W.O.C.K On Vinyl - Weird Al Yankovic: Eat It (1984)

.
Before things get too serious here at Rock On Vinyl, I thought it might be fun to post a song at the end of each month, that could be categorized as being either Weird, Obscure, Crazy or just plain Korny.
.
Alfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic, born October 23, 1959 is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, actor, comedian, satirist, and a parodist. Yankovic is known for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and that often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts.
Since his first-aired comedy song in 1976, he has sold more than 12 million albums — more than any other comedy act in history — recorded more than 150 parody and original songs,and has performed more than 1,000 live shows. Yankovic's success comes in part from his effective use of music video to further parody popular culture, the song's original artist, and the original music videos themselves, scene-for-scene in some cases. He released his second album "Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D in 1984. The first single "Eat It", a parody of the Michael Jackson song "Beat It", became popular, thanks in part to the music video, a shot-for-shot parody of Jackson's "Beat It" music video, and what Yankovic described as his "uncanny resemblance" to Jackson. Peaking at number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 on April 14, 1984, "Eat It" remained Yankovic's highest-charting single until "White & Nerdy" placed at number 9 in October 2006.
.
So I guess you've already worked out that this month's WOCK on Vinyl post certainly fits the Weird category. The rip was taken from my vinyl copy at 320kps and includes both sides of the single - "Eat It" / "That Boy Could Dance", along with picture cover scans and the video clip (avi) which was made for the release of the single. Of course, Yankovic has all the 'Jackson moves' down pat, but if you really want to see something 'funny', then have a look at his 'Fat' videoclip on YouTube which is a parody on Jackson's hit - "Bad".
.
Eat It Link (35Mb)
.

Jeff Beck - Beckfast (1976) Ex Bootleg

(U.K 1965 - Present)
.
This bootleg is another one of my prize possessions which I acquired in the late 70's (probably from the Victoria Market, Melbourne or at Reading Records in Carlton, Melbourne), and I am certain that this will be the first blog posting for this concert.
Having seen Jeff Beck at Festival Hall, Melbourne; when he toured with Jan Hammer in the late 70's; I was keen to get as many of his releases as possible, including bootlegs. Unfortunately, this is the only bootleg I ever came across but is not surprising considering my trusty bible of boots, entitled 'Hot Wacks', only listed a half dozen titles being available for Jeff Beck at the time (1981).
Beck-fast (released by Trade Mark Of Quality) was also released under the name 'Beckelectric At O'Keefe: White Like Me' on the K & S label which helped me to identify the date and venue of the recording (as it is not listed on the Beck-fast cover).

.Thanks to a bit of web searching, I have discovered that the bootleg was recorded at the O'Keefe Centre, Toronto July 23rd 1975 during 'The Blow By Blow Tour', with the support band 'Small Wonder'.
I really love the cover of this bootleg. In true 'Pig Trade Mark of Quality' humour, the bootleg has been marketed in the same way that a packet of Breakfast Cereal is. Just have a look at what is inside the bowl of cereal or the track listing being referred to as "Nutrition Information per Track' and the band referred to as 'Ingredients'. And of course the play of words with Breakfast and Beckfast is fairly obvious but I love their slogan: "A nice big platter of Beckfast for breakfast gives you more 'jam' per gram & more bounce per ounce to start you on your day" !
.
TMQ, TMOQ or Trade Mark Of Quality was a bootleg record label that originated in the Los Angeles, California area during the late 1960s and early 1970s. The label was responsible for many underground records of Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, Jefferson Airplane, Devo, Grateful Dead, The Beatles, Frank Zappa, Rolling Stones, The Who and many other popular rock artists of the era. The major record labels were shocked and dismayed that any anonymous person could obtain or make a bootleg recording of one of their artists and press up records and release them for sale.

"Trade Mark of Quality" was established in 1970 by two bootleggers, "Dub" Taylor and Ken Douglas (now an avid sailor and author.) They were quality-conscious perfectionists who pressed all their albums on coloured, virgin vinyl, and perhaps the first bootleggers to start doing real, printed picture covers, and later colour picture covers (printed - not inserts under the shrink-wrap as seen on "head shop" bootlegs). Dub & Ken had released several albums under different names before settling on "TradeMark Of Quality" in 1970, the first being the (in)famous "Great White Wonder" by Bob Dylan. According to Ken, "Dub" recorded several of TMQ's releases himself, including The Rolling Stones' "Liv'r Than You'll Ever Be" and Led Zeppelin's "Live On Blueberry Hill". TMOQ also employed the services of William Stout, whose unique artwork graced many of TMOQ's albums. In fact, the cover of Beck-fast is credited to the very same person.
.
Concert Review
If you felt that Jeff Beck was on top of the game when he released Blow By Blow in 1975, you would not be disappointed with this live show. There are many stories of Beck returning to the studio to overdub his guitar parts for this album but there is no such worries here - live, he is both fluid and mercurial.
.
According to The Rolling Stone Record Guide (1979), “After the stormy demise of Beck, Bogert and Appice, Beck changed course once again, and under George Martin’s production recorded Blow By Blow, an all-instrumental album (no more vocalists to worry about) that shows off Beck’s consummate abilities as a guitarist as never before. All styles served here, from to funk to jazz, and its success has led Beck into jazz-rock circles.”
On the other hand, music critic J.D. Considine didn’t mince words when he wrote that “An eloquent player with absolutely nothing to say, Beck isn’t much of a jazzman, but Martin works around the guitarist’s limitations, elegantly framing the solos with sympathetic rhythm arrangements and lush string orchestrations.”
But for the fan listening to this show, it is quite sublime. As taper Dan Lampinski noted: “Jeff Beck’s performance was one of the single greatest guitar performances that I ever witnessed… only rivalled by Zappa on his guitar solo blitzkrieg tour with Adrien Belew in tow.”
.
The concert was also reviewed by Bruce Kirkland who wrote for the Star Newspaper in Toronto.
He noted that Beck was a reserved performer, writing that " he never looked at the audience in the face when he performed but rather played eyed games with drummer Bernard Purdie and the two cajoled each other into higher and greater and more intense bursts of his tension power rock, then guided each other through the smoother passages of jazz rock" [thanks to Dusty Hat for the newspaper review and concert advert]
It is interesting to note that while researching the concert, there has been some discrepancy regarding the price of the concert tickets ( $6 - Music in Dorseyland and $5.50 - Dusty Hat) but the ticket stubb above clearly shows that the price to be $5.50. Oh for the days when concerts didn't cost a fortune hey.
.

Rip was taken from almost mint Vinyl bootleg at 320kps and includes scan of front cover, along with review article and all photos depicted.
Because the tracks tended to run into one another with audience applause and occasional dialogue, I decided not to segment the tracks so as not to loose the true atmosphere of this great concert. Instead, I have posted the album as two separate mp3's - Side A & B. Hope you enjoy your next Beckfast!


.Track Listing
01. Constipated Duck
02. She's A Woman
03. Freeway Jam
04. Superstition
05. Air Blower
06. Power
07. Got the Feeling
08. You Know What I Mean
.
Band Members
Jeff Beck (Guitar, Airbag vocal guitar distorter)
Max Middleton (Keyboards)
Bernard Purdie (Drums)
Wilbur Bascomb (Bass)
.
Beckfast Link (120Mb) New Link 23/12/2023
.

Original T.V Themes - Rush, Cash & Co, Ben Hall, Seven Little Australians (1976) EP

.On Australia Day we come together as a nation to celebrate what's great about Australia and being Australian. It's the day to reflect on what we have achieved and what we can be proud of in our great nation. It's the day for us to re-commit to making Australia an even better place for the future. Australia Day, 26 January, is the anniversary of the arrival of the First Fleet of 11 convict ships from Great Britain, and the raising of the Union Jack at Sydney Cove by its commander Captain Arthur Phillip, in 1788
A big part of my upbringing involved being educated in Australian History and topics such as the goldrush days and bushrangers were always favourites of mine.
Therefore, I would like to celebrate Australia Day by posting some music that has connections with the goldrush days / bushrangers. I hope you enjoy these and have a great Australia Day !
.
(Various Australian Artists 1973-75)
.In 1976, Image Records released four popular Australian T.V show themes on an E.P. called "Original T.V. Themes".
The songs include two tracks by Brian May And The ABC. Showband, "Theme from Rush" and the "Theme from Seven Little Australians" and two tracks by The Bushwackers, the "Theme from Cash & Co" and the "Theme from Ben Hall". All four shows were set in the Australian Colonial days and centered on themes such as The Goldrush and Bushrangers.
.
.
Rush
In 1974 the Australian Broadcasting Commission took the initiative and produced the high quality, critically acclaimed series Rush. Two series were made of Rush, and they were effectively two different programmes. Rush was set on the Victorian goldfields in 1852 in the fictitious settlement of Crockers Gully.
The first series was set in Victoria during the gold rush of the 1850's, and was produced in Melbourne and filmed in black and white. A second series went to air two years later, and the period and location was changed to the 1860's in New South Wales. This time it was produced in Sydney, filmed in colour and featured an almost entirely new cast line-up - the only character carried over from the original was that of Sergeant McKellar, played by John Waters.
I have wonderful memories of watching this TV show (both series) and for this reason alone I purchased the EP featured here. I was a big fan of John Waters (and his character who sported a distinctive scar on his left cheek) and followed his acting career thereafter (ie. Breaker Morant, Jesus Christ Superstar). Of course the soundtrack theme was also very catchy and well suited to the colonial setting.
Robert McKellar was the Crockers Gully Police Sergeant, who had a rather colourful past. McKellar was in the Army in England, until he shot a Sergeant with whose wife he was having an affair, and was subsequently transported to Australia as a convict. He was released on a ticket-of-leave after four years and joined the Victoria Police. McKellar is subordinate to Gold Commissioner Fitzalan, and disagrees with Fitzalan's administration of the law. McKellar identifies with the miners and their problems, and was often at loggerheads with Fitzalan - but first and foremost he was a policeman and would do his duty.
.
Seven Little Australians
Australian mini-series produced by the ABC, Australian Film Development Corporation, Ethel Turner Productions. It aired in 1973 (10 episodes) and featured Leonard Teal as Captain John Woolcot and Ruth Cracknel as Martha
Based on Ethel Turner's classic children's novel, this award-winning mini-series is about a family of seven children set in 1880s Australia. The father of this lively brood is the dashing Captain John Woolcot, and he would like to run his household with army discipline, but is no match for his seven mischievous and fun-loving children. The war of wills between the Captain and his troop of independent-minded sons and daughters is tempered by the gentle guidance of Esther, his wife, and the children's kindly step-mother.
.
Cash & Co
The gold rush days of the 1850’s were a significant part of Australia’s history, yet the subject was not treated in a television series until 1974. The ABC’s Rush was the first series of any note to deal with the period, and was closely followed by Homestead Film’s production of Cash & Co.
Unlike Rush, Cash & Co was conceived purely as an escapist adventure series. Although the stories are based on fact, they make no attempt to recreate any authentic events. However, much research was done to ensure the settings, costumes and props faithfully recreated the period.
The show’s theme tune and much of the incidental music was written and performed by the 'Bushwhackers And Bullockies Bush Band', later simply known as the 'Bushwackers Band'. The theme tune and some of the incidental music has also appeared on their albums.
Cash & Co reflected the view that not all outlaws were necessarily bad, but were sometimes reasonable men who were persecuted and driven outside the law by the law itself - as administered by ruthless officials, epitomised in this case by the corrupt police officer Lieutenant Keogh. The outlaws, Sam Cash (played by Serge Lazareff) and Joe Brady (played by Gus Mercurio with his gravelly, cigar choked voice), are on the run after being framed for murder by Keogh. In fact, Keogh and his troopers murdered Brady’s partner for not having a mining licence, and Brady would have been next if not for Cash’s timely intervention. The role of Jessica Johnson is played by Penne Hackforth-Jones. Jessica is strong-willed and as competent as any man, and features equally in the action scenes.
. 
Ben Hall
Ben Hall (May 9, 1837 – May 5, 1865) was an Australian bushranger. A bushranger is a thief who roamed the countryside and country towns of Australia, usually escaping on horseback, like a highwayman. Most bushrangers were simply criminals and thieves. Ben Hall is one of the few bushrangers, like Ned Kelly, who were thought of as outlaw heroes.
Ben Hall lived at a time when gold had been discovered in New South Wales and Victoria. Thousands of people went out to the places where gold had been discovered to seek their fortunes (hoping to get rich). Like many bushrangers, Ben Hall and his gang robbed coaches that were carrying gold from the goldfields. Ben Hall was able to avoid being arrested by the police for many years because he had many friends and relatives to help him [extract from wikipedia]
.
Ben Hall was a 1975 historical mini-series produced by the ABC in Sydney as a co-production with the BBC. The Ben Hall set was located at Belrose in Sydney's north and the set formed the township of Wheogo in the mini-series. Strangely enough, there is scant information available for this mini-series and is not even featured on the ABC website. It would seem that this series has been treated as a poor cousin to the the acclaimed Rush mini-series.
.
Track Listing
A1 Theme from "Rush" - Brian May & the ABC Showband
A2 Theme from "Seven Little Australians" - Brian May & the ABC Showband
B1 Theme from "Cash & Co" - The Bushwackers
B2 Theme from "Ben Hall" - The Bushwackers
.
This posting includes rips taken from my mint condition vinyl at 320kps and full album artwork, label scans and select photos taken from each mini-series. Most of the information and photos posted were taken from Classic Australian Television
.
Original TV Themes Link (23Mb)
.

Goldfields Rock - Central Victorian Rock 'n' Roll (1980)

On Australia Day we come together as a nation to celebrate what's great about Australia and being Australian. It's the day to reflect on what we have achieved and what we can be proud of in our great nation. It's the day for us to re-commit to making Australia an even better place for the future. Australia Day, 26 January, is the anniversary of the arrival of the First Fleet of 11 convict ships from Great Britain, and the raising of the Union Jack at Sydney Cove by its commander Captain Arthur Phillip, in 1788
A big part of my upbringing involved being educated in Australian History and topics such as the goldrush days and bushrangers were always favourites of mine.
Therefore, I would like to celebrate Australia Day by posting some music that has connections with the goldrush days / bushrangers. I hope you enjoy these and have a great Australia Day !
.
(Various Australian Artists 1980)
.
The first major gold rushes took place in 1851 near Bathurst in New South Wales and at Ballarat in Victoria.
A sheep station hut keeper, Christopher Thomas Peters, had also found gold in Castlemaine, Victoria, but kept his discovery quiet. He and three friends earned a year's pay in a month by chipping gold from rocks with a hammer and chisel. However, word of the fabulous richness of the diggings soon got out and thousands of people started to explore the creeks around the area, finding gold close to the surface.
Castlemaine is a city in Victoria, Australia, in the Goldfields region of Victoria about 120 kilometres northwest by road from Melbourne, and about 40 kilometres from the major provincial centre of Bendigo. Castlemaine began as a gold rush boomtown in 1851, it has since become a major regional centre known for its industrial and cultural institutions including the oldest continuously operating theatre in mainland Australia, the Theatre Royal.
Bendigo is a major regional city in the state of Victoria, Australia, located very close to the geographical centre of the state and approximately 150 kilometres north west of the state capital Melbourne.
Bendigo is one of the most significant Victorian era boomtowns in Australia. Gold was discovered in 1851 at The Rocks on Bendigo Creek and the Bendigo Valley was found to be a rich alluvial field where gold could easily be extracted. News of the finds intensified the Victorian gold rush bringing an influx of migrants to the city from around the world within a year and transforming it from a station to a major settlement in the newly proclaimed Colony of Victoria.
Bendigo is notable for its Victorian architectural heritage and gold mining history. Since 1851 over 22 million ounces of gold have been extracted from its goldmines, making it the highest producing 19th Century goldfield in Australia in the nineteenth century and the largest gold mining economy in Eastern Australia.
.
This record includes four tracks from 3 different bands who played in the Central Victorian District in the early 8o's. The bands were Sharp Toys, Cruize and Public Enemy (who by the way had a distinct 'Angels' sound to their act). The recording was made at GCR's Community Radio Studio in Castlemaine, Victoria. The 4 track equipment used to do the recording was purchased with a small grant from the Australian Film Commission. The record itself was cut at Astor Records, Clayton, Victoria.
Goldfields Community Radio Co-operative Limited was the managing body of a group of people seeking to establish a community controlled FM broadcasting station - 3CCC-FM for Central Victoria. This recording was one of the several projects that GCR undertook to raise funds to finance their station. As I acquired this LP at a flea market I am unsure how many pressings were made, but I would suspect that it would have been a limited release. As there is next to no information available on these three bands - I suspect they didn't go onto bigger and better things, however, they were all talented musicians and their original compositions showed great potential.
Rip was taken from my vinyl copy at 320kps and includes full album artwork.
.
BANDS:
.
Sharp Toys (Castlemaine)
Glen Braybrook - Guitar, Vocals
Rex Watts - Bass, Vocals
Robert Watts - Lead Guitar, Vocals
Joe Rutledge - Drums
.




Cruize (Bendigo)
Brian Pollard - Guitar, Vocals
John Rowe - Lead Guitar, Vocals
Trevor Coulter - Bass
Barry Gray - Drums, Vocals
.
.
...
Public Enemy
Tony Penno - Guitar, Vocals
Rob Colson - Lead Guitar
Ron Addlem - Bass
Rod Frichot - Drums, Vocals


.
..
Goldfields Rock Link (95Mb) New Link 01/10/2013
.

Scorpions - Fly To The Rainbow (1974)

(German 1965-Present)
.
The Scorpions go way back to 1965 when Rudolf Schenker started up the band in Hanover, Germany, influenced by Elvis Presley, The Beatles and the many British beat groups like The Yardbirds, Pretty Things and Spooky Tooth that followed in their wake; they served their apprenticeship delivering standard beat sounds.
By 1970, the group's line up had settled down with the addition, from the band Copernicus, of vocalist Klaus Meine and Rudolf's younger brother Michael, who had already established his reputation, as a child prodigy on the guitar, with Cry (1968-1970). The five piece were completed by Wolfgang Dziony (Drums) and Lothar Heimberg (Bass) together they made a debut album 'Lonesome Crow', which was issued only in Germany in 1972.

British hard rock/heavy metal band UFO. At the end of the tour, Scorpions lead guitarist Michael Schenker was asked to fill an open position as UFO's guitarist and accepted the role. Schenker's departure temporarily resulted in the break up of the band but Rudolf Schenker and later Klaus Meine ultimately merged with the band Dawn Road which consisted of guitarist Ulrich Roth filling Michael's role, as well as drummer Jürgen Rosenthal, and bass guitar support of their Lonesome Crow album, Scorpions appeared as the opening act for the guitarist Francis Buchholz. The new line up resumed under the Scorpions name and recorded their second studio album 'Fly to the Rainbow' which was released in 1974. It had a harder edge, with fewer excursions into the Krautrock experimentalism and wistful psychedelia of it’s predecessor. Uli’s soaring guitar antics were overtly following in the footsteps of Hendrix, yet his mastery of the lead guitar proved to be an exciting addition to the formula, and is highlighted in my favourite Scorpion's track "Speedy's Coming".

Some tracks still retained a dreamy quality to them, notably on "This Is My Song" and the title track. In some ways, this is a more fully realised album than 'Lonesome Crow' with tighter, more disciplined song structures delivering more oomph to the mix.
.
When asked to comment on the cover art to the album, the band's former lead guitarist Uli Jon Roth said -
"Don’t ask me what that cover means… I disliked it from the beginning. It looked ludicrous to me back then and looks just as bad today. It was done by a firm of designers in Hamburg, who had actually done a good job on the Lonesome Crow album before, but I think that time they failed miserably. As for the meaning, I can only guess, but I’d rather not…"

.Album Review
.Ok, so the cover art is pretty absurd and probably a turn-off for those that might take a chance with it, but those willing to get passed it will be pleased to discover yet another excellent 70’s heavy metal album from Germany’s finest.
Fly to the Rainbow features the first lineup change between albums and it’s a pretty notable one. Firstly, guitarist Michael Schenker leaves to join UFO, but his replacement Ulrich Jon Roth would turn out to be one of the most significant members of the band during this early period. His esoteric style would produce a lot of classic material in the future, though it’s a shame that he didn’t contribute as much on this album. The other significant lineup change was the replacement of the masterful Lonesome Crow rhythm section with new bassist Francis Buchholz (who would become a staple) and drummer Jurgen Rosenthal. Both new members are good, but I can’t help but miss the Geezer Butler-esque melodies of Lothar Heimberg and the almost jazzy drumming of Wolfgang Dziony. How the band managed to replace them with equally talented members so quickly I’ll never know.
.
The album also has a fairly different sound than its predecessor, likely due to the new lineup. There’s far less of a psychedelic influence on this album and a much stronger bluesy rock ‘n’ roll vibe. The Black Sabbath comparisons are few and, ironically, comparisons to Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow are much more applicable. Opener “Speedy’s Coming” is notable as the first track where singer Klaus Meine sounds like his usual self. Indeed, this is probably the first album where hints of the band’s future songwriting style would begin to emerge. Now it certainly sounds nothing like Savage Amusement, for instance, but listen to the chorus of a track like “Fly People Fly” or “Far Away” and not hear the trace beginnings of one of the 80’s most resilient heavy metal acts. And it’s a good thing that Fly to the Rainbow doesn’t sound like their 80’s material, otherwise extended blues numbers like the Roth-penned “Drifting Sun” and the Spanish sounding “They Need A Million” would certainly not exist.

I prefer the uniqueness of Lonesome Crow, but Fly to the Rainbow is just as solid, if not even more focused in terms of writing. The many acoustic passages used combined with the increased vocal presence of Klaus Meine create beautiful melodies, while the addition of Roth guarantees a heavy guitar sound and a signature Hendrix-inspired atmosphere. For fans of 70’s heavy metal/hard rock. [review by E Rock 2008]
.
Rip was taken from my Imported Vinyl pressing in FLAC format and includes full LP and CD scans along with select photos of the band in the 70's. 
.
Track Listing
01. Speedy's Coming (3:33)
02. They Need A Million (4:50)
03. Drifting Sun (7:40)
04. Fly People Fly (5:02)
05. This Is My Song (4:14)
06. Far Away (5:39 )
07. Fly to the Rainbow (9:32)
.
Band Members:
Klaus Meine - Vocals
Ulrich Roth - Guitars
Rudolf Schenker - Guitars
Francis Buchholz - Bass
Jurgen Rosenthal - Drums
with Achim Kirschning - organ, synthesizer, mellotron

Scorpions FLAC Link (288Mb)  New Link 16/10/2023

The Runners - Hitting The Wall (1983)

(Australian 1981-185)
.
Paul McNaughton (who later changed his name to Norton) started playing bass in various bands in his teens, which led to the formation of the Melbourne band 'The Runners'. After a couple of years of constant live work The Runners were signed to Mushroom records in 1981 and released their first single "Sure Fire Thing" in 1982, followed by the album "Hitting the Wall" and the single "Endlessly".
The title of The Runners debut album Hitting The Wall (January, 1983) is a reference to the point during a distance race when an athlete is suddenly confronted by the barrier of his own exhaustion. I can well relate to this state having completed 8 marathon's in my earlier years - and hitting the wall is an under statement !
The Runners toured constantly throughout the early eighties and went through many line up changes, and recorded their final single "Twins" in 1984 before disbanding in 1985.

.After the Runners, Paul Norton played with 'Wendy And The Rockets' and later married Wendy, then went on to a solo career releasing a couple of albums, one being 'Under A Southern Sky' and also played with Pete Wells (ex Rose Tattoo) in 'Hillbilly Moon'. For more info on Paul , see his website
.
Lead singer Mark Edwards went on to record his own album 'Land of the living' which featured his minor hit single "World's Away". It didn't receive much attention at the time which is a pity, as it is quite a good album and is available at Friday On My Mind

.Trevor Reading has been a professional musician / producer / engineer for 26 years beginning in Melbourne rock band "The Runners" with Paul Norton while simultaneously building Studio 250 in Noble Park with Phil Butson. Around 1984, they began Sing Sing studios in Richmond with Kaj Dahlstrom. Trevor engineered and produced many artists at Sing Sing over the next decade.
Also during this time, Trevor played guitar with the "Richard Clapton Band" to promote his "Solidarity" album.
Trevor then left Sing Sing Studios to work with Joe Camilleri at his Woodstock Studios, engineering most of the artists that came through in the early years of Woodstock. He also played guitar and bass on many of Joe's projects.
Trevor then left the band circuit and moved into Musical Production. The West Wing studio that Trevor has designed and built is the culmination of 26 years of studio design and building experience (see his website)

Countdown Magazine Vol.1 No.7 Jan, 1983

 Grant Hamston went on to play drums with Wendy Stapleton in The Glee Club (1986) and Steve Hoy and The Hoy Boys (1987-88).

.













The rip was taken from my near mint vinyl copy at 320kps and I have included full album artwork including inserts. Also included is artwork for CD (thanks to Keith at Midoztouch) which I have modified to include the bonus tracks. Thanks also to Tom Mix Music for the vinyl rip of the "Twins" single. This is a great album - don't miss it !
.
Track listing
01. Endlessly (Hitting The Wall)

02. Sinai
03. Sure Fire Thing
04. Midnight Flight
05. Don’t Apologize
06. Penny Drop
07. Man So Simple
08. New Lands
09. Walk Between The Lines
10. Sky Is Falling
11. Hook Line And Sinker
12. Twins (Bonus A-Side single)
13. Pleasure Zone (Bonus B-Side single)
.
Band Members:
Mark Edwards (Vocal, Guitar)
Paul McNaughton (Bass, Vocals)
Trevor Reading (Guitar, Vocals)
Grant Hamston (Drums, Percussion, Vocals)
.
Other Credits:
Produced by Robert Ash
Mixed by Ernie Rose
Endlessly Produced by Charles Fisher
With James Black, Peter Jones, Mick O’Connor, Peter Sullivan/ Keyboards,
Wilbur Wilde/ Saxophone, Joanna Kamorin/ Backing Vocals
.
The Runners Link (113Mb) New Link 30/09/2013
.

Robin Trower & Jack Bruce - Live at the MusicHall, Worpswede, Germany (2009-03-01) Ex SB

(U.K 1981-82, 2008 - Present)
.
In the early 1980s, Trower teamed up with former Cream bassist Jack Bruce and his previous drummers Lordan and Isidore, for two albums, 'BLT' (Bruce, Lordan, Trower) and 'Truce' (Trower, Bruce, Isidore). In 2007, Robin released a third recording with Jack Bruce, 'Seven Moons', featuring Gary Husband on drums.
The trio of Jack Bruce, Robin Trower and Gary Husband have been touring consistently since the release of their 'Seven Moons' album in 2008 (apart from Bruce taking some time off after falling ill earlier in 2009). One of the reasons behind the enthusiasm is probably the new material on Seven Moons.
.
In an interview posted at getreadytorock.com, Bruce said:
“The challenge now is to bring to life the new material written with Robin. Well it was Robin’s idea really. He got in touch with the idea of compiling a CD from the two previous albums we had done and I suggested two new songs. He came round to my house and we started writing. It was all very fluid and happened very quickly.”
.As for including older classics on their tour, Bruce said:
“Now we don’t just want to get into revisiting our respective back catalog's, as this is a different and new project, though there are a few old warhorses from Cream on the live album. Well up and until the Cream re-union gig I hadn’t played any of it for quite some time, but at this stage of my career people get pissed off if you don’t. It reminds me some years ago when I went to see Bob Dylan, and he didn’t do anything at all from the past and everyone really got fed up. It’s part of my musical past and really when it comes down to it we are entertainers after all and you don’t want to disappoint your audience.”
.In return, one can’t help but notice how Bruce really appreciates his audience.
A relaxed but controlled performance and very good sound make this one of the best shows of the current tour. Thanks to jazzrita for sharing the radio broadcast on the Dime site and to mortengo for the artwork.
.
Concert Review (by Alan Howard)
The venue for the concert is 25km north of Bremen. The village of Worpswede is intimate, quite and beautiful. As my brother, John, and I walk towards the The Music Hall I am intrigued such a music venue exists so far from noisy, densely populated towns and cities. It is 5.30 pm and the band are going through a sound check. The songs are "Seven Moons" and "Lives of Clay" and sound great. At the rear entrance to the hall there are a number of vans with cables running from the stage area. The performance is being recorded for broadcast on Radio Bremen.
I meet a music journalist from Hamburg and we talk about the broadcast and the venue. My brother and I talk to a number of people from different parts of Germany and Sweden who are big Jack Bruce fans. It is good to see Laurie Brace and Steve Russell again. We talk about tonight's gig, the previous night's performance in Nijmegen, Holland, and exchange a few pleasantries and jokes. Two great guys kept busy making sure all the musical equipment is working, in the right place (esp. monitors), ready for the musicians to play. And ensuring the sound balance is as close to perfection as possible given the restraints of the venue.
The program and posters outside and inside the venue intrigue me. The only musician displayed is Jack Bruce. It appears Jack is the main act and Robin and Gary are supporting musicians. I understand this is the way the music industry sometimes works. Two formidable musicians collaborate on three albums, organize a short tour in Europe, and only one of the musician's is given recognition and billing. When I discovered the set list included the entire Seven Moons album I tried to curtail judgment, but couldn't. I'm sorry to disappoint. The album has a number of great songs but also has it's share of unmelodic, average tracks.
I notice Robin's Deja Vibe is absent from his pedals. This rules out the possibility of the trio inserting other songs in the set to provide contrast; uptempo, funkier rhythms; the chance to hear Jack playing bass and singing on "Bridge of Sighs" or "Day of the Eagle." A view shared by numerous Robin Trower devotees and musicians at the front of the stage. Indeed, the absence of songs from earlier collaborations - BLT, and Truce - is a major talking point before, during and after the concert with some fans. Tracks such as: "Into Money," "No Island Lost," "Won't Let You Down," "Gonna Shut You Down," "Gone Too Far," "Fall In Love," "Little Boy Lost" ... would have enhanced the set and experience.
Frankly, I despair of CD/DVD/concert reviews which make you wonder if the person was at the concert or has listened to the music on disc. Some reviews on the Net and magazines appear to be “cut & pasted” and follow a familiar pattern with comparisons of Robin to ... well, you know who. A review bereft of originality and sincerity is a disservice to the artist and the writer.
.
The show started around 9:00 pm to a hall packed with eager fans. At the outset Robin's guitar tone and power seem to be low in the mix. This fails to make "Seven Moons" or "Lives of Clay" any less engaging. Two powerful tracks back to back. Robin's soloing is a revelation. In fact, it is noticeable that Robin and Jack are enjoying playing together.
The sound is uncluttered and Robin's guitar sound becomes more visible during the pedestrian "Distant Places Of The Heart". During the song Robin uses his considerable vibrato and guitar voicings to great effect. A wonderful, creative journey. A masterclass in sensitive, passionate soloing. The outro solo is stunning. Jack Bruce at the finish of the song says, “Life isn't so bad after all ...” I believe, for the moment, he's right.
.
Tonight Robin's Strat is plugged into a 100-watt custom built Cornell amp. I prefer his guitar tone when he uses Marshall. In fact, towards the end of the set Robin's guitar sound appears to oscillate in volume; a combination of amp and faulty connections, perhaps.
After a passionate and enthusiastic version of “Sunshine of Your Love” the tempo slows for a rendition of “Carmen.” The live version misses the guitar overdubs and outstanding vocal Jack produced on the original recording. Not an easy song to sing, whatever your age, or state of health.
At some point I begin to feel Gary Husband is prone to over-drum - a la Buddy Miles - and the sensitivity of some songs, while still moving, are executed with a rigorousness not required.
Following “We're Going Wrong,” “So Far To Yesterday,” “ Just Another Day” the infectious rhythm of “Perfect Place” enables Robin to use the wah-wah pedal to create haunting, biting, riffs that make the song seem too short. During the song the trio create a wondrous groove which the audience share with vocal enthusiasm.
.
I'm so glad that superlative musicians as Robin Trower and Jack Bruce still grace this planet, share their music, their gift, and voice wherever - and whenever - possible. Both musicians have enriched my life and those of numerous others. I hope they tour together again without constraints and a different set list. I acknowledge they call the shots. Me? I'm a nobody who enjoys music played "live" with passion, vigor and creativity. So who am I to talk? I knew you'd understand. [Many thanks to Alan Howard for this comprehensive review]
.
The concert was recorded and broadcast by Radio Bremen. Rip was taken from a taped radio broadcast at 192kps and includes full album artwork and concert photos. (Link to more photographs of the performance on The Music Hall Web Site)
.
Track Listing
Disc 1
01. Seven Moons 5:00
02. Lives Of Clay 5:50
03. Distant Places Of The Heart 6:42
04. Sunshine Of Your Love 10:18
05. Carmen 4:53
06. She’s Not The One 3:31
07. We’re Going Wrong (JB composition) 8:53
08. So Far To Yesterday 4:18
Disc 2
09. Just Another Day 7:11
10. Perfect Place 4:24
11. Bad Case Of Celebrity 5:36
12. The Last Door 5:43
13. Come To Me 4:39
14. I’m Home/White Room 12:33
15. Politician 6:07
16. Closing Announcement 0:12
.
Band Members:
Robin Trower - guitar
Jack Bruce - bass, vocals
Gary Husband - drums
.
Trower and Bruce Live (132Mb) New LInk 02/10/2013
.

Band Of Light - Selftitled EP (1974)

(Australian 1972-74)
.
Band Of Light were formed in October 1972 by Phil Key (vocalist and rhythm guitarist from legendary New Zealand band The La De Da’s). Ian Rilen (later a key member of both Rose Tattoo and X) replaced Peter Roberts (also ex-Freshwater and La De Da’s) on bass after just 3 gigs. Master slide guitarist Norm Roue (who had come from Sydney band Gutbucket) and experienced drummer Tony Buettel (from Bay City Union, Levi Smith's Clefs, Fraternity and Band Of Talabene) completed the line-up.
The music that band Of Light recorded in 1972-4 is clearly typical of its time - heavy blues and boogie embellished by lashings of slide guitar (C/- Norm Roue). Lyrically, the band (or more precisely Phil Key and his song writing partner wife) explored a quasi-religious philosophy that embraced racial equality, social justice, spiritual harmony and cosmic enlightenment. Similar I guess to the Flower Power - Hippy movement that occurred in the states.
.
To this end, Band Of Light was the first local band to use a symbol to represent a set of basic ideals in their music. This was not dissimilar to Led Zeppelin's symbol used on their 4th album.
Key chose a collective symbol for Band Of Light which comprised of a divided circle (like the Yin and Yang) set within two contrasting triangles (see pictured right).
In their short existence (1972-74) Band Of Light managed to release 4 singles, 2 albums and an E.P. Their first hit single released in April, 1973 "The Destiny Song" b/w "Over B" (Warner Bros. WBA 4035) immediately drew strong airplay in hometown Sydney, eventually peaking at #10. Melbourne radio was slow on the uptake, taking until June before airing the track and within a month hit #7 on the 3XY chart. As a recognised hit record "The Destiny Song" remains a classic of its type. In line with the band's basic principles, Warner Bros. had the band's symbol (logo) printed on the "The Destiny Song" single labels - including this EP [Ian MacFarlane]
.
As 1974 arrived, Warner Bros combined the tracks "The Destiny Song", "Moonstruck", "If", and "Free Them From Hunger" (edit) for release as part of the rare 'Band Of Light' EP (Warner Bros. EPW 261). The last two tracks were from their 'Total Union' album, although the version of "Free Them From Hunger" is a heavily edited version (2:45) of the full-length album cut with the second half of the song simply lopped off after Roue's first slide solo. This edited version does not appear on the recent Aztec music release of 'Total Union' even though it features a range of bonus tracks, including the "Destiny Song".
.
The rip was taken from my vinyl copy of the EP which is in excellent condition (320kps). I have also included scans of the covers (although the back cover is only a generic listing of other EP titles) and both of the labels. As mentioned previously, the track "Free Them From Hunger' is the edited version and has never been released on CD.
.
Track Listing
01 - The Destiny Song
02 - If
03 - Moonstruck
04 - Free Them From Hunger
.

Band Members:
Robin Andrews (drums) 1973-74
Tony Buettel (drums) 1972-73
Dannie Davidson (drums) 1974-75
Eddie Hanson (guitar) 1974-75
Phil Key (guitar, vocals) 1972-75
Ian Rilen (bass) 1972-74
Peter Roberts (bass, vocals) 1972
Norm Roue (guitar) 1972-74
Bill Williams (bass) 1974
.
Band Of Light EP Link (34Mb)
.

Andrew Lloyd Webber - Variations (1978)

(UK 1965-Present)

.

Andrew Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre, and has been referred to as "the most commercially successful composer in history." Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of variations, two film scores, and a Latin Requiem Mass. He has also gained a number of honours, including a knighthood in 1992, followed by a peerage from the British Government for services to Music, seven Tony Awards, three Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, fourteen Ivor Novello Awards, seven Olivier Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2006. Several of his songs, notably "The Music of the Night" from The Phantom of the Opera, "I Don't Know How to Love Him" from Jesus Christ Superstar, "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina" from Evita, "Any Dream Will Do" from "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" and "Memory" from Cats have been widely recorded and were hits outside of their parent musicals. [extract from wikipedia]

Variations is a Classical/Rock fusion album by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Andrew Lloyd Webber and Julian Lloyd Webber were always very close, but their two different careers (a rock musical composer and a classical cellist) meant that a collaboration seemed unlikely. It wasn't until Julian beat his brother in a bet on a Leyton Orient football match that Andrew was forced to write his cello work.
As his subject, Andrew chose the theme of Paganini's 24th caprice and added 23 variations for cello and rock band. The work premiered at the 1977 Sydmonton Festival with rock band Colosseum II, featuring Gary Moore, being joined by Barbara Thompson (Sax, Flute), Rod Argent, (Piano, Synthesizer, Keyboards) and Julian Lloyd Webber (Cello). It was subsequently rearranged and recorded in 1978. It reached number 2 in the album charts.
The work was used in Song and Dance and David Cullen made an arrangement of the work for cello and orchestra. The opening and closing variations have been rewritten for cello and piano, the latter of which Julian often uses as an encore, due to its amusing glissando down to Bottom A (forcing a mid piece re-tune) to conclude.
The opening theme is used as the theme to 'The South Bank Show' and "Variation 5" became "Unexpected Song" with lyrics by Don Black. "Variation 18" is an instrumental version of the title song from the first Rice/Webber musical "The Likes of Us".
.
The reason why I was drawn to this album was two fold. Firstly, I had read somewhere that Gary Moore (ex Thin Lizzy) played guitar on the album and I was interested to hear what he would sound like in a different context.
Secondly, when I saw the album cover curiosity had certainly got the better of me, as I am quiet partial to Classical Music (believe it or not), through my own musical background in piano and flute. I didn't really know who Andrew Lloyd Webber was at the time, but I was certainly familiar with some of his famous musicals.

I gotta say, I really love this modern take on a favourite amongst the classic scene. Even if you are not big on Classical music, there is enough 'rock fusion' and 'groovy vibes' on this LP to keep you happy.

Oh ! and by the way, take note of the 'breast button' pinned on 'Mademoiselle' to the right of the cello player. It says 'Bored Teenager'! And what's that I can see lying at her feet? This quartet really was ahead of its time.
.
The rip was taken from my vinyl copy at 320kps and includes full album artwork from both CD and LP, including a wonderful tree representation of the many composers who have used the theme from Paganini's Caprice to compose their own works.
.
Track Listing

01. Introduction
02. Theme (Paganini Caprice in A minor No. 24) & Variations 1-4
03. Variations 5 and 6
04. Variation 7
05. Variation 8
06. Variation 9
07. Variation 10
08. Variations 11-15 (including the Tributes)
09. Variation 16
10. Variations 13-14 Varied (listed as 14-15)
11. Variation 17
12. Variation 18
13. Variations 19, 20 and 5 Varied (listed as 6)
14. Variations 21 and 22
15. Variation 23
.
Performers:

Don Airey - Grand Piano, ARP Odyssey, Minimoog, Solina String Ensemble, Fender Rhodes Piano
Rod Argent - Grand Piano, Minimog, Roland RS-202, Yamaha CS-80
Gary Moore - Gibson Les Paul, Rickenbacker electric 12 string Guitar, Guild acoustic, Fender Stratocaster
Barbara Thompson - Flute, Alto Flute, Alto & Tenor Saxophone
Jon Hiseman - Arbiter Auto-Tune drums, Paiste cymbals & gongs, Percussion
John Mole - Fender Precision Bass, Hayman fretless bass guitar
Julian Lloyd Webber - cello
Additional Performers:
Dave Caddick - Piano
Phil Collins - Drums and percussion
Herbie Flowers - Bass
Bill Le Sage - Vibes
Andrew Lloyd Webber - Synthesisers
.
Variations Link (71Mb) New Link 15/12/2023
.