The Damned Live Live Live in London 2002: Tiki Nightmare DVD Review (MVD Visual)

A new live release from The Damned is always a welcome thing as, while the band has already released many live albums, The Damned’s constantly rotating lineup (the only constant has been singer Dave Vanian) along with their willingness to regularly reinterpret their songs means that every one of these live albums sounds different. The Damned Live Live Live in London 2002: Tiki Nightmare captures the band at Shepherds Bush Empire on July 12, 2002. This show is the final night of The Damned’s UK tour, where the band was touring behind their 2001 album Grave Disorder.

Not having seen The Damned since their 1991 reunion tour where (at least at the Atlanta show) they seemed very drunk and shambled through their set in just about an hour, I was pleasantly surprised at how tight this lineup sounds. The Grave Disorder lineup of the band was Dave Vanian (Vocals), Captain Sensible (Guitar), Patricia Morrison (Bass), Monty Oxy Moron ( Keyboards) and Andy “Pinch” Pinching (Drums). The nineteen track set list spans the Damned’s back catalogue and includes five numbers from Grave Disorder (“Amen”, “Democracy”, “Song.Com”, “Would You Be So Hot” and “She”), the expected punk chestnuts (“Smash It Up”, “New Rose”, “Neat Neat Neat”), little heard numbers like “Under the Floor Again” and two numbers from the band’s 80’s albums (“Eloise”, “Street of Dreams”) which were recorded while the Captain was out of the band. The Captain even slides in a quick version of “Happy Talk” when the band goes offstage before the encore and he is joined by a pair of “tiki dancers” and Dave does a brief vocal cameo.

Both the playing of the band and their stage presence show how the band has matured over the years. Captain Sensible’s guitar work is top-notch, leading the band through an extended version of “Amen” and using a beer can as a slide on “Ignite”. Dave Vanian and bassist/wife Patricia Morrison are the epitome of cool. Vanian glides and dances his way across the stage - all in black, with slicked back hair, wrap-around sunglasses and gloves - looking like a punk version of Elvis (when he was cool – not fat Elvis) and Morrison looks like a goth pin-up girl. While Captain Sensible clowns around on-stage, the role of ‘comic relief’ seems to have been handed off to keyboardist Monty, who was part of Sensible’s Punk Floyd solo band. “Pinch” is a capable drummer but more of his personality comes out in the bonus feature interview than behind the skins (…and I continue to hope for Rat’s return to the band).

The show is filmed with multiple on-stage cameras so the viewer really has a “you were there” experience as you see the ‘big budget’ shots of the whole band and, from there, the cameras will cut away to close-ups of one of the band members and/or the audience.





There are about 40 minutes of bonus features which are predominately interviews with the individual members of the Damned. Captain Sensible’s interview runs the longest and he sounds remarkably coherent (this isn’t to say that the Captain isn’t off-kilter but I was expecting a raving loony) when talking about The Damned’s place in music, his solo career and more. The other two interesting interviews are Dave Vanian, who is never shown on the screen but rather he talks behind what appears to be found footage of World War I / World War II military bands, and “Pinch”, who sounds like a bit of a nutter. The bonus features wrap up with some very brief (too brief in my opinion) home-movie footage from The Damned’s 2002 Warped Tour appearances.



Set List:
Street of Dreams
Amen
Democracy
Plan 9 Channel 7
Song.Com
Wait for the Blackout
I Just Can’t Be Happy Today
Would You Be So Hot
Disco Man
Under the Floor Again
Ignite
She
Neat Neat Neat
Happy Talk
New Rose
Eloise
Smash It Up
Feel Alright
Love Song

Links:
Official Damned

Von Shakes (Ireland to Brooklyn Power-Punk) Play Late Show at Knitting Factory on July 20th

Just over a year ago, I reviewed Von Shakes debut EP "Almost Nobody" and called the disc "an enjoyable slice of power-punk that is reminiscent of bands like Rooney and Weezer...high-energy, guitar-driven rock with the focal points being Paddy Brazel’s vocals and the band’s slashing guitar lines."

Von Shakes full-length debut, Bohemia, will be out in October and the band describes the album as capturing the sensation and passion of a live show. In a recent interview with Downtown Magazine, Brazil said: "“Bohemia was recorded live, on tape…the artwork is simple, and we’re producing the record onto vinyl...There’s no fiction in our lyrics, we like to believe everything is real.”

The show at Knitting Factory is listed as starting at 11:55PM (why not say Midnight??) and tickets are $5.00.



Links:
Von Shakes

Secret Colours (Chicago 'Psychedelic-Newgaze') Release Tripped-Out Tarantino-Style Video for 'Blackbird (Only One)'

Somewhere between Natural Born Killers, Pink Flamingos, and Porky's rests the disconcerting new video for Secret Colours' "Blackbird (Only One). If one finds the glorification of guns, pointless use of the word of "f*ck," and general reinforcement of the well worn and pernicious media stereotype that cross dressing men are always up to no good, then you'll not want to miss this one.

Secret Colours' Tommy Evans describes the overall vibe… "We wanted to have fun with this video by making something not so serious. Its our satirical journey of two dudes, under heavy doses of peaches, thinking they're Bonnie and Clyde fused with Raoul Duke and Dr. Gonzo. All the while, keeping congruent with the 60s and 90s influence of the song."



Secret Colours revel in being the bastard seed of the ’60s psychedelia and ’90s Britpop bloodlines. Since their eponymous debut in 2010, the band moved swiftly from neophyte in the Chicago psychedelic-newgaze scene to crusader over the course of unforgettable performances at Austin Psych Fest and Levitation in 2012. Appearances with Night Beats, Ringo Deathstarr, Elephant Stone, Spindrift, Asteroid #4, Raveonettes, and The Warlocks, have continued to keep Secret Colours in the hearts and minds of their Chicago faithful, but all the while, they’ve been hard at work with producer Brian Deck (Modest Mouse, Gomez, Sage Francis, Iron and Wine) sharpening the edges of their polychromatic sophomore album, Peach.

Links:
Secret Colours

AlunaGeorge (UK Electronic Music Duo) Sign to Vagrant / First US Tour in Sept. Includes Stops At Music Hall of Williamsburg and Bowery Ballroom

I'm generally not much for dance music but I've been getting into the minimalist trip-hop glitch meets R and B/soul sound of London duo AlunaGeorge.   I like the quote from the BBC which describes the band as "strik[ing] a rare balance between dancefloor legitimacy and pop nous."

The band just signed with Vagrant Records and their debut disc, Body Music, will be released July 30th. The band is also kicking off their first US tour at the end of August at Chicago's North Coast Music Festival and are making their NYC debut with shows at Bowery Ballroom and Music Hall of Williamsburg on Sept. 5th and 6th.   At both shows, AlunaGeorge is supported by Chicago's Supreme Cuts. Tickets for each show (Bowery Ballroom, MHOW) are $15 in advance and $18 DOS; each of these shows start at 9PM.



Taking the boom of British bass culture and marrying it to the sweet slickness of classic American R&B, AlunaGeorge – aka Aluna Francis and producer George Reid – are excited to announce the details of their eagerly awaited debut album Body Music, released on July 30th via Vagrant Records.

Body Music – Track List:
1. Outlines
2. You Know You Like It
3. Attracting Flies
4. Your Drums, Your Love
5. Kaleidoscope Love
6. Bad Idea
7. Diver
8. Lost And Found
9. Best Be Believing
10. Superstar
11. Just A Touch
12. Body Music
13. Friends to Lovers
14. This is How We Do It (bonus track)

In the 12 months since their first release went viral, AlunaGeorge’s DIY video for “You Know You Like It” has clocked up over 2 million views, the band were crowned the most blogged artist of 2012, they sold out a European tour, performed at Moschino’s catwalk show during London Fashion Week and made the top 3 for both last year’s prestigious BRITS Critics Award and the BBC Sound of 2013 (#2). On top of all of the above, scored a #2 single in the UK with their Disclosure collaboration “White Noise”.





Links:
AlunaGeorge

Ke$sha 'Borrows' (aka Rips Off) Iconic Imagery from The Residents

It was a bad idea when Rerun ("What's Happening!!") agreed to bootleg The Doobie Brothers....

This also seems like a bad idea (Ke$ha - Live at Jones Beach 6/1/13).  In an interview with Yahoo! Music, film maker Don Hardy, a filmmaker who's working with The Residents on a documentary, said:"They don't know what to do," adding that there is a consensus that Ke$ha is "interfering with their intellectual property. Her people definitely didn't call in to say, 'Hey, can we use this?' They're debating what to do. One potential way to deal with it is to ask for a cease-and-desist and have attorneys sort it out. I think they'd rather see a different outcome, though. When you're a smaller group, what do you do? If you file suit, people say, 'Oh, it's the small guys trying to get in on something big.' It's a no-win situation."

There could be a kinder, gentler resolution. "It could be a five-minute conversation," Hardy says, "if Ke$ha will acknowledge that the look came from the Residents and that she's giving them a tip of the hat. Telling people, 'If you've been to my show, it's an homage' might encourage some of her fans to check out the Residents, and the bigger win would be that bit of recognition."

In case anyone might think the appropriation was coincidental, Hardy says that "even down to the color of the eyes, it's what the Residents have used all these years. It couldn't have just happened."



Links:
The Residents

Automatic Children Play An Early Show Tomorrow Night at Mercury Lounge (along with Emanuel and the Fear)

The always brilliant Automatic Children return to Mercury Lounge for an early show tomorrow night, opening for Emanuel and the Fear.

"We last played there in 2010 to promote our then-new album "New is Beautiful." This time we are playing the early show opening for this great 6-piece Brooklyn band. You may have heard about them in The Guardian, Paste, Rolling Stone (Germany), Paper Magazine, NME, Village Voice, or recently on Daytrotter. They just toured Europe in support of their new album "The Janus Mirror." We are looking forward to playing with them. Our original bassist Teddy Williams will be joining us on bass for this show. Come hear some new music." - Automatic Children

For tomorrow night's show, Automatic Children go on at 6:30PM and Emanuel and the Fear go on at 7:30PM.  Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 DOS.

NYC collective Automatic Children sound a little bit like every cool rock band your older sibling or somewhat friendly record store clerk told you about growing up, thrown into a blender and spit out, creating an entirely potent blend of upbeat, guitar-driven pop. 

On their latest 7" Johnny/Now You Know, loud hooks recall Surfer Rosa-era Pixies, while the high-registered vocal delivery of Adam Lippman echoes The Get Up Kids, matched with the world/weary smarts of Paul Westerberg. Influences aside, the simple fact is that Automatic Children are a rock band, streamlined to the basics, who have taken the best of the best and reflected it back in their own way, creating music for discerning fans who are too old to care about trends and like their rock lean, fun, and unpretentious. 

Rounded out with Ed Vail (bass/backing vocals) and Kevin Letsch (drums) Automatic Children is at heart the combined songwriting efforts of Adam Lippman and Crista Giuliani. The two met when Adam auditioned Crista to sing and play backup in his solo band in 2006. Once the connection was made and the chemistry and mutual influences obvious after a few shows, the decision to form a proper band was solidified and the rest is history.

"The music is based on our lives, and our experiences, with a little bit of politics thrown in," explains Lippman. Adds Crista, "I think with multiple songwriters, you get a very diverse sound. I think it's good to have different songs for different moods. Who would want to eat the same thing every night for dinner? " 

Links:

Automatic Children

BELT (Brooklyn Indie Punk/Funk Band) Plays CD Release Show at Bowery Electric on July 16th

“The happy go-punky sound of BELT provides those who still wish to dance at shows reason to do so“ - High Times

BELT, a five-piece indie rock band based in New York City, is set to release their latest full-length album All The Cool Kids Are Doing It! due out July 16, 2013. The album will include 14 tracks featuring the band's signature lush guitar sounds and smooth yet gritty vocals provided by frontman Terrance Brennan. All The Cool Kids Are Doing It! features two previously released singles, "Lions and Whales" and "You Shit on My Heart". In true BELT style, the album crosses genres and features reggae beats, glossy guitars and punk lyrics.

BELT's songs draw from the rock classics such as The Clash and Pixies and incorporate 90s dance qualities from bands like Weezer. Over the last ten years, BELT has gone through 33 lineup changes before settling on the current five-man piece and released an EP, as well as two full-length studio albums including their most recent independent release DISQUIETUDE.



The release party for All The Cool Kids Are Doing It! is scheduled for Tuesday, July 16 at the Bowery Electric - Tickets are $7 in advance and $10 at the doors. The lineup for the show is Stevie and the Lion (7:30PM), Mallet Brothers Band (8:30PM), BELT (9:30PM) and Planeside (10:30PM).

More About BELT:
BELT started out as a duo consisting of singer-songwriter Terrence Brennan and singer Paul Munoz performing acoustic sets in New York City in 2003. In addition to their own releases, BELT helped record a kids album (Strange Kidz,) and helped produce an exclusive singer-songwriter showcase at Tainted Blue Studios in NYC. Currently the BELT line up includes Brennan, long-time lead guitarist Mike Bell, drummer Mike "Pain Train" Sutton, bassist Paulie Testagrossa and backing vocalist Dan Testa.

Links:
BELT

Smashing Pumpkins Announce 6CD + 1DVD Deluxe Reissue of 'The Aeroplane Flies High' (71 Bonus Tracks)

(click-through on box set to go to Amazon pre-order page)

As part of the continuing series of reissues of The Smashing Pumpkins’ acclaimed catalog via Virgin/UMe, the iconic alternative band is set to release four separate versions, all fully remastered, of their platinum-selling 1996 box set The Aeroplane Flies High: 6-CD +1 DVD; 5-LPs and Deluxe Digital and Standard Digital editions. The CD/DVD, 5-LP version and digital configurations will be released July 23.

The original The Aeroplane Flies High was a five-disc box set that featured expanded versions of singles from their acclaimed 1995 double album Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness, including “Bullet With Butterfly Wings,” “1979,” “Zero” “Tonight” and “Thirty-Three.” Mellon Collie achieved Diamond certification by the RIAA for sales of 10,000,000 discs and digital equivalent per disc (5 million copies of the double album).



These new limited edition box sets of The Aeroplane Flies High feature the original 33 track version—remastered by Bob Ludwig—and expanded to 104 tracks (90 audio and 14 audio-visual) encompassing unreleased demos, alternative versions and live recordings. In addition to expanded versions of Aeroplane’s original 5 discs, a 6th disc contains live recordings from the 1996 Mellon Collie tour, while the DVD content is taken from a July, 4 1997, performance in Belfort, France. Included is a 46-page book with liner notes written by David Wild, plus extensive track-by-track notes by The Smashing Pumpkins founder-singer-songwriter-guitarist Billy Corgan—for the original release’s 33 tracks. The box set has unique packaging with embossed foil wrap and twinkle stock for jackets.

Full Track Listing: The Aeroplane Flies High

CD1: Bullet With Butterfly Wings
Bullet with Butterfly Wings
...Said Sadly
You're All I've Got Tonight
Clones (We're All)
A Night Like This
Destination Unknown
Dreaming

Deluxe Edition Bonus Tracks:
Movers and Shakirs
Germans in Leather Pants
Millieu
Jackboot
A/Ab/E/B/F#
Rings
Ugly
Blaster Caster
Little Ditty
Verily I Say
New Waver
The Groover
Ravi Revi Roo
On The Loose
Slurry
- Tracks 8 – 22 Recorded at Gravity Studios, Chicago, IL, March 15, 1994 – March 16, 1994

CD2: 1979
1979
Ugly
Believe
Cherry
The Boy
Set the Ray to Jerry
Deluxe Edition Bonus Tracks:
Tonight, Tonight (acoustic version/instrumental rough)
Jupiter's Lament (billy solo)
Zero (8trk demo)
Marquis in Spades (8trk demo)
Have Love Will Travel (8trk demo)
Infinite Sadness (siamese outtake)
1979 (acoustic)
Aeroplane Flies High (acoustic snippet)
Take me Down (instrumental)
Star Song (dat mix/vocal rough)

CD3: Zero
Zero
God
Mouths of Babes
Tribute to Johnny
Marquis in Spades
Pennies
Pastichio Medley
LP Only: 7. Pastichio Medley (with fades)

Deluxe Edition Bonus Tracks:
By Starlight
Set The Ray to Jerry
Mouths of Babes
Cupid de Locke
Galapagos
To Forgive
Lily (my one and only)
Here is no Why
- Tracks 8 – 15 Recorded Live at the Double Door, Chicago, IL, February, 27 1995

CD4: Tonight, Tonight
Tonight, Tonight
Meladori Magpie
Rotten Apples
Medellia of the Gray Skies
Jupiter's Lament
Blank
Tonite Reprise

Deluxe Edition Bonus Tracks:
Stumbleine
Ugly
Meladori Magpie
God
Love
Pissant
Hello Kitty Kat
Special Winner's Song
I Just Wanna Make Love To You
- Tracks 8 – 16 Recorded Live at the Double Door, Chicago, IL, February, 21, 27, 28, 1995

CD5: Thirty-Three
Thrity-Three
The Last Song
The Aeroplane Flies High
Transformer
The Bells
My Blue Heaven

Deluxe Edition Bonus Tracks:
Silverfuck (live 7/10/96)

Deluxe Edition Live CD:
CD6: Live Inside the Dark Globe
Where Boys Fear To Tread Cleveland, Ohio 7.3.96
Zero
San Francisco, California 2.7.96
Fuck You / An Ode To No One
Stockholm, Sweden 4.10.96
X.Y.U.
Los Angeles, California 2.3.96
To Forgive
Washington, D.C. 1.6.96
Thirty-Three
New York City, New York 1.11.96
Tonight, Tonight
New York City, New York 1.11.96
Lily (My One And Only)
Washington, D.C. 1.5.96
Porcelina Of The Vast Oceans
Cleveland, Ohio 7.3.96
Jellybelly
Gent, Belgium 4.6.96
Bullet With Butterfly Wings
Los Angeles, California 2.3.96
By Starlight
Buffalo, New York 7.2.96
Bodies
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 7.5.96
Silverfuck
Copenhagen, Denmark 4.9.96

Deluxe Edition Concert DVD:
Malsaucy Lake, Belfort, France, July 4, 1997
Glimpses
Where Boys Fear To Tread
Eye
Tonight, Tonight
Transformer
Thru The Eyes Of Ruby
The End Is The Beginning Is The End
By Starlight
Bullet With Butterfly Wings
Muzzle
1979
X.Y.U.
Porcelina Of The Vast Oceans
The Aeroplane Flies High (Turns Left, Looks Right)

As David Wild writes, “The Aeroplane Flies High is a trip, and perhaps fittingly for Billy Corgan, it was an exciting, exhausting and scary one that reveals a lot about the Smashing Pumpkins at this point in their musical journey.” Notes Corgan in the 46-page book: “What I like about The Aeroplane Flies High is that it’s almost the existential backwater of the Mellon Collie album,” Corgan says today. “Listening to the music gathered here is a little bit like seeing what goes on behind the walls of Disneyland. I’ve always been fascinated with places that are very well constructed, and finding out what’s really going on just over the fence. You look over that gate and notice that things on the other side are not well painted—or maybe you spot that guy dressed as some character sneaking a smoke on his break. At least for me, the behind the scenes feel heard on The Aeroplane Flies High represents something revealing not found on the main album. In retrospect, it’s a nice document of how we arrived at the apex of Mellon Collie—and also what standing on that apex did to us personally.”

As The Smashing Pumpkins get the fully remastered treatment via these reissues, the band is excited to be moving forward by creating new music. They will soon start recording the follow-up to 2012’s acclaimed album Oceania (Martha’s Music/EMI Label Services/Caroline Distribution). It was created by the band—singer/guitarist Billy Corgan, guitarist Jeff Schroeder, drummer Mike Byrne and bassist Nicole Fiorentino — at Corgan’s private studio in Chicago as a true album experience for listeners to fully immerse themselves in. It entered the Billboard Top 200 Albums Chart at No. 4 and earned the No. 1 spot on the Independent Albums Chart. Marking The Smashing Pumpkins’ 7th studio record, it is “an album within an album,” part of their 44-song work-in-progress Teargarden By Kaleidyscope. The band launched their 2013 world tour in Mexico this past March and is heading to Europe and Japan for summer dates through August 11.

Links:
Smashing Pumpkins

Jesse Malin: Vintage Vinyl Posts Live Video from 2003 In-Store Performance / Only Summer 2013 Show @ Drew's, Ringwood, NJ

While most people remember Jesse Malin as either fronting D Generation or as a solo artist, I have fond memories of the 'in-between period' when Jesse, Howie and Rizzo formed PCP Highway.  PCP Highway later morphed into Bellevue and somewhere I have a mini-disc bootleg (how's that for dating myself) of Bellevue playing a free show at the Continental in late 2001.  Jesse went solo in 2002 and his debut disc, The Fine Art of Self Destruction, was released in the States in early 2003.

Vintage Vinyl (Fords, NJ) has started posted videos from past in-store performances and, most recently, posted a 60+ minute solo performance from Jesse (below) that was recorded on 3/9/2003.

According to Jesse's website, his only summer show is a 'house party' (Live @ Drew's) on July 20th in Ringwood, NJ.  For tickets - email drew@faresquaremusic.com.  For additional details on the New Jersey house party scene, check out this article that appeared last year in New Jersey Living. 

Links:
Jesse Malin

Oliva - 'Raise The Curtain' CD Review (AFM Records) [Savatage, Trans-Siberian Orchestra]

Three years ago, I reviewed Jon Oliva’s last outing, Festival, (released as Jon Oliva’s Pain) and compared the disc to Alice Cooper’s mid-70’s work. That same comparison still stands with the follow-up to that disc, Raise the Curtain, which was released earlier this month on AFM Records. This time out, in addition to the Alice Cooper influences, Raise the Curtain touches on 70’s prog rock (Yes comes immediately to mind), jazz/fusion and roots-rock of John Lennon. This is an eclectic disc but fans of Jon Oliva’s past work will surely enjoy it.

This new disc is being billed as Oliva’s first solo disc and the impetus behind the ‘hiatus’ of Jon Oliva’s Pain (JOP) was the death of JOP guitarist Matt LaPorte. In an interview with Dan Fasciano of Metalholic.com, Oliva said: "After the passing of my dear friend Matt LaPorte, I felt very confused about the future of Jon Oliva's Pain. A week or so after Matt's service, I was speaking to my friend Dan Fasciano about what I wanted to do. He suggested that I come by his home where he has a full studio and we just hang out and record whatever I had that I wanted to demo." Making this a real solo disc, Oliva plays most of the instruments (which includes playing drums on three tracks) and other musicians include Fasciano on keyboards and piano and Chris Kinder (JOP) on drums.

This new disc starts with the title track, “Raise The Curtain”, which sounds like a classic Yes (the band) number and Oliva’s guitar lines could easily be interchanged with Steve Howe’s. Completely shifting gears on the next number, “Soul Chaser”, has a similar sound to the melodic hard rock of JOP. Not staying in one place for too long, this is followed by “Ten Years”, which has a swinging roadhouse groove and a classic rock chorus. One of the standout numbers on the disc is “Father Time”, which combines jazz/fusion instrumentals with a memorable keyboard solo, proggy guitar riffs and clean vocals. In addition to these numbers, there are the expected power ballads (“Soldier” and the dark and uneasy “I Know”) and the disc wraps up with two ‘John Lennonish’ cuts (“Can’t Get Away” and “The Truth”).



Like the classic 70’s prog-rock albums, most of the songs are multi-layered and the multiple guitar parts, keyboard and piano (along with non-traditional rock instruments like flute and harpsichord) are all intertwined. The interplay between these instruments and Oliva’s vocals makes for great headphone listening.

Many of Oliva’s recent discs have included music recorded by Criss Oliva (Jon’s brother and Savatage guitarist, who passed away in a car accident 20 years ago) and Raise the Curtain includes the last of Criss’ music. Oliva pays an unspoken tribute to Criss by including his white guitar on the front of the album.

Links:
Jon Oliva

The 1975 Announce Two Headlining Shows at Bowery Ballroom in October (Vagrant Records)

(Photo: Dave Ma)

Manchester buzz band The 1975 have announced a 23-date US tour, which includes two headlining shows at Bowery Ballroom on October 9th and 10th.  The band made their NYC debut this past March with a show at Mercury Lounge and this upcoming headlining tour is in support of the band's full-length debut, which is due out on Vagrant Records in September.

Tickets for the Bowery Ballroom shows go on-sale this Friday, July 12th, at 12PM and the cost is $16 in advance and $18 DOS.




The 1975 Fall 2013 US Tour
Oct 5th - Short Mountain Distillery – Woodbury, TN
Oct 8th – The Sinclair – Cambridge, MA
Oct 9th – Bowery Ballroom – New York, NY
Oct 10th – Bowery Ballroom – New York, NY
Oct 11th – Black Cat – Washington, DC
Oct 12th – Union Transfer – Philadelphia, PA
Oct 13th – The Mod Club - Toronto, Canada
Oct 15th – A&R Music Bar – Columbus, OH
Oct 18th – Firebird – St. Louis, MO
Oct 19th – Lincoln Hall – Chicago, IL
Oct 20th – The Rave Bar – Milwaukee, WI
Oct 21st – Varsity Theater – Minneapolis, MN
Oct 23rd – Marquis Theatre – Denver, CO
Oct 24th – Kilby Court – Salt Lake City, UT
Oct 26th – Neumos – Seattle, WA
Oct 27th – Venue – Vancouver, Canada
Oct 28th – Doug Fir Lounge – Portland, OR
Oct 30th – The Independent – San Francisco, CA
Oct 31st – The Observatory – Santa Ana, CA
Nov 1st – The Fonda Theatre – Los Angeles, CA 
Nov 2nd – Vinyl @ Hard Rock Casino – Las Vegas, NV
Nov 3rd – Belly Up Tavern – Solana Beach, CA
Nov 4th – Club Congress – Tucson, AZ

The 1975 Press Bio:
Critics have been bemused and thrilled by the Manchester four-piece and their amorphous drifts between brooding art rock, crisp electronica, dance-floor R and B, and 80s gloss pop. “I don’t think it’s confusing,” says singer Matty Healy of his band. “Feeling a lack of identity and the searching within oneself to acquire a real understanding of what you want to be, that’s something that loads of people can connect with. It’s so strange that with music people want so many rules.”

Matty has known what The 1975 is for some years now, just waiting for the right moment to unveil their stories of lust, intoxication and the unabashed grittiness of modern youth.  “This record is a proper soundtrack to our formative years,” he says of their debut album, co-produced with Mike Crossey (Arctic Monkeys, Foals, The Kooks). “It’s everything that I know and every single song on the album, at some point, has been the most important thing in my life. I’ve spent my adult life working towards this album. It’s literally everything I am.”

Matty’s adult life’ started young. He picked up the guitar when his dad’s best friend died, leaving him two guitars. His confrontational attitude was in place early too - the private school kick-out (“I didn’t really care for being there, I got in a couple of fights. I got asked to leave, I never actually got expelled...”) transitioning to public school at the age of fourteen he started drumming in a punk band with eventual band mates Adam Hann (guitar) and Ross MacDonald (bass).

One day, “This weird kid turned up at school, he was really tall but he looked about nine and was this odd character”. This was George Daniel, drummer and soon to be Matt’s co-songwriter and “My kind of boyfriend. Well, not really, but he might as well be, we don’t really leave each others’ sides.” The pair bonded over their dislocated childhoods – Matt moved between London and Newcastle while George was born in Belgium and grew up in Seattle – and the sense of isolation they felt in their new homes in the Manchester suburbs.

Adam had heard of a “hippy council worker” who rented out local space for kids to play shows, and the band formed in order to get involved. “Everyone would go and get drunk and it was a proper scene at a time when there wasn’t really much going on.”  They developed an artful sophistication and electronic adventurism to their punk rumbles, it was an intriguing track called ‘Robbers’ that earned them a manager in 2009.  Based around a violent, cinematic tale of lust on the lam. “I got really obsessed with the idea behind Patricia Arquette’s character in True Romance when I was about eighteen,” Matty recalls “That craving for the bad boy in that film it’s so sexualized, and the gore with the sexual lust really merges together. It was something I was obsessed with.”  For two years, they relentlessly toured the country and interest began trickling in. But the band, operating under a variety of names, waited. They’d seen contemporaries get snapped up, restyled and spat out by the music industry and wanted everything to be in place– the sound, the songs, and the aesthetic – before they announced their arrival.

“We said ‘we’re not desperate to be famous, we’re not desperate to be in a massive band, let’s do it our way, on our terms, and make sure that our projection of ourselves is controlled by us’.” Throughout 2011, as their cache of self-produced demos grew to album size they decided to sign to Dirty Hit in the UK and spent 2011 touring and getting the songs just right live.  Though 1975 was the year The Sex Pistols formed and Talking Heads played their first gigs, the moniker has nothing to do with the date itself. Matty found it in the back of a beat-era book given  to him by a “gregarious artist” he met at a yard sale in northern Majorca at the age of 19. “He showed me round his house, it was like a sixties bizarre haberdashery. He had photos of him with Hendrix, I thought this guy was fucking crazy!  He gave me loads of beat generation literature, Kerouac and stuff. When I went home I read them and in the back of one of them there was all these mental scribblings, it was almost suicidal, and it was dated at the bottom ‘1st June, The 1975’. I was quite freaked out when I read it, the use of the word ‘The’ really stuck with me. It was the perfect band name.”

The newly monikered group headed to the studio in December of 2011 resulting in the‘Facedown EP’ - the first in a trilogy of EPs to be produced by the band, released in August of 2012. ‘ Sex’ shortly followed in November of 2013. The final EP installment is ‘Music For Cars', which was co-produced by Mike Crossey with the band. The band and Crossey quickly reunited to work on the band’s debut  album, which will be released in September of 2013.

Links:
The 1975

Last Shop Standing: The Rise, Fall and Rebirth of the Independent Record Shop - DVD Review (Blue Hippo Media)

Having spent a good chunk of my youth in East Village indie record stores, the DVD The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of the Independent Record Shop struck a familiar chord and brought back a nostalgia for the gloriously wasted afternoons of the past - drinking and record shopping on St. Mark's Place. Paul Weller, who is interviewed in the film, poignantly sums up the experience of anyone who ‘grew up’ in a record store by saying that the indie shops became “became meeting places, almost like a community center really”.

This documentary is based on author and former label representative Graham Jones’ 2009 book Last Shop Standing: Whatever Happened to Record Shops? and the DVD contains the 60 minute main feature along with 70+ minutes of outtakes. This rise and fall story is a ‘feet on the street’ narrative told through the eyes of well-known UK musicians (which include Billy Bragg, Paul Weller and Johnny Marr) and numerous indie record shop owners.

The main feature starts with “Act 1: The Rise”, which describes the rise of the UK indie records due to a demand for US imports (Elvis Presley, Bill Haley) and this demand continued through the first British invasion bands and the rebirth of the indie music scene that came with the punk era. This act though ends on a hesitant note with a mention on how machines in indie record shops were used to compile chart positions so label reps were ‘gaming’ the charts by giving records away.

“Act 2: The Fall” is a very familiar story to anyone who remembers the pre-90’s vinyl era as the record labels killed vinyl to push the CD format…and the death of vinyl was followed by the iTunes/download era of music. To re-phrase a quote from Richard Hawley (Pulp) – there is a time and place for all of these different formats of music and all could have co-existed together but the industry threw the baby out with the bathwater.

During this act, Jones cites the statistic that, in the 80’s, there were more than 2,200 UK indie record shops and by 20009, there were only 269 shops left. Johnny Marr puts forward an interesting hypothesis that the indie shops didn’t close due to the consumers’ shift away from vinyl but rather it was the industry’s forced death of vinyl that killed the record shops.

“Act 3: The Rebirth” walks the viewer through how the indie record stores have innovated to survive. Indie stores are now selling tickets and food (the shop Pie and Vinyl is highlighted) along with regularly having in-store performances and being an active part of their local music scene. The introduction of Record Store Day is given a lot of positive press for bringing people back into the indie shops and artists like Nick Cave are cited for releasing indie-store only pressings. Johnny Marr attributes some of this rebirth to how vinyl records now mean something to kids in a way it didn’t 8 – 9 years ago.

The bonus features are predominately the unedited interviews with the musicians and shop owners whose memories form the basis for this film. Unlike other outtakes reels that I’ve seen which generally have a lot of filler or (boring) director commentary, the interviews with Paul Weller, Johnny Marr, Billy Bragg, Richard Hawley and Sid Griffin (who doesn’t appear in the main film) are well worth watching.



Links:
Last Shop Standing

King Crimson Posts ProjeKct Six (Fripp/Belew) Rehersal Track 'Persian E' as Free Download (Recorded 10/2/06)

DOWNLOAD: King Crimson/ProjeKct Six - "Persian E"

I had gotten out of the habit of checking Robert Fripp's DGM Live for free downloads of Fripp/King Crimson related rarities but happened to take a look last night as was pleasantly surprised by this most recent freebee. 

ProjeKct Six was the last of the King Crimson side projekcts prior to Crimson briefly reforming in 2008 and this projekct featured Fripp on guitar and Adrian Belew on drums.  The track, "Persian E", which is posted as a free download is described as "[t]aken from the rehearsals at Adrian Belew’s studio, ProjeKct Six sketch out some of the areas they’d be visiting as support to Porcupine Tree later in the month. The mood is somewhat restrained here but there’s a certain intensity present in the wreathes of soundscapes which billow and hover around Belew’s straight-ahead beats. Fripp’s soloing is on slow-burn mode rather than being set to “incinerate” but an engaging little toe-tapper from the team nevertheless."

Links:
DGM Live / King Crimson

Dead Boots (featuring Adrian and Tony Perry) are Playing Mercury Lounge on July 17th with Midnight Spin

While Boston's Dead Boots are making their NYC debut at Mercury Lounge on July 17th, the band came through town a few times over the last year under their previous name, TAB the Band.  Most recently, TAB the Band opened for both Jane's Addiction at Terminal 5 in late 2012 and, earlier this year, opened for the The Annuals at Mercury Lounge.

Dead Boots features Aerosmith's Joe Perry's two sons Tony (guitar) and Adrian (vocals/bass) along with Ben Tileston (drums) and Louie Jannetty (guitar).  While the Aerosmith connection might lead one to make assumptions about the band's sound, the initial tracks that I've heard from Dead Boots' debut album, Verónica, have a glam rock sound that is comparable to bands like Cheap Trick and T. Rex.  

For the show at Mercury Lounge, Dead Boots are headlining the late show.  They take the stage at 10:30PM and Brooklyn's Midnight Spin are going on first at 9:30PM.  Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 DOS.  Dead Boots have posted to their Facebook page that "Everyone who comes out to our 7/17 show at Mercury Lounge with Midnight Spin gets a FREE copy [of Verónica]".



A rock and roll band with an enduring fondness for pure pop and a wicked, sly sense of humor, Dead Boots defy easy categorization. They love The Beatles and Cheap Trick as much as T-Rex and The Rolling Stones, yet as much as Dead Boots draw on classic rock influences, they are a vibrant, contemporary band that blends the vigor of punk, the might of arena rock and the melodicism of power-pop, earning the admiration of Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse, Perry Farrell of Jane’s Addiction and J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr, alt-rock stalwarts who requested the band as their opening act.

Dead Boots may be the best example of how great things can come from no expectations. Brothers Adrian and Tony Perry began the group almost as a lark. “I grew up in LA,” explains Adrian, “and whenever I came to visit Tony, we’d always record stuff for fun.” Adrian had a few serious bands while he was in high school and college, continuing to occasionally play with Tony. “A few years ago we said, let’s mess around and record some songs,” remembers Adrian. "Tony invited his friend Ben Tileston to have real drum tracks. We ended up writing nine songs in a week -- it was very organic. Before we knew it, we had a show booked.”

Since then, the band has toured extensively in the US, Canada and UK, supporting acts such as Stone Temple Pilots, Cage the Elephant, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, and Slash. The band has also played major US and UK festivals such as Lollapalooza, the Hyde Park Calling Festival, Download Festival, Mountain Jam, CMJ and SXSW and headlined John Varvatos Thursday Night Live at 315 Bowery.

“We started almost like a punk band,” explains Adrian. “We focused on writing short, hard rock songs. It was like sticking it to the weird twee indie rock we’ve been inundated with.” That punk attitude can be heard on the group’s first two full-length albums, Pulling Out Just Enough to Win and Long Weekend, both released in 2008. The band expanded its horizons on 2010's Zoo Noises, a free-wheeling, all-encompassing carnival ride, fueled by such intoxicating singles as the percussive “She Said No (I Love You)” and the breakneck hooks of “Bought and Sold”. All three records were written, engineered, recorded and produced by the band with no outside input.

The band added another member in Lou Jannetty, an old friend of the Perrys’ who showed up on several of the homemade tapes the brothers made in their youth. The band's new album, Verónica (out July 16th), is the first album that Lou has been involved with start to finish. The quartet spent two years concentrating on the new record, more time than it has spent on any prior record, with Tony taking the engineering and production reins. “This is our most mature record,” says Adrian, “it's the culmination of everything we've been through and the best distillation of all of our influences to date. It's a more focused record than Zoo Noises yet is also more adventurous.” Dead Boots are still a rock & roll band at heart but belong to this moment, pulling together elements of the past and present in exciting ways. “Rather than segregating influences, we put them all together. If people listen to the whole album, they’ll get a sense that we can do a lot.”

Links:
Dead Boots

Dio - 'Finding the Sacred Heart: Live in Philly 1986' CD Review (Eagle Rock)

Another archival live album from the vaults...this 2CD set captures Dio on the second leg of the Sacred Heart tour, headlining a sold-out show at Philadelphia Spectrum. Portions of this show were originally released as a 60 minute VHS entitled "Sacred Heart 'The Video'" - this new 16-track release runs 96 minutes.

This release marks Dio's fifth live album and the second from the Sacred Heart tour, as 1986's "Intermission" EP captured the first leg of the tour with original guitarist Vivian Campbell, prior to his falling-out with Dio.

This is a solidly recorded album (clear sound from the mixing board) but there are good and bad points to the show. To start with the good points, Dio was at his commercial peaks on this tour (he played smaller halls on each successive tour) and he and the band feed off the energy of the crowd.  While this is a CD review, one needs to see the live video for "Sacred Heart" to appreciate Dio's sword and sorcery stage show. For anyone who missed the arena tours of the 80's, this may seem a bit like Spinal Tap but this show goes back to a time when rock bands traveled with mammoth concert sets and the theatrics were just as important as the music. (For anyone who is curious - check out any live footage from Pink Floyd's The Wall tour, any Alice Cooper or Iron Maiden tour, etc.)



The show kicks off with "King of Rock and Roll" and "Like the Beat of a Heart", which are two of the stronger rockers from Sacred Heart. The Sacred Heart album though had a few songs that drifted into AOR territory and the heavy keyboards on "Hungry for Heaven" and "Time to Burn" sound very dated (...and too much like 80's Heart or Def Leppard). Looking at other parts of the set, almost 20 minutes of the show are taken by each member soloing which again seems rather dated and self-indulgent. The six minute keyboard solo which is immediately followed by a 7+ minute guitar solo will likely have most listeners skipping over these tracks on their CD players. Lastly, while most of Dio's live medleys generally sound on-point, the Rainbow songs "Long Live Rock 'n' Roll" and "Man of the Silver Mountain" are butchered by too fast of a tempo. Coming out of these soft spots, the disc ends on a strong note with strong versions of "Stand Up and Shout", Rainbow in the Dark" and "We Rock".

I'm sort of hit-and-miss on this release but hope that the archival releases will eventually extend into Dio's time with Black Sabbath (a Dehumanizer-era live album would be a nice thing).

Links:
Ronnie James Dio

Monte Pittman - Metal Blade Signs Madonna / Prong Guitarist // Solo metal album recorded with Metallica / Evile producer Flemming Rasmussen

I can't imagine anyone having the musical background and/or tastes to work with both Madonna and Tommy Victor but guitarist Monte Pittman has both composed for and played with Madge and Prong.

Metal Blade Records is pleased to announce the signing of Monte Pittman, the guitarist known for his work with metal legends Prong and the illustrious pop-star Madonna. A release date for the new solo album will be announced shortly.

Metal Blade Records founder and CEO comments: "We are so happy to welcome Monte Pittman to the Metal Blade Family. He is a tried and true metalhead and has recorded a crushing album! Metallica producer Flemming Rasmussen produced a devastating metal record with Monte and we could not be happier that we are working together on this!"

Guitarist and mastermind of the band, Monte Pittman adds; "I'm beyond excited to be working with Brian Slagel and all of the wonderful team at Metal Blade. I can't think of anyone I can put my faith and trust in more with my new album and where my career is headed. Metal Blade's track record has stood the test of time. Brian has been responsible for a majority of bands that have influenced me and gotten me to where I am now. It's been a dream come true making this album with Flemming Rasmussen. Flemming is a Master at recording a band playing together and capturing the sound in the room of everything musically working together. After we finished tracking, the first person I wanted to play it for was Brian Slagel. Here we go!"

Fans in California will have the chance to catch Monte Pittman live as the he brings his acoustic show to Hotel Café in Hollywood and two stops on the Vans Warped Tour 2013 including Mountain View and Ventura (performing on the Acoustic Basement Stage).

Monte Pittman solo acoustic shows:
06/21 Hollywood, CA Hotel Cafe (on @ 8pm)
06/22 Mountain View, CA Warped Tour - Acoustic Basement Stage
06/23 Ventura, CA Warped Tour - Acoustic Basement Stage







Links:
Monte Pittman

Anvil - Live Photos from 'Hope in Hell' Release Party @ Knitting Factory, Brooklyn, NY 5-30-13

"Anvil have more integrity than your favorite five bands combined...Hope in Hell could have been released at any time between 1978 and the present day. It's a very simple, and time-tested formula: in-your-face riffs, screaming leads, great lyrics — pure, uncompromised metal". - Mickey Melchiondo (aka Dean Ween)


It seems somewhat hard to believe that some of the bands that are just now getting commercial recognition have been playing the circuit for over 30 (Anvil) to 40 (Pentagram) years.

Anvil released their 15th disc, Hope in Hell (The End Records), on May 28th and held their record release party two nights later at the Knitting Factory. The new disc is a scorcher and - for all the hardcore Anvil fans out there - there is a limited edition digipak pressing with two bonus tracks ("Hard Wired" and "Fire at Will") and a limited-edition 2LP 180-gram orange vinyl pressing which also includes the same two bonus tracks. For Hope in Hell,  the band once again tapped producer Bob Marlette (Black Sabbath, Alice Cooper) who continues to do an excellent job of capturing the band's live sound in the studio.  The band has also had a lineup change as Sal Italiano (who used to be in A.J. Pero's 1980's side-project Cities) is now on bass and he is a great fit.

One of the things I've always loved about Anvil is that, in addition to having great musical chops, the band always looks like they are having fun and doing something they love (...which is a great counterpoint to those lead guitarists who look painfully constipated every time they take a solo).  Energy like this is contagious though I didn't expect the mini-pit to break out when it did.

 Anvil is off on a European tour next month and, in talking with Robb after the show, the band plans on coming back through the States in the fall.

Anvil 2013 Summer Hope in Hell Tour
7/27/13  - U.K Ebbw Vale - Steelhouse Festival
7/28/13  - U.K Glasgow - Cathouse
7/29/13  - U.K Manchester - Academy 3
7/30/13  - U.K London - Garage
8/01/13  - Germany Cologne - Underground
8/02/13  - Germany Wacken - Wacken Festival
8/03/13  - Holland Haarlem - Patronaat
8/04/13  - Belgium Lokeren - Lokerse Feesten Festival
8/06/13  - Switzerland Zurich - Plaza
8/07/13  - Germany Lichtenfels - Paunchy Cats
8/08/13  - Germany Saarbruecken - Garage
8/10/13  - Sweden Gävle - Getaway Festival

Links:
Anvil

Repulsion - Live Photos and Video from Maryland Deathfest 5/24/13 (Relapse Records)

There were a lot of familiar faces at Maryland Deathfest (MDF) 2013, both on the stage and off. I wasn't able to take off work to make it to the first night of Deathfest so I started the weekend festivities on Friday afternoon with Repulsion. Repulsion didn't sound much different from when they were in town last September for The Power of the Riff East festival but, this time out, the band played as a three-piece as guitarist Marissa Martinez was notably absent.

The set list included twelve of the eighteen tracks from Horrified, along with a cover of Venom's "Schizo".

Repulsion - Maryland Deathfest, Baltimore, MD 5/24/13
The Stench of Burning Death
Bodily Dismemberment
Decomposed
Splattered Cadavers
Slaughter of the Innocent
Festering Boils
Schizo(Venom cover)
Driven to Insanity
Radiation Sickness
Black Breath
Acid Bath
Maggots in Your Coffin
Horrified



I broke down and bought one of the "limited edition MDF Gray version of 'Horrified' - limited to 100 copies and available only at the fest!" but imagine that this is going to sit unopened on the shelf as Relapse's 2CD edition of Horrified has long been on my iPhone. I respect the band wanting to preserve their legacy but I keep wishing they would put out something new. In an interview last year with BrooklynVegan, Scott Carlson said "If the material and motivation ever come together I think we could do something that would not tarnish our name. So yes, we have weakened our stance on the subject a little bit. However, we have nothing planned. One never knows....".



I love the diversity at MDF as there was a fresh-faced lad beside me during Repulsion's set, right outside of the pit who seemed to alternate between pumping his fist in the air and making out with his girlfriend. I don't think I've ever seen anyone make out to Repulsion (...and most of the women that I've known would probably have hit me if I tried using grindcore as 'mood music'.) Ah well - different strokes....

Links:
Repulsion

Morningbell Release Video for 'We Have Eyes As Well As Ears' / Show at Union Hall on June 7th

Eric Atria (bassist) summed up the new disc by saying "People are going to think this is brilliant or they're going to think we're insane. Maybe both! It's going to be hard not coming off as pretentious when the final tracks are out (some have 60 tracks of classical instruments ON TOP of 50 tracks of traditional rock instruments). But fuck it!"

Morningbell is one of the more prolific, inventive, and fiercely independent bands in the country. With six albums and four EPs over nine years (including an album released only on custom-made USB cards, a choose-your-own-adventure album, and 2009’s universally lauded Sincerely, Severely), Morningbell has gone more places with their music than most bands do in an entire career. They are constantly stretching themselves musically and creatively in a way that very few bands do.

The band hails from Gainesville, Florida—a hotbed of musical creativity (see Hundred Waters, Levek, Hot Water Music, etc)—and consists of brothers Travis and Eric Atria, Stacie Atria (married to Eric), and drummer Chris Hillman.

Boa Noite is the band’s 6th studio album. It was written, recorded, mixed, and produced by the band in their home studio. It draws influences from romantic classical music, African field recordings, Hungarian folk music, the poems of Jorge Luis Borges, “The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam,” “Finnegan’s Wake,” “Ulysses,” Chopin’s polonaises, classic hip-hop, Charles Mingus, Paul Simon, Curtis Mayfield, Kurt Vonnegut, and the compositions of Claude Debussy, Frederick Delius, John Cage and Arvo Part. With Boa Noite, the band wanted orchestral backing. Without access to an orchestra, however, they pieced one together during half a dozen sessions with multiple classical musicians. The result is a grand, sweeping, ambitious album with songs that often contain upwards of 150 tracks of instruments.



Morningbell are playing a show at Union Hall on Friday, June 7th alongside Olivia Mancini (track) and Oh No! and the Tiger Pit. Tickets are $10 and doors are at 8PM.

Links:
Morningbell

Paul McCartney and Wings - 'Wings Over America' CD Review (Hear Music / Concord Music Group)

On May 28th, the deluxe edition of Paul McCartney and Wings’ 1976 3x LP concert album, Wings Over America, was released as part of the Paul McCartney Archive Collection reissue series. In addition to this disc being one of the greatest live albums of all time (in my humble opinion), Wings Over America showcases McCartney at his creative best. The last comment isn’t to disparage Macca’s more recent output but rather to point out that Wings Over America could easily serve as a greatest hits collection.

Wings Over America was the last of five consecutive Wings’ albums to reach #1 in America and the addition of drummer Joe English and lead guitarist Jimmy McCulloch (both of whom joined with 1975’s Venus and Mars) seemed to add a spark to the band. Listening to the band perform live, Wings sounds like a tightly integrated unit (as opposed to Macca’s current backing band of faceless hired guns) with each of the members establishing their own identity by making distinct contributions to the live show. Multi-instrumentalist Denny Laine (x-Moody Blues) is a veteran performer, Jimmy McCulloch is probably the best of McCartney’s guitarists and Joe English, in addition to being a great drummer, looks like he is having the time of his life in the accompanying DVD.

Wings Over America’s 28 tracks reflect the band’s setlist from their 1976 North American tour but the individual tracks were compiled from a number of different stops on the tour. The set list pulls from all of the Wings’ albums, with an emphasis on Venus and Mars (9 of the 13 tracks are performed live) along with five Beatles song, which was a big deal for the fans as Macca had refused to play Beatles numbers on his earlier UK tours. The set list also includes a cover of the Moody Blues’ chestnut “Go Now”, Simon and Garfunkel’s “Richard Corey” (both sung by Laine) and the (then) unreleased Wings’ track “Soily”, which first surfaced during the Band on the Run sessions.



With the standard edition of this reissue, the original three albums are now spread across 2 CDs, with Sides 1 -3 on the first CD and Sides 4 – 6 on the second CD.

Wings Over America Track List
1. "Venus and Mars/Rock Show/Jet" – Recorded 5/27/76
2. "Let Me Roll It" – Recorded 5/27/76
3. "Spirits of Ancient Egypt" – Recorded 6/10/76
4. "Medicine Jar” – Recorded 5/27/76
5. "Maybe I'm Amazed" - Recorded 5/29/76
6. "Call Me Back Again" – Recorded 5/27/76
7. "Lady Madonna” - Recorded 5/7/76
8. "The Long and Winding Road" – Recorded 5/29/76
9. "Live and Let Die" – Recorded 5/22/76
10. "Picasso's Last Words (Drink to Me)" – Recorded 5/22/76
11. "Richard Cory" - Recorded 6/23/76
12. "Bluebird" – Recorded 5/27/76
13. "I've Just Seen a Face" - Recorded 6/23/76
14. "Blackbird" - Recorded 5/22/76
15. "Yesterday" - ??
16. "You Gave Me the Answer" – Recorded 6/23/76
17. "Magneto and Titanium Man" – Recorded 5/22/76
18. "Go Now" – Recorded 6/23/76
19. "My Love" – Recorded 5/21/76
20. "Listen to What the Man Said" – Recorded 5/29/76
21. "Let 'Em In" – Recorded 6/23/76
22. "Time to Hide" - Recorded 5/25/76
23. "Silly Love Songs" – Recorded 5/25/76
24. "Beware My Love" – Recorded 6/7/76
25. "Letting Go" – Recorded 5/29/76
26. "Band on the Run" – Recorded 6/7/76
27. "Hi, Hi, Hi" – Recorded 6/7/76
28. "Soily" – Recorded 6/7/76

Here is where keeping up with the bonus discs get a bit tricky – the “Deluxe Edition Box Set” includes “the original 28-track album, a bonus tracks disc, DVD of the TV documentary Wings Over the World, 112-page book, assorted memorabilia, 60-page photograph book, 80-page sketch book and download link to all of the material”. The bonus CD contains eight live tracks recorded at The Cow Palace in San Francisco. Wings played two shows there on 6/13-14/76 but, as I don’t have this bonus disc, I have no clue as to which show these tracks came from.

Wings Over San Francisco Track List
• "Let Me Roll It"
• “Maybe I'm Amazed"
• "Lady Madonna"
• "Live and Let Die"
• "Picasso's Last Words (Drink to Me)"
• "Bluebird"
• "Blackbird"
• "Yesterday"

Adding to the different options – the Best Buy edition of Wings Over America contains the Wings Over San Francisco disc ($16.99). If you are interested though – grab this one quick as this edition is sold out in stores and is only available on the shelf in whichever stores still have copies.

The bonus DVD, Wings Over the World, runs just over 75 minutes and contains some great footage from Wings’ American tour. While this documentary traces the evolution of Wings and starts with early rehearsal footage of the McCartneys with Denny Laine along with footage of the McCartneys on their farm in Scotland, the focus is on the ‘75/’76 world tour. This disc contains 15 complete performances from the Wings Over the World tour. Between each of the songs is ‘behind the scenes’ footage that ranges from press interviews to backstage footage and relevant snippets from the band’s travels. What is particularly amusing is an Australian interviewer commenting that Macca may be a bit old for rock and roll now that he is 33. Other footage includes Ringo joining the band backstage, Elton sitting next to Cher at the show at the Forum in Los Angeles, Macca carefully working with the venue sound engineer on the sound check and more.

The size of the crowds lined up outside these venues is also amazing – the big general admission shows (which I assume this is) were before my time so I can’t really imagine being a part of the body-to-body lines. My experience with arena rocks shows is at the Madison Square Gardens, which is less than 1/3 the capacity of the Seattle Kingdom, which was where “Soile” was filmed. The disc ends with Wings leaving the stage and Macca’s final comment was “See you next time”. This is a great documentary as this was Macca’s one-and-only trip to the States with Wings and it would be thirteen years before he returned to the US.

Links:
Paul McCartney