Blizzard of Ozz - First Uk Tour Live in Chelmsford

Ok here we go The first of the bootlegs, this one is from the Blizzard of Ozz tour recorded on the 22nd oct 1980 and showcases their debut album. I was fortunate enough to see them in Edinburgh only their third ever gig. The following account comes from Wikipedia There is a least one inconsistency. Acording to the article the Blizzard of Ozz album was released a week after the tour started Which was immposible as I had the album and knew the lyrics to all the songs (much to the annoyance of those standing beside me). So it was more like 1 week before the tour started. Also for some inexplicable reason the keyboard player was not on the stage
This was one of the best gigs of my youth, not only was Ozzy in excellent form but support act Budgie Blew me away, I have been a fan of there's ever since. As for Ozzy i got tickets to see him the next time he played Edinburgh only for it to be cancelled at the last moment, no reason given. Anyway on the way home Myself and a couple of friends came across the tour bus and guess what Good old Ozzy was on a different planet and kicking off at anyone and everyone in sight.I couldn't tell you if the gig was re-arranged or not as I took the refund and have never been the slightest bit interested in his carreer ever since

Ozzy Osbourne was fired from Black Sabbath in 1979,after his final performance with the band on 11 December 1978 during the Never Say Die! promotional tour. The singer began his solo career the same year, hiring Quiet Riot guitarist Randy Rhoads, former Rainbow bassist Bob Daisley and former Uriah Heep drummer Lee Kerslake.The band recorded their debut album between March and April the next year, releasing Blizzard of Ozz in the United Kingdom in September 1980.

Ozzy Osbourne and his band began their tour in Osbourne's native United Kingdom on 12 September 1980,
a week before the album's UK release.The band played three dates in Scotland, before moving on to play 25 dates in England and one in Wales between 17 September and 31 October.Keyboardist Don Airey, who performed on the album, was replaced on tour by Lindsey Bridgewater.On every date of the leg, the band were supported by Welsh hard rock band Budgie, who were promoting their eighth studio album Power Supply, apart from the Liverpool date when Budgie pulled out and were replaced by local hard rock act, Export. Following the first leg of the tour, the band began writing the follow-up to their debut album; Diary of a Madman was subsequently recorded in February 1981.

Shortly before the beginning of the tour's second leg, after recording Diary of a Madman, original members Daisley and Kerslake were fired from the band.Ex-Quiet Riot bassist Rudy Sarzo and former Pat Travers Band drummer Tommy Aldridge (both of whom were credited on Diary of a Madman in place of the fired members, who performed all bass and drum parts) were hired to replace them in April, performing on the remainder of the tour. Blizzard of Ozz was released in the United States in January 1981, before the second leg of the tour began in the United States on 22 April 1981, where it remained until 12 July. Ozzy's band were supported on the United States run by English heavy metal band Motörhead, who remained with the tour when it moved to Canada on 13 July, adding local hard rock band Queen City Kids (promoting their debut self-titled album) to the shows. Ozzy and Motörhead performed at the Heavy Metal Holocaust concert at Vale Park, England on 1 August, before moving back to the United States to complete another month-and-a-half of tour dates with English hard rock band Def Leppard, who were supporting their second studio album High 'n' Dry.

 The Band

Ozzy Osbourne – lead vocals
Randy Rhoads – guitar
Bob Daisley – bass, backing vocals
Lee Kerslake – drums
Lindsey Bridgewater – keyboards

Tour Dates (first leg)

1     12 September 1980     Glasgow     The Apollo

2     13 September 1980     Dundee             Caird Hall

3     15 September 1980     Edinburgh     Odeon

4     17 September 1980     Newcastle     Newcastle City Hall

5     18 September 1980     Bradford     St. George's Hall

6     20 September 1980     London             Hammersmith Odeon

7     23 September 1980     Manchester     Manchester Apollo

8     25 September 1980     Coventry     New Theatre

9     26 September 1980     Liverpool     Royal Court Theatre

10     28 September 1980     Birmingham     Odeon

11     29 September 1980     Leicester     De Montfort Hall

12     1 October 1980             Oxford             New Theatre Oxford

13     2 October 1980             Southampton     Gaumont

14     3 October 1980             Stoke             The King's Hall

15     6 October 1980             Blackburn     King George's Hall

16     7 October 1980             Sheffield     Sheffield City Hall

17     9 October 1980             Cardiff     Sophia Gardens

18     10 October 1980     Taunton     Odeon

19     13 October 1980     Great Malvern     Malvern Winter Gardens

20     17 October 1980     Newcastle     Mayfair Theatre

21     18 October 1980     Hull             Hull City Hall

22     20 October 1980     Bristol     Colston Hall
23     21 October 1980     Canterbury     Odeon

24     22 October 1980     Chelmsford     Odeon

25     23 October 1980     Ipswich     Gaumont

26     26 October 1980     London             Hammersmith Odeon

27     28 October 1980     Sunderland     Mayfair Theatre

28     29 October 1980     Middlesbrough     Middlesbrough Town Hall

29     31 October 1980     Brighton     Dome Theatre

The Tracks

1. "I Don't Know"
2. "You Lookin' at Me Lookin' at You"
3. "Crazy Train"
4. "Goodbye to Romance"
5. "No Bone Movies"
6. "Mr. Crowley"
7. "Revelation (Mother Earth)"
8. "Suicide Solution" / Randy Rhoads guitar solo/Lee Kerslake drum solo
9.  "Iron Man"
10. "Children of the Grave"
11. "Steal Away (The Night)"
12.  Encore: "Paranoid" (Black Sabbath cover)

Link

Gunhill - Nightheat

   1. Don't Stop Believing (Lawton)
   2. Ready For Love (Ralphs)
   3. Wall Of Silence (Bonner/Rogers)
   4. Nobody Loves You The Way I Do (Etheridge)
   5. Far From Home (Douglas/Kavanagh)
   6. Eleanor Rigby (Lennon/McCartney)
   7. Don't Look Back (Lawton/Hesslein/Hecht)
   8. Waiting For The Heartache (Barnes/Child)
   9. When A Man Loves A Woman (Lewis/Wright)
  10. Any Day Now (Lawton/Hesslein/Eggert)
  11. Clearwater Highway (Hort/Colwell/Kirke)

John Lawton - Lead vocals, Percussion
Brian Bennet - Guitar, Acoustic Guitar
Neil Kavanagh - Bass, Vocals, 5, Keyboard, 3 & 6, Acoustic Guitar, 9, Flute, 7
Chris Jones - Drums, Backing Vocals, 10.

Backing Vocals by: J. Lawton, N. Kavanagh, B. Bennett.
Thanks to John Lane for Backing Vocals on: 'Don't Stop Believing'.

Recorded, engineered and mixed by Neil Kavanagh at; THE OLD BARN STUDIO Hildenborough, Kent. Produced by: John Lawton and Neil Kavanagh.

Special Thanks to: 'The Rockchicks': Jan, Iris and Lynne, for their endless support!!! Peter Bethge and Eduardo Capurro, for all their hard work and devotion!!! Chris's partners in 'crime'- Judy and Cazz!! Dave Owen and Alan Hartley of UHAS. Stacy of 'Fraggle Rock'. Rick Bonner and Pat Douglas for their inspiration. Alex Krispin and Stefan Eickhoff for their excellent Cover Design! And finally 'Special Thanks' to all our fans around the world who helped to make this possible!! GUN HILL

Link

Blogger Rant

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OK I'ts not really a rant this time, for a start i'm sober, but three weeks on from my last 

"Rant" ( I might make this a regular feature!!) and I find myself  having to say thank you  for the response. The comments have been both encouraging and constructive. So Thank You to everyone who has responded you know who you are

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I remember writing back in august that I was running out of material to post (uriah heep related ) and with every post, that is obviously true, but having gone through my collection there is still a reasonable amount to go. I may have to slow the posts down a bit or at least put a few more non heep stuff in there (it will still be bloody good stuff) and it will all be from the vinyl era. For example I have virtually the whole of the Bronze record back catalouge. I might start posting some of that. I also said in a past post that i wouldn't post bootlegs but what the heck they are available elsewhere so i may as well make this a one stop Heep blog and make them available here too

PS, on that note, does anyone have a  copy of Uriah Heep live on the

The Isle of Man 1982

I know it exists as  it was broadcast on the radio, and at the time it supposedly had the biggest live audience for any concert in the world at that time. I have geniune reasons for getting hold of this and it would certainly make this blogger a very very happy person

Moonstone Project - Rebel On The Run

Classic rock is on the rise & Italy's Moonstone Project is leading the resurgence! This isn't the same tired play list you've heard on AOR radio every day for the past 30 years, but a new breed of music that eschews the trappings of cold modern production in favor of the groovy retro vibes of arena rock's glory days. No one recaptures this throwback sentiment with more aplomb than Moonstone Project; not surprising considering the cast of characters maestro Matt Filippini has summoned to his circle. A widely respected touring & studio guitarist of the highest order, Matt has provided his exciting six string work for legends like Blue Oyster Cult, Glenn Hughes and Ian Paice amongst many others. Moonstone Project, however, is his master creation. More than simply a nostalgia act, this collective has created fiery original songs for the next generation, steeped authentically in the fine tradition of bluesy British 70s rock ala Deep Purple, Rainbow, Uriah Heep, Zeppelin & Bad Company. What sets Filippini's group apart from the hordes of shaggy, bell-bottomed trendies coming to the surface in recent times is the players he employs are the very same legends who created the scene in the first place! Much like the Wizards Convention & Butterfly Ball collaboratives of the '70s, Moonstone Project manages to assemble the talents of protometal gods: Ian Paice (Deep Purple, Whitesnake....), Eric Bloom (Blue Oyster Cult), Steve Walsh (Kansas), Glenn Hughes (Trapeze, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath), Graham Bonnet (Rainbow, Alcatrazz, Michael Shenker Group), Kelly Keeling (Michael Shenker Group, Dokken), James Christian (House Of Lords), Tony Franklin (Firm, Whitesnake, Blue Murder), Carmine Appice (Vanilla Fudge, Blue Murder, King Cobra, Rod Stewart), Paul Shortino (Rough Cutt, Quiet Riot). Unlike the aforementioned '70s compilations however, this venture is not a cash-in collection of cut outs & b-sides, but a living, breathing entity that harnesses the spark in each of these legends and focusses the power into a fresh set of songs that sound both familiar & new upon first listen. While the first MP album was released in 2006 as Time To Take A Stand it was rereleased in 2008, retitled Hidden In Time with new artwork & 3 bonus tracks. As satisfying as this accomplishment was, Matt was seeking more of a unified band feel for his sophomore offering. To accomplish this, he set in place a core group of musicians to anchor each song and provide consistency throughout the opus. There would still be some spectacular guest stars such as Ian Paice, Clive Bunker (Jethro Tull), Ken Hensley (Uriah Heep) & Robin Beck - but this time as visiting satellite performers to enhance what has now become a full fledged band. Moonstone Project, Mach II now prepares to launch: Rebel On The Run! Rebel features the amazing voice of James Christian on all but one track. That 11th track happens to be "Closer Than You Think," a soulful original written & performed by the voice of rock himself, Mr. Glenn Hughes. On the spontaneous creation of the Hughes cut, Moonstone founder/guitarist Matt Filippini recalls, "Closer Than You Think is a beautiful gift from Glenn. He wrote that magical piece while I was at his house in LA.. We were watching TV in his living room & suddenly he ran into his studio, picked up his guitar & 5 minutes later the song was born!" This vibe of immediate cosmic generation permeates the album, though with 2 years of blood sweat & tears in the production, no detail was left unpolished on this labour of love. The masterminds behind the ambitious operation are guitarist Matt Filippini & his co-writing / producing studio wizard keyboardist, Alessandro Del Vecchio. The music is solidified by the powerful Moonstone bassist Nik Mazzucconi, UDO drummer Francesco Jovino, live drummer, Alex Mori & backing singer Roberto Tiranti (Labyrinth). With concerts to support the album already underway starring Glenn Hughes as well as a festival & fall tour featuring former Rainbow / Yngwie Malmsteen crooner Doogie White, traditional classic rock fans throughout the world are in for a treat, both on their stereos & in concert halls this year from the non-traditional supergroup

The Tracks

1. Sinner Sinner

2. Moonster Booster 5

3. Cosmic Blues

4. From Another Time

5. Rebel On The Run

6. Closer Than You Think

7. Hey Mama

8. Shooting Star

9. Madman

10. Halfway To Heaven

Do yourself a favour, in these difficult times when money is scarce, get yoursel a copy of this Album you will not be disappointed. It's guaranteed to bring a smile to your face

The "Classic Rock Genre" is alive and kicking it just doesn't get much better than this

Buy It Here

Dick Heckstall-Smith - A Story Ended

Heckstall-Smith was born Richard Malden Heckstall-Smith in Ludlow, England (his father then being headmaster of the local Grammar School), and brought up in Knighton, Powys. He learned to play piano, clarinet and alto saxophone in childhood.

After refusing a second term at a York boarding school, he went to Gordonstoun Scotland, where his schoolmaster father, Hugh, had taken a job. Hugh soon fell out with the autocratic Kurt Hahn and the family retreated to Dartington.

Heckstall-Smith completed his education at the Foxhole school before reading agriculture – and co-leading the university jazz band – at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, from 1953. Aged 15, he had taken up the soprano sax while at Foxhole, captivated by the sound of Sidney Bechet. Then the smokiness of Lester Young's sound caught him, and the music of tenor saxist Wardell Gray, a major early bebop musician.

Heckstall-Smith was an active member of the London jazz scene from the late 1950s. He joined Blues Incorporated, Alexis Korner's groundbreaking blues group, in 1962, recording the album R&B from the Marquee. The following year, he was a founding member of that band's breakaway unit, the Graham Bond Organisation; the lineup also included two future members of the blues-rock supergroup Cream: bassist Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker.

In 1967, Heckstall-Smith became a member of keyboardist-vocalist John Mayall's prominent group the Bluesbreakers. That jazz-skewed edition of the band, which also included drummer Jon Hiseman and future Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor, released the album Bare Wires in 1968.

From 1968 to 1970, Heckstall-Smith and Hiseman were the key creative members of the pioneering UK jazz-rock band Colosseum. The act was a showcase for the saxophonist's writing and his instrumental virtuosity; like American saxophonist Rahsaan Roland Kirk, he could blow two saxophones simultaneously.

Dick Heckstall-Smith

After exiting Colosseum, Heckstall-Smith fronted several other fusion units, including Manchild, Sweet Pain, Big Chief, Tough Tenors, The Famous Bluesblasters, Mainsqueeze and DHSS. Collaborating musicians common to many of these outfits included Victor Brox, Keith Tillman and particularly harp player John O'Leary, a founder member of Savoy Brown. He participated in a 1990s reunion of the original Colosseum lineup and played the hard-working Hamburg Blues Band. In 2001 he cut the all-star project "Blues and Beyond", which reunited him with Mayall, Bruce, Taylor, ex-Mayall and Fleetwood Mac guitarist Peter Green.

 Mark Clarke & Jon Hiseman

Recorded in April 1972, "A Story Ended" was the debut solo album by Colosseum saxophonist Dick Heckstall-Smith. Recorded upon the demise of Colosseum, the sessions featured contributions by Jon Hiseman, Mark Clarke, Chris Farlowe & Dave Greenslade of the band, along with Graham Bond (of whose Organization Dick was a member alongside Jack Bruce & Ginger Baker), Chris Spedding and lyrical offerings from Pete Brown. A superb example of Jazz influenced Progressive rock, the album appeared on Bronze Records in 1972 and is now hailed as a classic of the genre.

Tracks

1 Future Song

2 Crabs

3 Same Old Thing

4 Was The Morning After

5 The Pirate's Dream

6 Moses In The Bullrushorses

7 Moses In The Bullrushorses (Live)

8 The Pirate's Dream (Live)

9 No Amount Of Loving (Live)

Musicians

Dick Heckstall-Smith : sax

Chris Farlowe : vocals

Chris Spedding : guitars

Mark Clarke : bass,vocals

Rob Tait : drums

Jon Hiseman : drums

Graham Bond : organ,piano,synthsizers,vocals

Gordon Back : piano

Dave Greenslade : piano


Link

Gunhill One - Over The Eight

1. Walking In the Shadow of The Blues (Coverdale/Marsden)

2. Elenor Rigby (Lennon/McCartney)

3. Ain't No Sunshine (Withers)

4. Can't Get enough (Robyns/Lawton/Coates)

5. Better By You Better than Me (Wright)

6. Stone Cold (Blackmore/Glover/Turner)

7. Every Little Bit Hurts (Cobb)

8. Angel (Robyns/Lawton/Coates)

9. Harlem Shuffle (Nelson/Relf)

10. Soldier of Love (Robyns/Lawton/Coates)

11.River of Dreams (Richard Wagner/Dave White/Graham Hulme) 

John Lawton - lead vocals

Mike Raxworthy - keyboards, vocals

Rik Robyns - guitars, keyboards

Neil Kavanagh - bass, vocals (ex The Enid)

Lloyd Coates - drums

Link

Widowmaker - Self Titled 1976

One of the best record albums and guitar rock groups to come out of England in the 1970’s was Widowmaker whose self titled debut album is one of the best hard rock and blues rock album's ever made. Imagine Led Zeppelin meets Humble Pie with a 2 prong Gorilla Guitar attack and you have Widowmaker. Widowmaker consisted of Ariel Bender (Luthor Grosvener) ex- Spooky Tooth and Mott the Hoople on guitar, Huw Lloyd-Langton ex-Hawkwind on guitar, Steve Ellis ex- Love Affair on lead vocals, Bob Daisley ex- Chicken Shack on bass and Paul Nicholls on drums. Their 1975 debut album “Widowmaker” is a hard rock classic and one of my favorite 10 albums of all time. I’m guessing if it had come out a few years earlier, Widowmaker would have been a Gold Record and Widowmaker would have produced more than 2 albums. Please note, there was another band called Widowmaker later with Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider that had nothing whatsoever to do with this great UK group.

If you loved 70’s English Guitar Hard Rock and Blues Boogie as opposed to Heavy Metal, you can listen to Widowmaker 24 hours a day and not be bored. Quite simply, Widowmaker was what Guitar Rock was all about. Every single member of Widowmaker is amazing and I don’t think there has ever been a 2 guitar line-up as heavy as Ariel Bender and Huw Lloyd-Langton with as amazing a singer as Stevie Ellis. If you love Led Zeppelin or Humble Pie or both, you’ll love the Widowmaker album with a great balls to the walls production excellently recorded filled with original hard rock classics with great guitar riffs. “When I Met You” is one of the greatest hard rock tracks I’ve ever heard and should have been a hit single.

“On the Road” has one of the crunchiest guitar and drum riff attacks I’ve ever heard and “Shine A Light” is Spooky Tooth’s Evil Woman meet Humble Pie at their best.

Widowmaker like most bands unfortunately self destructed and Steve Ellis couldn’t stand some of the other members and left the group before they recorded their second album, “Too Late to Cry” which features many Steve Ellis originals. John Butler replaced Ellis on lead vocals for this album and does a decent job but unfortunately he’s no Steve Ellis, not many singers are. “Too Late to Cry” is still a very good album though not in the league of “Widowmaker” which is the “Citizen Kane” of English hard rock.

By 1976, the old English guard of heavy hitters, headed by Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath, had peaked, while young 'n' hungry groups were on the rise. The state-side hard rock scene witnessed the ascent of Aerosmith, Blue Oyster Cult, KISS, Lynyrd Skynryd and Ted Nugent, while across the pond Thin Lizzy, UFO and Judas Priest were taking flight. In addition, despite the onslaught of the snot-nosed punk movement, several rock group's emerged, but failed to bust out big. Widowmaker, featuring guitarist Ariel Bender (aka Luther Grosvenor), plus bassist Bob Daisley and vocalist Steve Ellis, debuted in '76 with their ten song self-titled debut LP, that failed to move major numbers.

Signed to Jet Records, the English group recorded the tracks for the Widowmaker album at De Lane Lea Studios in Wembley, during August and September of '75. Produced by the band, the grinding rocker, "Such a Shame", opens the disc with a cool vibe and attitude. Side one adds the mid-paced "On the Road", and the Humble Pie/Foghat blues 'n' boogie inspired "Ain't Telling You Nothing".

The raucous "When I Met You" kick starts the flip side with Bender accenting the track with slide work, and Zoot Money contributing barroom keyboards. By contrast, the boys-will-be-boys laid back acoustic "Leave the Kids Alone" offsets the highball rollin' action. The boys drop down to a stone cold blues groove on "Shine a Light on Me", which features backing vocals from Bobby Tench and Roger Chapman. "Running Free" starts on a mellow note, before Widowmaker abruptly bust out behind Daisley's tough bass line. The short, down-home, pass-the-bottle "Got a Dream", closes out the thirty-nine minute LP.

The Band

Ariel Bender (Luther Grosvenor)–Guitar
Bob Daisley–Bass
Stephen Ellis–Guitar and vocals
Lloyd Langton–Guitar
Paul Nicholls–Drums
Bobby Tench–Guitar and vocals
Zoot Money–Keyboards

  The Tracks

01    Such A Shame
02    Pin a Rose on Me
03    On the Road
04    Straight Faced Fighter
05    Ain't Telling You Nothing
06    When I Met You
07    Leave the Kids Alone
08    Shine a Light on Me
09    Running Free
10    Got a Dream

New Link

David Byron - That Was Only Yesterday

 

" I had first met and worked with David as engineer on the "Rough Diamond" album, at Basing Street Studios and the Fallout Shelter, London. Later, it was Richard Manners of Blue Mountai Music, Who asked me to put a band together and cut some tracks with David. These tracks were much more of an R+B excursion for David,a departure in style vocally. I sensed in the studio that David could sing so comfortably in the context of this band and style, and that "wont people be pleasantly surprised and impressed when they hear this! "We could have made a great album like this, even R+B, Motown, American songbook etc(covers so fashionable now). But sadly.all too soon, time stood still and it wasn't to be I heard these tracks again for the first time in twenty years when we re-masterd them. Wasn't at all surprised! Just as I remembered them. Great voice, great performance, lovely guy ti work with. Yeah, just think David; that was only yesterday."

R. Digby Smith / January 2008

The Tracks

1. That Was Only Yesterday (Gary Wright)

2. Waiting For The Sun (Jim Morrison)

3. Pride & Joy (Gaye, Whitfield and Stevenson)

The Band

David Byron Vocals

Neil Conteh Drums

John "Rabbit" Bundrick Keyboards

Tim Renwick Guitar

Alan Spenner Bass

The Chanter sisters Backing Vocals

Link

Gary Moore - Rockin' Every Night Live In Japan

Rockin' Every Night - Live in Japan is a live album recorded by Gary Moore at Tokyo's Shinjuku Kousei Nenkin Hall in 1983, during the Corridors of Power tour. Despite being released in Japan in 1983, it was not given a European release until 1986. The 2002 CD reissue included the three live tracks recorded at the Marquee, from the bonus EP included with the first 25,000 vinyl copies of Corridors of Power.

The Tracks

1. "Rockin' Every Night" (Gary Moore, Ian Paice) - 3:18
2. "Wishing Well" (Paul Rodgers, Simon Kirke, Tetsu Yamauchi, John "Rabbit" Bundrick, Paul Kossoff) - 4:54
3. "I Can't Wait Until Tomorrow" - 12:04
4. "Nuclear Attack" - 5:58
5. "White Knuckles" (Moore, Mark Nauseef) - 3:48
   6. "Rockin' and Rollin'" - 4:05
   7. "Back on the Streets" - 5:13
   8. "Sunset" - 4:35

 Bonus tracks on the 2002 CD reissue

   9. "Back on the Streets" - 5:09
  10. "Rockin' Every Night" (Moore, Paice) - 2:55
  11. "Parisienne Walkways" (Moore, Phil Lynott) - 5:49

(All bonus tracks recorded live at the Marquee, London 25 August 1982)

The Band

                         
Gary Moore - guitars, vocals
John Sloman - vocals, additional keyboards
Neil Murray - bass
Ian Paice - drums
Don Airey - keyboards

A Big Thank You To Roby For The Link

Link

Lonestar - Live 29/9/1977

"Wales is well known for the quality and stamina of it's rock musicians. From Dave Edmunds to Andy Fairweather Low, Deke Leonard to the Manic Street Preachers, their pedigree is unparalleled. And in Lone Star they produced an outfit to rival the best.

The band that first drew collective breath in May 1975, and at the time of their debut Radio 1 In Concert broadcast the following year comprised leather lunged vocalist Ken Driscoll, a pair of duelling guitarists in Paul 'Tonka' Chapman and Tony Smith and synth- equipped keyboardist Rick Worsnop, backed by a solid rhythm section of Pete Hurley and Dixie Lee on bass and drums respectively. All bar Canadian Worsnop were South Walians and new names to the national scene; only Chapman, who had replaced Gary Moore in Skid Row before featuring briefly alongside Michael Schenker in UFO, had past form of note.

Radio 1 had already played a major role in their careers in the shape of a notable January 1976 Saturday Rock Show session, and Lone Star were more than happy to peddle their live sound to a waiting nation later that year in support of their just-released debut album. Few bands have the assistance of a superstar producer first time out, but Roy Thomas Baker- The man who masterminded Queen's epic 'Bohemian Rhapsody' and all their early albums- was at the desk for 'Lone Star', and many of his tricks of the trade found their way into the band's stage arrangements as well as their recorded repertoire.

The first broadcast from the Paris Theatre, central London, reprises four tracks from that stunning debut, including their pomped-up version of 'She Said She Said'- barely recognisable in this form as the Beatles' 'Revolver' track. Elongated to eleven minutes, its breathtaking dynamics make it the one single with which the band will always be associated. The outstanding 'A Million Stars' opened the set as, indeed, it did the album, while 'Lonely Soldier' offered thought-provoking lyrics and an immediate change of pace. 'Hypnotic Mover' would not be cut until the next album, so this version with Ken Driscoll on lead is rare indeed. It showcases his Rod Stewart-like husky tones to good effect, as well as Peter Hurley's bubbling, muscular and often overlooked bass skills.

Our second, late-1977 broadcast features the line-up that appeared on the follow up album, 'Firing on All Six'. This bettered its predecessor by nine places in reaching Number 36 in September. By the time it was recorded, vocalist Driscoll had been replaced by Cardiff's John Sloman- only 20, but blessed with prodigious ability. Comparisons with Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant were perhaps inevitable, but quite a compliment. His recruitment changed the band's sound significantly, giving them a harder edge, and we make no apology for including a second version of 'She Said She Said' which offers an immediate comparison.

It opened the set, preceding two songs from the new album, 'The Ballad of Crafty Jack' and 'The Bells of Berlin', while the first LP's 'Flying in The Reel' was revamped to bring matters to a suitable rousing conclusion. Their previous In Concert appearance having been as support to Mott, the band had now graduated to headline status, sharing the billing with Pat Travers. Recorded at Queen Mary's College in East London in front of an appreciative audience, you could believe that punk never happened!

Sadly, though, Lone Star imploded in November 1978. Sloman passed through Uriah Heep and Gary Moore's band en route to a solo career, Paul Chapman rejoined UFO and is now turning his experience to producing guitar tuition videos in the United States, while Dixie Lee (with Thin Lizzy/Rainbow spin-off group Wild Horses) and Tony Smith (the new wavey Screen Idols with ex-Bowie drummer Woody Woodmansey) both had further cracks at stardom before disappearing. Pete Hurley was sighted in the 1990's playing with Welsh roots rockers Red Hot Pokers, and it seemed likely that Lone Star's other members were still active on a local, if no longer national, stage.

Back in the mid Seventies, though, Lone Star shone brilliantly, if briefly, and most memorably live. Now, thanks to Windsong Records and Radio 1 In Concert, they're blazing once again."

Michael Heatley

What we have on offer here is the second of these two recordings featuring John Sloman on vocals
recorded 29/9/77

The Band

- John Sloman , vocals
- Paul Chapman , guitar
- Rick Worsnop , keyboards
- Tony Smith , guitar
- Pete Hurley , bass
- Dixie Lee , drums

The Songs

1. She Said She Said
2. Crafty Jack
3. Bells Of Berlin
4. Flying In The Reel 

Link
 

A Band Called Doris - Gypsy Lady - Vinyl Rip

I can find absolutely no info on this album whatsoever other than

It was released on the ABCD  label ( A Band Called Doris?) in 1982. presumably a private pressing as the only other release I can find was a single from the same band. A recent search on the net found a copy Of the Album on e bay selling for the princely sum of $180

I am not very good at Album reviews so I'll just say I like this album it's a sort of cross between early Marillion and Budgie, prog and nwobhm
AND IT COST ME ABSOLUTELY NOTHING
The wife picked it up at our local tip while she was dropping some stuff off
the bag contained about twelve albums and half a dozen singles all in excellent condition and including a rare copy of a double groove 12" Kiss single (its amazing what people throw out),
ah well their loss is my gain

The Band

Bob Webb - Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Harmonica, Lead Vocals

Peter Moss - Electric Guitar, Backing Vocals

Mike Gatley - Keyboards

Sean Collins - Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals

Brian Smith - Drums

Ambrose Partington - Keyboards on Living Dangers

Paul Helsby - Drums on Living Dangers & Hard Times (Hard Minds)

The Tracks

01 Gypsy Lady

02 Friends of Mine

03 Street Love

04 Singer in the Band

05 Cold ans Lonely Town

06 Travelling Train

07 Hard Times (Hard Minds)

08 She'll Always Be

09 Living Dangers

10 Superstars 'n' Rock 'n' Roll

yet another link

Footnote 2011

I have since found another copy of this on the net claiming to be a copy of a CD release. This is not true it is just a direct copy of the tracks That I RIPPED FROM MY OWN ALBUM granted they added the single release as a bonus but the album is a direct copy of my album even includes the tags that I created.Just goes to show what a good job i did cleaning the album up!! 

Grand Prix - Samurai

Rising out of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal scene in the late '70s, Grand Prix featured a more melodic approach to heavy metal than most of the bands on the British scene, generating an AOR sound closer in feel to American rock groups like Journey. Original members of Grand Prix included ex-Dirty Tricks drummer Andy Beirne, bassist Ralph Hood, keyboardist Phil Lanzon, guitarist Michael O'Donoghue, and ex-Legend singer Bernie Shaw, who was eventually replaced by singer Robin McAuley. The group signed to RCA and released a debut album, simply called Grand Prix, in 1980, followed by the more focused There for None to See in 1982, after which the group jumped to Chrysalis Records for the polished Samurai in 1983. Beirne left Grand Prix later that same year, reportedly because he felt the group's studio output wasn't hard-enough sounding. His drum chair was filled by Clive Edwards, but by early 1984 the group was out of gas and closed the door on a roughly three-year run as a band, leaving behind a small but solid discography. ~
Steve Leggett, All Music Guide

Grand Prix seem to be one of those bands one hears of solely in the context of 'contractual hassles etc', but their Reading appearance last year led me to believe that they're not the types to get morose about it, split up and become record company executives.
'Samurai' is a solid, professional sounding album. For those of you who have been waiting for it, the anticipation is rewarded: Although, occasionally, various influences become a mite too prominent, the overall impact is fresh and direct.
They have drawn energy from music on both sides of the Atlantic; the pinpoint drumming and the not-too-excessive fingerboard work highlighting the American feel, while the straight-ahead nature of the majority of the tracks leads to a sound that is distinctly British.
Vocalist Rob McCauley sounds unnervingly like Jon Anderson at times and there are moments when the high descants come over as too pretentious and would-be anthemic but, by and large, their not inconsiderable talents and efforts have paid off. I was pleasantly surprised to find that 'Samurai' is a good, consistent record — my only real grouch is that the title track takes on too much and the jerky rhythm changes spoil the flow of the song.
A welcome return from a band who show much promise. The material here will reproduce superbly on stage and I look forward to hearing more.
(Jay Williams, Sounds, 18/06/83)

The Band

Phil Lanzon (Keyboards,Vocals)
Michael O'Donoghue (Guitar,Vocals)
Ralph Hood (Bass,Vocals)
Andy Beirne (Drums)
Robin McAuley (Vocals)

The Tracks

01. Give Me What's Mine (2:58)

02. Shout (3:07)

03. 50-50 (4:15)

04. Here We Go Again (4:17)

05. Countdown To Zero (4:41)

06. Somewhere Tonight (3:41)

07. High Time (3:39)

08. Never Before (4:05)

09. Freedom (3:13)

10. Samurai (7:20)

Link

Uriah Heep - Gold From The Byron Era

This is a DVD-Audio disc which is playable on most DVD players as well as all DVD-Audio players. It is a nero disc image and  as such is quite a large file and will take some patience to download. You WILL need all 8 rar files 1.38 gig in total . But if you want to hear classic heep in glorious surround sound it should be well worth it

 

This DVD-Audio disc is to the best of my knowlege no longer commercially available

Audio selections on the disc include

Dolby digital,

Dolby Surround

Digital DTS Surround

Featuring previously unreleased versions of Heep classics from the original studio recording sessions. These brand new alternative versions have been taken from recently rediscovered studio sessions and meticulously re-mixed for 5.1 audio from the original studio tapes. When David Byron died alone and neglected at the age of just 38 the world lost a truly great talent. In the intervening years there have been countless re-issues of material from Very Eavy , Salisbury , Look At Yourself , but this is the first time that completely new versions of Byron classics have been created from alternative studio sessions. Recorded during 1970 and 1971 as the band were working up the material for the first three Uriah Heep albums these newly re-discovered masters have yielded a wealth of alternate takes and completely new versions of classic songs. With the dawning of the multi-channel world of surround sound there was at last an opportunity to show case the wealth of material. We are proud to present a fresh new perspective on a legendary band. This surround sound disc plays on all DVD players.

1. Bird Of Prey

2. Time To Live

3. Look At Yourself

4. Lady In Black

5. Salisbury

6. Tears In My Eyes

7. Gypsy

8. I'll Keep On Trying

9. Here Am I

10. July Morning

11. What Should Be Done

12. Simon The Bullet Freak

13. Dreammare

ALL NEW LINKS

Links

 Part 1 

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Part 8

Watch This Space

If and I must say its a big If.(as i've been let down a few times before)

I hope to be able to post a vinyl rip of the 1973 self titled album by Fable soon

This is an album I have been looking for for awhile and on a couple of previous ocassions I had thought I had it only to be let down at the last minute

Watch this space

Author Rant

Author Rant

As I have been doing this blog for over a year now it has become apparent that most people Hit and Run, ie download and bugger off (I know there is a few ex's of mine who would accuse me of the same) but at least I was decent enougth to say thank you before I disappeared into the darkness

I guess what I am trying to say is please leave comments, possitive or negative, it does not matter. If its possitive I know am doing the right thing if it's negative I know I have to improve or do something different either way it's FEEDBACK and thats what I am after.

Example

Blog hits 5000

Downloads     5400???

Comments  54 (and that includes my replies)

And to the few that have left comments, THANK YOU  it has been you that has kept me going

While I am at it why dont YOU contribute to this blog and upload an album that YOU think this blog could use.

Got an old vinyl record sat in the corner that you would just love to hear again (if you can record it to a wave file and upload it without compression I will do my best to clean it up and then post it)

Just use the Filebox  to select the a file from your pc which will be uploaded to my megaupload account

ps now listening to Ken Hensley

Uriah Heep - Connections Vol II

After the success of my last compilation I decided to see if I had enough tracks lying around for another and this is the result (in fact i'm working on volume three)

Enjoy

1. That's The Way It Is - The Bliss Band(from the 1979 album "Neon Smiles")

2. Lady In Black - Royal Philharmonic Orchestra(from the 1994 album "Rock Dreams")

3. The Wizard - Blind Guardian(from the 1996 album "The Forgotten Tales")

4. Easy Livin' - Blackfoot(from the 1983 album "King Biscuit Flower Hour Live")

5. Love Stealer - Cliff Richard(from the 1983 album "Silver")

6. Gypsy - Wicked Minds(from the 2004 album"From The Purple Skies")

7. July Morning - Axel Rudi Pell(from the 2000 album "The Masquerade Ball")

8. Look At Yourself - Gamma Ray(from the 1990 album "Heading For Tomorrow")

9. I've Been Hurt The Lawton-Dunning Project(from the 2002 "One More Night")

10. Stealin' - Knight Crawler(from the1996 album "World of make believe")

11. Come Away Melinda - Harry Belafonte(from the 1963 album "Streets I Have Walked ")

12. Stay On Top - Virgin Steele(from the 1988 album "Age of Consent")

13. Return To Fantasy - Gamma Ray(from the 1997 album "Somewhere Out In Space")

14. Love Stealer - Hello(from the 2002 album "Best Of & Rarities ")

15. Gypsy - Phil Lanzon(from the 2000 album "Heepsteria! - A Tribute to Uriah Heep")

 

Link