Queen: 'A Night At The Odeon' To Be Released On November 20th

December 24, 1975. London’s Hammersmith Odeon. Onstage at this legendary venue, the four members of Queen are bringing to a close a ground-breaking show, transmitted live on BBC TV, and also bringing to a climax the most eventful and exciting year in their careers so far – one that has taken them from the UK to America to Japan, sealing their transition from ambitious upstarts into one of the biggest and most important bands of the era - and beyond.
Forty years later, this groundbreaking show officially takes to the World Stage. On November 20, Queen - A Night At The Odeon - Hammersmith 1975 is released through Virgin EMI. As well as a live recording of this legendary gig, the packages also include extra-special bonus features for the Queen fans.

Featuring 15 tracks from their first four albums, plus covers of four classic rock’n’roll staples delivered with characteristic panache, A Night At The Odeon - Hammersmith 1975 captures a band in full flight and radiating megawatts of self-confidence.

The Christmas Eve show was the climax of the 26-date ‘Queen Invite You To A Night At The Opera Tour’, which had begun mid-November and had already seen the band play four nights at the same venue a month earlier.

By the time the band returned to Hammersmith on Christmas Eve, they were truly firing on all cylinders. No expense had been spared, from the stellar light show which lent a spectacular visual element to the night’s proceedings to the suitably lavish white Bechstein grand piano which had been hired especially for this show. Nor had the band themselves overlooked the finer sartorial details. Freddie Mercury sported two different satin cat suits – one black one white – during the show, designed by Wendy deSmet with the singer’s input. Similarly, Freddie had painted the nails of his left hand black for the occasion, while Brian May had his (at the time) trademark white nails.

 It was also the tour when they first unleashed the soon-to-be-legendary Bohemian Rhapsody on an unsuspecting public – to a rapturous reception.

The Christmas Eve show stood as more than just a concert. It was simultaneously broadcast in stereo on BBC Radio 1 and on the BBC 2 television institution The Old Grey Whistle Test (the show’s host Bob Harris introduced the band onstage). Luckily, although the TV cameras were turned off before the band returned for their second encore, and consequently video footage of Seven Seas Of Rhye and See What A Fool I’ve Been doesn’t exist – the audio team did continue recording and so the CD and LP formats do feature the entire show.
As a result of the coverage, the show was heavily bootlegged in subsequent years, appearing under such unlikely titles as Command Performance, Rhapsody In Red, Christmas At The Beeb, Cardiac Arrest and Halfpence.
With the issue of A Night At The Odeon this legendary show has finally been given the pedestal it deserves, delivered in fitting style, featuring an incredible new audio mix in stereo and 5.1 surround-sound plus an absolute state-of-the-art restoration of the video.
As well as audio and visual footage of the gig, the DVD and SD Blu-Ray versions feature two special bonus features – 'Looking Back At The Odeon’, a brand new 22-minute documentary featuring a previously unseen interview with Brian May and Roger Taylor by Old Grey Whistle Test presenter Bob Harris about the 1975 Hammersmith Odeon show, plus the rarely seen Live At The Budokan – Japan 1975 footage, featuring three songs (Now I'm Here, Killer Queen and In The Lap Of The Gods… Revisited) recorded during their legendary tour of the Far East.


The Super Deluxe Box Set also includes a never-before-heard recording from the pre-show soundcheck – something that no one outside of the band themselves knew existed until now.

Queen - A Night At The Odeon - Hammersmith 1975 is available on the following formats:

• 1 CD (see below for tracklist):

Amazon UK  

• 1 DVD (see below for tracklist):

•  1 BluRay SD (see below for tracklist):

• CD + DVD (see below for tracklist):

Amazon UK  

•  CD + BluRay SD  (see below for tracklist):

Amazon UK 

• double LP  (see below for tracklist):

• box superdeluxe with: CD + DVD + BluRay SD + 12"single Bohemian Rhapsody / Now I'm Here (soundcheck) + 60 page hardback book containing previously unseen photographs, reproduction of ticket from the concert, concert programme, badges, tour itinerary, tour poster, pass:

Amazon UK  

Tracklist CD/LP:
 
1. Now I'm Here
2. Ogre Battle
3. White Queen
4. Bohemian Rhapsody
5. Killer Queen
6. The March Of The Black Queen
7. Bohemian Rhapsody (reprise)
8. Bring Back That Leroy Brown
9. Brighton Rock
10. Guitar Solo
11. Son And Daughter
12. Keep Yourself Alive
13. Liar
14. In The Lap Of The Gods... revisited
15. Big Spender
16. Jailhouse Rock / Stupid Cupid / Be Bop A Lula / Jailhouse Rock (reprise)
17. Seven Seas Of Rhye
18. See What a Fool I've Been
19. God Save The Queen


Tracklist DVD/BluRay:

1. Now I'm Here
2. Ogre Battle
3. White Queen
4. Bohemian Rhapsody
5. Killer Queen
6. The March Of The Black Queen
7. Bohemian Rhapsody (reprise)
8. Bring Back That Leroy Brown
9. Brighton Rock
10. Guitar Solo
11. Son And Daughter
12. Keep Yourself Alive
13. Liar
14. In The Lap Of The Gods... revisited
15. Big Spender
16. Jailhouse Rock / Stupid Cupid / Be Bop A Lula / Jailhouse Rock (reprise)
17. God Save The Queen
(Bonus tracks)
1. Looking back at the Odeon (22 min documentary)
2. Now I'm Here (live at the Budokan, Tokyo 1st May 1975)
3. Killer Queen (live at the Budokan, Tokyo 1st May 1975)
4. In The Lap Of The Gods... revisited (live at the Budokan, Tokyo 1st May 1975)

35th Anniversary Edition of The Alan Parsons Project ‘The Turn of a Friendly Card’ with unreleased bonus tracks

The 35th Anniversary Deluxe edition of ‘The Turn of a Friendly Card’ by The Alan Parsons Project will be released on 6th November 2015. 
The 2CD package includes re-mastered original album (a brand new remaster, overseen by Alan Parsons), 17 previously unreleased bonus tracks (including Eric Woolfson’s songwriting diary home demos) plus 10 bonus tracks and new 20-page booklet with lyrics, notes on the making of the album and rare photos. Also available a limited edition vinyl 7” of three single edits.

 CD1:
1. May Be A Price To Pay
2. Games People Play
3. Time
4. I Don’t Wanna Go Home
5. The Gold Bug InstrumentalThe Turn Of A Friendly Card
6. The Turn Of A Friendly Card (Part One)
7. Snake Eyes
8. The Ace Of Swords
9. Nothing Left To Lose
10. The Turn Of A Friendly Card(Part Two)
BONUS TRACKS
11. May Be A Price To Pay (Intro Demo)
12. Nothing Left To Lose (Basic Backing Track)
13. Nothing Left To Lose (Chris Rainbow VocalOverdub Compilation)
14. Nothing Left To Lose (Early Studio Version with Eric’s Guide Vocal)
15. Time (Early Studio Attempt)
16. GamesPeople Play (Rough Mix)
17. The Gold Bug (Demo) 

CD2:
1. May Be A Price to Pay (Eric's Songwriting Diary)
2. Games People Play (Eric's Songwriting Diary)
3. Time (Eric's Songwriting Diary)
4. I Don’t Wanna Go Home (Eric's Songwriting Diary)
5. The Turn of a Friendly Card (Eric's Songwriting Diary)
6. Snake Eyes (Eric's Songwriting Diary)
7. Nothing Left to Lose (Eric's Songwriting Diary)
8. TOFC/ Snake Eyes/ I Don’t Wanna Go Home (Eric's Songwriting Diary)
EXTRA BONUS TRACKS
9. May Be A Price to Pay (Early Version - Eric Guide Vocal & Unused Guitar Solo)
10. Games People Play (Early version - Eric Guide Vocal)
11. Time (Orchestra & Chris Rainbow Backing Vocals)
12. The Gold Bug (Early Reference Version)
13. The Turn of a Friendly Card Part 1 (Early Backing Track)
14. Snake Eyes (Early Version - Eric Guide Vocal)
15. The Ace of Swords (Early Version with Synth “Orchestration")
16. The Ace Of Swords (Early Version with Piano on Melody)
17. The Turn of a Friendly Card Part Two (Eric Guide Vocal and Extended Guitar Solo)
18. Games People Play (Single Edit)
19. The Turn of a Friendly Card (Single Edit)
20. Snake Eyes (Single Edit)

Order 2CD Deluxe Edition 

 

Jeff Lynne's ELO: Alone in the Universe is the first album in 15 years

After a long hiatus (the proper last studio album was Zoom in 2001) Electric Light Orchestra return with a new album and a new name.
For reasons still not officially confirmed, now the group (actually formed by one person since 2001) is called "Jeff Lynne's ELO"; just few days ago it was announced that Lynne had signed with Columbia for a new album, and now we have all the details about it.
The album wil be called "Alone In The Universe" and it will be released on 13th November.
The standard CD edition will feature 10 tracks, while a deluxe edition will also have two additional bonus tracks; also, there will be a vinyl edition.

Tracklist:
       1. When I Was A Boy
       2. Love & Rain

  3. Dirty To The Bone

  4. When The Night Comes

  5. The Sun Will Shine On You

  6. Ain't It A Drag

  7. All My Life

  8. I'm Leaving You

  9. One Step At A Time

  10. Alone In The Universe

(bonus tracks on the deluxe edition only)

  11. Faultline

  12. Blue

On their official Youtube channel (ELOVEVO) you can also find the audio of the first single, "When I Was A Boy".

Jeff Lynne said in a press release about the album:
"Music is such a powerful force in our lives. A good song can make people feel much less alone in this universe. And trying to create one of those songs somehow makes me feel less alone too. My whole life-from being that kid with a dream in Birmingham right until today-proves how much music can do."

Ashley Newton, President of Columbia Records, also adds:
"Jeff Lynne is a total master of his craft and 'Alone In The Universe' is pure pop perfection. We are thrilled to be involved in the return of ELO and enormously proud to be releasing this contemporary classic on Columbia Records."

Available for pre-order:
standard CD
deluxe CD
vinyl LP

La collezione degli album dei Queen in vinile colorato

E' in uscita il prossimo 25 Settembre un box che farà gola a molti collezionisti dei Queen: si tratta di un box contenente l'intera discografia del gruppo ristampata per l'occasione su vinili colorati.
Gli album hanno come sorgente i master originali restaurati digitalmente, e inoltre sono stati masterizzati con la tecnica della velocità dimezzata, che ne migliora la resa sonora, e stampati su vinile da 180 grammi, anche in questo caso per una maggiore fedeltà del suono; il tutto è stato masterizzato da Bob Ludwig, che si ritiene sia uno dei migliori mastering engineer al mondo.
Inoltre ci sono un paio di sorprese: anche se gli album sono 15, in realtà i vinili presenti nel box saranno 18; infatti il secondo album del gruppo, Queen II, è stato stampato (per tenere fede all'LP originale il cui lato A era denominato "white side" e il lato B "black side") su due vinili, uno bianco e uno nero; ognuno dei due ha da un lato l'incisione di mezzo album, mentre nell'altro lato, senza musica, c'è una serigrafia del logo del gruppo.
Inoltre, gli album Innuendo e Made in Heaven vengono per la prima volta stampati in doppio vinile al fine di ripristinare la loro lunghezza originale; infatti quando uscirono, la versione integrale di entrambi gli album si poteva ottenere solo su CD, mentre la versione in vinile per motivi di spazio era più corta: nello specifico in Innuendo sono stati mantenuti tutti i brani ma alcuni di essi sono stati "accorciati" (togliendo ad esempio parte delle congas in These Are the Days of Our Lives e un assolo di chitarra in Bijou), mentre in Made in Heaven è stata tagliata del tutto la traccia finale, la famosa ghost-track strumentale di circa 23 minuti che Brian, Roger e David Richards hanno preparato come tributo a Freddie unendo vari suoni ed effetti sonori. Sarà quindi possibile per la prima volta ascoltare in vinile sia la cosiddetta "track 13" sia le versioni complete dei brani di Innuendo.

Ogni album avrà un colore diverso, e ad arricchire il box c'è anche un libro esclusivo di 108 pagine contenente introduzioni per ogni album, dichiarazioni degli stessi Queen, testi originali scritti a mano, foto rare, memorabilia e informazioni approfondite su singoli e video, tutto proveniente dall'archivio dei Queen e da qualche collezionista privato.

Un box, molto ben curato, non alla portata di tutte le tasche, che sicuramente nel tempo non sarà facile da trovare a prezzi contenuti.


 

Infine, per chi non può permettersi l'intero box, gli album saranno disponibili anche singolarmente ma in vinile standard (non colorato), sempre però con le incisioni di alta qualità menzionate per il box e in versione doppia dove previsto.

Ordina il box su:
-Amazon Italia
-Amazon UK

 

One: the new audio and video compilation by The Beatles

A new audio and video The Beatles compilation titled "One" is set to be released on 6th November.

Showcasing the band’s filmed work to accompany their 27 No.1, U.K. and U.S. singles, The Beatles 1 is newly restored and expanded in multiple configuration.
The 27-track CD/DVD and CD/Blu-ray pairs beautifully restored videos for each song, with new stereo and 5.1 Dolby Digital and DTS HD surround audio mixes. The brand new Beatles 1+ celebrates their career in over 200 minutes through 50 promotional films and videos. This includes the 27 No.1s, with the restored videos, along with a second disc of 23 videos, including alternate versions, as well as rarely seen and newly restored films and videos; all include new audio mixes in deluxe CD/2-DVD and CD/2-Blu-ray packages. The 27-track audio CD is also being made available with new stereo mixes. A 2 LP, 180-gram vinyl package will follow.

The new editions of The Beatles 1 have been made possible following extensive research, and restoration of the original promo films, classic television appearances and other carefully selected videos spanning the band’s history.
Apple Corps dug deep into The Beatles’ vaults to select a broad range of films and videos for their rarity, historical significance and quality of performance. An 18-person team of film and video technicians and restoration artists was assembled by Apple Corps to undertake painstaking frame-by-frame cleaning, colour-grading, digital enhancement and new edits that took months of dedicated, ‘round-the-clock work to accomplish.
The result is a visual run down of The Beatles’ number one records, as well as the additional tracks on the bonus disc of Beatles 1+ that show the band in previously unseen standards of clarity and quality; many of the films and videos have never before been commercially released, in whole or in part.

Beatles 1 and Beatles 1+ offers the restored films, including 35mm negatives scanned in 4K and digitally restored with new stereo and 5.1 surround audio remixes, produced from the original analogue tapes by the team of Giles Martin with Sam Okell at Abbey Road Studios.

For four of the videos, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr have provided exclusive audio commentary and filmed introductions, respectively. The 1+ Deluxe Edition, presented in an expanded 124-page illustrated hardcover book includes ‘an appreciation’ of The Beatles’ ground-breaking films and videos by music journalist and author Mark Ellen and extensive, detailed track/video annotation by music historian and author Richard Havers.

DISC 1 AUDIO (CD) + DISC 1 VIDEO (DVD or Blu-ray)

• Love Me Do
• From Me To You
• She Loves You
• I Want To Hold Your Hand
• Can’t Buy Me Love
• A Hard Day’s Night
• I Feel Fine
• Eight Days a Week
• Ticket To Ride
• Help!
• Yesterday
• Day Tripper
• We Can Work It Out
• Paperback Writer
• Yellow Submarine
• Eleanor Rigby
• Penny Lane
• All You Need Is Love
• Hello, Goodbye
• Lady Madonna
• Hey Jude
• Get Back
• The Ballad of John and Yoko
• Something
• Come Together
• Let It Be
• The Long and Winding Road

DISC 1 VIDEO EXTRAS

• Paul McCartney audio commentary
• Penny Lane
• Hello, Goodbye
• Hey Jude
• Ringo Starr filmed introductions
• Penny Lane
• Hello, Goodbye
• Hey Jude
• Get Back 

DISC 2 VIDEO (DVD or Blu-Ray)

• Twist & Shout
• Baby It’s You
• Words Of Love
• Please Please Me
• I Feel Fine
• Day Tripper *
• Day Tripper *
• We Can Work It Out *
• Paperback Writer *
• Rain *
• Rain *
• Strawberry Fields Forever
• Within You Without You/Tomorrow Never Knows
• A Day In The Life
• Hello, Goodbye *
• Hello, Goodbye *
• Hey Bulldog
• Hey Jude *
• Revolution
• Get Back *
• Don’t Let Me Down
• Free As A Bird
• Real Love

DISC 2 VIDEO EXTRA

• Paul McCartney audio commentary
• Strawberry Fields Forever

* alternate version

 Here are the details of every videoclip featured in this compilation:

• 1. LOVE ME DO
  Newly edited clip, featuring material from BBC TV’s The Mersey Sound, with performance footage filmed on 27 August 1963 at the Little Theatre, Southport.
• 2. FROM ME TO YOU
  A live performance at the 1963 Royal Variety Show, filmed at The Prince Of Wales Theatre, London, on 4 November 1963.
• 3. SHE LOVES YOU
  A live performance from the Swedish Television show Drop In, recorded on 30 October 1963 during a short Scandinavian tour.
• 4. I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND
  From the Granada TV programme Late Scene Extra filmed on 25 November 1963.
• 5. CAN’T BUY ME LOVE
  First broadcast in the TV show Around The Beatles, filmed on 28 April 1964 and broadcast the following month. It features a different audio track to that of hit single, recorded by The Beatles on 19 April 1964.
• 6. A HARD DAY’S NIGHT
  Live performance at the Palais des Sports, Paris on 20 June 1965, while on a short European tour.
• 7. I FEEL FINE
  Filmed at Twickenham Film Studios on 23 November 1965. One of ten films shot that day to satisfy global TV demand for broadcast material to accompany The Beatles’ hit records.
• 8. EIGHT DAYS A WEEK
  A brand new clip edited from material filmed at the Shea Stadium concert in New York City on 15 August 1965, during which the band performed twelve songs, but ‘Eight Days A Week’ was not among them. The clip says so much about the band’s frenetic lifestyle in 1965, at the height of Beatlemania. 
• 9. TICKET TO RIDE
  Filmed at Twickenham Film Studios on 23 November 1965.
• 10. HELP!
  The less frequently seen clip of those filmed at Twickenham Film Studios on 23 November 1965.
• 11. YESTERDAY
  Paul performing on The Ed Sullivan Show, videotaped in New York City on 14 August 1965 and broadcast the following month, the day before the single was released in America.
• 12. DAY TRIPPER
  Three versions of this clip were filmed at Twickenham Film Studios on 23 November 1965. This is version 2, in which all of the group are wearing polo neck sweaters, except for Paul, who wears a black shirt.
• 13. WE CAN WORK IT OUT
  There were three versions of the ‘We Can Work It Out’ video filmed atat Twickenham Film Studios on 23 November 1965. This is version 2 in which all four Beatles are wearing black polo neck sweaters.
• 14. PAPERBACK WRITER
  Filmed in 35mm, and in colour, in Chiswick Park, West London, by director Michael Lindsay-Hogg.
• 15. YELLOW SUBMARINE
  This clip is newly created from original Yellow Submarine footage.
• 16. ELEANOR RIGBY
  This clip is taken directly from the Yellow Submarine movie.
• 17. PENNY LANE
  A ground-breaking clip by Swedish director Peter Goldmann that captures The Beatles in Stratford, London, and at Knole Park in Kent, with additional material shot in Liverpool. 
• 18. ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE
  Filmed in Studio One at Abbey Road, on 25 June 1967, and beamed around the globe as a part of the TV programme Our World. This colourised version was created for The Beatles Anthology TV programme in 1995.
• 19. HELLO, GOODBYE
  London’s Saville Theatre was the location for this promo film, shot on 10 November 1967; The Beatles wear their Sgt. Pepper outfits.
• 20. LADY MADONNA
  Just prior to leaving for India, The Beatles met up in Studio Three at Abbey Road, on 11 February 1968. They were filmed while recording ‘Hey Bulldog’.
• 21. HEY JUDE
  Filmed at Twickenham Film Studios on 4 September, for broadcast on David Frost’s TV show, Frost On Sunday. The introduction by David Frost is different from that on disc 2.
• 22. GET BACK
  The promo clip made available at the time of the original release of the single featured performances from the Apple rooftop synched to the record. This new clip has been rebuilt to replicate the original but with improved picture quality.
• 23. THE BALLAD OF JOHN AND YOKO
  This original promo clip features outtakes from the Let It Be movie, with other private footage shot in Amsterdam, London, Paris and Vienna.
• 24. SOMETHING
  The video features George and Pattie, John and Yoko, Paul and Linda, and Ringo and Maureen. and was filmed at locations in Berkshire, Surrey, and the Mull of Kintyre.
• 25. COME TOGETHER
  The clip was created in 2000 by Melon Dezign for the launch of thebeatles.com and the original Beatles 1 album.
• 26. LET IT BE
  A 1970 promo clip was made available to support the release of the single and it was different to the one featured in the Let It Be movie; this clip has been rebuilt from the original footage.
• 27. THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD
  This clip is taken straight from the Let It Be movie.

DISC TWO

• 1. TWIST AND SHOUT
  From the Granada Television programme Scene At 6.30, which was videotaped on 14 August 1963.
• 2. BABY IT’S YOU
  One of two clips used to promote the single taken from the 1995 Live At The BBC album. The clip is enhanced by the inclusion of unique colour footage of The Beatles filmed outside the BBC’s Paris Studio on Lower Regent Street, London.
• 3. WORDS OF LOVE
  When On Air – Live At The BBC Volume 2 was released in 2013, it included ‘Words Of Love’, a Buddy Holly composition that the band recorded for radio. This new clip is a mix of existing footage and innovative animation.
• 4. PLEASE PLEASE ME
  A live performance videotaped on 9 February for The Ed Sullivan Show, which was screened on 23 February 1964.
• 5. I FEEL FINE
  Filmed at Twickenham Film Studios on 23 November 1965, this clip shows The Beatles eating fish and chips during their lunch break.
• 6. DAY TRIPPER
  From the TV special The Music Of Lennon & McCartney that first broadcast in mid-December 1965.
• 7. DAY TRIPPER
  Filmed at Twickenham Film Studios on 23 November 1965, with the group wearing their Shea Stadium Jackets with the ‘Nehru’ collars.
• 8. WE CAN WORK IT OUT
  Filmed at Twickenham Film Studios on 23 November 1965 – showing The Beatles wearing the Shea Stadium jackets. 
• 9. PAPERBACK WRITER
  Shot on videotape at Abbey Road, on 19 May 1966, this studio version is prefaced by a short introduction by Ringo. It was broadcast on The Ed Sullivan Show in America.
• 10. RAIN
  ‘Rain’, the B-side of ‘Paperback Writer’, was filmed in colour at Chiswick House, West London, on 20 May 1966.
• 11. RAIN
  This black and white clip is a new edit from several takes of ‘Rain’ videotaped at Abbey Road on 19 May 1966.
• 12. STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER
  Directed by Peter Goldmann and with newly restored footage, this was filmed at Knole Park, Kent on 30 and 31 January 1967.
• 13. WITHIN YOU WITHOUT YOU/TOMORROW NEVER KNOWS
  The merging of these two tracks, one from Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, the other from Revolver, was created for The Beatles Love show by Cirque du Soleil, which opened in June 2006 in Las Vegas. This video was created to promote the Love album released later that year.
• 14. A DAY IN THE LIFE
  Filmed in Studio One at Abbey Road on 10 February 1967, this includes classical musicians, who were asked to wear evening dress, fake noses and funny hats for the recording session.
• 15. HELLO, GOODBYE
  This clip is another shot at London’s Saville Theatre on 10 November 1967; The Beatles wear their ‘street clothes’.
• 16. HELLO, GOODBYE
  This third version was also shot at London’s Saville Theatre on 10 November 1967; it includes elements from the first two films but with additional footage unique to this edit.
• 17. HEY BULLDOG
  The original footage from a 1968 shoot for the ‘Lady Madonna’ promo film was unearthed in the mid-1990s. It was revealed that The Beatles were recording ‘Hey Bulldog’ and is an edit done to promote the reissue of the Yellow Submarine movie in 1999. 
• 18. HEY JUDE
  This is an edit of the two other takes filmed on 4 September 1968 for the Frost On Sunday TV show. This has a different David Frost intro to the clip on disc 1.
• 19. REVOLUTION
  One of two versions, this was shot the same day as ‘Hey Jude’. John’s lead vocal is completely live, as are most of Paul and George’s backing vocals. The instrumentation, including Nicky Hopkins’ electric piano, is from the master tape.
• 20. GET BACK
  This clip was assembled in 2003 to support the release of the album Let It Be…Naked and utilises studio footage from the famous Get Back/Let It Be sessions.
• 21. DON’T LET ME DOWN
  This was the B-side of ‘Get Back’ and this clip is a composite of two live performances from the Apple rooftop in 1969. It was made available to support the release of Let It Be…Naked in 2003.
• 22. FREE AS A BIRD
  The 1995 video is a work of art by director Joe Pytka, who used the concept of a bird’s-eye view to pay homage to many Beatles songs and images.
• 23. REAL LOVE
  This video directed by Geoff Wonfor and ex-10cc and leading pop promo-maker Kevin Godley, this video was made in 1996 to support the release of the single. 

  
1 CD+2 BD:   
1 CD+2 DVD: 
1 CD+1 BD:    
1 CD+1 DVD: 
1 BD:               
1 DVD:            

Queen: A Night at the Odeon '75, in uscita il concerto all'Hammersmith Odeon del 24 Dicembre 1975

Il prossimo 20 Novembre verrà pubblicato in vari formati "A Night at the Odeon '75", il concerto che i Queen tennero il 24 Dicembre del 1975 all'Hammersmith Odeon di Londra.
Tra i fan di lunga data è sicuramente uno dei concerti più famosi (a parte il famigerato Wembley del 1986) in quanto, pur non essendo mai stato pubblicato ufficialmente, è stato trasmesso varie volte in TV (in origine infatti fu filmato dalla BBC) e pubblicato illegalmente sui bootleg.
Adesso, grazie alla decisione della Queen Productions di pubblicarlo, avremo finalmente la possibilità di gustarlo per intero e soprattutto in versione restaurata che ci garantisce la massima qualità sia audio che video.
Restaurato da pellicola già nel 2009 (quando probabilmente c'era l'intenzione di pubblicarlo, poi abortita e rimandata fino ad oggi), esce proprio in occasione del suo 40° compleanno.
Addirittura in quel periodo Brian May chiese l'aiuto dei fan per cercare di recuperare il filmato dei bis, che a quanto pare non vennero ripresi dalle telecamere della BBC.

Oltre al video, anche l'audio è stato restaurato e in DVD e BluRay è sia in versione stereo che 5.1 surround.
Il video documentario bonus di 22 minuti contiene un'intervista inedita a Brian May e Roger Taylor, che commentano lo show con Bob Harris, mentre gli altri bonus sono tre brani da un concerto a Tokyo dello stesso tour.

Infine, il box superdeluxe contiene anche un 12" che celebra il 40° compleanno di Bohemian Rhapsody (lato A) e fornisce un ulteriore chicca: Now I'm Here dal soundcheck del concerto (sul lato B).

Come già il live at Rainbow uscito lo scorso anno, sono previsti vari formati:

• 1 CD (vedi sotto per tracklist):

Amazon UK  /  Amazon IT

• 1 DVD (vedi sotto per tracklist): 

Amazon UK  /  Amazon IT

•  1 BluRay SD (vedi sotto per tracklist):

Amazon UK  /  Amazon IT

• CD + DVD (vedi sotto per tracklist):

Amazon UK  /  Amazon IT 

•  CD + BluRay SD (vedi sotto per tracklist):

Amazon UK  /  Amazon IT 

• doppio LP (vedi sotto per tracklist): 

Amazon UK  /  Amazon IT

• box superdeluxe con: CD + DVD + BluRay SD + singolo 12" Boohemian Rhapsody / Now I'm Here (soundcheck) + libro di 60 pagine con foto inedite + memorabilia del concerto (riproduzioni di: biglietto, programma, badge, poster, itinerario, pass)

Amazon UK  /  Amazon IT

Tracklist CD/LP:
 
1. Now I'm Here
2. Ogre Battle
3. White Queen
4. Bohemian Rhapsody
5. Killer Queen
6. The March Of The Black Queen
7. Bohemian Rhapsody (reprise)
8. Bring Back That Leroy Brown
9. Brighton Rock
10. Guitar Solo
11. Son And Daughter
12. Keep Yourself Alive
13. Liar
14. In The Lap Of The Gods... revisited
15. Big Spender
16. Jailhouse Rock / Stupid Cupid / Be Bop A Lula / Jailhouse Rock (reprise)
17. Seven Seas Of Rhye
18. See What a Fool I've Been
19. God Save The Queen


Tracklist DVD/BluRay:

1. Now I'm Here
2. Ogre Battle
3. White Queen
4. Bohemian Rhapsody
5. Killer Queen
6. The March Of The Black Queen
7. Bohemian Rhapsody (reprise)
8. Bring Back That Leroy Brown
9. Brighton Rock
10. Guitar Solo
11. Son And Daughter
12. Keep Yourself Alive
13. Liar
14. In The Lap Of The Gods... revisited
15. Big Spender
16. Jailhouse Rock / Stupid Cupid / Be Bop A Lula / Jailhouse Rock (reprise)
17. God Save The Queen
(Bonus tracks)
1. Looking back at the Odeon (documentario inedito di 22 minuti)
2. Now I'm Here (live al Budokan, Tokyo 1 Maggio 1975)
3. Killer Queen (live al Budokan, Tokyo 1 Maggio 1975)
4. In The Lap Of The Gods... revisited (live al Budokan, Tokyo 1 Maggio 1975)

 

David Bowie: Five Years 1969-1973 boxsets

On 25th September, Parlophone Records will release Five Years, a 12CD and 13LP box set that will feature all of the material officially released by David Bowie between 1969 and 1973.

Bowie’s six studio albums of this period – David Bowie / Space Oddity*, The Man Who Sold The World*, Hunky Dory*, The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars, Aladdin Sane, and PinUps* – are all included, and the asterisks indicate new 2015 remasters.
There will be no bonus tracks appended to the albums, instead Five Years comes with Re:Call 1, an exclusive two disc compilation of non-album singles, single versions and B-sides, including a previously unreleased single edit of All The Madmen and the original single version of Holy Holy, which was only ever released on the original 1971 Mercury single and hasn’t been available on any official release since.

Another box set exclusive will be the inclusion of Ken Scott’s 2003 stereo remix of The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars – previously only available on DVD with the LP/DVD format of the 40th anniversary edition of the album. This is in addition to the standard version, which presumably uses the 2012 40th Anniversary remaster. The 2003 remix version comes with an alternate cover which features an outtake from the original Heddon Street photo session.
Finally, Five Years also includes the two live albums officially released: Live Santa Monica ‘72 and Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture Soundtrack.

The vinyl version of Five Years has exactly the same content as the CD edition and is pressed on 180g ‘audiophile’ vinyl.
Both CD and vinyl boxes come with an accompanying book (128 pages in the CD box and 84 in the vinyl set) which feature rare photos and technical notes about each album from producers Tony Visconti and Ken Scott.
The CD box set will include “faithfully reproduced mini-vinyl versions” of the original albums and the CDs will be gold rather than the usual silver.



 















In The Box:

• • David Bowie AKA Space Oddity*
• • The Man Who Sold The World*
• • Hunky Dory*
• • The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars
• • Aladdin Sane
• • Pin Ups*

• • Live Santa Monica ‘72
• • Ziggy Stardust: The Motion Picture Soundtrack

• • The Rise and Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars (2003 Ken Scott mix)
• • Re:Call 1 (2CD set)

Re:Call 1 tracklisting

CD1

1. Space Oddity (original UK mono single edit)*
2. Wild Eyed Boy From Freecloud (original UK mono single version)*
3. Ragazzo Solo, Ragazza Sola
4. The Prettiest Star (original mono single version)*
5. Conversation Piece*
6. Memory Of A Free Festival (Part 1)
7. Memory Of A Free Festival (Part 2)
8. All The Madmen (mono single edit)* previously unreleased
9. Janine*
10. Holy Holy (original mono single version)* only ever issued on original ‘71 Mercury single
11. Moonage Daydream (The Arnold Corns single version)*
12. Hang On To Yourself (The Arnold Corns single version)*

CD 2

1. Changes (mono single version)*
2. Andy Warhol (mono single version)*
3. Starman (original single mix)
4. John, I’m Only Dancing (original single version)
5. The Jean Genie (original single mix)
6. Drive-In Saturday (German single edit)
7. Round And Round
8. John, I’m Only Dancing (sax version)
9. Time (U.S. single edit)
10. Amsterdam
11. Holy Holy (Spiders version)
12. Velvet Goldmine

All tracks stereo except *mono.

 [Source: SuperDeluxeEdition]

Big Love: the first brand-new Simply Red album in 8 years

Mick Hucknall believes that important anniversaries should be celebrated in style. So when it was suggested that he did something special to mark 30 years since the release of Simply Red’s 1985 debut album Picture Book, it seemed a good idea to go back on the road with a band who had been a fixture in British pop for a quarter of a century until bringing the curtain down with an emotional farewell show at London’s O2 Arena in December 2010.

But, as he contemplated just what Simply Red might mean in 2015, his mind started racing and the creative juices suddenly and unexpectedly began to flow. ‘Once I began wondering how Simply Red were going to sound, I started writing songs,’ says Mick. ‘It then dawned on me that we could make a new Simply Red album to tie in with the tour.’

Written and recorded with an ease and spontaneity that surprised everyone involved, Big Love is a record that will remind us all just why we fell in love with Simply Red in the first place. Putting a tuneful, quintessentially British spin on the rhythms of black America, it frames Hucknall’s silky, soulful voice with wonderfully melodic hooks, deft arrangements and first-class musicianship. The first Simply Red album since 1995’s Life to feature only original compositions, it also contains some of the most personal lyrics of Hucknall’s three-decade career.

‘I wouldn’t have had a problem with just playing the hits on tour,’ continues the singer. ‘If you write decent songs, you should shout that from the tallest tower. But my mind kept drifting back to Picture Book, and I wanted to give our narrative a more fitting finale. I see Big Love and Picture Book as bookends to the Simply Red story.’

When Hucknall disbanded Simply Red after 25 years and an astonishing 55 million album sales, he was adamant that there would be no going back. ‘For me, that’s it,’ he said at the time. He continued to make music, stretching his artistic wings with two acclaimed solo albums, Tribute To Bobby (a heartfelt homage to the Memphis blues legend Bobby Bland) and American Soul (a set of classy blues and soul covers). Only last year, he recorded a new version of the mystical Streets Of Arklow with another of his musical heroes, Van Morrison.

He also devoted his time to his wife Gabriella and the couple’s young daughter, Romy. ‘I wanted to get completely away from jet-set living and the responsibilities of leading a band,’ he says. ‘The fans knew I’d gone away, so there was no demand for a new Simply Red record. I wanted to show total dedication to my family, and mirror everything that my father did for me. I’d resigned myself to spending a few years enjoying fatherhood, and I’m grateful I was able to do that.’

Returning to Simply Red refreshed, he now has a much clearer appreciation of the group’s legacy. Admitting that the band’s last album, 2007’s Stay, was an attempt to pull away from the ‘smooth, jazzy’ sound of old, he is now keen to reiterate a few core values. And, while he acknowledges an ongoing fondness for classic Seventies soul, Big Love also draws on his broad knowledge of a range of styles that has seen the band cover artists as diverse as Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Talking Heads, Cole Porter, Dennis Brown and Gregory Isaacs over the decades.

‘With Stay, I was running away from Simply Red,’ he says. ‘But I’m now comfortable with the notion of us as a blue-eyed soul group. I had to stop myself fighting that idea. But our sound is original, too. I honestly don’t know of another band that has pulled so many different musical strands together. We’ve never followed trends. We weren’t New Romantics in the Eighties. We were big before Britpop in the Nineties. And we had a hit in the new millennium with Home, which was Britain’s best-selling independent album for two years running.’

There are certainly some echoes of past musical glories on Big Love. With its honking brass, funky drums and refined melody, celebratory opening track Shine On is a reiteration of Simply Red’s blue-eyed soul credentials, blending R&B flavours with a distinctly British identity in a manner that harks back to The Right Thing, from 1987’s Men And Women.

There are other songs, such as Daydreaming and Love Gave Me More, that edge towards the shimmering, uptown sounds of albums like 1989’s A New Flame and 1991’s all-conquering Stars. There are also, naturally, some big ballads, including the Bacharach-style title track and the plangent, guitar-driven closing number Each Day, one of the first tracks written for the album.

On 2003’s Home, Hucknall sung of ‘real life, depicted in song’, and Big Love finds him baring his emotions to an even greater degree. And, while there are tracks inspired by family life, there are honest reflections of past hardships, too. ‘Most of the songs were written after we announced the tour in November 2014,’ says Mick. ‘They came thick and fast. I wanted to make an album, like Stars, that has a consistent theme. And the theme here is life from a family viewpoint. It’s an album that deals with birth, love, death, and all the stuff in between.’

When Mick wrote the timeless Holding Back The Years at 17 (originally for his punk group the Frantic Elevators), the song was a reaction to the upheaval caused after his mother walked out on the family when Mick was just three in 1963, leaving the singer to be raised single-handedly in East Denton, Manchester, by his father Reg. It is an experience that he touches on again here, firstly on a title track that celebrates the unconditional love of his wife and daughter and secondly on Dad, a heart-warming lament that tearfully salutes the ‘years of devotion’ put in by Reg, who sadly passed away in 2009: ‘She left, you stayed / It really wasn’t simple at all / You cried, I smiled / I really wasn’t lonely at all’. It would take the hardest of hearts not to be moved.

‘When I lost my dad in 2009, I could have lost everything,’ reflects Mick. ‘I didn’t have that traditional family support structure. Luckily for me, I did have my wife and daughter, my new family. I had to go through a learning process, though, finding out what a traditional family felt like. And that experience has been so rewarding that I’ve tried to express it in songs like Big Love.
‘My dad was devoted to me, and I wanted to do him proud by dedicating a song to him. I wanted to put into words the contribution he made in building me up. The prospects for children of single-parent families are not always good. That was even more the case during the Sixties. I have to give so much credit to my dad, as he was such a wonderful father.’

The downsides of abandonment, whether physical or emotional, are addressed on The Ghost Of Love, a big soul number punctuated by wah-wah guitar, piped applause and the kind of bold, orchestral brush strokes that once powered the hits of Barry White and his Love Unlimited Orchestra. ‘The ghost in question is the sense of abandonment after something or someone has let you down. It could be about an orphan or anyone with a bad experience. But the song is saying: don’t blame love for that – look forward and try to give love a round of applause.’

Buoyed by the excellence of a new album that even Mick Hucknall could not have envisaged a year ago, Simply Red will hit the road again in high spirits. With the singer joined by long-serving bandmates Ian Kirkham (sax), Steve Lewinson (bass), Kenji Suzuki (guitar), Kevin Robinson (trumpet and flute) and Dave Clayton (keyboards) plus new drummer Roman Roth, their reputation as one of the great British groups is set for some timely enhancement.
‘The band should feel incredibly proud of their work on Big Love, because they are all exceptional musicians,’ says Mick. ‘There’s plenty of group harmony, too. I’m the bandleader, but I don’t order the group around. I’m more of an editor, and it’s vital that the band expresses itself.’

Tracklist:

1. Shine On
2. Daydreaming
3. Big Love
4. The Ghost Of Love
5. Dad
6. Love Wonders
7. Love Gave Me More
8. Tight Tones
9. WORU
10. Coming Home
11. The Old Man and the Beer
12. Each Day

 [Source: EastWestRecords press release]

Il nuovo album di Noel Gallagher, Chasing Yesterday

Noel Gallagher, un tempo principale compositore nonché chitarrista del gruppo rock Oasis, fondato insieme al fratello Liam, che ne era il cantante principale e con cui i litigi erano all’ordine del giorno, continua adesso la sua brillante carriera solista. Avendo infatti deciso di separarsi dal fratello nel 2009 dopo l’ennesimo pesante litigio e avendo così automaticamente posto fine agli Oasis, nel 2011 ha iniziato la sua carriera solista con l’album “High Flying Birds” (che in realtà sarebbe il nome del gruppo da lui stesso capitanato), che ha riscosso ottimi riscontri di critica e di vendite; le sue composizioni infatti, scritte in stile più maturo rispetto al rock’n’roll interpretato dagli Oasis, vengono finalmente interpretate dalla voce dello stesso autore, che seppur molto diversa da quella del fratello non sfigura affatto e dà vita ad un album di buon livello.

Dopo il tour di rito e la pausa altrettanto canonica, Noel inizia nei mesi scorsi a scrivere e incidere il seguito di quell’album, e finalmente il prossimo 2 Marzo uscirà “Chasing Yesterday”, il suo nuovo album già preannunciato negli scorsi mesi dai due singoli "In The Heat Of The Moment" e "Ballad Of The Mighty I", disponibili in formato fisico su vinile.

Ecco la tracklist del nuovo album:

1. Riverman
2. In The Heat Of The Moment
3. The Girl With X-Ray Eyes
4. Lock All The Doors
5. The Dying Of The Light
6. The Right Stuff
7. While The Song Remains The Same
8. The Mexican
9. You Know We Can't Go Back
10. Ballad Of The Mighty I 

Da segnalare anche la presenza di una versione deluxe contenente in più un secondo CD con i seguenti brani bonus:

1. Do The Damage
2. Revolution Song
3. Freaky Teeth
4. In The Heat Of The Moment (Remix)

Inoltre a marzo partirà anche un tour mondiale che toccherà inizialmente l’Europa ma che promette di spostarsi in seguito anche in USA e Giappone; tra le date annunciate, ce n’è anche una in Italia: il 14 Marzo al Fabrique di Milano.

Amazon UK:

   

Amazon IT: