New BE-BOP DELUXE SUNBURST FINISH Documentary Featuring Bill Nelson and Producer John Leckie

Esoteric Recordings has recently released a new re-mastered four disc deluxe expanded boxed set limited edition (comprising 3 CDs and a DVD) of SUNBURST FINISH the legendary 1976 album by BE-BOP DELUXE. Founding band member, guitarist and songwriter Bill Nelson and legendary producer John Leckie, who co-produced the album with Bill, are featured in a new documentary about the SUNBURST FINISH sessions. Filmed in York, England at Bill’s residence, the documentary was researched & directed by Matt Bristow. Filmed & Edited by Mark J. Freeman (markjfreeman.co.uk) for Cherry Red Records. 

Recorded in the Autumn of 1975 at Abbey Road studios (with some sessions also taking place at AIR studios in London), SUNBURST FINISH was the third album by Be-Bop Deluxe and the first to feature the line-up of BILL NELSON (vocals, guitars, keyboards), CHARLIE TUMAHAI (bass, vocals), ANDY CLARK (keyboards) and SIMON FOX (drums). It was also the first BE-BOP DELUXE album to be co-produced by BILL NELSON and JOHN LECKIE. An album of immense musical inventiveness and creativity, SUNBURST FINISH was one of the finest albums of its era, a perfect cohesion of ten classic songs written by BILL NELSON (featuring his highly imaginative guitar playing) and a stylized and striking artwork package. Featuring such classic material as “Heavenly Homes”, “Crying to the Sky”, “Sleep that Burns”, “Life in the Air Age”, “Crystal Gazing” and “Blazing Apostles”, the album also spawned the hit single “Ships in the Night” and launched BE-BOP DELUXE as one of the major breakthrough acts of 1976.


This expanded reissue has been newly re-mastered from the original master tapes and features an additional 39 bonus tracks drawn from a stunning new 5.1 surround sound & stereo mixes from the original multi-track tapes by award winning engineer Stephen W. Tayler, previously unreleased out-takes from the album sessions, a BBC Radio “In Concert” performance from January 1976, a rare John Peel Show session from February 1976 (unavailable on CD for over twenty years), along with an unissued and previously unreleased 1976 Harvest Records promotional video for “Ships in the Night” and a session for BBC TV's “Old Grey Whistle Test” show from January 1976.

Another highlight of this limited edition boxed set is the lavishly illustrated 68-page book with many previously unseen photographs and an essay of recollections by Bill Nelson. Additionally, the set includes a facsimile of the 1976 SUNBURST FINISH tour programme, postcards and a replica poster. This special deluxe limited edition boxed set of SUNBURST FINISH is a fitting tribute to a fine band, the creative vision of Bill Nelson and a wonderful album.




To order BE-BOP DELUXE SUNBURST FINISH 3CD/1DVD Limited Edition Deluxe Boxed Set: Sunburst Finish

Bill Nelson's official website: www.billnelson.com 

Los Dug Dug's

Los Dug Dug's are a rock group from Durango, Mexico, best known for their work in the 60s and early 70s. They were one of the first Mexican bands to adapt The Beatles' influence and are noted as one of the first Mexican bands to write their own songs, as well as cover songs by British and American acts in English, thus breaking what had up to then been an unwritten rule in Mexican rock. They continue to perform today.




Facebook.com/Dug-Dugs

The Monarch of Weirdo Music GARY WILSON Claims His Throne on New Album THE KING OF ENDICOTT!


There must be something in the water of Endicott, NY. Not only is that small city of roughly 12,000 souls the origin of one of the largest, most innovative corporations of all-time, IBM, but it is also the birthplace of some of America’s most demented geniuses including the man who transformed TV in the 1960s with his series The Twilight Zone, Rod Serling, as well as the comic sibling pair of Amy & David Sedaris, and finally the most celebrated voice in metal and the artist who gave us the heavy metal horned salute, Ronnie James Dio! But there can be only one King of Endicott, one artist whose fearless and uncompromising vision allowed him to both transcended that little town of Endicott and yet embody all of its otherworldly qualities. And that man is Gary Wilson!

This legendary figure of low-fi bedroom funk has become known the world over for his unique–yet highly palatable–brand of experimental music. Though he achieved enduring cult status in 1977 with his classic album, You Think You Really Know Me, he had been recording original music since his pre-teen years, and even studying composition privately with John Cage before moving to New York to become the toast of that city’s well-known underground music scene. But it’s those early years in Endicott that Gary harkens back to on his newest album The King of Endicott, the years when his passion for music, art and film was at its rawest and most imaginative. For evidence, just view the vintage clips assembled for the video to the eponymous single. There you’ll see Gary flanked by a host of local characters who film weird short films, post for pictures and of course put on musical performances the likes of which no one in Endicott (or really even the world) had ever seen!



The King of Endicott is available everywhere via Cleopatra Records.

UK Music Legends Strawbs 50th Anniversary 3 Days Celebration in Lakewood, NJ - April 26, 27 & 28

In celebration of their 50th anniversary, UK music legends Strawbs, plus a host of guest performers, former Strawbs, and Strawbs-related artists, will be performing at the Strand Theater in Lakewood, NJ on  April 26-28, 2019!

Strawbs are Britain's most successful international progressive folk-rock band. They are mentioned in the same breath as progressive rock bands Yes, King Crimson and The Moody Blues. Strawbs have a devoted fan base that continues to grow on the strength of their incredible live performances together with their classic albums over the years including “Grave New World”, “Bursting at the Seams”, “Hero & Heroine” and “Ghosts.” The band has achieved sales of over three million albums, seven consecutive Strawbs albums have featured in the US Billboard Top 200 albums.

Many top musicians have featured in the Strawbs line up over the years, including Sonjia Kristina, Blue Weaver, Don Airey and as well as Rick Wakeman , both his classically trained sons Adam and Oliver have been featured, a certain compliment to the band's talent. After several years of touring in both acoustic and electric lineups, in 2017 Strawbs released “The Ferryman's Curse,” their first studio album of original material in eight years. The album returned to the album charts and garnered rave reviews worldwide!

The current Strawbs line-up comprises David Cousins, lead guitarist Dave Lambert, bass player Chas Cronk, and drummer Tony Fernandez, who recorded and toured together in the 1970s. They are joined by keyboard and guitar virtuoso Dave Bainbridge of Iona - a band who created a mystical blend of rock, folk, Celtic and ambient music - a perfect match for Strawbs. 
 


ARTISTS:
STRAWBS (Present) with
TERRA NOVA ORCHESTRA - 30 PIECE ORCHESTRA
David Cousins (1968 - present)
Dave Lambert (1972 - present)
Chas Cronk (1973 - present)
Tony Fernandez (1978 - present)
Dave Bainbridge (2016 - present)


STRAWBS (Past)
Blue Weaver (1971 - 1973) (subject to visas) – Amen Corner, Mott the Hoople, Bee Gees
John Ford (1969 – 1973) – Velvet Opera, Hudson Ford
John Hawken (1973 - 1976) – Nashville Teens, Renaissance, Illusion
Brian Willoughby (1978 - 2092) – Mary Hopkin, The Monks, Nanci Griffith

SPECIAL GUESTS
Tony Visconti – David Bowie, T Rex, Moody Blues, Gentle Giant, Angélique Kidjo
Annie Haslam – Renaissance
Larry Fast – Nektar, Synergy, Peter Gabriel
Eric Bazilian – The Hooters, Joan Osborne
Wesley Stace – John Wesley Harding, Cabinet of Wonders
Cathryn Craig – Bill Medley

HIGHLIGHTS
Tony Visconti – conducts Strawbs with the Terra Nova Orchestra for the first orchestral performance of “Oh How She Changed”, the band's first single, featuring a new Tony Visconti arrangement.    

David Cousins, Blue Weaver, John Ford will play the whole of Strawbs classic album “Grave New World” with Eric Bazilion and narrator Wesley Stace.

Annie Haslam – sings Sandy Denny's “Who Knows Where The Time Goes” with the Terra Nova Orchestra, featuring a brand new arrangement by Tony Visconti.

Eric Bazilion – sings “What If God Was One Of Us,” the hit he wrote and produced for Joan Osborne, with Strawbs and the Terra Nova Orchestra.

Sandy Denny and the Strawbs – the classic songs recreated by Annie Haslam and Acoustic Strawbs.

Larry Fast and David Cousins – Peter Gabriel's synthesizer master and the complete songwriter put a new edge on Strawbs lesser known material.

WHERE:
Strand Theater
Center for the Arts
400 Clifton Avenue
Lakewood
New Jersey 08701
Phone: (732) 367-7789

DATE AND TIME:
Friday - 26 April 2019 - Performances 6pm - 10.30pm
Saturday - 27 April 2019 - Performances 1pm - 10.30pm
Sunday - 28 April 2019 - Brunch (VIP) 10am - 12 noon

TICKETS:
VIP $300 - All performances plus Sunday brunch with artists (sold out)
Weekend $200 - All performances

Strawbs official website: www.strawbsweb.co.uk 

Tony Palmer and Tangerine Dream “Live at Coventry Cathedral 1975” Deluxe Box Set Now Available for Pre-order

In December 1974 Tangerine Dream were invited to play in the grand setting of Rheims Cathedral, a move certainly seen at the time as groundbreaking. They were then invited to perform in the cathedrals of York, Liverpool and Coventry. The tour attracted unprecedented coverage in the media, especially at Coventry Cathedral, an iconic building rising like a phoenix on the ruins of the old cathedral bombed to bits by the Germans in 1940 (Tangerine Dream is, after all, a German band) as a celebration of peace and reconciliation, as well as a lasting showcase for great contemporary art.

The nave is dominated by a gigantic tapestry by Graham Sutherland, the main door dwarfed by a sculpture of St Michael & The Devil by Jacob Epstein, and the consecration in 1962 heard the first performance of Britten’s incomparable War Requiem. To their lasting credit, Tangerine Dream contributed to this celebration.

This DVD features the live recording soundtrack (unlike the previous issue), and also contains footage of Tangerine Dream from the legendary music programme, All You Need is Love. It will be welcomed by the massive Tangerine Dream fan base, and also seen for what it is – a meeting of cultures and for a brief moment in time, a time where the past met both the present and the future.

This deluxe box set brings together both the film DVD and memorabilia together for the first time, along with a signed and numbered certificate by Tony Palmer the Director.

To pre-order: https://burningshed.com/store/gonzo/tangerine-dream_live-at-coventry-cathedral-1975_boxset

Dutch Music Legends Focus Announce Release of New Studio Album “Focus 11” - OUT NOW!

The current members of Focus are Thijs van Leer, Pierre van der Linden, Menno Gootjes and Udo Pannekeet and they are pleased to announce the worldwide release of the new studio album, “Focus 11.”

This is the band's first new studio album in just over 6 years and forms part of the build up to the band's forthcoming 50th Anniversary. The band is also just starting a world tour, in support of the album, which will be launched on Cruise to the Edge 2019.

 


The 11 track album has been released as a CD, gatefold coloured LP and Download on the band's own In And Out of Focus Records, via Cherry Red. The album features artwork by Roger Dean.

When asked about the album, Thijs van Leer responded with this poem:
Wow, my joy could not increase
To see this new release
It has Mazzel, Palindrome and Heaven
Plus a title track called Eleven
Both angelic and a beast
It's Focus, to say the least!