Bakerloo

BAKERLOO

Previously known as The Bakerloo Blues Line, the Tamworth, Staffordshire based Bakerloo originally formed in the mid-sixties with a line up
comprising Dave 'Clem' Clempson (guitar/vocals), Terry Poole (bass) and Keith Baker (drums).

The Jazzy Power Blues style of the band led to them being compared to the likes of Cream and the individual playing skills of each member were
definitely of a comparable nature. Their manager Jim Simpson, who also looked after Black Sabbath when they were known as Earth, organised a U.K.
tour under the banner of 'Big Bear Ffolly' which saw the band, along with fellow Midlands groups Earth, Locomotive and Tea And Symphony tour up and
down the country, each act gaining experience and a considerable following in the process. Indeed, Bakerloo provided the support the night Led Zeppelin
made their Marquee Club debut on 18th October 1968.

Signing to EMI's 'progressive' label Harvest Records in the middle of 1969, they debuted with the single 'Driving Backwards'/'Once Upon A Time' (HAR 5004)
in July and followed it up with their self-titled album in December, on which they were supplemented by session trumpeter Jerry Salisbury.
The LP has now become a much sought-after collectors item with mint copies changing hands for BP65. However, shortly after its release,
Clempson accepted an offer to replace James Litherland in Colosseum and Bakerloo folded.*

Clem Clempson stayed with Colosseum for two years and three albums before taking over from Peter Frampton in Humble Pie. When he left them in 1975,
he recorded with Roger Daltrey on 'Ride A Rock Horse' and then teamed up with ex-Uriah Heep vocalist David Byron in the ill-fated Rough Diamond for
their self-titled album of 1977, and then formed the short-lived Champion. Since then, he has become one of the most in-demand session guitarists,
working with the likes of Cozy Powell, Tom Waits, Jack Bruce, Colin Blunstone, The Records and Finbar Furey, to name a few.
Keith Baker supplied the drums on Uriah Heep's 'Salisbury' album, whilst Terry Poole played on Graham Bond's 'We Put Our Magick On You' LP before
becoming a respected session man.

Following taken from www.progarchives.com/

Bakerloo originally formed around 1968 under the moniker ‘Bakerloo Blues Line’ in the Birmingham area. The line-up then was Dave ‘Clem’ Clempson on guitar and vocals, Terry Poole on bass and John Hinch on drums. Initially they stuck to a largely blues based set, yet like so many of the innovative acts of the era grew tired of the formula and began to experiment.
They attracted Black Sabbath’s future manager Jim Simpson, and attracted a considerable following- enough to win them a slot on John Peel’s BBC Radio 1 show ‘Top Gear’. However, there was a touch of Spinal Tap syndrome with drummers as Hinch was replaced with a multitude of players until they finally settled on Keith Baker. They also decided to drop the ‘Blues Line’ and became the shortened Bakerloo, and were put on a package tour called ‘Big Bear Ffolly’ (which inspired Bakerloo’s song of the same name) with other local bands Tea and Symphony, Locomotive (another highly innovative proto prog combo) and Earth, who would of course later evolve into the massively successful Black Sabbath.
They recorded their album prior to getting a record deal under the aegis of legendary, recently deceased producer Gus Dudgeon yet eventually, Simpson secured a deal with the new ‘progressive/underground’ imprint Harvest Records, which housed the likes of Pink Floyd, Edgar Broughton Band and aforementioned fellow Brummies, Tea and Symphony.
Though the album received very enthusiastic reviews and the band had a sizeable cult following, it sold little. This was a shame, because it remains a genuinely ‘progressive’ album with blues, jazz, classical and heavy rock meeting head-on, yet seamlessly.
However, internal ructions ripped the band apart anyway and despite some line-up reshuffles, with noted rock drummer Cozy Powell joining the band. That line-up lasted a small amount of time before Jon Hiseman, who had been impressed with Clempson’s guitar prowess, invited him to join the legendary jazz rock combo Colosseum. Keith Baker joined Uriah Heep for their classic ‘Salisbury’ album and Terry Poole turned up on blues/jazz rock innovator Graham Bond’s albums of the era.
Clempson, after Colosseum split, went on to work with heavy rockers Humble Pie who were a massive success, and Rough Diamond with ex-Uriah Heep singer David Byron, who were not. Clempson continued to work with a variety of artists. However, the other members seemingly fell off the radar after the 1970s.
Still, Bakerloo’s one and only album (a real collector’s item in original vinyl format) is a definite underrated classic and has a lot to offer fans of the genre.
















1: Big Bear Folly Dave "Clem" Clempson (3:57)
2: Bring It on Home Willie Dixon (4:18)
3: Drivin' Bachwards Johann Sebastian Bach (2:08)
4: Last Blues Dave "Clem" Clempson (7:06)
5: Gang Bang Dave "Clem" Clempson (6:17)
6: This Worried Feeling Dave "Clem" Clempson (7:05)
7: Son of Moonshine Dave "Clem" Clempson (14:54)
8: Once Upon a Time [*] Dave "Clem" Clempson (3:39)
9: This Worried Feeling [Alternate Take][#][*] Dave "Clem" Clempson (5:45)

Link http://www.mediafire.com/?xoknolvunin

Alex Harvey - The Impossible Dream

Alex Harvey was a British journeyman rocker who enjoyed a brief period of widespread popularity in the mid-'70s after decades of struggle. Growing up in Scotland, he turned to music in his late teens and was in a skiffle band by 1955. By 1959, it had evolved into the Alex Harvey Big Soul Band. Harvey took the group to Hamburg, West Germany in the early '60s, there recording his first LP, Alex Harvey and His Soul Band, in the fall of 1963, which did not feature the band. He and his group made their London debut in February 1964, and the same year he recorded The Blues, which essentially was a solo record. In 1965, Harvey dissolved the Big Soul Band and later returned to Glasgow. But he was back in London in 1967, assembling Giant Moth, a psychedelic group that existed only for a short time. He then accepted a job working in the pit band of the musical Hair and while doing so recorded Having a Hair Rave up Live from the Shaftsbury Theatre. In 1969, he released Roman Wall Blues, his first solo effort in five years. Up to this point, none of his musical efforts had attracted much attention. But in the early '70s, he recruited the Scottish band Tear Gas -- consisting of Zal Cleminson, Chris Glen, Hugh McKenna, and Ted McKenna -- christening the resulting quintet the Sensational Alex Harvey Band.

Their first two albums, Framed (1972) and Next (1973), didn't sell, but in the fall of 1974 The Impossible Dream became Harvey's first chart record in the U.K. (It briefly made the American charts in March 1975.) Tomorrow Belongs to Me followed in the spring of 1975, hitting the Top Ten along with the Top Ten singles placing of Harvey's flamboyant cover of the Tom Jones hit "Delilah." With that, Next belatedly made the charts, and in September Sensational Alex Harvey Band Live came out and reached the Top 20 (also making the Top 100 in the U.S), as "Gamblin' Bar Room Blues" became a Top 40 single. This commercial success continued into 1976, with Penthouse Tapes entering the LP charts in April and becoming a Top 20 hit, "Boston Tea Party" making the singles charts in June and making a Top 20 showing, and SAHB Stories following in July and just missing the Top Ten.

In 1977, Harvey and the band recorded separately, SAHB without Alex (as it was billed) issuing Fourplay, while the leader made Alex Harvey Presents the Loch Ness Monster. A final album together, Rock Drill, was followed by the group's breakup. Harvey was back with his New Band in 1979 and an album called The Mafia Stole My Guitar, but his moment, so long in coming, had passed. Nevertheless, he kept on rocking and was on tour in Belgium when he succumbed to a heart attack in 1982 just before his 47th birthday. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide

Yup, this is a good un! This album almost equals the strength of SAHB in live performance. Well maybe it doesn't completely get there, but it's definitely got an atmosphere of it's own and features some interesting sides to the band.

The album opens up with some heavy beating of the skins which leads us into Vambo, a number I'm sure you've all familiar with and part one of a piece titled The Hot City Symphony. This features an extremely bizarre music sequence between axe man Zal Cleminson and keyboard man Hugh McKennam (and) leads into Man in the Jar which opens up with a familiar tune, and leads into an Alex Harvey Marlon Brando cum Mickey Spillane type rap. The musical arrangement is neat and it features a nice solo from Zal.

River of Love features a heavy riff, laced with Spanish guitar which makes an odd combination. Gosh, I do believe it's a love song.

I do believe that Harvey's album was going to be called Can't Get Enough. Well I would take the track that closes side one and is called Long Hair Music as the title track. A good ol' rocker, this track would definitely make a nice single. And don't take the stylus off too quickly at the end. Sergeant Fury seemed to be a tailor made hit, yet it didn't even touch the charts as a single. It opens up with some trad-jazz type music which then leads into a Harvey riff. The band are solid and punchy while Harvey sings lyrics like, "I wanna be rich and famous" with insane credibility - you never know when to take this band seriously.

Weights Made of Lead has a basic train beat with a bizarre Cleminson lick over the top. Harvey sings the blues. To portray the full lunacy of this band, what more do you need than a medley of Money Honey and The Impossible Dream?

You find yourself writhing on the floor in mass confusion while the next track, Tomahawk Kid opens up quietly and leads into a rather heavy-orientated track where Harvey takes on the role of story teller. (What a versatile character.) The final track, appropriately titled Anthem, builds up to a thunderous climax featuring choirs and things like that.

This album has caught the full dynamics and insanity of the group, and everyone should have one installed in their homes. Then Alex may be able to achieve his impossible dream?"


















Track Listings
1. Hot City Symphony: Vambo/Man in the Jar
2. River of Love
3. Long Hair Music
4. Hey
5. Sergeant Fury
6. Weights Made of Lead
7. Money Honey/Impossible Dream
8. Tomahawk Kid
9. Anthem


Link http://www.mediafire.com/?ooymmqzyrlw

Rick Wakeman - 1984

Original LP cover

Richard Christopher Wakeman (born 18 May 1949 in Perivale, London) is an English keyboard player best known as the keyboardist for progressive rock group Yes. Originally a classically trained pianist, he was a pioneer in the use of electronic keyboards and in the use of a rock band in combination with orchestra and choir.He purchased his first electronic keyboard, a Minimoog, from the actor Jack Wild. Wakeman was able to buy it for half the regular selling price because Wild thought it did not work as it only played one note at a time.He hosts a regular radio show on Planet Rock.



Wakeman was born in the suburb of Perivale, West London, and attended Drayton Manor Grammar School. He initially studied piano, clarinet, orchestration and modern music at the Royal College of Music, but he left of his own accord after a year and a half in favour of work as a session musician.

In 1970-1971, Wakeman played with Strawbs, recording with them the albums Just a Collection of Antiques and Curios and From the Witchwood. Formerly, he had already contributed as a session musician to the Strawbs's album Dragonfly (1970).

Especially in 1969-1973, Wakeman was also a very active studio musician, playing with such artists as David Bowie, Cat Stevens and Al Stewart notably playing piano (and/or Mellotron) on Bowie's Space Oddity, Life on Mars, Changes and Oh! You Pretty Things, and Morning Has Broken by Cat Stevens. (In 1985, Wakeman collaborated again with Bowie to Absolute Beginners).

Wakeman joined Yes in 1971, after keyboardist Tony Kaye was asked to leave the band because of his refusal to play anything more than the Hammond organ. His first album with the band was Fragile released 1971 in the UK and 1972 in the US, and very nearly his last was Tales from Topographic Oceans, released in 1973. He also played on the studio album Close to the Edge (his favourite Yes album) and his live performances with the group were released as Yessongs. He left the band following the Tales from Topographic Oceans tour.

During his time with Yes, he released his first solo album, The Six Wives Of Henry VIII (1973), which showcases his skills with various electronic and acoustic keyboard instruments. Some members of Yes played their respective instruments on certain tracks.

His next solo album was Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1974), a very successful concept album combining his rock band (the English Rock Ensemble) with a symphonic orchestra and a choir.

In 1975, he released the concept album The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, which was supported by a live show featuring ice skating theatrical performances accompanied by a large number of musicians (his rock band, an orchestra and two choirs). The show was very well received, but its cost was extravagant and also caused Wakeman to declare bankruptcy.
Of all the members of Yes, Wakeman is the only non-vegetarian, a difference which contributed to his first departure from the band. The primary reason for that initial departure, however, was musical differences. Wakeman felt Tales from Topographic Oceans was thin on substance and did not connect with its themes. Further, he did not enjoy the experience of reproducing the entire work on stage each night. He felt the length of the songs prohibited the band from playing many of their more popular songs of the time. Following the tour, as the band began work on what would become Relayer, Wakeman felt further alienated from the group. Disenchanted with the direction in which Yes was going, and already into a successful solo career, Wakeman jumped ship.

He rejoined Yes for their 1977 album Going for the One, which especially features him in the famous 'epic' Awaken. He remained until their next album, Tormato, a year later. He is reputed to have given the album its name by throwing a tomato at a showing of the art used for the album's cover.
In 1989, he joined with three fellow ex-Yes members to form Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe (a.k.a. ABWH). After ABWH's first album, some of the completed tracks for a planned second album were merged with tracks from an in-progress Yes album to create the album Union. Wakeman, along with the combined members of both bands then joined to form a Yes supergroup (made up of past and present members of Yes) for the subsequent tour in 1991. When the tour ended a year later, Wakeman left again. He then returned in 1996 for the Keys to Ascension albums but left before the band could tour. In 2002, he rejoined Yes and has been with the group ever since, but also enjoys a successful solo career.

He has also performed as a guest or session musician for artists such as:

* Alice Cooper,
* John Williams,
* Brotherhood of Man,
* Elton John,
* Lou Reed,
* David Bowie (notably mellotron on 'Space Oddity', piano on 'Life On Mars' and 'Changes'),
* Cat Stevens (including piano on Stevens' hit cover of the hymn "Morning Has Broken"),
* T. Rex,
* Ozzy Osbourne,
* Black Sabbath (playing keyboards on "Sabbra Cadabra" and "Who are You" on 1973's Sabbath Bloody Sabbath),
* Brian May
* Vivian Stanshall (keyboard on Teddy Boys Don't Knit)

Reissue CD Cover

Although Wakeman was a noted player of the Hammond Organ and the Minimoog, he also played a key part in the popularisation of the Mellotron – an electronic musical instrument that used a bank of prerecorded tape strips, activated by each key on its keyboard. It proved too unwieldy and unreliable for regular touring, and Rick eventually doused his in petrol and set fire to it in a field . Undeterred, Rick worked with David Biro to develop the Birotron, which used the then popular 8-track cassette format rather than bare tape strips. Also because of the advent of digital keyboards at that time, the Birotron was not a commercial or technical success. Only 35 Birotrons were produced, and Rick eventually threw his across the stage after it broke down mid-concert, an action he now regrets, as there are only 6 known remaining examples.

He has written the soundtracks for two films by Ken Russell: Lisztomania (1975), which features vocals from Roger Daltrey and which takes as its starting point the music of Liszt and Wagner; and Crimes of Passion (1985), much of which is built around themes taken from Dvořák's New World Symphony.

As announced on the official Yes website, Rick Wakeman would not be joining Yes on their 40th Anniversary tour, he would instead be replaced by his son Oliver Wakeman (the tour was cancelled because of Jon Anderson's poor health). In 2008, Wakeman has been touring with a solo show, "Rick Wakeman's Grumpy Old Picture Show", an evening of biography, stories and music.

LP Back



















Tracks

1a. Overture Part One
1b. Overture Part Two
1c. Wargames
2. Julia
3. The Hymn
4. The Room (Brainwash) - Part One And Part Two
5. Robot Man
6. Sorry
7. No Name
8. Forgotten Memories
9. The Proles
10. 1984

Link http://www.mediafire.com/?tw22imtzlzg

Jon Anderson - Song Of Seven

Jon Anderson was born in the town of Accrington, Lancashire, England, in a family of Irish ancestry, his parents being Albert and Kathleen Anderson. He was later to drop the "h" from his first name in 1971, as he had a dream where he was given the name "Jonathan". Thus, on The Yes Album he is still credited as "John", and on the next album Fragile, credited as "Jon".
He attended St. John's Infants School in Accrington, and made a tentative start to his musical career at an early age by playing the washboard in "Little John's Skiffle Group", which played songs by Lonnie Donegan among others. Anderson left school at the age of fifteen, and went through a series of jobs including working as a farm hand, lorry driver, and a milkman. He also tried to pursue a football career in the club he is still a fan of, Accrington Stanley F.C., but he was eventually turned down because of his frail constitution.

Early career

In 1962, Anderson joined The Warriors (also known as The Electric Warriors), where he and his brother Tony shared the role of lead vocalist. He quit this band in 1967, released two solo singles in 1968 under the pseudonym Hans Christian Anderson, and then briefly sang for the bands The Gun and The Open Mind.

In the summer of 1968, Anderson met bassist Chris Squire and joined him in a group called Mabel Greer's Toyshop, which had previously included guitarist Peter Banks. Anderson fronted this band, but ended up leaving again before the summer was over. He remarks on his website that his time with the band consisted of "too many drugs, not enough fun!".

Yes

Anderson, Squire, and Banks went on to form Yes, with drummer Bill Bruford and keyboardist Tony Kaye. Their debut album was released in 1969. He stayed with the group until 1980, and this period is now known as the classic period of Yes. Jon was a major creative force and band leader throughout the period (describing himself as the 'team captain'; nicknamed by his bandmates "Napoleon" for his diminutive stature and leadership of the band)-- and is recognized as the main instigator of the series of epics produced by Yes at the time. His role in creating such complex pieces as Close to the Edge, Awaken, and especially The Gates of Delirium is central, despite his limited instrumental abilities.
He rejoined a reformed Yes in 1983 which produced their most commercially successful album 90125 with newcomer Trevor Rabin, and departed again in 1988 over the band's continued pursuit of major commercial success and mainstream radio play. In 1989, Anderson and other former Yes members formed the group Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, Howe (ABWH), augmented by bassist Tony Levin who had played with drummer Bill Bruford in King Crimson. After the successful first ABWH album, a bizarre series of business deals caused ABWH to reunite with the then-current members of Yes, who had been out of the public eye while searching for a new lead singer. The resulting eight-man band assumed the name Yes, and the album Union (1991) was assembled from various pieces of an in-progress second ABWH album as well as recordings that "Yes proper" had been working on, without Anderson. A successful tour followed, but the eight-man lineup of Yes never recorded a complete album together before splintering in 1992. Many more personnel changes followed, but Anderson has been with the band ever since. He appears on all Yes albums except their 1980 album Drama.
Vocalist Jon Anderson performing in concert with Yes in 1977

Anderson was fond of experimenting within the band, also adding to what were at times conflicted relationships within the band and with management. He originally wanted to record the album Tales from Topographic Oceans in the middle of the woods, and instead decided to put hay and animal cut-outs all over the recording studio, causing lice to infest one of Rick Wakeman's keyboards.In another incident, Anderson had tiles installed in the studio, to simulate the echo effect of one's vocals in a bathroom.

Anderson last performed with Yes in 2004. A tour planned for summer 2008 with Anderson was cancelled when he suffered acute respiratory failure. The band have since announced a tour without him and he has been replaced by Benoît David, singer in a Yes tribute act Close to the Edge.

Vocal and lyrical style

It is a commonly held misconception that Jon Anderson sings falsetto, a vocal technique which artificially produces high, airy notes by using only the ligamentous edges of the vocal cords; however, Jon Anderson does not sing falsetto. His normal singing (and speaking) voice is naturally above the tenor range. In a 2008 interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Jon stated, "I'm an alto tenor and I can sing certain high notes, but I could never sing falsetto, so I go and hit them high."

Anderson is also responsible for most of the mystically-themed lyrics and concepts which are part of many Yes releases. These elements are crucial components of the classic Yes sound, but have occasionally alienated some members of the band (most notably Bruford and Rick Wakeman), contributing to their leaving the group. The lyrics are frequently inspired by various books Anderson has enjoyed, from Tolstoy's War and Peace to Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha. A footnote in Paramahansa Yogananda's Autobiography of a Yogi inspired an entire double album Tales from Topographic Oceans (1973). Recurring themes include environmentalism, pacifism and sun-worship.



Song of Seven is Jon Anderson’s most conventional album to date, sounding at times like a spiritually informed Supertramp. A handful of these tracks are carryovers from the last Yes sessions, rendered here in a straightforward style by the studio musicians on hand. While less well received than his collaborative effort with Vangelis released earlier in the year, Short Stories, this record is much more accessible and engaging. Unlike the conceptual Olias of Sunhillow, Song of Seven is simply a collection of songs, many with a positive message and a catchy melody. A few qualify as actual pop songs - “Don’t Forget (Nostalgia),” “Heart of the Matter” and “Take Your Time” for example - delivered with a charm and sincerity unique to Anderson. The opening “For You For Me” is more in line with the free-form vocalizing of Short Stories, “Hear It” and “Days” perhaps the closest match to Olias’ acoustic magic. The album’s high point is the title track, which recalls the melodic epics of Yes, albeit on a more modest scale. Likewise, “Some Are Born” and “Everybody Loves You” are memorable songs that deliver Jon’s message of love and hope in pleasant arrangements. The music, predictably light on its feet, is anchored by traditional instrumentation: fretless bassist John Giblin, keyboardist Ronnie Leahy, guitarist Ian Barinson and percussionist Maurice (Morris) Pert add an element of substance lacking in Jon’s earlier work, although some may find the results mundane by comparison. I have yet to read a positive account of this album, but it’s one of my favorites from Jon, unpretentious and disarmingly sweet.





















TRACK LISTING

1. FOR YOU FOR ME 4:24
2. SOME ARE BORN 4:02
3. DON'T FORGET (NOSTALGIA) 2:57
4. HEART OF THE MATTER (Jon Anderson/Ronnie Leahy) 4:18
5. HEAR IT 1:48
6. EVERYBODY LOVES YOU 4:01
7. TAKE YOUR TIME 3:12
8. DAYS 3:24
9. SONG OF SEVEN 11:07

All songs written by Jon Anderson unless noted

CREDITS

JON ANDERSON -- vocals, acoustic guitar, keyboards, harp
IAN BARINSON -- guitar, bass, sing song vocals
JOHN GIBLIN -- bass
RONNIE LEAHY -- keyboards
MAURICE PERT -- drums, percussion
CHRISTOPHER RAINBOW -- backing vocals, sing song vocals, choir
Damian James Anderson -- Korg keyboards (5), countdown and countup (9)
Deborah Leigh Anderson -- harmony (5)
Petite Jade Anderson -- countdown and countup (9)
Jack Bruce -- bass (4)
Clem Clemson -- guitar (4,9)
Johnny Dankworth -- alto sax (3)
Delme String Quartet -- strings (9)
Mel -- bass (5)
Dick Morrisay (sic) -- sax (2,4)
Dave Ogden -- string arrangement (9)
Simon Phillips -- drums (4)
Mike Dunne -- engineer
Brian Gaylor -- electronics
John Martin -- coordination and instruments


Link http://www.mediafire.com/?imwfmx4winz

Steve Hillage - L

After leaving Gong, Steve Hillage undertook what became a very successful solo career. After the critical and relative commercial success of "Fish Rising", which was recorded while still a member of Gong, it was clear by all concerned that Hillage was a man of huge talent. Putting Hillage together with producer Todd Rundgren was a masterstroke. Using Rundgren's own band at the time, Utopia for the recording sessions the combination of Hillages stratospheric guitar playing and new age bravura and Rundgren's commercially richly textured production techniques was a hit. The resulting album "L" was sharp and focussed, mixing original material and covers of songs by Donovan and George Harrison, which Hillage made his own.

Though many may argue this stuff was very much of it's time (remember how it was featured in "The Young Ones"!), but today listening to "It's All Too Much" can still put a beatific smile on your face. There is still something special about this music, maybe made more so when placed within today's much more cynical world.

The standout track is clearly the lengthy and mainly instrumental "Lunar Musick Suite". Purportedly recorded at full moon, Hillage's synth guitar playing is ecstatically searing and the trumpet solo by Don Cherry is soulfully sublime as it leads up to the hugely satisfying climax!

Tracks

1. Hurdy Gurdy Man
2. Hurdy Gurdy Glissando
3. Electrick Gypsies
4. Om Nama Shivaya
5. Lunar Musick Suite
6. It's All Too Much
Total Time: 43:48


Line-up/Musicians

- Steve Hillage / electric guitar, guitar synthesizer, vocals, synthesizers, shenai
+ Don cherry / trumpets, bells, voice, tamboura
- Miquette Giraudy / voice, vibes
- Larry Karush / tabla
- Sonja Malkine / 15th century hurdy gurdy
- Roger Powell / piano, synthesizers
- Kasim Sulton / bass
- John Wilcox / drums
L is the second studio album by British progressive rock musician Steve Hillage.

It was recorded primarily in New York, at the Secret Sound, Woodstock, N.Y., and was produced and engineered by Todd Rundgren, using musicians from Todd Rundgren's band Utopia and others.

According to liner notes supplied with the US pressing, Rundgren had only just become aware of Hillage, and following a letter from Hillage to Rundgren, and a reply from Rundgren, Hillage travelled to New York to meet, and the agreement to work together flowed from that.

The cover features a clean shaven Hillage (most of the publicity shots of Hillage during the 1970's show him with a full beard) holding his guitar, brightly backlit.

Unusually for Hillage, half the songs on this album are covers. "Hurdy Gurdy Man" was written by Donovan P. Leitch, "Om Nama Shivaya" was written by Kesar Singh Nariula and Uma Nanda, and "It's All Too Much" was written by George Harrison, and appeared originally on the album Yellow Submarine in 1969 by The Beatles.

The original Virgin catalogue number for this album on vinyl was V2066. An American pressing was issued on Atlantic Records, catalogue number SD 18205.

The album entered the UK charts on 16 October 1976, where it stayed for 12 weeks, hitting a peak of number 10[1]. This was the most successful of Steve Hillage's solo career albums, the next most successful being Motivation Radio and Green, which reached numbers 28 and 30 respectively.




















link http://www.mediafire.com/?ibdbiwzzzl1

Hermen Rarebell - Nip in the Bud

Herman Rarebell began his life on the 18th of November 1949 in Saarbrucken, Germany, his zodiac sign being Scorpio. By the age of 12 his passion for drumming was so extreme that he would practice on anything available, including an old sloped chair. His song writing was influenced by the music of Led Zeppelin, a group which he still loves.

After qualifying in drums and piano at the Music School in Saarbrucken, and after he played with Mastermen (1965) and with Fuggs Blues (1968) he moved on to England from 1971 to 1977 where he was hoping to find the next great Heavy Metal Band and there Michael Schenker introduced him to the Scorpions and began his international career as drummer and songwriter for the Scorpions. He was a driving force for the band, leading it with the full sound of his drums and especially during the live appearances, making the band perform the songs in a spectacular way. He was an important composer in the history of the group, writing classic songs like "Another piece of meat", "Falling in Love" and the second single from Savage Amusement "Passion rules the game" and writing the lyrics for some of the most classic songs of the band like "Rock You Like a Hurricane", "Make It Real", "Dynamite", "Blackout", "Arizona", "Bad Boys Running Wild", "Don't Stop At the Top", "Tease Me Please Me" and other songs. In 1982 he released his first solo album Nip In The Bud (which he re-recorded as Herman ze German & Friends with the help of some friends of his as guest such as members of Dokken, Great White, Ratt etc.) It is worth noting that he is and was the only musician of the Scorpions who did his own solo project while still a full member of the band.

In April of 1996 he left the band following their 1993 album Face the Heat and the third Scorpions' live album Live Bites. His career with the band has seen his name on an international reputation boasting 32 million album sales. Surely with his absence, the consistency of the group was lost and the change in the sound was obvious to all the fans.

Maybe the fatigue from the non stop touring, maybe the disagreements regarding the recordings and musical directions of the upcoming Scorpions album (Pure Instinct) and making the acquaintance with Prince Albert were some of the reasons he decided to leave the group and to get involved with a new challenge, to become a producer and to co-find the record company Monaco Records. He participated in many of the projects as a drummer and he released a second solo album under the label called Stings Like a Scorpion, while he had already released Nip in the bud and Herman Ze German and Friends while he was still with the Scorpions which were produced by Ric Browde. The two albums are essentially the same but the latter has re-recorded vocals and a re-mix courtesy of Michael Wagener. The track "I'll Say Goodbye" was co-written with Dokken main man Don Dokken. Artists on the album include bassist Juan Croucier of Ratt, vocalists Don Dokken, Jack Russell of Great White, Charlie Huhn of Victory, Steve Marriott and guitarists Chris Storey and David Cooper. His artistic restlessness lead him to a project with his wife Claudia Raab, former 7 Sins saxophonist and well known actress, and released a debut album The Rhythm of Art. Its musical direction was atmospheric dance music with saxophone, drums and electronic music. Herman also performed with some live appearances under the Art Meets Music project with shows which would become a lot more than regular Rock n' Roll events, also featuring dancers as well as featuring original paintings by Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood and Ronald Muri, founder of the "Pop-Expressionist Movement". He participated in the Drum Legends project with his friend Pete York (ex Spencer Davis Group) where they released a live CD & DVD with the contribution of Jazz drummer C.Antonini. He also released a great 'soft' album with the Monte Carlo Pop Orchestra (Let me take you to the moon) as well as a single with the singer of Unlimited Ray Slijngaard (a remake of the song "The Eye of The Tiger") showing his need to experiment.



TRACKS
01. Messing Around
02. Two Timer
03. Havin' a Good Time
04. Rock Your Balls
05. Triangle
06. Slob
07. Junk Junk
08. Do It
09. Pancake
10. I'll Say Goodbye




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Mick Ronson-Slaughter On 10th Avenue

Reflecting, a decade after the fact, on his launch as a solo rock & roll superstar, Mick Ronson shrugged indifferently, as though he'd really had no say in the matter. David Bowie had just "retired" and, in the absence of the singing sensation with whom Ronson had already risen to unexpected heights, manager Tony DeFries was anxious to keep at least one of his many pots boiling. "Tony said to me, 'okay, we can make you a big star, get you a deal with RCA, all that.' So I said 'wonderful,' and went off to make my own record."

Was there ever a launch like the one which awaited Mick Ronson? For a few weeks through the early spring of 1974, you couldn't turn around without his blonde tresses and sad doe eyes staring out from the video still selected to represent his solo career: "Slaughter on 10th Avenue," a histrionic guitar rendition of the Richard Rodgers movie classic, was an inspired choice, and the accompanying video -- Ronson watching helplessly as his girl is gunned down on the street -- remains one of the unseen classics of the genre. No mere miming potboiler for this Kid -- Ronson got the full Hollywood treatment. The same can be said for the accompanying album. Slaughter on 10th Avenue remains a startling achievement, however it is viewed. Guitar gods, after all, were ten-a-penny through the 1970s. But could Ritchie Blackmore sing? Jimmy Page? Robin Trower? Ronno's voice wasn't strong, but with sensitive material and lyrics he could get behind, he was unbeatable. A deliciously Pelvis-less "Love Me Tender" opens the album with warm depth and sparkling cadences; "Only After Dark," co-written with one-time SRC main man Scott Richardson, proved he hadn't left the hard riffing behind. The watchword throughout was variety -- from the proto-Springsteen-esque "Growing Up and I'm Fine" (the first and only Bowie/Ronson composition to be publicly acknowledged) to the chest-beating Euro-angst of "Music Is Lethal" -- all were a showcase for Ronson the performer, rather than the man who garroted Gibsons for fun, and initial reviews of the album made that point. Of course, the guitar didn't get off scot-free. The scorching ARP/guitar duel which concludes "Hey Ma, Get Papa" and, of course, the title track itself were evidence of Ronson's love for his day job, but today, it is the absence of screeching, squealing, neck-twisting frenzy which has ensured that Slaughter on 10th Avenue remain so much more than just another guitar picker's solo record; that the album does, in fact, stand alongside any of Bowie's own, immediately post-Ronson albums as a snapshot of a special time, when the triple disciplines of glam, rock and "Precious Art" slammed into one another without a care in the world. [Reissued with bonus live tracks.] ~ Dave Thompson, All Music Guide




















Track listing

1. "Love Me Tender" (Ken Darby)
2. "Growing Up and I'm Fine" (David Bowie)
3. "Only After Dark" (Mick Ronson, Scott Richardson)
4. "Music Is Lethal" (David Bowie, Lucio Battisti)
5. "I'm the One" (Annette Peacock)
6. "Pleasure Man/Hey Ma Get Papa" (Mick Ronson, Scott Richardson, David Bowie)
7. "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue" (Richard Rodgers)

Bonus Tracks

1. "Solo on 10th Avenue" (Richard Rodgers) [Live]
2. "Leave My Heart Alone" (Craig Fuller) [Original B-Side - Live]
3. "Love Me Tender" [Live]
4. "Slaughter on Tenth Avenue" [Live]

Personnel

* Mick Ronson - guitar, piano, vocals, arrangement, conductor
* Trevor Bolder - bass, trumpet, trombone
* Aynsley Dunbar - drums, percussion
* Mike Garson - piano, electric piano, organ
* David Hentschel - arp on "Hey Ma Get Papa"
* Margaret Ronson - backing vocals
* Dennis MacKay - backing vocals
* Sidney Sax - strings


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