REPOST: Pirana - Pirana I & II (1971-72)

(Australian 1970-74)
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For anyone who is hopelessly hooked on progressive and classic rock of the 70s, Pirana is simply a must. "Pirana" was a short-lived act from the early 70s, which was one of the major driving forces and attractions in Australian music scene in these years who released two really nice albums of pure progressive rock with some strong Santana influences.
Australia’s Pirana had a relatively short life but within the 3 years at its height the band played over 600 gigs covering the whole country, including tours with major overseas artists, stellar performances at rock festivals and leaving us with two fabulous albums with memorable tracks. Their live performances had explosive intensity. The rise of Pirana paralleled the rise of bands such as Spectrum, Country Radio, The Aztecs, Taman Shud, Company Caine, Mackenzie Theory and the La De Da’s. These were break out groups who turned their backs on the pop tradition of the previous decades and bought a new creativity, energy and great musicianship onto the live and recording landscapes in this country. A band whose music stands up on it’s own to this day.
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The Pirana story starts with the recruitment of Stan White in mid 1970 ending with the departure of Graeme Thomson in 1974. However, I will endeavour to fit in the whole history as well as fill in some of the gaps. Graeme Thomson and Jim Duke Yonge who provided the powerhouse rhythm section of Sydney Pop and Scream band The Nomads, together with Tony Hamilton were looking for a keyboard player/singer to perform night after night at Sydney’s Hawaiian Eye. This was a venue run by the infamous John Harrigan. They were about to lose keyboard player and guitarist John Millyard (ex Nomads) and were told to check out a keyboard player from New Zealand called Stan White.
Stan, originally from Lake Tekapo, South Island played with a group in Christchurch called the “Chapta” a very successful recording group, before moving to Sydney where he ended up playing with a group called Multiple Balloon who were playing in a downstairs cellar at the bottom of William Street, Sydney. After checking him out that night there was no question of Stan not being perfect as a replacement for John.
Stan bought with him a flare for writing and arrangement complementing Tony’s thirst for writing.
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Pirana used their residency at the Hawaiian Eye in Castlereagh Street in the city to provide a great opportunity and space to map out the group’s future. Stan and Tony took the songwriting bit between their teeth, both highly creative and both with a passion for the new fusion between Progressive Rock and Latin Percussion. Stan with the perfect high register voice and flowing Hammond countered by Tony whose guitar could strip paint off any back wall, with vocals to match.
Jim, one of the most innovative and progressive drummers this country had seen, took the rhythms apart, invoking the gods of the drum. Graeme for his part remained the soul of quiet musical discretion, commanding the FEEL like a general, always steady playing the bass guitar as well as percussion. He made it so easy for the others to ride on his powerful pulse.

 Michael Barclay, the then newly appointed A & R Manager for E.M.I. and formally the A & R Manager of Decca Records U.K, showed no hesitation in signing Pirana (the first Australian Band on this label) to a long term contract to the newly created Harvest Label. Michael was formally the A & R Manager with Decca Records U.K. and had signed the Moody Blues to that label. Pirana began in earnest to put together a set of songs for the album and for the live stage performances. Just before their recording the group played a wild set at Wallacia, this was a one-day festival west of Sydney.
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This was the perfect time to test the new material out on a large gathering. They played along side another newcomer to the festival stage and to the Harvest Label, Greg Quill and Country Radio.
The day was a roaring success and the well-known rock magazine “Go Set” was there who advertised the event and were highly impressed with Pirana’s performance. David Woodley Page and John Taylor engineered the first album, co produced by myself, with invaluable contributions from all four-band members, was recorded at E.M.I.’s 301 Sydney. In what seemed like whirlwind sessions it was finished and although done in what now would seem a minimum of time, the band members proved that the group were passionate and inventive.

I remember Tony directing the engineer Martin Benge of “Lady Madnona Fame”, the engineer for the second LP, where to place several mics around the edge of  the room to get the best live sound from his guitar solos. The finished album with cover notes supplied by Howard Page (Clair Bros. USA) who has toured with bands like INXS and Paul McCartney provided the group with the perfect platform to launch themselves onto the national stage.
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On Stage At Randwick Racecourse, Sydney 1971

Just after the completion of the album in late 1971, Pirana went searching for greener pastures,  a new audience and the lure of a bigger circuit plus a wider fan base, the group moved to Melbourne. Melbourne was then and still is the city with more gigs. Berties, Sebastians, Thumping Tum, a host of suburban pubs, the Unis and RMIT, not yet a uni but always a great venue for live bands at lunchtime, these were some of the places we played. There were always three gigs on any Saturday night and we played seven to eight gigs per week. Our booking agency, Sunrise, run by mercurial Michael Chugg, kept the work coming in. Also Ray Evans and Michael Gudunski, Consolidated Rock and AEE were a great help with the workflow.

On the Deep Purple/Free/Manfred Mann tour by the time the caravan reached Adelaide tempers were getting a little frayed. Graeme Thomson remembers at one point Sammy Lee the tour promoter, wielded a gun at Bob Jones who was Manfred Mann’s manager in the lobby of the Adelaide Hotel after a dispute over non payment of monies as well as the order regarding who head lined the programme. Needless to say in the end no harm was done and everybody got paid when the tour completed. Another big highlight of that year was the “Pink Floyd” concert at Randwick Racecourse with over 50,000 in attendance.

Randwick Racecourse, 1971

For most of their Melbourne life the group stayed at the Majestic Hotel, St Kilda Road St Kilda. Next door, Graeme remembers the Café’ Banff whose cook could rustle up great home cooked meals at all times of the night and day. The kindly Majestic doorman was a guy with a clubfoot called Tiger and he ensured hotel safety, security and easy hotel access for the group when they returned from late gigs every night. This was a necessary part of St Kilda in those days.
Sunbury 1972, the first of their three Sunbury’s, with Stan still in the Hammond seat was a great experience on all levels except one. Pirana did their original set and finished with an encore of Soul Sacrifice. The whole set was recorded by E.M.I. Unfortunately, when the composite album was finally released only Soul Sacrifice (the Santana cover and the only cover they played) appeared and it had been edited very badly. The group was bitterly disappointed. Headlining at Sunbury that year were Queen but even they were overshadowed by the local contingent lead by Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs. Stan White left the group on February 1972 but left a legacy of two songs released before the second album. “I Hope You don’t Mind” and “Funny Games”. He had an offer to join a studio group called the Going Thing, which was originally bought together as a promotional vehicle for the Ford Motor Company. This group was about to take off for the U.K. for a tour and recording commitments. The seamless transition came about with Keith Greig. Keith was a fan of the band and came from the group called the “Cryin’ Shame” who were located in Dubbo NSW. Keith played a Hammond organ, which was by now one of the quintessential sounds of Pirana. Within weeks the group was back on the rock trail.

.By May 1972 the group was back into the studio and recording their second album, Pirana II with the ethereal “Thinking of You”as an example. From this second album the single “Love More Today” was released with moderate success reaching N0. 10 in different parts of the country. But to this day Pirana will be remembered for not so much for their “commercial” success but for their “live” sets at many a concert across the country. Another single released from this album was “Here it Comes Again” written by Tony Hamilton. Bill Page, now A & R for Mushroom Publishing and then program  manager for Adelaide station 5AD will tell you that this song was the top ten Australian track played to this day. Although played on radio in every capital city, Adelaide was the only place where it made Top 10, this in spite of the success of the national tour with Manfred Mann, Free and Deep Purple and also at a later date touring with Pink Floyd and Rod Stewart.
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Advert 'Go Set Mag' May 1st, 1971

The single, which features Tony’s incredibly powerful guitar, remains at the forefront of any iconic singles list from the 70’s. The punters flocked to every performance of the group but radio by at  large was not listening to Pirana and the new heartbeat of music by them and other groups was ignored. Subsequently the single fell through the cracks. To think that all of this happened and “Here it Comes Again” turned up on several Hit Compilations of the day. Tony left in late 1972, moving to the Gold Coast and was replaced by Richard McEwen.
Sunbury 1973 was once again a major event for Pirana drawing encores for their pounding Latin/Progressive Rock originals. In May 1973, the band performed at  the Sidney Myer Music Bowl with the Victorian Youth Symphony Orchestra. They performed two songs both written by Keith Greig who wrote them especially for this occasion and for the next twelve months they ground out a musical living. Eventually Keith Greig called it a day in October 1973. Life on the road does not equate with anywhere near a normal family environment. Andy James replaced him and Andy played the last Sunbury in 1974. Soon after this Graeme Thomson left as well, Phil Hitckcock, the percussionist and back up vocalist from the second album that switched to bass replaced him. [as told by Gus McNeil, 2006 at piranamusic.com]

On Stage At The Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne. 1973

.This post consists of FLACs ripped from a CD release (2002) which featured both albums, and was sourced from the Midoztouch website with thanks. Full album artwork and band photos are also included. Original vinyl copies of these albums fetch a small fortune on eBay these days; a copy of their second album recently sold for $240.
I really enjoy Pirana's progressive keyboard and percussion sound and Hamilton's guitar licks are as good as the master himself - Carlos Santana.  If you like Santana, then you are really going to like these two classic albums.

New Improved RIP

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Track Listing

Pirana I
01 - Elation
02 - Sermonette
03 - Time Is Now
04 - Find Yourself A New Girl
05 - The River
06 - Easy Ride
07 - Stand Back
Pirana II
08 - Pirana
09 - Then Came The Light
10 - I've Seen Sad Days
11 - Persuasive Percussion
12 - I've Got To Learn To Love More Today

13 - Jimbo's Blow
14 - Thinking Of You
15 - Here It Comes Again
16 - Move To The Country
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Pirana were:
Graeme Thomson  (Bass, vocals, percussion)
Jim Duke Yonge     (Drums, percussion and vocals)
Tony Hamilton       (Guitar and vocals)
Stan White              (Keyboard and vocals)
Keith Greig             (Hammond Organ and vocals)
Phil Hitchcock        (Percussion and backing vocal, later to replace Graeme Thomson as bass player)
Richard McEwen     (Guitar and vocals, later replacing Tony Hamilton)
Andy James              (Keyboards, later replacing Keith Greig)
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Pirana I&II Link (501Mb) New Link 25/06/2024
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Bang The Drum - Selftitled (1990) + Bonus Single

 (Tasmanian / Australian 1989 - 1991)

Bang The Drum were an Australian rock band, first coming together in 1989 from the ashes of Tasmanian group The Shifters, Thundering Hearts and later Bigger Than Texas. That band put out two singles. "Holdin' Out" / "Public Man" and "Sunday Night Blues" / "Desperate Life", in the early 80s. Shifters consisted of Steve Driver (vocals), Jim Reece (guitar, vocals), Geoff Robson (bass, vocals) and Freddy Spiteri (drummer). The band split their time between touring heavily in Tasmania and playing in Sydney before breaking up in 1985.

Only Steve, the guitarist Jim Reece and the bass player Geoff Robson moved to Sydney to form 'Bang the Drum'. According to a review published in Consumable Online, 'their sound was overall much more rock oriented'.. New drummer "JJ Harris" had previous played with Australian band "Divinyls" from 1985 to 1986 before joining "Bang The Drum".

The Shifters

Bang The Drum released their 'self titled' debut album on WEA Records in 1990, and reached #62 on the Australian National Charts in May, 1990.

The album was well crafted and written, the production and arrangement was extremely well polished thanks to Charles Fisher. The guitar riff/solo by Jim Reece on "Stay Forever" always hits a high mark for me. Charles Fisher had worked with Moving Pictures, Martin Plaza, Air Supply, the Hoodoo Gurus and others. He went on to produce the self-titled album, “Savage Garden” in 1997; an album that reached #1 in Australia, #2 in the UK and #3 in the US.

Bang The Drum

Bang The Drum were the support act on Fleetwood Mac's 1990 World Tour "Fleetwood Mac - Behind The Mask".

The album contained 3 singles including the top 40 hit "Only You", "Passion" and "Stay Forever",  which featured on the sound track of Australian film "The Big Steal" also in 1990. That album was produced and engineered by David Hemming. The band have not been heard from since 1991 and didn't release another record.

Bang The Drum Releases

However, the singer Steve Driver fronted another band called Driver around 1993/94. Steve Driver was also the voice you hear on backups on 1927's first album titled 'ish...'

Concert Review (Fleetwood Mac Tour)

"There are many short lived bands that lay scattered across pop histories timeline, their musical legacy often lost in the shadows cast by rock and pop's luminaries and legends. Personally, as much as I love the work of the greats, it's often those lost gems that give me the most pleasure to reflect on and wonder what might have been.

Bang The Drum is such a band. The Sydney outfit came together in 1989 from the ashes of Tasmanian group Bigger Than Texas. They released one album, a self titled effort in early 1990, from which two singles 'Only You' (OZ#30) and 'Passion' (OZ#58) were lifted. Around the time the first single 'Only You' was sliding down the charts Bang The Drum found themselves as the support act for one of these rock legends Fleetwood Mac. I had recently bought the single 'Only You' on 45 and also had bought a ticket to see Fleetwood Mac in Sydney.

I had no idea who the support act was before hand and didn't much care until Bang The Drum played their set. This band was a class act. Vocalist Steve Driver, guitarist Jim Reece, keyboardist Jeremy Cole (ex-Jenny Morris Band), bassist Geoff Robson and drummer J.J. Harris (ex-Divinyls) added up to far more than the sum of their parts. There wasn't a dud song and far from struggling to engage the interest of an audience anxious for the main event, they rocked the house. I'd have to wait another 13 years to see another opening act as good - that was Jet opening for the Rolling Stones.

But unlike Jet, Bang The Drum's beat didn't, for some inexplicable reason, translate to a wider commercial appeal. Their sole album was every bit as good as the best on offer from the more established Aussie pop-rock bands of the 80s - 1927, Noiseworks, Moving Pictures, Mental As Anything, Icehouse...err well maybe not as good as Icehouse - but they were good!"
[Concert Review By Steve Rhys]

Band Review from The Canberra Times - July 12, 1990

This post consists of MP3's (320kps) ripped from vinyl (thanks to Deutros) and includes artwork for both vinyl and CD, along with label scans.  "Back Tomorrow" was a brilliant non-album song released as the B-Side on their rare 3" CD single "Only You", and is included here as a bonus track (thanks to D-Wizz).

Track Listing

01  Stay Forever 3:42

02  Only You 4:03

03  Passion 4:12

04  Old Money 4:22

05  Hell 4:19

06  Closing Your Eyes 5:11

07  Lonely 3:43

08  Hearts In Your Hands 4:45

09  Your Love 4:32

10  Justify 4:37

11  Back Tomorrow (Bonus B-Side Single)   3:08

Bang the Drum were:

Steve Driver - Vocals, Keyboards. 

Jim Reece - Acoustic & Electric Guitars, Vocals. 

Geoff Robson - Bass Guitar, Vocals. 

JJ Harris - Drums. 

Jeremy Cole - Keyboards, Sax.

Bang The Drum Link (111Mb)

REPOST: Renee Geyer - Moving Along (1977) + Bonus Tracks

(Australian 1970-2023)
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Long recognised as Australia's foremost jazz, blues and soul singer, Renee Geyer (born 1952) has issued more than 20 albums over the course of a 30-year career.
Best known for her rich, soulful, passionate and husky vocal delivery, Geyer has also been much in demand as a session singer. She has sung backing vocals on numerous album sessions ranging from La De Das, Dragon and Men At Work to Richard Clapton and Jimmy Barnes.
Geyer has worked and recorded in the USA as well as singing back-up vocals for international artists such as Joe Cocker, Sting and Chaka Khan.
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In 1970, at the age of 16, Geyer's singing career began as a vocalist with jazz-blues band Dry Red, for her audition she sang The Bee Gees' hit "To Love Somebody". She soon left Dry Red for other bands including the more accomplished jazz-rock group Sun. Sun consisted of Geyer, George Almanza (piano), Henry Correy (bass guitar), Garry Nowell (drums), Keith Shadwick (sax, flute, clarinet, vocals) and Chris Sonnenberg (guitar). The group released one album 'Sun' in August 1972.

Renee with Michael Gudinski

She then sang with two short lived bands, Free Spirit and Nine Stage Horizon before joining a jazz-blues band called Mother Earth, who backed Renee on her selftitled debut album and the singles "Space Captain" and "Oh! Boy". She split from Mother Earth at the end of that year.
Her second album, 'It's A Man's Man's World', yielded the singles "What Do I Do On Sunday Morning?", "It's Been A Long Time" and a stunning cover of James Brown's "It's A Man's Man's World". Geyer's gorgeous rendering of this song became her first charting single when it reached Number 29 in Melbourne during December 1974. By that time she had teamed up with jazz/funk band Sanctuary. When they came to record her 'Ready To Deal' album, Sanctuary became known as The Renee Geyer Band.
Ready To Deal was a success and spawned three singles; "(I Give You) Sweet Love", "Heading In The Right Direction" and "If Loving You Is Wrong". During that period, The Renee Geyer Band supported overseas visitors like Eric Clapton.

The band recorded the live album 'Really . . . Really Love You' with Renee in 1976 before she travelled to the USA to record 'Moving Along' in Los Angeles with Motown producer Frank Wilson and a host of American session players, including members of Stevie Wonder's band. "Stares and Whispers" and "Tender Hooks" were issued as singles. Renee's final single for 1977 was the theme song to the television soapie The Restless Years.
Geyer spent the next decade dividing her time between Australia and the US. She recorded her next album 'Winner' in LA. "Money (That's What I Want)" and "Baby Be Mine" were issued as singles. The excellent 'Blues License' album (with Kevin Borich on guitar) and the BB King song "The Thrill Is Gone" were released in July 1979.

In 1980, Renee was signed to Michael Gudinski's Mushroom Records. She recorded with rock band The Ideals, which resulted in the hard-edged "Hot Minutes" single in July 1980. Her biggest hits came with the salsa/reggae styled "Say I Love You" single in July 1981 and the 'So Lucky' album (November 1981). The album produced two other singles, "Do You Know What I Mean?" and "I Can Feel The Fire".
Geyer went on to release three further singles on Mushroom; "Love So Sweet," "Goin' Back" and "Trouble In Paradise". Her last albums for Mushroom were 'Renee Live' and the 'Best Of' set called 'Faves'.

.In 1984, she recorded a duet with Jon English called "Every Beat Of My Heart" and in 1985 her first album for WEA, 'Sing To Me', contained the singles "Faithful Love", "Every Day Of The Week" and "All My Love". 'Live At The Basement' was her last solo album for eight years, during which time she lived in L.A. and joined Californian band Easy Pieces, appearing on the A&M album 'Easy Pieces' in 1988
[extract from www.nostalgiacentral.com]
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Following the 'Easy Pieces' album which was released just as the record company A & M was changing US distributors and therefore died, Renee took a decade off from recording. During this time she did much session work for her great friend Bonnie Raitt, Joe Cocker, Buddy Guy, Toni Childs, Sting and Neil Diamond among others.

However, in 1995 she returned to Australia, permanently and resumed her recording career and has released a series of hugely acclaimed albums since then including her best seller ever, 'Tenderland' on which she pays tribute to the soul classics she grew up on. Not slavish cover versions of "Midnight Train To Georgia", "Love Don't Live Here Anymore", "Sexual Healing", even Prince's "Thieves In The Temple", but totally individual interpretations as only Renee can do. [comments by Micko at Midoztouch]
Trivia Note: Renee contributed backing vocals to Sting's second solo album, 'Nothing Like The Sun'. She was incorrectly listed in the credits as René Gayer.
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Album Review
This was the album that was to break Renee Geyer onto the American market. This is another Australian record that is so good that it would be worth a lot of money if it was rare (but it’s not) which is really a good thing for music fans. Renee had already put out a few albums by the time this record came around, but it’s still regarded highly by collectors and fans alike because it contains some of her best work. "Be There In The Morning" – sometimes referred to as Northern Soul – is a great modern soul sounding cut with a driving soul groove and a compelling vocal hook (on 7” single it is actually pretty hard to find, but it’s readily accessible on this LP and have also included an alternate mix which has a more funkier groove to the original).

Another great song on this album is the title cut "Movin’ On'" a really upbeat funk dancer complete with breaks midway through. There’s also a great 'fresh' version of "Heading in the Right Direction" and an almost reggae sounding soul cut called "Tender Hooks".
But the track that gets me every time is her hit single "Stares and Whispers" - I just love the catchy riff and lyrics which make this such an enjoyable track. Overall, a fantastic record that probably doesn’t get the props it deserves.

This rip was taken from an 'out-of-print' CD in FLAC and contains full album artwork, along with two bonus tracks: a live version of her hit "It's a Man's World" (Recorded at A Reefer Derci in 1976 ) and the remixed version of "Be There In the Morning" taken from 'At Her Very Best' compilation LP.

Appendum:  Sadly, Renee Geyer passed away on 17 Jan, 2023 in Geelong.  Taken from us way too soon - R.I.P 

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    NEW IMPROVED RIP

Track Listing
01. Heading In the Right Direction (2.58)
02. Be There In the Morning (4.24)
03. Quicker Than the Eye (4.03)
04. Tender Hooks (4.45)
05. Stares And Whispers (3.33)
06. Just To Make Love To You (4.43)
07. Touch (4.50)
08. Moving Along (6.39)
[Bonus Tracks]
09. It's A Man's Man's World (Live A Reefer Derci 1976)
10. Be There In The Morning (Alt.Version)
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Band members:
Vocals, Backing Vocals : Renée Geyer
Guitars : Ray Parker, Jr., Greg Poree, Stephen Beckmeier
Bass : James Jamerson; Nathan Watts; Barry 'Big Goose' Sullivan
Keyboards : Harry Booker; Jerry Peters; Mal Logan
Piano : Reginald Burke
Drums : Raymond Pounds
Percussion : Jack Ashford; Frederick Lewis
Background Vocals : Venetta Fields; Sherlie Matthews; Pat Henerson; Tiemeyer McCain; Otis Stokes; Frank Wilson.
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.Renee Geyer (312Mb) New Link 16/06/2024
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Guns N' Roses - November Rain Unauthorised Vol.2 (1993) Bootleg

 (U.S 1985 - Present)

Guns N' Roses are the bridge separating 1980s and 1990s hard rock, the band responsible for ushering in an era of grim, gritty rock & roll. Where such peers as reveled in the decadence of Sunset Strip sleaze, Guns N' Roses focused on the grimy underbelly of the urban jungle, with guitarists and cranking out mean riffs that matched the dark fantasies of , the vocalist who led GNR with a serpentine charm. countered his nasty tendencies with a romantic side, one that flourished on "Sweet Child O' Mine," the soaring ballad that went to number one in 1988, turning the band into superstars in the process.

Over the next few years, GNR's 1987 debut album, Appetite for Destruction, sold in monstrous numbers, with "Welcome to the Jungle" and "Paradise City" both reaching Billboard's Top Ten and "Patience," from the 1989 EP GNR Lies, also reaching that exalted position. During this peak, Guns N' Roses were lightning rods for controversy, so they avoided trouble by whiling away in the studio crafting their sequel to Appetite for Destruction, the sprawling twin albums Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II. Released simultaneously in September 1991, the Illusions still were rooted in hard rock, but also pursued majestic, melodramatic balladry, a trait that reached its apotheosis in "November Rain," a ballad that became their last Top Ten hit in 1992.

This Bootleg is the 2nd homecoming show of the 'Use Your Illusion' tour for Izzy and Axl. During the show Axl dedicates "Civil War" to all the military in the audience and has Sebastian Bach bring out a dancer during "Rocket Queen."

This is the first ever live performance of "November Rain." and Axl plays the show with a cast on his leg.

This recording comes from the 2nd half of a show that took place at the Deer Creek Music Center, Noblesville, Indiana, on May 29 1991 during the GNR World Tour. All soundboard audio of this show, including this CD set, was ultimately taken from a 135 minute PRO-SHOT video that was stolen from GNR's video crew in the early 1990's.
Points of interest: Axl was 2 hours late for the gig, so they showed Texas Chainsaw Massacre on the big screens after Skid Row finished their opening set. Missing from the ending the show is Axl saying "Goodnight, and thank you, Homeland."

FREEDOM OF SPEECH COSTS GUNS'N'ROSES $5,000

(From Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, 1991)

Exercising his right to freedom of speech has cost band leader Axl Rose and his group, Guns'N'Roses, $5,000. Hamilton County, Ind., authorities charged Rose and his group with two counts of curfew violation for playing past the county's limit for outdoor concerts at Deer Creek Music Center twice last week. The rock band played 55 minutes past the 11 p.m. curfew for weeknight concerts on Tuesday and 25 minutes past the next night. "That in and of itself wasn't so significant," Hamilton County Prosecutor Steve Nation said Saturday in announcing the charges. "What makes this different is that Axl Rose said on stage Tuesday that he knew about the curfew and thought it was stupid.

And he said a few things about our county and about our state." Rose, who grew up in Indiana, delivered a profane five-minute tirade on stage Tuesday when he discussed the curfew. Nation said other bands have played past the curfew at Deer Creek since it opened in 1989 but that this is the first time he has filed charges. The prosecutor said attorneys for the band have said they will not fight the charge or the fine. Rose said the same thing in announcing he would play past the curfew. [Thanks to Appetite For Discussion for this article]

SAVE FOR DAYS OF Guns n’ Roses THIS SUMMER

(by Dave Bangert - Reporter for the Journal And Courier)

Start saving your lawn mowing money.

Guns n’ Roses is back with a vengeance. Rested, tested and tough to be bested — at least this summer tour season. If Wednesday night’s show at the Deer Creek Music Center was any indication, the Gunners’ next double-length album, Use Your Illusion, will be more than deserving of the big sales it’s guaranteed.

Now, I’m not much for big-time concerts. Watching a bunch of burly wanna-bees pump their fists in the air while they botch the lyrics isn’t my idea of a great show.

But seeing the two-hour-plus Guns n’ Roses show Wednesday was like seeing the Rolling Stones in their prime — a time before everyone in the audience knew the words to all the songs.
GN’R is the real article for the ’90s.

Instead of taking the easy out of a short set of high ticket, crapped-out hit singles, the band ran through the tight set and three encores like the rest of the rock ’n’ roll world was standing still. This had to be one of the best shows I’ve seen on the big stage in a long time.
Beg, borrow or steal a way to see this show when it hits other venues within a four-hour drive.

Maybe it was the freshness factor. Deer Creek was the second stop on the Guns n’ Roses massive two-year tour. Time will tell if lead singer Axl Rose still will be running the full-length of the stage with a flexible cast on his left leg — the Lafayette native recently tore some ligaments in his ankle — and hitting every pile-driving vocal cue. Will lead guitarist Slash’s cuts — ranging from a take on Hendrix’s “Voodoo Chile” to ‘‘Theme from The Godfather” — still be as fresh 42 shows in?

They were Wednesday, and that’s what counts for the homecoming show for Rose and another Lafayette native, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin.
GN’R gave the crowd a pile of songs scheduled for the double CD Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II, due out in mid-to late-July. The CDs will be released separately, so you don’t have to fork over the full price right away.
Judging from the material Guns n’ Roses played Wednesday, both versions will be albums to be reckoned with in 1991.

Backed by the solid rhythm section of Duff McKagan on bass and new drummer Matt Sorum (formerly of The Cult), GN’R ripped out soon-to-be rock anthems “Double Talkin’ Jive,” “Dust and Bones,” “Civil War” and a cranked version of Wings’ “Live and Let Die.”
The highlight was “Bad Obsession,” a Stonesy feeling honky-tonk rocker made full bodied by the keyboard work of Dizzy Reed, the newest member of the band.

Look for their CD in stores soon. In the meantime, you’ll probably see me out there mowing lawns to save for this one.

[Thanks to Appetite For Discussion for this article]

Of course, not all concerts are a 'Bed of Roses' and it would seem that this was the case for this particular GNR show, as reported in a local Indiana newspaper article above.

This post consists of FLACs ripped from my Banana 'Unauthorised' CD Bootleg and includes the usual limited artwork.  Quality of the recording is definitely of Soundboard status and the track listing is a highlight. This bootleg has been released under other names -  'Dramas & Traumas', "Dreams & Illusions' and 'For MotherF*ckers Only' (see below) to name a few.

Track Listing

01 - Double Talkin' Jive   6:07

02 - November Rain 9:05

03 - Only Women Bleed (Intro)  1:31

04 - Knockin' On Heaven's Door 7:27

05 - Perfect Crime 2:25

06 - Estranged 10:46

07 - Bad Time (Intro) / Sweet Child O' Mine 6:39

08 - Welcome To The Jungle 4:46

09 - Paradise City  6:09

GNR were:
Axl Rose: Lead vocals, piano
Slash: Lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals

Duff McKagan: Bass, backing vocals, lead vocals

Izzy Stradlin: Rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Matt Sorum: Drums, backing vocals
Dizzy Reed: Keyboards, backing vocals

GNR November Rain Link (286Mb) 

Rainbow - On Stage (1977) + Bonus Track

(U.S / U.K 1975-1984, 1993-1977, 2015-Present)

The story of Rainbow's 'On Stage' actually begins with recordings of the band's third studio album "Long Live Rock 'n' Roll".

The recording of this album was accompanied by many difficulties. It was recorded at a castle in the Paris area, and the band members did not have finished materials to work with.  The writing process for most of the album's songs was performed at the castle itself, however the recordings did not progress satisfactorily, mainly due to the band members not concentrating on writing and enjoying the beautiful place and weather. In addition, the recordings were surrounded by strange faults in the recording equipment and unexplained phenomena until the band members and the recording team decided to perform a séance to find out the reason for it. And if that's not enough, because of Ritchie Blackmore's caprices, the band members were replaced several times during the recordings.

All of the above problems and significant delays in the recordings caused the record company to put pressure on the band to release something and that brought this great gift called "On Stage".

Rainbow 'On-Stage'

This live album has a lot in common with the mother band ("Deep Purple") "Made In Japan" album. This is also a double album that was not recorded on one complete show, but rather songs recorded over several performances. In addition, here too, most of the songs were recorded in Japan and like its older brother here too the show includes a lot of improvisations. And if you still do not understand how much the similarities between the two albums exist, then also in this album songs with "thin" versions in the studio albums have won bombastic versions that are substantially different from the original.

However, 'On-Stage' does not really reflect what happened in the band's performances. It included massive editing and studio intervention that undermined the authenticity of the live performances. What's more, the songs were shortened, solo pieces were compressed and improvisations were cut, all to allow for the release of this album as a double vinyl. But this is not enough, masterpiece songs that were part of the setlist on those shows, were not included in the album at all and the order of the songs was changed to adapt the album to the logistical and technical requirements. For example, works such as "Do You Close Your Eyes" and "Stargazer", which were played in performances at the time, did not find their way to the final edit.

Dio, Powell and Blackmore

Luckily, years later several performances from the same time were released, both on video and audio, so this magic can be recreated in a way closer to the original. An excellent example is the performance "Live In Koln 1976" in which you can also find the songs that were cut as part of the final editing of this album.

The choice of songs for the album was also strange. Four of the six songs on the show are from the band's first album, with the excellent album "Rising", being represented by only one song, "Starstruck", also not one of the greats of that album, which is part of a medley along with the blues section and the song "Man on the Silver Mountain". Among the six songs is also the song "Mistreated" from the MKIII of "Deep Purple", and another new song that will only be included on the band's next album, so what we have left to do is just wonder what went through Blackmore's mind when compiling the song list for this album.

Rainbow L-R: Carey, Dio, Blackmore, Powell & Bain

Despite all that said and perhaps against all odds, this is still an excellent album by a band that is at its peak with its classic lineup that includes Ritchie Blackmore, Ronnie James Dio, Cozy Powell, Tony Carey, and Jimmy Bain.

The album opens with the famous segment from the film "The Wizard of Oz", which has also become the regular opening intro of the band's performances, for generations. Dorothy talks to her dog, Toto, and says:

"Toto, I'm a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore, We Must Be Over the RAINBOW…"

"We Must be Over The Rainbow":

And then ... the legendary Cozy Powell lands a powerful blow on the snare drum, and we all embark on an adventure that not even the writer L. Frank Baum dreamed of when he first wrote his book on the controversial magician. "Kill The King" which is to be included on the band's next album is coming in full force, and we are getting a bombastic opening for this live album. Although the version of the show sounds a little less tight than the studio version, it is still a strong opening that requires a lot of courage of opening a live album with a new and unfamiliar song.

From there we move on to the string of the "Man On The Silver Mountain" which includes a bluesy improvisation with a keyboard guitar duet in the best tradition of "Deep Purple", as well as "Starstruck" from the album "Rising" which is shortened here.

The other side of the first album includes the song "Catch the Rainbow" which received an upgrade here and became an epic work. This is without a doubt the album's powerful performance, which although stretched over more than 15 minutes is not boring even for a moment. The improvisations of the band members are reinforced with vocal improvisations from Ronnie James Dio mostly in the last part of the piece that becomes a fifth instrument of the band.

The second album features the song "Mistreated" by "Deep Purple" which is spread out on the entire first side of the album. Dio manages to take a song that is so identified with David Coverdale's voice and perform it amazingly. Here, too, the improvisations stretch over a large part of the song (mostly by Blackmore) only this time it's a little less flowing than the previous song.

The fourth and final side of this double album concludes with two songs: "Sixteenth Century Greensleeves" featuring a long improvised overture, and the cover version "Still I'm Sad" which became a song with the original lyrics from "the Yardbirds" as appose to the instrumental album version.

In conclusion, despite the rather puzzling selection of songs, despite the over-intervention during the mixes and production, this is still an excellent album that perpetuates the band's highlights in the classic lineup. The long improvisations and "facelift" of the songs do not detract in any way from the pleasure of listening to the album. On the contrary, all we have left is to miss those days, when bands were improvising, jamming, and giving the songs a different interpretation as part of their performances. There are no artists today who appear like this anymore, no one is as spontaneous, innovative, and brave as they were in those days, and all that is left is to just cut and save this wonder so that future generations will understand how they used to make music, with a big heart and soul. [Thanks to FaceOff Rockshow for this album account]

Album Review

Forty years ago, the classic hard rock powerhouse that is Rainbow released the spectacular "On Stage" live album, which included various cuts from their 1976 European and Japanese tours. With the inhumanly talented and much-missed Ronnie James Dio at the vocal helm and a supremely talented line-up consisting of former Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, legendary drummer Cozy Powell, ex-DIO-bassist Jimmy Bain, and keyboardist Tony Carey, "On Stage" benefits from not only brilliant live renditions of classic tracks, but also superb musicianship. It feels somewhat pointless to point out just how stellar the musicianship is. I mean, have a look at that line-up. It speaks for itself

I mentioned that the songs were culled from the band’s European and Japanese tours, but instead of European, I probably should have said German as they are pulled from different recordings of shows in Munich, Cologne, and Nuremberg that took place in September of 1976. As to Japan, certain cuts from the shows in Osaka and Tokyo in December that same year were used for the "On Stage" opus. The Tokyo gig marked the end of the "Rainbow Rising" tour. In his autobiography entitled "A Hart Life", former Rainbow tour manager Colin Hart seems to indicate that the taping of the Japanese shows were recorded as an insurance of sorts, but to me that sounds slightly cryptic; were they recorded in case the Rainbow line-up suddenly imploded or in case the recordings of the European shows were not up to par? Here is how he puts it:

The Japanese dates went off flawlessly with dear old Martin Birch yet again recording the live show for posterity at Bruce’s (Ed. Note: Bruce Payne, the Rainbow manager) behest, more I think as insurance in case it all went tits up for some reason. Bruce is nothing if not cautious, but maybe he knew something I didn’t? The ‘Rainbow Rising’ tour came to a final halt at the renowned Budokan in Tokyo on December 16th after an arduous six months non-stop touring. We all went our separate ways.

Is that Martin Birch's Tape Desk sitting behind Blackmore?

Boasting a crisp and powerful sound, the band plows through such monumental songs as "Sixteenth Century Greensleeves", "Still I’m Sad", and the bluesy "Mistreated" that was originally composed and recorded by Deep Purple whilst Blackmore was still a member of that outfit. It is a shame that the epic "Stargazer" does not appear on the disc, as that is undoubtedly one of the greatest hard rock tunes of all time, way up there with the very best of them. Still, it is impossible not to be swept away by the mournful and haunting "Catch the Rainbow" or the power and majesty of "Kill the King".

Given the era in which these live renditions were taped, it should come as no surprise that each song is extended and expanded upon. "Catch the Rainbow" and "Mistreated" clock in at an amazing 15 and 13 minutes respectively. Back then that was perfectly natural, but it also serves a very important purpose; it made the shows dangerous, unpredictable, and edgy. The spontaneous and intuitive feel of "On Stage" is a blessing and you can never tell what is waiting right around the corner. Blackmore’s playing covers just about every conceivable mood in that it ranges from the bombastic and wild to the mellow, gentle, and even subtle.

Interestingly, the vicious "Kill the King" that opens the album following the customary "Wizard of Oz" introduction did not appear on a studio album until 1978’s "Long Live Rock ‘n’ Roll", thus "On Stage" was the first time ever that this particular track was captured on tape, at least officially. The only single that was released to promote the album, namely the "Live" single that was released in September 1977, contained "Kill the King" on the A-side along with "Man on the Silver Mountain". The B-side consisted of "Mistreated".
In an interview with Jeff Cramer, keyboardist David Stone (who replaced Tony Carey in Rainbow) once claimed that he also figured on the "On Stage" album:

[…] The album before that, Rainbow on Stage, was a live album by Rainbow. What they had done, I don’t know if I got credit for it or not. I think in some prints, I don’t. That was when Tony Carey had left the band and the album was two-thirds done […] What they had done was take more recordings with me in the band and used those as well […] In Japan, January of 1978, I got a gold album for being on Rainbow on Stage […] I’m there. Tony’s there. That’s a half-and-half album […] I can’t tell you what tracks I am on. I haven’t listened to the album in 25 years.

Whether this is true or not I cannot say. He is not listed anywhere in the album credits and I have never come across any other rumors or sources that indicate that Mr. Stone was involved in the live album offering. However, it would not surprise me if he did appear on the album despite not being credited anywhere. Things like that have happened before, sometimes to retain the illusion of a certain line-up sticking together or to keep things coherent and cohesive on the surface of things. Who knows what the truth of the matter is?

It is amazing to think that forty years after "On Stage" was recorded, Blackmore decided to resurrect Rainbow and once again wield his magic on stage together with a handful of highly talented musicians for three European dates, more specifically two in Germany (check out the "Memories in Rock – Live in Germany" album) and one in Birmingham (check out the "Live in Birmingham 2016" album). What is even more cool is that yesterday, June 17th, Rainbow played a brilliant show in front of an ecstatic crowd at the O2 Arena in London as part of the Stone Free Festival. After all these years, the legendary guitarist still has it and remains one of the most enigmatic and intriguing characters in rock ‘n’ roll.

What these 2016 and 2017 gigs also prove is that those forty-something year old songs still mean an awful lot to fans of classic rock and that they have lost none of their potency and meaning. Whether you put the "On Stage" album on and immerse yourself in that with your eyes closed or opt for the relatively recent "Memories in Rock – Live in Germany" record from last year, the indefinable spark, energy, and otherworldly magic of a Rainbow live performance cannot be denied. Having said that, I think it is fair to say that to many of us, nothing will ever top the classic Bain/Blackmore/Carey/Dio/Powell line-up and the monumental "Rising" album and tours of 1976.  [Review by By J. Nepper at eternal-terror.com]

This post consists of FLACs ripped from my Oyster vinyl which I have proudly owned since 1977 and includes full album artwork for both vinyl and CD media.  I remember being disappointed when I discovered that the live track listing didn't contain their epic power anthem "Stargazer" and instead contained yet another recording of Deep Purple's "Mistreated".  To remedy this, I have decided to include a live recording of "Stargazer" here, taken from another live release entitled "Rainbow Live In Germany, 1976", and also provide alternative artwork for CD.

So, as promised, I have now provided all three of Rainbow's earliest (and best) releases but if sufficient interest is shown via the Comments, I might be enticed to post their "Long Live Rock 'n' Roll" studio album in the near future.

Track Listing

01 Intro / Kill The King   (5:31)

1.1 Over The Rainbow (Introducing)

1.2 Kill The King

02 Medley (11:15)

2.1 Man On The Silver Mountain

2.2 Blues

2.3 Starstruck

03 Catch The Rainbow  (15:36)

04 Mistreated   (13:07)

05 Sixteenth Century Greensleeves  (7:37)

06 Still I'm Sad  (10:23)

07 Stargazer [Bonus Track - Germany, 1976] (16:51)

Rainbow were:

Vocals – Ronnie James Dio

Guitar – Ritchie Blackmore

Bass – Jimmy Bain

Drums – Cozy Powell

Keyboards – Tony Carey

Producer – Martin Birch

Rainbow On-Stage Link (442Mb)