Paul McCartney Changes Labels Again

I go to emusic and I find that two Paul McCartney compilations I have got, Wingspan and All the Best! (US edition). However, the label says Hear Music, which he signed to three years ago after 45 years time with EMI. I thought he'd be going to One Little Indian. Personally, I would rather buy the physical item on import. I have about thirteen to go, so I have to win the lottery to get all of them and see Paul a fourth time out of state to boot!
One reason he may have decided not to follow through with OLI is because they're distributed by Virgin/EMI in the EU, and he just left them, so he'd almost be back where he'd started! In layman's terms, he's a free agent.
Even a heavyweight like him can benefit from the indie scene. The industry has changed dramatically over the years as we all know.
When the studio albums are reissued, I hope they get more bonus tracks, especially Tug of War. The campaign starts in August with Band on the Run (what better one?!) with more to follow.
The Up and Coming tour is on now. It's not to promote a product necessarily (this will be a future post).

Supertramp - 40th Anniversary Tour

A French site says that Supertramp will reunite for a 40th Anniversary tour later this year. However, this is speculation. No official announcement has been made by Power Steering Management. Also, it is not likely that Roger Hodgson will be back in the fold, as he has his own tour anyway, which he prefers doing, though a one-off appearance couldn't hurt. Also not returning is Mark Hart, as he told me by e-mail a couple years ago that Crowded House has crowded his schedule. He sang the Hodgson tracks on the 1987-88, 1997-98, and 2002-03 tours, so it might be likely that it will be like the 1985-86 tour, where only Rick Davies's songs were performed. Hart also informed me that the band amicably split after the Slow Motion tour in 2003. Carl Verheyen has his own band now, so I don't know about him coming back either. Forget about Dougie Thomson being there. John Helliwell and Bob Siebenberg are likely to be back.
No other site has mentioned the rumoured tour. To this day, there are still fans who won't listen to the post-Hodgson Brother Where You Bound or anything made after that. Even I'm still on the fence about that. The whole is better than the sum of the parts.
The tour is only said to be in mainland Europe, but more dates may follow. Like with many veteran acts on the road today, there is no new product to promote, so it's seen as a "money tour". Also, the sites under construction, so its a sign that it could happen, but still, an official statement will set things right.

Roger Hodgson - Rare Solo Collection

These tracks were saved from a Roger Hodgson fan site that has since 404'ed. Some of these are live and demo versions of familiar Supertramp and solo favourites, and there is also hard-to-find and officially unreleased tracks. Know that some of these aren't the best sound quality.

Breakfast in America
Awakening*
C'est le Bon
Even in the Quietest Moments
Everyone Dies*
Give a Little Bit (acoustic)
Don't You Want to Get High?*
Hum Hum (with Alan Simon)
Imagine (recorded as Argosy)
Lone Child*
Take the Long Way Home
Lord, Is It Mine?
Lovers in the Wind
Take the Long Way Home/Breakfast in America/It's Raining Again (live medley)
The Logical Song
The Moon Says Hello (with Carlos Núñez)
Mr Boyd (recorded as Argosy)
Keep the Pigeons Warm (Oh Brother)*
Danielle
Rosie Had Everything Planned
French-language Interview Parts 1 & 2*

*previously unreleased

ANTONIO SEIJAS blog: A cry out for Chile

ANTONIO SEIJAS blog: A cry out for Chile

Out-of-Print Albums

For those who have been following this blog; sorry for another dry spell, but there have been a few things in my real life I had to address first. Nothing sensational, just that I have a life away from the net like you do (I hope!).
One thing we music buffs always notice is when something is no longer made. A single is one thing, but an album is another, warranting Holy Grail Syndrome. A label or artist may pull an album from shops for a variety of reasons, from poor sales or the artist disowning the album (Alanis for example). If no one is willing is bring the record back into the fold, we have to "reissue" them ourselves! I have several out-of-print and hard-to-find releases on this site. Someone in Indiana specialises in obscure bands. Many blogs and mp3 sites will have officially unavailable material for pennies. Sales and shops (in person and online) will also have plenty to whet collectors' appetites. However, if there is enough demand, a remaster just might get made. Sometimes, the original master tape is gone or deplorable, so it would have to be copied from an existing copy of the record. A couple Voiceprint reissues were slated for discrepancies in the sound even casual listeners could notice, but sometimes you have to make a silk purse from a sow's ear!
To wrap things up, if you think something will be taken away in future, get it while and if you can, because it may be gone tomorrow!

Yes review

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 band's second time at this spot). The Mid-Hudson Civic Centre 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.

The Darkness - 10th Anniversary

The pattern continues! Another new band! The first this year! This time, it's The Darkness! How they wound up here is a bit different from the others. There's this one song of theirs that was on Planet Rock last week, and I thought it was another. When I realised it was going to be a challenge, I weeded through their short career. I always knew that they were trying to be the new Queen, as the press pointed out regularly. Many Darkness songs do remind me of Queen. They even got former Queen producer Roy Thomas Baker to produce their last album!
The band came to an end four years ago because brothers Dan and Justin Hawkins were becoming the new Liam and Noel Gallagher (oasis), if you know what I mean! Also, Justin fell into the rock 'n' roll clichés and was admitted to the clinic. He started the spinoffs British Whale and Hot Leg, while Dan and remaining members Richie Edwards and Ed Graham started over as the Stone Gods. These offshoots are indie-signed as Atlantic/Warner UK couldn't handle the sum of the parts.
I might go lightly on this one this time, as there's not much to work with. There are a few bootlegs out there to fill the void, but I'm afraid The Darkness will stay dark, although the rumour mill is on again.  Watch this space! (UPDATE: Band are back together.  More to follow!)