Rock legend Rick Wakeman has crowd on its feet at 'prog' rock concert at Lancaster priory

Rick Wakeman at Lancaster Priory Lancaster might at first seem an odd choice for a concert by one of the legends of progressive rock.

But on a crisp October night the beautifully lit priory, with candles flickering in three large candelabras, fit the bill perfectly.

The concert, part of the Lancaster Music Festival, was opened by guitarist Gordon Giltrap, a self-deprecating and hugely talented musician. The song where he used a 'loop' was masterful and I could have listened to it all night.

Rick Wakeman is a very engaging man and his between-songs banter and amusing anecdotes from across his lengthy career, were highly entertaining.

He mostly played a grand piano and was accompanied by the priory's choir. There were songs from his session musician days, including Morning Has Broken - a number one for Cat Stevens - and a personal highlight for me, LIfe on Mars by David Bowie.

Wakeman explained how in the early 1970s Bowie invited him to his home in Kent and played him the Hunky Dory songs on guitar, before giving him free rein to re-arrange them with piano as the lead instrument.

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Steve Hackett - former Genesis guitarist - playing at Cliffs Pavilion, Southend

Steve Hackett – former lead guitarist with prog rock giants Genesis –- is coming to the Cliffs Pavilion this month, to celebrate his latest chart album and his many years in the music business.
The set list will cover a huge part of his discography, with a selection of solo material from early album, including Voyage of the Acolyte – which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year – and a set of Genesis classics which he hasn’t played for years.

These days he tours and writes songs with his wife, Jo, a writer who he describes as a fantastic creative partner, as well as someone to hold hands with.


“Touring isn’t so great when you’re on your own” he said, “but having my wife with me makes it so much better.”

Steve, a renowned and skilled guitarist, first picked up the the instrument aged 12 when he dad bought him one.

He says: “For years before I played the harmonica, and then my dad realised I was getting serious about music when I asked for a chromatic model.

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THE GONZO TRACK OF THE DAY: CCS - Tap Turns on the Water

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YES ALUMNI: DOWNES BRAIDE ASSOCIATION STREAM MACHINERY

View lyric video from duo’s second album Suburban Ghosts, out next month

Geoff Downes and Chris Braide have premiered their lyric video for latest track Machinery Of Fate via Prog.

It’s taken from second Downes Braide Association album Suburban Ghosts, which arrives on November 6 via Cherry Red Records.

Braide recently said: “It’s an album about isolation and loneliness in small-town suburbia. Now everyone has long gone, you’re haunted by images of those former frost-covered school gates, the laughter of children in the park and the lovers you once loved – the alternative life you could have lived.”

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THOM THE WORLD POET: The Daily Poem

Rob Ayling writes: 

"Thom the World poet is an old mate of mine from way back in my history. Even pre-dating Voiceprint, when I was running "Otter Songs" and Tom's poetry tapes and guest appearances with Daevid Allen, Gilli Smyth and Mother Gong are well known and highly regarded. 

It just felt right to include a daily poem from Thom on our Gonzo blog and when I approached him to do so, he replied with in seconds!!! Thom is a great talent and just wants to spread poetry, light and positive energy across the globe. If we at Gonzo can help him do that - why not?" 

ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL IDEA

CACOPHONY OF CRAFT

So -you remember tribe and clan 

when nuclear family Hiroshimas

You gather (outside,in the smoking area)

just to listen to one another.This leads to another beautiful idea!

Why not bring 20 copies of your original works-to be collated

into an INSTANT ANTHOLOGY?This leads to another beautiful idea-

why not share what you have written AND what you have not yet written-

back stories,biographies,street survival strategies-so that what we share is electric,original,unique

This leads to another beautiful idea-valuing each one for their truth and beauty

which leads to another beautiful idea-publishing ,giving,sharing

until each one becomes luminous..which brings us to another beautiful idea-

you can do this often-stars,shakras,sources of Light,Power and Beauty

which brings us to

another beautiful idea..(you can do this anywhere..

Joey Molland of Badfinger

Joey Molland is a rock guitarist and English composer who has spent the better part of four decades in the world of rock & roll. He's best known for his work as guitarist for the band, Badfinger, formerly known as The Ivey's.

Badfinger was the first group to be signed to Apple Records in 1968, which was owned by the Beatles. The Iveys were renamed Badfinger in 1969 when Molland joined the band. Their first #1 hit, "Come and Get It," was written by Paul McCartney. I bet most of you could sing Come and Get It and still know most of the lyrics.

Both McCartney and George Harrison wrote a string of hits for Badfinger including, "No Matter What," "Day After Day," "Without You," and "Baby Blue." In 2013, "Baby Blue" hit the charts again on the Breaking Bad soundtrack. Molland performed on two of George Harrison's albums, "All Things Must Pass" and "The Concert for Bangla Desh." He also contributed to John Lennon's "Imagine" album.

Today, Molland, still fronts Badfinger and since 1983 has appeared with various rock groups or duos as well as performing tours under the Badfinger name or as Joey Molland's Badfinger. Recently he went back in to the studio to release a brand new take on the classic, "Sweet Tuesday Morning," from the 1972 Badfinger album, "Straight Up."

He will be performing at the Larcom Theatre in Beverly on Saturday, October 10. Opening the show is Boston based band, The Brooks Young Band who have just released their new single, "Broken Hearts."

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Review: Steve Hackett, Acolyte To Wolflight with Genesis Revisited, York Barbican, October 14

FRESH from the success of his Genesis Revisited albums and tours, Steve Hackett is taking another live show around the UK.

Genesis, originally formed in 1967, are one of the most popular and best-selling progressive rock bands ever, and all its members – including former lead guitarist Hackett – have gone on to enjoy further success with various solo projects.

The anticipation of the audience crammed into York Barbican was palpable, the excited chatter only dying away when the lights went down and the music began. The extended instrumental intro was both atmospheric and energising, blending synth rock guitar and heavy percussive beats, setting the bar for the rest of the night.
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Hackett explained that there would be two sets; the first would feature material taken from his own solo endeavours, while the second would be devoted to Genesis works. What followed can only be described as an orgy of swelling synth chords, trippy flutes and protracted guitar solos, the style and mood never staying settled for long enough to develop a consistent tone. One moment it would be peaceful and angelic, and the next it would be downright dark and sinister. It definitely kept you guessing.

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THOM THE WORLD POET: The Daily Poem

Rob Ayling writes: 

"Thom the World poet is an old mate of mine from way back in my history. Even pre-dating Voiceprint, when I was running "Otter Songs" and Tom's poetry tapes and guest appearances with Daevid Allen, Gilli Smyth and Mother Gong are well known and highly regarded. 

It just felt right to include a daily poem from Thom on our Gonzo blog and when I approached him to do so, he replied with in seconds!!! Thom is a great talent and just wants to spread poetry, light and positive energy across the globe. If we at Gonzo can help him do that - why not?" 

GBH

LOVING "GET CARTER"

and that electric noir syle

his last epic GBH-so cinematic in style

every chapter brief as breath

BUT it is good to know

the depiction of the Northern crime scene

was written by a writer in the North

the depiction of an alcoholic main character

may well be based upon a certain alcoholic writer

BUT he was productive

and his style still works

concise as violence

NOT a retro of the 60s nor 70s

just written by one who lived in those times

speaking the truth in brief bright red lines..

So when it comes to writing for FAME or CASH

simple is as simple reads-make mine TRASH!

 

THE GONZO TRACK OF THE DAY: (1978) Chic - Everybody Dance HQ

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Interview with Steve Hackett on his upcoming solo and Genesis appearance

Steve Hackett (SH) has a music career spanning 5 decades. The former Genesis guitarist is in the middle of a very busy year, with a new studio album, retrospective box set and an extensive tour. We caught up with him as he passed through York to chat about his year and look forward to the appearance at Leeds Town Hall on 20th October.

LMS: You have a huge box set of your early solo career being released, 'Premonitions: The Charisma Years 1975-1983', tell us a little about how that came into being?

SH: "It's an idea that came up about five years ago. It contains the Charisma albums that I made between 1974 and '83. We had some remixes by Steve Wilson. He had approached me a while ago. He was very keen on 'Please Don't Touch'. He'd heard it when he was 11 years old and I gather it was influential for him. So we did stereo remixes of that and 'Spectral Mornings' and we got some surrounds from him. Funnily enough, we are using surround sound in the shows, as I've been heading that way myself. The other albums were some remasters by Ben Fenner, who did a remarkable job. It's really been an extension of taking the past, brushing it up and giving it a new coat of paint. We've made it sound better than ever before. The nice thing is that when you are doing an album at the time you are flying the flag for it and fighting the cause, but it means something else when you look back at it. I'd done some work on a couple of tracks with Richy Havens around the time of 'Please Don't Touch'. He passed on last year, so to hear that stuff again and hear it remixed, it sounds really great, it sounds lovely. The set contains some BBC sessions, live recordings and even some unreleased stuff too."

"We approached Roger Dean to do the cover for it. My wife, Jo, and I are both fans of his work. He was very keen to help. He has done such a lovely cover for it. I'm very pleased with that. There are lots of photos and commentary in it too. It feels lovely to have it all in one package, and is definitive in that it is those early years after Genesis. It contains all the stuff I was doing that was flying in the face of the burgeoning commerciality that was around during the early 80s. It is very much an idealist's collection."

LMS: You also have a new solo album, 'Wolflight', tell us about that and whether you have changed the way you think about albums in the light of the way the music is consumed these days?

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The Byrds’ Roger McGuinn on His Special Bond With Pete Seeger

The Byrds were instrumental in bridging the gap between the rock and folk worlds in the mid-1960s, bringing covers of Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man” and Pete Seeger’s “Turn! Turn! Turn!” to different audiences with the band’s signature 12-string guitar twist.

Mr. Seeger, meanwhile, remained a titan his whole career, from his time in the pop-folk quartet the Weavers through his antiwar efforts and his tireless campaign to clean up the Hudson River. He performed at Barack Obama’s inauguration ceremony. He died last year, at the age of 94.

In 1994, Mr. Seeger and Roger McGuinn, the Byrds’ frontman, solidified their musical bond in a concert at the Bottom Line in New York. It was the only show they played together. The two collaborated on hits including “If I Had a Hammer” and “Bells of Rhymney” at the performance, which will now be released as part of the Bottom Line archive series. The two-disc recording, “Pete Seeger & Roger McGuinn: Live at the Bottom Line,” will be available on Oct. 30.

Mr. McGuinn recently discussed Mr. Seeger’s influence and the night they shared the stage. These are edited excerpts from that conversation.

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RED BANK: ANDERSON, PONTY PROG ON

Yes frontman Jon Anderson, at right, teams with violinist Jean-Luc Ponty for a new project that comes to town on Thursday.

It may be “fall back” time on the daylight-savings clock, but this Thursday promises a breath of “prog spring” in Red Bank as two leading players of the 1970s progressive-rock scene team up at the Count Basie Theatre.

Devotees of the stadium-filling British band Yes will recall Jon Anderson as the angelic-toned frontman of the group’s most classic lineups. He was the voice behind their best-known signatures of the ’70s (“Roundabout,” “All Good People”) and ’80s (“Owner of a Lonely Heart”).

Health problems sidelined Anderson from the Yes tours of recent years (in favor of a singer who had done time in a Yes cover band), and with the band’s future uncertain following the passing of founding bass player/ bandleader Chris Squire, the fit-and-working-again singer has joined forces with French-born fusion master Jean-Luc Ponty, the electrified violinist whose genre crossings have numbered collaborations with Frank Zappa and John McLaughlin’s Mahavishnu Orchestra among his celebrated jazz albums.

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PLAYLIST: Strange Fruit 139

Strange Fruit is a unique two-hour radio show exploring the world of underground, strange and generally neglected music. All shows are themed and all shows set out to give the most hardened of sound-hounds some new delight to sample.

The show is also unique in providing homework for undergraduate students on North West Kent College’s Foundation Degree in Professional Writing (who dig up many of the odd facts featured in the links between tracks).

Neil Nixon, the founder and co-presenter of the show has released a book about rare albums for Gonzo Multimedia.

The show is broadcast on Miskin Radio every Sunday from 10-00-midnight.

11-10-15 – SHOW 139 – Mind Games

Timothy Leary: America Today is an Insane Asylum

The Stranglers: Freedom is Insane

Pat Boone: Crazy Train

Eric Chenaux: Skullsplitter

John Lennon: Mind Games

The Dickies: Mental Ward

Wild Man Fischer: The Madness and the Ecstacy

Ethel Mermen: I Get a Kick out of You

Ann Margaret: Love Rush

The Young Idea: Room with a View

The Parking Lot: World Spinning Sadly

Eric Chenaux: My Romance

Marc Wilkinson: Rosalind’s Madness

The Outlaws: Crazy Drums

B. Bumble and the Stingers: Night Time Madness

Shirley Collins: Love is Teasing

Petunia Liebling McPumpkin: Fish Drive Edsels

Lee Perry: A Badder Dub

The Superions: Totally Nude Island

FLIGHT FINAL Side A

Cybotron: Mumbo Jumbo

Strange Turn: Pink Litmus Paper Shirt

Smoke Fairies: Are you Crazy

Eric Chenaux: The Henri Favourite

The Corpse Grinders: I’m Goin’ Crazy

Strange Lullaby: Strange Lullaby

THOM THE WORLD POET: The Daily Poem

Rob Ayling writes: 

"Thom the World poet is an old mate of mine from way back in my history. Even pre-dating Voiceprint, when I was running "Otter Songs" and Tom's poetry tapes and guest appearances with Daevid Allen, Gilli Smyth and Mother Gong are well known and highly regarded. 

It just felt right to include a daily poem from Thom on our Gonzo blog and when I approached him to do so, he replied with in seconds!!! Thom is a great talent and just wants to spread poetry, light and positive energy across the globe. If we at Gonzo can help him do that - why not?"

SAMHAIN

IN SAM'S CLUB,SHE DRESSES LIKE A COP

Counter staff  costume as criminals(striped convict shirts/caps)

Numbers on their back like football jocks.Message T-Shirts everywhere.

This is the night folk declare their other sides.Witches,werewolves,wild midnight creatures

of hired latex and blood paintings.Dressed to impress-but every body is

subject to FALL backwards @2am.Once@a costume party,we all became our costumes.

Instagram pix of faux personalities fill our eyes.So slim and thin the veils between worlds.

Dreams will be rich and deep this evening.Clouds and moon will conspire.

Tomorrow is today with more stories to share.Wanting to remember our ancestors,

wondering what costumes they wore..for the moon..and fire..and the night..

THE GONZO TRACK OF THE DAY: Kirtan Wallah - Krishna Das - Bhajans

Being Sunday I always post sacred music. The name of the deity may change, or even the deity Him/Herself but the spirit remains the same.

Yes, “Starship Trooper” from The Yes Album (1971): YESterdays

Former Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman is often credited with providing the world’s greatest progressive rock band with a certain arranging gravitas. Yet, three classic — and also epic — songs were produced by Yes before Wakeman’s tenure.

Producer/engineer Eddie Offord deserves recognition for the sonic sheen for The Yes Album, but also his savvy at pulling individual pieces of music together to make a cohesive song. Yes was also firing on all cylinders. A classic example is “Starship Trooper,” which combines compositions from Chris Squire and new guitarist Steve Howe. Jon Anderson reaches heights unseen by the band up until that point, adding lyrics that are both optimistic and soaring.

The ‘a’ section, called “Life Seeker,” builds in intensity and emotion. Squire’s bass steps forward in a way it has never on a Yes album and raises the bar for the instrument. It even eclipses Howe’s volume-pedaled Gibson. Bill Bruford provides a nuanced and jazzy backing, which is perfectly complimented by Tony Kaye’s organ.

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GONZO WEEKLY #154