
Alan Parsons (born December 20, 1948 in London, England) is a British audio engineer, musician, and record producer.

Career in brief
Parsons first came to prominence as a studio engineer for such albums as The Beatles' Abbey Road and Pink Floyd's iconic The Dark Side of the Moon. He was known for going beyond what would normally be considered the scope of a recording engineer's duties. He considered himself to be a recording director, likening his contribution to recordings to what Stanley Kubrick did on film. This is obvious in his work with Al Stewart's Year of the Cat, where Parsons added the saxophone part and transformed the original folk concept into the jazz-influenced ballad that put Al Stewart onto the charts. It is also heard in Parsons' influence on the Hollies' He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother and The Air That I Breathe, sharp departures from their 60s pop Stay, Just One Look, Stop, Stop, Stop or "Bus Stop". Parsons also was known to have swapped shifts during the engineering of The Dark Side of the Moon so he could work entirely on the project.

Parsons also produced three albums by Pilot, a Scottish rock/pop band, whose hits included January and Magic, the band featuring future "Project" members Ian Bairnson on guitar, Stuart Tosh on drums and David Paton on lead vocals, guitars and bass.

Apparently inspired by his influential contribution to Stewart's work, he founded The Alan Parsons Project with producer and songwriter (and occasional singer) Eric Woolfson in 1975. The Project dissolved after 1987, and Parsons continues to release work in his own name and in collaboration with other musicians.

Although an accomplished vocalist, keyboardist, bassist and flutist, Parsons only sang infrequent and incidental parts on his albums. Whilst his keyboard playing was very prominent on Alan Parsons Project albums, very few recordings feature his flute.

Guitarist Ian Bairnson worked with Parsons the longest, through his post-Woolfson albums Try Anything Once, On Air, and The Time Machine.

Nowadays he tours under a revised name, The Alan Parsons Live Project (with Woolfson's permission). In the years 2004-2006 The Alan Parsons Live Project offered world-spanning concerts presenting some material from his most recent album A Valid Path (the earlier 2004-2005 shows offered vocalist P.J. Olsson's track More Lost Without You while the later 2006 shows presented The Crystal Method-featured We Play the Game and opened with Return to Tunguska) along with hits spanning the "Project" years.

Following the release of the 2006 album A Valid Path Parsons received a grammy nomination in the "Best Surround Sound 5.1" category but did not win.

Discography
* Tales of Mystery and Imagination - 1975
* I Robot - June 1977
* Pyramid - June 1978
* Eve - 1979
* The Turn of a Friendly Card - November 1980
* Eye in the Sky -June 1982
* The Best of the Alan Parsons Project - 1983
* Ammonia Avenue - February 1984
* Vulture Culture - March 1985
* Stereotomy - November 1985
* Gaudi - 1987
* The Best of the Alan Parsons Project, Vol. 2 - 1988
* Pop Classics - October 9, 1989
* Try Anything Once - October 6, 1993
* The Very Best Live - June 27, 1995
* Apollo - July 1, 1997
* The Definitive Collection - July 15, 1997
* On Air - July 25, 1997
* Sound Check 2 - April 15, 1999
* Master Hits - The Alan Parsons Project - July 27, 1999
* Alan Parsons Project - Greatest Hits Live - August 2, 1999
* Eye in the Sky - August 3, 1999
* Eye in the Sky - Encore Collection - August 3, 1999
* Time Machine - September 28, 1999
* Alan Parsons Project - Gold Collection - May 9, 2000
* Works - August 22, 2002
* Ultimate - March 23, 2004
* Extended Versions: The iEncore Collection Live - June 1, 2004
* A Valid Path - August 24, 2004

Producer discography
1975 Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel - The Best Years of Our Lives
1976 John Miles - Rebel
1976 Al Stewart - The Year of the Cat
1978 Al Stewart - Time Passages

Engineering discography
1969 The Beatles - Abbey Road
1970 Pink Floyd - Atom Heart Mother
1973 Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon
1976 Al Stewart - Year of the Cat

Solo discography
1993 Try Anything Once,
1996 On Air - includes CD-ROM containing some material on the history of aviation
1999 The Time Machine
2004 A Valid Path, with David Gilmour on "Return to Tunguska"

Trivia
The Alan Parsons Project song Sirius has been used for years by the Nebraska Cornhuskers, Pittsburgh Steelers, New Orleans Saints, Chicago Bulls, Phoenix Suns and the Kansas City Chiefs as background music for their home team player introductions. It was also used by professional wrestler Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat as his theme music during his first stint in the World Wrestling Federation in the 1980s. (In addition, the song the Bulls use as background music for the visiting team introductions is Pink Floyd's "On The Run", from "The Dark Side of the Moon", engineered by Parsons.)

Alan Parsons resides in the Santa Barbara, California area.

In May 2005, Alan Parsons appeared at the Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, California to mix "front of house" sound for Southern California based Pink Floyd tribute band "Which One's Pink" and their performance of "The Dark Side of the Moon" in its entirety.

Indie band Grandaddy made a promotional CD with the track Alan Parsons In A Winter Wonderland. =>>>>>>>>>>>

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The Alan Parsons - Eye In The Sky

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Eric Woolfson

2007-05-25T05:23:00.003-06:00

@ Wiki
Eric Woolfson is a Scottish lead singer, songwriter and lyricist, executive producer, pianist, and co-founder of The Alan Parsons Project.

After splitting up with Alan Parsons during the recording of Freudiana, Woolfson has pursued musical theatre. Those are mainly performed in Germany and Austria, but also in Korea and Japan.

Life before The Alan Parsons Project
He was born on March 18, 1945 in the Charing Cross area of Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland, and raised in the Pollokshields area of the same city. He belongs to a family of Jewish descent.

He started composing music in his early teens. He moved to London where he found work as a session pianist, at the age of eighteen. The record producer for the Rolling Stones, Andrew Oldham, signed him up as a songwriter. During the following years, Woolfson wrote songs for such artists as Marianne Faithfull, Frank Ifield, Joe Dassin, The Tremeloes, Marmalade, Dave Berry, and Peter Noone. His songs were recorded by over one hundred artists both in Europe and America. During the sixties he worked with two then-unknown writers, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice.

In the early seventies, Eric turned his hand to management and was instantly successful. His first two signings were Carl Douglas (whose record Kung Fu Fighting was one of the biggest selling hits of all time) and engineer/record producer Alan Parsons.

The start of The Alan Parsons Project
In 1975, Woolfson joined forces with record producer Alan Parsons who was a recording engineer on many Beatles and Paul McCartney albums as well as having engineered Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon.

Eric and Alan formed a new kind of collaboration that would allow Parson’s engineering skills to be exploited to the full and at the same time give Woolfson a vehicle for his talents as a songwriter/lyricist. The Alan Parsons Project was born. From 1976-1987, Eric conceived and wrote the lyrics for all ten albums by The Alan Parsons Project (he and Parsons collaborated on writing the music), which have achieved world-wide sales in excess of forty million.

On every Project album, Eric would sing a 'guide' vocal track for every song, which the album's regular lead vocalists would later go by. Some of these guide vocal tracks can be heard on the new remastered editions of the various Project albums, released in 2007. Eric himself was the actual singer on many of the Project's biggest hits, such as "Time", "Don't Answer Me" and "Eye in the Sky".

Splitting up
Freudiana was originally meant to be the eleventh album by The Alan Parsons Project. While recording the album, Brian Brolly entered the picture and he helped steer the album in a new direction. Brolly was previously a partner with Andrew Lloyd Webber, and together they created such musicals as Cats. With Brolly's help, Woolfson was able to turn Freudiana into a stage musical.

Before the Freudiana stage production opened in 1990, a double-length studio album was released. The musical had a successful run, and it was planned that the show would open in other cities. However, plans were put on hold when a lawsuit broke out between Brolly and Woolfson, each fighting for control of the project. In the end, Brolly won.

The studio disc (the "white" album) was quite difficult to obtain for a while. There was also a double-length cast disc (the "black" album) which is currently out of print.

The afterlife
Woolfson was eager to write for musical theatre. He explained his career switch during an interview by MusicalWorld on July 7, 2004: "I eventually developed The Alan Parsons Project as a vehicle but then I realised that there was more to it than that and that Andrew Lloyd Webber was right and that the stage musical was a fulfilling media for a writer like myself. I got into stage musicals in the mid-eighties." His musicals are mainly performed in Germany. This was for two reasons: The Alan Parsons Project was well known in Germany, and at that time the arts were very well funded there.

His first musical premiered in Vienna in 1990: ‘FREUDIANA’. The success of this first work led to Woolfson’s second musical Gaudi 1995. It has run for over five years in several German productions. GAMBLER, Woolfson’s third musical also premiered in Germany in 1996 and had a first run of over 500 performances. GAMBLER has had five productions in Korea, one of which also toured Japan in 2002 (the first time a Korean language production had been staged in this way). Woolfson was also active in the British Social Democratic Party or SDP.

Works
* 1990 Freudiana
* 1991 Black Freudiana (German Original Cast Musical Soundtrack)
* 1996 Gaudi (Musical)
* 1997 Gambler (Das Geheimnis Der Karten)
* 2003 Poe: More Tales of Mystery and Imagination

To be released
* 2005 Gaudi
* 2005 Gambler The Gambler album (1997) has not been available in record shops. It was only sold during the musical performance at the theatre.

The next project new name will probably be Dancing with Shadows (previously it was known as A Forest Fire). It is an anti-war play about the futility of war written by the minister of South Korea during the 1950s. It is a joint production on North and South Korea and is meant to contribute to the peace between the two countries. The Premiere of the musical will be in July 2007 in Korea. =>>>>>>>>>>>

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Andrew Powell

2007-05-25T05:23:00.001-06:00

@ The Avenue Online.info

Andrew Powell was born April 18, 1949 in London, England.

Andrew began his musical journey at the age of four when he began taking piano lessons. Later he would learn orchestral percussion, as well as the viola and violin. At the age of 11 he was writing scores for school produced films, which Andrew describes as, "15 minute shorts produced by the film society".

Following a period in Germany where he studied with composer Stockhausen, Powell returned to England to take a music degree at Cambridge. While there, he joined an electronic band called Intermodulation, who were pioneering the use of synthesisers. "That band was really kind of 'a live electronic'. The kind of things that people had spent years in the studio recording onto tape in the laborious ways that you had to do it in those days. We worked with people like Stockhausen and John Cage, and other composers."

Andrew’s early work with rock albums was on Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel's 1973 debut album. "I had worked on their first album and when it came around to their second album they wanted to produce it themselves. The record company said, 'we want to put you together with one of our engineers'. Alan was a very experienced engineer at this stage. When it came to orchestration, Alan said 'I've got a guy', and Steve said 'no, use the same guy as last time'". So, as fate would have it, "The Psychomodo" would be the first album Powell and Parsons would work on together, but certainly not the last.

The two obviously enjoyed working together and have worked jointly on albums for John Miles, Pilot, The Hollies, and Al Stewart.

Over the years, Powell has played many roles: performer, writer, arranger, and producer. Among his production credits are Kate Bush's first two albums, and the "Power" album by Kansas.

When Alan Parsons decided to begin the historic "Tales of Mystery and Imagination" album, Andrew would be called upon to play an important role. Andrew said, "At it's very early stages I was approached about this idea for this mammoth full-sized orchestra and choir. Straight away it was right outside of their writing field of expertise." Andrew's involvement shines through, especially on "The Fall of the House of Usher", a track which could never sound the same without him. On "I Robot" he would return to write "Total Eclipse", the only APP track not written by Parsons and Woolfson.

Powell would appear on every album, with the exception of one, "Vulture Culture". He also released an album featuring his orchestral interpretations of APP tunes on his 1983 "Andrew Powell and The Philharmonia Orchestra Plays The Best of The Alan Parsons Project".

In 1985, movie-goers attending the mystical "Ladyhawke" were to hear the equally magical soundtrack. The soundtrack was written by Powell, produced by Alan Parsons, and was performed by an APP alumni: Ian Bairnson, David Paton, Stuart Elliott, and Richard Cottle.

In 1994, Andrew joined Alan Parsons on Alan’s first post-Project album. In addition to arranging and performing on "Try Anything Once", he also wrote four of the songs. Powell also toured with The Alan Parsons Live Project.

More recently, Powell did arrangements for Elaine Paige and The Hollies.

For more about Andrew Powell, see Issue Two of The Avenue. =>>>>>>>>>>>

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@ Wiki
Andrew Powell - musical composer, arranger and performer - was born April 18, 1949 in London, England of Welsh parents.

He began taking piano lessons at the age of four and later attended Kings College School, Wimbledon by which time he was also learning the viola, violin and orchestral percussion. He was writing music by the age of eleven and went on to studied composition with Karlheinz Stockhausen at Darmstadt in Germany before taking a masters degree in music at Kings College, Cambridge. While at Cambridge he joined an electronic music group, Intermodulation, with Roger Smalley, Tim Souster and Robin Thompson. He also joined, along with Fred Frith and Tim Hodgkinson, the progressive rock group Henry Cow.

After leaving Cambridge he performed as a soloist at the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, London. He later worked with several orchestras, including at Covent Garden and with the London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Welsh Orchestra and the BBC Symphony Orchestra where he worked with Pierre Boulez. He had also begun working as a session player, as well as founding the group "Come to the Edge" with Robin Thompson and Morris Pert, which performed regularly with the Japanese percussion virtuoso Stomu Yamashta.

Andrew's career as an arranger began at this time and he worked with artists including Leo Sayer, John Miles, Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, Donovan and Al Stewart.

He was involved with The Alan Parsons Project on several albums as arranger and composer, and followed Alan Parsons when the group broke up. He also made an orchestral album from The Alan Parsons Project's songs : The Philharmonia Orchestra Plays The Best of The Alan Parsons Project in 1983.

Powell and David Gilmour (of Pink Floyd) produced Kate Bush's stunning, memorable debut album The Kick Inside; he also produced with help from Kate her second album Lionheart.

Other artists he has worked with include Chris De Burgh, Nick Heyward, Michael Crawford, Elaine Paige, The Hollies and Kansas.

He wrote the soundtrack for the movies Ladyhawke and Rocket Gibralter and has been involved in a number of other movie projects as well.

He has conducted orchestras and ensembles all over the world, including the Philharmonia Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, the Sydney Symphony, the Wellington Symphony Orchestra, the Bayerische Rundfunk Orchestra and the München Kammeroper - as well as the the Black Dyke Mills Band and Grimethorpe Colliery Band.

More recent work has included writing for brass bands including the Grimethorpe Colliery Band and the Parc & Dare Band; and the perhaps less accessible album "Stockhausen: Michael's Farewell, etc" with John Wallace. =>>>>>>>>>>>

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Andrew Powell and Roland Fantom X6 - Ladyhawke Main Title

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Books

2007-05-25T05:22:00.001-06:00

Good Vibrations: A History of Record Production (Sanctuary Music Library)
by Mark Cunningham (Author), Alan Parson (Introduction), Brian Eno (Introduction)

Editorial Reviews
Book Description
From Elvis Presley's Heartbreak Hotel through Telstar, Pet Sounds, Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Dark Side of the Moon, Bohemian Rhapsody, Vienna, Two Tribes, Zooropa, Older, to Britpop albums from Oasis, Kula Shaker, Cast and Radiohead, Good Vibrations follows the development of popular music recording from the perspective of the producers, engineers and session players.

Product Details
Paperback: 440 pages
Publisher: Sanctuary Publishing, Ltd.; 2 edition (September 1, 1999)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1860742424
ISBN-13: 978-1860742422
Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches

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Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd
by Nick Mason (Author)

Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
The landmark British psychedelic band Pink Floyd's founding drummer limns the group, named after two early bluesmen, in a profusely illustrated coffee-table tome. The band's spacey arrangements, instrumentation, and light shows made it famous; the drug-burnout fate of original leader Syd Barrett, who was later institutionalized, helped, too. As Barrett's legend grew, his former colleagues moved the band closer to the rock mainstream and scored massive hits with such albums as Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall. Mason tracks the outfit's progress from the members' meeting in art school a la the Who, the Rolling Stones, the Kinks, and other revered British rockers. He details the band's journey from jazzy R & B to the psychedelic explorations that eventually dominated its output. Given Pink Floyd's erstwhile association with mood-altering substances, the more recent story of band members' children's covert strategy to score at a concert is particularly piquant. Incisive, and freighted with pictures, this is a lush treat for the band's considerable fandom. Mike Tribby
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Book Description
Here, for the first time, is the story of Pink Floyd from the inside out. With 116 million albums sold worldwide and 25 years on the pop charts to their credit, Pink Floyd is one of the most successful rock groups in history, yet their story until now is one of the least known. The only continuous member of the band through its entire 40-year history, Nick Mason has witnessed every twist, turn, and sommersault from behind his drum kit. The journey begins with the band's origins as the darlings of London's late 1960s underground and the creation of the classic Pink Floyd sound, all the way through to The Wall and those legendary stadium shows. Here are the players who shaped the band's history and the story behind the story the inside perspective on, for example, the deterioration and departure of Syd Barrett; the overwhelming success of The Dark Side of the Moon and the resulting pressures and conflicts within the band, including the rift with Roger Waters; and Nick and David Gilmour's decision to put their reputations on the line and continue as Pink Floyd. Packed with rare photographs and vintage Floyd graphics from Nick Mason's extensive private archive, Inside Out is an eye-opener for both veteran fans and those just discovering the group. And, in keeping with the classic Floyd style, the book's cover was designed by Storm Thorgerson, creator of such iconic images as the Dark Side pyramid. Always candid, by turns poignant and funny, Nick's own memories are augmented with extensive research and interviews, making Inside Out a comprehensive history of one of the most brilliant and imaginative bands the world has known and a masterly memoir of rock and roll.

Product Details
Paperback: 360 pages
Publisher: Chronicle Books (March 17, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0811848248
ISBN-13: 978-0811848244
Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.3 x 1.2 inches

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Behind the Glass: Top Record Producers Tell How They Craft the Hits
by Howard Massey (Author)

Editorial Reviews
Billboard, November 11, 2000
"The producers featured have made key contributions...music-business professionals and fans alike should find their observations invaluable."

Steve Vai, guitarist
"Insightful overviews of the creative and technical process of sound recording."

Product Details
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Backbeat Books (October 30, 2000)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0879306149
ISBN-13: 978-0879306144
Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.4 x 0.8 inches

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All Music Guide to Rock: The Definitive Guide to Rock, Pop, and Soul (3rd Edition)
by Vladimir Bogdanov (Editor), Stephen Thomas Erlewine (Editor), Chris Woodstra (Editor), Richie Unterberger (Editor)

Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
As accurate and obsessively detailed as www.allmusic.com is, its print cousins can seem somewhat redundant. This well-established entry, now in its third edition, offers biographical and listener's advisory information on artists and recordings that All Music Guide (AMG) editors Bogdanov, Chris Woodstra, and Stephen Thomas Erlewine have deemed rock an all-encompassing term that includes pop, soul, R&B, rap, and easy listening. Since the last edition (1997), about 3000 album reviews and 400 artist profiles have been added. That makes for a total of 2200 alphabetically arranged artist entries and 14,000 reviews (rated on a scale of one to five stars), most of which are signed. While the contributors cover a remarkable range of new artists from Aaliyah to Weezer, they often give short shrift to those who recorded prior to the 1980s; sometimes, whole bodies of work are ignored in favor of "best of" compilations. Refreshingly, most reviews are free of rock elitism, so useful guidance is given for styles often reviled by critics (e.g., heavy metal). The closing section offers a series of introductory essays on various rock styles, some obvious ("British Invasion") and others obscure ("Jangle Pop"). Also included are dozens of "music maps," flow charts that illustrate the development of each style. The AMG provides more detail and analysis of an artist's career than the MusicHound, Rough Guide, and Rolling Stone books, so having circulating copies on hand may be most appropriate. Recommended, but keep the web site bookmarked. Lloyd Jansen, Stockton-San Joaquin Cty. P.L., CA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Book Description
Easy to use and fun to explore, this 1,400-page tome is the most complete guide ever published on the artists and recordings that really rock. Compiled by dozens of music critics, it reviews and rates more than 14,000 great albums by over 2,200 artists and groups in more than 400 styles - both mainstream and alternative - including bootlegs, import-only releases, important out-of-print recordings, and lesser-known cult artists. A brief profile details each performerÕs career, while insightful reviews of top recordings help define the musicianÕs artistic development and impact on rock. Expanded biographies spotlight major figures, along with complete album discographies. Also features educational essays and "music maps" that chart the evolution of rockÕs diverse subgenres at a glance.

Product Details
Paperback: 1300 pages
Publisher: Backbeat Books; 3.00 edition (April 16, 2002)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 087930653X
ISBN-13: 978-0879306533
Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 2.2 inches

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All Music Guide to Electronica: The Definitive Guide to Electronic Music (All Music Guides)
by Vladimir Bogdanov (Editor), Chris Woodstra (Editor), Stephen Thomas Erlewine (Editor), John Bush (Editor)

Editorial Reviews
Book Description
This is not only the most comprehensive guide to electronica music ever published, itÕs also the easiest to use, and equally engaging for everyone from newbies to long-time collectors. From electronicaÕs good-times dance floor origins through the dark, dystopian strains of jungle, it profiles the lives and careers of 1,200 artists, including Aphex Twin, The Chemical Brothers, Masters at Work, Carl Craig, Prodigy and Massive Attack, and rates and reviews 5,000 of these innovatorsÕ recordings. The book also provides "music maps" charting each sub-genreÕs progression, a concise historical overview of electronica, and details on electronica resources - book reviews, record labels, online mail-order sources, and more.

Product Details
# Paperback: 600 pages
# Publisher: Backbeat Books; 4Rev Ed edition (May 18, 2001)
# Language: English
# ISBN-10: 0879306289
# ISBN-13: 978-0879306281
# Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 1.6 inches

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Led Zeppelin

2007-05-18T01:36:00.001-06:00

Thomas Erlewine @ All Music
Led Zeppelin was the definitive heavy metal band. It wasn't just their crushingly loud interpretation of the blues -- it was how they incorporated mythology, mysticism, and a variety of other genres (most notably world music and British folk) -- into their sound. Led Zeppelin had mystique. They rarely gave interviews, since the music press detested the band. Consequently, the only connection the audience had with the band was through the records and the concerts. More than any other band, Led Zeppelin established the concept of album-oriented rock, refusing to release popular songs from their albums as singles. In doing so, they established the dominant format for heavy metal, as well as the genre's actual sound.

Led Zeppelin formed out of the ashes of the Yardbirds. Jimmy Page had joined the band in its final days, playing a pivotal role on their final album, 1967's Little Games, which also featured string arrangements from John Paul Jones. During 1967, the Yardbirds were fairly inactive. While the Yardbirds decided their future, Page returned to session work in 1967. In the spring of 1968, he played on Jones' arrangement of Donovan's "Hurdy Gurdy Man." During the sessions, Jones requested to be part of any future project Page would develop. Page would have to assemble a band sooner than he had planned. In the summer of 1968, the Yardbirds' Keith Relf and James McCarty left the band, leaving Page and bassist Chris Dreja with the rights to the name, as well as the obligation of fulfilling an upcoming fall tour. Page set out to find a replacement vocalist and drummer. Initially, he wanted to enlist singer Terry Reid and Procol Harum's drummer B.J. Wilson, but neither musician was able to join the group. Reid suggested that Page contact Robert Plant, who was singing with a band called Hobbstweedle.

After hearing him sing, Page asked Plant to join the band in August of 1968, the same month Chris Dreja dropped out of the new project. Following Dreja's departure, John Paul Jones joined the group as its bassist. Plant recommended that Page hire John Bonham, the drummer for Plant's old band, the Band of Joy. Bonham had to be persuaded to join the group, as he was being courted by other artists who offered the drummer considerably more money. By September, Bonham agreed to join the band. Performing under the name the New Yardbirds, the band fulfilled the Yardbirds' previously booked engagements in late September 1968. The following month, they recorded their debut album in just under 30 hours. Also in October, the group switched its name to Led Zeppelin. The band secured a contract with Atlantic Records in the United States before the end of the year. Early in 1969, Led Zeppelin set out on their first American tour, which helped set the stage for the January release of their eponymous debut album. Two months after its release, Led Zeppelin had climbed into the U.S. Top Ten. Throughout 1969, the band toured relentlessly, playing dates in America and England. While they were on the road, they recorded their second album, Led Zeppelin II, which was released in October of 1969. Like its predecessor, Led Zeppelin II was an immediate hit, topping the American charts two months after its release and spending seven weeks at number one. The album helped establish Led Zeppelin as an international concert attraction, and for the next year, the group continued to tour relentlessly. Led Zeppelin's sound began to deepen with Led Zeppelin III. Released in October of 1970, the album featured an overt British folk influence. The group's infatuation with folk and mythology would reach a fruition on the group's untitled fourth album, which was released in November of 1971. Led Zeppelin IV was the band's most musically diverse effort to date, featuring everything from the crunching rock of "Black Dog" to the folk of "The Battle of Evermore," as well as "Stairway to Heaven," which found the bridge between the two genres. "Stairway to Heaven" was an immediate radio hit, eventually becoming the most played song in the history of album-oriented radio; the song was never released as a single. Despite the fact that the album never reached number one in America, Led Zeppelin IV was their biggest album ever, selling well over 16 million copies over the next two and a half decades.

Led Zeppelin did tour to support both Led Zeppelin III and Led Zeppelin IV, but they played fewer shows than they did on their previous tours. Instead, they concentrated on only playing larger venues. After completing their 1972 tour, the band retreated from the spotlight and recorded their fifth album. Released in the spring of 1973, Houses of the Holy continued the band's musical experimentation, featuring touches of funk and reggae among their trademark rock and folk. The success of Houses of the Holy set the stage for a record-breaking American tour. Throughout their 1973 tour, Led Zeppelin broke box-office records -- most of which were previously held by the Beatles -- across America. The group's concert at Madison Square Garden in July was filmed for use in the feature film The Song Remains the Same, which was released three years later. After their 1973 tour, Led Zeppelin spent a quiet year during 1974, releasing no new material and performing no concerts. They did, however, establish their own record label, Swan Song, which released all of Led Zeppelin's subsequent albums, as well as records by Dave Edmunds, Bad Company, the Pretty Things, and several others. Physical Graffiti, a double album released in February of 1975, was the band's first release on Swan Song. The album was an immediate success, topping the charts in both America and England. Led Zeppelin launched a large American tour in 1975, but it came to a halt when Robert Plant and his wife suffered a serious car crash while vacationing in Greece. The tour was canceled and Plant spent the rest of the year recuperating from the accident.

Led Zeppelin returned to action in the spring of 1976 with Presence. Although the album debuted at number one in both America and England, the reviews for the album were lukewarm, as was the reception to the live concert film The Song Remains the Same, which appeared in the fall of 1976. The band finally returned to tour America in the Spring of 1977. A couple of months into the tour, Plant's six-year-old son Karac died of a stomach infection. Led Zeppelin immediately canceled the tour and offered no word whether or not it would be rescheduled, causing widespread speculation about the band's future. For a while, it did appear that Led Zeppelin was finished. Robert Plant spent the latter half of 1977 and the better part of 1978 in seclusion. The group didn't begin work on a new album until late in the summer of 1978, when they began recording at ABBA's Polar studios in Sweden. A year later, the band played a short European tour, performing in Switzerland, Germany, Holland, Belgium, and Austria. In August of 1979, Led Zeppelin played two large concerts at Knebworth; the shows would be their last English performances.

In Through the Out Door, the band's much-delayed eighth studio album, was finally released in September of 1979. The album entered the charts at number one in both America and England. In May of 1980, Led Zeppelin embarked on their final European tour. In September, Led Zeppelin began rehearsing at Jimmy Page's house in preparation for an American tour. On September 25, John Bonham was found dead in his bed -- following an all-day drinking binge, he had passed out and choked on his own vomit. In December of 1980, Led Zeppelin announced they were disbanding, since they could not continue without Bonham.

Following the breakup, the remaining members all began solo careers. John Paul Jones returned to producing and arranging, finally releasing his solo debut, Zooma, in 1999. After recording the soundtrack for Death Wish II, Jimmy Page compiled the Zeppelin outtakes collection Coda, which was released at the end of 1982. That same year, Robert Plant began a solo career with the Pictures at Eleven album. In 1984, Plant and Page briefly reunited in the all-star oldies band the Honeydrippers. After recording one EP with the Honeydrippers, Plant returned to his solo career and Page formed the Firm with former Bad Company singer Paul Rogers. In 1985, Led Zeppelin reunited to play Live Aid, sparking off a flurry of reunion rumors; the reunion never materialized. In 1988, the band re-formed to play Atlantic's 25th anniversary concert. During 1989, Page remastered the band's catalog for release on the 1990 box set Led Zeppelin. The four-disc set became the biggest-selling multi-disc box set of all time, which was followed up three years later by another box set, the mammoth ten-disc set The Complete Studio Recordings.

In 1994, Page and Plant reunited to record a segment for MTV Unplugged, which was released as No Quarter in the fall of 1994. Although the album went platinum, the sales were disappointing considering the anticipation of a Zeppelin reunion. The following year, Page and Plant embarked on a successful international tour, which eventually led to an all-new studio recording in 1998, the Steve Albini-produced Walking Into Clarksdale. Surprisingly, the album was met with a cool reception by the record-buying public, as Page and Plant ended their union shortly thereafter, once again going their separate ways (Page would go on to tour with the Black Crowes, while Plant would resume his solo career). Further Zeppelin compilation releases saw the light of day in the late-'90s, including 1997's stellar double-disc BBC Sessions, plus Zep's first true best-of collections -- 1999's Early Days: The Best Of, Vol. 1 and 2000's Latter Days: The Best Of, Vol. 2. =>>>>>>>>>>>

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Books on Led Zeppelin

2007-05-18T00:49:00.000-06:00

Led Zeppelin Crashed Here: The Rock and Roll Landmarks of North America
by Chris Epting (Author)

Editorial Reviews
Book Description
Journey through America’s rich rock 'n' roll history with the musical landmarks detailed in this extensive collection. Nearly 600 locations, including birthplaces, concert locales, hotel rooms, and graves, are neatly compiled and paired with historical tidbits, trivia, photographs, and backstage lore—from the site where Elvis got his first guitar and Buddy Holly’s plane crashed to Sid and Nancy’s hotel room and the infamous “Riot House” on the Sunset Strip. The rowdiest and the most talented rockers are all featured, with sidebars on musical greats like Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, and U2. Learn the locations of the secret rehearsal for David Bowie’s Diamond Dogs album, the club where the Sex Pistols played their first and last concert in the U.S., the house where Kurt Cobain died, where Keith Richards threw a television set out of a hotel window, and hundreds more sites from the past.

About the Author
Chris Epting is the author of seven books, including Elvis Presley Passed Here; James Dean Died Here; Marilyn Monroe Dyed Here; Roadside Baseball; and The Ruby Slippers, Madonna's Bra, and Einstein's Brain. He has created and written many popular commercials and is the head of Surf City Advertising Company. He lives in Huntington Beach, California.

Product Details
Paperback: 312 pages
Publisher: Santa Monica Press (May 1, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1595800182
ISBN-13: 978-1595800183
Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1 inches

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Led Zeppelin (Acoustic Classics, Volume 2)
by Led Zeppelin (Recorder)

Editorial Reviews
Book Description
The spotlight falls on the acoustic side of these heralded hard rock heroes. Titles are: Battle of Evermore * Black Mountain Side * Gallows Pole * Hats Off to (Roy) Harper * Ramble On * That's the Way * The Rain Song * Your Time Is Gonna Come.

Warner Brothers Publications
The spotlight falls on the acoustic side of these heralded hard rock heroes. Tracks are: Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You * Bron-Y-Aur Stomp * Friends * Going to California * Over the Hills and Far Away * Stairway to Heaven * Tangerine * Thank You. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details
Paperback: 144 pages
Publisher: Alfred Publishing Company (July 1999)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0897245881
ISBN-13: 978-0897245883
Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 8.9 x 0.4 inches

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Led Zeppelin: Dazed and Confused: The Stories Behind Every Song
by Chris Welch (Author)

Editorial Reviews
Book Description
Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham make up Led Zeppelin, one of the greatest hard rock bands ever. This heavily illustrated book gives readers an in-depth examination of everything that inspired the songs of Led Zeppelin. What was the "House of the Holy"? Where was the "Stairway to Heaven"? Which strange encounters led to such classics as "Kashmir" and "Trampled Underfoot"? Was it an earthquake that inspired "Going to California" on their untitled fourth album?

Dazed and Confused reveals the roots and origins of the songs on all eight of the band's celebrated studio albums, together with all the stories behind material released after Zeppelin's break-up in 1980, including Unledded: No Quarter and the BBC Sessions album. You are invited to explore the inspiration behind the sound of four brilliant musicians who defined the concept of hard rock, and yet imbued their work with passionate magic and mystery. That mystery is heavily explained in Dazed and Confused.

Product Details
Paperback: 160 pages
Publisher: Thunder's Mouth Press; Reprint edition (October 18, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1560258187
ISBN-13: 978-1560258186
Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.3 x 0.6 inches

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Led Zeppelin: 1968-1980
(Paperback)
by Keith Shadwick (Author)

Editorial Reviews
Book Description
Led Zeppelin was the biggest band of the 1970s and a key contributor to the history of rock. Though the group disbanded after the 1980 death of drummer John Bonham, its stature among fans and its influence on musicians has continued to grow. Despite the band's prominence, no book has fully explored this beloved band’s incredible musical legacy — until now. Led Zeppelin is a detailed and insightful look at the how, where, and why of Led Zeppelin’s greatness. The band is examined within the historical context of the 1960s and '70s. Also examined are the musical and cultural events during all stages of each member's career, providing fascinating details about how the band created its revolutionary music.

Product Details
Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Backbeat Books (November 3, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0879308710
ISBN-13: 978-0879308711
Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.4 x 1.1 inches

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Led Zeppelin IV (Rock of Ages)
by Barney Hoskyns (Author)

Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
Hoskyns' breezy, sometimes overexcited precis of Led Zeppelin further indicates, after Jan Reid's raggedy, larf-a-minute Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs by Derek and the Dominos (2006), that Rodale's Rock of Ages series of classic-rock-album histories may prove worth staying abreast of. The acme of the Zep's career and the book is the group's fourth album ("The one with 'Black Dog' and 'Stairway to Heaven,' man!"), entitled with four runelike symbols rather than words. Hoskyns cleaves to how the Zep did what it did, especially on the focal album, relegating remarks on its members' notorious drugging, drinking, and carousing to the end of the book, and contending that the debauchery postdated its finest achievements. The many casual admirers of the band's big numbers may be surprised to learn how scrupulously guitarist Jimmy Page, in particular, crafted each recording, and by the variety of musical styles and treatments the group essayed on each album. Often credited with launching the oafish heavy-metal style, Led Zeppelin was, Hoskyns argues, a serious, conscientious musical group. Ray Olson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Book Description
Led Zeppelin IV, often called heavy metal’s greatest album, kicks off an exciting new series that takes a fresh, in-depth look at some of the greatest works from the most influential artists of the rock era. Fans may know the songs, but wait until they hear the stories behind them!

The music contained in Led Zeppelin IV is part of the soundtrack to a generation. Released in 1971, it rocks, stomps, glides, and shimmers as it covers all the bases the band had mastered: heavy blues, barroom rock and roll, mandolin-driven folk, epic Tolkien-infused mysticism, acoustic Americana, and more. Certified gold one week after its release, the album went to #2 on the U.S. charts and #1 in the U.K. It remained on U.S. charts for 259 weeks.

There probably isn’t an aspiring rock guitarist anywhere who hasn’t plucked out the notes and chords to "Stairway to Heaven" or "Black Dog," and yet many music lovers are unaware of the intriguing backstory to this genre-defining work.

To this day there is confusion about what is the actual title of the album. And what about those mysterious symbols? Barney Hoskyns pierces those veils and more as he tells the fascinating story of the evocative set that cemented Led Zeppelin’s standing as the biggest, baddest, loudest band in the world—and that remains today the apex of their art.

Product Details
Hardcover: 160 pages
Publisher: Rodale Books (November 28, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1594863709
ISBN-13: 978-1594863707
Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.8 x 0.7 inches

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Led Zeppelin: Concert File
by Dave Lewis (Author), Simon Pallett (Author)

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
At their peak, Led Zeppelin's gigantic rock shows outsold every other band on the planet, and this celebratory guide features every detail of their remarkable career. Originally published in 1977, this is much more than a reference book. Led Zeppelin were the quintessential live rock act, setting the blueprint for rock and metal that has barely changed since. This book unfolds the Zeppelin saga from their beginnings on the London club scene, through the ballrooms of America and on to the record-breaking tours, private jets and legends of debauchery. This long-awaited update includes An accurate guide to exactly when and where the quartet played Reviews, recollections and on-stage comments that add fresh perspective to the legends and myths Masses of rare ticket stubs, flyers, posters and photos Full details of all major TV and radio appearances Extensive bootleg and visual film references Solo appendices bringing the whole story right up to date.

About the Author
Dave Lewis is a highly respected chronicler of their work. He is the editor of the long running Led Zeppelin magazine and web site Tight But Loose and the author of several acclaimed Zeppelin books, notably A Celebration (1991) and The Tight But Loose Files/Celebration 2 (2003). Simon Pallett is a foremost authority of their live work. Together their vast knowledge combines to present an unprecedented account of Led Zeppelin In Concert - and beyond.

Product Details
Paperback: 374 pages
Publisher: Omnibus Press (November 17, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1844496597
ISBN-13: 978-1844496594
Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 4.9 x 1 inches

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Led Zeppelin Complete Songbook (Guitar Tablature)
by Led Zeppelin (Author), Aaron Stang (Editor)

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
Arranged for Guitar Tablature & Standard Notation With Chords, Chord Frames & Lyrics. All songs are transcribed in lead-sheet style, including all critical instrumental riffs and figures. A bonus Guitar Tab Section featuring many of Jimmy Page's classic riffs and solos. A complete history of the band and a detailed analysis of Jimmy Page's guitar style (by Andy Aledort). Classic and rare photos of the band in concert and on the road. Every song from all 9 studio albums: Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin II, Led Zeppelin III, Led Zeppelin IV, Houses of the Holy, Presence, Physical Graffiti, In Through the Out Door, and Coda. Contents: Babe, I M Gonna Leave You, Black Mountain Side, Communication Breakdown, Dazed And Confused, Good Times Bad Times, How Many More Times, I Can T Quit You Baby, You Shook Me, You Re Time Is Gonna Come, Bring It On Home, Heartbreaker, Lemon Song, The, Living Loving Maid (She S Just A Woman), Moby Dick, Ramble On, Thank You, What Is And What Should Never Be, Whole Lotta Love, Bron-Y-Aur Stomp, Celebration Day, Friends, Gallows Pole, Hats Off To (Roy) Harper, Immigrant Song, Out On The Tiles, Since I Ve Been Loving You, Tangerine, That S The Way, Battle Of Evermore, T Black Dog, Four Sticks, Going To California, Misty Mountain Hop, Rock And Roll, Stairway To Heaven, When The Levee Breaks, The Crunge, D Yer Maker, Dancing Days, No Quarter, The Oocean, Over The Hills And Far Away, The Rain Song, The Song Remains The Same, Archilles Last Stand, Candy Store Rock, For Your Life, Hots On For Nowhere, Nobody S Fault But Mine, Royal Orleans, Tea For One, Black Country Woman, Boogie With Stu, Bron-Yr-Aur, Custard Pie, Down By The Seaside, Houses Of The Holy, In My Time Of Dying, In The Light, Kashmir, Night Flight, The Rover, Sick Again, Ten Years Gone, Trampled Underfoot, The Wantan Song, All My Love, Carouselambra, Fool In The Rain, Hot Dog, I M Gonna Crawl, In The Evening, South Bound Saurez, Darlene, Ozone Baby, Poor Tom, Walter S Walk, We Re Gonn

Product Details
Plastic Comb: 343 pages
Publisher: Alfred Publishing (March 12, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0739046411
ISBN-13: 978-0739046418
Product Dimensions: 11.9 x 9.3 x 1.1 inches

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Led Zeppelin Classics (Authentic Guitar-Tab)
by Led Zeppelin (Author)

Editorial Reviews
Book Description
Authentic transcriptions with tab for 16 songs: Black Dog * Black Mountain Side * Bron-Y-Aur Stomp * Celebration Day * Communication Breakdown * Dazed and Confused * Friends * Going to California * Good Times Bad Times * Heartbreaker * Immigrant Song * Misty Mountain Hop * Ramble On * Stairway to Heaven * What Is and What Should Never Be * Whole Lotta Love. 256 pages!

Product Details
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Hal Leonard Corporation (July 1, 2000)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0769205607
ISBN-13: 978-0769205601
Product Dimensions: 12 x 9.1 x 0.7 inches

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Inside Led Zeppelin 1968-1980 [DVD]

Product Details
Actors: Led Zeppelin
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Import, NTSC
Language: English
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number of discs: 2
Rating NR
Studio: Classic Rock Legends
DVD Release Date: September 13, 2005

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Led Zeppelin [DVD]

Product Details
Actors: Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, John Bonham, See more
Directors: Dick Carruthers
Format: Box set, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC
Language: English
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number of discs: 2
Studio: Warner Strat. Mkt.
DVD Release Date: May 27, 2003
Run Time: 320 minutes

DVD Features:
Available Audio Tracks: English (DTS), English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (PCM Stereo)
2 DVD Box Set:
DVD 1:
Live at the Royal Albert Hall (1970)
1969 - 3 titles from Danish Television (31 min Stereo)
1969 - "Communication Breakdown" Promo - Paris (9 min Stereo)
1969 - "Dazed And Confused" - Supershow (7 min Stereo)

DVD 2:
1972 - Immigrant Song - Splodge Edit Live (4 min)
1973 - Madison Square Garden - New York (24mn) - 4 titles not included in the film "The Song Remains The Same"
1975 - Earl's Court - London 49 min - 6 titles
1979 - Knebworth - Angleterre 52 min - 7 titles
1970 - NBC interview with the band (mono)
1972 - Rock N' Roll + interviews from Australian Television (4 min Stereo)
1975 - Interview with Robert Plant - BBC Old Grey Whistle (4 min Stereo)
2 clips : "Over The Hills" and "Travelling Riverside Blues" (4 min)

=======================

Led Zeppelin - The Song Remains the Same [DVD]

Product Details
Actors: John Bonham, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, Peter Grant, See more
Directors: Peter Clifton, Joe Massot
Format: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
Language: English
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Number of discs: 1
Rating PG
Studio: Warner Home Video
DVD Release Date: December 21, 1999
Run Time: 136 minutes

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Pendragon

2007-05-15T19:58:00.000-06:00

@ Pendragon
The story begins in the sleepy town of Stroud, Gloucestershire, England in 1978.

Four friends got together and decided to form a band. Zeus Pendragon consisting of Nick Barrett [guitar/vocals], Julian Baker [guitar/vocals], Nigel Harris [the most sought after drummer in the Stroud area] and Stan Cox [bass] was born.

Young and full of ambition Zeus Pendragon started out playing cover versions of classic rock tunes by Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac, and Santana and their first gig was ironically the same day that Nick left school, burning his maths text book and picking up his guitar on the way... The future had been determined.

The Zeus part of their name was later dropped when the logical and visionary Julian decided it was far too long to fit across a t-shirt, and this ridiculous cross pollination of Arthurian and Greek mythology just seemed plain silly.

Pendragon were approached by local promoter and manager Greg Lines, who took them under his managerial wing. Greg had put on many bands in the area (including U2, who actually slept on Greg’s lounge floor following their gig). Julian and Nick spent many days and nights writing the first Pendragon material and dreaming of stardom, but Pendragon’s ambitious schedule meant that Stan decided to leave, preferring to listen to music than playing it. Robert Dalby replaced him and John "Barney" Barnfield (the keyboard whiz from another local band "Cygnus") was persuaded to join to enhance the bands musical possibilities.

Line up hassles plagued the band in the early days and it wasn’t long before the imaginative but fiery Julian decided to quit the band. Nick and Barney were soon writing together and the distinctive Barrett/Barnfield sound was forged. A friend of Nick’s brother, guitarist Peter Gee was drafted in originally to fill Julian’s boots... But when Robert also decided to call it a day Peter took over bass duties! Musical chairs indeed.

The line up stayed stable….for a while with Nick, Barney, Peter and Nigel. The next step was one of the most life changing for Pendragon.

In 1982 Greg Lines booked a new band called Marillion to play in Gloucester, with Pendragon as support. The two bands hit it off right away and Mick Pointer [Marillion’s drummer, now with Arena] asked Pendragon to support them at the Marquee club in London.

Playing the Marquee club was electrifying and Pendragon went on to play with Marillion on many occasions whilst building on their own strong and loyal following.

1983 saw Pendragon play in front of a 30,000 strong audience at the Reading Festival and they recorded a live session for Tommy Vance on the Friday Rock show (BBC Radio 1 UK) Tommy Vance saw something special in Pendragon and was especially impressed with "The Black Knight" which of course became an anthem for the band for many years.

Despite the exposure the band had enjoyed there was still no recording contract on the horizon and difficult decisions had to be made. Barney’s contribution to the band was huge and the Barrett/Barnfield writing team was very strong, however Barney decided to leave, it was too big a gamble to give up his day job and so during a break in touring he made the difficult decision to quit. How on earth could Barney be replaced? (Barney now says: "My time with Pendragon was probably the happiest time of my life, it’s great that I still enjoy a close friendship with Nick and I love being able to still get out the guitars and play together, my favourite Pendragon album without a doubt has to be "Not Of This World" [2001]".

Rik Carter joined the band on keyboards and soon with some help from John Arnison (Marillion’s manager) Pendragon were in the studio to record a mini album Fly High Fall Far, and later the bands first full length album The Jewel.

There was more touring with Marillion, and their first European gigs but still no sign of a contract, these were frustrating times indeed. Due to lack of cash in pockets and a grueling tour schedule more line up changes were about to happen. Nigel left and was replaced for a short time by a friend of Rik’s, Matt Anderson. He soon departed followed by Rik...

So Pendragon were left with just Nick and Peter!

Fudge Smith (La Host) joined on drums and a session keyboard player in the shape of James Colah was drafted in to complete the 9.15 Live album tour.

During this time Nick, Peter & Greg were making trips to and from London chasing that elusive record deal. Nick called his old friend Clive Nolan who was now living in Egham, Surrey to see if they could stay with him whilst doing the rounds of the record companies. Clive and Nick had been friends since the age of 4 when they started school together. Although Nick was aware that Clive played keyboards he also thought he would be too busy with other commitments so hadn’t asked Clive about joining Pendragon. On one of the trips to London they sat up late one night talking, and Nick asked Clive if he knew of any keyboard players... "I’ll do it!!!" said Clive and the rest is history.

A full length album demo was eventually commissioned by David Munns [responsible for signing Joss Stone etc] at EMI Records and things were certainly looking up. However, when David left EMI the demo was dropped. The frustration of this was to create a "make or break" feeling amongst the band, and it was then that Toff records was formed c.1987, the EMI demo plus a couple of extra songs made up Toff’s first release, the Kowtow album.

Nick felt however that the band did not have a distinctive enough image until by chance he saw a classical CD with some very impressive artwork by Simon Williams.

1991. All the planets align…Toff Records was up and running, the line up was stable and some great artwork for the band meant the Pendragon we know today had arrived. Many fans still believe that Pendragon started with The World. It was in fact their third full length studio album but definitely the beginning of a new era for the band.

The World was to be the least commercial sounding album so far, yet was the biggest seller at that point. The album was met by much critical acclaim bringing a tidal wave of new fans, even the press were beginning to realise that Pendragon were a force to be reckoned with.

Followed by The Window Of Life, the now tight knit band with their incredible sound were on a roll, and the early years of line up changes and disillusionment melted away.

Toff records was still a small, home run business and the avalanche of success that The Masquerade Overture brought saw the lounge of Nick's small cottage piled high with cd’s, and booklets and merchandise to be sent out and the family were drafted in to help whilst Nick was answering the many calls for interviews and promo work. The Masquerade Overture sold 60,000 copies, an incredible feat. The partnership of Pendragon and Simon Williams along with the "5th member of the band" Karl Groom engineering the superb classic Pendragon sound was to make the band one of the highest selling “prog-rock” bands not signed to a major label.

However a maelstrom of events were to come both personally for Nick and Pendragon. Nick says: "It was strange because when I was writing "The Shadow" (Masquerade Overture) there was a line that started 'there's a man who's followed me just about all of my life, being to you what I couldn't be, I call him my insecurity', I remember writing this very clearly and feeling there was a slightly strange atmosphere that day in the studio, little did I know how prophetic that line would become."

There was to be a five year gap between Masquerade and the next studio album Not Of This World. During this time Nick went through painful personal problems in the shape of a messy divorce. Not Of This World was a cathartic body of work, perhaps the most personal and emotionally charged by the band, considered by many to be the finest work produced by Pendragon. Following the release of Not of this World Nick was awarded "best guitarist 2001" by The Classic Rock Society in the UK.

Financially crippled following the divorce, the next studio album had been a long time coming but as always Pendragon picked themselves up and headed back into the public domain once more.

Just like in 1991 when The World was unleashed, there was a wind of change and a feeling of successful anticipation in the air. 2005 saw the release of Believe, the 7th studio album by Pendragon which reflected a renewed youthful exuberance and fresh approach both musically and visually for the band.

Once again a line up change reared its ugly head, and after 20 odd years with the band Fudge Smith was replaced by 26 year old whipper snapper Joe Crabtree on drums. The band now had a real firecracker of a drummer underpinning the rhythm section which brought a renewed need to fight and the passion and energy of the band was almost like they were 17 years old again for the upcoming Believe tour.

Pendragon undertook the biggest tour of Europe they had ever done and followed it with a release of the brilliant And Now Everybody To The Stage dvd.

2007 sees the 21st anniversary of The Jewel dvd release called Past And Presence which includes most of the musicians from those early days and shows how this tenacious band can still thrill, evolve and capitalize on its strengths over a 28 year period where so many others have failed.

So to the future, a new album is on the cards and a year full of festival dates just goes to show that in this hurly burly world of fickle pop music….some ships were built to last. =>>>>>>>>>>>

Download a PDF version of this biography

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@ Wiki
Pendragon are an English progressive rock band established in 1978 in Stroud, Gloucestershire as Zeus Pendragon by guitarist Nick Barrett. The Zeus was dropped before the band started recording. There were a few personnel changes in the early days, but since 1986 the lineup has remained stable, and the band is still active as of 2006. Their music is characterised by Barrett's virtuoso guitar playing and his highly emotional, if eccentric, vocal performances.

Personnel
* Nick Barrett (guitars, vocals)
* Rick Carter (keyboards before 1986)
* Peter Gee (bass)
* Nigel Harris (drums before 1986)
* Clive Nolan (keyboards since 1986)
* Fudge Smith (drums from 1986 to 2006)
* Joe Crabtree (drums since 2006)

Discography
* Fly High, Fall Far (EP) (1984) (vinyl only in this form)
* The Jewel (1985) (CD includes first half of Fly High, Fall Far EP)
o Remastered with new cover art 2005
* 9:15 Live (1986) (CD includes second half of Fly High, Fall Far EP)
* Kowtow (1988)
* The World (1991)
* The R(B)est of Pendragon (1991) (compilation of single and EP tracks including the whole of the Fly High, Fall Far EP)
* The Window of Life (1993)
* The Very, Very Bootleg: Live in Lille (1993)
* Fallen Dreams and Angels (EP) (1994)
o The Window of Life and Fallen Dreams and Angels were reissued on a single combined disc in 2006
* Utrecht...The Final Frontier (1995) (live)
* The Masquerade Overture (1996) (also in a "Limited Edition" version with a bonus disc containing 4 extra tracks)
* As Good as Gold (EP) (1996)
* Live in Krakow 1996 (1997)
* Overture 1984 - 1996 (1998) (US compilation)
* Once Upon a Time in England Volume 1 (1999) (rarities)
* Once Upon a Time in England Volume 2 (1999) (rarities)
* The History: 1984 - 2000 (2000) (compilation, originally released in Poland)
* Not of This World (2001)
* Acoustically Challenged (2002) (live "unplugged" versions, another Polish release)
* Believe (2005)

DVD
* Live at Last...And More (2002)
* And Now Everybody To The Stage (2006)

CD/DVD combo
* Liveosity (Acoustically Challenged CD packaged with Live at Last...And More DVD, featuring new artwork) =>>>>>>>>>>>

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Pendragon - Fly High, Fall Far

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Pendragon

2007-05-15T19:52:00.000-06:00

Pendragon: Past and Presence
[2007]

Tracklisting (DVD & CDs)
01- Higher Circles
02 - The Pleasure of Hope
03 - Leviathan
04 - Victims of Life
05 - Armageddon
06 - Fly High Fall Far
07 - Excalibur
08 - Please
09 - Oh Divineo
10 - Alaska
11 - Dark Summer's Day
12 - Circus
13 - The Black Knight
14 - 2AM
15 - Stan and Ollie

Almost thirty years ago Julian Baker asked Nick Barrett if he fancied setting up a band and so set off a chain of events that have rollercoastered their way through the decades.

Celebrating the 21st Anniversary of the release of The Jewel, Pendragon members past and present reunite and come together to play a very special concert in Katowice, Poland.

The fun and excitement at this incredible concert is obvious when you watch it, it is contagious and it gives you a terrific insight as to how Pendragon have remained so very popular with fans and musicians alike for over 21 years.

Pendragon: Past and Presence (2007)
Starring: Pendragon
Actors: Pendragon
Format: Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Language: English
Region: Unknown. Read more about region encoding and how it may affect you here.
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Mvd Visual
DVD Release Date: June 5, 2007

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
This DVD features neo-prog rock's great eminence Pendragon in an exceptional show celebrating the 21st anniversary of the release of THE JEWEL album. On this very special occasion, the band decided to present to the audience an untypical setlist, including mostly songs from the band's classic debut THE JEWEL, and several other classics back from the Marquee Club days, plus a few surprises. The band also decided to perform in a special line-up, joining forces with other musicians from Pendragon's history: John Barnfield, Julian Baker, and Rik Carter. Get ready for nearly 2 hours of some of the best music that the neoprogressive genre has to offer!

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And Now Everybody to the Stage...
[2006]

The track listing is:
01 - No Place For The Innocent
02 - As Good As Gold
03 - Guardian Of My Soul
04 - Kowtow
05 - The Wishing Well
06 - The Edge Of The World
07 - Nostradamus
08 - Dance Of The Seven Veils
09 - Paintbox
10 - The Last Waltz
11 - Breaking The Spell
12 - Masters Of Illusion
13 - The Black Knight
14 - Medley inc - The Lost Children [World's End], Green Eyed Angel, Sister Bluebird, Last Man On Earth
15 - Am I Really Losing You?

Starring: Pendragon
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Language: English
Region: All Regions
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Mvd Visual
DVD Release Date: October 31, 2006
Run Time: 240 minutes

Editorial Reviews
Product Description
This spectacular performance by the legends of British prog-rock was recorded on May 22, 2006 at Wyspianski Theatre in Katowice Poland. The setlist is a review of the whole discography: from such classics as Kowtow, As Good As Gold, and Paintbox, through newer songs like The Wishing Well or The Edge Of The World, to compositions from Pendragon's last studio album "Believe". In addition, a ravishing encore is performed and features "The Black Knight", a medley of older songs and a heart-breaking performance of "Am I Really Losing You?" This classic collector's item also includes and Interview with Nick Barrett, Band's history, Discography, Photo gallery, more.

Nick says: So, what we been doin'? Karl [Groom] and I have just finished mixing the soundtrack for the new DVD, and it sounds absolutely FANTASTIC! I have been playing the soundtrack on my stereo along with the vision mix on TV and all together it's the bollocks!

What we wanted to achieve with this DVD was an experience like being at a real Pendragon gig, so the mix is in 5.1 and we tried to keep the sound as true to a live performance as possible, yes mistakes and all, but there is no doubt, the spirit of the band really is there like never before. I am really pleased with it! And I'm so glad that even though the last video was 10 years ago, I've still got hair! Nice.

Even after all this time, I was still surprised by some of the songs, Last Waltz is great, the guitar solo in Masters just hits total Gilmour-osity, me and Karl found this great delay which we added to the guitar sound in that one and I was sooooo pleased with the way the vocals turned out in the whole recording too.

Anyways, it's out now, so you can check it out for yourselves. I think the whole concert comes in at about 2 hours and 15 mins PLUS the extra stuff for the DVD, interview, and a huge home recording section. All in all it's about 240 minutes long!

It is also available as a special edition with 2 audio cds of the concert.

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Pendragon - As Good As Gold (live)
Live track taken from Pendragon DVD ...And Now Everybody To The Stage... recorded in Poland in 2006.

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Flower Kings

2007-05-14T20:34:00.000-06:00

The Flower Kings - New Compilation CD out on Inside Out - June 26th.

6th May 2007 @ Flower Kings
The double CD album will be released on June 26th in USA and probably around that date in Europe too. The title of the album is "Road Back Home" and it contain 27 songs, spanning from 1995 to 2006. It focus on the more melodic and groovy or shorter tracks, means less fusion and more melody and moody tracks. All songs are transferred carefully to 24 bit digital, remixed, quite a few of them have different solos and some added backingvocals and there's even a totally unreleased track, plus the full version of our take on Genesis classic "Cinema Show"

It comes in a nice slipcase and there will be a 20 page booklet that have archive photos, comments on each song, recording data and anekdotes by yours truely.

All remixed, re-arranged, remastered and I might add, with quite a nice result on most and even a stunning sonic result on a few. Prepare with a good set of headphones and your favourite tea. (This one might even appeal to your wife or mother in law or the guys at work)

The Flower Kings - Road Back Home (2007)
Disc One (77:49)
1. Cosmic Lover
2. A Kings Prayer
3. Stupid Girl
4. Cosmic Circus
5. Babylon
6. Paradox Hotel
7. World Without A Heart
8. Church Of Your Heart
9. Vox Humana
10. What If God Is Alone
11. Starlight Man
12. Grand Old World
13. The Road Back Home
14. Cinema Show

Disc Two (75:59)
1. Ghost Of The Red Cloud
2. Painter
3. I Am The Sun (p2)
4. Different People
5. Little Deceiver*
6. Chickenfarmer Song
7. The Rhythm Of The Sea
8. Touch My Heaven
9. Life Will Kill You
10. Monkey Business
11. Compassion
12. The Flower King
13. Stardust We Are (end section)

* unreleased track from Rainmaker sessions.

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Studio Report from Roine Stolt

Flowerkings have started the recording of new album on March 26th, ol' time drummer Zoltan Csörsz have recorded with the band and we are all very excited about the quality and the sheer committment that Zoltan have put into this recording. The recording week have been a great experience for us all, we've been in a great studio facility that have tons of vintage gear and we've had it 24/7 so we've lived there and we've worked with our trusted team of Petrus Königson as engineeer and we've had Per Nordin there videofilming the sessions, so we have hours and hours of filmed material.

The result is as far as we can see a great symphonic & progressive rock album that have more of the Retropolis/Stardust/Flower Power vibe but perhaps a bit more "progressive" in the sense there are no short easy listening songs, however there are very melodic and likewise catchy sections integrated in these epics.

A few of these songs were really difficult to play, the intricacy of time signatures had us on our toes, but it was great fun. Yes there are similarities to songs like Stardust We Are or Garden Of Dreams but perhaps even as much to the Transatlantics epics.

The sound quality is head and shoulders above what we got from the Medley on Paradox Hotel, Petrus is a genius and the Varispeed studio with it's 3 NEVE desks and old U 47 Telefunkens, old Neumans etc. is the coolest and the best studio I've ever recorded in, the result is top notch and the vibe there was all late 60's and early 70's.

We had the pleasure to use lots of vintage keyboards, a custom modified ( by expert Brian Davenport) Hammond B 3 that sounded just fabulous and along with that we will, or have used real Minimoogs, Wurlizer, Fender Rhodes pianos and a Grand Piano.

This means that this album will see more of the vintage keyboard sounds than on any other TFK record, I feel it goes well with the songs that have great melodic and warm melodies that take me back to the glory days of Procol Harum, ELP, Genesis, Yes, Focus, Gentle Giant, Jethro Tull, Deep Purple and The Beatles.

I have tried to remember the feeling of standing on stage when the band sound great and we really feel like we're moving air and we're moving peoples hearts and I've tried to write from that perspective, perhaps with a less intellectual style and more of a direct soulful vibe.

Now we are a few weeks into overdubbing vocals and percussion, extra guitars and keys and hopefully by mid June we have delivered a steaming hot new CD album to Inside Out that we're proud of and that will take you back to the glory days of prog.

In my opinion TFK have never sounded better and never delivered such a compact collection of melodic symph/prog, what we do best, I admit we took a few (interesting) detours but this is what defines the band, this is as close as it gets to what I set out to do 12 years ago.

Roine. =>>>>>>>>>>>

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@ Wiki
The Flower Kings are a Swedish progressive rock band. Formed in 1993 by veteran guitarist Roine Stolt as a touring band to support his solo album The Flower King, the band stayed together after the tour and have gone on to become one of the most prolific studio recording units in rock music of their era. In ten years they have released nearly 18 hours of music.

The Flower Kings have seen frequent personnel changes. The original line-up for Stolt's solo album consisted of Stolt (vocals, electric guitar, bass, keyboards), Jamie Salazar (drums), and Hasse Fröberg (vocals). When the full band was formed, they added Michael Stolt (bass) and Tomas Bodin (keyboards). Michael Stolt and Salazar have both left the band since its formation, replaced by Jonas Reingold (bass) and Zoltan Csörsz (drums). Other contributors have included Hasse Bruniusson (percussion), Ulf Wallander (saxophone) and Daniel Gildenlöw of Pain of Salvation (vocals, guitar, keyboards and percussion). Zoltan Csörsz has recently been replaced by new drummer Marcus Liliequist. Daniel Gildenlöw recently left because of personal issues. According to a Myspace blog posted by Roine Stolt on April 2, 2007, Zoltan Csörsz will be the drummer on the upcoming record, and perhaps reclaim his spot permanently.

Roine Stolt has written the vast majority of the material the band has recorded, with Bodin contributing most of the rest. The music is perhaps best described as "symphonic," bearing a strong resemblance in many instances to that of Yes, and yet there are also hints of strong influence from the jazz fusion genre. The band's lyrics are almost uniformly positive, affirming such values as love, peace, and spirituality.

Their 1999 album Flower Power contains one of the longest progressive rock tracks ever recorded, the eighteen-section, nearly 60-minute "Garden of Dreams."

Roine Stolt recorded two albums with supergroup Transatlantic, with members of Dream Theater, Spock's Beard, and Marillion, in 2000 and 2001.

Discography
Studio albums
* The Flower King (1994) (Roine Stolt solo album, regular and artwork editions)
* Back in the World of Adventures (1995)
* Retropolis (1996)
* Stardust We Are (1997) (double CD)
* Flower Power (1999) (double CD)
* Space Revolver (2000) (regular and digipack editions single CD, Japanese edition double CD)
* The Rainmaker (2001) (regular edition single CD, special limited edition double CD)
* Unfold the Future (2002) (double CD, limited edition contains bonus track)
* Adam & Eve (2004)
* Paradox Hotel (2006) (double CD)

Live albums
* Alive on Planet Earth (2000) (double live CD)
* Meet the Flower Kings (2003) (double live CD and DVD, available separately or together)
* Instant Delivery (2006) (double live DVD concert, limited edition includes double cd and booklet)

Limited Edition Official Bootlegs
* Édition Limitée Québec (1998) (unreleased and live tracks)
* The Rainmaker Tour 2001 (downloadable from website, not commercially available)
* Live In New York - Official Bootleg (2002)
* BetchaWannaDanceStoopid!!! (2004)

Fan Club Albums
* Fan Club 2000 (2000)
* Fan Club 2002 (2002)
* Fan Club 2004 (2004)
* Fan Club 2005 / Harvest (2005)

Compilations
* Scanning The Greenhouse (1998)

Related Discographies
* Circus Brimstone
* Roine Stolt
* Tomas Bodin
* Transatlantic
* The Tangent
* Kaipa =>>>>>>>>>>>

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The Flower Kings Stardust We Are

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Flower Kings Interview

2007-05-14T20:18:00.002-06:00

Hot On The Star Wars Trail With The Space Revolver Of Flower Kings
Interview by John "Bo Bo" Bollenberg

@ Progressive World
"We started writing the new material in February and entered the studio at the end of that same month", says guitarist Roine Stolt. "The writing went so easy, and for the very first time in the existence of the Flower Kings I really felt good about what I heard. Don't get me wrong, I like most of the stuff we've written over the years, but when you're in the middle of a recording session sometimes it gets too much, so you'd rather end it all there and then. Sometimes a break during the recording session wouldn't be a bad idea. Yet this time everything went so smooth, and in the middle of April I told Tomas Bodin that I really liked the new material, that it was very strong."

What was the difference than with the other Flower Kings material? "First of all, some of the money I earned with the Transatlantic thing I invested in new equipment for my studio. This resulted in a better production throughout. Just listen to that drum sound on Space Revolver. The studio is basically the same but I just added a couple of extras and that can be heard on the final album. Also the new album is more like a collection of all our various influences. This time we added Beatles, Doors, Zappa, Hendrix, ELP, Genesis, pop and fusion to end with what really is the Flower Kings."

Space Revolver (2000)I hear you mention The Beatles. Didn't you say to me once that Revolver was a big influence to you? So is Space Revolver your answer to this influence? "Full marks! Exactly! The way Revolver hit me when I first heard it, I wanted our new album to hit other people. The idea went even as far as suggesting we should make the cover a pastiche of the famous Klaus Voorman classic. Luckily we didn't do it. Furthermore 'Space Revolver' is one of three instrumentals I recorded during a two-day stint in the studio. Our record company in Japan requested this and I believe a special CD was made with 'Space Revolver,' 'Jupiter Backwards,' and 'She Carved Me A Wooden Heart,' which was handed out when people bought a ticket to come and see us when we over there to perform. I invented those titles as I went along. In fact they are only some demos with everything handled by myself. It might be some of these ideas end up being used on a forthcoming FK album but then re-modeled and probably retitled as well."

Going back to the new album, wasn't "I Am The Sun" intended to be one long epic of 25 minutes? "Of course it was. But we wanted to kick off the album with a true Flower Kings sound and end the album with a bombastic song. When we looked at 'I Am The Sun' we found we had the first song in the beginning and the final song right at the end so we opted to break it up into two parts. Of course live we'll do it as one long song."

So there will be live dates then. I heard the rumour there would be a double bill together with Spock's Beard in Europe. "The Spock's thing certainly won't be happening. Spock's wanted to headline and they are looking at shows of 2 to 2 and half hours so we would only have about 40 minutes time to perform. Furthermore we wouldn't get paid at all. Only the expenses would be covered but all of the takings would be for Spock's Beard. Needless to say we couldn't agree on those terms. We have, however, signed with Derek Kemp management in Britain. They are the same people who also handle Dream Theater and who landed DT with dates in Eastern Europe. So both Flower Kings and Transatlantic are now with Derek Kemp. Flower Kings will tour Europe somewhere in November this year and of course the set will now feature a lot of new material. There are also strong possibilities to tour Europe with Transatlantic. After all, we feel it wouldn't be fair seeing we sold more Transatlantic CD's in Europe than in America, yet the band has so far only done some shows in the States. The difficulty here is to see when Mike [Portnoy] is available. I know he'll be in the studio January/February 2001 to record the new Dream Theater album."

Transatlantic - SMPTe (2000)Was any of the Space Revolver material written with the intention to use it for the first Transatlantic album? "Yes it was. Both 'Monster Within' and 'Slave To Money' were written for the project but were rejected. I thought they were good songs so I used them for Flower Kings. As soon as I had some promo copies of the album I gave one to Pete [Trewavas], Neal [Morse] and Mike. I remember Mike putting it in the stereo of the tour bus and as soon as he heard 'Monster Within' he shouted 'that was a song you promised for the second Transatlantic album, Roine!' Of course I did, but I thought I could write an even better song for the new album. So far I know Mike has reserved about ten days in January 2001 for us to get together after which we'll do the necessary overdubs."

I'm convinced the second Transatlantic will be even better than the first if we can compare this with the second offering of projects such as Liquid Tension Experiment, Platypus and Bozzio, Levin, Stevens? "Definitely. I mean [that] when we got together for the first time we hardly knew each other. Now we know more about each other's personality, about what we like, what we dislike. Also I find that the first album sounds a bit too much like Spock's Beard. In a song like 'In Held ('Twas) In I' you hardly notice the unique skills of Portnoy. So this time I think we have to leave the covers for what they are and only record original material."

Is recording with the Flower Kings an easy thing to do? "Most of us live close to each other so it's easy to communicate. Over the years Tomas Bodin has also become my very best friend. Sometimes he calls me six times a day so I can hear bits and pieces of what he's composing. Our new bass player

Jonas Reingold lives in the south of Sweden. He doesn't have a prog background and is more jazz oriented yet he's highly skilled and has no problem to adapt [to] whatever style [he is soon to play with the Pär Lindh Project - Bo Bo"]. We just give him the basic information and he'll conjure up the rest. The same thing happens when we go out on tour. We just call him, let him know the songs we're about to play and he does the rest by himself. On stage there's no panic button to be seen as he just plays on 'automatic pilot!'"

When Roine released his solo album The Flower King in 1994 could he ever have dreamed he would be where he is right now? "I hoped I could one day perform the music I really loved. I was convinced that, as long as bands like Yes, Jethro Tull, Genesis could go on, even if they no longer sold millions of albums like they used to, I could make a go of it as well."

So you started your own record label Foxtrot and took it from there. "Exactly and that's the main reason why the early albums don't sound the way they should sound simply because I didn't have the money to build my studio the way I wanted it to be. Now that we've signed to Inside Out and also Inside Out America things go much smoother. You see, it's impossible to be creative, run a record label, sort out the management side of things, plan your own tours and be a father all at the same time. Sooner or later this had to clash with the creative process so I'm glad we signed with a bigger label and to a bigger management. Finally we're able to live better lives plus we can fully concentrate on what we know best and that's create innovative music. Even before we had composed one single note for the new album we already received an advance. So I asked Inside Out why they did this and they told us they had enough confidence in us. They knew it would be good."

I'm glad the sun finally starts to shine from behind those dark clouds that have been blocking your view all those years! "Yes, we finally can lead a decent life and what's more there's also interest in the domain of endorsement. I can't really tell you anymore details but it regards both guitars and pickups and it is a very interesting offer indeed."

Finally, would you say that prog today is still for "old" people? "Strange you should ask this because recently we had to ask someone's dad [for] permission if he could become a member of our fan club. The guy was only eleven years old! Enough said!" =>>>>>>>>>>>

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Jonas Reingold

2007-05-14T20:01:00.000-06:00

Jonas Reingold is a 32-year-old bass guitar player from Malmö, Sweden. He started to play bass in 1986 when he subbed for a friend who was the bass player in the local famous act WIRE. The band was happy with his performance and offered him the spot. From 1988 until 1994 he studied music and achieved a master degree of fine arts in 1994.

Busy working as a session player between 1994 and 1996 he finally released his debut album as a band leader in 1995, which was called Sweden Bass Orchestra. It was a bass big band consisting of 5 bass players and a drummer. They also had a guest performance by Niels-Henning Orstedt Pedersen on the disc. Between 1996 and 1999, Reingold was busy recording with various artists and different projects, such as Midnight Sun, Reingold, Sand and Gold and a few others.

In 1999 he started to work with The Flower Kings, replacing Michael Stolt who moved on to other things, and is still a permanent member in the group. Right now he is involved with the Kings, Opus Atlantica and his own band; Karmakanic. Furthermore, he was involved with Time Requiem.

2002 had Reingold release the first album with his project Karmakanic; 'Entering The Spectra'. In 2003 Karmakanic released their second album 'Wheel Of Life' which was composed (again) completely by Jonas.

Reingolds unique composing style is main subject of critics. His music contains a unique mixture of pop, jazz and hard rock without becoming 'artificial' like many other acts in the 'prog rock' genre.

Karmakanics 3rd release is planned for 2006. =>>>>>>>>>>>

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@ myspace.com

Jonas Reingold is a multi-talented music man from Malmö, Sweden. He's a bass player, producer and composer who started his career in 1986 in a local band. He got his master's degree in fine arts in 1994 at the Malmö Academy of Music and has recorded with numerous musicians since then.

From fretted to fretless bass, from melodic symphonic / progressive rock to classic rock, sophisticated jazz rock and fusion, Jonas brings all styles to a level where his bass goes beyond simply being a rhythm instrument. He brings his bass up front to be a lead instrument. To date Jonas has recorded over 40 studio albums, produced tens of albums/singles for other artists and performed over 2,500 live shows.

Jonas has worked with artists like Roine Stolt and Tomas Bodin (The Flower Kings), Göran Edman, Krister Jonsson (both in Jonas’ own band Karmakanic), Zoltan Csörsz (Flower Kings, Karmakanic and Jonas Hellborg Trio) Niels Henning-Orsted Pedersen, Hans Lundin and Morgan Ågren (Kaipa), Richard Andersson (Time Requiem), Pete Sandberg, Andy Tillison (The Tangent), Hasse Bruniusson (Flower Kings, Samla Mammas Manna), Jocke JJ Marsh (Tomas Bodin, Glenn Hughes) and many more…

At this moment, early 2007, Jonas has finished recording bass guitar for the new Kaipa album, he is finishing producing the debut album of dutch progrock band Splinter and he is finishing recording and producing his new Karmakanic album. =>>>>>>>>>>>

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Monitors: Genelec 1031, QLN 102021, PVC control

Console: Yamaha 01v

Outboard: Focusrite ISA 430 dig exp., Focusrite ISA 220, Focusrite octapre 8 channels, DBX 586 2 channels, MDI- 400 2 channels preamp from a MCI mixing console, Tube Tech CL 1B, Alesis 3630

Microphones:
AKG c12v, AKG Solid tube, 2x Nueman TLM 103, Groove tube am 61, 4x Sm 57,
2x Beta 57, Beta 52, EV 737, 2 X AKG 414, AKG D 12,

Audio Interface and converters:
MOTU 1296, MOTU 2408 mk3, Apogee PSX-100, RME Hammerfall 9632.

Computers:
Mac G4 2x1.25 ghz, Mac G4 450 mghz, 2xViewsonic 17", Lacie electron blue.

Software: Logic 6.4 pro

Plugins:
2x UAD 1, Tc works, Atmosphere, Moog modular V, The Grand,

Keyboards:
Yamaha DX7, Novation K station, Novation Bass station, EMU E6400 ultra, Roland FP-5 digital piano.

Instruments:
Yamaha BB 3000 bass, Fretless custom made, Tanglewood ac. guitar, Ephiphon electric guitar.

Piano
Pearl export 8,10,12,14,16,22
15 different effect pedals for guitar and bass
Line 6, EBS etc.

Headphones:
Beyer dynamic, Sony, etc. (7 different)

Amps:
EBS Fafner 800 w, EBS 1 preamp, Evulotion 4x12 cab, Hartke 2x10, Hartke 1x15

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Jonas Reingold bass solo

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Jefferson Airplane

2007-05-08T04:55:00.000-06:00

William Ruhlmann @ All Music
Jefferson Airplane was the first of the San Francisco psychedelic rock groups of the 1960s to achieve national recognition. Although the Grateful Dead ultimately proved more long-lived and popular, Jefferson Airplane defined the San Francisco sound in the 1960s, with the acid rock guitar playing of Jorma Kaukonen and the soaring twin vocals of Grace Slick and Marty Balin, scoring hit singles and looking out from the covers of national magazines. They epitomized the drug-taking hippie ethos as well as the left-wing, antiwar political movement of their time, and their history was one of controversy along with hit records. Their personal interactions mirrored those times; the group was a collective with shifting alliances, in which leaders emerged and retreated. But for all the turmoil, Jefferson Airplane was remarkably productive between 1965 and 1972. They toured regularly, being the only band to play at all the major '60s rock festivals -- Monterey, Woodstock, even Altamont -- and they released seven studio albums, five of which went gold, plus two live LPs and a million-selling hits collection that chronicled their eight chart singles. Rather than formally breaking up, they mutated into other configurations, Hot Tuna and Jefferson Starship, and went on to further success in the 1970s and '80s, before reuniting for an album and tour in 1989.

The initial idea for the group that became Jefferson Airplane came from 23-year-old Marty Balin (born Martyn Jerel Buchwald in Cincinnati, OH, January 30, 1942), a San Francisco-raised singer who had recorded unsuccessfully for Challenge Records in 1962 and been a member of a folk group called the Town Criers in 1963-1964. With the Beatles-led British Invasion of 1964, Balin saw the merging of folk with rock in early 1965 and decided to form a group to play the hybrid style as well as open a club for the group to play in. He interested three investors in converting a pizza restaurant on Fillmore Street into a 100-seat venue called the Matrix, and he began picking potential bandmembers from among the musicians at a folk club called the Drinking Gourd. His first recruit was rhythm guitarist/singer Paul Kantner (born Paul Lorin Kantner in San Francisco, CA, March 17, 1941), who in turn recommended lead guitarist/singer Jorma Kaukonen (born Jorma Ludwik Kaukonen in Washington, D.C., December 23, 1940). Balin, who possessed a keening tenor, wanted a complementary powerful female voice for the group and found it in Signe Toly (born Signe Ann Toly in Seattle, WA, September 15, 1941). The six-piece band was completed by bass player Bob Harvey and drummer Jerry Peloquin. The group's unusual name was suggested by Kaukonen, who had once jokingly been dubbed "Blind Thomas Jefferson Airplane" by a friend in reference to the blues singer Blind Lemon Jefferson.

Jefferson Airplane made its debut at the Matrix on August 13, 1965, and began performing at the club regularly, attracting favorable press attention. At a time when folk-rock performers -- Sonny & Cher, We Five, Bob Dylan, the Byrds, the Beau Brummels, the Turtles -- were all over the charts, that led to record company interest. By September, Jefferson Airplane was being wooed by several labels. At the same time, the band was already undergoing changes. Peloquin was fired and replaced by Skip Spence (born Alexander Lee Spence, Jr. in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, on April 18, 1946; died in Santa Cruz, CA, April 16, 1999). Spence considered himself a guitarist, not a drummer, but he had some drumming experience. Also in September, Signe Toly married Jerry Anderson, who handled lights at the Matrix, becoming known as Signe Anderson. In October, Harvey was fired and replaced by Jack Casady (born John William Casady in Washington, D.C., April 13, 1944), a friend of Kaukonen's. On November 15, 1965, this lineup -- Balin, Kantner, Anderson, Kaukonen, Spence, and Casady -- signed to RCA Victor Records. They had their first recording session in Los Angeles on December 16, and RCA released their debut single, Balin's composition "It's No Secret," in February 1966; it did not chart. Meanwhile, Jefferson Airplane began to appear at more prestigious venues in San Francisco and even to tour outside the Bay Area. In May 1966, Anderson gave birth to a daughter, and caring for the child while performing with the band became a challenge. Meanwhile, Spence became increasingly unreliable as his appetite for drugs increased, and he was replaced in June by session drummer Spencer Dryden (born Spencer Dryden Wheeler in New York, April 7, 1938). Spence went on to form the band Moby Grape.

Following a second non-charting single, Balin and Kantner's "Come Up the Years," in July, Jefferson Airplane released its debut LP, Jefferson Airplane Takes Off, on August 15, 1966, just over a year after the band's debut. The album had modest sales, peaking at only number 128 during 11 weeks on the Billboard chart. (A third single, Balin and Kantner's "Bringing Me Down," was released from the album, but did not chart.) At this point, Anderson's commitment to her family caused her departure from the group. Jefferson Airplane was able to find a strong replacement for her in Grace Slick (born Grace Barnett Wing in or near Chicago, IL, October 30, 1939), the lead singer for the San Francisco rock band the Great Society, which happened to be in the process of breaking up at the same time. Slick joined Jefferson Airplane in mid-October 1966, and by the end of the month was with them in the recording studio. She brought with her two songs from the Great Society repertoire: the rock tune "Somebody to Love," written by her brother-in-law Darby Slick, the Great Society's guitarist, and her own composition, the ballad "White Rabbit," set to a bolero tempo, which used imagery from Alice in Wonderland to discuss the impact of psychedelic drugs. Both songs were recorded for Jefferson Airplane's second album, Surrealistic Pillow.

RCA did not release either of them as the advance single from the album, opting instead for the departed Spence's "My Best Friend" in January 1967; it became the group's fourth single to miss the charts. Surrealistic Pillow followed in February. It debuted in the charts the last week of March, and its progress was speeded by the release of "Somebody to Love," the first Jefferson Airplane single to feature Grace Slick as lead vocalist. By early May, both the album and single were in the Top 40 of their respective charts; a month later, both were in the Top Ten. With that, RCA released "White Rabbit" as a single, and it too reached the Top Ten. Surrealistic Pillow became Jefferson Airplane's first gold album in July.

Meanwhile, the band, which, naturally, had attracted national media attention (much of it focusing on Slick's photogenic looks), began recording a new album and continued to tour. On June 17, 1967, they performed at the Monterey International Pop Festival, which was celebrated for introducing many of the new San Francisco rock bands (as well as the Jimi Hendrix Experience) and launching the "Summer of Love" that the season was touted to be in 1967. Jefferson Airplane's performance was filmed and recorded. Two songs from their show, "High Flying Bird" and "Today," were featured in the documentary film Monterey Pop, released in 1968. The concert recording was heavily bootlegged and over the years has turned up on numerous gray-market releases as well.

The nature of Jefferson Airplane's commercial breakthrough, and the nature of the band itself, restricted its commercial appeal thereafter. AM Top 40 radio, in particular, became wary of a group that had scored a hit with a song widely derided for its drug references, and Jefferson Airplane never again enjoyed the kind of widespread radio support it would have needed to score more Top Ten hits. At the same time, the group did not think of itself as a hitmaking machine, and its recordings were becoming more adventurous. Kantner's "The Ballad of You and Me and Pooneil," the band's new single released in August, featured him as lead singer with Slick and Balin harmonizing. It reached number 42 on the strength of the band's prominence, but they never again crossed the halfway mark in the Hot 100. At the same time, the rise of FM radio, attracted to longer cuts and the kind of experimental work the group was starting to do, gave them a new way of exposing their music. Nevertheless, their third album, After Bathing at Baxter's, its songs arranged into lengthy suites, was not as successful as Surrealistic Pillow when it appeared on November 27, 1967, reaching the Top 20 but failing to go gold. Also notable was the diminished participation of Marty Balin, who co-wrote only one song, but now was being marginalized in the group he had founded.

After Kantner's "Watch Her Ride," released as a single from After Bathing at Baxter's, stalled at number 61, RCA released a new Jefferson Airplane single written and sung by Slick in the spring of 1968. But radio was even more resistant, and "Greasy Heart" stopped at number 98. It was included in the band's fourth album, Crown of Creation, released in August. The title track got to number 64 as a single, and the LP, which featured more concise, less experimental tracks than After Bathing at Baxter's, marked a resurgence in the group's commercial success, reaching the Top Ten and eventually going gold. Jefferson Airplane's live appeal was chronicled on the concert album Bless Its Pointed Little Head, released in February 1969. In August, the group appeared at the Woodstock festival, and it was featured on the million-selling triple-LP soundtrack album to the resulting film in 1970, though it did not appear onscreen in the version initially released. The band's fifth studio album, Volunteers, appeared in October 1969 as its title song became a minor singles chart entry. Volunteers stopped short of the Top Ten, but it went gold in three months. On December 6, 1969, the band played at the Rolling Stones' disastrous Altamont free concert in California, its performance (complete with Balin's beating at the hands of Hell's Angels) captured in the 1970 documentary film Gimme Shelter.

Jefferson Airplane released one more single, the non-charting marijuana anthem "Mexico," in 1970 in its familiar configuration, but the turn of the 1970s brought great changes in the group. Already, Kaukonen and Casady, with assorted sidemen, had begun to play separately as Hot Tuna while maintaining their membership in Jefferson Airplane; they had recorded shows the previous September for a self-titled debut album issued in May 1970. Spencer Dryden was fired early in the year and replaced by drummer Joey Covington (born Joseph Michno in Johnston, PA, in 1945). At shows performed in October 1970, violinist Papa John Creach, who had been performing with Hot Tuna, first played with Jefferson Airplane. Creach (born John Henry Creach in Beaver Falls, PA, May 18, 1917; died February 22, 1994) was a journeyman musician decades older than any of the other members of Jefferson Airplane, and his recruitment was evidence of the ways in which the band's approach was changing. An even more radical change was the departure of Marty Balin, who left the band at the end of the fall tour in November. (His resignation was formally announced in April 1971.)

Jefferson Airplane did not have a new album ready for release in 1970, and RCA filled the gap with a compilation, sarcastically dubbed The Worst of Jefferson Airplane and released in November. The album went gold quickly and was later certified platinum. Issued on its heels was Paul Kantner's debut solo album, Blows Against the Empire, featuring most of the members of Jefferson Airplane as well as various other musical friends. Due to that long list of sidemen and the album's science-fiction theme about a group of hippies hijacking a spaceship, Kantner co-billed the disc to "Jefferson Starship." As yet, there was no such entity, but Kantner would use the name for a real band later.

Having completed their recording commitment to RCA, Jefferson Airplane shopped for a new label, but were wooed back when RCA offered them their own imprint, Grunt Records. Grunt bowed with the release of the sixth Jefferson Airplane studio album, Bark, in August 1971. The album stopped just short of the Top Ten and quickly went gold. Covington, Casady, and Kaukonen's "Pretty as You Feel," later issued as a single, gave the band its final placing in the Hot 100 at number 60 early in 1972. Grunt issued albums by bandmembers including Creach and Hot Tuna, as well as discs by friends, but Jefferson Airplane remained its most successful act.

In the early '70s, the members of Jefferson Airplane became increasingly preoccupied by their side projects. Hot Tuna, having issued a second live album, First Pull Up, Then Pull Down, in the spring of 1971, put out its first studio effort, Burgers, in February 1972. Kantner and Slick, who had become a couple and had a child, China Kantner (who went on to be an MTV VJ in her teens), issued a duo album, Sunfighter, in December 1971. In April 1972, Covington left the band and was replaced by veteran drummer John Barbata (born in Passaic, NJ, April 1, 1945), formerly a member of the Turtles and a backup musician for Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. The group then recorded its seventh studio album, Long John Silver, which was issued in the summer of 1972. It reached the Top 20 and went gold within six months. For the accompanying tour, they added singer/multi-instrumentalist David Freiberg (born in Boston, MA, August 24, 1938), formerly a member of the San Francisco rock band Quicksilver Messenger Service, to provide the male lead vocals formerly sung by Balin. The tour concluded at the Winterland ballroom in San Francisco on September 22, 1972, in effect marking the end of Jefferson Airplane, although no formal announcement was ever made.

Kaukonen and Casady went back to performing as Hot Tuna. Kantner, Slick, and Freiberg recorded a trio album, Baron von Tollbooth & the Chrome Nun, issued in the spring of 1973 and featuring the rest of Jefferson Airplane as side musicians. Slick's debut solo album, Manhole, issued in early 1974, also featured many of the same performers. Kantner and Slick then organized a new band along the same lines as Jefferson Airplane, but without Kaukonen and Casady, and called it Jefferson Starship. Meanwhile, a second Jefferson Airplane live album drawn from the 1972 tour, Thirty Seconds Over Winterland, was issued in the spring of 1973. Early Flight, a collection of stray tracks, appeared in the spring of 1974. Grunt issued the compilation Flight Log (1966-1976) at the start of 1977, filling the two LPs with tracks by Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship, and various other spin-off acts. 2400 Fulton Street: An Anthology, named after the address of a house owned by the band in the 1960s, was a two-disc set released in 1987. All of these albums sold well enough to reach the charts.

The various members of Jefferson Airplane went through various solo efforts and group affiliations in the 1970s and '80s, plus considerable litigation with an old manager and each other. This was all cleared up by the late '80s, however, and in 1989 Kantner, Slick, Kaukonen, and Casady (who, with manager Bill Thompson, still owned the rights to use the name Jefferson Airplane) brought in Balin (who had sold out his share in the group in 1971) and reunited as Jefferson Airplane for a tour and album. The tour, which ran from August 18 to October 7, was well received; the album, Jefferson Airplane, released by Epic Records, was only a modest success. After that, the band again became inactive. Slick retired. Kaukonen and Casady resumed performing as Hot Tuna. Kantner eventually resurrected the Jefferson Starship name, sometimes including Balin and even occasionally Slick, and playing Jefferson Airplane songs. RCA continued to release archival recordings, its most interesting issues being the 1992 box set Jefferson Airplane Loves You and the 1998 concert recording Live at the Fillmore East. =>>>>>>>>>>>

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Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band from San Francisco, a pioneer of the LSD-influenced psychedelic rock (or "acid rock") movement.

The Airplane was the 'flagship' act for the burgeoning psychedelic music scene that developed in San Francisco in the mid-1960s. They were the first San Francisco group to perform at a dance concert -- the seminal 'happening' at the Longshoremen's Hall in October 1965 -- they were the first to sign a contract with a major record label, the first to appear on national television, the first to score hit records and the first to tour to the US East Coast and Europe.

Throughout the late 1960s Jefferson Airplane was one of the most sought-after (and highly-paid) concert acts in the world, their records sold in great quantities, they scored two US Top 10 hit singles and a string of Top 20 albums, and their 1967 LP Surrealistic Pillow is still widely regarded as one of the key recordings of the so-called "Summer of Love."

Successive incarnations of the band have performed under different names, reflecting changing times and performer lineups: Jefferson Starship, and later simply Starship before becoming Jefferson Starship The Next Generation in 1991.

Jefferson Airplane was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.

History
Formation and early career
Jefferson Airplane formed in San Francisco during the summer of 1965, emerging from what was called the San Francisco Bay folk music boom (see American folk music revival). Although the Airplane were considered the pre-eminent San Francisco group of the period, Kantner was in fact the only native San Franciscan member.

The group's founder was singer Marty Balin, who had established a minor career as a pop singer in the early Sixtes and made several recordings under his own name. In mid-1965 Balin raised funds to open a new nightclub, The Matrix and soon after he met folk musician Paul Kantner at another local club, the Drinking Gourd.

Kantner had started out performing on the Bay Area folk circuit in the early Sixties, alongside fellow 'folkies' Jerry Garcia, David Crosby and Janis Joplin and he has cited folk group The Kingston Trio as a strong early influence. He briefly moved to Los Angeles ca. 1964 where he worked in a folk duo with future Airplane/Starship member David Freiberg (who subsequently joined Quicksilver Messenger Service).

Balin and Kantner then set about selecting other musicians to form a group that would be the "house band" at the Matrix. Balin heard female vocalist Signe Toly Anderson at the Drinking Gourd and invited her to be the group's co-lead singer; however Anderson became pregnant with her first child in late 1965, which led to her eventual departure in late 1966.

Kantner next recruited an old friend, a highly proficient blues guitarist called Jorma Kaukonen, originally from Washington DC. Kaukonen had moved to California in the early Sixties and met Kantner while studying at Santa Clara University ca. 1962. Kaukonen was invited to jam with the new band and although initially reluctant to join, he was won over after playing his guitar through a tape delay device that was part of the sound system used by Ken Kesey for his famous Acid Test parties. The original lineup was completed by drummer Jerry Peloquin and acoustic bassist Bob Harvey.

The origin of the group's name is often disputed. "Jefferson airplane" is a slang term for a used paper match split open to hold a marijuana joint that has been smoked too short to hold without burning the hands -- an improvised roach clip.[citation needed] An urban legend claims this was the origin of the band's name, but according to band member Jorma Kaukonen, the name was invented by his friend Steve Talbot as a parody of blues names such as 'Blind Lemon' Jefferson. A 2007 press release quoted Kaukonen as saying:

"I had this friend [Talbot] in Berkeley who came up with funny names for people," explains Kaukonen. "His name for me was Blind Thomas Jefferson Airplane (for blues pioneer Blind Lemon Jefferson). When the guys were looking for band names and nobody could come up with something, I remember saying, 'You want a silly band name? I got a silly band name for you!'"

The group made its first public appearance at the opening night of The Matrix club on August 13, 1965. Peloquin was a seasoned musician whose disdain for the others' drug use was a factor in his departure just a few weeks after the group began. Although he was not a drummer, singer-guitarist Skip Spence (founder of Moby Grape) was then invited to take over the drum stool by Balin.

They drew inspiration from groups such as The Beatles, The Byrds, and The Lovin' Spoonful, gradually developing a more pop-oriented 'electric' sound. The other members soon decided that Harvey's bass playing was not up to par, so he was replaced in October 1965 by accomplished guitarist-bassist Jack Casady, whose brother Chick was an old friend of Kaukonen's from Washington DC. Casady played his first gig with the Airplane at a college concert in Berkeley, California, two weeks after he arrived in San Francisco.

The group's performing skills improved rapidly and they quickly gained a strong following in and around San Francisco, aided by rave reviews from veteran music journalist Ralph J. Gleason, the jazz critic of the San Francisco Chronicle; after seeing the band at the Matrix in late 1965 he proclaimed them "one of the best bands ever." Gleason's support raised the band's profile greatly, and within three months their manager Matthew Katz was fielding offers from record companies, although they were yet to perform outside the Bay Area.

Two very significant early concerts featuring the Airplane were held in late 1965. The first was the now-legendary dance at the Longshoremen's Hall in San Francisco on 16 October 1965, the first of many such 'happenings' in the Bay Area, and it was here that Ralph Gleason first saw the Airplane perform. At this concert they were supported by another local folk-rock group The Great Society, which featured Grace Slick as lead singer, whom Kantner met for the first time that night. A few weeks later, on 6 November, they headlined a benefit concert for the San Francisco Mime Troupe, the first of many engagements for rising entrepreneur Bill Graham, who eventually became their manager.

In November 1965 Jefferson Airplane signed a recording contract with RCA Victor, which included a then unheard-of advance of US$25,000. On 10 December 1965 they played at the first Bill Graham show at the Fillmore ballroom, supported by The Great Society and others, and they also appeared at a number of Family Dog shows promoted by Chet Helms.

The group's first single was Balin's "It's No Secret" (a tune he had written with Otis Redding in mind); the B-side was "Runnin' Round The World", the song that subsequently led to the band's first major clash with RCA.

Their debut LP Jefferson Airplane Takes Off was completed in March 1966, and soon after, during the spring of 1966, Skip Spence abruptly quit the band. He was eventually replaced by an experienced jazz drummer recruited from Los Angeles, Spencer Dryden, who played his first show with the Airplane at the Berkeley Folk Festival on 4 July 1966.

Manager Matthew Katz was fired in August and the legal fallout from this action was to continue for several years. After Katz's sacking Balin's friend and flatmate Bill Thompson was installed as their permanent road manager and temporary band manager. Thompson, a staunch friend and ally of the band, was a former Chronicle staffer who first convinced reviewers Ralph Gleason and John Wasserman to see the band. Thanks to Gleason's influence, Thompson was able to book the group for prestigious appearances at the Berkeley Folk Festival and the Monterey Jazz Festival.

Jefferson Airplane takes Off was released in September 1966. Folk music very much influenced the album, which included such staples as John D. Loudermilk's "Tobacco Road" and Dino Valente's "Let's Get Together", as well as original ballads "It's No Secret" and "Come Up the Years." The LP garnered considerable attention in the USA and eventually became a gold album.

RCA initially pressed only 15,000 copies, but it sold more than 10,000 in San Francisco alone, prompting the label to reprint it. It was at this point that the company deleted the track "Runnin' All Over The World" (which had appeared on early mono pressings), because executives objected to the use of the word "trip" in the lyrics. They also substituted altered versions of two other tracks ("Let Me In" and "Run Around") because of similar concerns about lyrics. The original pressings of Takes Off featuring "Runnin' 'Round The World" are now rare collectors' items worth thousands of dollars.

Arrival of Grace Slick
Signe Anderson gave birth to her son in May 1966, but by October she had decided that it was impossible to continue performing, so she reluctantly announced her departure. Her final gig with the Airplane took place at the Fillmore on 15 October 1966. The following night, her replacement Grace Slick made her first appearance with Jefferson Airplane. Grace, a former professional model, was already well-known to the band -- she had attended the Airplane's debut gig at the Matrix in 1965 and her previous group The Great Society had often supported the Airplane in concert.

Slick's recruitment proved pivotal to the Airplane's commercial breakthrough — she possessed a powerful and supple contralto voice, well-suited to the group's amplified psychedelic music, she was strikingly good looking, and her dynamic stage presence greatly enhanced the group's live imapct.

Slick was no mere "girlie singer" however. She was a remarkable individual: feisty, often outspoken, highly intelligent, well-educated, widely read and an accomplished multi-intrumentalist and songwriter. Crucially for the Airplane, she brought with her two superb compositions -- "Somebody to Love", written by her brother-in-law, Great Society guitarist Darby Slick and "White Rabbit" (which she had written in just half an hour) and which drew inspiration from the psychedelic drug LSD, then extremely popular in San Francisco, Maurice Ravel's "Bolero", and Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland).

The Great Society had recorded an early version of "Somebody To Love" (under the title "Someone To Love") as the B-side of their only single, "Free Advice"; it was produced by Sylvester Stewart (soon to become famous as Sly Stone) but it reportedly took more than 50 takes to achieve a satisfactory rendition. The Great Society decided to split in the autumn of 1966 and they played their last show on 11 September. Soon after, Slick was asked to join Jefferson Airplane by Jack Casady (whose musicianship was a major influence on her decision to join) and her Great Society contract was bought out for US$750.

Commercial breakthrough
In December 1966 Jefferson Airplane featured prominently in a Newsweek article about the booming San Francisco music scene, one of the first in what became an avalanche of similar media reports that prompted a massive influx of young people to the city and contributed to the heavy commercialization and exploitation of the local "hippie" culture.

Around the beginning of 1967 Bill Graham took over from Bill Thompson as the group's manager and in January 1967 they traveled to Los Angeles to record the tracks for their next LP, as well as making their first visit to the US East Coast. On 14 January 1967 Jefferson Airplane headlined alongside The Grateful Dead and Quicksilver Messenger Service the now-legendary "Human Be-In", the famous all-day 'happening' staged in Golden Gate Park which is now generally acknowledged as the one of the key events leading up to the so-called "Summer of Love."

During this period the band gained their first international recognition when they were namechecked by rising British pop star Donovan, who saw the them during his stint on the US West Coast in early 1966 and mentioned them in his song "The Fat Angel," which subsequently appeared on his Sunshine Superman LP.

Jefferson Airplane's second LP, and the album that launched them to international fame, was Surrealistic Pillow. It was recorded in Los Angeles over 13 days with producer Rick Jarrard at a cost of US$8000. Released in February 1967, the LP entered the Billboard album chart on March 25 and charted for over a year, peaking at #3.

The album was a major international success, and alongside The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, it is widely regarded as one of the seminal albums of the so-called "Summer of Love." The name Surrealistic Pillow was suggested by the 'shadow' producer of the album, Jerry Garcia, when he mentioned that, as a whole, the album sounded "as Surrealistic as a pillow." The record company would not allow Garcia's considerable contributions to the album to garner him a "Producer" credit, so Garcia is listed in the album's credits as "spiritual advisor."

As well as their two best-known tracks, "White Rabbit" and the rousing anthem "Somebody to Love," the album featured one track by former drummer Skip Spence ("My Best Friend"), Balin's driving "Plastic Fantastic Lover," and the atmospheric Balin-Kantner ballad "Today." A reminder of their earlier folk incarnation was Kaukonen's solo acoustic guitar tour de force, "Embryonic Journey" (his first composition), which referenced contemporary acoustic guitar masters such as John Fahey and helped to establish the popular genre exemplified by acoustic guitarist Leo Kottke.

The first single from the album, Spence's "My Best Friend," failed to chart, but the next two singles rocketed the group to prominence. Both "Somebody to Love" and "White Rabbit" become major US hits when released as singles -- the former reached #5 and the latter #8 on the Billboard singles chart -- and by late 1967 the Airplane were national and international stars and had become one of the hottest (and highest-paid) groups in America.

This phase of their career peaked with their famous performance at the epochal Monterey International Pop Festival in June 1967 and two songs from their set were subsequently included in the D.A. Pennebaker film documentary of the event. Monterey showcased leading bands from several major music "scenes" including New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and England and the resulting TV and film coverage gave national (and international) exposure to groups that had previously had only regional fame.

All these bands were also greatly assisted by appearances on nationally syndicated TV shows such as the Johnny Carson Tonight Show and The Ed Sullivan Show. The Airplane's famous appearance on the Sullivan show performing "White Rabbit," which was (fortunately) videotaped in color and augmented by recent developments in video techniques. It has been frequently re-screened and is notable for its pioneering use of the Chroma key process to simulate the Airplane's customary psychedelic light show.

Change of direction
The membership of Jefferson Airplane remained relatively stable until 1970, during which time they recorded five more albums and performed extensively in the USA and Europe, but the group's music underwent a significant transformation after Surrealistic Pillow and the influence of founder Marty Balin began to wane after their first commercial peak.

The band delved deep into acid rock with their third LP, After Bathing at Baxter's. The product of many sessions over several months, it was released on 27 November 1967, and it entered the charts in December, eventually peaking at #27. Its famous cover, drawn by renowned artist and cartoonist Ron Cobb, features a whimsical re-imagining of the group's Haight-Ashbury house on Fulton Street, depicted as a Heath Robinson-inspired flying machine soaring about the chaos of American commercial culture.

Key influences on the group's new direction were the emergence of Jimi Hendrix and in particular the first headlining US tour by British supergroup Cream, which prompted many groups including the Airplane to adopt a 'heavier' sound and to place a greater emphasis on improvisation.

This was evident on Baxter's, which took more than four months to record, with little interference from the nominal producer Al Schmitt. Where the previous LP had consisted entirely of short 2-3 minute songs, the new album was dominated by long multi-part suites, demonstrating the group's growing engagement with psychedelic rock. It also marked the emergence of Kantner and Slick as the band's major composers and the concurrent decline as major contributor of Marty Balin, who was becoming increasingly disenchanted with the "star trips" and inflated egos that their runaway commercial success had produced.

Batxer's also marked the end of the Airplane's brief run of success on the singles chart. Both "White Rabbit" and "Somebody To Love" were US Top 5 hits, but the single lifted from Baxter's, "The Ballad of You and Me and Pooneil", peaked at a mediocre #43. None of their subsequent singles made it into the Top 50 and several did not chart at all.

Despite this, Jefferson Airplane continued to enjoy significant success as "album" artists and between 1967 and 1972 they scored a remarkable run of eight consecutive Top 20 albums in the USA, with both Surrealistic Pillow and Crown of Creation making the Top 10.

1968-1970
In February 1968 manager Bill Graham was fired after Grace Slick delivered her "either he goes or I go" ultimatum to the group. Bill Thompson took over as permanent manager and he set about consolidating the group's financial security, establishing Icebag Corp to oversee the band's publishing interests and purchasing a 20-room mansion at 2400 Fulton Street in the Haight-Ashbury district, which became the band's office and communal residence.

The Airplane undertook their first major tour of Europe in the late summer and early autumn of 1968, co-headlining with The Doors, performing in the Netherlands, England, Belgium, Germany and Sweden. A notorious incident involving Jim Morrison took place at a concert in Amsterdam; while they were performing "Plastic Fantastic Lover," a heavily intoxicated Morrison appeared on stage and began dancing. As the group played faster and faster, Morrison spun around wildly until he finally fell senseless on the stage at Marty Balin's feet. Not surprisingly, Morrison was unable to perform his set with the Doors and Ray Manzarek was forced to sing all the vocals.

Jefferson Airplane's fourth LP Crown of Creation (released in September 1968) was a transitional record, more concise and structured than its predecessor, and much more commercially successful, peaking at #6 on the album chart. Notable tracks include Grace Slick's Lather, which is said to be about her affair with drummer Spencer Dryden.

"Triad" was a mildly risqué David Crosby piece that had famously been rejected by The Byrds because they deemed its subject matter (a ménage à trois) to be too "hot" to record. Slick's searing sex and drug anthem "Greasy Heart" had been released as a single in March 1968. Several tracks recorded for the LP were left off the album, including the freeform Grace Slick / Frank Zappa collaboration "Would You Like A Snack?"

In February 1969 RCA released the live album Bless Its Pointed Little Head, which was culled from late 1968 live concert performances at the Fillmore West on October 24-26 and the Fillmore East on November 28-30. It became their fourth US Top 20 album, peaking at #17.

In early August 1969 the band headlined at a free concert in New York's Central Park and a few days later they performed in an early "morning maniac music" slot at the Woodstock festival, for which the group was augmented by noted British session keyboard player Nicky Hopkins. When interviewed about Woodstock by Jeff Tamarkin in 1992, Paul Kantner still recalled it with fondness, although Grace Slick and Spencer Dryden had less than rosy memories.

Immediately after Woodstock, sessions began for their next album using new 16-track facilities at the Wally Heider Studio in San Francisco and this proved to be the last recordings by the "classic" lineup of the group.

Volunteers was released in the USA in November 1969 and it continued their run of Top 20 LPs, peaking at #13 early in 1970. It was their most political venture, showcasing the group's vocal opposition to the Vietnam War and documenting their reaction to the increasingly repressive political atmosphere in the United States. The title track, "Volunteers," "We Can Be Together," "Good Shepherd," and the post-apocalyptic "Wooden Ships" were all highlights. The album track "Wooden Ships," which Paul Kantner co-wrote with David Crosby and Stephen Stills, was also recorded by Crosby, Stills & Nash on their debut album, but as both groups released the song the same year and as it was co-written by members of both bands, both versions are considered to be original versions of the song.

RCA voiced objections to the phrase "up against the wall, motherf***ers" in the lyrics of Kantner's song "We Can Be Together," but the group were able to prevent it from being censored by pointing out that RCA had already allowed the offending word to be included on the cast album of the rock musical Hair -- although the company did replace it with the word "fred" in the accompanying lyric sheet.

In December that year they played at the infamous Altamont Free Concert held at the Altamont Speedway in California. The concert, which was headlined by The Rolling Stones, was marred by crowd violence. Marty Balin was knocked out during a scuffle with Hells Angels members who had been hired to act as "security." The event became notorious for the now-famous "Gimme Shelter Incident," due to the fatal stabbing of black teenager Meredith Hunter in front of the stage by Hells Angels "guards" after he allegedly pulled out a revolver during the Stones' performance (this incident was the centerpiece of the documentary film Gimme Shelter).

Spencer Dryden quit the band in February 1970, burned out by four years on the "acid merry-go-round" and deeply disillusioned by the events of Altamont which, he later recalled "... did not look like a bunch of happy hippies in streaming colors. It looked more like sepia-toned Hieronymus Bosch." He took time off and later returned to music in 1972 as a drummer for the Grateful Dead spin-off band New Riders Of The Purple Sage. Dryden's replacement was Joey Covington, an L.A. musician who had been sitting in with [[Hot Tuna]] during 1969.

Touring continued through the spring and summer of 1970 but the group's only new recording that year was the single, "Have You Seen the Saucers?" b/w "Mexico." The B-side was an attack on President Richard Nixon's Operation Intercept, which had been implemented to curtail the flow of marijuana into the United States, while the A-side marked the beginning of a science-fiction obsession that Kantner would explore with his music over the rest of the decade.

Side projects
During 1969 Jack Casady and Jorma Kaukonen launched their side project, a return to their blues roots, which they eventually dubbed Hot Tuna. This began as a duo, with the pair performing short sets before the main Airplane concert, but over the ensuing months other members of the Airplane, as well as outside musicians (including Joey Covington), often sat in for Hot Tuna performances.

During late 1969 Casady and Kaukonen recorded an all-acoustic blues album, which was released in the spring of 1970, and it was remarkably successful, reaching #30 on the US album chart. Over the next two years Hot Tuna began to occupy more and more of their time, contributing to the growing divisions within Jefferson Airplane that would come to a head during 1972.

However, the Hot Tuna project also led to the addition of a new band member who, for a time, reinvigorated the group's sound. Covington had met veteran jazz-blues violinist Papa John Creach in Los Angeles in the mid-1960s; he invited Creach to sit in with the Airplane for a concert at Winterland in San Francisco on October 5, 1970 and as a result Creach was immediately invited to join Hot Tuna, and he soon became a permanent member of the Airplane touring lineup as well.

This concert also marked a turning point of another kind for the Airplane -- it was a memorial for their old friend Janis Joplin, who had died in Los Angeles from a heroin overdose the previous day, and because of her death, her close friend Marty Balin refused to perform with the band that night.

During this period, Paul Kantner had been working on his first solo album, a science fiction-themed project recorded with members of the Airplane and other friends. It was released in December 1970 under the title Blows Against The Empire, and credited to "Paul Kantner/Jefferson Starship". This "prototype" version of Jefferson Starship included David Crosby and Graham Nash, Grateful Dead members Jerry Garcia, Bill Kreutzmann, and Mickey Hart and Airplane members Grace Slick, Joey Covington and Jack Casady.

Jefferson Airplane ended 1970 with the release of their first "Greatest Hits" album, the perversely titled The Worst of Jefferson Airplane, which contined their unbroken run of chart success, reaching #12 on the Billboard album chart.

Decline and dissolution
1971 was a year of major upheaval for Jefferson Airplane. Grace Slick and Paul Kantner had begun a relationship during 1970 and on 25 January 1971 their daughter China Wing Kantner was born. Grace's divorce from her first husband had come through shortly before this, but she and Kantner agreed that they did not wish to marry.

In March 1971, Airplane's founder and co-lead singer Marty Balin decided to leave the band. He had been deeply affected by the death of his friend Janis Joplin, and he had also begun to pursue a healthier lifestyle, studying yoga and giving up drinking, which further distanced him from the other members of the group, whose prodigious drink and drug intake continued unabated.

On 13 May 1971 Grace Slick was badly injured in a near-fatal automobile accident when her car slammed into a wall in a tunnel near the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Her recuperation took several months, which forced Jefferson Airplane to cancel all concert and touring commitments for the rest of 1971.

The band returned to the studio in the late summer of 1971. Their next LP Bark (whose cover featured a dead fish wrapped in an A&P-style grocery bag) was issued in September 1971 as the inaugural release on the band's Grunt Records label and although it was the final album owed to RCA under the band's existing contract, manager Bill Thompson eventually struck a deal with RCA to distribute Grunt.

The single lifted from the LP, "Pretty As You Feel" was written by and featured lead vocals by drummer Joey Covington, and it was the last Jefferson Airplane single to make the US singles chart, although it only got as high as #60.

By this time, creative and personal tensions within the group were becoming a major factor and the Airplane had effectively split into two camps, with Slick and Kantner on one side and Kaukonen and Casady on the other. (Jorma Kaukonen's song, "Third Week In The Chelsea," from Bark, chronicles the thoughts he was having about leaving the band). These problems were exacerbated by escalating drug use, which caused the Airplane to become increasingly unreliable in their live commitments and led to some chaotic situations at concerts.

By the beginning of 1972 it was evident to most people close to the group that Jefferson Airplane had effectively reached its "use-by date" but the band held together long enough to record one more LP, Long John Silver, which was begun in April 1972 and released in July. It was clearly a rather desultory effort from this once great group, since by this time the various members were far more engaged with their various solo projects -- Hot Tuna, for instance, had released a second (electric) LP during 1971, which proved even more successful than its predecessor. The Long John Silver LP is notable mainly for its cover, which folded out into a humidor (presumably for the storage of marijuana).

Joey Covington quit the Airplane soon after Long John Silver was recorded and moved on to a group led by Jorma Kaukonen's brother Peter, Black Kangaroo, which was also signed to the Grunt label. Covington was replaced by John Barbata, who had been the drummer in the touring lineup of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. With the addition of Kantner's old friend David Freiberg on vocals, Jefferson Airplane began a tour to promote the Long John Silver LP in the summer of 1972, their first concerts for over a year following Grace Slick's 1971 car accident. This tour included a major free concert in Central Park that drew more than 50,000 people.

They returned to the West Coast in September, playing concerts in San Diego, Hollywood and Alberquerque, culminating in two shows at Winterland in San Francisco (Sept 21-22), both of which were recorded. At the end of the second show the group was joined onstage by a surprise guest -- Marty Balin -- who sang lead vocals on the final song, "You Wear Your Dresses Too Short".

Although no official announcement was ever released, the Winterland shows proved to be the last live performances by Jefferson Airplane (until their reunion in 1989). By the beginning of 1973 Casady and Kaukonen had left the group permanently to concentrate on Hot Tuna and Kantner and Slick created their own Airplane offshoot, Jefferson Starship, as well as recording further solo albums.

Jefferson Airplane's second live album, Thirty Seconds Over Winterland was released in April 1973. It is now best remembered for its cover art, which depicts a squadron of flying toasters, a design that the band later alleged was plagiarized for the famous "After Dark" computer screensaver design.

In 1974, a collection of leftovers -- singles and B-sides, including "Mexico" and "Have You Seen The Saucers," as well as other non-album material -- was released as Early Flight, the last official Jefferson Airplane album.

Reunion and remnants
For most of the 1970s and early 1980s the careers of Slick, Kantner, Kaukonen and Casady were occupied with their various solo projects, Hot Tuna and with what became Jefferson Starship (which later mutated into Starship).

In 1981, Marty Balin issued a self-titled solo album which featured the hit singles "Hearts" and "Atlanta Lady (Something About Your Love)." In contrast to the revolutionary rock of his Jefferson Airplane days, "Hearts" was a soft pop ballad and also gave Balin a moderate Adult Contemporary chart hit.

In 1985, following his departure from Jefferson Starship, Paul Kantner reunited with Balin and Jack Casady to form the KBC Band, releasing their only album, KBC Band (which included Kantner's hit, "America"), in 1987, on Arista Records. The KBC Band also featured keyboardist Tim Gorman (who had played with The Who) and guitarist Slick Aguilar (who had played with David Crosby's band).

With Kantner reunited with Balin and Casady, the KBC Band opened the door to a full-blown Jefferson Airplane reunion. In 1989, during a solo San Francisco gig, Paul Kantner found himself joined by former bandmate (and lover) Grace Slick and two other ex-Airplane members for a cameo appearance. This led to a formal reunion of the original Jefferson Airplane (featuring nearly all the main members except Spencer Dryden, who had been kicked out of the band years earlier. A self-titled album was released by Columbia Records to modest sales. The accompanying tour was a success, but their revival was short-lived, and Jefferson Airplane's 'definitive' line-up officially disbanded for good.

Today, there are two versions of 'Jefferson Starship' — one (with Thomas at the forefront) is officially billed as 'Starship featuring Mickey Thomas' which focuses on newer music of Jefferson Starship/Starship from 1979-1990. The other is a revived 'Jefferson Starship' (often called 'Jefferson Starship: The Next Generation' or 'Jefferson Starship-TNG') which is a throwback to the original Jefferson Airplane, with Kantner and Balin as leaders, and Diana Mangano replacing Grace Slick as female singer (although Slick did do guest vocals on Jefferson Starship's 1999 album Windows Of Heaven). This latter band plays frequent concerts, and on occasion, Jack Casady joins them as well. In 2005, longtime bassist David Freiberg rejoined the group for their "Jefferson Family Galactic Reunion" Tour, and continues to tour with the band, as of 2006. Mangano is an expressive and effective singer, and this revived Jefferson Starship can often capture a good deal of the feeling of the original Airplane. The current line-up also features former Grateful Dead keyboardist Tom Constanten.

As of 2007 Jefferson Starship continues to tour with a lineup of Paul Kantner (vocals, guitar), David Freiberg (vocals, bass, keyboards), Diana Mangano (vocals), Slick Aguilar (lead guitar), Chris Smith (keyboards) and Prairie Prince (drums). The band sometimes features guest musicians such as Balin, Gould, Gorman and former Grateful Dead keyboardist Tom Constanten. Jefferson Starship is scheduled to play three songs on NBC’s The Today Show on June 30, 2007. (source for this section: http://jeffersonstarshipsf.com)

Jorma Kaukonen still tours as a solo act, often playing over 100 acoustic shows a year at small clubs throughout the country. Occasionally, Jack Casady joins him, and the pair perform as Hot Tuna. Kaukonen also operates a guitar camp in southern Ohio, where he teaches would-be guitar virtuosos his unique style of finger-picking blues.

In 2004, Marty Balin pointed out, with well-deserved pride, that unlike many of their contemporaries, all of the original members of Jefferson Airplane survived the 1960s; all except original drummer Spence (who died on April 16, 1999) lived to see the 21st Century. The unfortunate Dryden, who had long languished under financial and health problems, succumbed to colon cancer on January 10, 2005 at the age of 67.

Influence
The original 'Jefferson Airplane' - along with The Byrds, The Doors, The Grateful Dead, The Lovin' Spoonful, The Mamas and the Papas, Tommy James & the Shondells and, to some degree, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - will always be associated with the more melodic end of the North American rock spectrum and in due course other groups, such as Steely Dan and Eagles, continued to blend elements of folk, jazz and rock and bring the results to a global audience. Of all these bands, Jefferson Airplane excelled in the psychedelic domain and in their penchant for pretentious track titles, which came to characterize the era of 1965-75.

British bands apparently influenced by the mellow lyricism of the West Coast sound included Barclay James Harvest, David Bowie, Curved Air, Family, Fairport Convention, Jethro Tull, King Crimson, The Moody Blues, The Small Faces, Pentangle, and Yes. The Beatles have always stressed the influence that The Beach Boys had on their musical development (especially Pet Sounds), but it seems likely that other music from the West Coast also spread eastward, to play a key part in making pop music more symphonic and less predictable than it had been before 1965. The era of trans-Atlantic jet travel and the ability to send television broadcasts by satellite, also facilitated a greater interplay of musical influences across the Atlantic. Donovan was evidently one of the first British pop musicians to become aware of them, and was undoubtedly influenced by the group to some degree; he famously namechecked the band in his 1966 song "The Fat Angel" (included on his album Sunshine Superman in 1967), written many months before Jefferson Airplane achieved international stardom.

Record producers who worked with the original band included Greg Edward, Rick Jarrard, Matthew Katz, Ron Nevison, Tommy Oliver and Al Schmitt.

In popular culture
* The 1996 movie The Cable Guy features the protagonist performing a karaoke version of "Somebody to Love".
* "White Rabbit" has been used in a number of films and television shows including Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Platoon, The Game , episodes of The Sopranos and The Simpsons.
* The group was referred to in an episode of Sex and the City, wherein the character Samantha's hairdo was described as "very Jefferson Starship", in reference to Grace Slick's hairdo.
* The final Friends episode The Last One closes with "Embryonic Journey"
* The 2006 movie Crank features the Jefferson Starship song "Miracles" in the final scene.
* Rock band Relient K wrote a song entitled "Jefferson Aero Plane" that was included on Two Lefts Don't Make a Right...but Three Do
* The Abbie Hoffman Rally scene in the 1994 movie Forrest Gump features the Jefferson Airplane song "Volunteers"
* A remix of "White Rabbit" and the original version of "Somebody to Love" appear on the EA video game Battlefield Vietnam for PC.
* The title of the 1971 novel Go Ask Alice (a fictional diary of a teenage girl who falls into drug addiction) is taken the lyrics of the Jefferson Airplane hit "White Rabbit".
* One of Virgin America's airplanes is named the Jefferson Airplane.
* The opening scene of John Singleton's movie, Four Brothers (2005) features Jefferson Airplane's song "Somebody to Love"

The title song "Jane" is on the wet hot american summer soundtrack, and also is heard at the very end of the film after the credits flash by when the go back to a small clip of all the councelors revisiting the camp 10 years later.

Discography
Singles
* "It's No Secret / Runnin' Round This World" (1966)
* "Come Up the Years / Blues From An Airplane" (1966)
* "Bringing Me Down / Let Me In" (1966)
* "My Best Friend / How Do You Feel?" (1967)
* "Somebody to Love / Plastic Fantastic Lover" (1967) #5 US
* "White Rabbit / She Has Funny Cars" (1967) #8 US
* "Ballad of You and Me and Pooneil / Two Heads" (1967) #42 US
* "Watch Her Ride / Martha" (1967) #61 US
* "Greasy Heart / Share a Little Joke" (1968) #98 US
* "Crown of Creation / If You Feel" (1968) #64 US
* "the Other Side of This Life (recorded live) / Plastic Fantastic Lover (live version)" (1969)
* "Volunteers / We Can Be Together" (1969) #65 US
* "Mexico / Have You Seen the Saucers?" (1970)
* "Pretty as You Feel / Wild Turkey" (1971) #60 US
* "Long John Silver / Milk Train" (1972)
* "Twilight Double Leader (live version) / Trial By Fire (live version)" (1972)

Albums
Jefferson Airplane
* Jefferson Airplane Takes Off (1966) - US position: # 128
* Surrealistic Pillow (1967) - US position: # 3 (breakthrough album featuring "Somebody to Love" and "White Rabbit")
* After Bathing at Baxter's (1967) - US position: # 17
* Crown of Creation (1968) - US position: # 6
* Bless Its Pointed Little Head (1969) Live
* Volunteers (1969) - US position: # 13
* The Worst of Jefferson Airplane (1970) - US position: # 12 (first greatest hits collection)
* Bark (1971) - US position: # 11
* Long John Silver (1972) - US position: # 20
* Thirty Seconds Over Winterland (1973) Live
* Early Flight (1974) (a collection of singles, B-sides, and other non-LP tracks)
* Flight Log, 1966-1976 (1977) (compilation album, also includes tracks by Jefferson Starship, Hot Tuna, as well as solo tracks)
* Time Machine (1984) (compilation album)
* 2400 Fulton Street (1987) (compilation album)
* Jefferson Airplane (1989) (1989 'reunion' album)
* White Rabbit & Other Hits (1990) (compilation album)
* Jefferson Airplane Loves You (1991) (3-disc boxed set)
* The Best of Jefferson Airplane (1993) (compilation album)
* Live at the Monterey Festival (1995) (live recording, British release of Jefferson Airplane's performance at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival)
* Journey: The Best of Jefferson Airplane (1996) (British compilation album)
* Live at the Fillmore East (1998) (live recording of 1968 performance at the Fillmore East in New York City)
* Through the Looking Glass (1999) (compilation album) (Italian only)
* The Roar of Jefferson Airplane (2001) (compilation album)
* Platinium & Gold Collection (2003) (compilation album)
* The Essential Jefferson Airplane (2005) (compilation album) (Legacy Recordings)
* Last Flight (2007) (live at Winterland, San Francisco - September 22, 1972)

Paul Kantner / Jefferson Starship
* Blows Against The Empire (1970)

Compilation albums credited to 'Jefferson Airplane/Jefferson Starship/Starship'
* Hits (1998)
* VH1 Behind the Music (2000)
* Love Songs (2000)

Selected solo, duo and trio albums
Marty Balin
* Bodacious DF (1973)
* Balin (1981) (includes the AM radio single, "Hearts")
* Lucky (1983)

Paul Kantner/Grace Slick
* Sunfighter (1971)
* Baron Von Tollbooth & the Chrome Nun (1973) (by Paul Kantner, Grace Slick, and David Freiberg)

Paul Kantner
* Planet Earth Rock And Roll Orchestra (originally issued in 1983 on RCA Records and remastered and reissued in 2005 courtesy of Sony/BMG Music Entertainment)

The KBC Band
Includes Paul Kantner, Marty Balin, and Jack Casady.
* KBC Band (1986)

Grace Slick
* Manhole (1973)
* Dreams (1980)
* Welcome to the Wrecking Ball (1981)
* Software (1984)
* The Best of Grace Slick (2000) (compilation album, also includes tracks by Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship, and Starship, in which Grace Slick was the lead vocalist)

Personnel
Jefferson Airplane (Summer 1965-October 1965)
* Signe Toly Anderson - vocals
* Marty Balin - vocals, rhythm guitar
* Paul Kantner - rhythm guitar, vocals
* Jorma Kaukonen lead guitar, vocals
* Bob Harvey - bass guitar
* Jerry Peloquin - drums

Jefferson Airplane (October 1965-Mid 1966)
* Signe Toly Anderson - vocals
* Marty Balin - vocals, rhythm guitar
* Paul Kantner - rhythm guitar, vocals
* Jorma Kaukonen lead guitar, vocals
* Jack Casady - bass guitar
* Skip Spence - drums

Jefferson Airplane (Oct. 1966- Feb. 1970)
* Grace Slick - vocals, piano, recorder
* Marty Balin - vocals, rhythm guitar
* Paul Kantner - rhythm guitar, vocals
* Jorma Kaukonen lead guitar, vocals
* Jack Casady - bass guitar
* Spencer Dryden - drums

Paul Kanter & Jefferson Starship (1970): Album - Blows Against the Empire
* Grace Slick - vocals, keyboards
* Paul Kantner - rhythm guitar, vocals
* Jorma Kaukonen - lead guitar
* Jerry Garcia - guitar, banjo
* Jack Casady - bass guitar
* Joey Covington - drums
* David Crosby - guitar, vocals
* David Freiberg - vocals
* Mickey Hart - drums
* Peter Kaukonen - guitar
* Bill Kreutzmann - drums
* Graham Nash - vocals, percussion
* Harvey Brooks - bass guitar
* Phill Sawyer - sound effects

Jefferson Airplane (late 1970-1972)
* Grace Slick - vocals, keyboards
* Paul Kantner - rhythm guitar, vocals
* Jorma Kaukonen lead guitar, vocals
* Jack Casady - bass guitar
* Joey Covington - drums
* Papa John Creach - electric violin

Jefferson Airplane (early 1972-mid 1972)
* Grace Slick - vocals, piano, recorder
* Paul Kantner - rhythm guitar, vocals
* Jorma Kaukonen lead guitar, vocals
* Jack Casady - bass guitar
* Johnny Barbata - drums
* Papa John Creach - electric violin

Jefferson Airplane (mid 1972-1974)
* Grace Slick - vocals
* Paul Kantner - rhythm guitar, vocals
* Jorma Kaukonen lead guitar, vocals
* Jack Casady - bass guitar
* Johnny Barbata - drums
* Papa John Creach - electric violin
* David Freiberg - lead vocals

Jefferson Airplane (Reunion Tour and Album) (1989)
* Marty Balin - lead vocals
* Grace Slick - lead vocals, keyboards
* Paul Kantner - rhythm guitar, vocals
* Jorma Kaukonen - lead guitar, vocals
* Jack Casady - bass

References
Dellar, Fred and Barry Lazell
NME Encyclopedia of Rock (1978 revised edition)
(NME, 1978)

Tamarkin, Jeff
liner notes for Jefferson Airplane Loves You 3-CD boxed set
(BMG Records, 1992) =>>>>>>>>>>>

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Jefferson Airplane - White Rabbit (Woodstock 1969)

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Marty Balin

2007-05-08T04:54:00.005-06:00

@ Wiki
Marty Balin (born Martyn Jerel Buchwald, January 30, 1942, in Cincinnati, Ohio) is an American musician. He is best known as the lead singer and founder of Jefferson Airplane, the pioneering psychedelic rock band from San Francisco.

Balin was a featured vocalist for Jefferson Airplane during the late 1960s, concurrent with the band's most popular era. He appeared with the group during their performance at Woodstock in 1969, and less successfully at the disastrous Altamont Speedway concert, where he was knocked unconscious while on stage by a biker from the Hells Angels gang (this event was captured on film in the documentary Gimme Shelter).

Balin left Jefferson Airplane twice. In 1970, he departed for three years, returning to contribute one song to Dragon Fly (by which time the band was known as Jefferson Starship). In late 1978, after several major hits (including "Miracles," "With Your Love," "Count on Me," and "Runaway") with Starship, Balin again departed.

In 1981, he released a solo album, Balin, featuring two Top 40 hits, "Hearts" and "Atlanta Lady." In 1986, he teamed up with Paul Kantner and Jack Casady to form the KBC Band. A 1989 reunion with most original members of Jefferson Airplane proved unsuccessful.

In 1991 Balin reunited with Kantner in Jefferson Starship The Next Generation.

As of 2007 Balin continues to perform with Jefferson Starship TNG, the fourth incarnation of the band. He is also an accomplished painter.[citation needed]

Early Career During his late teens then Martyn Jerel Buchwald became interested in being an artist and musician. In 1962 twenty year old newly renamed Marty Balin recorded with Challenge Records and released the singles "Nobody But You" and "I Specialize in Love" they garnered little attention and he went to work with his father and married. His interest in music did not wane and by 1963-64 Balin was leading a folk music quartet called The Town Criers. The three other members were Larry Vargo, Jan Ellickson and Bill Collins. =>>>>>>>>>>>

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Jason Ankeny @ All Music
While remaining best known for his contributions to the pioneering San Francisco psychedelic band Jefferson Airplane, Marty Balin also enjoyed a successful solo career, scoring a Top Ten hit in 1981 with "Hearts." Born Martyn Jerel Buchwald in Cincinnati, OH on January 30, 1942, he was raised in the Bay Area and later attended San Francisco State University; though he initially pursued a career as a painter, after appearing in a production of West Side Story Balin turned to music, issuing the solo singles "Nobody But You" and "I Specialize in Love" on Challenge in 1962. Two years later he joined the folk combo the Town Criers, followed by a brief stint with the Gateway Singers; in 1965, Balin met singer/guitarist Paul Kantner at the local club the Drinking Gourd, and together they formed Jefferson Airplane. Initially a folk-rock venture, the group quickly came to epitomize the nascent psychedelic scene, scoring a gold record with their 1966 debut LP Jefferson Airplane Takes Off; although vocalist Grace Slick was the focal point of hits such as "Somebody to Love" and "White Rabbit," Balin's soulful tenor proved a pivotal element of their sound as well, and he also wrote key compositions including "Today," "Share a Little Joke," and "Volunteers."

However, long-standing ego clashes with Kantner and Slick forced Balin out of Jefferson Airplane in 1971; he then formed the short-lived Bodacious D.F., which issued their lone, self-titled album two years later. In early 1975 he rejoined the newly-rechristened Jefferson Starship, contributing perhaps his most memorable effort with the smash single "Miracles." Balin also sang lead on the hits "With Your Love" and "Count on Me," but he again left the group in 1978, penning the rock opera Rock Justice before mounting a solo career with 1981's Balin, which generated "Hearts" and its follow-up, "Atlanta Lady." After issuing 1983's Lucky, he next joined Kantner and fellow Airplane alum Jack Casady in the KBC Band; in 1989, all three participated in a Jefferson Airplane reunion which yielded a new studio album and tour before sputtering out. In 1991, Balin issued Better Generation and two years later joined Kantner's Jefferson Starship--The Next Generation project, concurrently continuing his solo career with 1997's Freedom Flight. 1999's Marty Balin's Greatest Hits assembled re-recordings of past favorites. =>>>>>>>>>>>

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Marty Balin Live - Rocket Launcher - Oct. 21, 2006

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Jefferson Airplane [2]

2007-05-08T04:54:00.003-06:00

Jefferson Airplane @ Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Induction Year: 1996
Induction Category: Performer

"Inductees: Marty Balin (vocals; born January 30, 1943), Jack Casady (bass; born April 13, 1944), Spencer Dryden (drums; born April 7, 1938, died January 11, 2005), Paul Kantner (vocals, guitar; born March 17, 1941), Jorma Kaukonen (guitar, vocals; born December 23, 1940), Grace Slick (vocals, keyboards, flute, recorder; born October 30, 1939).

In terms of music and lifestyle, the Jefferson Airplane epitomized the San Francisco scene of the mid-to-late Sixties. Their heady psychedelia, combustible group dynamic and adventuresome live shows made them one of the defining bands of the era. Much like their contemporaries on the San Francisco scene - Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service, and Big Brother and the Holding Company principal among them – the Airplane evolved from roots in folk and blues to become a psychedelic powerhouse and a cornerstone of the San Francisco sound. They were the first band on that scene to play a dance concert, sign a major-label record contract (with RCA), and tour the U.S. and Europe. In addition, they espoused boldly anarchistic political views and served as a force for social change, challenging the prevailing conservative mind set in “White Rabbit” and issuing a call to arms in “Volunteers.” In a sense, San Francisco became the American Liverpool in the latter half of the Sixties, and Jefferson Airplane were its Beatles.

Looking for a band to play at a new San Francisco club, the Matrix, of which he was part owner, Marty Balin founded Jefferson Airplane in 1965 The lineup that released Jefferson Airplane Takes Off a year later consisted of singers Balin and Signe Toly Anderson, lead guitarist Jorma Kaukonen, rhythm guitarist Paul Kantner, bassist Jack Casady and drummer Skip Spence. When Anderson left to raise a family, she was replaced by the charismatic Grace Slick. Slick had been a member of The Great Society and brought with her a pair of songs – “White Rabbit” and “Somebody to Love” – that would become rock classics in the Airplane’s hands. Drummer Spencer Dryden replaced Spence, who went on to become one of Moby Grape’s three guitarists.

The adventurous Airplane took unprecedented liberties on record and in concert. Kantner came from a folk background, Kaukonen was a blues aficionado, Casady grew up playing R&B, and Dryden boasted jazz training in his background. Balin was a pop crooner and Slick’s tastes were literary and offbeat. These various strands, brought together in the heady, experimental cauldron of San Francisco in the mid-Sixties, made for an electrifying union that moved rock music a few giant steps forward. The five Jefferson Airplane albums released from 1967 to 1969 – Surrealistic Pillow, After Bathing at Baxter’s, Crown of Creation, Bless Its Pointed Little Head and Volunteers – rank among the worthiest bodies of work of that or any decade.

Surrealistic Pillow (1967) yielded the Top Ten hits “Somebody to Love” and “White Rabbit,” making the Airplane the most commercially successful band on the underground-oriented San Francisco scene. The album stayed on the charts for over a year and peaked at #3. At the same time, the group behaved unconventionally by anyone’s standards. Surrealistic Pillow included surreal psychedelic raves with titles like “3/5 Mile in Ten Seconds,’ “She Has Funny Cars” and “Plastic Fantastic Lover.” It closed with a stark, lengthy, unrehearsed and chorus-free ballad, “Comin’ Back to Me,” which featured “spiritual advisor” Jerry Garcia (of the Grateful Dead) on guitar.

Appearing in late 1967, after the bloom was off the flower power-themed Summer of Love, After Bathing at Baxter’s caught the Airplane at a creative zenith. An uncompromising psychedelic manifesto, its songs were clustered into five “suites” that ran for up to twelve minutes. The inspired songwriting, most of it by Paul Kantner, captured the agitated yet utopian sensibility of San Francisco in the late Sixties, best expressed in this line from “Wild Tyme”: “I’m doing things that haven’t got a name yet.” The group worked on the album from June through October of 1967, defying record company demands and deadlines. In so doing, they helped trigger a shift in sensibility that placed creative control in the hands of musicians.

Crown of Creation, which appeared in 1968, displayed an increasingly political streak and a further tightening up of their sound. Bless Its Pointed Little Head served as a live document, affirming Balin’s later contention that “the stage performance...was the whole point of the band.” In 1969 the Airplane performed at both the Woodstock and Altamont rock festivals and released their most overtly political album, Volunteers. Thereafter, the group gradually frayed under the weight of diverging viewpoints. Kaukonen and Casady paid increasing attention to their blues-based side project, Hot Tuna, while Kantner premiered the name Jefferson Starship on a 1970 side project entitled Blows Against the Empire. In 1971, the still-intact Airplane launched a custom label, Grunt, which released records by the band, its offshoots and friends. Several more Airplane albums followed, including Bark (1971) and Long John Silver (1972). In true contrarian spirit, they entitled their best-of album The Worst of Jefferson Airplane. Despite some bright spots, the group was never as vital in the Seventies as they had been in the Sixties – a not-uncommon fate for bands of their vintage.

Jefferson Airplane formally evolved into Jefferson Starship in 1974, achieving considerably more commercial success in the Seventies than the Airplane had known in the previous decade. Built around Airplane originals Kantner, Slick and Balin, the radio-minded Starship racked up fifteen Top Forty hits, including the Balin-sung “Miracles” (#3). Jefferson Starship actually outlasted Jefferson Airplane, though the latter group did reassemble in 1989 for a reunion album and tour. However, the Starship rubric remained the chief post-Sixties port of call for Kantner and Balin, while Kaukonen kept Hot Tuna alive and Casady bounced between both of these Airplane offshoots. In 1999, Jefferson Starship released a CD, recorded live at the Fillmore in San Francisco, that included many Airplane classics and brought the story full circle.

TIMELINE
April 7, 1938: Spencer Dryden was born.

October 30, 1939: Grace Victoria Wing, a.k.a. Grace Slick (of Jefferson Airplane), is born in Chciago, Illinois.

December 23, 1940: Jorma Kaukonen was born.

March 17, 1941: Paul Kantner was born.

January 30, 1942: Marty Balin was born.

April 13, 1944: Jack Casady was born.

August 13, 1965: The Matrix, a pizza parlor turned rock club, features Jefferson Airplane as its opening act. Vocalist Marty Balin is a co-owner, and the still-legal hallucinogen LSD is sold at the bar.

October 16, 1965: A Tribute to Dr. Strange—an evening of music, dance and light shows—is organized by the Family Dog, a pioneering group of hippie promoters. Performing at the event are the Jefferson Airplane, the Great Society and the Marbles.

January 21-23, 1966: The Trips Festival, a multimedia event featuring performances by the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane and Big Brother and the Holding Company, is held at Longshoreman’s Hall in San Francisco.

February 1, 1966: Big Brother and the Holding Company and the Jefferson Airplane headline the First Annual Tribal Stomp at San Francisco’s Avalon Ballroom.

August 18, 1966: The Jefferson Airplane release their debut album, ‘Jefferson Airplane Takes Off’.

May 6, 1967: “Somebody to Love,” by Jefferson Airplane, enter the Top Forty. It will remain there well into the Summer of Love, peaking at #5.

June 17, 1967: Jefferson Airplane performs at the Monterey International Pop Festival as its second album, ‘Surrealistic Pillow,’ is peaking at #3.

1968: By 1968, the hippie movement was spreading across the U.S. and Europe, even though the political landscape hardly reflected the ethos of peace and love. Rock and roll was becoming a business, and bands continued to proliferate. Quicksilver and the Steve Miller Band both issued their debut albums, and the Grateful Dead released ‘Anthem of the Sun,’ a record that attempted to sonically re-create an LSD trip. The Jefferson Airplane hit the Top Ten with ‘Crown of Creation,’ the Big Brother and the Holding Company went all the way to Number One with ‘Cheap Thrills.’

June 28, 1968: Jefferson Airplane is pictured on the cover of an issue of Life magazine devoted to the late Sixties music revolution.

July 1, 1968: Bill Graham takes over the Carousel — a music hall owned by the Jefferson Airplane and Grateful Dead — and re-christens it Fillmore West.

August 15-17, 1969: The year 1969 was the year of the rock festival. The largest was the Woodstock Music and Art Fair, held on the weekend of August 15-17 in the tiny town of Bethel, in upstate New York. An estimated crowd of 450,000 attended the event, which featured everyone from Jimi Hendrix and Joe Cocker, to Arlo Guthrie, the Jefferson Airplane, the Who, Janis Joplin, Sly and the Family Stone, Ravi Shankar and Country Joe McDonald. If Woodstock marked the apex of the hippie movement in America, the Rolling Stones’ free concert in Hyde Park did the same for England. Held on July 5, the show drew nearly 300,000 people, the largest gathering in England since V-E Day.

April 11, 1973: Jefferson Airplane release a live album, ‘Thirty Seconds Over Winterland,’ which will be their swan song until they briefly reunite in 1989.

November 1, 1973: Jefferson Starship’s “Miracles” peaks at #3. It is the biggest hit single to date by either Jefferson Airplane or Jefferson Starship.

October 11, 1985: “We Built This City,” by Starship—formerly Jefferson Starship, and Jefferson Airplane before that—rockets to #1. It is the first of three chart-toppers from the Starship. The others: “Sara” (1986) and “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” (1987).

September 17, 1989: ‘Jefferson Airplane,’ the self-titles reunion album by the San Francisco legends, is released on Epic Records. It is their first studio album since 1972’s ‘Long John Silver.’

October 11, 1992: ‘Jefferson Airplane Loves You,’ a three-CD box set filled with hits, rarities and album tracks, is released.

January 17, 1996: Jefferson Airplane is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the eleventh annual induction dinner. Mickey Hart and Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead are their presenteres.

January 11, 2005: Spencer Dryden of Jefferson Airplane passed away. =>>>>>>>>>>>

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@ Classic Bands
Jefferson Airplane is regarded as the most successful San Francisco band of the late 60s, despite countless personel and even name changes. The group was formed in August 1965 by guitarist Marty Balin, when he teamed up with guitarists Paul Kantner and Jorma Kaukonen, vocalist Signe Anderson, drummer Alexander ‘Skip’ Spence and bassist Jack Casady. Kantner was already a familiar face on the local folk circuit as was Balin, formerly of the Town Criers and co-owner of the Matrix club. The band soon became highly popular locally, playing gigs and benefits organized by promoter Bill Graham. Eventually they became regulars at the Fillmore Auditorium and the Carousel Ballroom, both a short distance from their communal home in the Haight Ashbury district. With the San Francisco music scene in full blossom, record companies engaged in a bidding war for local talent, and Jefferson Airplane became one of the first to sign a major record contract with RCA for an unheard of sum of $25,000. As the year ended, the band, a mere four months old, began work on its first album.

Shortly after the release of their moderately successful debut LP, "Jefferson Airplane Takes Off", (#128 on the Billboard Hot 200) Skip Spence was fired for missing too many rehearsals and replaced by Spencer Dryden. Signe Anderson became pregnant and also departed. She was replaced in October 1966 by Grace Slick. (real name: Grace Barnett Wing) Slick was already well known with her former band, the Great Society, and brought two of their songs, 'White Rabbit' and 'Somebody To Love' to the Airplane. Both titles were on their second influential collection, "Surrealistic Pillow", and both became U.S. Top 10 hits. They have now achieved classic status as definitive songs from that era.

The band's reputation was enhanced by a strong performance at the legendary Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. This national success continued with the erratic "After Bathing At Baxters" and the brilliant "Crown Of Creation". The latter showed the various writers in the band maturing and developing their own styles. Balin's 'If You Feel', Kaukonen's 'Ice Cream Phoenix' and Slick's tragi-comic 'Lather' gave the record great variety. This album also contained 'Triad', a song their friend David Crosby had been unable to include on a Byrds album. They maintained a busy schedule and released a well-recorded live album, "Bless Its Pointed Little Head", in 1969. The same year, they appeared at another milestone in musical history: the Woodstock Festival. Later that year, they were present at the infamous Altamont Festival, where a group of Hells Angels killed a young spectator and attacked Balin.

Slick and Kantner had now become lovers and their hippie ideals and political views were a major influence on the album, "Volunteers". While it was an excellent album, it marked the decline of Balin's role in the band. Additionally, Dryden departed and the offshoot band, "Hot Tuna" began to take up more of Casady and Kaukonen's time. Fiddler "Papa" John Creach joined the band full-time in 1970, although he still continued to play with Hot Tuna. Kantner released a concept album, "Blows Against The Empire", bearing the name Paul Kantner And The Jefferson Starship. The 'Starship' consisted of various Airplane members, plus Jerry Garcia, David Crosby and Graham Nash. This majestic album was nominated for the science fiction Hugo Award. Slick, meanwhile, gave birth to a daughter, China, who later in the year graced the cover of Slick And Kantner's album, "Sunfighter".

Following a greatest hits selection titled, "The Worst Of Jefferson Airplane" and the departure of Marty Balin, the band released the cleverly packaged "Bark". Complete with brown paper bag, the album offered some odd moments, notably Slick's 'Never Argue With A German', sung in spoof German, and new drummer Joey Covington's 50s-sounding a cappella 'Thunk'. It also marked the first release on their own Grunt label. The disappointing "Long John Silver" was followed by a gutsy live outing, "30 Seconds Over Winterland".

Soon afterwards, Kantner and Slick separated; she moved in with Skip Johnson, the band's lighting engineer, and eventually married him. Later that year, Slick was regularly in the news when her drinking problems got out of control. "Spitfire and Earth" continued the band's success, although they had now become a hard rock outfit. Meanwhile, "Count On Me" became a U.S. number 8 hit and "Runaway" reached number 12 in 1978. That same year, Slick was asked to leave the band, only to be allowed to return when she dried out.

"Freedom From Point Zero" and the U.S. number 14 hit "Jane" at the end of 1979, bore no resemblance to the musical style towards which remaining original member Kantner had attempted to steer them. He suffered a stroke during 1980, but returned the following spring together with a sober Grace Slick. Both "Modern Times" (1981) and "Winds Of Change" (1982), sold well, although by now the formula was wearing thin. Kantner found his role had diminished and released a solo album later that year. He continued with the Airplane throughout the following year, although he was openly very unsettled.

Towards the end of 1984, Kantner performed a nostalgic set of old Airplane songs with Marty Balin's band, amid rumours of a Jefferson Airplane reunion. The tension broke in 1985 when, following much acrimony over ownership of the band's name, Kantner was paid off and took with him half of the group's moniker. Kantner claimed the rights to the name, although he no longer wanted to use the title, as his reunion with Balin and Casady in the KBC Band demonstrated.

In defiance, his former band performed as simply, "Starship", but by this time only Grace Slick remained as an original member, after the incredible changes of the previous few years. The new line-up added Denny Baldwin on drums and recorded 'Knee Deep In The Hoopla' in 1985, which became their most successful album. Two singles from the album, 'We Built This City' (written by Bernie Taupin ) and 'Sara', both reached number 1 in the USA.

The following year, they reached the top spot on both sides of the Atlantic with the theme from the film "Mannequin", with 'Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now'. Their image was now of slick perpetrators of Adult Pop, performing immaculate music for the MTV generation (on which China Kantner was a presenter). Now, having gone full circle, Grace Slick departed in 1989 to join Kaukonen, Casady, Balin and Kantner to tour as the Jefferson Airplane.

The group was not well received by the record buying public and sensing that their popularity had slipped considerably, Casady and Kaukonen again re-formed Hot Tuna, and Kantner was left to rebuild his "Starship" after Grace Slick announced that she was leaving the music business.

Retirement, however has not been very kind to Slick. In 1993, her house overlooking Mill Valley golf course was gutted by a fire started by sparks from a gate being welded by Marin County workers. Lost in the fire was her personal collection of memorabilia and several studio tapes. Three firefighters were fired after they were caught stealing items from the scene.

In 1994, Grace was arrested at her new home in Tiburon, CA, for threatening police, who were investigating a report of gunfire. She was released on $7,000 bail and, after agreeing to a plea bargin, entered a detoxification programme to control a recurrance of her alcohol problem. Apparently, she had begun drinking again (after several years "dry") following the fire at her last home, and had decided on a bit of indoor target practice.

The same year brought further tradgedy when Papa John Creach died from pneumonia after suffering a heart attack during the Los Angeles Earthquake.

After "Starship" had run it's course in the early 90s, Kantner revived the 'Jefferson' Starship name and he hooked up with ex-companion Jack Casady, ex-Tubes drummer Prairie Prince, and alternating vocalists Signe Anderson (from the very first Airplane) and Darby Gould. Later on in 1992, Marty Balin rejoined.

The band began touring extensively and in 1995, Jefferson Starship released the live album, "Deep Space/Virgin Sky", a tribute album to Papa John. Since spring 1995, Diana Mangano took Anderson's place as the female vocalist of the group, and in May 1996, ex-Dixie Dregs keyboardist T Lavitz signed on.

In 1996, Jefferson Airplane were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. Grace Slick, unable to travel for medical reasons, declined the invitation to attend, and instead, sent a rude note containing many four-letter words.

In the next few years, the rest of Jefferson Starship toured extensively, both electric and acoustic. Their album "Windows of Heaven" was released in February, 1999, and in August, 2003, re-mastered versions of the first four Jefferson Airplane albums were issued.

The band, in its various forms and names, has performed over 700 concerts in 16 countries in their 35 years in existance.

In January, 2005, drummer Spencer Dryden passed away after a long battle with colon cancer. =>>>>>>>>>>>

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