Where are they now? - former Yes members
This page last updated: 6 Feb 2010
Bruford has largely retired from performance. He
continues to run his
Summerfold and Winterfold labels. In
his autobiography, he says:
Truth
be told, I haven't really enjoyed my music-making for quite a while
[...] There are bits
of the procedure that are intensely agreeable: the watching as arms
and legs produce genuine surprise; the applause at the end of the
concert; the camaraderie of fellow musicians; the fleeting moments when
everthing comes into focus live or on record [...] Like all
occupations, there also exists the extremely disagreeable. But neither
the agreeable nor disagreeable circumstamces surrounding the
music-making should be confused with the pure enjoyment of the
music-making itself. We musicians go a long way, literally, in seach of
that most intense of feelings. Until recently, I've always found just
enough petrol to keep going, but not a drop more. Now I'm running on
empty.
All About Jazz's
review
of the book says, "he's not deserting music entirely, with plans to
speak on the subject of a career in music, manage his burgeoning
Summerfold and Winterfold record labels and more." To an interviewer in
2009, he said that
he plays practices drumming, but not as much as he used to, in order
that he can still teach. He talks further about his life now he's
retired in an Aug 2009
interview with ProgressiveEars.com, saying, "No time yet to think
of 2010, I'm too exhausted from being retired."
It appears Bruford did manage one live
performance in 2009, playing in Soul
House, described as an "occasional" band to back singer Ann Bailey (has done
sessions for Martine McCutcheon, Damien Wilson, Donna Summer, Right
Said Fred, Kurd Maverick & Eddie Thoneick). A 1 May performance is
on YouTube with Bailey
(lead vocalist), Bruford (drums), Tom Walker (guitar), Graham Brierton
(bass), Andy Smith (keys), Elliot May (backing vocals), Kate Cameron (backing vocals), Jim Cheek (sax), Matijn Van
Galen (trumpet).
pianocircus
playing
the
music
of
Colin
Riley
featuring
Bill
Bruford
Bruford's last project of new music was with
composer Colin
Riley (MySpace page;
Brunel
Univ.
page) and keyboard
collective pianocircus
(MySpace page;
have worked with Brian Eno, Yumi
Hara Cawkwell). Bruford
and Riley met in the latter half of
2006. They played a show (described by Riley as more
like an "open rehearsal" and by
Bruford as "under-rehearsed") in Sep 2007 in London. After an
opening
set by pianocircus,
Bruford and pianocircus
(4/6
of the
usual
group,
performing on keyboards) performed 6 pieces by Riley (with some
improvised
parts), who conducted.
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The group recorded an album late 2008, Skin & Wire: pianocircus featuring Bill Bruford play the music of Colin Riley (Summerfold, BBSF023CD; album MySpace page), now out. Audio samples can be heard at the collaboration's MySpace page. Tracks (composed by Riley unless otherwise stated): "Kit and Caboodle" (by Riley/Bruford), "Pale Corridor", "Stalling Between Two Fools", "The Still Small Voice", "Achilles' Feel" (free to download here), "Without a Hand to Hold (for JM)", "Squiggle Zipper", "Tear", "Ebb Cast". Appearing on the album are Riley (programming), Bruford (drums, percussion), Julian Crampton (bass) and pianocircus (piano, keys), with David Appleton (worked with Kate Ryder, Yumi Hawa Cawkwell), Adam Caird (Ephyra), Semra Kurutaç (duoDorT), and Kate Halsall (duoDorT, Tamesis Ensemble). Riley describes
the work: "[it] will
not
only continue the sparse delicacy of recent electronic works, but also
explore high-energy groove-based territory." Bruford described it in a Feb
2009
blog
entry so: "In which a composer supervises a jazz drummer
who used to be a rock drummer playing with a group of classical
pianists best known for performing systems music." In a Mar
2008
blog
entry, Bruford described an "experimental day" with
Riley, recording engineer Chris Lewis, and musician/digital
technologist David Plans Casal
(Brunel Univ. page). In a Jun
entry, he said: Work
continuing slowly on an album for composer Colin Riley and PianoCircus.
We were back using the facilities at Brunel University this week. With
all parameters up for grabs – when you’re making one of those albums
which tries to offer fresh views of what is or is not appropriate for
the drums to be doing, when chance and random acts may be as profitable
as written parts, it’s going to take a while, but no-one’s in a hurry.
We’ll see where it leads us.
In a Sep 2008 interview, Bruford said, "The CD is somewhat influenced by guitarist David Torn's recent album called Prezens. Like Torn, Riley reserves the right to judiciously alter, or tamper with, or wreck what he hears, but in Torn's case, the source material was mostly improvised, and in our case it is mostly written." Read my interview with Colin Riley about the collaboration here. |
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Re-issues and archival
releases
Now out is an
archival live Moraz-Bruford release entitled In Tokyo
(Winterfold, BBWF011CD), a 1985 live
recording that has previously been bootlegged. Tracks: "Blue Brains",
"Hazy", "Eastern Sundays", "Cachaca", "Galatea", "The Drum Also
Waltzes",
"Flags", "Children's Concerto", "Jungles of the World", "Temples of
Joy". The album omits part
of the set, namely "Impromptu, Too", "Machines Programmed by Genes",
"Serenade" (from "Time for a Change"). 6 of the tracks on In Tokyo are those previously used
as bonus
tracks on the Winterfold re-releases of the prior Moraz-Bruford albums.
The next album on Summerfold is a re-release of One (BBSF024CD), the 2000 album by Pete Lockett's Network Of Sparks featuring Bill Bruford, due 25 Jan. He also said that the next Winterfold release "is as yet undecided".
Now out are two compilations: the 2CD The Summerfold Collection (1987-2008) (BBSF022CD) includes two rare tracks ("The Sound of Surprise", previously only released on the Japanese release of The Sound of Surprise; and "Beelzebub" performed by Earthworks feat. Tim Garland, from the Drum Nation sample). The 1CD The Winterfold Collection (1978-1986) (BBWF010CD) contains no rarities. A sampler DVD with a lengthy interview with Bruford (done by Jon Kirkman) is available. The DVD includes samples from releases by Bruford, Earthworks, Bruford-Borstlap and the World Drummer's Ensemble. 2000 copies of the DVD were available for free. The sampler will also be included with the DVD release of Earthworks' "Footloose in NYC" (BBSF 020DVD) and can be viewed on Voiceprint's YouTube page. It is also available for sale from Voiceprint under the name "Sampler and Interview".
In his 15 Jul 2008 blog, Bruford said: "I think Voiceprint is about to release a live Gong album from the short time I was with them, but you'd have to check their website". As yet, there has been no announcement from Voiceprint. Bruford played with Gong for a few months in late 1974. An example set from Dec 1974 went: "Invocation", "Master Builder", "A Perfect Mystery", "Never Glid Before", "White Christmas", "Solar Musik Suite", "Flute Salad", "Oily Way", "Inner Temple", "Outer Temple", "Sprinkling of Clouds".
The New Percussion Group of Amsterdam's 1986 Go Between (BBSF018CD), featuring Bruford and Keiko Abe, is out on Summerfold. Tracks: "Go Between", "Redbone", "Marimba Spiritual", "Maenaden". Bruford plays acoustic drums and percussion just on the 14-minute eponymous opener, composed by Rudd Wiener of the NPG. Wiener, Peter Prommel and Herman Rieken also perform on that track, all three playing xylophone, vibraphone, marimba and bass marimba. Abe just plays on "Marimba Spiritual".
As for future bonus tracks, in the May 2004 interview, Bruford says, "I have one or two strange bits and pieces up my sleeve and a fair amount of recorded live stuff. [...] I do have some very exciting playing from the Bruford group". In a Dec 2003 interview with Voiceprint radio, Bruford was asked whether he has any unreleased material in the archives for Winterfold. He replied:
Somewhat. The bands I'm in always tended to be playing new material, which [...] was likely to be recorded for some upcoming album. If that album never got made, then you find that that album is available in stocks... the material is available in some live concert. For example, the Stewart/Berlin/Holdsworth or John Clark group was working on a fourth studio album after Gradually Going Tornado, but it never got made. So there are some demos from rehearsal rooms and things which are just great and several tunes played live that were also very interesting. However, the only minor fly in the ointment back then of course is that the recording... bootleg recordings were pretty low quality. There's usually some guy just sticking up a cassette in a venue somewhere and not terribly great. And we didn't spend a lot of money recording things live all the time. Now, of course, with portable recording systems, everybody records everything. You record the rehearsal room. You record walking in to the rehearsal room. One of the nightmates in King Crimson was that everything was always recorded [...] The opposite problem occurred in the mid-seventies with Bruford, which was that almost nothing was recorded. So a lot of material went past, but we can, sure, find thingsAlliance Entertainment are releasing limited edition (500 copies) 180g vinyl editions of the Bruford albums Feels Good to Me, Gradually Going Tornado, One of a Kind, and Rock Goes to College (previously only released as a DVD) on 18 Apr.
Phil Manzanera's website had described a possible archival collection entitled Rare Two including material with Bruford, but news of the release was withdrawn. In Apr 2003, bassist Bill MacCormick answered a question about the relevant sessions on the Phil Manzanera/Roxy Music forum saying:
Some of the early sessions for the Listen Now album [...] involved Bill Bruford + Phil, [Brian] Eno and me (not sure about Eddie [Jobson] though he certainly played on other sessions). These tracks were never used though I believe Phil still has the 24-track masters somewhere. Every now and then we talk about what we might do with them. We haven't come up with an answer yet.King Crimson
Dust is a collection of rarities from Adrian Belew. While once planned as a boxset, instead the collection of 85 tracks is being released as a series of downloads ("Dust particles") available from StoreBelew. Some of these features Bruford and Levin, including "Dust" (unreleased 1983 King Crimson song from sessions for Three of a Perfect Pair) and "Manhattan/Neurotica" (recorded by Belew/Bruford/Levin in 1982). At one stage, it was announced that the set would include an early version of "Heartbeat" and other outtakes from Beat.
A cover of King Crimson's "Starless" by Neal Morse, Mike Portnoy and Randy George is due as a bonus track on Morse's next release. Bruford describes the version as "brilliant". John Wetton also did King Crimson and UK material with iCon in 2009.
UK
News
about archival and remastered UK releases is under
Jobson. Meanwhile,
Jobson's new band
UKZ play UK, King Crimson and Bruford material live—see here.
Other news
Bruford's tenure in
Genesis was covered by Live 1972-2007
(EMI). This
10CD/3DVD set includes the live albums Live,
Seconds Out (with Bruford), Three Sides Live, The Way We Walk and Live At The Rainbow
1973.
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Coinciding with his retirement from making music, Bruford has
written his
autobiography, "Bill
Bruford: The Autobiography—Yes, King Crimson, Earthworks and More" (Jawbone
Press; 336 pages; ISBN:
1906002231). The entire first
chapter is available from
Bill's site, with another
chapter previewed
at
All About Jazz. The
book is out in the US, Canada and the UK, and comes with an offer for a
free copy of An Introduction to
Winterfold
or An Introduction to Summerfold.
The
book
has
now
gone
into
a
second
printing.
Bruford
is
also
planning
book
promo/signing
events
in
autumn
2009.
In
Jan
2009
comments
to
All
About
Jazz discussing his retirement from live performance, he said: I
will also still write and talk on The Pleasures and Perils of Playing
Percussion in Public (!). My US agent, Laurel Wicks at Ted Kurland
Associates, is already soliciting book-reading/guest speaker
engagements at North American colleges for after the book release as we
speak. Bruford attended the 2009 Groznjan International Summer Percussion Camp as a non-performer to promote the book and discuss issues raised therein. He has been doing further non-performing Evenings with Bill Bruford, mainly at academic institutions, but some are open to the public, including Swiss Cottage Library, London on 9 Dec. Bruford also wrote a chapter
for
"The
Drum and Percussion Cook Book: Creative Recipes for Players and
Teachers" (Meredith Music;
ISBN: 1574631012), edited by Rick Mattingly. He
contributed
to the new and official
Genesis biography "Genesis: Chapter and Verse", now out. (Bruford
drummed
with the band on their 1976 tour.) He
also contributed to another new book, "Mellotron: The
Machine and Musicians Who Revolutionised Rock" (Desert Hearts) by Nick Awde. Bruford has done some teaching at the Academy
of Contemporary Music (Guildford) and Kingston
University.
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Since Back Against the Wall, Kaye has
been
working on multiple projects with
Billy Sherwood
that also include further Yesmen and so are covered here. These chiefly include CIRCA:,
a new band project also with Jay
Schellen and Jimmy
Haun; their second album (CIRCA: HQ)
is now out. Kaye, Sherwood and Haun are
also working with Bobby
Kimball (ex-Toto;
vocals) in Yoso.
Kaye also guests on a post-Conspiracy album
by Sherwood and Schellen.
Kaye also played on the Beatles
tribute album, Abbey Road,
organised by Sherwood—details here.
In May 2007, Kaye said on his
MySpace
blog that he has "been working on [a] project called End Of
Inocence that is an orchestral interpretation of 9-11-2001." In an interview published Mar 2008,
Kaye
talks
further
about
the
project,
saying:
I’m working on an instrumental
album based on the events of 9/11. My wife co-wrote and sings on one of
the songs. It’s mostly orchestral and I’d like to have an actual
orchestra perform it, but they are very expensive.
In a Dec
2008
interview
on
Yesfans.com, Kaye talked more about the project:
It's
an orchestrated work. I started writing it the day after 9/11 happened,
and went into the studio and started writing a piece that actually
musically follows what happened that entire day. [...]
it
has 'Floyd-ey' YES-like moments [...] Band moments. [...] I keep
reviewing and re-doing things, and it's getting closer to what I hear
in my head. I think it's very different to do an orchestral album
without an orchestra; Because of the purity of what it is. I'm a big
fan of Trevor [Rabin], and what he's achieving now. But you see, he has
the money to do it right, to get that purity of sound. [...]
to
be totally authentic, I think to have a one-hundred piece orchestra is
the way to go. But it's really a work in progress, and of course the
subject matter is rather difficult [...] because of the intensity and
the gravity of what it was [...]
Some of it is more melodic, it has Floydian rock and roll moments which
kick-up the symphonic parts. [...]
I
actually go between liking it and sort-of not liking it, which is why I
keep going back to re-vamp it. It IS pretty dark and intense subject
matter. I like playing inspirational music, but I also like to play
with a song; With the lyrics, which this doesn't have. It's purely
instrumental. It's not finished, not quite yet, but it's getting there.
[...]
Some of it is pretty complex, and some of it is quite simple. It
balances-out.
Kaye's wife is singer
Daniela
Torchia (MySpace
page). Her debut album Have No Fear was executive
produced by Kaye.
Kaye also
plays keys on the song "I Promise You". There is a Spanish-language
version of the album
entitled
Sin Miedo. See Yescography
for details. On his
MySpace
page,
drummer
Paul
Cassarino
(stage production for CIRCA:) says he is, "Currently, working
along
side Tony Kaye [...] and his wife Daniela Torchia's solo project." I am
unclear whether this is the 9/11 project, another album from Torchia or
something else.
Kaye reportedly played some
live shows with Badfinger
Feat. Joey Molland in 2008.
Kaye is also executive producing other artists. He was playing piano, Hammond and synths in The Neil Deal, a tribute band for Neil Young and Crazy Horse based in Los Angeles, CA, but seems to have left in 2007. The rest of the band are Dennis Neil (vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, harmonica), Jim Altman (ex-Steve Vai, ex-Eric Burdon; guitar, backing vocals), Bruce Spiegel (bass, backing vocals), Bert Wolf (drums). The band play regularly in California. Their live set included "After the Gold Rush", "Alabama", "Barstool Blues", "Cinnamon Girl", "Cortez the Killer", "Cowgirl in the Sand", "Down by the River", "Everybody Knows This is Nowhere", "Harvest Moon", "Heart of Gold", "Helpless", "Hey Hey My My", "Hurricane", "The Loner", "Long May You Run Mr. Soul", "Mansion on the Hill", "Needle and the Damage Done", "Ohio", "Old Man (Look at My Life)", "Only Love Can Break Your Heart", "Out on the Weekend", "Over & Over", "Powderfinger", "Rockin' in the Free World", "Sedan Delivery", "Southern Man", "Sugar Mountain", "Tell Me Why", "Walk On", "Welfare Mothers", "When You Dance I Can Really Love", "After the Garden". The band were recording a studio album; it is unclear whether Kaye will be on this.
Harmony in Diversity and
Self-Contained
Harmony
in Diversity is an improvisational trio with Peter Banks (guitar,
MIDI guitar), Nick Cottam (Pulse
Engine;
bass) and Dave
Speight (a.k.a. Jick; drums). Speight replaced Andrew Booker
(Pulse Engine, Tim Bowness, Improvizone;
MIDI
drums, drums), who left the band in Jun 2006. The band's debut release
is Trying, available only from
their
website; it features Banks, Cottam and Booker and largely consists
of material recorded in late 2004, save for the last track recorded
live
in Jun 2005—details
in Yescography. The new trio are compiling an album: Banks
blogged in Apr
2008 about "the
Harmony In Diversity project I have and the tracks are being worked on
and assembled by H.I.D bassist Nick Cottam , who has done an
outstanding job and continues to work on this up coming release."
Speight's MySpace reports, "The latest
HiD live album is currently being mixed and will feature live
recordings captured in the UK and Eastern Europe in 2006/2007."
Sound samples from
Trying and from recent
shows with the new line-up can be heard at
their
website, and at Speight's
and Banks' MySpace
pages.
Since 2007, Banks has had a call for collaborators on his MySpace blog. It currently reads:
Diligence, tenacity, precision, a driven confidence, iconoclastic lateral thinking and er....stuff.Banks and Booker (without Cottam) recorded a set of studio improvisations in 2005, which was set to be released as a Harmony in Diversity album entitled What is This?, but it is unclear what has happened to this now. A piece from the album could be heard at Banks' MySpace page.
Pete Banks is looking to hear from musicians who like breaking rules, for his HARMONY IN DIVERSITY project. The gigs will be 80% improvised, no prisoners will be taken. If you're interested in playing between the lines, if you are in the London area I would like to hear from you.
Call today!
44-776-694-2372
Harmony in Diversity played various European shows in 2007. A Feb 2007 show in Budapest, Hungary was recorded, either for a separate live release or material from it will be used on their forthcoming album.
Banks was planning a
number
of projects with Gonzalo
Carrera (dB-Infusion,
Whimwise,
Karnataka, Wild
Turkey; keys), including live work in
London:
they initially talked about a duo, Harmony in Diversity II, with the
same
improvisational ethos as its namesake. The pair were also planning live
work as Self-Contained, playing rock instrumental material
composed
by Banks. In Apr 2007, Banks said he, Carrera and Dave
Wagstaffe (Landmarq,
Oliver
Wakeman;
drums) were planning some London gigs of composed material.
However, these plans have stalled. Banks guested with dB-Infusion a few
years ago, and he may guest on
their next album.
Banks has also talked of
wanting to assemble an instrumental band to
play
material from his 1990s solo albums: in a Nov
2006 interview, he said, "I'd like to put an instrumental band
together
and go and play my stuff, and do some covers of different songs and
pieces,
instrumentally, and put a whole different spin on it."
Yes & related collaborations
In an interview
for
Guitar Player (Sep 2006 publication date, but conducted
in the first half of the year), Banks says, "I may be doing something
with
former King Crimson violinist David Cross, and there are two potential
projects involving former Yes personnel that I'm sworn to secrecy about
for now." One of these Yes-related projects was probably a reference to
early ideas around what became CIRCA:
(with Sherwood, Tony Kaye and Alan
White), but Banks ultimately was not involved with this. The other
may have been writing with Jon Anderson. Banks
and Anderson were writing some new
material
together, but the collaboration was abandoned—details
also on main page.
Flash & re-releases
Banks and former Flash road manager George
'TheMiz'
Mizer, through their production company AdequateSounds,
are trying to arrange a release entitled In Public, an
archival
16-track recording of a complete 1973
Flash concert recorded by the Record
Plant. Banks blogged
in
Apr
2008
about the album, describing it as "a forth coming CD called FLASH "In
Public" we have had many offers for a JAPAN release but this is worth a
wider release. So we shall see what comes ." An edited version of one
track ("There No More", a.k.a.
"Room with a View", originally 18 min.s long) can be heard on Banks'
MySpace page.
Esoteric
are
re-releasing remasters of The Two
Sides of Peter Banks and the Flash albums In the Can, Flash and Out of Our Hands. The Two Sides of Peter Banks
(eclec2165) and Flash (eclec2166; with bonus
track of the single version of "Small Beginnings") are out.
Ray Bennett (now on guitar) and
Colin Carter (vocals) are proceeding with their Flash reunion, without
Banks. They now have a full band with their first rehearsal
having been in Dec 2009 and including "Children of the Universe".
Other news
Banks' compilation release Can I Play
You Something? has been
re-released in digital form as The Roots of Yes 1964-68.
Banks has been planning a project with singer Reggie King (ex-The Action). In a Nov 2006 interview, Banks talks of producing King and assembling a backing band: "I'm hoping to put a special band together, can't say too much about it because I've not spoken to Reggie about it. [...] I'm hoping to tempt him into the studio. It would involve people who played the Marquee in the late 60s, like Phil Collins, Chris Squire, Stevie Winwood, this kind of thing. But we're still discussing things."
Banks was announced to be guesting on a number of tracks on the next studio album by Yesterdays, now expected around 2009, but I am unclear whether this is still happening. Harmony in Diversity's Speight has, however, been working with them. (Banks' Harmony in Diversity were supported by Yesterdays at MiniProg Festival in Budapest in Feb 2007.)
In an interview in Record Collector (circa Oct 2006), Banks says, "I have almost enough material for a solo album too, but I'm not sure I want to release one, as I burned myself out on the previous one. If I did, it'd be live-in-the-studio with my wish-list of players. It's been suggested to me to do an album of Yes pieces, but why? I don't want to repeat something I did 200 years ago."
Some while back, Banks recorded parts for three tracks on Ant-Bee's planned album Electronic Church Muzik (as Billy James, Ant-Bee co-wrote Banks' autobiography "Beyond and Before"). Other guests include Daevid Allen (Gong), Gilli Smyth (Gong), Jan Akkerman, Napoleon Murphy Brock (ex-Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention; vocals), Don Preston (ex-Mothers), Bunk Gardner (ex-Mothers), Rockette Morton (ex-Capt Beefheart's Magic Band), Zoot Horn Rollo (ex-Capt Beefheart's Magic Band), Moogy Klingman (ex-Todd Rundgren; keys), Roger Powell (ex-Todd Rundgren; keys) and members of the the Alice Cooper Group. At last report, Ant-Bee is still working on the album.
He said in the aforementioned Nov 2006 interview that he wanted to write another book: "not a biography, about music in general and the way I view it now and the way it was. I'm pretty opinionated and want to get it out of my system."
Peter Banks has a MySpace
page. This may feature some archival recordings Banks has,
including
The Syn live in the 1960s.
Change of Space
Moraz's latest album is Change of Space (Time Wave (Voiceprint),
IDVP020CD; dur. 60:00). Voiceprint erroneously described the
album as
having been
recorded over the previous two
years in the US, but in a Mar
2009 interview with the official MorazNews
e-mail list, Moraz describes it as "a collection of songs and
instrumental pieces of never released
material which I worked on, composing, recording, mixing and
"polishing" over a period of about 14 years." The album is largely
instrumental and composed by Moraz, but there are, as I understand it,
two songs co-composed with Don Adey
(ex-The
Jamme) and a third piece,
"The Power of Emotion", composed by Moraz with lyrics by Adey and Alex
Ligertwood (ex-Santana,
ex-Brian Auger).
Musicians on
the album include Moraz (keys,
synths, Moog, keytar, backing vocals), Adey (lead vocals),
Ligertwood (lead vocals), John
Wackerman (Chad Wackerman's brother, ex-Kazumi
Watanabe, ex-Lindsay
Buckingham; acoustic and
electronic drums), Bunny
Brunel (ex-Chick Corea,
ex-Kazumi
Watanabe; electric
bass), Kazumi
Watanabe (worked with Bill
Bruford; electric guitars), Alex Acuna (ex-Weather
Report,
ex-Joe Zawinul; percussion), Ronnie Ciago (drums), the
late Mark Craney (drums) and Michael Tovar (rhythm guitar),
with
backing vocals from Janis
Liebhart (worked with Michael Bolton, ex-The Moody Blues),
Nicol
Mecerova (ex-Bunny Brunel, ex-Herbie Hancock),
Wendy McKenzie (ex-The Moody Blues), Naomi Starr and
Jill Meschke (also keys).
Technicians on the album include Barry Radman, Lee Bales, Joseph Rivers
and Eric "Woody" Wood. There are some
audio
samples
here.
Tracks:
In 1989, Moraz
was working on a follow-up to Human
Interface. At the same time, he was renting his Los Angeles
studio out to Watanabe, who was recording his solo album Kilowatt
with Brunel, Wackerman, Ligertwood,
Acuna, Wayne Shorter (ex-Miles
Davis, ex-Weather
Report;
sax)
and others. These musicians, minus Shorter, played on sessions for
Moraz,
while Moraz also played on Kilowatt. The deal with Cinema
Records
fell through, but some material
from these sessions appears on Change
of Space, namely the tracks "Peace in Africa",
"Change of Space", "Cum Spiritu", "The Power of Emotion" and "Stellar
Rivers & Streams of Lucid Dreams". "Cum Spiritu" was begun by Moraz
earlier: he had previously composed the piece and recorded all his
parts in London, with Brunel then writing and adding a fretless bass
part in this period.
The remaining pieces were
recorded in the late 1990s/early 2000s in Orlando, FL. The basis for
"One Day in June" was a 1998 session with Ciago on drums, which Moraz
then added to. The "Sonique Prinz" suite and "Alien Space" were
recorded entirely by Moraz.
Moraz was to play two solo piano concerts (17-18 Apr 2009) in Issaquah, WA, but these have been postponed. Moraz hopes to reschedule. He said in the MorazNews interview that, "some other dates are in the works in the States and also hopefully in Europe and Switzerland" and that he hopes to subsequently tour in support of the album with a band including some of the musicians who appear on the album.
Other recent work
In the MorazNews interview, Moraz
says:
there
are quite a lot of recordings and works which have never been released,
and there are also some new productions, recent works, in the
"classical" section and also in the "prog-rock and avant-jazz fusion"
section. Of course, I have quite a lot of projects already "earmarked",
so-to-speak, for the coming years.
Moraz has done music for a forthcoming DVD release called "Transmuteo" by Jean-Luc Bozzoli; trailers featuring Moraz' music are now online. In his interview for Innerviews, Moraz expands:
it’s a story made up entirely of visuals and music, with no story or words. [...] The music will have a very symphonic approach and some of the pieces are very emotional.He also seems to be working on further film scores. In the Innerviews interview, he says, "my time is currently being spent in Los Angeles working on film scores and it’s very satisfying."
Moraz and Ronnie Ciago (percussion) have been working on an album together; one piece with Ciago appears on Change of Space (see above). Moraz played on sessions for bassist Dave LaRue (The Dixie Dregs, John Petrucci) for a second solo album which has yet to appear.
Longer term plans
Moraz has talked of multiple further projects,
but many of these appear to be some way from producing any output. He
has
plans for a third "Future Memories" show, which he discusses in a new
interview
on a forthcoming DVD release of the first two "Future Memories" TV
programmes
(see below). For some years, Moraz has been
working on an
"electro-ethnic"
solo album, A Way to Freedom. In an interview circa May
06
(Notes from the Edge
#299), Moraz said:
A WAY TO FREEDOM seems to be taking a long time to come out. It's not the lack of material, but more about the inherent inertia which has surrounded the project from the beginning. I have lots and lots of recorded material already, but I never seem to be able to put the finishing touch to the production as a whole. Especially now that I have all these [re] releases [...] coming out [see below] [...] It is still a work in progress and I cannot announce its release yet. But it will come out in the not-too-distant future.Moraz has also been working on an album with Michel Sanchez (Deep Forest) for some time. A report circa Feb 2005 said that Moraz has two electronic albums close to completion, one of which seemed to be the one with Sanchez. It is unclear whether the other was A Way to Freedom, with Armen or some other project.
Moraz has expanded "Modular Symphony (1st Movement)" from his 1987 Human Interface album into an entire piano conerto, which he intends to release at some point according to a Mar 2005 interview.
Although he has no immediate plans, in his Mar 2005 interview, Moraz talked of his willingness to do a video or film project based on his solo album The Story of i. In his NftE interview (Jan 2001), he said, "I've also been writing and researching some stories. I'd like to do a movie of THE STORY OF I either in 3-D computer graphics, an animated version, or the real thing. I have also written a couple of other movie scripts; one is a science fiction story and the other is about the life and times of a composer who lived three hundred years ago." In an earlier interview (Oct 2000), he said: "I have just about 30 other projects that I have already composed, I've composed hundreds of pieces of music in the last 9 years. [...] I have also, maybe, studying to get a commission for a symphony orchestra perhaps in europe for next year [2001]." At some point, he has been planning to do a charity Christmas album.
In the 2005 interview, Moraz mentioned too his desire to do some live shows with flautist Syrinx to play music from their album Coexistence/Libertate, although again there are no specific plans at present. Moraz has said he may collaborate with Annie Haslam in the future.
Re-releases
and
previously
unreleased
archival
material
Released in 2009 was The
Grandfather
Paradox: A Journey Through 50 Years of Minimalistic Music (Barely Breaking Even, BBE120CCD),
presented by Henrik
Schwarz, ÂME
& Dixon. This 2CD
compilation album has one disc where the music has been mixed by
Schwarz, ÂME and Dixon, and a second where the music has just
been compiled. Both discs include a Patrick Moraz track, "Metamorphoses
1st Movement (Live)". There appears to be a (possibly digital only)
shorter version too.
In an Oct 2006 interview with the Francophone Yes fanclub, Nous Sommes Du Soleil, Moraz was asked whether there might one day be a release of a Dec 1987 live-in-the-studio performance in support of Human Interface. Moraz replied yes:
Oui, celui-là j’en ai le master sur DAT et je vais le mastériser avec Jean Ristori dans les semaines à venir. Bien que la partie électronique de la musique soit très similaire à l’album de studio de « Human Interface », ayant tout joué « live » en direct, avec l’aide d’ordinateurs et de « midi » cependant, le son lui, est plus « urgent », peut-être un peu moins sophistiqué que sur l’album de studio, et les tempi sont dans certains cas plus rapides ! Et puis les lignes improvisées sont évidemment différentes de celles de l’album de studio. [...] J’ai retrouvé des enregistrements inédits de pièces pour pianos préparés que j’avais enregistrés ultérieurement et que j’ai mis en bonus sur le CD.The set ended with a medley of Beatles tunes.
[Support this website by buying the Moraz remasters and other releases through Amazon (US or UK): go to the Where Are They Now? Amazon listings page.]
Refugee
Refugee consisted of Moraz (keys), Lee Jackson
(ex-The Nice, ex-Jackson Heights;
bass, vocals) and Brian
Davison (ex-The Nice, ex-Jackson Heights; drums). Voiceprint, within
their
series of Moraz releases, have re-released the band's only contemporary
album, Refugee
(IDVP001CD), plus a live Refugee CD, Live
in Concert - Newcastle City Hall 1974 (VP421CD), one of the
band's
earliest concerts, sourced from tapes held by Davison and fully
endorsed
by the band. The set was mainly drawn from the album, but with some
further
pieces played: "Outro - Ritt Mickley", "One Left Handed Peter Pan"
(previously
unreleased Refugee original), "The Diamond Hard Blues Apples of the
Moon"
(originally by The Nice), "Someday", "Papillon", "She Belongs to Me"
(originally
by The Nice), "Grand Canyon Suite", "Refugee Jam" (previously
unreleased
original). In his 2007
interview
for
Innerviews, Moraz says that he is "not
ruling
out regrouping Refugee either. I'm in touch with Lee Jackson and Brian
Davison every few weeks and we're talking about maybe doing a couple of
reunion shows in Europe."
However, sadly Davison died in
Apr 2008.
Other news
Moraz is one of many musicians to
appear in Dianna Dilworth's documentary film about the Mellotron, "Mellodrama: The
Mellotron Documentary".
Trevor
Horn
Official
site; SPZ website; ZTT Records website
US/The
Producers
The Producers consisted of Trevor
Horn (bass, vocals), Steve
Lipson (worked with Grace Jones, S Club 7, Frankie
Goes to Hollywood, Annie
Lennox,
Will
Young; guitar), Lol Crème (Art of
Noise,
ex-10cc; guitar, vocals),
Chris
Braide (Malmo,
written for Cheryl Cole, Glenn Tilbrook, Clay Aiken, Will Young, Kylie
Minogue, S
Club
7; keys, vocals) and Ashley
'Ash'
Soan (Rick
Wakeman's English
Rock
Ensemble, ex-Del Amitri, ex-Squeeze, worked
with Will Young, Enrique
Iglesias,
Robbie Williams; drums). Braide was the main vocalist,
but Horn and Crème sang lead on some songs. The band began
recording
their
debut album in Dec 2006 at Hook End Studios. In
Mar 2008, the band announced they had finished mixing it and that
release under the title Studio 1 would follow on
Stiff
Records (a sister label to ZTT).
However, by Jun 2008, the band were
back recording and
the album was entitled Watching
You Out
There and to be released
on a different label. Braide then left the group and the band, under
the leadership of Horn and
Crème, changed their
name to US with an album due called The Path of
Sydney Arthur, a concept piece based around the fictional
life story of a man born on
the same day as the first Moon landing. (An associated
short video promoting the new album name had appeared on
MySpace, while "Freeway" and "Man on the Moon" were on the album's MySpace
page
and "Freeway" can be
heard
at
the
Perfect
Songs
site.)
Album tracks for Studio 1
were to be:
"Freeway", "Waiting for the Right Time", "Watching You Out There",
"Your Life" (Horn on lead vocals), "Barking Up the Right Tree", "You
and
I", "Stay Elaine", "Man on the Moon"
(Braide
on lead vocals), "Music From
BelAir" (inspired by
Horn's
time as a homeowner in California).
A song entitled "Seven" (in 7 time about an
escort
agency, with Horn on Vocoder) was played live; I presume it is included
in that list under some other name. "You and I" is confirmed for The Path of Sydney
Arthur; preview
video
here. It is unclear how much of the material or recordings for Studio 1 will be carried over to The Path of Sydney Arthur given
Braide's departure, but some of
the Braide co-written material is expected to be used. Gary
Langan (ex-Art of Noise,
worked with Yes) mixed and engineered. The debut
single was "Barking Up the Right Tree" (3:21;
Crème on lead vocals, Horn on double bass), backed with "Freeway"
(5:55;
Braide
on
lead
vocals;
originally
announced
as
the
debut
single),
out
(Stiff
Records,
CDBUY270).
The
single
was
co-written
and
co-produced
by
all
five
of
the
band.
A
number
songs
could
be
heard
on
their
their
MySpace
page, which has since
disappeared, and at the Stiff
Records
website. The
band is managed by Luke Mitzman (Lipson's stepson).
The band played two London dates in Apr and
May 2008 (as
support for Zucchero). Braide
then re-joined for what was described as a one-off show in Oct 2009,
but then returned again for another show on 28 Jan 2010 (set included
"Owner of a Lonely Heart", "Freeway" and "Video Killed the Radio Star").
Lipson,
Crème,
Soan and Langan all commonly appear on Horn's productions. For example,
they all worked on Escala's eponymous debut; Horn and Lipson are
working together on Jeff Beck's new album; Soan appeared on the
Horn-produced Aviv Geffen; and
Horn, Soan, Braide and Crème are all on Robbie Williams' Reality Killed the Video Star.
Production
and
solo
work
Trevor Horn
did a film score in 2007 for
the forthcoming drama/comedy "Young
Americans" (formerly "Kids in America") from Universal Pictures,
but said in a
May
2008
interview that he wasn't particularly interested in doing
many more films. The film,
starring, co-written and co-executive produced by Topher Grace and
written by the writers of That '70s
Show, is now expected in
2010. On the 2008 film "Wanted", the score was by Danny
Elfman. Elfman wrote and sung "The Little Things" (3:27), the song over
the closing credits, and Horn produced the vocal sessions. (Various
reports suggest Horn wrote, or co-wrote, or sung, or co-sung the piece,
but these are erroneous.) "The Little Things" is the first of
15 tracks on the soundtrack release, Wanted
(Original
Motion
Picture
Soundtrack) (Lakeshore Records, LKS
340212).
Horn and Steve
Lipson (US, worked with Grace Jones, S
Club 7, Frankie
Goes to Hollywood, Annie
Lennox,
Will
Young) are co-producing Emotion &
Commotion (Atco Records
(Rhino)), due 13 Apr, the next solo album
from Jeff Beck
(ex-Yardbirds, working with Eric Clapton). The album was recorded late 2009
(Aug onwards) at Horn's Sarm
Studios in London. Tracks: "Corpus Christi Carol" (cover of the Jeff
Buckley song), "Hammerhead" (original piece), "Never Alone" (original
piece), "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" (from "The Wizard of Oz"), "I Put
A Spell On You" (cover of the Screamin' Jay Hawkins' song; vocals by
Joss Stone), "Serene", "Lilac Wine" (vocals by Imelda May), "Nessun
Dorma" (from Giacomo Puccini's opera "Turandot"; with a 64-piece
orchestra), "There's No Other Me" (original song; vocals by Stone),
"Elegy for Dunkirk" (cover from Dario Marianelli's score for the film
"Atonement"; vocals by Olivia Safe, with orchestra). Familiar Beck
collaborators also appear: Vinnie Colaiuta (ex-Frank Zappa, ex-Asia,
worked
with
Billy Sherwood;
drums), Tal Wilkenfield
(MySpace page; ex-Chick
Corea, worked with Rod Stewart, Prince; bass), Jason Rebello (Sting; keys).
|
Horn co-produced about half of the
first English-language album from Israeli artist Aviv Geffen (English-language
page, MySpace page; Blackfield), called
simply Aviv Geffen (Mars
Records/Rough
Trade) and now out in parts of
Europe. They recorded at Sarm Studios in
London with players including Steve Wilson (Porcupine Tree,
Blackfield; guitar)
and Mike
Garson (ex-David Bowie, ex-Smashing Pumpkins). The
electronic press kit for the album,
including a brief comment from Horn, can be seen on
YouTube. Later sessions for
the album were in Israel with producer Ken Nelson (worked
with Coldplay, Echo & The
Bunnymen, Snow Patrol, Paolo Nutini). One track, "Love Song",
is produced
by Dave Sitek (TV on the
Radio, worked with Yeah Yeah Yeahs). Tracks (international version): "Black & White", "It was Meant to be a Love Song", "Berlin", "It's Alright", "Heroes", "It's Cloudy Now" (version of Geffen's signature song "Ahshav Meunan" from his 1993 Hebrew-language album of the same name, which was also released in an English-language version on the debut Blackfield album), "October", "Now or Never", "The One", "Forest in My Heart". Tracks (UK version): "It was Meant to be a Love Song", "Black & White", "It's Cloudy Now", "It's Alright", "Berlin", "Silence", "Heroes", "The One", "Forest in My Heart", "Now or Never", "October", Thrillers vs. Aviv Geffen: "It was Meant to be a Love Song (Time Waits for No One Edit)"; enhanced CD features: "It was Meant to be a Love Song" (video), "Black & White" (video). Details in Yescography. "It was
Meant to be a Love Song" was the debut single, but did not involve
Horn. A digital-only second
single followed: "It's Alright" (2:56), "It's Alright (Stonemasons
Remix)" (6:49), "It's Alright (Thrillers Remix)"
(3:09),
"It's Alright (Loverush Uk!
Remix)" (6:49), "It's Alright (Axon Dubstep Remix)"
(4:17). Horn also produced the new solo album from Robbie Williams (ex-Take That), now out and called Reality Killed the Video Star in reference to The Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star". The debut single was "Bodies" (digital only in North America) and a second single, "You Know Me", followed in Dec 2009. The album and single (where applicable) are on Virgin/EMI in the UK, Chrysalis/EMI in central Europe and EMI in Mexico. |
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Reality Killed the Video Star
was recorded in London in early 2009. Also performing are Horn
himself, Ash Soan
(Rick
Wakeman's English Rock Ensemble, US,
ex-Squeeze,
worked
with
Escala),
Anne
Dudley
(Art
of Noise, ex-ABC; strings arranger, conductor), Chris Braide
(ex-The
Producers), Jamie Muhoberac (worked with Seal, Art of
Noise, Fleetwood Mac, My Chemical Romance), Tim Weidner (worked with Yes, Dead
or Alive, Escala), Steve Lipson (The Producers/US,
worked with Frankie Goes to Hollywood) and Bruce Woolley
(ex-Tina
Charles, ex-The Camera Club, ex-Grace Jones). In his 17
Apr
2009
blog, Williams said: Trevor Horn [...] he's
absolutely amazing. At this point in proceedings (which is
still early doors) I've got to say I've never felt as positive about
any record I've done before. The album sold >85,000 copies in its first day in the UK and had sold >238,000 in its first week, entering the UK album chart at #2. It was the 3rd fastest selling album in the UK of 2009 and has now gone double Platinum in the UK (>600,000 sales) and Germany (>400,000 sales). It certified Gold in its first day of sales in Poland (over 10,000 copies). It entered the Dutch chart at #1, #1 in Australia, #6 in Ireland, #9 in Finland, #1 in Switzerland, #12 in Flanders (Belgium) and #17 in Wallonia (Belgium). It made #160 in the US. Worldwide sales are now over 1.2 million. |
"Bodies" album
chart performance
|
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| Horn
produced and plays on the
debut, eponymous
album from electronic string quartet Escala (MySpace page), who signed to
Simon Cowell's record label, Syco Music, after appearing on TV show Britain's Got Talent. The band are
Izzy Johnston (ex-Wild;
violin), Chantal Leverton (ex-Wild, ex-City
of
Birmingham
Symphony
Orchestra,
worked
with Blue, War of the Worlds, Aled Jones; viola), Nastasya
(Tasya) Hodges (ex-London Symphony Orchestra,
ex-The Heritage Orchestra, worked with War of the Worlds, Arctic
Monkeys, Take That, The Streets; cello) and Victoria Lyon (ex-Royal
Philharmonic
Orchestra,
ex-City
of
Birmingham
Symphony
Orchestra,
worked
with
Simply
Red,
War
of
the
Worlds;
violin). The group
came together doing session work for McFly. The album is now out in the UK (Syco/SonyBMG), backed by a substantial advertising campaign. It made #2 in the UK chart (31 May) and #13 in Ireland (28 May). US release followed in Jun. Tracks are all covers of existing pieces: "Requiem for a Tower" (a version of Clint Mansell's "Lux Aeterna"), "Palladio" (by Karl Jenkins), "Kashmir" (feat. Slash (ex-Guns 'n' Roses); originally by Led Zeppelin), "Finding Beauty" (by Craig Armstrong), "Children" (by Robert Miles), "Live and Let Die" (by Paul McCartney & Wings), "Chi Mai" (by Ennio Morricone), "Feeling Good" (a version of "I am Feeling Good" by Anthony Newley/Leslie Bricusse, originally for the musical "The Roar of the Greasepaint—The Smell of the Crowd"), "Sarabande" (by Handel), "Clubbed to Death" (by Rod Dougan), "Adagio for Strings" (by Samuel Barber). A version of Snow Patrol's "Chasing Cars" was planned, but does not appear. "Palladio", I think on downloads alone, made #39 in the UK chart (31 May) and #49 in Ireland (28 May). The backing band on the album includes Horn (guitar, piano, bass, programming), Ash Soan (Rick Wakeman's English Rock Ensemble, US, Robbie Williams, ex-Squeeze; drums, percussion), Steve Lipson (US, ex-Grace Jones, ex-Annie Lennox, ex-Frankie Goes to Hollywood; guitar), Lol Crème (US, Art of Noise, ex-10cc; guitar), Pete Murray (arranger, conductor, Hammond, piano, Wurlitzer, programming), Simon Hale (arranger), Earl Harvin (worked with Air, Seal, Art of Noise, Pet Shop Boys; drums), Jamie Muhoberac (worked with Seal, Pet Shop Boys, Phil Collins, Backstreet Boys; guitar samples), John Shanks (guitar), Jeff Rothschild (drums), Tom Norris (violin), Thomas Carroll ('cello), Fiona Winning (viola), Phil Palmer (worked with Pet Shop Boys, Tina Tuner, Dire Straits; guitar), Ian Thomas (drums) and the Metro Singers choir. Isobel Griffiths was the orchestral contractor and fixer, with Perry Montague-Mason as the orchestra leader. Gary Langan (ex-Art of Noise, worked with Yes) was one of the recording engineers, as was Tim Weidner (worked with Yes), who also did some programming and mixing. The album was recorded in late 2008/early 2009. |
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Horn produced Set the Mood, the debut album from David Jordan for ZTT/Mercury Records, now out. Tracks: "On the Money", "Place in My Heart", "Sun Goes Down", "Set the Mood", "Love Song", "Move On", "Sweet Prince", "If I'm in Love", "Glorious Day", "Only Living Soul" (co-written with Chris Braide (US)), "Fight the World". The album peaked at #8 in the UK and #60 in Switzerland. "Place in My Heart" was the lead single, with remixes by Joey Negro and StoneBridge. While it failed to chart, the second single, "Sun Goes Down", peaked at #4 the UK, #20 in Ireland, #34 in Italy and #42 in Switzerland. The third single is "Move One", including new track "Ghost Train" as a b-side, and also charted in the UK. Musical director for David Jordan's band is Paul Sayer (also guitar), while also working on the album were Braide and Steve Lipson (The Producers).
Horn has produced the debut
album, Once (Young Turks),
from
singer/songwriter Kid Harpoon
(a.k.a. Tom Hull; MySpace page). Tracks:
"Stealing Cars", "Colours",
"Back from Beyond", "Buried Alive", "Burnt Down House", "Flowers by the
Shore", "Once", "Hold on", "Running Through Tunnels", "Death of a
Rose", "Marianna", "Childish Dreaming". The album and two singles
("Back from Beyond" and "Stealing
Cars") are now out.
(Kid Harpoon is also in Arrows of Love,
who are working with producer Aaron Horn,
Trevor's
son.)
On Evolver,
from
R&B
singer
John Legend,
Horn co-produced
the
final song with Devo Springsteen (a.k.a.
Devon Harris; worked
with Estelle, Kanye West, Aretha Franklin), "If You're Out
There", which was inspired by Barack
Obama's
Presidential
campaign. The track was
released on digital download in the US. It made #10 in
the Billboard US
Bubbling Under singles chart (i.e.
approx. #110 on the singles chart), #135 in the UK chart and #41 in the
Netherlands.
Evolver album
chart performance
Country/chart
Peak chart position
USA (Gold)
4 (15 Nov)
US
R&B/hip-hop
1
Japan
26
Japan
foreign artists
5
UK
21 (1
Nov)
France
38
Canada
14
Italy
29
Sweden
36
Belgium
37
Netherlands
72
Ireland
52
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Israel
- Home of Hope was a double CD put together by Chief Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks
in 2008 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the state of
Israel, mixing music and spoken word. Three tracks were arranged and
produced by Horn: "Ke-she-halev Bocheh" ["When the Heart Weeps"] (3:15;
mus: Shmuel
Elbaz; lyr: Yossi Gispan/Arlet Tzfadia), sung by Levi Levin; "When
You Believe" (5:13; from "The Prince of Egypt", written by Stephen
Schwartz), sung by Shimon
Craimer; and "Hatikvah"
[The Hope"] (2:05; words by Naftali Herz Imber), sung by Lionel
Rosenfeld & The Shabbaton
Choir. Tracks
can be downloaded from
the
album's
website.
Vocalist Fiona Renshaw (worked with Lisa Stansfield, Kubb, Mr. Scruff) has recorded some vocal sessions with Horn and Lol Crème (The Producers, Art of Noise, ex-10cc), although for what project is unknown: Horn does not seem to be working on her forthcoming album. She's also signed to Horn's publishing company Perfect Songs.
Horn
had
been working
with
Enrique
Iglesias on an album, at one point expected in Nov 2005, but
delayed. Geoff Downes has
played
on two tracks of the project, including a cover of Cutting Crew's "(I
Just)
Died in Your Arms Tonight". However, this material appears to have not
been used.
In a Yahoo chat in Oct 1999, Horn wrote: "I'm writing a musical [...] about Robots." In a 2008 interview, Horn said he had an upcoming "Musical/Show project".
The Buggles
The reunited Asia, including Downes, have been playing The Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star" in their set—see details here.
Art
of Noise
In the Apr 2008 interview for Future Music,
asked about whether the Art of Noise will be doing anything new, Horn
said,
"We keep talking about it." He also describes how they worked on a
"visual
sampler" before The Seduction of Claude Debussy: "So when you
hit
a note, you get a picture as well as sound. [...] there's about a 20
minute
video that Lol Creme did, and I'm going to put it on DVD."
And
What
Have
You
Done With My Body, God? (ZTT)
is a 4CD box set about the early Art of Noise. The set includes a
36-page
booklet with track-by-track commentary by Horn and the other four
original
members, Anne Dudley (ex-ABC), Gary Langan
(worked on 90125), JJ Jeczalik (worked
on 90125),
Paul Morley. One track is entitled
"Close
to the Edge" in reference to the Yes song of the
same
name on which this piece was loosely modelled;
Alan
White plays drums. Disc 1-3 consists of previously unreleased
material,
including
from the original Who's Afraid... demo tapes, and Anne Dudley
has
collated fragments into a set of finished pieces (including "It's Not
Fair"
and "It Stopped"). Disc 4 consists of the full 'Into Battle with the
Art
of Noise' EP and 'Close (to the Edit)' and 'Moments in Love'
cassingles,
released on CD for the first time. ZTT also produced a limited edition,
promo-only sampler CD (ZTT202CD) taken from
the box set, shipped free with orders over £10 placed at the ZTT
shop. It has 12-tracks, including "Once Upon a Lime" and "Close to
the Edge".
Frankie
Goes
to
Hollywood
In celebration of the 25th
anniversary of Frankie Goes to Hollywood's first album, Frankie Say Greatest, is an album of
old
and new remixes, rare material and cover versions, now out in the UK on
ZTT/Universal. This, in various formats, will include some b-sides that
have not previously
been released on CD: "Is There Anybody Out There", "Happy Hi",
"Suffragette City", "Get It On".
There will be two CD versions and a limited edition vinyl. Trevor Horn,
of course, worked on both the original Frankie albums (Welcome to the Pleasuredome and Liverpool), while both Steve Howe
and Trevor Rabin did session work on both.
Regular
album track list
(unless otherwise stated, the versions used are from the original
albums, Welcome to the Pleasuredome
and Liverpool):
"Relax (Move)" [7" single version], "Two Tribes", "Welcome to the
Pleasuredome (Alternative Reel)" [Escape Act Video
Mix], "War (Hide Yourself)" [b-side to "Two
Tribes" 7"], "The Power of Love (7" Mix)" [album
version], "Ferry Cross the Mersey" [b-side to
"Relax" 7"], "Is There Anybody Out There" [alternate
mix], "(Tag)", "Born to Run", "Rage Hard (7" Mix)", "Warriors of the
Wasteland", "Watching the Wildlife", "Happy Hi" [b-side to
"Welcome to the
Pleasuredome" 7"], "The
Waves" [slightly shorter
version], "Relax (Chicane
Radio Edit)" [2009 remix by
Nick Bracegirdle], "Two
Tribes (Hibauska)" [1984
Japanese 12" remix], "Relax
(Lockout)" [2009 remix by Kenny Hayes]. The Special Edition
adds a second disc, tracks: "Relax (Sex Mix)" [12" mix], "Two Tribes
(Annihiliation)" [12" mix], "War (Hidden)" [12" mix], "Welcome to the
Pleasuredome (Fruitiness
Mix)" [extended version of 12" mix], "Rage Hard (Freddy
Bastone Vocal Remix)" [from the US 12"], "Watching the
Wildlife (Hotter)" [12" mix], "Relax (Scott
Storch)" [2009 remix by Scott Storch], "Suffragette City" [b-side to
"Rage Hard" 7"], "Our Silver Turns to Gold" [short version,
previously only
released on vinyl], "Get It
On" [edit version from "Welcome
to
the
Pleasuredome"
12"].
The album made #27 in the UK (8 Nov).
A 2LP
vinyl release has a very
different listing, including new remixes: disc 1—"Relax (Jody Broden
Club Mix)", "Two Tribes (Surrender)", "Welcome to the
Pleasuredome (Brothers
in Rhythm Remix)"; disc 2—"Relax (Spencer
& Hill Remix)", "Warriors of the Wasteland (Attack Mix
ft Gary Moore)", "Power Of Love '93 (Alternative Mix)";
disc
3—"Two Tribes (Intermissions Legends Mix)", "Relax (Club 69
Future Anthem Part 1)", "Ragehard (Broad)"; disc 4—"Maximum Joy (DJ
Rene Club Mix)", "Warriors of the Wasteland (Fruitiness
Mix)", "Watching the Wildlife (Die Letzen Der
Menschheit)".
There is
also a DVD under the
same name; tracks: "Relax", "Two Tribes", "The Power of Love", "Welcome to the
Pleasuredome", "Rage Hard", "Warriors of the
Wasteland", "Watching the Wildlife", "Relax Live
Versions", "Relax Laser Version", "Two Tribes '93", "The Power Of Love
- Version 2", "Welcome to the Pleasuredome '93", "The Power of
Love: 2k", "Two Tribes 2k".
"Relax"
has also been
re-released as a single with a new video (viewable here). 12"
tracks: "Relax (Chicane Remix)", "Relax (Lockout's Radio Edit)", "Relax (US Mix 12")", "Relax (Den Broeder, Cox, Cantrelle
Radio Edit)"; digital version: "Relax (Original 7)", "Relax (Chicane
Radio Edit)", "Relax (Den Broeder, Cox, Cantrelle
Radio Edit)", "Relax (Lockout's Radio Edit)", "Relax (Spencer & Hill Radio Edit)".
| Buy from Amazon.co.uk
(UK): |
Buy from Amazon.com
(US): |
||||||
(2CD Special Edition) |
(1 CD regular version) |
(DVD) |
(MP3 version) |
|
(2CD Special Edition) |
(1 CD regular version) |
(DVD) |
Other news
Zang Tumb Tuum: The
ZTT Box Set (Salvo Music (Union Square
Music), SALVOBX405) is
a 3CD/1DVD box set compilation of 25 years of ZTT
Records. The set includes both hits and rarities, plus remixes, from
multiple artists, including many produced by Horn. The DVD is 72
min.s long,
consisting of music videos. The box was compiled by ZTT's
archivist Ian Peel, who has also penned a 72-page booklet, with
contributions from Horn and particularly Paul Morley
(Art of Noise). Details in
Yescography. The
Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star" and Frankie Goes to Hollywood's
"Relax" are both on the 3CD Island Life: 50
Years of Island Records
(Universal/Island).
Seal has
released a new
compilation album, Hits (Warner Bros.), available in a 1CD,
2CD or (in the US) 1CD+1DVD format. The album includes numerous tracks
produced by Horn.
Due Dec is It's
Christmas
Time
(Universal), a compilation including
Frankie Goes to Hollywood's "The Power of Love" and Band Aid's "Do They
Know It's Christmas", both produced by Horn.
Horn was
awarded an outstanding contribution award at the Radio Academy's Radio
& Music Forum conference in Mar 2009. He was honoured with a Sound
Fellowship from the Association of Professional Recording Services
(APRS) at their Sound Fellowship Lunch on 17 Nov in London. The award
is for music industry professionals who make a significant contribution
to the art, science or business of sound recording.
A Jul 2004 article in The Independent
(UK
newspaper) reported Horn as saying "that he knows he will have to give
up producing some day because the hours are "just crazy"." The article
goes on to quote Horn directly: "It's a tough game being a record
producer.
I've always worked very hard and very intensively. I've never left
anything
to chance." In a
May
2008
interview, Horn said that his children and running the
business (since his wife's accident)
takes up most of his time, but that he still likes making records.
Horn's music business concerns are complex,
but
there is SPZ Holdings Ltd., which
then
owns Sarm Studios (who
operate
recording studios and manage record producers and engineers), Perfect
Songs (music publishing company) and ZTT
Records
Ltd. (record label; MySpace
page), which also owns
Stiff
Records.
Geoff
Downes
Official
site; Official online store;
MySpace
page; Twitter
Asia
The Four Original Members of
Asia
The original
Asia line-up—namely Downes (keys),
Steve Howe
(guitar),
John Wetton (ex-King
Crimson, ex-UK; bass) and Carl
Palmer (ex-Emerson, Lake & Palmer; drums)—have
re-united, have a new
album, Phoenix, and are
touring. Details
are on the Asia page.
iCon
The Wetton/Downes collaboration iCon continues in parallel to
their work
together in Asia. (In a Mar 2006
interview,
Downes said, "It's important to point out [...] that the Icon stuff is
quite a different approach [...] So this is Icon, this is Asia. There
are
really two quite different styles we address to each one.") The pair's
third album, 3 (dur. 53:53),
is out on Frontiers
Records (FRCD406) and
worldwide partners; tracks: "Twice the Man I
was",
"Destiny", "Green Lights
and Blue Skies", "Raven", "Sex, Power and Money", "Anna's Kiss", "Under
the Sky", "Don't Go Out Tonight", "Never Thought I'd See You Again",
"Peace in Our Time". All tracks
were written and produced by Wetton/Downes; the album was mixed and
engineered by Steve Rispin. See Yescography
for details. Some
samples are
available on
Downes'
website. There were live dates in support in Feb
2009. The new
line-up is with Hugh
McDowell (ex-ELO)
on electric 'cello, who has worked with Asia
and iCon previously, plus Dave
Kilminster (MySpace page; Roger
Waters, ex-John
Wetton, ex-Qango,
ex-Keith Emerson; guitar)
and Pete Riley (Dave
Kilminster, ex-Keith Emerson; drums).
Guesting on the album are Andreas
Vollenweider (harp; on
"Raven" and "Anna's Kiss") and
vocalist Anne-Marie Helder
(MySpace page; ex-Karnataka, Panic Room, Mostly Autumn,
ex-Fish, ex-Dave Kilminster)
on
three
tracks
("Raven",
"Don't
Go
Out
Tonight"
and
"Peace
in
Our
Time").
The
band
toured
Japan with 8 shows
in Feb without McDowell. They
played two back-to-back shows each night, with the sets on the first
night
being: first
show—"Countdown
to Zero" (from
Asia's Astra), "Go"
(Astra), "Elstree"
(The Buggles' The Age of Plastic),
"Rendezvous
6:02" (U.K.'s Danger
Money), "Angel" (Dave Kilmimster's Scarlet), "The Night Watch"
(King Crimson's Starless and Bible
Black), "Heat of the Moment" (Asia; acoustic version),
"I've Come to Take You Home" (Wetton's Rock of Faith), "Twice the
Man I Was" (3),
"Voice
of America" (Astra),
"Rubicon" (Icon II: Rubicon),
"My
Own
Time" (Asia's Alpha);
encore:
"Days
Like
These"
(Asia's Now and Then).
Second show—"Countdown to Zero",
"Paradox/Let Me
Go" (Icon),
"Meet
Me at Midnight" (Icon),
"The
Die
is
Cast" (Icon II:
Rubicon), "True Colours" (Alpha), "In the Dead of
Night"
(U.K.'s U.K.), "Book
of Saturday" (King Crimson's Larks'
Tongues
in
Aspic), "Battle Lines" (Wetton's Battle Lines), "Tempus Fugit"
(Yes's Drama), "Don't
Go Out Tonight" (3),
"Starless" (King Crimson's Red);
encore:
"Rock
and
Roll
Dream" (Astra).
They
then
played
the Netherlands on 19 Feb, with Helder joining the line-up.
On 21 Feb 2009, they—Wetton (bass,
vocals), Downes (keys, backing vocals), McDowell
(electric 'cello), Kilminster (guitars, backing
vocals), Riley (drums), Helder (backing vocals, shakers)—played
a special sold out concert
at St Mary-Le-Bow Church
in London for an audience of 200, which was recorded for a live DVD
("Urban Psalm") and
CD
release: see press
release here. Set: "Countdown
to Zero"/"Go",
"I've Come to Take You Home" (Helder on flute at end), "Twice the Man I
Was", "Elstree",
"Angel" (Kilminster on lead vocals and acoustic guitar, Riley and
Wetton sat out),
"Voice
of America", "The Die is Cast", "To Catch a Thief" (Icon II:
Rubicon; duet with Helder); interval; "Starless" (Helder
sat out), "Paradox/Let Me
Go", "Meet Me at Midnight" (Kilminster on acoustic guitar, Wetton on
vocals only), "Raven"
(3; duet with Helder, Wetton on vocals only,
Kilminster on backing vocals only, Riley sat out), "True Colours",
"Heat of the Moment" (acoustic; Wetton on acoustic guitar and vocals,
Kilminster on acoustic guitar, Riley sat out), "Rubicon", "Don't
Go Out Tonight", "My Own Time", "Days Like These"; encore: "In the End"
(Icon; Wetton on vocals only, duet with Helder,
who also played flute), "Rock and Roll
Dream". The DVD was mixed in
Aug. There is a limited, signed
edition
(1000 copies) of this that has
been sent
to all members of the audience first, with
remaining copies now available to buy exclusively online. Attendees have also
been given a link to download a 2006 performance of the
band live in Japan; this is also available in a bundle pack for
purchasers. Artwork and sleeve notes are by Nick Shilton. A full
commercial release will, it
seems, follow in 2010. A live CD will also follow.
On his website
forum in Jan 2010,
asked about iCon, Wetton said:
No live plans for iCon right now, Mike---we have a couple of releases which are currently under discussion, but I don't see why there will not be more live in the future. One thing I have learned about iCon, is that it must remain special.
There
is also a plan being considered for a joint Asia/iCon/Steve Howe Trio/Carl Palmer Band tour for
2010. See
under Asia for details.
Downes
and Wetton are among guests on a forthcoming charity EP by It Bites to
raise money for the Cumbria Flood Recovery Fund.
They are re-recording
It Bites' hit "Calling All the Heroes". Also
participating were
Marillion, Jem
Godfrey (Frost*, ex-Atomic Kitten), Jason Perry (A), Dick
Nolan and former It Bites member Francis
Dunnery (ex-The Syn).
The
EP
was
recorded
on
4
Dec
at
Wetton
and
Downes'
studio
near
Milton
Keynes
and
is
due
in
the
first
half
of
Dec,
with
an
accompanying
video
produced
by
Russell
Cherrington
(University of Cumbria).
Single and video will be available soon from the It Bites website.
Anneke
van Giersbergen
covered
"To Catch a Thief" from Icon II:
Rubicon on her solo album Pure
Air (Agua Recordings), with Wetton
guesting on vocals. See
Yescography for details. Van Giersbergen guested on the
original version.
Again in his Feb 2007 blog, Downes described a new project also involving Tony Levin (bass), Michael Holmes (IQ), Nick D'Virgilio (Spock's Beard, ex-Genesis), Thomas Lang (ex-John Wetton; drums), Rob Aubrey (worked with Wetton/Downes; engineer). Downes writes:
[In Feb 2007] We [Downes, Holmes & Aubrey] were working on a few tracks that they have been putting together at their respective studios. At the moment it's what you might call a 'virtual' project, with people sending in their stuff/parts from all over the World. [...] It's a fairly interesting but low-key kind of project, and the material - quite different and unusual, but at the moment is still very much a kind of 'work-in-progress' type of thing. Any of you prog-heads out there will probably love it all and lap it up
In 2009, Aubrey described a project called Pulse as being close to completion with Levin (bass), Holmes (guitar), D'Virgilio (drums, vocals) and Lang (drums), but did not mention Downes.
Other news
The Buggles
news is under Horn, including
a re-release of Adventures in Modern
Recording with bonus tracks.
Downes also plays
on an
Enrique Iglesias project being produced by Horn—details
under
Horn.
Downes appears on a number of projects headed by Billy Sherwood—details here. He appears on one track of Steve Howe's Homebrew 4—details under Howe.
Downes appears on a new project from
Starwood, a spin-off from the band
Lizzy
Borden.
Jerusalem were an early 1970s British heavy rock band whose one album was produced by Deep Purple's Ian Gillan. Robert Cooke (guitar) and Lynden Williams (vocals) have reformed the band for an album produced by Rob Aubrey and, in his Jan 2007 blog, Downes describes doing a session for the project. The album, Escalator (Mausoleum Records), is now out and the full line-up is Williams (vocals), Cooke (guitars), Downes (keys), Dave Meros (Spock's Beard; bass) and Nick D'Virgilio (Spock's Beard; drums). Tracks: "Hooded Eagle", "Midnight Steamer", "Stone Free" (Jimi Hendrix cover), "Over the Chasm", "Kamikaze Moth", "The Void", "Banging All Night Long", "Spiders Rendezvous", "Faith Healer" (Alex Harvey cover), "When the Wolf Sits".
Downes sometimes plays with the Loco
All-Stars,
also with Hugh McDowell (Wetton/Downes,
ex-ELO;
cello), Paul Martinez (ex-Paice Ashton &
Lord, ex-Robert Plant Band;
bass), Ian Luther (guitar), Nicky Hopkins
(ex-Robert Plant Band;
drums). The band, who have
a fluid line-up, were recording a CD to be sold at live shows; Downes
is on six tracks including "How Long", "Keep on Rocking", "Sharp
Dressed
Man" and "Superstition".
In 1989, Downes and Chris Squire joined Tony Iommi, Ian Gillan, Ritchie Blackmore, David Gilmour, Brian May, Alex Lifeson, Keith Emerson and others took part in the Rock Aid Armenia project, with a group cover of Deep Purple's "Smoke on the Water" and a subsequent compilation album. This was to raise funds for victims of the 1988 Spitak earthquake. On 2 Oct, the Prime Minister of Armenia awarded Downes, Gillan, Iommi, Gilmour, May and organiser Jon Dee the Order of Honour medal, the highest Armenian state award that can be conferred on foreign citizens (see Downes' description here). Squire and other participants received the Honorary Medal of the Prime Minister of Armenia. In Nov, the original recordings are to be re-released along with a making-of DVD, "The Making of Smoke on the Water", to raise funds for the Gyumri music school that was built near the eathquake's epicentre. Also to be released digitally is a re-mix of their recording of "Smoke on the Water".
News
about Asia Featuring John Payne and associated releases is on the Asia page.
(Not) live
A live show by Trevor Rabin was being
advertised
for
24
Oct
at
Blakes
in
Berkeley,
CA. However, the listing has now
been
pulled. This and some other listings were a hoax: Rabin was never
planning such a show and had
no knowledge of this listing. Rabin's website says: "Recently a number
of venues are promoting concerts presenting "Trevor Rabin". Please be
aware these are scams perpetrated by persons fraudulently representing
themselves as Trevor's agent. Trevor will not be appearing live at any
venues in the immediate future."
New solo album
Rabin is actively working on a new
solo album. A Feb
2009
interview says:
Rabin
is also currently recording material for an upcoming instrumental solo
album. The new music—which he describes as, “jazzier than rock, with a
bluegrass Dobro kind of feel”— features him playing nearly every
instrument.
In an interview published Mar 2008, Tony Kaye said, "I think [Rabin i]s working on a jazz album. [...] I think he's doing all the instruments himself." Talking to Innerviews back in late 2003, Rabin said he hoped to record a new solo album soon. "But if I get a call from someone I'm excited about working with, it's very difficult to turn down." He continues "I've got quite a lot of material together that I'm happy with. When I get enough together I'll start to do an album." In an Aug 2002 interview for Notes from the Edge, he said:
I've got enough material for about half an album at least [...] I just haven't got time to get around to it.In his Innerviews interview, Rabin talked about the format of the album. He wants to use an orchestra and also suggests it will not be a singer-songwriter album:
I think I'd sing on it, but it would be far more instrumental. The previous solo albums were very much singer-songwriter efforts with me delivering a lyric and performing as a guitar player [...] Now, I think it would be a little more eclectic and a lot more natural maybe. It wouldn't stick to a certain genre. I wouldn't do what I'm expected to do. I think it would be a lot freer.In an e-mail to me in Jul 2004, Rabin spoke of his focus on writing for orchestra, both in his film scores and a next solo album, rather than the traditional rock line-up. He said that when he does an album, it will be different to anything he has done before as a solo artist or in a band. He also said that he misses playing live.
Film scores etc.
Rabin's next score is for "The
Sorcerer's Apprentice", produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and
due out 16 Jul
2010.
Rabin did the score for Disney's "Race
to Witch Mountain" (remake of the 1975
film; now out), now out.
The former was
recorded around early
Feb 2009 by a 78-piece ensemble of the Hollywood Studio Symphony,
conducted by orchestrator Gordon Goodwin, and a 24-person choir
conducted by music librarian Marshall Bowen. The score producer was
Paul Linford, who also handled additional arrangements.
The scoring mixer was Steve Kempster, with
Robbie Boyd, the music editor; Larry Mah, the ProTools recordist; and
stage recordist Adam Michalak. (Trevor Horn visited
one of the scoring sessions.)
The soundtrack, Race to Witch Mountain,
has
received
a
digital
release
only.
The
19
track
album
opens
with
3
tracks
not
by
Rabin,
with
the
rest
from
his
score:
"Emergency"
(Steve
Rushton;
2:59),
"Boogie
Woogie
Saturday
Night"
(Brokedown
Cadillac;
3:30),
"Southern
Nights"
(Brokedown
Cadillac;
3:53),
"Into
the
Fridge"
(6:50),
"),
"Long
Goodbye"
(3:01),
"Siphon
Searches"
(4:00),
"Make
Me
a
Believer"
(4:09),
"Bump
and
Run"
(1:14),
"Unidentified
Main
Titles"
(3:10),
"Jack
and
Kids
Escape"
(2:58),
"Tell
Mr. Wolf I Meant It" (0:50), "Train Wreckage Survey"
(0:46), "Burke's Deal" (4:19), "Tracking the E.B.E.'s" (2:13), "Stand
Off" (1:48), "Tunnel Flight" (2:17), "Excess Baggage" (2:08),
"Convention Escape" (3:12), "Meet the Press" (1:36).
Trevor Rabin has also done
the score for another
Disney film, "G-Force"
(now
out;
#1
at
the
US
box
office
in
its
opening
week).
Here,
Rabin
takes
over
from
former
collaborator
Harry
Gregson-Williams,
as
he
has
moved
to
another
Disney
project.
Tommy
Vicari
and
Steve
Kempster
were
mix
engineers,
while
Linford,
Goodwin
and
Don
Harper also return. The
score includes one track,
"Mexicano", credited to Trevor and son Ryan
Rabin.
Rabin also worked
on "12 Rounds", directed by Reny
Harlin. This was recorded around
Dec 2008, again by the Hollywood Studio Symphony (including Jon Lewis,
trumpet; Wayne Bergeron, trumpet; Cécilia Tsan, 'cello; Bill
Booth, trombone; Bob Sanders, bass trombone; Jim Self, tuba), while the
studio team included Linford, Kempster, Tom Hardisty, Peter Rotter,
Robbie Boyd and Erik Swanson.
Rabin has also done the theme
for the National Basketball Association.
Turner Network Television's
coverage of the NBA will continue to use the theme for the 2009-10
season, making it the longest theme used in NBA history.
Rabin was a speaker at the Fimucité (Festival Internacional de Música de Cine de Tenerife/Tenerife International Film Music Festival) in Jun in Tenerife, Spain. The festival included a performance of Rabin's film music by the Tenerife Film Orchestra & Choir, a 90-piece orchestra and 60-member choir; set (conducted by Joel McNeely): "Gettysburg/Virginia" (from "Remember the Titans"), "Closing Cards (Overture)" (from "The Great Raid"), "Launch" (from "Armageddon"), "Aftermath" (from "Deep Blue Sea"), "Ben" (from "National Treasure"), "The Game" (from "Remember the Titans").
Rabin scored "Get
Smart: The
Movie". There is a
20-track release, Get Smart: Original
Motion
Picture
Soundtrack (Varèse
Sarabande, 302 066 904 2).
The
score
incorporates
the original TV show's theme,
by Irving
Szathmary, with the album
including several re-interpretations
in different styles.
The score was performed by
the
Hollywood Studio Symphony,
conducted and
orchestrated by regular Rabin collaborator Gordon Goodwin, as well
as
using electronic elements, guitar and percussion. It was produced by
Linford. A sequel is planned with
Rabin to do the music again. Rabin
won
his
11th
BMI
Award
for
the
score.
Rabin is signed to Kraft-Engel Management, his
agent being Laura
Engel.
Rabin is also a painter
and his
work
can be viewed and purchased at the Entertainers
Art Gallery.
Projects
with multiple Yesmen
Billy Sherwood is the nexus for a number of projects
involving other Yesmen, both current and former band members
(particularly
Tony Kaye and Alan White),
which are covered on their own page.
In
summary,
there
is:
| Projects headed by Billy Sherwood | Tony Kaye | Alan White | Geoff Downes | Steve Howe | Rick Wakeman | Jimmy Haun | Michael Sherwood | Jay Schellen | Robby Krieger | Bobby Kimball |
John Wetton |
notable others |
| CIRCA: | on 1st album and DVD, but now left band | guests on album and some
live shows |
some material on 1st album co-written with Trevor Rabin | |||||||||
| Yoso |
now left
band |
Lou Molino III | ||||||||||
| Psy-Op (Conspiracy spin-off) | Bruce Gowdy, Gary Green | |||||||||||
| Abbey
Road:
A
Tribute
to
The
Beatles |
Mickey
Thomas, Dweezil Zappa, Albert Lee |
|||||||||||
| An All-Star Salute to Christmas | Zappa, Molino | |||||||||||
| Jim Ladd's Headsets | on From Here to Infinity |
on From Here to Infinity | on From Here to Infinity | on From Here to Infinity | on Chapter 1: Alone Out Here |
on From Here to Infinity | Jim Ladd, Thomas on From
Here
to
Infinity |
Solo
work,
including At the Speed of
Life...
Sherwood released his third
solo album At
the Speed of Life...
exclusively available
through his website.
Some of the material dates back
years,
even as far as when he was 15, Sherwood said in a Sep interview for Delicious
Agony. In
an Apr 2008
interview, Sherwood said:
Tracks: "Forward" (6:27), "In
the Maze of the
Garden" (8:35), "In Memory of..." (2:36), "Face the Dawn" (6:30),
"Alive and Wondering" (5:51), "At
the Speed of Life..." (10:04), "Seeing Through the Walls" (10:57);
written,
produced,
and all instruments performed by Billy Sherwood. Audio samples are
available at Sherwood's
MySpace
page. The album has a
certain lyrical unity around "life
and time and how it should be cherished", as Sherwood discusses in an interview circa Sep 2008. Photos in the
CD booklet are by wife Michi. CIRCA: are
planning to cover "Seeing Through
the Walls" on their planned "CIRCA: HQ LIVE" DVD—see on the CIRCA: page.
Sherwood's
fourth
and latest solo
album
is
called
Oneirology (it was
originally announced as Dream
Analysis, "oneirology"
being the scientific name for the
study of dreams), consisting of 8
tracks for a 64 min. duration in total. Again, the album is
exclusively available through his website; samples are available
through his MySpace
and YouTube pages.
Tracks:
"Oneirology",
"Setting
Sun",
"Wake
Up
Call",
"The
Following",
"The
Recurring
Dream",
"Lost
Inside",
"The
Gate",
"Walking
with
You".
Sherwood
tweeted
on
27
Nov
about
mastering the album
with Joe Gastwirt (worked
with Yes). He said in
Jun:
I
recently got inspired on bass and created a new piece and have slotted
it for the next solo CD I have in the works. I had a dream about the
next solo project being about a dream [...] I'm going to make all the
songs dreamscapes
and fantasy based theme wise. I dream often and in very intense ways,
so I have plenty to draw from for each song.
He said in Dec 2009 that the album is
"Very proggy". In tweets in late Oct/early Nov
2009, Sherwood described "writing, recording, playing etc." for his
next solo album. To Yesfans.com in Nov 2009, he said:
I've
been
head
down
in
studio
working
like
mad
on
my
4th
solo
CD.
About a year ago or so.... I had a dream about making a record about
dreams, I took it as a preminition of sorts. The next CD will be songs
with concepts all based on various dream states I have encountered. It
will be a conceptual record in a sense of the theme being the surreal
nature of our dreaming.
I have 48 minutes completed, planning to stop when I reach about 60
minutes.
I love working with other musicians and singers on music, that said
there is something about creating music all by myself, with no
influences one way or the other that I really do enjoy. Like having
Disneyland all to yourself
Jim
Ladd's
Headsets
(MySpace page)
Sherwood is working with radio DJ Jim
Ladd on a series of albums based on Ladd's Headsets freeform radio
shows of the same name. The improvised radio show adds effects and
spoken word material to
other artists' songs, but the first Headsets release was planned out
and uses
mostly original material. Chapter
1: Alone Out Here, only available from the
Headsets webpage, is on the theme of space, based on a concept by
Ladd;
tracks are given
below; the lyrics and speeches were written by
Ladd (with Sherwood), save for two poems, while the music was largely
written and performed by Sherwood. The album largely consists of songs
sung by Sherwood and tracks of an ambient nature backing speech by Ladd.
A live production and DVD of this first album was being planned: in a Nov 2007 interview for Notes from the Edge, Sherwood said, "we have plans to make a live production out of it and include perhaps special guests and friends who, between Jim and I and the people we know, put together a unique kind of show, and just make an event out of the whole thing [...] hopefully early in the first quarter perhaps of next year [2008] somewhere we actually bring this to a live setting and film it and record it and create a live DVD of the experience". The live production was not planend as a tour: rather it seems a series of local dates was under consideration. The live band would probably be CIRCA: plus special guests. In mid-Jul 2008, Sherwood said, "There is interest in a "Headsets Live" production." While this has yet to come about, Sherwood and Ladd are working with the Laserium Theater in Hollywood, CA to turn the album into a Headsets/Laserium production for early 2010 that is then expected to go into rotation there. The production is due to be complete by Dec. According to Sherwood in Aug 2009, "The show will include lasers, projections, music {Headsets 1: CD being the soundtrack} and a "visually compelling, emotional driven, adventurous movie" within the production itself."
Chapter 2:
Sides, based on a concept
by Sherwood, is now out and
again is only available
from
the
Headsets
webpage.
The music on the album was written,
arranged and performed (guitars, bass, drums; there are no keys on the
album) by Sherwood, with spoken word performances by
Ladd (except for one spoken word piece, "Haunted by Diversity", written
by Helene Hodge and performed by Hodge and Ladd). Ethan Sherwood
(Billy's young son) gets one line too. Artwork is by Michi Sherwood
(Billy's wife). Two pieces from the
album ("War and Peace", "In Between") can be
heard at their
MySpace page. Sherwood described mastering the album with
Gastwirt in May. He
tweeted on 12 Apr about
completing mixing on a 10-track album. Recording sessions had begun in
early Mar. One
song is entitled "2 Sides to Everything". Back on 13 Jan, he
talked about
creating one of the songs on the album:
I
write on all instruments, that said the last song I wrote for the
upcoming "Jim Ladd Headsets 2" CD was started by a drum groove I had in
my head. I was walking around my house with a particular drum groove
ringing in my mind and keep humming it to myself, so I ran to the
studio and played just the drums, no "music" so to speak. {not that
drums are not music for any drummers out there [...] Once the track was
cut I grabbed my guitar and sorted out a chord progression and the rest
and it became a song called "Opposing Forces".
A preview
of the album was
broadcast on KLOS 95.5 FM (US radio) and can be seen
on
YouTube
here. There was a "listening party" for Sides on 23 Sep at the Laserium
Theater with video
projections, including of Ladd narrating, and a live laser show,
followed by the second ever
showing of a film made to accompany Alone
Out
Here. All of CIRCA: were in attendance. Sherwood said later
that month
that the Sides presentation
may go into rotation at the Laserium.
On 10 Oct
2009, CIRCA: and Ladd
performed the entire second Headsets album live, followed by
"Universal Garden", "Ever
Changing World", "Brotherhood of Man", "Cut the Ties, at the Laserium
Theater, with
multi-media
visual effects including pre-filmed segments and lasers. This was a 90
minute show, with
two performances that evening. The show was
recorded. The band was also supplemented by
Dan Smolley (acoustic guitar, backing vocals). West
Coast
Sound
and
Light did
front of house. Brian Chatton
(ex-The
Warriors) was in the audience. Official rehearsal footage was earlier posted to YouTube.
This
is
also
being
turned
into
a
Laserium
production
as
with
Alone Out
Here. Sherwood said to ProgressiveEars.com
in early Sep 2009:
We
may
be
doing
it
again
in
a
few
months
time,
Laserium
has
plans
for
"re-ocurring"
productions.
I'm
speaking
with
them
now
about
producing
several
different
"themed
shows"
for
thier
theater
in
Hollywood.
Should
"CIRCA:
plays
Jim
Ladd
Headsts
Chapter
2:
Sides"
become
one
[...]
In the NftE interview, Sherwood said: "we plan on doing as many as we like [...] so in the same way that, for me CIRCA: is doing its thing, and naturally taken on a life of its own, that's what's going kind of happen in this case as well with HEADSETS, so there will be multiple records as years roll by I'm sure." Future chapters may also have live productions too and will probably not re-use as much material.
However, that's not the end of the story. An
alternate first,
space-themed, Headsets album
was released earlier in 2007 as From
Here to Infinity (duration 42:09) by Jim Ladd's headsets, on Purple
Pyramid (Cleopatra). It was released
digitally
through
distributor
The
Orchard,
but did not have a physical release. With
many of the same people involved, it is unclear whether there is any
overlap in content between the two releases.
The album includes covers of well-known songs, including "Starship
Trooper"
with Sherwood
(bass, backing vocals), Rick Wakeman, Tony
Kaye, Steve Howe, Alan
White and Mickey
Thomas (Starship; lead vocals). This was
then re-released later in
2007, still digitally only, as Rock
Infinity (and without the Headsets name) with a
bonus track of "More Than a Feeling" performed by Sherwood, White and
Kaye, presumably the track previously released on Cleopatra's '70s Box: The Sound
of a Decade. Details in Yescography. "Across
the
Universe" was then released on Abbey
Road: A Tribute to The Beatles (Cleopatra Records)—see here. In Aug 2007, Sherwood
described to Yesfans.com
the cover of "Starship Trooper", saying, "That song was for a record
that was dereailed mid way through.... record comapny snafu." He later
continued, "Let's just say there was a major SNAFU that madse us back
up and
re-look at the project. I will explain more when the dust settles."
Tribute
albums
Abbey
Road: A
Tribute to the Beatles has
Sherwood,
White, Downes and
Kaye:
details
here. An
All-Star Salute
to Christmas has Sherwood,
Downes and others:
details
here.
In Jan 2010,
John Wetton
(Asia, ex-UK, ex-King Crimson) said on his website forum:
I just got a mail from Billy Sherwood, to offer me one more rock tribute compilation. Couldn't be more fun. You will honestly pe* your p**ts when you hear what it is.
There are
no further details as
to what this might be.
In an Apr
2008 interview,
Sherwood said he is working on a tribute to The Police, saying, "I was
planning on kind of inviting just like great guitar players to come on
and play some great solos and play over the top of the stuff and keep
the music kind of pure."
| In Sep
2007, Sherwood was reported to be producing "a number of bands".
In a Mar 2008 interview,
he
said
of
his
home
studio,
"I
do
a
lot
of
production
work
here.
I
do
a
lot
of
writing
for
Japanese
anime'
cartoons.
I
also
work
for
Master
Source,
which
is
a
large
music
library.
They're
featuring
me
as
their
artist
of
the
month
on
their
website,
which
is
quite
an
honor."
Sherwood
has
continued
to
do
a
variety
of
material
for
Mastersource
Music, a music source company,
including,
according to various tweets, orchestral cues, kids songs and a vocal
session with Nancy Ellis. In an Apr
2008 interview,
Sherwood talked about writing "about 8" Xmas songs for MasterSource Music Catalog
and, more generally, that he writes "a lot" for them. Over Xmas
2007, he put a set of
Xmas
songs on his MySpace
page: "Peace and Love Xmas", "Bring It on Santa", "Xmas Time is
Here", "Swingin' Xmas" and "The Santa Letter". These were originally
written for film and TV work, presumably the same company, and are
entirely performed by Sherwood,
except lead vocal on "Swingin' Xmas" by Pat Tezilino. "Bring It on
Santa", "Xmas Time is
Here", "Swingin' Xmas" and seemingly a new piece "Dear Santa" are or
were
available on the Billy Sherwood
Productions MySpace page. Several Billy Sherwood pieces for film/TV work are available on some digital-only compilations. Big Movies, Big Music Volume 1 includes "On Approach" and "The Summit" from the film "Man of the Year". Big Networks, Big Music Volume 2 includes "Christmas Ball" from "Ghost Whisperer"; and Big Networks, Big Music Volume 9 includes "Rockin' Hannukah" from the TV series "Brothers and Sisters". Various of these songs are also on the digital-only compilations Ultimate Holiday Party Volume 1 and Ultimate Christmas Party Volume 3. In mid-Dec 2008, he said, "I have met some incredibly talented musicians/writters on myspace [...] I've recorded some things for people on their records and I am about to mix a great sounding prog band who contacted me through myspace." In May, he tweeted that he was mixing material for Brazilian prog band Banda Do Sol, and in Jun, he tweeted that he was mastering their album with Joe Gastwirt (worked with Yes). |
Buy MP3 from Amazon (US): |
Buy MP3 from Amazon (US): |
Buy MP3 from Amazon (US): |
Buy MP3 from Amazon (US): |
Sherwood is a guest vocalist on
two tracks ("The Challenge", "Going Home") on the concept
album Shackleton's Voyage by Eureka (MySpace page), now out on
InsideOut. Eureka is Frank
Bossert's project
and he plays guitars, keys, bass, mandolin, drums and percussion on the
album; both tracks on which Sherwood guests can be heard on his MySpace page.
Other guests
include choir band
Kalema with lead singer Martje Johannsen, Troy Donockley (Iona,
Mostly Autumn) on Uilleann pipes and whistling, and Yogi Lang
(RPWL) on Moog. The album is being mastered.
The Future is the debut solo album from Air Supply's Graham Russell. Sherwood, who worked with the band in the 1990s, co-wrote two songs: "Let Yourself Go" (written by Russell/Jonni Lightfoot/Stina/Sherwood) and "Our Love" (Russell/Mike Zerbe/Lightfoot/Jed Moss/Jeff Allman/Stina/Louis Clarke/Sherwood). He also mixed three tracks. The second album from Julia Francis is entitled Lucky Penny and has additional engineering and production from Sherwood and Ted Stockwell (Treason, ex-White). The album was co-produced by Victor DeLorenzo (Violent Femmes) and Mike Hoffmann (EIEIO); players include Vinnie Colaiuta (ex-Frank Zappa, ex-Asia, worked with Sherwood; drums), Ben Smith (ex-Heart, ex-Cyndi Lauper; drums), Andy Stoller (ex-Tracy Chapman; bass) and Jeff Fielder (Sera Cahoone; bass). The record was mastered by Joe Gastwirt (worked with Yes, CIRCA:).
Sherwood and Bob Kulick head up Fearless Music West, a spin-off from Jamie Lamm's New York-based Fearless Music, doing music for commercials.
Sherwood has been working with Bob Cesca (cover art for Yes and Conspiracy) and his production studio Camp Chaos. Sherwood composed the theme song for Camp Chaos's anime series "Kung Fu Jimmy Chow" (for Heavy.com; lyrics by Cesca) and for their series "Superficial Friends" (also for Heavy.com). In an Apr 2008 interview, he said he had "recently completed" another.
On his MySpace blog in May 2007, Sherwood recounted how he met Malcom McDowell prior to recording Back Against the Wall: "I met Malcolm while doing a session for him and Brian Johnson {acdc singer} BJ wrote a broadway play which he had cast MM in. I did the session". Sherwood's role in this session or any further details are unknown.
Work began late in 2003 on a
new World Trade album. In a Jun
2004 interview, Schellen says, "We [Sherwood and Schellen] have
recently begun a new World Trade record with Bruce [Gowdy],
it truly sounds amazing. [...] [Gowdy] sounds better than ever. The
sound is more powerful and explosive than before, with all the hallmark
vocals and melodic lead guitars. The partnership is strong and this
record is
going to be a monster!" It appears the project stalled. In a Jan
2006 interview, Sherwood is asked whether World Trade is now
defunct
and replies, "It lives on in my mind and in Bruce Gowdy's mind and in
Jay
Schellen's mind. We talk about it, but life gets busy and it just
doesn't
seem like it's something we ever focus on. Two of the tracks on the new
Conspiracy project [now to be released under another name—see CIRCA: page for details] were written
by Bruce and me with the idea
that
maybe we would start working on a new World Trade record. But Bruce got
really swamped, and so did I, and it fell on the back burner. But those
two tracks blend in perfectly, so there's a World Trade flavor to the
new
Conspiracy record." In Jun 2007, Sherwood said, "Bruce and Jay and I
always
speak of doing another record so, you never know."
In Dec
2009, Sherwood said
that, "I got a message from a guy who has a "reissue" label and he
wants to reissue "world trade 1" and "world trade euphoria" along with
a few bonus tracks and a booklet etc... Should be cool !!"
The original incarnation of The Key—Sherwood, Jimmy Haun (CIRCA:; guitar), Mark T. Williams (drums)—recorded an album in 1991, Delta Sierra Juliet, which was never released. Sherwood has said they hope to release it one day, but in May 2007, Sherwood wrote on his MySpace blog that, "The original "Key" record with myself, Jimmy haun, Mark Williams won't be released, it was on Impact/MCA a now defunct record comapny." To ProgressiveEars.com in Feb 2009, he said the album "is caught up in ownership issues and most likely will never see the light of day". However, the rights to The World is Watching, The Key's 1997 album, have reverted to Sherwood and guitarist Marty Walsh and Sherwood continued that he is "Thinking of sprucing it up and re-releasing it via my on line store".
Khoroshev has been working with Holly Knight (worked with Tina Turner, Rod Stewart, Heart).
Any news, additions or corrections, please e-mail Henry Potts. Thanks.