Sunday, March 27, 2011

Tony Banks - The Fugitive

Make that 12 extra tracks!
These are the tracks that should be on the remaster of Tony Banks's second solo album, The FugitiveEsosteric Recordings should be releasing it and not Virgin.

1.This is Love


2.Man of Spells

3.And the Wheels Keep Turning

4.Say You'll Never Leave Me

5.Thirty Threes (instrumental)

6.By You

7.At the Edge of Night

8.Charm (instrumental)

9.Moving Under

Bonus tracks:
10.K2

11.Sometime Never


12. This is Love (12" version)

13. Charms (12" version)

14.The Wicked Lady


15.Spring

16.The Chase

17.Caroline

18.Jerry Jackson

19.Repentance

20.Kit

21.Barbara

More details as I get them.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Big Sister


Their major label debut, which is available from amazon.com.
 This post is about a female blues-rock band from Woodstock, NY (not where the festival was, as I found out years ago) called Big Sister.  I heard of them through their bass player Desiree Williams from her day job where I used to live.  She gave me two of their indie releases, Why My Mind Up and Left and Some Songs.  I knew about 2000s So Hi How Are You? whilst it was being made, but it didn't come out until after I returned to CNY.  It fell into obscurity when the label Capricorn was absorbed into Volcano, and it's a cutout on CD, though used copies are pennies, which is bad because that shows that it could go out of print and/or it was a flop.  It is still in print on mp3, as well as Some Songs, but I will offer Why My Mind Up and Left here.  The first album, Live at the Lake, had another girl on bass, so I didn't get that, so it'd be a Holy Grail to the bands cult following. Their official site 404ed, but that and my fan site are on Wayback, so you can look at those despite the dated info they'll have.  The band were said to come to my area, but I never had a chance to see them.  I do have a listen to them now and again.  I don't usually get something just for a bass player (unless they're a solo artist and/or frontperson), but Dez was the exception.  I haven't seen her in over a decade, and only heard from her once, as we both moved on since then.
I remember that they know Patti Rothberg, whos had an underground career of her own.  She painted the Some Songs cover in acrylic and provided harmonies on the next album.
If you're looking for something new and different, have a listen to Big Sister.

Friday, March 25, 2011

Pictures needed for Wikipedia

Jadis
John Jowitt (late of IQ) and Gary Chandler of Jadis which I can't use on Wikipedia

Several artists are in need of free-licenced photos for Wikipedia.  If the band are still together or the artist is still alive and kicking, then it has to be under an adaptable Creative Commons licence.  Flickr sometimes have what I need, but people fall through the cracks.  If you own original photos of any of these fine folks, are you willing to upload to Commons and/or Flickr?  OTRS is too much trouble.  Also tell me who else could use pictures.

Savoy
Pallas
Robert John "Mutt" Lange (hates having his photo taken more than me!)
Jadis (pictured)
Michalis Rakintzis
It Bites
Geordie
Max Q
Kerry Minnear (Gentle Giant)
Big Country (current)
Berlin
GPS
Matt Bianco

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Hecho en México (Made in México)

Lately, I've been noticing that some new CDs sold in shops in the US are being made in México.  First, it was Sony, then Real World (via Caroline) and now Capitol/EMIUniversal and Warner could be next.  Some might say its NAFTA.  Others will say its the decline of CD sales in recent years.  I say its a little of both.  It will say on the back on the seal if its from south of the border.  This isn't the same as getting an import originally intended for sale there.  It won't always say if its made there or in the States.  Plants in Olymphant, PA (WEA/Warner), Jacksonville, FL (EMI), and New Jersey (Sony) must have laid off people.  To think the CDs could be made in mainland China like many other dry goods these days.  That I wouldn't mind, though that country has widespread piracy as well as having taken in low-selling EU imports.
Like China, labour is cheaper in México than America.  This could be the driving force of this latest trend.  DVDs are also falling victim to this outsourcing scheme.  For those, it should say on the shrink wrap.  Blu-Rays, I'm not sure, but I wouldn't be surprised.  They use NTSC in México, so the DVDs should work in the US and Canada, as well as Japan for that matter.
So the next time you buy a brand new CD or DVD in the United States, it could be made in México.