Burton Cummings - Selftitled (1976)

(Canadian 1965 - Present)
.

Burton Cummings is that rare artist who has transcended time, genres and generations with a body of work that continues to resonate with fans both old and new. His voice has been rated among the finest in rock music and his extensive catalogue of songs is the envy of his contemporaries. Burton continues at the top of his game as a performer, singer, songwriter and recording artist second to none.

Burton is one of the most celebrated rock artists in Canadian music history. He has received the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award and is a member of the Prairie Music Hall of Fame, the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame and the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. He has been inducted into both the Canadian Music Hall of Fame and Canada’s Walk of Fame as a member of The Guess Who and as a solo artist.

In early 1966, Cummings replaced Bob Ashley on keyboards in The Guess Who. Chad Allan, the band’s founder, left a few months later, making the 18-year-old Cummings the group’s new lead singer.

Cummings teamed with guitarist-singer Randy Bachman to become one of the most prolific and popular song writing duos of the era, churning out such classic songs as “These Eyes,” “Laughing,” “No Time,” “No Sugar Tonight” and “American Woman” (the first song by a Canadian band to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart) before Bachman’s departure in May 1970. While Bachman initially took Cummings under his wing, the relationship between the two became strained after the group achieved stardom, when Bachman’s strengthening Mormonism conflicted with the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle of alcohol, drugs and groupies embraced by Cummings, bassist Jim Kale and drummer Garry Peterson.

The string of popular albums and hits continued after Bachman left with “Share the Land,” “Albert Flasher,” “Rain Dance” and “Clap for the Wolfman,” among others. Cummings then became disenchanted with the more progressive rock direction The Guess Who took with guitarist and songwriter Domenic Troiano, and left to pursue a solo career in 1975.
Solo Stardom.

After striking out on his own and moving to Los Angeles, Cummings provided backup vocals on Eric Carmen’s Boats Against the Current album. He released his own self-titled album through Portrait Records and launched it with a performance on 8 November 1976 at Manitoba Centennial Concert Hall. The album, which saw Cummings turn to a more soft rock, adult contemporary sound, was produced by Richard Perry, whose credits included records by Barbra Streisand, Carly Simon and Ringo Starr.

The lead single “Stand Tall” was a No. 1 single on the adult contemporary chart in Canada (where it was certified gold) and a Top 10 hit in the United States, while the follow-up “I'm Scared” was almost as successful. The LP, which also included a big band version of Bachman Turner Overdrive’s hit “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet,” hit No. 5 on the Canadian album chart. It went on to sell over 200,000 copies domestically and earned Cummings four Juno nominations; he won for Most Promising Male Vocalist and Male Vocalist of the Year.

His 1978 album 'Dream Of A Child' became the first quadruple platinum-selling album by a Canadian artist. Through the ‘80s and ‘90s Burton continued to tour including joining Beatles drummer Ringo Starr’s All Starr Band. A starring role in the feature film Melanie alongside Miami Vice star Don Johnson in 1980 earned Burton a Genie Award for Best Original Song along with praise for his acting ability.

The success of Lenny Kravitz’ cover of American Woman from the hit feature film Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me brought renewed attention to the original Guess Who. The group reunited in 1999 for the closing ceremonies of the Pan-American Games (with a television audience numbering in the tens of millions) and mounted several high-profile North American tours. Burton later teamed with Guess Who alumnus Randy Bachman as Bachman-Cummings for further touring and recording success. The Bachman Cummings Songbook, released in 2006, became another platinum seller, followed the next year by Jukebox.

Never content to rest on his extraordinary accomplishments, Burton Cummings continues to write, record and perform. Described as Canadian rock ‘n’ roll royalty, a national treasure, and a living legend, for Burton Cummings there has always been one constant: he remains true to himself and his own way to rock. [extracts from Cumming's Website & The Canadian Encyclopdia Online ]
.
Album Review
As a member of The Guess Who Burton Cummings played an enormous role in getting Canadian music in the international charts. After a decade with them he finally disbanded the group he had come to outgrow, and worked hard on making his first solo project an unforgettable gem.
Every song on this album is performed to perfection, and, along with a half-dozen originals, all of which rank with his very best writing efforts (especially "Is It Really Right", his best song ever, and also his personal favourite from this album) he includes a diverse selection of well chosen cover
songs, ranging from a superb reading of Gilbert O'Sullivan's "Nothing Rhymed" to the jokey big band version of "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet", which, curiously, led to a rekindling of friendship between Cummings and former bandmate Randy Bachman.

Elsewhere "Stand Tall" provided him with his only truly substantial US hit as a solo artist, although "I'm Scared" also made an appearance on the charts, but every song is a highlight, and the album deservingly charted higher than any Guess Who album since 1970s "Share the Land".
Overall, Burton can certainly Stand Tall with this classic release which has lasted the test of time.
.

This post was taken from my vinyl copy of Burton's album, ripped to MP3 (320kps) and includes full album artwork with label scans.  If you liked his hit "Stand Tall" which was a massive hit here in Australia, then you're gonna like the album. The last track, a cover of the BTO classic "You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet' has a refreshing swing to it (pun intended) and attests to Cumming's musical brilliance.  No Guessing Who is Standing Tall on this album !
.
Track Listing
01 - I'm Scared 4:04
02 - Your Back Yard 3:16
03 - Nothing Rhymed 2:32
04 - That's Enough         3:06
05 - Is It Really Right 5:01
06 - Stand Tall         3:43
07 - Niki Hokey         2:31
08 - Sugartime Flashback Joys 3:25
09 - Burch Magic                 3:48
10 - You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet 3:44

Burton Cummings - Vocals, Keyboards
Randy Strom - Guitar
Ian Gardiner - Bass
Jim Gordon - Drums
Bobby Hall - Percussion
Jimmy Phillips - Organ
.
Burt Cummings Link (86Mb) New Link 04/07/2025

Graham Bonnet - Line-Up (1981)

(U.K 1967 - Present)
.

In 1977, Graham Bonnet released an eponymous album, which was certified gold in Australia. The single, "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue", a cover version of the Bob Dylan song, also reached the top five in Australia in 1977, and the following year the single "Warm Ride", written by the Bee Gees, a leftover from the Saturday Night Fever sessions, reached number one there.

In 1979, Bonnet was approached to join UK glam-rock band Sweet to replace Brian Connolly. However, he was chosen by Ritchie Blackmore to replace Ronnie James Dio as the vocalist of hard rock band Rainbow. This was something of a musical departure for Bonnet, who had previously identified himself more as an R&B singer. Bonnet would later credit his time in Rainbow, and his collaboration with Blackmore in particular as changing fundamentally his musical outlook to a more hard rock focus. He sang on the Down to Earth LP, which would become his most successful album. It spawned two hit singles in 1979 & 1980: "Since You Been Gone" and "All Night Long".

Bonnet's time with Rainbow was short and he left to resume his solo career, releasing the Line-Up album in 1981, handled by producer John Eden. Following on from his time in Rainbow, the album had a markedly more rock-based sound than his previous solo recordings, whilst retaining some of his former R&B influences. For the recording of Line Up Bonnet enlisted several well-known rock musicians including Whitesnake guitarist Mick Moody, Whitesnake and Rainbow drummer Cozy Powell, Deep Purple and Whitesnake keyboard player Jon Lord, and Status Quo guitarists Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt. The album reached No. 62 in the UK Albums Chart. The album's lead single, "Night Games", reached No. 6 in the UK Singles Chart, with the follow-up single, "Liar", reaching No. 51.
.

Bonnet Power 'Now for the solo Graham' 

(Article from Sounds 1981, p22 by PETE ERSKINE)

Inevitably, we began the interview by first discussing Rainbow. Graham Bonnet is leaning back in one of those armless corduroy chairs sipping beer. I recall the time I interviewed Ritchie Blackmore for Sounds. During the course of the somewhat belligerent tete a tete Mr Blackmore, becoming irritated with my line of questioning, had interrupted one of my carefully prepared questions to inform Sounds readers that, in his opinion, he was (and is) the best guitarist in the world!
Bonnet reacts with something less than surprise.
"Oh yes" he notes matter-of-factly. He really thinks he is"
But according to Bonnet, who, after all, owes something to his personal and professional renaissance to Blackmore after having joined Rainbow at their zenith, in 1979.
"He is fast. Really, he must be one of the fastest rock guitarists in the world. The only trouble is that his style is completely fixed"
Graham Bonnet was born in Skegness, Lincolnshire, his mother was a resident singer at the local Butlins Holiday Camp. Bonnet's childhood heroes were Buddy Holly, Elvis and Paul Anka.
He weighed 7 stone 12 and was on the dole. His father bought him his first guitar.  His first performances took place in local church halls.
Later he took part in a series of blues bands (commercial white blues spearheaded by John Mayall and Fleetwood Mac was then sweeping the country) — and in the process began to develop the power and control his voice now possesses (apart from becoming proficient on bass and guitar).
However, Bonnet soon tired of knocking out the old standards, so exchanging old for new began playing cover versions of contemporary Chuck Berry material.

Moving to London with his cousin Trevor Gordon — the two of them working in a butcher shop — it transpired that Trevor had worked with the Bee Gees in his early teens. Inevitably (as such stories go it would appear), Robert Stigwood expressed interest and invited Bonnet and Gordon to make a record, although as part of the conditions the boys were forced to drop the other guys in the band.
Hence a band called The Marbles came into being. In 1968, they had a huge hit - "Only One Woman", which gave Bonnet his first and only taste of fame for almost 10 years
"We had a follow up single." Bonnet explains. "But it didn't do very well."
But didn't you, make any money from the hit?   No, Not a bloody penny."
In desperation one of Bonnet's other cousins — now a schoolteacher — tried to - as they say on Fleet Street — 're-structure his rock career', Bonnet was to have been the new Tom Jones. TV commercials followed. Beer and aftershave. In 1977, Bonnet released a solo album that went gold in Australia, in its wake came a myriad of offers, but, despite the self-assurance and power Bonnet exudes on stage he is a desperately unsure and insecure individual, the kind of musician who really lights up if paid a compliment. . .

To return to Rainbow. During his stint with the band, Bonnet recorded the 'Down To Earth' album which produced two hit singles, "Since You've Been Gone" and "All Night Long".  He left in 1980 - Why?
"There were many reasons." he replies. "Firstly, I simply couldn't get on with Roger Glover and increasingly I was finding it difficult to work with Ritchie. He's a good guitarist — in his own way, But he's so rigid - and he does tend to be a little dictatorial
"I mean, quite honestly it'd got to the point where the band had been playing so long that it simply became a series of cliches."
The atmosphere within the band did actually become quite vindictive, apparently Blackmore considered the length of Bonnet's hair and his Florida Beach shirts 'inappropriate'. Thus, minutes before Bonnet was due to take the stage he discovered a 'conspiracy' (his word) involving the locking of all his stage clothes in a trunk
"It was," he says, "the straw that broke the camel's back"
Graham disappeared for a while but last month he released his solo album. 'Line-Up' but one thing that seems odd is there's no self-written material on the album, why?
"I wanted it to be a strong follow-up to the hits I had with Rainbow but the next album will include a lot of my songs.
"We basically started 'Line-Up' with one of the songs on the album, "Be My Baby", we were in the studio just banging it out on the piano and someone suggested we record it,"
Although Graham left a strong band, his latest album includes such stalwarts as Jon Lord on keyboards, Cozy Powell on drums, Mick Moody on guitar and Gary Twigg on bass, so we'll have to see if that combination can bring him his pot of gold.
.

.
Album Review 1
Leading off with the 1981 number six U.K. hit single "Night Games," Line Up is a journeyman, early-'80s cross between hard rock and AOR. It's neither pop nor heavy metal, but somewhere in between. Though it may be far less metal than the group he'd just left (Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow), it was also far less catchy than, say, the post-Keith Moon-era Who. It was just the sound of a guy belting out mediocre songs with a lot of lung-power in the waning days of '70s-style hard rock popularity, with Cozy Powell's thumping drums doing more than anyone else to bring it into the 1980s production-wise.

Some debts to old-time rock & roll are also heard in the cover of "Be My Baby"; a pretty lousy, ponderous pass at the Kinks' "Set Me Free"; and an-out-of-place-sounding run through Chuck Berry's "Anthony Boy." Also on hand is his low-charting, synth-heavy cover of Argent's "Liar," with other songs bearing some faint traces of the likes of Supertramp and the Police.
[All Music Review by Richie Unterberger]
.

.

Album Review 2

Following his brief spell in Rainbow Graham Bonnet took full advantage of his newly acquired rock audience and put out this 1981 solo offering.
‘Line- Up’ came complete with a who’s who of guest musicians and a Rainbow coloured backdrop for the cover shot just in case anyone forgot what band he’d been in. To be fair to him though Bonnet did propel Rainbow into that rock/pop chart territory of the very late seventies and early eighties in a way that Dio probably never could have ……… but that is for a different review.

Enlisting the help of Whitesnake men Micky Moody, Jon Lord and Neil Murray, as well as future snake skins man Cozy Powell meant that he was fronting a pretty useful sort of hybrid Whitesnake.
‘Night Games’, which was a minor UK hit was very much in the mould of ‘Since You Been Gone’ and ‘All Night Long’ from his Rainbow days albeit without the added bonus of a Blackmore solo.
‘Liar’ and ‘That’s The Way That It Is’ were also released as singles and charted. Bizarrely the latter named was also released at around the same time by Uriah Heep who were at that point fronted by Pete Goalby who had tried out with Rainbow just before Bonnet !
‘Dirty Hand’, ‘Out On The Water’ (with great backing vocals ) ‘Don’t Stand In The Open’ and the rock ‘n’ roll blitz of ‘Anthony Boy’ all stand out on what is a very good album.
The hideous ‘Be My Baby’ (Bay City Rollers) and a couple of obvious fillers are the only lowlights.

All round then a good album well worthy of four stars and more proof that when Bonnet sings rather than shouts he can cut it with some of rocks finest.  [Review by Martin Leedham. First published on RYM January 2009]
.
This post consists of MP3's (320kps) ripped from my squeaky clean (near virgin) vinyl which I purchased back in my Uni days and anything associated with Deep Purple / Rainbow.  Full album artwork for LP & CD and label scans (gotta love that Vertigo label) are included, plus a scan of the Sounds Mag interview.
I must admit I was a bit peeved when I discovered that Jon Lord only played on one track on the album, while the credits and imagery on the back cover implied that he was a primary band member. Not cool man!
.
Track Listing
01 - Night Games
02 - S.O.S
03 - I'm A Lover
04 - Be My Baby
05 - That's The Way That It Is
06 - Liar
07 - Anthony Boy
08 - Dirty Hand
09 - Out On The Water
10 - Don't Stand In The Open
11 - Set Me Free

The Line-Up:
Vocals - Graham Bonnet
Guitars - Micky Moody, Richard Parfitt, Russ Ballard, Francis Rossi
Bass - Gary Twigg, Chrissie Stewart, Neil Murray
Keyboards - Andy Brown, Jon Lord, Ian Lynn, Adrian Lee
Drums - Cozy Powell
Sax - Mel Collins
.
Graham Bonnet Link (96Mb) New Link 16/01/2025
.

W.O.C.K On Vinyl - Benny Hill: The Best Of (1992)

.
Before things get too serious here at Rock On Vinyl, I thought it might be fun to post a song / album at the end of each month, that could be categorized as being either Weird, Obscure, Crazy or just plain Korny.

For your pleasure, this month's WOCK on Vinyl posting is Benny Hill's 'Best Of 'album and yes, the C & K are for Crazy & Korny.

Perhaps the best asset the late Benny Hill had was his hilarious facial expressions, which, of course, are missing on this release (except for the cover artwork). However, the songs on this collection are humorous, and if one couldn't discern the lyrics while Benny sang these songs on his television show, this release might provide clarity and therefore some satisfaction. Nevertheless, Benny Hill is funnier on the telly. ~ Tim Griggs
.
It’s been said that Benny Hill was the most famous comedy artist in the world. His shows were (and, in some cases, still are) regularly screened in over a hundred countries around the globe. Comedian, pop singer, mime, clown … he was one of the most popular funnymen in the last fifty years, a man who also scripted the sketches and composed the musical numbers he performed.

.

Benny Hill and Thames Television enjoyed twenty years of enormous success with The Benny Hill Show, which was a sketch-comedy series in which Hill would often play multiple characters and satirize popular British and American performers and stars. Common themes in the show were the husband-beating wife, buxom women, and silent, high-speed chase scenes between Hill and the other characters

Hill's show was always chock-full of double entendres, sight gags, cross-dressing, and the scantily-clad beauties "Hill's Angels" that became his stock-in-trade. He also loved using slow-motion, speeded-up motion, and time-lapse sequences. It was with these classic shows of the '70s and '80s that Benny really hit his stride as a comic, and for these shows he will always be remembered.

Although he was to become world famous as the "dirty old man" who leered and cavorted with young women, in his private life, Hill had much less success with the ladies. He definitely liked women, enjoyed their company, and fell very deeply in love. Sadly, he proposed to three different women in his life and was turned down by all three. 

According to a few of the beautiful "Hill's Angels," Benny loved taking them out on dates, but never made the first move or even tried to kiss them. Rumors circulated that Benny was gay, which he laughingly denied. The irony of TV's top woman-chaser being suspected as gay is almost too much to believe. 


"I use a pretty girl the way Henny Youngman used his violin - as a bridge between one laugh and the next," he said during an interview in the 90's.
.
Track Listing
01 - Yakety Sax (Benny Hill Theme)
02 - Ernie (The Fastest Milkman In The West)
03 - Bianca
04 - Gypsy Dance

05 - New York Rap
06 - Star Names
07 - Just Wanna Be In Your Band
08 - Down On The Farm
09 - Unlucky Luke
10 - Pepy's Diary
11 - Older Women
12 - Cafe Ole
13 - Graffiti
14 - Lifeguards
15 - Go Round Again
16 - Yakety Sax

All songs by Benny Hill except "Yakety Sax" (James Rich/Boots Randolph).


Personnel: Benny Hill (vocals), Mitch Dalton, Lee Fothergill (guitars), B.J. Cole (steel guitar), Sid Sax (violins), Peter Hughes, Roy Willox, Chris Thompson (woodwinds), Derek Watkins, Tony Fisher, D. Healey (trumpets), Chris Dean (trombones), John Coleman (keyboards), Andy Pask, Paul Westwood (bass), Mike Smith, Harold Fisher (drums), Steve Henderson, Gary Kettel (percussion), Maggie Stredder, Penny Lister, Ann Simmons (background vocals).

.

 (MP3/256kps) Benny Hill Link (40Mb)  New Link 18/11/2024

The Reels - Requiem (1992)

(Australian 1976 - 1991, 2007 - Present)
.

Late in 1979 it looked like a band with the most unlikely origins would be one of Australia's biggest hopes for the eighties.
The Reels had bounced out of the New South Wales town of Dubbo, hardly famous for its rock groups, with an album they had put down in a mobile studio. A couple of hit singles were cut from it and the band was on its way. But, by February, 1980, all the excitement surrounding the Reels had died down and virtually nothing was heard of them until July when they cropped up again on Countdown.
"Well, we broke off with our management and we wanted to re-assess everything we were doing because we weren't very happy" singer David Mason explained. "Then we started rehearsing again in Dubbo and got our Reels by Rail tour going."
The tour took the band through eastern Australia by train and was the build-up to recording a follow-up album to their self titled debut, which, by the way, was released in more than twenty countries. And the band got itself back on track - literally - under its own management.
"We just used different agencies for the tour and we want to employ someone to handle negotiations with our record company for us" Mason said, "we can handle the image part of it pretty well, but we need someone to organise things like contracts..a money person, that's what we need. None of us is into money too much. But it's hard to get someone who will just manage those things for you and not try to take control of you. We want to be totally in control of the creative side, things like the albums covers as well as the music. We don't have our record company telling us what to do because we're commercial anyway, so we don't need a manager running that side of things."

The reels are Mason, Colin Newham and Karen Ansell (keyboards), Craig Hooper (guitar), Paul Abrahams (bass) and John Bliss (drums). And proof of Mason's statement about their ability to be commercial is in almost every song they play.
Often dismissed as simple, sometimes labelled punk by those who obviously don't know, the Reel's music, in fact, is as close as most bands ever get to producing a radio programmer's dream come true. And all that hope for the 1980's is alive and kicking. [Feature article from Countdown Annual, 1980. p54]
.

The Reels 1980

The Reels Stop Gigging
Live gigs are likely to be a rarity from now on for The Reels, with the electro-pop threesome electing to concentrate more on recording and making videos.
This fresh decision, announced by vocalist Dave Mason, is a surprise not only to the band's followers.,. "Our manager - and our bank manager - will freak out when they hear it," he said shortly after the group returned to Sydney after about five months of being "Aussie tourists" in the United States, England and Europe,
"We're just not interested in live gigs," he said, "We just want to record and make videos, and write songs.
Asked to elaborate, Dave said the trouble lay with the crowds, venue owners, the people who book venues, and the attitude of those in the industry,
"When you are in a band you have to get out there and pay your dues — but you have to play in places where people get knifed end girls get raped.
"Who wants that? We don't want to encourage that any more. It doesn't suit the band's image."
However, Dave said the group was interested in "nice gigs" with the right type of audience, and was interested in playing to kids, though he did not think a tour of schools was likely.
He recalled the days in his hometown of Dubbo. when once a week he went to see a major gig at a dance open to everyone,
"That sort of scene's just died in Australia, but it's still thriving In England." There were no venues in Australia for anyone under 17 years old. "Kids are trained in Australia to become yobbos if they want to get interested in the rock and roll scene," Overseas the rock and roll scene was the same, said Dave, but it was worse in London, especially the venues.
I think they are past caring about what audiences want. They cram in so many people you can't breathe. They turn off the air conditioning so you will buy more booze. Who cares, as long as you are making money?
"If they think that is the only way to make a buck, they have got to be kidding. "It is okay for some bands, who basically cater tor people who like that."
Dave said there was still pressure on The Reels to work in such venues "We'll just look at different ways of making money ... or we'll have to do with less money.
"We will play, but only when we want to. And when we're ready to, it will be in places we want to play in."
Dave said the "very recent" decision about live performances was voted on two to one by the group.
For exposure, Dave sees the possibilities of television "just endless"
"We have the best TV in the world here, especially with Channel 0. But television doesn't respect bands,
"Only when performers are megastars or are so old they are just about to hit the clubs do they get on TV.
"You can get on Simon Townsend's 'Wonderworld', which is great, or Countdown - but it is horrible as they refuse to have a studio audience now.

The Reels 1984

 We're not Interested in playing rock and roll gigs - we find them repulsive,"
It was a silly thing to do, to take away the kids," in England one could get up at 7am and see a band on television - "You can see top 40 groups in the studio performing as part of the entertainment on shows."
Back In Australia, said Dave, the same old groups were appearing in outdoor concerts.
"We very rarely have an amiable line-up. The set-up is not right for us, especially when using tape machines,"
And while Australia produced the best heavy metal bands In the world, it could at the same time produce the best pop bands. "Isn't it wonderful that the Models are on the top 10 at long last.
"Rock and roll is not everybody's taste." Dave said he was not bitter nor unhappy.
"We just can't go on. We have just got to stop and concentrate. I know we can still produce records and put them out to the marketplace.
"I think we can sell records without having to go live. "But when we do go live, we want to put on a show - a spectacle.
"People pay $7 to see Return Of The Jedi and know they have seen something great, but if they pay $7 for a band, what have they seen?
"We have always tried to use visuals in our shows, but they have never been appreciated. We have been using slides for three years, and now other groups are using them." [Article by Louis Edwards. Countdown Magazine, Jan 1984. p16]

Mason and Hooper

This post consists of FLACs and MP3's (320kps) ripped from my CD copy of this compilation 'best of' album. I believe it was released on cassette tape as well.  Full album artwork and scans of the two Countdown articles are also included.  One of my favourite tracks by the Reels is their cover of the Bacharach classic "This Guy's In Love" and it featured on my own wedding video back in 86'.
Question:  Shouldn't men get time off for good behavior after 30 years of marriage?  Well.....shouldn't we??
.
 
Track Listing 
01 - Love Will Find A Way
02 - Prefab Heart
03 - After The News
04 - According To My Heart
05 - Shout & Deliver
06 - Quasimodo's Dream
07 - No.3
08 - This Guy's In Love
09 - Last Night (I Couldn't Get To Sleep)
10 - Happiness
11 - Bad Moon Rising
12 - World's End
13 - Love Grows
14 - Forever Now
15 - I Don't Love You Anymore
16 - Bad Moon Rising (Filthy Lucre Remix)
.

The Reels were over time:
Dave Mason - Vocals
Craig Hooper - Guitar and Synthesisers
Colin Newham - Keyboards, Sax and Guitar
John Bliss, Stephan Fidock - Drums
Tony Martin, Paul Abrahams - Bass
Karen Ansell - Synthesiser
.


The Reels Requiem FLACs (338MB)
.

.

Prince - R.I.P (21-04-2016)

(U.S 1978 - 2016)

The award-winning singer, songwriter and actor — born Prince Rogers Nelson — became an international superstar in 1982 after his breakthrough album 1999. He famously changed his stage name to a symbol in 1993.

In his lifetime, the Purple Rain singer won seven Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe and an Academy Award.

He sold tens of millions of albums worldwide in a career that spanned several decades and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.

Prince’s publicist, Yvette Noel-Schure, confirmed his death.

“It is with profound sadness that I am confirming that the legendary, iconic performer, Prince Rogers Nelson, has died at his Paisley Park residence this morning at the age of 57,” the publicist said in a statement. “There are no further details as to the cause of death at this time.”

A TRULY SAD DAY FOR ALL WHO HEARD OR SAW PRINCE PERFORM 

This post pays tribute to his sheer musical genius. MP3's (256kps) with limited Artwork

Track Listing

01 - Sign O The Times

02 - Play In The Sunshine

03 - Little Red Corvette

04 - Housequake

05 - Girls And Boys

06 - Slow Love

07 - I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man

08 - Hot Thing

09 - Now's The Time

10 - Drum Solo

11 - Let's Go Crazy

12 - When Doves Cry

13 - Purple Rain

14 - 1999

15 - The Cross 

Prince - 1987-06-17 Paris (Wonderboy) Bootleg

New Link 30/12/2023

Kiss - Allphones Arena, Sydney (2015) Ex. Bootleg

(U.S 1973-Present)

.

The godfathers of rock, KISS, announced they were touring Australia in October, 2015 as part of a 40th Anniversary World Tour.

The six-concert tour took off in Perth on October 3, then moved to Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Newcastle.

The band’s latest show, "The Spider", featured a giant computer-controlled monster arachnid hanging over the stage as part of a 43-tonne set with 900 pyrotechnics and 400,000 watts of sound.

Supporting them were super group 'The Dead Daisies', featuring Richard Fortus from Guns ‘n’ Roses and John Corabi from Motley Crue.

Only two members of the original KISS lineup remain: Paul Stanley, 63, and Gene Simmons, 65, alongside percussionist Eric Singer, now on his third tour of duty in the band, and lead guitarist Tommy Thayer, who joined in 2002.

.

Concert Review 1

As for Kiss, what can you say that hasn’t been said a hundred times before? There are so few bands these days so self-aware and so gloriously over the top that somehow the well-worn cliché of their performance always manages to suspend disbelief and exceed expectations. As a veteran of just two Kiss shows two decades apart tonight just seems so much more than I could have imagined, or remember. Sure it’s cheesy, sure Paul’s sincerity, which is overwhelming at times seems too much, but in the context of the show it all makes perfect sense.

From Stanley’s pouts and ruffling of his glorious mane, to Simmons’ evil stares and fire-breathing antic Kiss has finally got to that point in their career 40 years on where the parody has become part of the enjoyment of the show. And whilst die-hards may moan about the face-paint worn by Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer – those guys are both an integral part of the spectacle.

Opening with the band descending from ‘The Spider’ the huge stage set the band has brought over to Australia for the first time – almost an update of the old Alive II staging – it’s gloves off; and as the riff from ‘Detroit Rock City’ hits with smoke and lasers and all manner of pyrotechnics in play its going to be a glorious visual as well as aural experience.

Tonight the set-list was spot on, bringing back as it does a slew of mid-period Creatures of the Night material -  starting with the title track and adding a rather fine ‘I Love it Loud’ and ‘War Machine’. It’s a welcome surprise interspersed at it is with the vintage: ‘Deuce’ ad ‘Do You Love Me’ (always a favourite that one!) and the newer ‘Psycho Circus’ and ‘Hell or Hallelujah’.

Gene Simmons

Of course it’s the set pieces that steal a lot of the thunder – from Gene’s blood spitting bass solo, during which he flies back up to the belly of the spider; to his fire-breathing during  ‘War Machine’ and Paul’s flying fox visit to the cheaper seats during an impeccable ‘Love Gun’ . But tonight every song had its pyrotechnic accompaniment, and the big screens reflect on the past forty years with some cool shots from the archive.

Closing the main part of the show the much-loved ‘Black Diamond’ still takes some beating. The encores of course were unforgettable: ‘Shout It Out Loud’ giving way to ‘I Was Made for Loving You’ before ‘Rock and Roll all Nite’ and several tons of white confetti  closed the set, and opened up the Australia leg of the World Tour. [Review taken from therockpit.net]

.

Paul Stanley

Concert Review 2

We wanted the best and, oh man, did we get the best!

As any one of the near-capacity crowd of twenty-thousand who packed into Sydney’s Allphones Arena last night can attest, the power of a KISS show is still immense even after forty years.

Or, perhaps it’s because they've had four decades of experience playing stadiums and arenas – think of that, how many other bands can lay such a claim? Other than the Rolling Stones, not many at all – that Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer know what it takes to grab an audience by the scruff of the neck, buffet them with heavy guitars, thumping drums, flame bursts, lasers, smoke bombs and some of the greatest rock anthems ever written, and send them home happy.

If you were in the audience last night, and you didn't enjoy the show, which ran for a pleasing two hours, you’re either lying to yourself or you hate rock music. KISS know what their fans want, and they deliver in spades. The new spider stage – something you have to see to believe – is the centrepiece of a spectacle that is unrivalled in rock today, and will probably never be topped in the annals of rock music history…except maybe the next time KISS tour.

Of course, Australia has always been a happy hunting ground for KISS, stretching way back to the 1980 tour dubbed Kisteria, but Australians are notoriously fickle when it comes to performing artists not from these shores. Big overseas acts have been roundly panned and abandoned here. Not so, KISS. Despite line-up changes over the years, and a switch from face paint to being unmasked, a few farewell tours, and some more line-up changes, the band still draws a crowd.

It was the band’s third show in as many nights, having played Melbourne twice, and singer Paul Stanley, who’s voice is, let’s face it, not what it used to be, could probably have done with more of a break between performances. His voice was wearing thin towards the end, but the ample supply of Gene Simmons-sung numbers – including ‘War Machine’, ‘I Love It Loud’ and a pulsating ‘God Of Thunder’ sung from the Allphones rafters – saved the show from disaster.

Look, everyone knows that Stanley’s voice isn't what it once was. The people in charge of the tour should have recognised that three shows in a row might not have been the smart move. Stanley was searching hard for the high notes late, and not always finding them. It was a situation that could easily have been avoided. A day or two off and Stanley would've been fine. It’s just as well that KISS aren't playing tonight.

Aside from Stanley’s voice giving up the ghost late, this was a powerful show. I love the new set list that includes a more even split of songs sung by Stanley and Simmons (and Eric Singer’s ‘Black Diamond’ was as good a vocal performance as there was all night) simply because there are some great Gene songs that didn't always get a look in. The afore-mentioned ‘War Machine’, for example. That is a brilliant song to hear live!

Just as you would expect, all the old favourites were there – ‘Detroit Rock City’ to open, as the Spider Stage lowered the band from the rafters to the stage, ‘Lick It Up’, ‘Love Gun’, ‘Deuce’, ‘I Was Made For Lovin’ You’, ‘Shout it out Loud’ and the memorable confetti-soaked show closer, ‘Rock and Roll All Nite’ – and all sung with a searing, hard edge. As good rock should be!

‘I Was Made For Lovin’ You’ may sound disco-tinged on a record, but on the stage, it’s as heavy a song as the band has in their catalogue. ‘Love Gun’ is even more bombastic live than on the record (and was sung by Stanley after taking a flying fox across to a B-stage in the middle of the arena), and everything from Creatures of the Night is titanium-tough. Even ‘Hell or Hallelujah’ from KISS’s most recent release, 2012’s Monster, is epic. It’s going to be a classic, Stanley tells us. And, having heard it live a few times now, I don’t doubt it.

Then there was the flame, smoke, fireworks and laser lights that, nightly, transform KISS from being a normal rock band to one of the can’t-miss Bucket List performs in the history of rock. Gene’s blood spitting and fire breathing isn’t new, but it’s a It’s an assault on the senses in the very best sense of the world, and I remain convinced that the band’s arsenal of things that go BOOM! Is bigger than some small country’s!

For guys who are getting on in age, they move so smoothly around the stage, despite doing it in platform heels, clad in gear that, whilst it looks good, probably isn’t hugely practical for what they do. Gene must sweating like a machine beneath his body-encasing armour, but he never shows it. His on-stage act, whilst perhaps bordering on comical/pantomime at times, is a highlight.

Paul Stanley is the ultimate showman. The way he commands an audience is beyond impressive, as is his ability to move around the stage like he’s gliding a few inches above it. He’s definitely the ying to Simmons’ Yang, and the two as an on-stage force are just about unparalleled in rock. You think of great on-stage combinations – Jagger and Richards, Axl and Slash, Bono and The Edge, Springsteen and Clemons – and realise that Stanley and Simmons are right up there. 

Special mention to Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer on guitar and drums. They’re brilliant musicians – and, by all accounts, brilliant people, too – and KISS fans should thank them for their service rather than comparing them to their predecessors. After all, without their efforts in the wake of well-publicised issues with Ace Frehley and Peter Criss, there’s a very good chance that KISS wouldn’t exist today. For mine, Singer is a better drummer than Criss ever was.

KISS! You’ve delivered another epic. Can’t wait to see you again!  [Review by Kitch at blogkitch.blogspot.com.au]

.

The Party Never Ends For Kiss

(Rolling Stone Article, Nov 2015, p31) 

"More than four decades after forming, the legendary rockers return to Australia"

When  KISS  first  toured Australia in 1980, they were, says frontman Paul Stanley, "prisoners of the hotel", such was the pandemonium surrounding the band. "It was amazing to be front page news every day and to meet some incredible people and some equally incredible women," he titters. Thirty-five years on, Kiss are returning once again this month, bringing with them their 'spider' stage production. Stanley checked in ahead of the tour to reflect on the band's career.

You've been doing this for 42 years. Is there anything left for you to learn about playing live?

I'm pretty good at it. But that doesn't mean I enjoy it any less. What happened with time is I cherish what I do that much more. So to be up on stage, I don't know how much I have to learn at this point, but I savour what I've created and what the fans give back.

Is there an era where you think the band was at the peak of their powers creatively?

People tend to see that initial surge as the high point, and quite honestly I think we've eclipsed that. I believe that Sonic Boom [2009] or Monster [2012] are as good as anything we've done, it's just that anything that's classic has to go through a period of time. "Psycho Circus", "Lick it Up", those are now classics, but they weren't classics when they came out. So in terms j of firing on all cylinders, we've never fired ! on more efficient cylinders than we do now.

2015 marks 40 years since the Kiss Alive tour. Is that hard to process?

It's hard to digest it. Forty years is a lifetime, and to think that I'm doing today what I did then, nothing's really changed. This has been my life. If 40 years is a lifetime, well, it's been mine.

Any plans to follow up the 'Destroyer' and 'Love Gun' reissues with more from your back catalogue?

We'll see. At the moment the plate's full, but tomorrow the phone may ring and someone will say, "Why don't you go in and remix Rock and Roll Over?" Who knows. Each day brings a new surprise.

So there's no strategy? That seems odd for a band like Kiss.

No, none.

For all the adoration Kiss receives, is there anything you don't think you get enough credit for?

I get all the credit I need from the people who count. And the people who don't give credit don't count. If you deny the truth, then why would I waste my time? I only have time for the people who share my beliefs. I'm not here to make converts. [Interview by Rod Yates]

This post consists of MP3's (320kps) sourced from Drac Ulla at bootlegsworldwide with thanks. Limited artwork is compensated by loads of tour photos and stage shots.  The quality of this concert is quite remarkable for a bootleg and the recording has been more than likely sourced from the main mixing board.  I only wish I had made the effort to go to their earlier Melbourne concert at the Rod Laver Centre and would be interested in hearing from anyone who might have attended.

Track Listing

CD1

01. Intro

02. Detroit Rock City  

03. Deuce

04. Psycho Circus

05. Creatures of the Night

06. I Love It Loud

07. War Machine

08. Do You Love Me

09. Hell or Hallelujah

10. Guitar and Drum Solos

11. Calling Dr. Love

CD2

12. Lick It Up

13. Bass Solo

14. God of Thunder

15. Cold Gin

16. Love Gun

17. Intro: Black Diamond

18. Black Diamond

19. Shandi

20. Shout It Out Loud 

21. I Was Made for Lovin' You 

22. Rock and Roll All Nite  

Kiss Link (248Mb)

Galapagos Duck - Endangered Species (1985)

(Australian 1969 - Present)

.

Galapagos Duck is an Australian jazz band. Formed in 1969, they have an extensive history of international touring, including:

-Montreux Jazz Festival, Switzerland

-Jazz Yatra Festival, Bombay, India

-American Musexpo

-Singapore International Jazz Festival

-Queenstown Jazz Festival, New Zealand

-Vanuatu International Jazz Festival, Vanuatu

The band formed in 1969 for the winter season at "The Kosciusko Ski Chalet, Charlottes Pass".

Before it moved to The Rocks Push jazz club in Sydney, the band in 1969 was Marty Mooney and Tom Hare (reeds), Chris Qua (bass and trumpet), and Des Windsor (piano and organ).

Bruce Viles (owner of the Rocks Push) established The Basement jazz club at Circular Quay in 1973 and the Galapagos Duck opened there as the house band. At that time, the personnel was Marty Mooney and Tom Hare (reeds), Chris Qua (bass and trumpet), Willie Qua (drums and reeds) and 

Doug Robson (piano).

Some of the top names in Australian jazz have worked with the band at one time or another, including Dave Levy, Roger Frampton (no relation to Peter I'm afraid!), Col Nolan, Paul McNamara and Warren Daly (ex-Daly-Wilson Big Band). For more info, see their website  and a previous post I made for their 1977 Magnum album.

How the ‘Duck’ got its name

I’ve heard a few versions of the story, but this was told me by Tom Hare and John Connelly during my radio interview in the 1980s in Townsville. The “Duck Flies North” tour was to promote their “Endangered Species” album, sponsored by the Australian Wildlife Society : ‘In the early days at “The Basement” in Sydney the band shared the stage with an assortment of props for various functions. Alongside the old paraphernalia was a large wheel with a clapper that produced a loud clacking-quacking sound when it was spun around the numbers on the outer edge, giving rise to much humour in dull moments.

Around this time general conversation was rife about the discovery of the last giant tortoise left on the Galapagos Islands, nicknamed “Lonely George”. Spike Milligan was a firm follower of the band, often sitting in on trumpet and when a visitor to the club asked him the name of the band, in his own peculiar habit of zany humour, Spike told him: “it sounds like a Galapagos Duck”.

The following week the new chum was heard telling his friends loudly, “Oh, they’re the Galapagos Duck”. The name stuck. It is often misspelt, but seldom forgotten, and followers agree the band will never become an 'endangered species'. 

[from Bundaberg-Jazz-Waves-Newsletter-Issue 25-February-2015, Editor: Valerie Brown]

Album Review

Galapagos Duck would be counted as one of Australia's best-known jazz bands (which may not be saying that much, in truth). With a constantly changing personnel, they have been in existence since 1969, when the original members got together to play some gigs in the NSW snowfields 

during ski season.

Since then the band has travelled a long musical road through most spectra of the jazz idiom, owing to the eclectic strengths of various members of the band. Their sound is unique, partly owing to their wide-ranging use of idiom, and the fact that over time most members of the band have been multi-instrumentalists, which means that in any one night or recording the line-up of instruments can change from tune to tune.

Endangered Species was released in 1985, in aid of the World Wildlife Fund. I suppose in some ways it could be termed as a concept album, in that the songs are about specific endangered species, or wildlife in general, with one song about the Greenpeace organisation.

As with most albums created around a concept, there are high points and low points in this recording. In fact quite often it is the grooves that stand out, rather than the tunes as a whole. The riff in Hindsight is very catchy, the groove in China Bear is good, (the lyrics aren't!), Living Planet has a great funk feel, and Grizzly Bear is a classic R'n'B type groove.

There are also some tunes here that hark back to traditional jazz, Wombat Walk being one of them. All the instrumentalists are top notch, with especially good trombone playing - in fact a few of the tunes feature a frontline of trombone and tenor sax, which perhaps shouldn't work as well as it does, given they are playing in the same voice.

The album is let down by it's lyrics - four tunes are sung, and the lyrics are somewhat trite (especially in Poor Little Bustard), which is a shame, as they make this album less than the sum of it's parts. 

[Review by Roger Clark, from A View Over The Bell, 2011]

The reason I've included this album here is because it is a great introduction to jazz - many styles are included here, the improvisation is good and easy to follow, and the grooves get into your head. 

This post consists of FLACs ripped from my newly acquired vinyl copy (found tucked away in a box of jazz records at a garage sale) which literally sparkled when I inspected its condition. No crackles and pops on this one folks.  Full album artwork and label scans (ABC records) included.  

.

Track Listing

01 - Hindsight (Tasmanian Tiger) 4:27

02 - Wombat Walk 3:42

03 - Whale Song 4:05

04 - Rhino Rag 4:06

05 - China Bear 3:45

06 - In The Wild 5:00

07 - Living Planet 5:07

08 - Greenpeace 3:26

09 - Grizzly Bear 4:13

10 - Poor Little Bustard 3:45

11 - Save The Duck 3:05

12 - In The Wild Pt II 2:40

13 - Whale Song 4:44

.

Galapagos Duck consists of: 

Tom Hare - Saxaphones, trumpet, flugelhorn, drums

Greg Foster - Trombone, harmonica, didgeridoo, ocarina, vocal

Bob Egger - Keyboards

John Conley - Electric bass and guitar

Len Barnard - Drums, percussion, washboard and vocal

Nicky Crayson - Vocals

.

.

Endangered Species FLAC Link (308Mb)

.