Universal Records: The Return

Orsolyavirág at hu.wikipedia, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

 Universal Music Group have revived their former US flagship label Universal Records. While a few unrelated labels have come up in the Philippines, Belgium and Brasil, this Universals roots go back to 1988 when started by country trailblazer Jimmy Bowen as part of MCA Nashville, but in 1990, he moved to Capitol Nashville and took his artists with him, ending that Universal label (yet Capitol would become part of UMG in 2013). There had also been UNI Records (Universal City Records) in the late '60s until 1972 when absorbed into MCA, along with Kapp and Decca US (spun off of the UK one just  before WWII and came full circle once UMG bought PolyGram in 1999 after the latter bought UK label in 1979, but that's for another day). UNI signed Elton John in the US and Canada, and I explained several years earlier how he touched nearly every pop division of Universal Music Group in one way or another, which continues to this day.
 Universal Records' second chapter began when they absorbed Rising Tide Records, and Seagram bought MCA from Matsushita (Panasonic). After getting PolyGram from Philips by the end of the millennium, Universal Records had absorbed Polydor US and took over The Moody Blues and Bee Gees' contracts here for what would be their final all-original studio releases. Universal Records would later be combined with the perennial Motown and current chartmakers Republic each. While the Detroit label would go back to their old name and is now under the Interscope Capitol arm, Universal Republic would just be Republic and have hits with Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande. Now, with little to go on, Universal Records returns after nearly two decades when Rob Thomas signs a new solo deal just after leaving Atlantic Records after thirty years' time, including Matchbox Twenty proper. He's lucky for an older artist to get a new home, let alone another major label, straight away and at this point in time. All Night Days is available now and a tour is underway to support. I saw it in the shop and found he moved to a label I thought was retired. Republic had brought back Mercury US for non-country, signing our own Post Malone, and I wrote about sister label A&M earlier, which only Sting has kept alive in recent years. New talent could come to Universal Records, as changes have been made under UMG brass Sir Lucian Grange, who is the modern day Sir Edward Lewis (Decca UK) or even Sir Joseph Lockwood (EMI), if you like. His son is now at Thomas's old label however.

Downsizing in desperate times

Just some of what's left (some empty space)

 Like many people these days, I'm struggling to make ends meet, and have too much at home I don't need anymore. Between bills and taxes, it's hard to keep up on a limited income. I hired a solicitor to look into the tax situation. I don't typically discuss my personal life like this, although one can relate. It's after reading some clickbait article that hit home is when it was time to take stock and decide which of it can go to the shop. What they didn't take went to Atlanta-based app decluttr via UPS, even though they pay twopence since I've used them several times. There are so many CDs I just don't listen to anymore. They are taken off my collection on Discogs of course and it shows how much I've spent over the years. The first two goes barely add up to $100, but it's better than nothing. Also, recent events brought family to town for the time being, and the social are coming over soon to boot, so I have to tidy up, even though I started to before the unexpected occurred. Usually I bring things in for store credit, but I need the cash to whittle down debt. I had been filling up boxes and crates with dozens of titles. Had to channel my inner Suze Orman and Marie Kondo sacrificing what had been sitting around for a year or so. Racks have been filling up the wardrobes. They're obviously not made for that. Trying to break a cycle. Who I have extra of that can go are tagged (even the boys). If I have the LP, then I might not need the CD unless it has bonus material or is rare. I spent a right fortune over the years, but changes in the past few years meant having to transition what I like to do. If I ever have to move house again, I really would have to cull since I would most likely go to a flat or somewhere smaller. Just not how I pictured my life, but no one does having to face challenges everyday. I'll be lucky to get $100 from all of it, since vinyl is a bigger priority now, and I only have so much of that to give up. I may be getting something in the post, but I'm not too sure. We all know there's no such thing as overnight.

You can also support me here and here. The ones who paved the way for that are also tagged. In any case, I know this won't last forever, but you think it will when you're in the middle of it. My grandparents' generation survived the Depression and WWII, so we'll get through this too. Life and the economy has hills and plateaux like anything. I just need to be better with priorities during this midlife crisis of mine. I'm trying to get help from an agency, but it's still not enough and I won't go further.

Identity crisis

Fish in Franken Germany; 2018. Courtesy Stefan Brending/Wikimedia Commons.

 If an artist or group has a common or generic name, chances are someone else will have it too. Before the internet, that was the case. If one makes it big, the other may contact their solicitors and settle out of court. I wrote a similar post years ago on our sister retail blog. In recent years, when I try to look up some people, I find mp3s from the wrong ones, who may not realise that the "real" one even exist. Spinoffs and disputes over use of the name by former members isn't exactly what I mean since that's a different post entirely. These are the ones I know off hand, but there are tonnes more out there.

Asia (my Asia settled with lesser known mid-West band and lesser knowns come up for mp3s)

Duran Duran (there are an obscure band called Duran Duran Duran)

Fish (pictured; can even be confused with Phish)

Tony Banks (once found an unknown artist with same name)

Ray Wilson (same)

Justin Hayward (there's also a DJ)

Brian May (Queen guitarist and late Australian film composer)

Roger Taylor (drummers for Queen and Duran Duran, which would probably have caused issues back at EMI)

Rush (even the boys have some chancers that are really fly by night calling themselves that, as well as Big Time Rush [please!], Mahogany Rush [also Cancon], Tom Rush, Jennifer Rush, films called Rush)

Savoy (can also get mixed up with Savoy Brown with late Oswego County resident Kim Simmonds)

Jim Diamond (was once a Diamond Jim out there)

PhD (his duo had to contend with a hip-hop one)

Bandit (his earlier band with AC/DCs Cliff Williams and Kate Bush's husband Danny McIntosh)

Status Quo (not to be confused with hip hop artist Stat Quo or song from High School Musical)

IQ (you have to have one to know who the real one are)

Jadis (even them, but could even get conflated with character on The Walking Dead)

Pallas (founder Graeme Murray originally called his band Rainbow, but that's in the same boat)

Magnum (I recently got a CD from the wrong Magnum, which I got rid of)

INXS (was once a shop in the Mohawk Valley)

Visage (was spa run by my doctor likely stopped by Steve Stranges estate if not the state)

Genesis (was once obscure band in the US at the same of the one I know being formed and another in Colombia, and also the late Genesis P-Orridge)

Alan Williams (because of others with the name, the one I used to know used the name Al Chantrey)

Toyah (not to be confused with Toya)

Slaughter (Clark County and Canadian bands)

X (US and Japan)

The Beat (Paul Collins's Beat and The English Beat)

Earth, Wind & Fire (not to be confused with Earth Fire, who Boris wants me to find)

Cinema (short-lived Yes spinoff settled with other Cinemas after becoming Yes proper again)

Tony Kaye (original Yes member and fellow UK pat and director)

Jon Anderson (not to be confused with country artist John Anderson)

Michael Jackson (even the King of Pop had two others with the same name)

Joe Jackson (his dad and the pop/jazz artist)

Paul Young (solo artist and late Sad Café/Mike & the Mechanics vocalist)

Rainbow (Ritchie Blackmores band; original name for Pallas; Sissy Spacek once recorded as Rainbo)

Velvet Underground (band with SUs own Lou Reed; early band with AC/DCs Malcolm Young)

Vanessa Williams (SU alum, Melrose Place co-star [both did Soul Food], and gospel artist)

Bush (UK and Canadian bands)

Arena (UK band and over a dozen or so different artists with that name)

Hootenanny Singers (Swedish folk band with ABBAs Björn Ulvæus and obscure US band)

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.)

Denny Laine 1944 - 2023

AI photo of Denny Laine in recent memory

 The music world is in shock over the death of Denny Laine after suffering from pneumonia for the past few months. It's another reminder that much of that generation is getting fewer by the day. It also brings up the fact that most of his solo catalogue is still out of print. I've brought this up when he was alive, and with others who are also gone now where some have theirs reissues and some not yet. It's too soon right now for his family to even consider that at this stage. Also, the rights lay with several different companies, mostly small labels. Most albums and CDs can have hefty prices and now that Laine is deceased, they will likely go up more. I managed to get 1988's Lonely Road at a doable price. I even settled for a US LP of Holly Days for pennies before we learned of his illness. His widow Elizabeth (like John and Lisa Wetton, they were only married a short time) said there was even a new album recorded that could be released in the new year when the time is right. I managed to get a reissue (there are too many, usually tagging Paul McCartneys name on) of Japanese Tears called In Flight signed in 2016 at BeatleCuse: The Deux Over in Syracuse (Beatles tribute concert, one of two he did that year).

Even Jim Diamonds catalogue remains unavailable several years after his passing, yet he's not as well known compared to Laine. Even some limited editions would be enough since having copies made en masse may not be feasible in this economy. Some reissues disappear when interest wanes on both major and indie labels. Streaming services are taking off programmes to cut costs, so it doesn't always bode well for niche artists like this. The demand has to be there before the work can be done as the Facebook group I help run has diehards asking for lesser known people in an age trying to compete with Taylor Swift and Beyoncé. Laines work reminds us of a simpler time. There are also several compilations of the original Moody Blues available, sometimes combining with the later era (Mike Pinder is the last surviving founding member). I may now spend the next ten months trying to get everything. It'd be great if I won this competition for a $5,000 gift card for amazon.com so I could get the pricier ones from third party sellers that are there, while I'd have to win lottery tickets or even try my luck at local shops for other titles (they could be gone by the time I get there if there was ever anything left).

Downloading is never enough and Denny would turn in his new grave if we did that (from pirate sites, of course). We should suggest to the original or reissue labels that these albums need to come back and streaming them, even on a legal service is too easy and earns twopence for the estate. Get all this sorted by what would have been his 80th birthday on 29th October (now in the same boat as Peter Green).

Goodbye, Denny. It took a long time to forge your own path and I tried to catch up for thirty years. Hope you and the other original Moodies, Jimmy (McColluch) and Linda can play together now. RIP.

amazon.com

amazons Headquarters in the Seattle-Tacoma-Vancouver area

 amazon.com needs no introduction, yet they don't really really have everything that I'm looking for.  Some things aren't even almost out yet, are digital only (like Boy Georges latest solo album), or aren't even available through the megasite. For the wishlist, there used to be a feature where one could add an idea if that were the case, but not anymore.  It may not have been used enough, or they don't want you going somewhere else (close rivals Walmart are having trouble, but more because they were nicked and burgled).  I have to wait a while before adding the new Yes and solo Morten Harket releases, while Fish would rather sell his new live albums direct or (because of post-Brexit VAT) through an EU-based indie distributor (and can you blame him, given his past troubles?).  I've gotten pro-CD-Rs of Al Chantrey (né MIA Alan Williams), Alan Reed (now back in Pallas) and the late Ray Thomas (from during a Moodies hiatus), even though I was expecting real CDs of the latter two.  I can't stream Genesis' new boxed set BBC Broadcasts on amazon Music, Spotify or even the pirate site to save money buying it.

The rare Katy Perry CD I mentioned last time (née Katy Hudson) I couldn't sell there because I'd have to start a whole sellers account and have other items, which is not an option for me, which is why I brought her to another competitor, eBay.  amazon, meanwhile, recently opened a sorting office or two in my area, and I only wish they'd also open an amazon Fresh and/or Whole Foods too (more on that at the sister blog, of course).  I bought the new Rick Wakeman on amazon and found that the local place had it too, which they don't always have, yet I earn my points on Bing religiously.  I also go online if the edition I want isn't here in person.  If I can't get it with Prime, I know of a few third party sellers in the UK and EU.

Compared to most people, I don't really spend that much on amazon.  Can't really afford to.  Too easy anyway.  One can get carried away, which isn't good with the economy right now, you know.

amazon.com Pro CD-Rs

Alan Reed in 2011

 We all know amazon.com these days, yet sometimes, when you order a CD from them, either direct or a third-party seller, it may be on a pro CD-R.  It's an authorised, licenced product, but you look underneath, it looks like the kind of thing you'd burn yourself twenty years ago (yes, it's been that long!).  I just bought the second solo album from the late Ray Thomas of the Moody Blues, Hopes, Wishes and Dreams.  It has been approved by his estate and label, and it may be a way to make product available, and this was done well before the current COVID supply chain catastrophe made it an issue.  Even Alan Reed (pictured), late of Pallas, had his début full length solo release, First in a Field of One, sent this way when I ordered my copy, and he insisted that I order his CDs through the Merch Desk instead (can't always order directly outside the US).  Even his former day job at the BBC (news producer) hasn't covered this lesser known practise of pro CD-Rs, I bet.  MIA indie artist Al Chantrey (né Alan Williams) had some of his DIY releases available through here, but are now as scarce as hens teeth, having had less trouble finding Robbie Williams and Take That in my area, but anyway.  Even Procol Harum have one. Can't come up with others, but they are out there.

I have, however, told you before about a similar scheme called The Disk Kiosk, which drew heavily on Universals catalogue. That unceremoniously went into obscurity along with some of their titles.

Maybe if some artists did allow their CDs to be pressed on pro CD-R, then regular ones, new or used, wouldn't be so rare and/or expensive.  I need most of Jadis's CDs as that's my new thing this year.  I guess if I'm desperate enough, I'll get the albums on CD-R if it's all I can afford and it's what's offered.

The Beatles on Stargrove

Photo taken in 1963 by Bob Freeman (RIP)

An indie budget label in the Toronto area called Stargrove Entertainment released something too good to be true: cheap budget Beatles compilations. You'd think with ironclad rights, it'd be legally impossible?  However, in Canada, copyrights for older recordings expire after fifty years or so.  A fan club in Québec have a similar release that came out last year, and more releases have been put out in Europe to boot as rights run out there as well.  The Stargrove CDs were mainly sold in Walmart, where I bought three in Niagara Falls, ONT.  Recently, I found a couple more for a dollar each from the bargain bin at FYE in the Mohawk Valley (now owned by Canadian chain Sunrise Records, which I once visited in eastern Ontario, seeing how alike they were).  The Fab Four of all people reduced to this?  Makes what little that they put on their original US label Vee-Jay look fresh (classic David and Goliath story there).  It's only material from 1962-64 which I have anyway.  More for completist and novelty value, I guess.  I had room to spare if not as much cash when I found them.

Universals solicitors however did what they could to put a stop to these poor mans releases.  The sound quality isn't quite what you'd find from the official CDs, sounding like unnecessary needle drops.  I listen to these once since I heard it all a hundred times before and prefer to play it from LPs nowadays like it used to be done.  Other classic artists from the same era also have these cash grab items.

If they put out CDs of bootlegs recorded at the time, that would be a little more imaginative, as a number of different labels have gotten away with CDs of other people in the past several years sold new at small businesses, Amazon and a few chains alike, largely of radio shows from later decades, though a Pink Floyd bootleg LP (only the second one I got so far) says those alone are public domain after a point in the UK.  More on bootlegs another day as that's a world all its own.

I suppose you could call these grey area releases, much like interview discs that are exempt from the contract.  I sent a couple to someone out of state.  If I get back to Canada, I could buy and ship more, but maybe Stargrove could try to reissue material that's been out of print instead worth a bother instead of doing what's been done with Elton John, The Moody Blues, Shirley Bassey (lesser known in North America) and other classic artists who've been recycled to the hilt.  I've talked about who doesn't have these yet, but this is the other end of the spectrum.  It's nothing new, as I have a couple similar EU collections from the '80s or '90s with the same old songs.  As for these newer CDs, neither Walmart Canada or FYE have them on their sites, although Discogs sellers do, some at high prices (not worth it when you can just get the original albums as well as those of the Beach Boys, Bob Dylan or George Jones).  I just know I got there at the right time before they were extortionately priced where I may as well get a butcher cover or early white album pressing.

eMusic

Current logo.

eMusic is where I go for independent artists on official mp3.  Doesn't mean it's all there.  One artist says he didn't get too much return (Spotify pays even less) and a label head in LA says it's a ripoff.  I managed to find a number of albums for over a decade.  They even had major label releases for a period before going back to their indie roots.  I truly would rather have everything on both LP and CD when I can.  Also there isn't always something there not at the other place.  What I do find I put on that site later.  I can only suspend my account twice a year and I won't cancel as something comes up eventually if I look for people I know.  My credits usually refresh when I pay my subscription for internet, so I'm able to download by then.

UPDATE: I have cancelled my account as this is a lost cause.

Pennsylvania: The Prog State?

From Harrisburg with Love: The state flag.

For some reason if there's one state in the union that knows prog it's Pennsylvania, the Keystone State.  One may be the late DJ Ed Sciaky from the Philadelphia radio market promoted it (mainly Yes and Renaissance).  Another could possibly be a colonial connection, who knows?  It's not that Commonwealth.  I had been in touch with someone in Lycoming County who knew a lot of these (sadly he is no longer with us), and another from there now in Huntingdon County also is a bit of an expert.  I went to a shop in Luzerne County and found Steve Hackett and Mike Oldfield CDs.  ROSfest in Gettysburg (Civil War capital) and the now-defunct NEARfest in the Allentown-Bethlehem area brought in bands from around the globe.  Annie Haslam from Renaissance now lives in Bucks County.  I may have to head that way again once the weather is better and a trip in my time frame and price range is available.
Indie labels MVD Audio have had their offices in Philly suburb Oaks but moved not too far off in Pottsville, and InsideOut Music had their US offices in Pittsburgh but moved them west to LA when they were taken over by indie metal label Century Media.
Philly native Sherman Hemsley boasted of listening to bands like Gentle Giant, Eloy, Gong and Nektar when he was alive despite being even older than the band members themselves and had recorded with Jon Anderson.
While prog will always have fans far and wide, the land of pretzels and cheesesteaks will always hold a special place in America for it all.

5 CD series

In the past few years a new kind of boxed set has been appearing in shops that contain 5 (sometimes just 3) CDs of the same artist (or theme in some cases) in a slipcase with "mini-LPs" but without liner notes or many details.  The price is decent for 5 CDs together.  Sometimes there are titles that have been rare for a long time, which was the case when I bought The Cars set which included Panorama (I'll have to find it by itself now).  All three majors have these.  Warners recent purchase of Parlophone from EMI is bringing out new

Combines solo Limahl and the band proper

Original Album Series sets from Kajagoogoo/Limahl (just got this one), Cockney Rebel (a bit of a challenge but I have that too now), and UFO to name a few.  They already released those with Yes (which I bought), Alanis Morissette (I bought all 5 in hers one at a time, 3 from her old stomping ground) and Fleetwood Mac (which I'm holding out for) even though they'll all have titles I bought separately with bonus tracks (those without can be sold which I did with one old Yes CD).  Universal also have had these but with whole cases for Elton John and Rush but a sleeves only one with Bob Marley is available and I got it last week.  Sonys Original Album Classics (US and EU) have included Sarah MacLachlan (outside Canada), Elvis Presley, REO Speedwagon, Santana and Bob Dylan (he has a couple out now).  Don't think the indies would do this.  EMI UK before they were sold would reissue two at a time in a regular slimline double jewel box with Blondie, Gerry Rafferty and Talk Talk (I have this) to name a few but also without much information.  I wish there was a Kate Bush set but don't count on it so I bought them separately instead even though she had a more elaborate one of her own in 1990 which is scarce now.
This could be a way to get people to buy CDs again with all the downloading but there's always gonna be something new for collectors to spend their money on.  Warners also have trilogies.

Commonwealth of Nations

Commonwealth flag

The Commonwealth of Nations are the successor to the British Empire which includes the flagship UK, as well as Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa (since 1994) to name a few.  While a tonne of my favourite artists are from Britain, some are from the ex-colonies too (full-time solo in parentheses).

UK:

Asia (John Wetton, Geoffrey Downes, Steve Howe, John Payne)
The Beatles (John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison)
Bandit (Jim Diamond)
Black Sabbath (Ozzy Osbourne)
Kate Bush
Cockney Rebel
Culture Club (Boy George)
Def Leppard
Depeche Mode (Martin Gore, Dave Gahan)
Duran Duran (Arcadia)
Emerson, Lake and Palmer (Greg Lake)
Eurythmics (Annie Lennox)
Fleetwood Mac (Christine McVie)
Genesis (Peter Gabriel, Tony Banks, Anthony Phillips, Steve Hackett, Phil Collins, Mike Rutherford)
Gentle Giant
Geordie (Brian Johnsons band before AC/DC)
GTR (Hackett/Howe supergroup)
IQ (Martin Orford)
Elton John
Kajagoogoo (Limahl)
King Crimson (Greg Lake, John Wetton)
Marillion (Fish, h)
Marilyn (born in Jamaica)
Mike & the Mechanics (Mike Rutherford)
Modern English
The Moody Blues (Justin Hayward, Denny Laine, John Lodge, Ray Thomas, Mike Pinder)
Naked Eyes (Pete Byrne)
oasis (Beady Eye, Noel Gallaghers High Flying Birds)
Pallas (Alan Reed)
PhD (Jim Diamond)
Pink Floyd (David Gilmour, Richard Wright, Roger Waters, Syd Barrett)
Queen (Freddie Mercury [born in what is now Tanzania], Roger Taylor [including The Cross], Brian May)
Renaissance (Annie Haslam)
Supertramp (Roger Hodgson)
Tears for Fears (Curt Smith*)
Wham! (George Michael)
Wings (Paul McCartney, Denny Laine)
Yes (Jon Anderson*, Chris Squire, Steve Howe, Trevor Rabin*, Rick Wakeman)

Canada:

Rush (Cancon kings)
Lawrence Gowan (born in Glasgow, raised in Toronto area)
Alanis Morissette* (favourite Cancon solo)
Mystery (Benoît David was also in Yes)

Australia:

AC/DC (with UK natives)
INXS (have had frontmen from the UK, Canada and New Zealand as well as the US)

South Africa:

Rabbitt (Trevor Rabin*)

*now naturalised US citizens

Bootleg Of The Week: Paul McCartney & Wings Live In Tokyo

Bootleg Of The Week: Paul McCartney & Wings Live In Tokyo: There’s nothing particularly exciting about this bootleg. Though from a great show, it’s only an average quality audience recording. So what...

CD 1
CD 2

In Memorium: A Posthumous Wishlist

Keith Emerson, Greg Lake and Cozy Powell.

There are artists on mine and Boris's* wishlists who are no longer with us. Many of their CDs and LPs are hard to find. Some cultures keep in touch with the deceased so I call on these legends for their guidance finding what they left behind:

Keith Emerson (ELP)

Martin Birch (Fleetwood Mac, Black Sabbath, Rainbow)

Nazareth (Dan McCafferty, Darrell Sweet, Manny Charlton*)
Greg Lake (King Crimson, ELP and solo)
Rupert Hine (Anthony Phillips, Stevie Nicks, Rush)
Cozy Powell (Brian May solo, Black Sabbath)

Ian McDonald (King Crimson)

John Lennon (solo and the Beatles proper)
Kex Gorin, Jimmy Copley, Tony Clarkin (Magnum)*
Ray Thomas (Moody Blues and solo)

UFO (Pete Way)*
UK (John Wetton and Allan Holdsworth)
George Harrison (both solo and Beatles)

Mark Hollis (Talk Talk)
John Wetton (King Crimson, UK, solo et al, Asia)

Geoff Nicholls (Black Sabbath)
Syd Barrett and Richard Wright (solo and Pink Floyd)
Freddie Mercury (solo and Queen)
George Michael (solo and Wham!)
Christine McVie (née Perfect), Peter Green, Danny Kirwan and Bob Welch (solo and Fleetwood Mac)

Daevid Allen (Gong)*
Cockney Rebel (Steve Harley, Paul Jeffreys, who was on Flight 103 with his wife and both Syracuse students and townies; George Ford and Lincoln Anderson)
Rush (John Rutsey and Neil Peart)
Michael Hutchence (INXS, Max Q, solo)
Ronnie James Dio (Black Sabbath, Rainbow, Dio, Elf and Heaven & Hell)

George Martin (The Beatles)
Def Leppard (Steve Clark)
The Sweet (Brian Connolly, Steve Priest, and Mick Tucker)*
Travelling Wilburys (George Harrison, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty)
Gary Richrath and Gregg Philbin (REO Speedwagon)
Bon Scott (AC/DC and Fraternity)
Paul Young (Sad Café, Mike & the Mechanics; not the one who sings "Come Back and Stay" or "Oh, Girl")

Vangelis (Jon & Vangelis)
Renaissance (Michael Dunford, Jon Camp, lyricist Betty Thatcher-Newsinger and John Tout)
Moody Blues (Clint Warwick, Ray Thomas, Graeme Edge, Denny Laine and producer Tony Clarke)
AC/DC (Bon Scott, Bruce Fairbairn, Malcolm and George Young)
Yes (Peter Banks, Bruce Fairbairn, Alan White and Chris Squire)

Depeche Mode (Andrew Fletcher)
Jim Diamond (Bandit, Bacco, PhD, solo, etc.)
Wings (Linda McCartney [née Epstein/Eastman], Denny Laine, Henry McCollough, Jimmy McCulloch)

Ozzy Osbourne (Black Sabbath and solo)

Dearly departed, please help me find the work in which you each have been immortalised. May you all rest in peace. We the living miss you all. In loving memory. Bless you all!
Names I've deleted from the lists must've gotten the message! Must be working then.

Honourable mentions: Mariska Veres from Shocking Blue, who I didn't know qualified for the list until after I found their CD.* Then original Gentle Giant drummer Martin Smith as I found their first two albums on CD and forgot to put him here knowing that he's gone too. Then Peter Haycock from ELO Part II as I finally found that as well.*

My Pirate Collection



The Eleventh Hour! by Magnum (not actual CD)

In the past decade, my collection of pirates has grown, especially in the past couple years. I just have to boast about how much I've acquired. CD-Rs don't count 'cos anyone can make those these days. MP3s; oh, please!
All courtesy Boris except * from a shop or elsewhere. Bootlegs will be on another list in future.


ABBA
ABBA (1975)** (Also on Polish LP released in Cold War era)
ABBA The Album (1977-78) (Also on Japanese LP)
Voulez-Vous** (also on UK and Mexican LPs)
ABBA Gold

Live at Wembley Arena
Agnetha Fältskog - A+ (2013)

AC/DC
High Voltage (Australia and international**)
Powerage/Blow Up Your Video*
Highway to Hell***
For Those About to Rock*/**
'74 Jailbreak
Flick of the Switch**
Fly on the Wall (cassette* and CD)
Who Made Who?
The Razors Edge
Ballbreaker
Stiff Upper Lip
Black Ice
Live at River Plate
Greatest Hells Hits (counts as a pirate since it has official tracks in a compilation that the band would never release themselves)*
Iron Man 2 soundtrack (closest thing to an official compilation to date)
No Bull
Back Home with Brian (although a bootleg anyway)
Rock or Bust/Backtracks*
Rarities (may be more of a bootleg compilation)

Volts (from the Bonfire boxed set)

Let There Be Rock (Australia)

Bon Scott & Fraternity - Complete Sessions 1971-72

Ace of Base
Flowers*

a-ha
Hunting High and Low**
Scoundrel Days**
Stay on These Roads*
East of the Sun, West of the Moon*
Memorial Beach
How Can I Sleep with Your Voice in My Head?
Analogue*
Foot of the Mountain
(Used to have Minor Earth Major Sky until I received the EU promo, so I sold the pirate).
Morten Harket - Out of My Hands* and Brother*
Magne F - Past Perfect Future Tense and White Xmas Lies

Jon Anderson
Animation*/**
Deseo
Toltec
Survival and Other Stories
Anderson/(Roine) Stolt (Kaipa/The Flower Kings/Transatlantic/Agents of Mercy) - Invention of Knowledge

1,000 Hands Chapter One

True

Arena

The Theory of Molecular Inheritance

Asia
Astra**

Geoffrey Downes - The Light Programme and Evolution

Asia (featuring John Payne)
Aria (also on US tape)

Rare
Silent Nation

Tony Banks
Bankstatement*

The Beatles
Please Please Me/The Early Beatles**/***
with the beatles (1963)**/Meet the Beatles!*** (stereo original remaster and mono 1987 mixes)
Second Album (1964)***
A Hard Days Night (remaster)**/(stereo mini-LP)/Something New*/***
Beatles No. 5*
Beatles for Sale*/Beatles '65 (stereo and mono old mixes)/(new mix)**/***
Beatles VI*** (also on US and Japanese LPs)
The Beatles (self-titled West German compilations)
Beatles' Greatest (Israel and Japan LP covers)**
Help! (CD Maximum)*/(remaster)**/***
Rubber Soul*/**/***
Yesterday and Today***
Revolver**/***
A Collection of Beatles Oldies*/**

Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band**/*** (original UK and US stereo and EU remastered mono LPs and original and remastered CDs)
Magical Mystery Tour (stereo* and mono original and stereo and mono*/** remasters)/***
The white album */**/*** (both stereo CD editions and Japanese LP w/o obi)
Yellow Submarine*/**/***/film DVD
Hey Jude***
Abbey Road*** (pictured above; copy of Japanese release, copy of 2009 EU remaster*, and CD Maximum 2-in-1 w/Hey Jude [The Beatles Again]*/**/***)
Let It Be*/*** (also on original Argentina CD)
Live at the Star Club (given a general release at first though technically a bootleg)*/**/***
Live at the Hollywood Bowl (rough mix not used on 1977 LP)*/**
Anthology 1* (only one from mainland China I've found, unless my copy of Let It Be... Naked is a pirate too)
1 (2000)*
The Early Tapes of the Beatles (with Tony Sheridan and the Beat Brothers)*/**
Mono Masters*
Love*

[Did get Ringo (1973) one year to sell online but I'm not as interested in Starrs solo stuff]

Black Sabbath
(Note: Power Sound 2001/Creative Sounds budget reissues are pretty much grey market, so they don't really count here.)
Sabotage*/**
Technical Ecstasy
Never Say Die!**
Heaven and Hell**
Live Evil

Born Again

Headless Cross*
Týr
Dehumanizer*
The Dio Years
Cross Purposes*
Forbidden
Heaven & Hell - The Devil You Know*
13 (2013)
The End EP
Gathered in Their Masses
The End: Live in Birmingham

Kate Bush
Lionheart**
The Red Shoes**
Live at Hammersmith '79 (practically a bootleg, but there was once an official full-length release)*

Crowded House
Intriguer*

Def Leppard
Retro Active*
Slang
Def Leppard (2015)
Down 'n' Outz - This is How We Roll (Joe Elliotts side project)

Retromania (compilation of B-sides, bonus tracks, covers, live and other rare tracks)

Depeche Mode
Black Celebration**
Music for the Masses**
Violator**
Songs of Faith and Devotion**
Ultra
Martin L. Gore - Counterfeit² and The Third Chimpanzee EP
Playing the Angel
The Best of Depeche Mode Vol 1
Sounds of the Universe
Delta Machine

Mode: M, O, D, and E

Dio

Holy Diver remaster**

The Last in Line**

Sacred Heart

Dream Evil

Strange Highways

Angry Machines

Magica

Killing the Dragon**

Master of the Moon

The Elves - ...And Before Elf, There Were Elves (Ronnie James Dios early band)

Duran Duran
Sing Blue Silver
Red Carpet Massacre

Future Past**

Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Emerson, Lake & Palmer (1970)**
Tarkus**
Pictures at an Exhibition**
Works Vol 1 and 2**
Love Beach (also on Canadian and South Korean LPs)**
Black Moon
In the Hot Seat

Fish
Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors**
Internal Exile
Sunsets on Empire
Fellini Days
13th Star
A Feast of Consequences
A Parley with Angels

Weltschmerz

Fleetwood Mac
Peter Greens Fleetwood Mac (1968)**

The Pious Bird of Good Omen**
Penguin
Buckingham Nicks (1973)***
Stevie Nicks - The Other Side of the Mirror

Mick Fleetwood & Friends Celebrate the Music of Peter Green and the Early Years of Fleetwood Mac

Peter Gabriel
Scratch My Back
New Blood

Rated PG

Flotsam and Jetsam

i/o

Dave Gahan
Paper Monsters
Hourglass
Angels & Ghosts and Imposter (with Soulsavers)

Genesis
Live (1973)*/**
Selling England by the Pound**
...and then there were three...**
Three Sides Live*/**
We Can't Dance**

The Last Domino

Extra Tracks 1970-1975, 1976-1982, 1983-1998
Phil Collins - No Jacket Required** and Going Back**

Gentle Giant
Octopus**

In a Glass House**
Free Hand**
The Missing Piece**
Giant for a Day!**

Three Piece Suite

Geordie
Hope You Like It
Don't Be Fooled by the Name
Save the World
No Good Woman
The Singles Collection

Keep on Rockin'

Unreleased Tapes

David Gilmour

Rattle That Lock

Yes I Have Ghosts**

Live in Pompeii (solo version)

Steve Hackett
Defector**

Blues with a Feeling
Till We Have Faces**
Feedback '86
Genesis Files/Revisited 1*
Squackett - Life Within a Day
Genesis Revisited II: Selection and full album with various artists

Under a Mediterranean Sky

Surrender of Silence

Genesis Revisited Live: Seconds Out & More

The Circus and the Nightwhale

Live Magic at Trading Boundaries

George Harrison
Electronic Sound
Living in the Material World (also on South African LP)
Dark Horse** (also on UK and Argentina LPs)
Extra Texture* (also on Barbados LP)
Thirty Three & 1/3*/**
George Harrison (1979)**
Gone Troppo**
Cloud Nine*/**

Songs by George Harrison

The Best of Dark Horse*/**
Live in Japan
Early Takes Vol 1

Steve Howe
Beginnings
The Steve Howe Album (1979)**
Turbulence
Not Necessarily Acoustic

Homebrew 5
Nexus w/Virgil Howe

Love Is**

Guitarscape

Tony Iommi

Iommi (2000) (with various artists including Ozzy Osbourne and Bill Ward on non-Sabbath track, Skin, Billy Idol, Billy Corgan, Henry Rollins, and more)
Fused (with Glenn Highes)

The DEP Sessions (with Glenn Hughes)

WhoCares (charity compilation with Ian Gillan and various artists)

IQ
Ever (don't ever tell Martin Orford!)*
Subterranea
The Seventh House

Tales from a Dark Christmas (for obvious reasons, I must wait until November to have a listen)

Elton John
Empty Sky**
Tumbleweed Connection**
Madman Across the Water**
Honky Château**
Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player!**
Here and There**

A Single Man**
Victim of Love**
Rare Masters (includes Friends soundtrack**)
Peachtree Road
The Captain and the Kid**
The Diving Board**
Good Morning to the Night (w/P-Nau)
Diamonds**

Regimental Sgt Zippo**

King Crimson
In the Court of the Crimson King***
Larks' Tongues in Aspic*/** (signed by Bill Bruford without him knowing the truth!)
Starless and Bible Black**
Red**
USA

John Lennon
John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (1970)/Jams & Demos**

Imagine**
Sometime in New York City***
Mind Games (2010 and 2024 editions) */**
Walls and Bridges*/**
Rock 'n' Roll**
Double Fantasy** (also on Canadian and Mexican LPs)
Acoustic
The US vs John Lennon

Jon and Vangelis
Short Stories**
Page of Life

Duncan Mackay

Chimera

Score

The Bletchley Park Project (with Georg Voros)

Kintsugi

Magnum

Kingdom of Madness

Magnum II (1979)

Chase the Dragon

The Eleventh Hour!

On a Storytellers Night

Vigilante

Wings of Heaven

Goodnight LA

Sleepwalking

Rock Art

Sacred Blood "Divine" Lies

The Monster Roars

Here Comes the Rain

Marillion
Real to Reel**/Brief Encounter
Early Stages (complete and highlights)
Sounds That Can't Be Made

With Friends from the Orchestra

Mark Kellys Marathon (2020)

With Friends at St Davids

An Hour Before It's Dark

Brian May
Back to the Light
Resurrection
Another World**

Paul McCartney (and Wings+)
Ram (Paul and Linda McCartney)**/***
Wild Life*/**/+/***
Red Rose Speedway*/**/+/***
Back to the Egg**

McCartney II (1980)**
Tug of War**
Pipes of Peace**
Give My Regards to Broad Street (also on Méxicana LP)*
Снова в СССР (also on LP from there)*

Flowers in the Dirt Original B-Sides, Remixes, Single Mixes and Cassette Demos
Tripping the Live Fantastic!*
MTV Unplugged: The Official Bootleg*
Flaming Pie*
Driving Rain
Electric Arguments (Fireman)*
Back in the US (DVD)* (CD**)
New (regular edition)**

McCartney III (2020)**

7" Singles

Band on the Run Unmixed

Freddie Mercury
Mr Bad Guy
Barcelona (with Montserrat Caballé) original edition and remaster (also on US LP)
The Great Pretender
Original Version/Single Version/Rarities (practically a bootleg)

George Michael
Older

Moody Blues
The Present**

Alanis Morissette
So-Called Chaos

Such Pretty Forks in the Road

Noel Gallaghers High Flying Birds
Noel Gallaghers High Flying Birds (2011)

Ozzy Osbourne
Blizzard of Ozz**
Diary of a Madman**
Tribute

No Rest for the Wicked**
No More Tears
Down to Earth
Black Rain
Scream

Pink Floyd
The Piper at the Gates of Dawn**
Music from the Motion Picture More
Ummagumma***
Atom Heart Mother*/**
Meddle**

Live at Pompeii (unofficial and official CDs; also on official DVD)

Dark Side of the Moon Live (also on bootleg)

Animals (2018 remix)**
The Wall**
The Final Cut**

A Momentary Lapse of Reason**

Delicate Sound of Thunder (also on USSR LP and original Brasil CDs)

P*U*L*S*E*
Richard Wright - Wet Dream**, Broken China and Identity (Zee)
The Australian Pink Floyd Show - Everything Under the Sun
Cre/ation (from The Early Years)

The Later Years: Unreleased Live and Studio/Knebworth Concert 1990 (also on separate CD)

Queen
Queen I (1973)** (also on Mexican LP and UK cassette)

Flash Gordon***
Live Killers*/**
Hot Space**
The Works** (also on UK LP and South Korean cassette)
A Kind of Magic**
The Miracle LP* and CD**
At the Beeb*
Innuendo**
Made in Heaven**
Return of the Champions (Queen + Paul Rodgers)
On Fire: Live at the Bowl
The Cosmos Rocks (Queen + Paul Rodgers)
Deep Cuts Vol 1-2
Queen Forever
A Night at the Odeon
On Air

Roger Taylor - Strange Frontier

The Cross - Mad, Fab and Dangerous to Know (Taylors side project)

Trevor Rabin
Wolf

Rainbow

Richie Blackmores Rainbow (1975)

Rainbow Rising (1976)

Long Live Rock 'n' Roll

On Stage

Renaissance
A Song for All Seasons**
Azure d'Or
Camera Camera**
Tuscany
In the Land of the Rising Sun
Grandine il Vento/Symphony of Light
de Lane Lea Studios 1973

REO Speedwagon
REO (1976)
You Can Tune a Piano, But You Can't Tuna Fish
Nine Lives**
Good Trouble**

Rush
Rush (1974)**

(I have bootlegs of the boys too, but that's for another day and a different animal)

Supertramp
Indelibly Stamped**
Crisis? What Crisis?**
Breakfast in America*/**
Famous Last Words*/**
Paris (also on Japan LPs)

Nad Sylvan
Courting the Widow

The Bride Said No

Monumentata

Tears for Fears

The Tipping Point

Traveling Wilburys
Volume 1 & 3*

UK
UK (1978)**
Danger Money**
Night After Night** (All three albums on 2 CDs)

Rick Wakeman
The Six Wives of Henry VIII**/Silent Nights*/**
The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table**
No Earthly Connection**

1984 (1981)**
Phantom Power*

Softsword
Out There
Lisztomania soundtrack (with Roger Daltrey)
Rhapsodies**
The Living Tree: In Concert Vol 1 and Studio (w/Jon Anderson)

The Red Planet

Roger Waters
The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking
Radio KAOS
In the Flesh
The Wall (2015)

Comfortably Numb

The Lockdown Sessions

John Wetton
Caught in the Crossfire (also on Australian LP)

Arkangel** (also on EU compilation with Asia proper with missing tracks)

Sinister/Welcome to Heaven*
Rock of Faith
Raised in Captivity
Icon Zero w/Geoff Downes (formerly self-titled with alternate tracks)

An Extraordinary Life: The Rarities Vol. 1 & 2

Ray Wilson

Makes Me Think of Home

Upon My Life

Propaganda Man

Chasing Rainbows

World Trade

World Trade (1989)

Euphoria

Unify

Billy Sherwood - Citizen: In the Next Life

Yes
Yes (1969)*/**
The Yes Album (1971)**
Close to the Edge**
Tales from Topographic Oceans**
Going for the One**
Tormato*/**
Drama**
Big Generator**
Talk*
Keys to Ascension Vol 1-2
The Ultimate Yes

The Quest
Tony Kaye - End of Innocence

Mirror to the Sky

**Also on official import from the UK, EU or Canada.
***Also on original US LP.

Willy's rock: MOODY BLUES / magnificent moodies 1966

Willy's rock: MOODY BLUES / magnificent moodies 1966: Magnificent Moodies 1966 Bit rate 256 kps LINK: magnificentmoodies1966 PASSWORD "sakalli" Moody Blues was founded in 1964 by Michael P...

Landmark Theatre - The Return

Forgot to take my own when I'm able to get there.  To save time, I used this free image.

Now that the Landmark Theatre in downtown Syracuse will be back this fall bigger and better than ever.  It will accomodate more A-list acts yet the integrity and legacy of this local jewel has not been compromised.  November and December have shows lined up already but for after New Years, theres plenty of room on the calendar.  I was told by someone there that they're really a rental house and don't decide themselves who will use the facility but rather promoters, managers and agents will book the former local Loews picture palace like they would any venue.  Here is a list of people I want to see at the Landmark:

The Moody Blues*
The Musical Box*
The Australian Pink Floyd Show*
Yes
Asia
Rush
Peter Gabriel
Def Leppard
Duran Duran
Fleetwood Mac

Who would you like to see?  Drop a line.  There is concern about parking though.  There are a couple car parks you could use.  At least those of us who take the bus can get right there for the most part.
Great to have the Landmark back after a year or two of reconstruction that continues for another month.

*Have been to the Landmark before as far as I know.

2011 CNY Outdoor Concert Series

Asia featuring John Payne, one of the Holy Grails for me.

Because of two ill-fated concert series in Syracuse last year, there doesn't seem to be one this year apart from the funfair and a few small time events.  Even if a shows free, its not always easy to get people to come.  Some promoters just can't cut it.  These shows used to be at Inner Harbour, the Federal Building, and the CNY Regional Market.  Now, I'd have to go to Rochester and Albany for such a thing as they seem to have better resources.
If I could start my own, here are who would come, one per week:

Asia featuring John Payne
Marillion
Pallas
Rush (up in the air with the boys)
Yes
The Moody Blues (have since come to town)
Culture Club (coming 2 Sept 2016)
INXS
Duran Duran
Childhoods End (now split)

There are numerous local businesses who would sponsor the shows.  The cost of security would be high, whether its private or the local police.  Then who would be willing to host the shows?  It may be too late to start getting something this year but perhaps next year it could happen.
Who would you like to see?  Remember, this articles not about an actual live series in CNY, I'm afraid.

On Tour in 2011

Duran Duran in Verona, Italia; 2005.

Here's who will or may be on the road in the new year:

1. Duran Duran
2. Roger Hodgson
3. Yes
4. Paul McCartney
5. Asia featuring John Payne
6. Pallas
7. Carl Palmer Band
8. Kajagoogoo
9. Ace of Base
10. Ozzy Osbourne
11. INXS
12. Fish
13. Bush
14. Marillion
15. Jon Anderson
16. Elton John
17. The Moody Blues
18. Mike + the Mechanics
19. Stevie Nicks
20. The Australian Pink Floyd Show

Subject to change.

The Disc Kiosk - CD on Demand

The rarest of the Rocket Mans original studio albums on CD.

A few years ago, there was a CD on Demand service in the UK called The Disc Kiosk, run by Diablo Group plc, which reissued out of print and lesser-known titles in limited editions. The bulk of the titles were from the Universal conglomorate. It was a minimalist operation, yet done in hundreds, just printing the title, logo, solicitors notice, etc. on the disc and a brief description and song title on the back of the case, and the cover without elaborate liner notes, with the discs on pro-quality lightscribed CD-Rs. There were machines at the late MVC and Woolworths chains that customers could use. This may have been a way to keep them from being pirated (though most titles likely and a couple I have actually were on the black market anyway). Little info could be found, and the site and eBay store 404'ed. Normal CDs can barely make it anymore, let alone a printing and pressing station. They must have entered administration as it hardly caught on it seems. The titles were back in musical purgatory (a lot of titles I'm looking for are and I'll explain in future).
The few that I know were part of this programme were:

Elton John - Leather Jackets (pictured) - went for the original Japanese made US CD instead
Jim Diamond (1993) - found the original CD before he passed away and the price went up
10cc - The Greatest Hits of 10cc 1972-1978
10cc - Meanwhile - not on my list but three others are
Vangelis - Soil Festivities (click for more info; just gotta get him with Jon Anderson and Aphrodites Child for you-know-who)
Kiss - Asylum (all set with Messrs Stanley and Simmons!)
INXS - Shabooh Shoobah (already have this on EU-made US CD)
Rush - TBD (pre-1989 but I'm looking for most of the LPs now)
Moody Blues - Time Traveller (didn't expect a boxed set there)

The company faded into obscurity, so I'm just working with what I know and can find. I think if any surviving copies from DK are around and for sale, they might get a few bob, depending on the title, even though most of them flopped and were likely slated when released the old way. I wouldn't mind getting the DK edition of the Elton John album as I like imports as did he before he was big. I'm sure he couldn't care less about the budget reissue as he disowned the album, which only die-hard fans like anyhow. Some DK editions may pop up on amazon or eBay. Since they were authorised by UMC, it's a contrast to ex-Soviet state-made pirates or home-burned CDs, which cannot be resold for profit except by the copyright owner (though some wind up at the charity shop).
To wrap this up, I say this straddles the fence between boring CD-Rs and EU imports. Something similar was at some fye locations in the States for a bit but that was also a flash in the pan. Australia had coin-op CD copying machines, but that can be done at home if you have a computer. The Disc Kiosk could have been a saving grace in an already shakey music industry.