Magnum

Magnum, 2005; Göteborg, Sweden. Courtesy David Nyrén.

 Magnum are another band that are elusive in the US that I'm adding to my collection. The recent death of lead songwriter and guitarist Tony Clarkin as well as several titles being on Boris's list for the past few years has brought them to my attention. I wrote about the Marillion bootleg using the cover for Magnums 1983 album The Eleventh Hour! earlier. Now it will take time and a fortune to get their CDs for both of us (I managed two for him so far). Amazon of all places don't have everything to buy at a doable price or to stream. One third-party seller had three CDs and I just ordered one, and my bi-weekly gift card from Bing saves me hundreds every year. Finding the band in person is extremely rare, and I've had less trouble with other artists who couldn't Payola their way into the chart here. If I ask at the shops, people might confuse them with Magnum PI (mom loved Tom Selleck!) or even Yngwie Malmsteens Magnum Force (we've done them already). The real Magnum have occasionally been available locally with recent releases, but it looks like another wild goose chase, and I may need to rent a storage unit if I ever move house again. Will also have to throw in spinoff Hard Rain and solo Bob Catley. Even Jadis took less than a year to find. Magnum may be the biggest challenge yet, even though other people we like still have albums I can't afford or find to this day. This is have to be done in bits.

Also, several albums are out of print and need to be remastered, so that will have to be sorted at a later time. I managed to get almost half the studio releases in the latest package for my own collection, but this will take months to just get the rest of those before I even begin to consider live albums, compilations, vinyl and side projects.

Genesis Reissues

Mike Rutherford, Phil Collins and Tony Banks at the O2 London, 26/3/02

 Genesis jumped on the Baby Boom-era buyout bandwagon that began with Bob (Dylan) and sold their publishing and masters to Concord. Just a couple months ago, their back catalogue was reissued on CD on Rhino, which is part of Warners, who own their longtime US/Canada and Phil Collins's solo label Atlantic. While the rights are now under Concords counterpart to Rhino, Craft Recordings, I thought that the indie powerhouse would have the CDs as well as new LPs be distributed by Virgin, once the bands international and Collins's UK solo home and now Universals distribution division for independent labels, of which the original Virgin was until it was sold to EMI in 1992 so Richard Branson could keep his airline from entering administration and compete with British Airways.

 While it takes a period for these buyouts and transitions to bear fruit, I found out when I saw a new CD of A Trick of the Tail at Barnes & Noble. Then saw on Discogs that most of the studio albums are now available on the new label. Now we wait for new LPs, even though I just need the last two because they originally came out in the '90s, when fewer people bought them anymore, and later albums and editions can be expensive, new or used. The first two albums are an exception. From Genesis to Revelation has been reissued a thousand times and was not owned by the band. Trespass is still controlled by Universal in North America as they are the successor to original label ABC (until the sale, it was under the same roof globally). Then the label designs since there's no scans of the new versions available and I have all the old CDs from different parts of the world, so unless the original release had a custom label like Duke, could the Charisma Alice in Wonderland one be used (Universal and Warners have licenced each others labels for Beatles and Syd Barrett reissues since EMIs split in 2013). Then there are the live albums and compilations (including boxed sets), as well as solo releases from the three longtime members. Now we wait and see which of their peers will cash out next.

Retrospect Records: A Retrospective

 

Logo appears under fair use and label may no longer exist. Courtesy Discogs.

    Retrospect Records, an indie label and seller based in Las Vegas and St George, UT, seems to have gone out of business. They were once one of the biggest independent metal labels in the world. I also knew them for selling used CDs like anyone else. They offered bootlegs and Russian pirates, as well as artists not easily found in the US like Gary Moore and Magnum (which led me to write this). I've bought IQ, Pallas, Yes and solo Rick Wakeman for myself and Queensrÿche and maybe Billy Squier for Boris (I would've bought even more if money weren't an object!). Whether the pandemic or just the economy since did them in, it's an all too familiar scene these days across the board. As a label, they may not have had the resources that even other indies have. Fish and his label are one thing since there's no one else on it. Retrospect are another since they signed dozens of obscure artists like Mystery (not the French Canadian band I know, since generic names can mean two or more people with a conflict).

    Like a regular news outlet, I reached out to the owner for comment, something I don't typically do. I simply asked what happened as a past customer and not as a blogger. I haven't ordered from them in over ten years time and they haven't had anything new since at least April of last year. The owner told me that he stopped renewing his subscription to the host service, thinking it wasn't worth a bother anymore. Even a free service is not on. We'll just have to let this one go as there are plenty of other places to order from and there's nothing on the label even worth reselling if you ask me.

Marillion: Childhood Mysteries

 

The cover that was meant to be

    Marillion played Castle Donington in Leicestershire in August 1985 on an all-star bill that included ZZ Top (on their Afterburner tours Europe leg), Bon Jovi (not yet that big, promoting 7800° F), Metallica (between albums) and Magnum. Whether Marillions show was soundboard, radio or just the typical fan recording is likely one of the mysteries! It's when it made it onto bootleg is what leads us here. One early edition looked more like an early '70s head shop release with a cheap photocopy cover with what looks more like a drawing Peter Nicholls from IQ. Another looked like an apple of some sort. The most common is what may drawn intrigue for nearly four decades for diehards of both bands. The label probably tried to come up with something at short notice comparable to Mark Wilkinsons fantasy style, so they decided to steal another designers sleeve. Rodney Matthews drew the cover of Magnums 1983 release The Eleventh Hour! It was originally released on Jet Records, Ozzy Osbournes former solo label, and his estranged father-in-law the late Don Arden ran it and would have sorted out whoever nicked the sleeve if he knew! On one of the Facebook groups, a fan showed his copy of the LP that Fish signed. I had Bill Bruford sign a King Crimson pirate CD, but that's a bit different (we've done that).

    Magnums lead songwriter and guitarist Tony Clarkin, who passed on 7 January this year, didn't like his own band being bootlegged (most people wouldn't). The last thing he'd want is for the cover of one their studio albums being used for another artists bootleg. When I bought it a few years ago in my area at a great price, I didn't realise at first until it said so on Discogs. I had an earlier Marillion drawing combining elements of Script for a Jesters Tear, Misplaced Childhood, Brave and Marbles (the last two from the Steve Hogarth era), but the original disappeared a long time ago and I'd have to see if it's still online somewhere. I went to the charity shop and bought this bordered paper and coloured pencils, originally for a promotion next door at the coffee shop for St Valentines Day (they got one of my cats!). I also had some pastels for bits that couldn't be pencilled in. I was trying to make Robert Mead, the youngster on the Misplaced cover in the style of Loren Bouchard (Bobs Burgers/The Great North) because I don't draw people too often. He turns out similar to The Great Norths Moon since they'd be the same age and have the Will Byers (Stranger Things since it's that time period) look to boot!

    I have Magnum to get for Boris and I wouldn't have heard of them if not for the list. I may look into them myself. The Eleventh Hour! isn't on it, but he could get it for me since I may not find it on my own since little of theirs came out in North America in the old days. If part of the cover is missing when it comes, I'll just photocopy the bootleg and cover up Marillion parts with bits of scrap paper. Even band photos of the show would have worked better once it was on CD, although it'd be a matter of getting cameras past security (video ones even more so once they were more versatile for the consumer market long before mobile phones could do all this and the internet), yet several photos were taken and are available. One could hide tape machines somehow. They scan for such things and even have clear bag policies in some venues today, yet people can still get these made if they have the knowhow and connections. It was still the Wild West in the '80s, and more of a challenge by the '90s as artists and venues became more strict about this. At least I could put to bed this anomaly of a bootleg cover.

Here are the tracks anyway. No Kayleigh or Lavender.

Tim Finn: Through the Years 1983-93

Tim Finn at WOMAD 2014. Courtesy Warren Smart, 15/3/14.

 Tim Finns first solo album Escapade just had its fortieth anniversary last year, but he did not leave Split Enz until it came out, since he still appeared on Conflicting Emotions, but not See Ya Round (yet returned for the last tour for over a decade). It's just that there's now enough to put in a 5 CD mini-LP boxed set, which can be rounded up with a rare 1993 performance at the Borderline in London to promote Before & After, which closed the original Capitol contract that started in its own right with 1989s Tim Finn (which allowed him to join their Neil in Crowded House for 1991s Woodface).

 Universals acquisition of much of EMI in 2013 would put much of the catalogue together, such as 1986s Big Canoe on Virgin (which EMI bought in 1992). A&M (see Wikipedia for more because it gets too easy for me to do the Cliffs Notes) only released Escapade in North America, probably as part of a contract clause. Later albums would be released through EMI or Universal before the sale, but Finn owns the rights to those now, and he and his management Commercial Music Group would likely decide on those reissue rights. 1995s Finn (one of two albums by the brothers in neither band) only just got a remaster, yet the licence is through BMG (on CD) because of Fleetwood Macs deal there, which Neil joined in 2018. Tim Finn trying to licence if not get back the masters of the first ten years of his solo career would be a feat to do this himself since Fish and Camel were lucky to even reissue their first albums on their own indie labels, but those are for another day, but you get the idea now.

 The idea here is for Universal to put the early solo albums in one package. Plan B would be for Edsel/Demon/BBC to have a limited edition boxed set like they have for every vintage of Kiki Dee (coming out of Elton Johns shadow), or even Memorandum Recordings in Australia (Raven Records went out of business last year, and I can't find something comparable for Australasian artists). Vinyl remasters would be nice too, and just have a few thousand would cut costs, even for a Record Store Day run before they disappear or get touted (you know how it is). While Tim Finns albums can either be streamed or even purchased online or found in shops for not too much money, they deserve to be back in print and given updated treatment which is long overdue like for tonnes of other people.

Black Sabbath: The Tony Martin/IRS Years Boxed Set 1987-95 (not 1991-92)

Forbidden era photo issued by label and agent for press and media, 1995. Later used for budget compilation.

After being out of print for nearly two decades, Black Sabbaths albums with Tony Martin will finally be reissue and in a boxed set. There was red tape for management and the solicitors to sort out, which held up the release the past few years, but these long overdue remasters will finally be available on 17 May from BMG. The Eternal Idol from 1987 may not be included as that was the last release from the old contract with Warner Bros in the US and Canada and Vertigo/Phonogram for international (the band would return to those labels at different points [Dio reunion on Reprise, final Ozzy one in 2013] with reunited other lineups). Glenn Hughes (who also recorded two non-Sabbath albums with Tony Iommi, which Seventh Star was supposed to be until the label forced a compromise) and the late Ray Gillen (later in Badlands) went to Phenomena, as had Martin once (we've done Ian Gillan), while ELOs Bev Bevan, who was part of the Born Again tour, had a cameo on Idol, thus he and Martin are the only non-original former members from the Birmingham, West Midlands area (even if Beven never was used in full capacity in Sabbath compared to most other past members).

This upcoming release however will likely focus on albums originally from Miles Copelands IRS Records, which no longer exists (although technically part of Universal, having been distributed by A&M, MCA and EMI/Capitol), yet Iommi is said to own the masters now, yet it took a long time to get this done, since it can take more of a wait to get them back than it did to put them out in the first place, as this comes up with other people too (story for another day). I managed to get copies of the studio albums more than once at doable prices, but oftentimes, they can be expensive like other rare albums (you know how it is). I'd like the LPs, as well as Cross Purposes Live, which may be the scarcest of the lot. There could even be unreleased material from the vaults to boot not even on bootlegs, but nothing newly recorded like with the Dio compilation that came out when he was still alive, which warranted the spinoff because only the Ozzy-led group can be Sabbath proper going forward, and that's over for good now, between health and interpersonal issues, but we won't cover any of that today.

Since EMIs sale over a decade ago, it was confusing to tell whether Warner or Universal had the rights to the catalogue. Dehumanizer, the last Dio album with the Sabbath name, was on IRS outside North America and never got deleted, and it appears Universal have that. As for the Martin period, both that and the brief return of the Mob Rules lineup had to compete with the hair bands then grunge if not Britpop, just as the founding members had to contend with punk and new wave in the mid-to-late '70s on top of their first lineup change (with onetime Savoy Brown and Fleetwood Mac member Dave Walker, then Ronnie James Dio in 1979 after Ozzy Osbourne left a second time).

I wouldn't count on The Sabbath Stones collection being in there either since that has tracks from every recorded vocalist but Osbourne (Gillen never appeared on an official original release, while Walker made it to Auntie). The Martin era has built a cult following of its own and will finally see the light of day once again since he said that he can't earn anything from it until it's back in the shops once more.

UPDATE: Anno Domini: 1989-1995 will be released 31 May 2024 by Rhino in the US and Canada and BMG/Virgin elsewhere (this new deal possibly to keep this period in the same boat as the rest of the catalogue before it). Eternal Idol was already reissued, Dehumanizer obviously doesn't belong and is also spoken for, and Cross Purposes Live will have to wait for another day. The IRS name was retired by founder Miles Copeland and Universal. Forbidden will have a new remix by Iommi.

Musify/Myzuka

Courtesy Round Hill Records

 By the cover art can be obtained from Round Hill Music / Zuma Rock Records., Fair use, Link

    It seems like sister pirate mp3 sites Myzuka.club and Musify.club have lost the plot. After uploading dozens of albums to both simultaneously (it's a package deal) for over a decade, it seems they don't want anymore from me. I uploaded two albums they don't have yet, The Messenger from Pallas and Loaded: The Greatest Hits 1994-2023 by Bush (pictured). For the latter, I worked around it by going to an unofficial compilation by updating tracks that had a lower bit rate and adding ones not already there. I had downloaded the new official one legally from amazon since I got it free when I bought the CD from them around the time of Gavin Rossdales birthday and the bands most recent show in my area last fall. Pallas on the other hand are more limited by comparison. Had to go to another site for them. Can't afford Bandcamp too. To boot, band leader and manager Graeme Murray is also a barrister (albeit in criminal law rather than civil), so it may be karma for both bands; also considering neo-prog contemporaries' IQ and Jadis' Martin Orfords war or piracy. Since I can't access Pallas' new album on Musify or amazon at this stage, I had to put those mp3s on my Google drive to stream them from my phone. I would rather have the CD anyway, and I'll get it when it's available affordably. I may have invested heavily in Jadis and Denny Laine due to their catalogues' scarcity, but that's for another post.

    It's too easy to download or stream these days. Vinyl is back (like it never left, but again, for another day). It's like trading in something at the shop. Even if it's something they don't have and not on every corner, they still may not want it. I'm not going to waste time, money or data trying to upload them again. I tried contacting them, but have not heard back. Anyone looking for either of these albums on those site are on their own. File-sharing networks (Warez) like the old Napster, Limewire, BitTorrent, Kazaa and the Pirate Bay aren't as common anymore and can still cause damage to your devices. I actually don't upload or download as much as I used to nowadays. I don't even stream much TV. As for those sites, if I upload one more album and they don't do a thing, they'll never get another from me again. No one makes one ruble from it anyhow, which proves a point. Most of my old files have been wiped or disappeared over the years. Some are off of CDs I still have, but I can't rip them like I used to. Better to cut my losses and lossy files and just move on. (UPDATE: The Pallas one was uploaded by another person already, yet is not recognised in the bands discography.)