This Is All the Fault of Stranger Things …

On By kruekuttIn Rock and Roll3 Comments

So apparently, a Twitter user wanted Weezer to cover Toto’s “Africa,” after hearing the iconic 1980s yacht-rock classic on the season 1 soundtrack of Stranger Things.  After the meme went viral, in very short order:

  • Weezer tried to troll Twitter with a cover of “Rosanna.”  The masses were not appeased.
  • Four days later, the inevitable Weezer version of “Africa” dropped.  And it was a hit, scoring their first Alternative No. 1 song in 10 years.
  • Of course, Weezer now had to play “Africa” in concert; Toto synthesizer whiz Steve Porcaro even joined in the fun for the keyboard solo on “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”  And last night, Weezer was joined by a very special guest for a even more very special solo:

 

  • Clearly enjoying the whole thing, Toto (currently on the US leg of their 40 Trips Around the Sun tour), have started covering a Weezer song for their encore:

 

  • And of course, Toto’s single of “Hash Pipe” will be released tomorrow.

All of which, to quote Robert Plant, makes me wonder:

  • Will Rivers Cuomo crash the stage when I see Toto live in a couple of weeks?
  • Are we witnessing the birth of a new supergroup, the likes of which the world has never seen?  Is a mashup of “Buddy Holly” and “Hold the Line” inevitable?
  • Is all this really the Upside Down’s revenge?
  • Can this astonishing turn of events be stopped before it’s too late?  Should we be frightened of this thing that it’s become?

On the other hand, perhaps we should all just relax.  And plan to tune in to season 3 of Stranger Things.  If only to see what music is hot in Sam Goody’s at … the Starcourt Mall …

 

— Rick Krueger

Metal (and Rock) update – 7 August 2018 —Man of Much Metal

On By bradbirzerIn Progressive rockLeave a comment

Just as I complete my mini-series, looking at the music still to come in 2018, I receive news of a whole host of new music coming our way throughout the remainder of the year. So, what better than an impromptu post that updates you on what I have found most interesting over the past few […]

via Metal (and Rock) update – 7 August 2018 —

The Mystery of the Three Quarters by Sophie Hannah — The Rockin’ Chair

On By bradbirzerIn Progressive rockLeave a comment

Harper Collins [Published 23.08.18] This is the third novel from Sophie Hannah featuring Agatha Christie’s famous detective Hercule Poirot. It is the first one I have read by the author and I am pleased to report it does recall those classic Agatha Christie mysteries. ‘The Mystery Of The Three Quarters’ is set in 1930’s London, […]

via The Mystery of the Three Quarters by Sophie Hannah — The Rockin’ Chair

Triple Feature: Corque, Grill, and Hago — The PROG Mind

On By bradbirzerIn Progressive rockLeave a comment

https://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/track=3831457911/album=2316277551/size=large/bgcol=333333/linkcol=0f91ff/tracklist=false/artwork=small/

I offer some words about three exciting new releases.

via Triple Feature: Corque, Grill, and Hago — The PROG Mind

Blue Öyster Cult – Mirrors (Review) — HEAVY METAL OVERLOAD

On By bradbirzerIn Progressive rockLeave a comment

Blue Öyster Cult had hit it big with 1976’s Agents Of Fortune but they were starting to sound like they were going through the motions by the time of 1979’s Mirrors. The slick Tom Werman production and generic songwriting displays little of the band’s usual esoteric adventurousness. The pastiche Moon Crazy should never have seen […]

via Blue Öyster Cult – Mirrors (Review) — HEAVY METAL OVERLOAD

LaserCD North American Preorder: RIVERSIDE

On By bradbirzerIn Progressive rockLeave a comment
Screen Shot 2018-08-07 at 9.41.25 AM
Yes, a screenshot.  Just in case you thought we at progarchy.com weren’t classy.

LaserCD has been designated the official store for the North American release of Riverside’s forthcoming album, WASTELAND.  Thank you, LaserCD!

To order (and read the excellent editorial writeup), go here:

https://www.lasercd.com/cd/wasteland-import-mediabook-preorder

Soft Machine: The Jazz-Rock Years

On By kruekuttIn jazz rock, Progressive rock2 Comments

Continuing the saga of Soft Machine, who’ve already kicked off a 50th anniversary world tour (coming to North America this fall), and whose new album Hidden Details can be ordered at Bandcamp.  Click here for Part One of this series, covering the band’s psychedelic years of 1966-69.

When last we left our heroes, quoting their website,

The base trio [of Mike Ratledge on organ, Hugh Hopper on bass and Robert Wyatt on drums and vocals] was, later in 1969, expanded to a septet with the addition of four horn players, though only saxophonist Elton Dean remained beyond a few months …

Cuneiform’s archive release Noisette reveals Soft Machine shaping a new sound onstage.  Recorded live at Croydon in January 1970, this quintet set is dominated by Dean’s and saxophonist/flutist Lyn Dobson’s uninhibited blowing.  The psychedelic song suites have nearly vanished; Wyatt only sings on “Hibou, Anemone and Bear,” where he’s given a completely solo moment, and material from the first two albums is exiled to the end of the show.

With Dobson out, the remaining quartet pulled together live recordings, studio inserts and tape experimentation to produce the four suites (one per side) on 1970’s double album Third — their first for Columbia Records.   Hopper’s “Facelift” and Ratledge’s “Out-Bloody-Rageous” sandwich upbeat jazz workouts (asymmetric rhythms, harmonized sax sections, fired-up, skittery solos from Ratledge, Dean and guests) between Wyatt-less intros and codas — avant-garde improvs, classical fanfares, minimalist cycling keyboard riffs.  Wyatt’s vulnerable, stream of consciousness epic “Moon in June” was the only vocal piece — and he played most of it (drums and keys) himself, with Ratledge and Hopper tacked on for the playout.  Ratledge’s “Slightly All the Time” is the most integrated piece here, with the core group and guests swinging over appealing grooves and ratcheting up the excitement via Ratledge and Dean’s solo work.

Rough-edged it may have been, but Third was perfectly timed; with Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew pulling jazz toward rock, Soft Machine was heading for the same destination from the opposite direction.  The album gained attention, kudos and sales across Europe and the US, and the Softs became the first band to play at the Royal Albert Hall’s classical Promenade Concerts.

Continue reading “Soft Machine: The Jazz-Rock Years” →

The 1982 US Festival on DVD/Blu-ray

On By bradbirzerIn Progressive rockLeave a comment
ICONTVMUSIC3
From Clint Weiler/MVD.

Taking us back to the years of Stranger Things. . . this looks wonderful.  From Clint Weiler, MVD Media:

The Us Festival: 1982 The Us Generation
The authorized story of the 1982 Us Festival with remastered live performances from
The Police, Tom Petty, Fleetwood Mac, Santana, The Cars, The B-52s, and more
Coming to Blu-ray / DVD on August 10th
The Us Generation: The Making Of the 1982 Us Festival is an in-depth look at one of the most influential music festivals of all time. The Us Generation is from award winning filmmaker and rockumentarian Glenn Aveni, who is also the film’s director. Co-Directed by Jay Cederholm and Produced by Bruce Gibb & Rich Schmig, the film blends rare concert footage and insightful interviews with both organizers and performers.
The film tells the story of the groundbreaking 1982 Us Festival–an epic three-day event featuring an eclectic and unprecedented lineup boasting some of the biggest names in music, performing live in front of over one million people at Glen Helen Regional Park in San Bernardino, CA. The Us Festival was the brainchild of Apple visionary Steve Wozniak, who wanted to create something that was a true celebration of Americana, cultivating positive vibes and building a deep sense of community through the power of technology and music.
Highlights include performances by chart-topping superstars, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, alt-rock trio The Police, blues rock heroes Fleetwood Mac, guitar virtuoso Carlos Santana, retro-chic favorites The B-52s, and new wave icons The Cars; as well as archived appearances by Johnny & Joey Ramone, Carlos Santana, Sting, Ric Ocasek, Danny Elfman, and Fred Schneider; plus exclusive sit-downs with festival founder Steve Wozniak, Mick Fleetwood, Eddie Money, Marky Ramone, Kate Pierson, Stewart Copeland, and Mickey Hart, among others.
The film is produced by Icon Television Music, Inc., Plum Media, and in association with Us Festival original founders Unuson Corporation.

Yes’ Golden Anniversary

On By kruekuttIn Progressive rockLeave a comment

From Blogdegezou:

On 3 August 1968, Yes played their first show under that name, having evolved from a succession of Mabel Greer’s Toyshop line-ups. Before that first show, they hired a basement room under The Lucky Horseshoe Café in Soho (now the Wildwood restaurant) and it was from there they set off for their debut.

50 years later, Bill Bruford returned to that room to unveil a plaque on the wall commemorating the event …

More here.   Hat tip to Sean Tonar!

— Rick Krueger

“Eight Miles High” — Three Views

On By kruekuttIn pop, Progressive rock, psychedelic rock4 Comments

The Byrds’ “Eight Miles High” was released as a single on March 14, 1966, eventually reaching number 14 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.   Influenced by Indian sitar master Ravi Shankar and John Coltrane’s Africa/Brass album, it was one of the first (if not the first) glimmerings of psychedelic rock.  And thus a progenitor of prog?  I think so.

Check out three views of this pioneering tune for yourself.  First, a Byrds promo appearance lip-syncing for an unknown TV show.  Note David Crosby’s brilliant outfit, complete with Russian hat:

Of course, “Eight Miles High” has been covered numerous times.  Back in 1988, it was the one of the key tracks on To The Power of Three, the collaboration of Keith Emerson, Carl Palmer and Robert Berry.  How Eighties is this?  Check out Berry’s headless Steinberger bass!  Emerson’s keytar!  Palmer wielding a Dynacord electronic drum controller at the front of the stage!  Plus the, uh, dancers “playing” snare drums in the background.  Goodness!  (Though it does serve as a reminder that Robert Berry releases his posthumous collaboration with Keith Emerson, 3.2: The Rules Have Changed, on August 10.)

Three years later (ouch) in 1991, “Eight Miles High” was one of the cover tunes on Dave Stewart and Barbara Gaskin’s album Spin.  Since their 1981 version of Lesley Gore’s “It’s My Party” had snagged number one on the British single charts, Stewart and Gaskin had been bringing a thoroughly proggy attitude to the synth-pop duo format.  Spin is no different, mixing quirky originals with fresh takes on Rufus Thomas’ “Walking the Dog,” Joni Mitchell’s “Amelia,” Bob Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues” — and the Byrds.  One bonus feature of the album: the precocious pre-Porcupine Tree percussion of Gavin Harrison.  Check out the spectacular drum fill that kicks off this version!

Dave Stewart and Barbara Gaskin’s new album Star Clocks, featuring “eight Dave Stewart originals alongside a cover of an iconic 1960s song,” is out on August 17.  Pre-order it at Burning Shed.

Bonus track: Stewart & Gaskin’s samurai/Beach Boys/cathedral bells version of “It’s My Party,” with special guest video appearance by … Thomas Dolby?

— Rick Krueger