Arena

Arena, 2020. L-R: Kylan Amos, John Mitchell, Mick Pointer, Paul Manzi, and Clive Nolan.

Kajamera, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Courtesy Verglas Music/Wikipedia.

 Arena are a band that I have been dabbling with for some time, but unlike some of the related bands, I may not be getting all of the CDs since it gets expensive to go after all these every time I bring someone new into my collection. Mick Pointer, late of Marillion, and Clive Nolan, also of Pendragon, started the band in 1994, and there have been several different lineups ever since, which have included John Jowitt, late of IQ and Jadis; John Mitchell of Frost*, It Bites, Fish, Lonely Planet, and now Asia; and former Landmarq and Threshold frontman, as well Headspace and Rick Wakeman band member Damian Wilson (his joining is what got me to buy their most recent studio album, The Theory of Molecular Inheritance). Unfortunately, other commitments will have him moving on by years end. Paul Manzi left in 2020 to join the Sweet of all people, which some may consider selling out, by going from a complex prog band to a latter day lineup of a glam band from the '70s. However, he will be back for good by next year. Now I know why I used an old photo (Manzi was originally supposed to be on the last album before the split was announced). Pointer still plays his old bands music on occasion in a side project with original bass player Cliff Orsi, proving that he's no Pete Best. Mitchell and Nolan have also worked the late John Wetton of Asia on his 2003 solo album Rock of Faith, and the former on the Wetton (Geoff) Downes Icon series.
 Arenas sometimes dark lyrics and layered sound design resonate with me and many listeners. The band have been independent from the start, managing themselves and running their own label. They have built up a cult following spanning over three decades. Like other artists with simplistic names, they get confused with obscure artists of the same name on Amazon, where I stream them, Spotify and maybe even indie specialists emusic. Look for the Verglas label, or at least what you know is the real Arena on these services, given the generic nature of the name. No word yet on the next studio album now that Manzi is poised to return in one years time. At least I can easily stream the band at home as I can on the go and at home, but that will be the next post, this being the first in 2026. I guess it comes from getting bored of the other bands and despising current mainstream rubbish. I may have even designed the next albums sleeve for them out of sigils, which current bass player and art director Kylan Amos could adapt, even though AI even knows his style. I drew them for something else while playing the band the other week..
    One more live album would be nice from the current lineup. Tracks like "Valley of the Kings" from the latest tour have not been officially recorded or filmed live with Wilson (or even original singer John Carson [no relation to Johnny Carson] for that matter from the first album and tour, if any, since there was little live activity with him, and he imitated Pointers former colleague Fish at times to where they had to play the old guard just to fill the set and seats at the same time). Bootlegs don't even seem to exist of Arena (pirates do, but we've been over that with other people), while shows of different lineups are on YouTube, including some of the oldest from early guitarist and seasoned session player Keith More, who is terminally ill and once worked with Paul and Linda McCartney, sharing an interest in animal rights and the environment. Increasing security at most venues these days make it much harder to film or record most shows, yet one survives from this past year on video (it wouldn't be worth it to try to copy the audio and spend all day trying to split up the tracks, which is why there should just be official soundboard recordings fans can buy, or even what the Grateful Dead allowed when they were still together with a taper section and trading recordings, yet Arena are indie and are more cult than the Bay Area icons by comparison, so it may not be feasible in the current climate).
    I hope to get more from Arena as I can afford. They have been upstaging everyone else, even those I know and love. I know I can build on this as I have for much of the collection I've accumulated.

AI of original album design for next album

Going Ghibli

Jadis jump in on Ghibli-mania. Courtesy xAi/Grok.

 I don't know too much about anime, let alone Studio Ghibli, but I do know a good trend when I see one, and I became intrigued by the latest AI flavour of the month of turning any given photo into the Japanese animation powerhouses distinct style. Several bands I know don't have freely licenced images I can use on Wikipedia as I have pointed out before, and now there's this legal loophole that is questionable, but allowed for now. ChatGPTs Open AI initially just had it for paid subscribers, but I can't afford that, so I went to xAi/Grok after they bought X, if that makes sense and they did a poor mans version for me of Jadis. I wonder if Martin Orford (far right in drawing above, late of IQ) would slate AI the way he did illegal downloading since there may be some parallels. Would make interesting discussion. Then ChatGPT got it to work for everybody and the floodgates opened. I had a go with Pallas and It Bites original lineup (later one with John Mitchell of Arena, Asia, and so much more), and now I will do Savoy and even Magnum spinoff Hard Rain. I did the cover of Magnum propers 1983 album The Eleventh Hour!, which a bootleg label stole for a 1985 Marillion concert released as Childhood Mysteries from their Misplaced Childhood tour, which I covered last year, so I Ghibli-ed it to make it a new scene not from Rodney Matthews himself. I could even do this with the kid from the other cover. I can go on all day. Studio Ghibli co-founder Hayao Miyazaki however is no fan of AI.
    I've been using AI this past year. Initially, it was for the sister blog, so go over there for more. As for here, I'm not as good at drawing people. Doing a whole person isn't a strong point with me as I can with other species. Some of the Status Quo can't even draw "Pictures of Matchstick Men", but AI can let you create "Whatever You Want" (even Francis Rossi et al are getting the Gene Shallit treatment here). We'll see how long this one sticks around before the next craze comes along just like everything else.

Pallas in colour since this was done from black and white.

It Bites. Courtesy ChatGPT Open AI.

With apologies to Rodney Matthews and Magnum.

Doggy also joins in on the fun!

Magnum take back their sleeve once again.

Savoys Ghibli-savvy is now tunnel vision!

xAi Groks version of Savoy didn't work out as well.

    Turns out I can't use these on Wikipedia if they're derived from copyrighted works, so that's it for this new sensation. I would have to go see these bands in person and sneak in photos to get my own free images or wait for them to break up or have press photos old enough to qualify, even from within my lifetime, whichever comes first. I did draw Savoy and the 2010-24 lineup of Pallas, but that just won't work on Wikipedia as they're too incomplete, crude and amateurish to be on there, and much of my work has disappeared over the years anyway. There are ways I could get permission to licence photos, but it's too much red tape. I just want something I can use straight away. If I could have AI make an original photo of any of these people, that would be great, but it's just they're not as well known as when I could even get last minute ones of Trevor Horn or Elton John for Facebook memories or Bluesky. I wind up with people who don't even exist, even when I submit a source photo. This is why AI gets slated on a daily basis, even though it's only going to get bigger like sci-fi had predicted.

Boris's latest list

Three Magnum CDs on the list (had to make do)

    Once again, Boris's list has been revised, and so much has been acquired, added and deleted since the last one was made three years ago, so many artists are no longer needed (even if I find them too late). I received this before I put it here, and found one by a group who will remain nameless, then found an autographed CD by a recently departed member of a band of another era. Anyway, I need to find a few more before sending out another package by the festive period due to the complicated method and high cost of P&P. The list has changed even more as a dozen or so more titles have been deleted as they were no longer needed, which is a relief since they are rare in the US. A few more were thrown in. We can't send anything to each other right now because of financial difficulties as well as changing events in both of our countries. UPDATE (12/8/25): Boris truncated the list yet again, culling many titles that I'd just never would find anyway, while tossing in a few more. Still going to be another right wild goose chase, even with artists that I know. I did find some that he could send me, but having fewer to reciprocate by the day and learning that the last package that I sent took two months' time, making a carrier pigeon look like Concorde, makes our methods more unrealistic every year between current events and economic shifts. Found sod all since. I really hope to have something in the post once more by years end.

 A.................................................................................................................

Amenophis: Amenophis (1983)

Anyones Daughter: Adonis

Alcatrazz: No Parole from Rock 'n' Roll

           Dangerous Games

Anglagard: Hybris

B..................................................................................................................

Barclay James Harvest: Ring of Changes

Blind Guardian: Imaginations of the Other Side

C..........................................................................................

Cornwell, Hugh (The Stranglers): Nosferatu (w/Robert Williams)

Camel: Rain Dances

E.......................................................................................................................

Eloy: Ra   

Electric Family: Ice Cream Phœnix

                 Royal Hunt

Escape with Romeo: Samsara

                  Emotional Ice Age

                    After the Future

                    Suspicious Bliss

                  

F..............................................................................................................

Fischer-Z: World Salad (also reissued as The Worker and Fischer-Z [budget releases]. Can't be new reissue with next two albums that are no longer needed)

          Kamikaze Shirt

Freedom Call: Crystal Empire

G..................................................................................................................

Gong: Time is the Key

(Ian) Gillan (Deep Purple): Mr Universe

Gryphon: Red Queen to Gryphon Three

H.............................................................................................................................

Heavens Gate: In Control

              Living in Hysteria

Hypnos 69: Legacy

I.............................................................................................................................

IQ: Ever** (*LP)

J..............................................................................................................

Jane: Here We Are

      Lady

      Between Heaven and Hell

      Fire, Water, Air and Earth

Japan: Obscure Alternatives

K.....................................................................................................................

L.....................................................................................................................

Lake of Tears: Forever Autumn

               Neonai

Lacrimosa: Testament

                               

M............................................................................................................

Mad Max: Rollin' Thunder (no relation to film franchise)

Manowar: Gods of War

         The Lord of Steel

Magnum: Chase the Dragon**

       Brand New Morning**

       Into the Valley of Moonking**

       Lost on the Road to Eternity**

       Kingdom of Madness**

Manfred Manns Earth Band: Masque

Mamas Boys: Power and Passion

Michael Schenker Group: MSG (1981)

N..................................................................................................................

New Trolls: Concerto Grosso #1

Novalis: Banished Bridge

         Novalis (1975)          

         

O..................................................................................................................

Oldfield, Mike: Man on the Rocks

R.................................................................................................................

Rockets: Galaxy

Rhapsody: Dawn of Victory

         Symphony of Enchanted Lands, Part I

Rousseau: Flower in Asphalt

Running Wild: Death or Glory

S................................................................................................................

Sweet: Off the Record

Seventh Avenue: Southgate

                Between the Worlds

Sparks: Gratuitous Sex & Senseless Violins

Saunders, Lee (The Void): A Promise of Peace

Saga: Saga (1978)

Sisters of Mercy: Floodland

Stewart, Rod: Foolish Behaviour

T...............................................................................................................

10cc: Look Hear

      Ten Out of 10

      Windows in the Jungle

TV Smith: Coming in to Land

           In the Arms of the Enemy

            Land of the Overdose

            Misinformation Overload

            The March of the Giants

Toyah: In the Court of the Crimson Queen

U..................................................................................................................

Unheilig: von Mensch zu Mensch

UFO: Obsession

V..................................................................................................................

Viva: Dealers of the Night

Virgin Steele: The House of Atreus (Act I & II)

W...................................................................................................................

Wood, Roy (Wizzard/ELO/Idle Race): Mustard

Wintersun: Wintersun (2004)

* I would like this as well.

** I have this already.

.........................................................................................................

Supersedes all previous lists.

Fish, Frogs and the Future

Fish at the Ramblin' Man Fair in Maidstone, 2018.

 Fish has announced his retirement for next year. He will also close his label Chocolate Frog Records. He said he would sell the rights, likely getting on the bandwagon started by Bob Dylan and just peaked by Queen. Fish already sold his share of his Marillion tracks from 1982-88 to Primary Wave, one of the leading independent music companies who have Stevie Nicks, Def Leppard, the late Olivia Newton-John and many others on their roster. Primary Wave could have Fish's solo catalogue on their label as they have the Cambridgeshire-born Australian legend in a deal she signed before she passed. Fish only just reissued his first two albums on LP and CD. He has expressed the difficulties of dealing with the manufacturers and the post after Brexit for EU fans. He and his wife Simone have been running the label themselves and have been moving house to the Outer Hebrides from Midlothian. They have been downsizing like many people their age. I'd love to buy the LPs except for the first, which I have the original of already, but the fish here aren't biting! Going to see him is even more elusive than his former colleagues coming to the US again since it's not like forty years ago. We'll just have to keep an eye on things for the next year and a half and see where this goes.

Jadis - More Questions Than Answers

Fair use of image for critical review. Courtesy Jadismusic/Amazon.com. Designed by Geoff Chandler (Garys brother)

 Jadis's new album, More Questions Than Answers, lives up to its name! Their first in eight years' time, the band are in classic form, since I was able to preview it on YouTube. It's just getting the album that has become elusive. I was planning on getting it on amazon.com with my usual $5 off from Bing (almost £4), but once I had the gift card, the site ran out of copies, even if that bi-weekly discount barely covered P&P or VAT. Frontman Gary Chandler told me in an e-mail that they're still under the radar four decades after he started the band and that he doesn't have a full-fledged setup for getting out product. I thought he had a deal with RSK, who distribute Jadis' former and IQs (founded by current member Martin Orford) label Giant Electric Pea. I did tell Chandler that his modus operandi is not unlike that of Fish with his label, which he'll close next year, but that's for another day. It's not like the old days of selling tapes or LPs out of the boot of your car or in the post since the internet has opened more doors in the past few decades, including Pandoras! On that note, no one has put mp3s up officially or unofficially (to Orfords relief) just yet. Not even a pirate CD, since I have none from Jadis at this time. A few third-party dealers put the CD on amazon, and a couple more have on Discogs. Even Barnes & Noble would have carried it on their site (you have to spell the first the words as one, probably to avoid confusion with other things, but that just makes it harder to look up. I had less trouble finding Robbie Williams LPs at my local B&N!). The band have had a deal with InsideOut in the past, which helped get a few of their albums in shops more easily, even when it was a true indie. The new one I wound up ordering direct or through BandCamp (a haven for artists who used to be with or could never get signed to the big boys, yet that site claim to just have a four track promo). It may have set me back a little, but it cut out the middle man. Not sure if it went out yet when I wrote this or it was sent out with no tracking number to cut costs. I don't even think Nad Sylvan gave me that when I ordered from him a few years ago. I got his autograph on two separate orders, while I got the bands on Medium Rare by surprise (the same thing happened with Sylvans boss Steve Hackett) without even trying.

Once fans get their copy, it'll be worth the wait. Now if only the bands solicitors could get others with the same name to change it (Magnum and Pallas too, but those "other bands" may not even realise the "real" ones exist just because of how generic the names are. Same with Fish, IQ and even the boys Rush (that's for another post similar to one on the sister blog).

Yes - Mid-Hudson Civic Centre

Yes later in 2010 in Paraguay

Show was on 2/2/10. I used to live several miles north and it brought me back to the area after a decade away. This was only bumped up because there was no image until now. This would be the last time I would either go to the mid-Hudson Valley or see the band again (as Benoît David and Oliver Wakeman had left the band after that, and Chris Squire and Alan White are no longer with us, while I'd see Steve Howe three more times in Asia, including six months later in Rochester). Setlist.fm has the right order.

Setlist (in order of original release except *):

Siberian Khatru*
I've Seen All Good People*
Astral Traveller
Yours is No Disgrace
South Side of the Sky
Heart of the Sunrise
And You and I
Onward
Machine Messiah
Tempus Fugit
Owner of a Lonely Heart
Masquerade/SH Solo TBD
Roundabout*
Starship Trooper*

Dropped:

Clap
Mood for a Day
Aliens Are Only Us from the Future
Close to the Edge
Soon
Parallels
Awaken
Long Distance Runaround

This was my third time seeing Yes, the second with Benoît David and Oliver Wakeman (and the bands second time at this spot). The was smaller than the last two places I went to, apparently because it's a small town. I used to live in the area, so I came in on the train.
There were just a couple minor flibs, but no one noticed. It wasn't 100% full, but people of three generations came. A lot of people were having drink standing up at the side of the auditorium.
I've accepted Benoît enough that I picked up his other band Mystery's CD before the show and paid $20 US. That's another story. However, I still hope things are patched up with Jon Anderson in future, as we all do. Or maybe he can't handle these long tours anymore. He's an old man now.
I had to leave just as the last song finished to catch the bus, but I didn't miss that much.
The old guard still have what it takes and you won't see them at over-60s anytime soon! The local press still mention all three as original members. Of course, we know better! Oliver came more into his own. Just wish his vocoder sounded better on "Tempus Fugit". Benoît makes the songs his own. Some people still slag him off (excuse my language!).
Overall, I give it an A-, and a good time was to be had by all.
Because there was no studio album to promote, the merchandise table had solo albums instead, akin to the 1976 tour. I bought Beneath the Veil of Winter's Face from Mystery (Benoît David) I already have (Alan) White and Fish Out of Water (Chris Squire). Holding out for Homebrew 4 (Steve Howe) on emusic.

Genesis Reissues

Daryl Steurmer, Mike Rutherford and Nic Collins; 25/3/22, London

 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 that 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.

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.)

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.

Classic Rock Radio: Latest Update From Jadis Just had an update from ...

John Jowitt and Gary Chandler.

Classic Rock Radio: Latest Update From Jadis  Just had an update from ...: Latest Update From Jadis  Just had an update from those frightfully nice young men at Jadis the wonderful British Band who are du...

Jadis

Gary Chandler, 2006

 Seems every now and then, I add another artist to my long collection, and this time it's another prog band with a cult following called Jadis.  I find their 2003 album, appropriately called Fanatic at the shop, and I buy it because two members at the time were also in IQ (Martin Orford, who since returned after leaving the business over piracy, and John Jowitt) and the drummer Steve Christey has worked for the late John Wetton on solo albums and with Geoffrey Downes on the first two Icon albums prior to the return of original Asia proper.  Turns out I friended frontman Gary Chandler on Facebook several years ago, but thought little of it until a couple months ago, as it was now meant to happen (and added Jowitt recently, and told him that I got an autographed CD of the band), even though he's not any more active on social media personally than I am.

Then there's trying to get more CDs.  The next two I bought I had to get online.  They weren't cheap, mind, and I've paid a pretty penny for other people.  A lot of them are a right fortune that, and I know where in person they might be available at a remotely better price, given the rise on essential items these days (they only had one, but with some determination, the follow-up could be found on amazon via a German seller I know at a doable price as other sellers there, Discogs and eBay charge an arm and leg for P&P alone).  The band have their own label and have the same indie distributor as IQs label, so they could reissue these albums, making them more affordable and available.

I also need a freely licenced photo for Wikipedia as the ones I used here can't be used there, just adding to my Holy Grail wild goose chase!  If they could play the US, I'd take my own, but it's hard enough right now to tour near home, and they don't have the same resources as some of their peers like visas and a budget, even if they started a crowdfund appeal like Marillion used to do, since Steve Rothery have helped Jadis get their foot in the door.

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.

Boris update

Focus 3 featuring "Sylvia". Courtesy Red Bullet.

The list has been changed again.  Some of the A-listers and cult heroes I know won't be hard to find, while others remain a challenge.

A.................................................................................................................

Amenophis: Amenophis (1983)

Anyones Daughter: Adonis

                                Anyones Daughter (1980)

                                In Blau

                                Piktors Verwandlungen

Alcatrazz: No Parole from Rock 'n' Roll

                Dangerous Games

Amorphis: Elegy

                 Am Universum

Altered Images: Pinky Blue

Alphaville: Prostitute

                 Strange Attractor

Anaphema: Judgement

                   Eternity

Anglagard: Hybris

Ange: La Cimeterie

B..................................................................................................................

Graham Bonnet (Rainbow): Line Up

David Byron (Uriah Heep): Baby Faced Killer

Barclay James Harvest: Ring of Changes

                                     North

Biglietto Per L'Inferno: same (1974)

Black Sabbath: Born Again* (may have sent a pirate by mistake)

Blind Guardian: Tales from the Twilight World

               Somewhere Far Beyond

               Imaginations from the Other Side   

C..........................................................................................

Colosseum: Daughter of Time

Tony Carey (Planet P Project/Rainbow): Coldwar Kids (possible namesake of a band I know of)

                   I Won't Be Home Tonight

                   Bedtime Story

                   Boystown Tapes

City (DDR): Feuer Und Ice

Califfi: Fiore di Metallo

Celtic Frost: Vanity/Nemesis

Chameleons UK: What Does Anything Mean?

                           Script of the Bridge

                           Strange Times

                           The Fan and the Bellows

Cardiacs: A Little Man and a House and the Whole World Window

               Songs for Ships and Irons

               Heaven Born and Ever Bright

               On Land and in the Sea

Hugh Cornwell (The Stranglers): Guilty (or Black Hair, Black Eyes, Black Suit)

                          Hi Fi

                          Nosferatu

Cirith Ungol: King of the Dead

                     Paradise Lost

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds: Abattoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus

Creatures (Siouxsie and the Banshees spinoff): Hai!

Camel: Rain Dances

D.................................................................................................................

Deaf School: English Boys Working Girls

Dresden Dolls: Dresden Dolls

Dreamside: Lunar Nature

                  Mirror Moon

                  Spin Moon Magic

Dio: Strange Highways*/** (LP)

E.......................................................................................................................

England: Garden Shed

Eloy: Ra

         Eloy (first album)

electra (DDR): Die Sixtinische Madonna

Electric Family: Ice Cream Phoenix

                         Royal Hunt

Roky Erickson: The Evil One (or "I Think Of Demons")

                        Gremlins Have Pictures

Ekseption: Beggar Julias Time Trip

                 Ekseption 3

Earth & Fire: Song of the Marching Children

                     Atlantis

                     To the World of the Future

The Enid: Resurgency

Escape with Romeo: After the Future

                                Come Here White Light

                                Love Alchemy

                                Emotional Iceage

                                Samsara

F..............................................................................................................

Fischer Z:World Salad

               Fish's Head

               Destination Paradise

               Kamikaze Shirt

Faust: Faust Tapes

Fruup: Prince of Heavens Eye

           Modern Masquerades

Focus: In and Out of Focus

           Focus 3 (pictured)

           Hamburger Concerto

Robert Fripp (King Crimson): League of Gentlemen 

Flaming Lips: Oh My Gawd!!!

                      Telepathic Surgery

Freedom Call: Stairway to Fairyland

             Crystal Empire

             Eternity

             Beyond

G..................................................................................................................

Greenslade: Spyglass Guest

Gong: Time is the Key

          Downwind

Grobschnitt: Grobschnitt

                     Ballerman

                     Jumbo

                     Rockpommels Land

                     Solar Music. Parts I, II & III

(Ian) Gillan (Deep Purple): Mr Universe

Gamma Ray:  Power Plant

                      No World Order

                      Empire of the Undead

Goblin: Roller

Gryphon: Red Queen to Gryphon Three

H.............................................................................................................................

Ken Hensley (Uriah Heep): Proud Words on the Dusty Shelf

                     Free Spirit

                     Faster

                     Running Blind

                     My Book of Answers

                     Blood on the Highway

Helloween:  Keeper of the 7 Keys-III (The Legacy)

Heavens Gate: In Control

                       Living in Hysteria

Human League: Reproduction

Peter Hammill (van der Graaf Generator): Nadirs Big Chance

                        In Camera

                        PH7

                        A Black Box

Hypnos 69: Legacy

I.............................................................................................................................

Iron Saviour: Unification

Impellitteri: Stand in Line

Idle Race: Birthday Party

                Idle Race (1969)

           or  Back to the Story (both albums on 1 CD)

IQ: Ever*

J..............................................................................................................

Jethro Tull: Thick as a Brick, Part II (solo Ian Anderson)

Jane: Here We Are

          Lady

          Between Heaven and Hell

          Age of Madness

          Sign #9

J.E.T.: Fede Speraza Carita

Japan: Adolescent Sex

            Obscure Alternatives

K.....................................................................................................................

King Diamond (Mercyful Fate): Give Me Your Soul...Please

Keats: Keats (1984)

Karat (DDR): Karat (1978)

                    Uber Sieben Brucke

                    Die Sieben Wunder Der Welt

Karussell (DDR): Entweder Oder

                          Das Einzige Lieben

L.....................................................................................................................

Lake of Tears: Ominous

                       Forever Autumn

                       The Neonai

                       Black Brick Road

                       Moons and Mushrooms

                       Crimson Cosmos

Lacrimosa: Sehnsucht

                 Elodia

                 Revolution

                 Hofnung

Le Orme:Uomo di Pezza

               Storia o Leggenda

               Florian

               Verita Nascoste

Lightshine:Feeling

Lift (DDR): Lift (1977)

                Meeresfahrt (or Lift 2)

         (or both albums on one CD)

                               

M............................................................................................................

The Move: The Move (1968)

          Shazam

          Looking On

Mad Max: Rollin' Thunder

Manowar: Gods of War

                The Lord of Steel

                Into Glory Ride

Magnum: Chase the Dragon*

               Sleepwalking*

               Brand New Morning*

               Into the Valley of the Moonking*

               On the 13th Day*

               Princess Alice & the Broken Arrow**

               Kingdom of Madness*

Manfred Manns Earth Band: Watch (feat. Trevor Rabin)

                                        Masque

Metamorfosi: E Fu Il Sesto Giorno

The Mission UK: Brightest Light

              Another Fall from Grace

Mamas Boys: Power and Passion

Peter Murphy (Bauhaus): Unshattered

                        Ninth 

Mercury Rev: The Light in You

Michael Schenker Group: MSG (1981)

Gary Moore: Dirty Fingers

N..................................................................................................................

New Trolls: Concerto Grosso #1

Novalis: Banished Bridge

             Novalis (1975)

             Brandung

             Vielleicht Bist Du Ein Clown

             Augenblicke

Gary Numan: Berserker

Nits: Alankomaat                     

Nash the Slash: Children of the Night

                           And You Thought You Were Normal

                       (any of two or both on one CD)

Nazareth: The Catch

                Cinema

                Snakes and Ladders

O..................................................................................................................

Hazel O'Connor: Breaking Glass

                          Sons and Lovers

Ric Ocasek (The Cars): Troublising

Octopus: An Ocean of Rocks

Osibisa: Woyaya

Osiris: Osiris (1981)

           Myths & Legends

The Orchestra (ELO): No Rewind

OMD: Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (1980)

Mike Oldfield: Man on the Rocks

P............................................................................................................

Planet P Project:  Go Out Dancing, Part 2: Levittown

                           Go Out Dancing, Part 3: Out in the Rain

                           Steeltown 

Prinzip (DDR): Feuer Rock

Anthony Phillips (Genesis): The Geese and the Ghost*/** (CD)

Iggy Pop and James Williamson (Stooges): Kill City  

Pell Mell: Rhapsody

               Moldau

               Marburg

Parliament: Motor Booty Affair

                   Gloryhallastoopid

                   The Clones of Dr Funkenstein

                   Funkentelechy vs The Placebo Syndrome

                   Trombipulation

P.R.W.L.: Tales from Outer Space

              God Has Failed

Procol Harum: Norum

      Gary Brooker: Lead Me to the Water (replacement)

Alan Parsons: Time Machine

                     A Valid Path

                     The Secret

R.................................................................................................................

Rockets: Galaxy

             Atomic

Rhapsody: Rain of a Thousand Flames

                 Power of the Dragonflame

                 Dawn of Victory

                 Symphony of Enchanted Lands, Part I

                 Legendary Tales 

                 From Chaos to Eternity

                 Rebirth and Evolution

                 Tales from Emerald World Sage

Rational Youth: Heredity

                         Cold War Night Life

                         Future Past Tense

Ramses: La Leyla

             Eternity Rise

Rousseau: Flower in Asphalt

Running Wild: Brotherhood

Reform (DDR) :Reform (1979)

                      Der Lowenzahn

S................................................................................................................

Scorpions: In Trance

Sweet: Off the Record

           Waters Edge

Stratovarius: Elements, Part 2

                    Episode

                    Visions

                    Infinite

Seventh Avenue: Southgate

                           Eternals

                           Between the Worlds

                           Terium

                           Rainbowland

                           Tales of Tales 

Sieges Even: Uneven

                    Steps

                    Sense of Change

Stranglers: Dreamtime (2001 edition)

Billy Squier: The Tale of the Tape

Siouxie & The Banshees: Juju

                                        Downside Up

Siouxsie Sioux (solo album): Mantaray

Space: Deliverance (latest edition)

Solar Project: Ghost Lights

                      Five

Space: Deliverance (latest edition)

Sparks: Hippopotamus

            Gratiutuous Sex & Senseless Violins

Semiramis: Dedicato a Frazz

Strawbs: From the Witchwood

               Dragon Fly

               Ghosts

Sad Lovers and Giants: Epic Garden Music

                                     Feeling the Flame

Skids: Days in Europa

          The Absolute Game

           Scared to Dance 

Spear of Destiny: Outland

                           Volunteers

Second Movement: Blindmans Mirror

                              Movements (1981)

The Sound: From the Lions Mouth

                   All Fall Down

                   Heads and Hearts

Lee Saunders: A Promise of Peace

Saga: Saga (1978)

Styx: Styx (1971) (first album)

Sisters of Mercy: Floodland

Rod Stewart: Foolish Behaviour

The Smiths: Meat is Murder

T...............................................................................................................

10cc: Look Hear

         Ten Out of 10

         Windows in the Jungle

TV Smith:  Immortal Rich

                 In the Arms of the Enemy

Toyah: Kneeling at the Shrine (or Sunday All Over the World)

           Minx

           In the Court of the Crimson Queen (reference to husband Robert Fripp)

           Dreamchild

           Ophelias Shadow

           Mayhem

Trace: Birds

Twelfth of Never:  Blowing Bubbles Through Broken Windows

                            Things That Were

Tranzit (DDR): Tranzit (1980)

                      Bernsteinhexe

U..................................................................................................................

Midge Ure (Ultravox): Fragile

                  Pure

                  Move Me

Unheilig: Puppenspiel

              Von Mensch zu Mensch

              Gipfelsturmer

              Grosse Freiheit 

Ultravox: Brilliant

UFO: Obsession

V..................................................................................................................

Viva: Dealers of the Night

Virgin Steele: Invictus

                      The House of Atreus (Act I & II)

                      Visions of Eden

                      Black Light Bacchanalia 

                      Nocturnes of Hellfire & Damnation

van der Graaf Generator: Trisector

                                         A Grounding in Numbers

                                         Do Not Disturb

W...................................................................................................................

Rick Wakeman (Yes): Living Tree (w/Jon Anderson)*

                         Out There*

Roy Wood: Mustard

Robert Wyatt: EP's (on single CD) (this is an album)

                      Rock Bottom

Wallenstein: Blitzkrieg

                    Cosmic Century

                    Stories Songs & Symphonies

                    Mother Universe

                    No More Love

John Watts: The Iceberg Model

                   Quick Quick Slow

Wire: Chairs Missing

         154

         Send

         Object 47

Wuthering Heights: To Travel for Evermore

                               Far from the Madding Crowd

                               The Shadow Cabinet 

                               Salt

                               Within

Wintersun: Wintersun (2004)

                 Time I

Roger Waters: The Therapeutic Experience of Being Suspended (bootleg)**

Y............................................................................................................

Yachts: Yachts (1979)

Yes: Keystudio**

.........................................................................................................

*I have these myself.

**I need these as well.

Instagram

Steve Howe

While I'm not the biggest Instagram user myself, many artists should be on there in order to promote themselves more.  Here's a list of them who need an account:

Steve Howe

Billy Sherwood

Annie Haslam/Renaissance

Mystery

Talk Talk

Jim Diamond (run by his family or estate)

Ace of Base

Fiona Apple

Trevor Rabin

Savoy

Supertramp

Pallas

It Bites

Arc of Life

Anthony Phillips

Artists with CNY ties

Ronnie James Dio, 2005

There are a plethora of household names that have past personal ties to Central New York as it's too easy to start in a big area.  Been meaning to do this.  Here is a list of ones I know:

Ronnie James Dio (pictured; raised in Cortland)
Grace Jones (lived in Lyncourt section of Syracuse and attended OCC and *)
Pete Yorn*
Libba Cotten
Benny Mardones (moved to CNY in mid-'80s after leaving the clinic)
Vanessa Williams (also on our sister blog)*
Lou Reed*
Joe Driscoll (born in Syracuse; was in the UK for several years before coming home)
Joey Belladonna (from Anthrax; from Oswego)
Kim Simmonds (Savoy Brown; lived in Oswego County)
Masters of Reality (from Syracuse)

Peter Yarrow (Peter, Paul and Mary; Cornell alum)
John Silver (early Genesis drummer; attended Cornell)

Kim Hill (Black Eyed Peas; originally from Camillus)
Gym Glass Heroes (founding members are from Geneva)
Annette Funicello (born in Utica)
Rick Cua (born in Syracuse)

Sofronio Vasquez (The Voice Series 26 winner; lives in Utica)
Martin Sexton (Syracuse native)

Alan Gratzer (formerly of REO Speedwagon; born in Syracuse)
Tommy deCarlo (Boston; born in Utica)
Joe Bonnamassa (from Utica suburb New York Mills)

Jon Fishman (Phish; Jamesville-deWitt alumnus)
Josh Batstone (The Voice; from Fulton)
Gary Carpentier (The Voice; from Oswego)
Post Malone (he's from Syracuse too, even though he's not my bag)

*SU alumni