Away Team

March 27th, 2012- While the band name Flying Colors might be unfamiliar to you, the members of this rock supergroup have individually sold millions of records and strong fan base around the world. Flying Colors’  self-titled  debut album is released today through Music Theories/Mascot Label Group/MRI.

The members of Flying Colors are drummer Michael Portnoy (Dream Theater,) guitarist Steve Morse (Deep Purple,) vocalist Casey McPherson (Alpha Rev,) Neal Morse (keyboards,) and Dave LaRue (bass.) Flying Colors marks Portnoy’s first project since he departed Dream Theater.

The seeds of Flying Colors’ formation were sown in 2008, when executive producer Bill Evans brought the idea to each of the musicians as well as to producer Peter Collins. Intrigued by the idea of working together, the four musicians wrote and recorded this album in just nine days.

Portnoy says “This album has bits and pieces of what you’d expect from each of us. The sum of all it’s parts led to brand new, uncharted territory for everyone involved.”

Dave LaRue says “It was quite an experience. The band moved at a fast pace, ideas flying around the room at all times. Sections of tunes were arranged, then rearranged. Ideas were tried every which way until we made them work, or in some cases, discarded them altogether. Just keeping track of everything was a challenge! It’s been an inspiring challenge melding folk, prog, pop and metal all into one big recording.”

Flying Colors Track Listing

1. Blue Ocean 

2. Shoulda Coulda Woulda  

3. Kayla   

4. The Storm  

5. Forever in a Daze  

6. Love Is What I’m Waiting For   

7. Everything Changes  

8. Better Than Walking Away  

9. All Falls  Down  

10. Fool in My Heart  

11. Infinite Fire

For More Info on FLYING COLORS visit the band’s official website here.

Click here to purchase the album.

DEEP PURPLE

Deep Purple + Orchestra Live At Montreux 2011

Eagle Vision

5 out of 10

For DEEP PURPLE fans there are a ton of great DVDs that have been released over the last couple years that give you a look into the different versions of the band and show you why DEEP PURPLE should rank at the top of everyone’s list for greatest band ever, and most influential band! The fact that the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame continues to snub them is ridiculous and just shows you why it is completely irrelevant and a joke.

The latest DEEP PURPLE offering is a recent live show shot in 2011 in Switzerland at the Montreux Jazz Festival. The hook is that DP was touring with an orchestra and on July 16th they filmed the show for a DVD release.

There have been many hard rock and metal bands that have been performing lately with an Orchestra with varying results. Most notably was the biggest hard rock/metal band in the world, METALLICA performing with the San Francisco Symphony under the direction of Michael Kamen (R.I.P.). The resulting CD/DVD of those two shows are phenomenal and set the standard for what a rock and symphony show should be.

KISS recorded a live show with the Sydney Symphony and it just doesn’t translate well at all. Dennis Deyoung performed STYX songs with a symphony. The point is most of them don’t translate well. METALLICA’s worked because Michael Kamen wrote the music for the symphony that COMPLIMENTED the music of the band, and didn’t just rework the band’s songs for strings, woodwinds, brass, etc. If you listen to the Just Symphony audio track of the DVD S&M you won’t be able to figure out what songs they are playing most of the time because they are not just playing the song the way the band wrote it with different instruments, they are playing all new original pieces that compliment the band’s songs.

DEEP PURPLE has always worked in and around symphonies from time to time with varying success. When John Lord (former keyboardist) wrote Deep Purple: Concerto for Group and Orchestra it worked because it was a symphonic piece and written as thus. It wasn’t a rock song or songs that they had the symphony play on. It was an experiment melding rock and symphony and written as such. That is why it worked.

Their new DVD doesn’t work. Because of the reasons stated above. The symphony is playing along with the band, not playing to compliment the band. They aren’t playing original pieces that work within the framework of classic DEEP PURPLE songs like Highway Star, Woman From Tokyo, Knockin’ At Your Back Door, Lazy, and Smoke On The Water. And it is this reason that the symphony here seems to take the teeth and the edge right out of the songs. Instead of building up the songs the symphony here seems to actually water down the DEEP PURPLE sound. It is unfortunate really because in any band’s music would work well with symphonic treatments it would be DEEP PURPLE’s. But on this show it is simply not the case.

I am always heralding ANY release by DEEP PURPLE because I feel they have never received the respect they deserve as being one of the first to perform Hard Rock and Heavy Metal. Yes Black Sabbath is regarded as the Fathers of Heavy Metal but Deep Purple started a year before Sabbath did. They’ve released more albums, and pushed the envelope further than Black Sabbath ever could.

Sadly, I can’t recommend this DVD as it is just not a good representation of DEEP PURPLE and their legacy. But there are plenty more CDs and DVDs out there that are worthy of your time and I strongly suggest you go check them out. You’ll thank me later.









For more DEEP PURPLE click here.

On July 16, 2011, Deep Purple performed on the closing night of Switzerland’s prestigious Montreux Jazz Festival by re-inventing their classic catalog with the help of a symphony orchestra. This night will forever be emblazoned upon the brains of Deep Purple fans around the world when Eagle Rock Entertainment releases Live At Montreux 2011 simultaneously in DVD, Blu-Ray, and 2CD packages on November 8.

The whole night has been preserved in crystal clarity via high definition for the DVD and Blu-Ray releases. The sound on the 2CD set—DTS Surround Sound, Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital Stereo—is superb. Included on the DVD and Blu-Ray is a bonus in-depth band interview. Such classics as “Highway Star,” “Strange Kind of Woman,” “Lazy,” “Perfect Strangers,” “Hush,” “Woman From Tokyo,” “Black Night,” “Smoke On The Water” and 11 other gems, as performed with the orchestral sweep behind them, certainly spurred the band on. Ian Gillan (vocals), Ian Paice (drums), Roger Glover (bass), Steve Morse (guitar) and Don Airey (keyboards) can be seen visibly pleased with the results of the orchestra, as directed by Stephen “BK” Bentley-Klein.

This 115-minute concert is emblematic of the kind of shows that Deep Purple has been putting on with amazing consistency as they criss-cross the globe. It’s what their fans have come to expect. The current orchestra tour has proven them capable of transcending genre limitations to reach out for the kind of all-encompassing theatrical presentation that’s hard to forget. Now, with this release, Deep Purple fans around the globe can thrill to this extraordinary pairing of symphonic textures and the hardest of Classic Rock.









To purchase DEEP PURPLE + Orchestra Live at Montreux 2011 click here.

The eight-song concert is the definitive early onstage statement of a great band whose personnel shape-shifted through the years. This particular lineup is looked upon as the primo Rainbow assemblage. Lead guitarist Ritchie Blackmore had left Deep Purple in 1975 to concentrate on a more personalized version of his vision, and did just that with legendary vocalist Ronnie James Dio (1942-2010), drummer Cozy Powell, bassist Jimmy Bain and keyboardist Tony Carey. (This lineup only recorded one album together: Rising, a landmark in British Rock.)

Performing flawlessly on elongated jam-happy versions of “Kill The King,” “Mistreated,” “Sixteenth Century Greensleeves,” “Catch The Rainbow” (disc #1), “Man On The Silver Mountain,” “Stargazer,” “Still I’m Sad” and “Do You Close Your Eyes” (disc #2), Blackmore fulfilled his every expectation. Filled with startling guitar solos and massive Dio lung power, Live In Germany 1976 is a band in full control of their capabilities.

Live In Germany 1976 has all the elements, showcasing a band truly immeasurable in their talent and musical abilities. One can only wonder what kind of magic could have been produced had this lineup stayed together.

To purchase RAINBOW Live In Germany 1976 click here.

From JonLord.org:

‘I would like all my friends, followers, fans and fellow travelers to know that I am fighting cancer and will therefore be taking a break from performing while getting the treatment and cure.
I shall of course be continuing to write music – in my world it just has to be part of the therapy – and I fully expect to be back in good shape next year.
God bless and see you soon
Jon‘

Audio samples for tracks featured on former DEEP PURPLE keyboardist’s new JON LORD BLUES PROJECT Live CD can be heard below.

The CD was recorded at Rottweill, Germany on May 14th, 2011.

JON LORD BLUES PROJECT Live:
Back At The Chicken Shack
Houchie Couchie Man
Wishing Well
It Never Rains But It Pours
Fog On The Highway
Lazy
Walkin’ Blues
Way Down In The Hole
Houston
Respect Yourself
Blind Man
I´m A Man



Jon Lord Blues Project, Live CD teaser by JonLord.org



Jon Lord Live CD teaser by JonLord.org




For more JON LORD click here.

DEEP PURPLE

Phoenix Rising

Eagle Vision

8 out of 10

A good band can withstand a change in guitarist or drummer, a great band can withstand several membership changes, a select few bands can withstand a lead singer change (ok, I can think of two, Genesis and Van Halen), but only one band can have several different lineups and change the personnel of the entire band over and over and over again and still be amazing, relevant, put out quality albums over and over, and most importantly be accepted as that very band with no backlash for the changes.

I’m of course talking about Deep Purple. The band has had so many lineup changes over the year, had so many people in and out of the band that they are actually known by their versions, Mark I, II, III, etc. The band has had 14 different members over the years, they’ve changed every position but one. Ian Paice has been the drummer from day one, and in every incarnation of the band he has been there.

He has kept time for the likes of Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan, David Coverdale, Glen Hughes, Jon Lord, Joe Satriani, Tommy Bolin, Joe Lynn Turner, Rod Evans, Steve Morse, Roger Glover, Don Airey, and Nick Simper. Some amazing talent has performed under the DEEP PURPLE moniker.

Fans to this day still debate the best and their best Marks (or versions) of the band. My personal will always be Mark I. The original. Not to take away anything from the Coverdale/Hughes days, but I was turned on to DP in 1984 when they reunited the DP Mark I and put out Perfect Strangers. It was from that point I went backwards and found one of my all time favorite bands.

The last maybe 10 years the band, or their labels have been putting out some great videos. They’ve taken all their old concert videos, unreleased concerts, and putting together some great packages for the fans.

The latest is Phoenix Rising. And it features Mark IV of DEEP PURPLE. With an unknown (at the time) David Coverdale sharing lead vocal duties with bassist Glenn Hughes, Tommy Bolin on guitar, Jon Lord on keys, and as always Ian Paice on drums, this short lived version never had the chance to record as Tommy Bolin died in 76 of a heroin overdose. But this never before seen concert Rises Over Japan recorded in 1975 at the Budokahn in Tokyo sees the band crank out the classics Burn, Love Child, Highway Star, Stormbringer, Smoke On The Water, Getting Tighter, and Lazy.

Two things jump out at you watching this (especially during Highway Star, and Burn), David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes played off each other insanely well vocally. It was a true stroke of great fortune that the band got both of them at the same time. Because it is also evident during Highway Star that what Ian Gillan did alone vocally required Hughes/Coverdale together to do. David Coverdale hitting the lower, gruffer, bluesier parts, and Hughes hitting the higher notes. What we don’t get to see, but I would love to have is to see Coverdale/Hughes do Child In Time. Again it would absolutely take the talents of both of them to pull off what Gillan did by himself, but it would still be amazing to see them do it together.

The concert is remastered in 5.1 on this Blu Ray disc. And it sounds, well, as great as you’d expect a DEEP PURPLE show to sound. Martin Birch did a great job catching the band tearing through a wild set. The band may not have been the tightest at the time, at least not that night from the looks of things, but the energy, playing, and vibe was there. And of course the great songs. Sadly it is only 30 minutes, but it is a great 30 minutes of a seldom seen version of DEEP PURPLE. And in that, this show is enough to purchase this disc. To see Bolin/Hughes/Coverdale rock out to these great DP songs is more than enough reason to pick up the blu ray. But Rises Over Japan is only 30 minutes of Phoenix Rising. The rest is a never before seen documentary Gettin’ Together. It is culled from years of research, with live shots, backstage footage, interviews, and never before told stories. It tells the best and the worst of the Purple. The highs and lows of a tumultuous time in DP history.

The blu ray will only set you back $20, but you can pick up a regular DVD version for only $15 and a great DVD/CD combo for $20 also. If you are a Deep Purple fan you simply cannot pass this up. If you are lover of 70s rock, this is right up your alley, and if you want to see where David Coverdale cut his teeth before Whitesnake then this is for you too.









DEEP PURPLE – Phoenix Rising is out today. You can pick your copy up here, you’ll thank me later.

Following the departure of lead singer Ronnie James Dio and drummer Vinnie Appice after the studio mixing of the Live Evil album, Black Sabbath were once again on the lookout for yet another lead vocalist to fill the significant void left at stage front. The band turned to ex-Deep Purple lead singer Ian Gillan.

The resultant album and live touring certainly made for one of the more curious associations in the world of heavy metal. Much of this era of Black Sabbath has passed into rock folklore and was actually the source for much of the material used in the rockumentary movie, This Is Spinal Tap. From the replica stage production of Stonehenge which was too large for some of the venues on the world tour to the employment of a dwarf to dress-up and play the part of the ‘devil-baby‘ from the LP front cover, the world of Black Sabbath took-on a distinct air of the surreal.

Whilst the well received Born Again album and live dates succeeded in stoking the embers and kept the Sabbath flames burning, this would ultimately be a marriage built more on friendship and respect as opposed to any long-standing and compatible musical association. After one tour, Ian Gillan would eventually bid farewell and re-join his old sparring partners for the Mk. II reunion of Deep Purple and leave Black Sabbath once more gazing into the crystal ball hoping the face of yet another lead vocalist would reveal itself.

For Iommi, Butler, Ward, Gillan, and keyboardist Geoff Nicholls, work would swiftly commence in May of ’83 at the Manor Studios in the village of Shiptonon-Cherwell, Oxfordshire. Produced by Black Sabbath and co-producer Robin Black, who had also worked on 1975′s Sabotage, 1976′s Technical Ecstasy, and 1978′s Never Say Die, Sabbath‘s eleventh studio release would represent a radical departure from the gloomy atmospherics and blackened lyricism that had forged their identity and spawned innumerable descendants.

Gillan‘s approach to song-writing bespoke a lighter-hearted approach to what had, until then, been the primary concern of Butler. Album-opener Trashed, for instance, was inspired by Gillan‘s boozed-up race around the Manor’s grounds in Bill Ward‘s car that ended in near-catastrophe and a wrecked vehicle. Disturbing The Priest was the result of a door in the studio having been left open during playback, and a local vicar appearing in the doorway asking for the volume to be turned down as it was disturbing choir practice in the adjacent village.

For all of its off-kilter appearance however, Born Again was still Sabbath through and through. Musically twisted and possessed with more than a whiff of brimstone, the album is a thrilling glimpse into an alternative world.

For this re-mastered Deluxe Expanded Edition, a second disc containing two bonus tracks is included, with ‘The Fallen‘ being a previously unreleased studio outtake recorded during the original album session. Also included are nine tracks from the BBC Friday Rock Show broadcast of Black Sabbath‘s appearance at the Reading Rock Festival in August 1983, which also includes a performance of Deep Purple‘s classic ‘Smoke On The Water‘.

The Born Again Deluxe Expanded Edition tracklisting is as follows:
Disc 1 (original album):
Trashed
Stonehenge
Disturbing The Priest
The Dark
Zero The Hero
Digital Bitch
Hot Line
Keep It Warm

Disc 2:
The Fallen (Previously Unreleased Album Session Outtake)
Stonehenge (Extended Version)



Live at the Reading Festival, Saturday August 27 1983
(BBC Friday Rock Show broadcast):
Hot Line
War Pigs (live)
Black Sabbath (live)
The Dark
Zero The Hero
Digital Bitch
Iron Man (live)
Smoke On The Water (live)
Paranoid (live)

For more BLACK SABBATH click here.

STRYPER
The Covering
Big 3 Records
0 out of 10



Ok, who here had The Yellow And Black Attack? Raise yer hand! Right.
Who here had Soldiers Under Command? RAISE YER DAMNED HAND! Right, thought so.
Who here had To Hell With The Devil? Raise yer hand, yeah you, there, right there. Raise your hand, you know you had that cassette jamming in your Pinto on the way to high school in 85. Don’t lie to me.
Now, who has any album after that by Stryper? Me neither.

25 years later and the bumble bees are back buzzing around with a new album. Only this time it is covers of their influences, the songs and bands that made them want to be musicians. The list of bands they are covering on the album is great. You’ve got Ozzy, Sweet, Black Sabbath, Scorpions, UFO, Kansas, Kiss, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Deep Purple, Van Halen, and Led Zeppelin. Sounds like a pretty badass CD doesn’t it?

Well it’s pretty bad alright. Don’t believe me? Here is Away Team‘s very own Bam Bam’s two word review of The Covering right here.

Musically there are some decent points to the disc. I mean, as soon as the song starts you can name every song they are playing. So, there’s that. That should almost be worth a point on the 1 to 10 scale right? Ok, so we’ll give them 1 point for being able to recognize the songs they are playing.

And of course the song list is great. Lights Out, Immigrant Song, Breaking The Law, The Trooper, Over The Mountain, Heaven And Hell, Carry On, Highway Star, Set Me Free, Shout It Out Loud, Blackout, and On Fire. I mean, I truly don’t think I’ve seen a better cover album song list than this on one album. So there’s a point for that. Now we’re at 2 out of 10.

The dude on the cover of the album looks like Chris Jericho the wrestler to me, so if you’re into wrestling you might give them a point for that. Now it’s 3 out of 10.

Then Michael Sweet begins to sing. Not that the guy has a bad voice, I mean he’s no Joey Belladonna and that is a point IN his favor, so we’ll give them a point on this CD just because he CAN sing better than Joey Belladonna. Here’s to 4 out of 10. Damn, they’re almost batting .500!

Oh, wait, Michael is still singing. Wow. Ok, I am TRYING to be fair here. His vocals on Set Me Free aren’t THAT bad. I’ll say that. So, in starting off the album it is OK. Of course starting off an album at just OK is not a good place to start. You better go up real quick, because you don’t have far to fall into the ‘this stinks like 10 pounds of hot steaming dog shit’ pile of no return.

The opening riff to the Scorpion’s Blackout kicks in, and you’re like, ok… Let’s get this going. Hey, Michael Sweet doesn’t sound too far off from the Scorpion’s Klaus Meine here. I’ll be damned. Oh wait, there’s the Michael Sweet Stryper Scream… Oh wait, just fucked the whole song, and now his inflection is more Stryper than Scorpions. Lost me there boys.

Heaven And Hell is next. I mean… It’s HEAVEN AND HELL for fuck’s sake! How can you butcher this? Dio, Tony, it may very well be the ultimate old school metal song. And these holier than thou jesus freaks are singing it? I was personally offended when Michael Sweet said that Stryper could have written Heaven And Hell themselves and YOU SHOULD BE OFFENDED TOO because he said that. I’m calling Bullshit! If you could have written something as epic as Heaven And Hell you’d have had a longer career than three years of semi-relevance. And the chorus of ‘ahhhhhh’ during the breakdown????? This isn’t church camp, this is Black Sabbath motherfuckers. How do you remove the balls from one of the most badass songs of all time? HERECY!!!!!!

UFO’s Light Out. Skip it. I can’t deal anymore. Again, I’ll say FOR THE MOST PART, the music isn’t bad. But fuck his voice is so unique, and so pussified that it has no balls to it. And every chance he has to pull this off, he just completely fucks it up. Maybe this should be an instrumental cover album!!!! Yeah, then it would only suck half as bad. Hell, I’d probably rate it a solid 5 then.

The weak ass drum intro into Carry On. What the fuck is that? There’s no balls in the drums either? WTF?????? Skip.

Everyone has their breaking point when it comes to savagely raping the legacy of metal. Stryper covering Deep Purple’s Highway Star is it for me. And we haven’t even gotten to Judas Priest or Iron Maiden yet. Fuck you Stryper for even THINKING about doing this album. Skip.

I don’t think I can continue. Really… My blood pressure can’t take this; my ears can’t handle the blasphemy coming from the speakers, my co-workers are yelling at me to stop killing the litter of cats in my cubicle already. Must. Finish. Worst. Album. Ever.

Shout It Out Loud. Starts out as pussy as the original does. Does that make it bad? No, but at least they can’t fuck up such simpleton songwriting as KISS. If this was maybe the second or third song on the disc, I could probably have handled it, but as we are on the seventh song of this musical abortion, I can’t take anymore, I am up to my limit in shit, so…. Moving on…..

Over The Mountain. Holy Fuck Randy Rhoads just died again. I can’t play guitar that well and I can play the opening riff better than Oz Foxx. Skip.

The Trooper. Stupid fucks, if you are going to take songs like Over The Mountain (Randy Rhoads), Highway Star (Ritchie Blackmore, Jon Lord), The Trooper (Steve Harris), that have such a distinct musical sound and style, you best be able to reproduce the opening riff, the organ solo, the bass line (respectively) of those songs, or fuck off and JUST DON’T DO THEM. And never mind the shit fucked guitar solo in The Trooper, come up with your own (not). Skip.

Nobody should cover Judas Priest. Period. Skip

Van Halen. Really? You try to tackle the intricacies of Ritchie Blackmore, Tony Iommi, Randy Rhoads, AND Eddie Van Halen? Who do you think you are, Oz Foxx? Oh, wait… skip.

Do I even have to say anything about Stryper trying to cover Led Zeppelin? Really? Are you going to make me listen to this? FUCK YOU. and fuck Stryper.

And no, I’m not going to listen to their new song called ‘God’. Fuck that. You don’t get to do that to me after aurally sodomizing me for the last 30 minutes.

So, we got the album up to 4 out of 10 before Michael sang, so now where are we? Someone owes me for my therapy bills now!
DO NOT PICK THIS UP, you’ll thank me later.

On March 28th, Eagle Rock’s Armoury Records is releasing the truly unique SIN-atra album. This is another mind and genre-bending triumph from the team that brought you We Wish You A Metal Xmas and, put simply, is the world of heavy metal’s tribute to the genius of FRANK SINATRA.

Featuring a great line-up of artists, SIN-atra offers a set of totally original versions of classic Frank Sinatra songs. The album features twelve songs made famous by Ol’ Blue Eyes which are given a radical and individual new treatment from some of the finest voices in rock including members of ANTHRAX, TWISTED SISTER, DEEP PURPLE, QUEENSRŸCHE, MR BIG, WARRANT and CHEAP TRICK with the backing of a superb band led by guitarist Bob Kulick (KISS/MEAT LOAF).

Tracklisting:
New York, New York (Devin Townsend)
I’ve Got You Under My Skin (Glenn Hughes)
Summerwind (Geoff Tate)
It Was A Very Good Year (Dee Snider)
Witchcraft (Tim “Ripper” Owens)
Fly Me To The Moon (Robin Zander)
Lady Is A Tramp (Eric Martin)
I’ve Got The World On A String (Dug Pinnick)
Love And Marriage (Elias Soriano)
Strangers In The Night (Joey Belladonna)
High Hopes (Franky Perez)
That’s Life (Jani Lane)

These classics are re-imagined musically by the SIN-atra house band which features Bob Kulick (guitar); Brett Chassen (drums); Billy Sheehan (bass); Doug Katsaros (keyboards and orchestrations); Richie Kotzen (lead guitar on That’s Life). The songs are known to everyone but you’ve never heard them quite like this before!

To pre-order your SIN-ATRA click here.

WHITESNAKE, the legendary rock’n’roll legacy founded and formed by renowned singer/songwriter David Coverdale, unleashes a brand new storming ‘Snake statement, “Forevermore” on Frontiers Records on March 25th in Europe and March 29th in North America.

Their 11th studio album, “Forevermore” was recorded, produced and mixed by Coverdale, guitarist Doug Aldrich and Michael McIntyre at Snakebyte Studios and Grumblenott Studios & Villas in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, with additional work at Casa Dala, Sherman Oaks, CA, and WHITESNAKE will take to the road for a full world tour in support of the release.

Formed in 1977, and steered by the legendary Coverdale, WHITESNAKE carry a rightful reputation as one of the world’s leading rock’n’roll bands. Coverdale’s blues and soul roots, combined with a feral sense of rock and roll, have consistently shaped the ‘Snake’s sound, and add to that Coverdale’s love and appreciation of impeccable musicianship and you have a failsafe recipe for success.

Their ascent to the very top of the rock’n’roll tree was confirmed with 1987’s self-titled mega-platinum album, which saw two top 10 hits, two number one singles with ‘Here I Go Again’ and ‘Is This Love’ and a virtual 24 hour domination of MTV around the world. Such triumphs were surely foretold when as a young man from Saltburn-By-Sea; Coverdale enthusiastically answered the call to be Deep Purple’s singer. Such bombast, bravado, talent and passion have thus helped establish WHITESNAKE as the perennial platinum favorite they have become.

With “Forevermore” Coverdale has reignited an explosively fruitful vein of creativity with guitarist and co-writer/producer Aldrich, Reb Beach (Winger, Alice Cooper) on guitar, Brian Tichy (Ozzy, Billy Idol, Foreigner) on drums and Michael Devin (Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Lynch Mob) on bass, and as with all WHITESNAKE’s albums, Coverdale aided so capably by Aldrich opens up his heart and soul to express emotions and empathy rarely heard these days in any musical genre.

More than simply their latest release, “Forevermore” represents WHITESNAKE’s no holds barred, most heartfelt, melodic and musically muscular excursion for many a year.

The album’s release will be anticipated by the digital only release of the first single/video clip “Love Will Set You Free” on February 21st.

“Forevermore” will be specially released on a “Snake Pack” edition for the first 3 weeks in England only. This very special release – arranged in conjunction with Future Publishing and Classic Rock magazine – will come with a collector’s edition 132 pages deluxe magazine + A1 poster & metal pin badge and shall feature an exclusive cover art and 2 bonus live tracks “Slide It In” and “Cheap An’ Nasty” which will serve as an appetizer for the forthcoming “Live @ Donington 1990” to be released in the summer 2011.

The album is also being released on a double gatefold vinyl format, with deluxe special editions to be announced shortly.

This time Coverdale and Co. have really laid it on the line for their fans, and be sure of this, the Snake’s charms are going to convert a whole new army of believers… just watch.









For more WHITESNAKE click here.

From Gibson.com:

One of the great hard rock bands of the late ’70s/early ’80s, RAINBOW evolved over the course of its initial run (1975-1984) from a heavy sword-and-sorcery sound (helmed by RONNIE JAMES DIO) to a lighter, more commercial enterprise attuned to early ’80s FM playlists (with the Lou Gramm-esque JOE LYNN TURNER on vocals). Somewhere in between was an album called Down To Earth, which managed to dial up much of the hard rock fury of the Dio years, but with the dead-on pop sensibilities of the band’s later albums.

For Down To Earth, bandleader and axe-man extraordinaire RITCHIE BLACKMORE tapped GRAHAM BONNET to take the mic. With Bonnet’s stentorian vox, Blackmore’s fiery fretwork, monster drummer Cozy Powell, veteran keyboardist Don Airey and Ritchie’s old DEEP PURPLE mate Roger Glover on bass (and co-producer), the group created some of the best tracks in Rainbow’s long and winding history, including the singles ‘All Night Long‘ and the Russ Ballard-penned ‘Since You’ve Been Gone‘.

Now Universal Music has announced a deluxe expanded version of Down To Earth, with non-album B-sides ‘Bad Girl‘ and the atmospheric instrumental ‘Weiss Heim‘, as well as a second disc of studio outtakes and alternate versions, which lend much-appreciated context to the finished album.

It has also been reported that Universal will soon announce a release date for a similar deluxe edition for the album many consider to be the band’s masterpiece, Rainbow Rising.

Down To Earth: Deluxe Expanded Edition tracklisting:
Disc 1:
All Night Long
Eyes Of The World
No Time To Lose
Makin’ Love
Since You Been Gone
Love’s No Friend
Danger Zone
Lost In Hollywood
Bonus Tracks:
Bad Girl (7′ Single B-Side)
Weiss Heim (7′ Single B-Side)

Disc 2:
All Night Long (Instrumental Outtake)
Eyes Of The World (Instrumental Outtake)
Spark Don’t Mean A Fire
Makin’ Love (Instrumental Outtake)
Since You Been Gone (Instrumental Outtake)
Ain’t A Lot Of Love In The Heart Of Me
Danger Zone (Instrumental Outtake)
Lost In Hollywood (Instrumental Outtake)
Bad Girls (Instrumental Outtake)
Ain’t A Lot Of Love In The Heart Of Me (Alternative Outtake – Take 2 with mixed down vocal)
Eyes Of The World (Instrumental Outtake Take 2)
All Night Long (Cozy Powell Mix)








For more RAINBOW click here.
For more DIO era RAINBOW click here.

Rock producer and historian Denny Somach today announced the establishment of the Classic Rock Society of America. The organization will be devoted to the preservation, promotion and celebration of classic rock music by the artists, musicians, producers and fans of the most popular musical category of the past fifty years.

Somach is a recognized expert on Classic Rock and considered one of the architect’s of the Classic Rock radio format, which has become dominant in broadcasting and attracts millions of listeners. He has produced over 7500 hours of classic rock programming and maintains one of the largest archives of audio, video and data related to the topic. Somach has also authored numerous articles and books on the subject and appeared as an authority on shows including Today, Larry King , CBS Early Show, Dateline NBC, CNN, CNBC, MTV and others.

“The appeal of classic rock artists like the Beatles, Rolling Stones, the Who, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, the Doors, Moody Blues, Yes, Grateful Dead, Jethro Tull, Aerosmith, Styx, Deep Purple, Queen, the Allman Brothers and many, many others has never been more popular,” said Somach. “Classic rock has become cross-generational and is the most popular rock music format not just in the US and Canada, but around the world.”

The Classic Rock Society of America (CRSA) is an organization where people from all over the world can experience and commemorate their favorite music. Many colleges and universities have classes about this music and it is being taught everywhere. The CRSA will act as a resource center for students and teachers, enabling them to further enhance their study of classic rock.

CRSA was inspired by the UK’s Classic Rock Society, with a membership of thousands, and Classic Rock magazine, a publisher, recording label and music promoter. Both organizations are dedicated to the growth of all classic rock music. The UK’s Classic Rock Magazine presents a number of live shows, including the recent High Voltage Festival, which featured ZZ Top, Foreigner, Asia, Bachman-Turner, Uriah Heep, Argent and a reformed Emerson, Lake and Palmer to celebrate its 40th anniversary.

Rick Wakeman is the honorary Chairman of the U.K. Classic Rock Society. “When I contacted him about the Classic Rock Society of America we were launching, he immediately lent his support and thought it was about time something like this was established in America.” Subsequently the other founding board members including John Wetton of Asia and Dave Cousins of the Strawbs have publically announced their support.
“I have also spoken to over fifty musicians, producers and managers who are more than happy to not only lend their name but become actively involved in the Classic Rock Society of America,” stated Somach.

The Classic Rock Society of America will debut as an interactive web site and its own radio channel. It will also include marketing and promotion entities. The virtual society will eventually have a physical location where musicians and fans can visit and enjoy the many facets of the musical genre. Somach said, “We have already been contacted by a couple of municipal development organizations about locating a facility in their communities.”

For more CLASSIC ROCK SOCIETY OF AMERICA click here.

CLASSIC ALBUMS:
RUSH: 2112 & MOVING PICTURES
Eagle Vision DVD














Eagle Vision & Eagle Rock Entertainment have put together a series entitled CLASSIC ALBUMS that goes back and looks at the making of some of the greatest albums of all time. With titles such as Metallica: Black Album, Fleetwood Mac: Rumors, Judas Priest: British Steel, Elton John: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Iron Maiden: Number Of The Beast, Motorhead: Ace Of Spades, Deep Purple: Machine Head, and on and on… The series takes the band back to the studio, with the producer and engineer occasionally and goes over the recording of the album, how they wrote it, the stories that came from the recording session, and actually takes the album apart track by track and channel by channel. From the great licks, that killer vocal line, the special mixing that makes the song come alive.

You can’t turn on VH-1 without seeing an episode of Classic Albums, and with good reason. Even if you don’t particularly care for the artist or the album, the stories behind how the album came to be will enthrall you. My favorite episodes are DEEP PURPLE: Machine Head, JUDAS PRIEST: British Steel, and MEAT LOAF: Bat Out Of Hell. Not because they are amazing albums (they are), not because they are great legendary bands (they are), but because of the stories that come out about how the album and the songs came to be. From Deep Purple’s Smoke On The Water being written about the actual recording of Machine Head and the dismal situation they were in while recording one of rock’s greatest albums of all time. To Judas Priest’s Metal Gods marching sound being a drawer full of silverware being slammed open and shut. To Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman basically selling their souls and beating the odds to get a rock opera released by two unknown and unlikely artists.

RUSH: 2112 and Moving Pictures as albums need no real introduction to even casual music listeners.

With the opening track 2112 taking up half the album alone, the sheer epicness and ballsiness of an unknown band releasing this epic tome of music and having the fortitude and belief in themselves to pull off a magnum opus of this magnitude is to be respected and celebrated. The message of 2112 with nods to Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead actually echoes the band’s ambition for releasing a 20 plus minute song as the opening and title track on an unsuspecting public.

Moving Pictures is simply a greatest hits album of brand new music. Red Barchetta, Limelight, Vital Signs, and YYZ are well known to Rush fans and non fans alike. And of course Tom Sawyer which is probably second only to Stairway To Heaven as the most played song on Classic Rock stations.

The episode and the series isn’t a ‘Behind The Music’ drug and sordid history, it is about how the album came about, how the artist came up with the riff, the lyric, the song, the sound, and finally the impact the album had when it was released.

RUSH: 2112 & Moving Pictures was released September 28th. And can be purchased here. Do yourself a favor, pick it up, throw it in the DVD player and relive the magic of 2112, the hits of Moving Pictures and find out how the band came up with some of the most well known rock and roll songs in the history of music.

The DVD comes with almost an hour of extra material recorded for this episode. From Geddy Lee explaining the Overture of 2112, to Neil‘s (Non) drum solo, there are too many great nuggets to list here. The extras are worth the price of the DVD alone, nevermind the who, how, why of the recording of 2112 and Moving Pictures!

No matter which episode you watch, STEELY DAN: Aja, TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS: Damn The Torpedoes, SEX PISTOLS: Never Mind the Bollocks, or U2: Joshua Tree, you’ll always come away with a great story, an amazing tidbit about how your favorite song came to be, what studio magic was used to make that special sound that transports you to another place and time, and where the artists head was or wasn’t at when they recorded it. So check out the links below, pick up 2112 & Moving Pictures, treat yourself to a few other episodes of Classic Albums, and enjoy! You’ll thank me later.

For more CLASSIC ALBUMS click here.
For more RUSH click here.
To purchase RUSH: 2112 & Moving Pictures Classic Albums click here.

In 1989, BLACK SABBATH‘s Tony Iommi and DEEP PURPLE‘s Ian Gillan were just a few names in a long list of talent involved in the re-recording of the classic Deep Purple track ‘Smoke On The Water‘. This song was re-recorded to raise money for those affected by the Leninakan earthquake that struck Armenia in 1988. In October of last year, both Iommi and Gillan travelled to Armenia to see how the funds raised had helped the local community. On their trip they visited a music school only to find it being run out of temporary accommodation, it was only location not to have been rebuilt 20 years after the earthquake had struck.

Next week Iommi and Gillan will be heading back into the studio, joined by keyboardist Jon Lord (ex-Deep Purple, WHITESNAKE) and drummer Nicko McBrain (IRON MAIDEN) to record a new track to raise money to rebuild the Armenian music school. More information about the charity single ‘Out Of My Mind‘ and behind the scenes photos will follow soon.

DEEP PURPLE‘s Come Taste The Band 35th Anniversary reissue is due out on October 25th in the UK.

The reissue includes a remastered version of the album, plus the single version of ‘You Keep On Moving‘ on CD 1. CD2, meanwhile, has the album remixed by Kevin Shirley (LED ZEPPELIN, IRON MAIDEN), with input from Glenn Hughes, plus two unissued instrumental tracks from the sessions.

The tracklist is as follows:
CD1
Comin Home
Lady Luck
Gettin Tighter
Dealer
I Need Love
You Keep on Moving
Love Child
This Time Around
Owed to G
Drifter
You Keep on Moving 45 edit

CD2
Comin Home
Lady Luck
Gettin Tighter
Dealer
I Need Love
You Keep on Moving
Love Child
This Time Around
Owed to G
Drifter
Always the Same in LA
Bolin/Paice Jam

Deep Purple line-up:
David Coverdale - lead vocals
Tommy Bolin – guitars, vocals, bass guitar on ‘Comin’ Home‘
Glenn Hughes – bass, vocals (lead vocals on ‘Gettin’ Tighter‘ and ‘This Time Around‘)
Jon Lord – keyboards, piano, synthesizer, backing vocals on ‘Comin’ Home’, bass on ‘This Time Around‘
Ian Paice – drums, percussion

For more DEEP PURPLE click here.