Weyes Blood’s Titanic Rising is one of the Best Albums of 2019.The closing track of Weyes Blood’s Titanic Rising also cites “Nearer, My God” in both name and mournful strings, but where the album vastly succeeds as a doomsday document is in its coverage of the joy, panic, resigned apathy, and beauty that comes with being alive as our planet is so obviously dying.
Natalie Mering’s previous three records as Weyes Blood drew from Laurel Canyon’s surrealist lineage to make psych folk that felt loosely tethered to earth, but Mering finds otherworldliness in straightforwardness on Titanic. Opener “A Lot’s Gonna Change” swells into a cinematic elegy to climate stability and youthful optimism, but one song later, Mering’s in interstellar love on the Flying Burrito Brothers–tinged space opera “Andromeda.” There’s no shortage of attentional leaps on Titanic Rising, whether Mering’s launching a musical-worthy inquiry into dependable love (“Everyday”), writing letters to dead friends (“Picture Me Better”), or disappearing into her favourite movies (fittingly, on “Movies”).
“Everyone knows you just did what you had to,” Mering reassures on “Wild Time,” its title an emotionally depleted answer to being alive amidst climate changes. It might as well serve as a quasi-pull quote for Titanic, an album that spans galaxies to consider whether it’s possible to give undivided attention to both our planet and our emotional sanity. Mering never really finds an answer to that question, but her record is all the more relatable for lack of one.
Weyes Blood made her TV debut on Late Night with Seth Meyers performing “Everyday” from Titanic Rising – which has been universally acclaimed and you can watch theJuly 16th performance right here
Unlike ‘Quadrophenia’ and ‘Tommy,‘ The Who’s other celebrated concept albums, ‘The Who Sell Out’ doesn’t tell a story. Instead, the album weaves together songs (like ‘I Can See for Miles’) with fake commercials (like for deodorant) so that the whole thing plays like 40 minutes of a pirate radio station. It’s pop-art filtered through the era’s psychedelic shadings.by The Who followed with its concept of a pirate radio broadcast. Within the record, joke commercials recorded by the band and actual jingles from recently outlawed pirate radio station Radio London were interspersed between the songs, ranging from pop songs to hard rock and psychedelic rock, culminating with a mini-opera titled “Rael.”
Their 1967 psychedelic statement ‘The Who Sell Out’. Complete with radio ads linking the songs this is as swinging as the 60s got, plus my favourite ever Who 45 was contained within the grooves… ‘I Can See For Miles’.
Original copies of the album, issued on the Track label, came in Mono and Stereo and if you were lucky enough there was a sticker on the sleeve promising a ‘Free Psychedelic Poster Inside’. If you have the complete item with unblemished poster you are sitting on a £500+ record!
The Zombies rode the British Invasion wave like many of the bands that weren’t the Beatles or the Rolling Stones: by having a couple of early hits and then fading into the corners of rock ‘n’ roll history. For the first time, the essential studio recordings of Britain’s legendary Zombies are assembled in one place on vinyl.
The set includes their two original US albums: “She’s Not There/Tell Her No” and “Odessey & Oracle”; two important compilations: “I Love You” and “R.I.P”.; as well as a bespoke collection of rare singles and UK-only album tracks: “Oddities & Extras”. The most comprehensive LP collection ever assembled for The Zombies, confirmed as inductees in the R&R Hall of Fame class of 2019.
After they recorded their second album Odessey & Oracle in 1967, the Zombies became discouraged by dwindling commercial success and called it quits. A few months later, the LP – earmarked as a permanently shelved record made by a band that nobody seemed to care about anymore – found a famous champion at the record company.
The five-LP The Complete Studio Recordings is set for release and includes their first U.S. album, She’s Not There/Tell Her No; its follow-up, Odessey and Oracle, an album called I Love You, which was released in the U.K. and Japan; R.I.P., which was supposed to come out after Odessey but was never released; and Oddities & Extras, a compilation of singles and U.K.-only album tracks.
The set is due a little more than a month before the British Invasion group were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last March . “There’s been lots of ups and downs in this 50-year career,”said singer Colin Blunstone “This is the pinnacle, to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. What a reward for all of the ups and downs over the years.”
The Zombies originally formed in 1962 and scored their first hit two years later in their native U.K. and in the U.S. with “She’s Not There.” They placed a few more songs on the chart before splitting up in 1967. A project they were working on, Odessey and Oracle, was released a year later and a single from it, “Time of the Season,” eventually climbed into the Top 3.
Over the years, that album became one of rock’s most legendary cult records, influencing artists and entire genres in the decades since its release. The Zombies reunited several times, including a recent get-together that included tour dates and a new album, Still Got That Hunger. Singer Blunstone and keyboardist Rod Argent continue to lead the band.
“She’s Coming Home”
From: 1965 single
Three months after “Tell Her No” gave the Zombies their second consecutive Top 10 hit (following “She’s Not There,” their biggest hit), “She’s Coming Home” stalled at No. 58. It’s the last time they got that high on the singles chart until “Time of the Season” became a fluke Top 5 smash in 1969. Maybe it’s because “She’s Coming Home” is more Phil Spector than British Invasion.
“I Want You Back Again”
From: 1965 single
Unlike most of their contemporaries, the Zombies borrowed from jazz greats, incorporating rhythmically tricky melodies not usually heard on pop radio. Keyboardist Rod Argent often took the spotlight solo, riffing like Jimmy Smith or a Miles Davis sideman and giving the band a sophistication other groups – British and American – lacked. “I Want You Back Again” is the most jazz inspired of the early singles.
“Imagine the Swan” (1969)
From: 1969 single
After Odessey & Oraclebecame a belated hit a couple years after it was recorded, thanks to the Top 10 single “Time of the Season,” keyboardist Rod Argent and bassist Chris White were persuaded to put together a new Zombies album that featured older unreleased tracks and some new songs recorded by the new Argent-led lineup. “Imagine the Swan” couldn’t crack the Top 100, so the album was shelved for more than three decades. Argent then moved on to his own group. The song serves as a sweet coda to a too-brief career.
But one of its songs, “Time of the Season,” eventually climbed all the way to No. 3 in 1969 – more than a year and a half after it was recorded. And the album is now considered a cornerstone work of baroque pop, and one of rock’s greatest cult records.
Even though they were around for only a handful of years at first – the Zombies reunited in 2004 and still perform – and their catalog isn’t as deep as other Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees, the band’s influence is wide. And as you’ll see it’s not just Odessey & Oracle, though that classic album does show up several times.
“This Will Be Our Year”
From: Odessey & Oracle (1968)
The Zombies recorded their second album during the latter half of 1967 and then broke up before it was released. It almost never came out at all. Almost a year after Odessey & Oracle’s April 1968 release, one of its songs, “Time of the Season,” hit the Top 10, and the album became one of rock’s most heralded “lost” LPs. “This Will Be Our Year” is a highlight – all horns and Summer of Love pop swathed in one of Colin Blunstone’s warmest vocals and a centerpiece of the classic record. Like more than half of Odessey & Oracle, “Year” was written by Chris White.
“Tell Her No”
From: 1965 single
The band’s follow-up to the breakthrough “She’s Not There” runs barely two minutes, but it’s one of the breeziest two-minute singles of the ’60s. Rod Argent based the song on the hits of Burt Bacharach and Hal David from the era, which explains its almost hushed, soft-pop structure. “Tell Her No” became the Zombies’ second U.S. Top 10 hit, though it didn’t fare as well in their native England. Colin Blunstone’s breathy “whoa-oh-oh-oh” during the second verse remains one of pop’s great wordless breaks.
“A Rose for Emily”
From: Odessey & Oracle (1968)
One of Odessey & Oracle’s most melodically somber songs, and one of the best. The chamber-pop movement of the ’90s pretty much starts here. The LP split the Zombies, who were disappointed by reception to the album’s first single, “Care of Cell 44.” The record almost didn’t come out at all, until Al Kooper – a rock ‘n’ roll journeyman who played with Bob Dylan and was now a producer at the Zombies’ record company – pushed for its release. Odessey & Oraclestill wasn’t a hit, but its stature has grown over the years. “A Rose for Emily” is one of the reasons.
“Time of the Season”
From: Odessey & Oracle (1968)
The Zombies were broken up when “Time of the Season” unexpectedly climbed to No. 3 in 1969. But that didn’t stop record execs from pushing Rod Argent and Chris White – the architects behind “Season”‘s parent album, Odessey & Oracle – for more music. They never completed the project, save for a single and some songs that ended up on albums years later. “Time of the Season” is both timeless and of its time – which sorta explains why a song recorded during the Summer of Love became a hit in the way different musical climate of 1969.
“She’s Not There”
From: 1964 single
The Zombies’ first single came out just as Beatlemania ushered the British Invasion onto the U.S. charts, sending “She’s Not There” straight to No. 2. Two more Top 10 hits followed – including the late-blooming “Time of the Season” in early 1969 – before the group went dormant until the early ’90s. More than 50 years later, the song still sounds like a revolutionary record. Rod Argent, who wrote “She’s Not There,” fills the track with jazz-inspired electric piano that set the Zombies apart from their blues- and R&B-borrowing contemporaries.
As Riding Easy Records’ highly successful Brown Acid series (now at 10 volumes and counting) proves, there is a massive amount of incredible heavy psych and proto-metal music that has been lost to the sands of time. Case in point, the astoundingly great 50- year-old album The Ice Age by Indianapolis quintet ICE was never even released upon its completion.
In 1970, the band recorded 10 original songs at 8-Track Studios in Chicago, only to break up shortly thereafter. Two of the tracks were eventually released as a 45 in 1972, but confusingly under a different band name, Zukus! The A-side of that single was featured on Brown Acid: The Ninth Trip, which led Riding Easy Records to discover when licensing the track that an entire album had been languishing in obscurity all of this time. The 2-inch master tapes had been shelved and forgotten until recently when The Ice Age tracks were converted to digital and remixed, preserving the sounds of the original vocals & instruments. Finally, half a century later, this 10-song album of radio- ready rock will finally see light of day.
The Ice Age is an exceptional archive of hard edged rock with serious pop hooks akin to something like Grand Funk Railroad meets The Guess Who and The Move. It rocks hard, but is also interlaced with glorious melodic hooks. Had fate been less fickle, this album would’ve long been a classic rock radio staple.
Album opener “Gypsy” is a chiming Byrds-like rocker, with glistening 12-string guitar, organ and somewhat over-zealous vibra-slap. “Satisfy” and “3 O’Clock In The Morning” nicely pair up as the most pop friendly tunes, but with very clever melodies and structures sounding ahead of their time, the latter with an extended entrancing and droning refrain led by shimmering organ run through a Leslie speaker. “Running High” and “Catch You” were the two tracks released in ’72 under a different band name, which received considerable local radio airplay. And, for good reason: Their nice balance of wayward psychedelic pop and troglodyte thunder is exactly what makes The Ice Age so captivating. Album closer “Song of The East” shares the growling glissando and orchestral style that made Vanilla Fudge and The Moody Blues household names.
In the late 1960’s five young men formed a rock & roll band on the west side of Indianapolis, Indiana. They chose the coolest name possible: ICE. The group consisted of vocalist/keyboardist Barry Crawford, lead vocalist/ bassist Jim Lee, drummer Mike Saligoe, lead guitarist John Schaffer and rhythm guitarist/vocalist Richard Strange. They was among the first bands to perform an all original set throughout the Midwest at high schools, colleges & concert venues. They opened for national acts like Three Dog Night, SRC, Kenny Rogers & the First Edition, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and others in arenas and theaters.
The Ice Age is truly an incredible and unprecedented find, particularly when we’d all thought the glorious history of rock’n’roll had long ago been written and sealed as complete.
available on May 15th, 2020 via Riding Easy Records.
Performing band members on the album are:
Barry Crawford: vocals/organ/electric piano/harpsichord Jim Lee: lead vocals/Vox sidewinder bass guitar/Gibson Es120 guitar Mike Saligoe: Ludwig drums/percussion/timpani’s John Schaffer: Gibson SG lead guitar/Harmony acoustic guitar Richard Strange: vocals/12 string Rickenbacker & Gibson Les Paul rhythm guitars
Mini Trees is the moniker of Los Angeles based indie artist, Lexi Vega. In May 2019, Vega released her debut EP, “Steady Me”, and returns “Slip Away”, the first release of 2020 and the title track to her forthcoming EP, set to release in May 2020.
Mini Trees is the new musical endeavor from LA artist Lexi Vega. In recent years, her musical career has centered around her role as a drummer, but with the emergence of Mini Trees, the artist unveils her penchant for lyric and melody.
All songs written by Lexi Vega and produced by Jon Joseph.
Vocals, Drums, Guitars, Keys: Lexi Vega
Bass, Keys, Guitars: Jon Joseph
Woodwinds: Max Kaplan
Robin Trower is one of the great English grandmasters of the guitar. A musician and songwriter with a celestial blues sound and deep spiritual roots, he achieved star billing in the 1970s when he scored a string of Top 10 albums in America. Trower grew up in Southend-on-Sea, where as a teenager he formed The Paramounts with singer and pianist Gary Brooker. A band that straddled both the beat and blues booms of the 1960s, The Paramounts enjoyed an early minor hit single with Poison Ivy in 1963,
You didn’t have to be a guitarist to appreciate Robin Trower’s talent. In the mid 1970’s, Robin Trower released a string of albums that rivaled everything else being released in the rock god guitarist genre. Smoking solos, killer riffs and great tunes defined the Robin Trower sound.
Trower joined old classmate and bandmate Gary Brooker in his new band Procul Harum in 1967 replacing departing guitarist Ray Royer. Trower played on the band’s first five albums, including “Shine on Brightly,” and “A Salty Dog” But he had an epiphany after hearing Jimi Hendrix at the Isle of Wight in August 1970 and left Procul Harum in 1971. After a short stint in Jude, a power trio with his future bass player and lead singer James Dewar, Trower formed the Robin Trower Band in 1973, with drummer Reg Isidore (later Bill Lordan), and Dewar. After releasing “Twice Removed From Yesterday in 1973, Trower and the band hit the jackpot with a trio of Top 10 albums beginning with “Bridge of Sighs,” in 1974.
The title track was densely textured with a great opening riff that was a theme throughout the dark, ethereal song. “For Earth Below,” followed in 1975 and “Robin Trower Live,’ in 1976. Trower’s guitar work became more Hendrix-like over the years and the power trio gave him room to spread his wings in that direction. He closed out the 70s with the great “Caravan to Midnight,” (1978) with some powerful soloing on “My Love (Burning Love)” and “Fool.” In the early 1980s, Trower hooked up with Cream bassist Jack Bruce and his two former drummers Lordan and Isidore for two high powered albums “BLT,” (1981) and “Truce (1982).
These discs are well worth seeking out for the interplay between Bruce and Trower. Album sales began to flag after the 1983 release “Back it Up,” with Dewar returning to his lead vocal duties, and Trower was dropped from his label. But no matter, he had built up such a huge following that he has continued touring and recording to this day. Robin Trower is a titan – a guitar slinger extraordinaire.
Trower has nevertheless endured. Still writing and recording, he has always sought fresh horizons, and has just released and another new album, Time And Emotion. And he continues to tour, proudly showcasing a repertoire from the 1970s that runs like a thread of steel through the core of British blues-rock culture.
Bridge Of Sighs – Chrysalis, 1974
Robin Trower’s breakthrough album, Bridge Of Sighs peaked at No.7 in the US and remains one of the pillars of his repertoire to this day. “Bridge of Sighs,”was a blockbuster album for Robin Trower. The album reached the top 10 album charts in 1973. Every track on the record was killer.
The song’s opening bass and drum groove sets in motion a monster rocking riff that is one for the ages, The dramatic time shift in the middle of the song set the way for another incredible Robin Trower guitar solo.
Beginning with the stuttering riff of Day Of The Eagle, the album combines urgency with gravitas. ‘A cold wind blows and gods look down in anger on this poor child,’ Dewar sings as the title track unfolds with a vast, slow momentum, like a planet drifting through the void. The song’s opening riff is classic Robin Trower. What separated Robin Trower from other rock guitarist like Jimmy Page, Ritchie Blackmore, Brian May, and so on was the way Trower used 9th’s and 11th’s in such a slick groove based way without shoving them down the listener’s throat. It was such brilliant playing.
Perhaps Trower’s most famous album is Bridge of Sighs (1974). This album remains one of the pillars of his repertoire to this day. Beginning with the stuttering riff of Day Of The Eagle, the album combines urgency with gravitas., along with his first and third solo albums, was produced by his former Procol Harum bandmate, organist Matthew Fisher. Lady Love is an irresistible, cowbell-grooved rocker and Too Rolling Stoned romps along until the incredible five-minute, one-bass-note run-out groove. Stoner blues‑rock redefined.
For Earth Below – Chrysalis, 1975
With Matthew Fisher producing for the third time and Bill Lordan taking over on drums, this is the album where everything came together for Trower. Dewar is at his best on Fine Day and Gonna Be More Suspicious, while Lordan takes the band to a new level of rhythmic sophistication with the intricate cymbal figures and funky snare and hi-hat combinations of A Tale Untold and Confessin’ Midnight.
After the success of “Bridge of Sighs”, Robin Trower came roaring back one year later with another rocking blues infused album that was every bit as good as Bridge of Sighs. Robin Trower’s For Earth Below was even more successful than Bridge of Sighs as the record For Earth Belowhit the number five-spot on the Billboard top 100 albums. “Confessin’ Midnight,” knocked listeners out with a heavy lick that resonated throughout the song and laid the groundwork for another blistering Robin Trower explosive guitar solo’s.
Trower’s songwriting and soloing takes the three musicians soaring across the musical cosmos, especially on the slow blues of the title track and the keening outro of A Tale Untold. Take a listen again to the standout track “Shame The Devil.” The killer album opener was simple proof that Robin Trower was on fire during the mid seventies.
Long Misty Days – Chrysalis, 1976
Trower, Dewar and Lordan consolidated their magic touch with this bold and confident album. Emerging as a sure‑footed songwriting team, Trower and Dewar are co-credited on every song, apart from a gritty cover of the Sutherland Brothers’s epic singalong “Sailing”.
With its dense wash of overdriven guitar sound, the title track is testament to Trower’s skill as a manipulator of sonic textures. Delicate and graceful yet executed with crushing power, this sound influenced future generations of bands, from Hüsker Dü to Smashing Pumpkins. From the opening moments of this incredible piece of music, you know you’re in for something special. Robin Trower’s “Caledonia,” is among our favourite Robin Trower studio recording. The fast funky guitar riff that balances itself between Robin Trower’s solo guitar licks will make you want to buy every Robin Trower recording ever released. It’s that good and easily one of the best Robin Trower songs ever released on vinyl.
The Robin Trower song “Long Misty Days,” was the title track to Robin Trower’s fourth album. The record Long Misty Days was released in October of 1976. Of all the Robin Trower songs nestled in a slow blues groove, “Long Misty Days,” stand out among the best of them. This is a slow blues song, but there is this sublet driving force that fuels the groove into an arena of specter undiscovered by most artist. It’s what made Robin Trower so special.
Twice Removed From Yesterday – Chrysalis, 1973
It may have been a pure coincidence that Trower’s first album was released in the same year Free split up, but the timing couldn’t have been better: it marked the arrival of a new guitar hero who evoked the spirit of the late Hendrix, together with a vocalist (Dewar) with an R&B timbre redolent of Paul Rodgers. Trower retained Dewar as his bassist, who took on lead vocals as well, and recruited drummer Reg Isidore (later replaced by Bill Lordan) to form the Robin Trower Band. Robin Trower’s “Sinner Song,” was released on his first solo album, Twice Removed From Yesterday.
The Robin Trower band was essentially a trio that consisted of Robin Trower on guitar, James Dewar on bass and lead vocals and Reg Isidore on drums. It could be argued that James Dewar might have been the most popular rock singer of the 1970’s that most people had never heard of. If you had never seen Robin Trower live, than you would have probably assumed that it was Robin Trower also handling the lead vocals. However, that was not the case and Dewar probably never got the recognition he deserved for the killer vocals tracks he recorded with the Robin Trower trio both in and out of the studio. Stevie Ray Vaughan had given much credit to Jimi Hendrix as inspiring so much of his playing. But if you are aware of both Robin Trower and Stevie Ray Vaughan’s catalogues, you can’t help but notice that Stevie Ray Vaughan was probably also listening to Trower.
The slow, drifting menace of opening cut I Can’t Wait Much Longer established an unhurried, Free-like template that carried through to songs such as Hannah, a reworking of BB King’s Rock Me Baby and the exquisite track Daydream.
Robin Trower Live! – Chrysalis, 1976
Robin Trower Live would probably be among the top the list of live rock albums. Of there is The Rolling Stones Get Yer Ya Ya’s Out, Foghat’s Foghat Live, Led Zeppelin’s soundtrack to The Song Remains The Same, Rush, All The World’s A Stage, Lou Reed’s Rock and Roll Animal and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s One More From The Road but the 1975 Live album that Robin Trower released was one of the most smoking guitar records ever issued. This one cranks past eleven. The airy opening to “Daydream,” is a bit reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix’s “Little Wing.” However, the song than takes on its own spellbinding groove that simply mesmerized the audience. The songs unbelievable second solo will drop your jaw and bend your knees.From the opening high-energy rip through Too Rolling Stoned to the dense thundercloud chords of I Can’t Wait Much Longer, this Stockholm recording concert recording captures the classic Trower trio at an early, elemental peak of power.
Along with fast, muscular run-throughs of Lady Love, Alethea and Little Bit Of Sympathy, the album boasts the definitive recorded version of Daydream, with Trower lovingly sculpting the individual notes like clay on a potter’s wheel, and then whipping them into clusters in a swirling blizzard of sound.
The guitar work on the live performance of “Little Bit Of Symphony,” and “Rock Me Baby,” was just so outstanding that it made it impossible to pick between these two killer performances. Both live tracks were released on Robin Trower’s magnificent earth shattering, Robin Trower “Live” album. The Live album stemmed from a radio broadcast from a stadium show in Sweden in 1975. The band is as loose at they could get and the interplay between Robin Trower and bassist James Dewar is astonishing.
On “Rock Me Baby,” , Robin Trower sounds as if he is playing lead guitar through the entire track. We would say this is Robin Trower’s peak moment, but the man has continued to perform and record brilliantly 40 years onward. However, if you’re looking to buy only one Robin Trower CD or at east looking for a place to star, we highly recommend Robin Trower Live.
B.L.T. – Chrysalis, 1981
This was the first of many occasions when Trower teamed up with ex-Cream legend Jack Bruce. Their collaborations always produced something thoughtful and off the beaten path. With Bill Lordan on drums, the three-way musical interplay on Into Money and What It Is is strong, supple and undeniably funky.
Bruce applies his Glasgow bawl to tunes and lyrics mostly written by Trower and Keith Reid. No Island Lost has a Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) vibe, while Life On Earth recalls some vintage Cream moves. One of the great overlooked power trio albums.
20th Century Blues – V-12, 1994
After a period of extended line-ups in the 1980s, Trower returned to the trio format with Livingstone Brown (vocals/bass) and Clive Mayuyu (drums), and got back to basics with 20th Century Blues, the first album released on his own V-12 label.
Brown’s voice and bass are modestly positioned in the mix, but he provides a solid backbone for Trower’s immense guitar excursions on songs such as Extermination Blues and Lowell Fulson’sReconsider Baby. The rhythm section gets funky on Prisoner Of Blues while Trower plays some Shaft-style wah-wah.
VMP Anthology: “The Story of the Grateful Dead”— a limited-edition exclusive 8-album, 14-disc set that illustrates and captures the breadth and influence of the great American rock band, the Grateful Dead.“The Story of the Grateful Dead” features four classic studio LPs and four essential live albums on colored, 180-gram vinyl, cut direct-to-analog from the original tapes.The set comes packaged in a custom, Jeremy Dean-designed box complete with liner notes penned by contemporary musical figures, honoring each of the eight albums and the impact the Dead have had on their lives.As with past anthologies, the experience is paired with an exclusive fan community and a podcast series to invite listeners on an in-depth musical journey.
“We have heard that so many music fans have a curiosity and desire to explore the Grateful Dead, but they are overwhelmed by the depth and the grandeur that comes with their studio catalogue, live recordings and the lore surrounding the culture they founded,” said Cameron Schaefer, Chief Brand Officer, VMP. “VMP is here to take these music fans on a deep journey through the Dead and to frame the breadth of the band’s iconic career for today’s music lover.”
In some ways, the Grateful Dead are in fact two separate bands. There’s the studio band, with a robust catalogue of studio albums ranging from psych-rock freakouts to mellow folk rock. They started as a studio band long after they developed the other version of the Dead: the live version, which played shows at Acid Tests and, eventually, football stadiums. Because the central premise of the live Dead was a never-ending quest for some version of perfect — the perfect transition from “China Cat Sunflower” to “I Know You Rider” is possible, if you believe in it — they encouraged fans to tape their shows, and even taped many of their own, meaning their live catalogue is, in some ways, positively endless. It makes the Dead a difficult band to completely grasp, and since 2020 marks their 55th anniversary as a band — and a year where they arguably might be as popular as ever — we partnered with the band and the label to curate eight albums we think give a gateway into the Dead as they were, and opens up different alleyways for listeners to explore.
We start our box with the studio Dead, since the two albums we start with — Workingman’s Dead and American Beauty, both out in 1970 — are the most well-known and accessible albums in the band’s catalogue. In some ways, they made everything that happened after possible, as the albums were big hits, and set the Dead up on legendary tours that gained word-of-mouth reverence around the world.
The next two albums are Live/Dead and Europe ’72, the first being their first release as a live band, and the one that convinced Warner Brothers to let them stay on the label long enough to make the first two albums in our box, and the latter of which is often considered the best commercially released live Dead album, captured on the band’s legendary European tour.
The next four titles are what we consider continuing studies: We have 1973’s Wake of the Flood and 1977’s Terrapin Station in studio Dead, and 1981’s Reckoning and 1990’s Without a Net in live Dead, all four albums giving different snapshots of the Dead as they rolled along their winding road of a career.
As we do with VMP Anthology, picking eight incredible titles isn’t enough: We spared no expense in making these the best sounding albums they can be. We were granted access to the original analogue tapes of seven of the eight albums, and for Without a Net we were granted original digital tapes, since it was recorded digitally. We then sent the tapes to Bernie Grundman mastering, where Chris Bellman cut new lacquers for this project, attempting to preserve the original sound and intent of the Dead as much as possible.
All eight albums come on color 180-gram vinyl, and most of them (Live/Dead, Europe ’72, Wake of the Flood, Terrapin Station, Reckoning, andWithout a Net) are on colour vinyl for the first time as part of this box. Without a Net has never been reissued on vinyl at all until this box set. An original copy of that one in great shape will set you back a pretty penny by itself. We think this box will be filled with definitive editions of these albums that the beginner Dead Head will enjoy, but also will allow the experienced Dead Head to have updated copies of their well-worn editions.
This edition of Anthology will be limited to 7,500, and each set comes in a deluxe box designed by Jeremy Dean, who is known in the Dead community for his work with the Dead iconography. Instead of asking a historian or journalist to write the liner notes for this Anthology, we went to nine artists to give you their personal stories and the history of the albums
The first 3,000 purchasers will also receive an exclusive animated Tetzoscope slipmat. Everyone who purchases will also receive a trial of nugs.net, a site that has exclusive shows from multiple Dead offshoots and much more. And like with all past Anthologies, this one comes with an exclusive podcast series, where two VMP staff members — one who loves studio Dead and hasn’t dived into the live stuff, and one who has never listened to the Dead — grapple with these albums and the Grateful Dead.
Album List: ⦁ Workingman’s Dead (1970) ⦁ American Beauty (1970) ⦁ Live / Dead (Fillmore West 1969) ⦁ Europe ‘72 Vol.1 (1972) ⦁ Wake of the Flood (1973) ⦁ Terrapin Station (1977) ⦁ Reckoning (1981) ⦁ Without a Net (1989-90)
The Story of the Grateful Dead acts as a deep, sophisticated entry point to the recorded and live music of the Grateful Dead across the band’s storied career.The collection connects the Dead’s history, subculture and lore to modern relevance and mainstream music culture with a star-studded, photo-filled liner notes booklet featuring essays from Jim James of My Morning Jacket, Avey Tare of Animal Collective, Dave Longstreth of Dirty Projectors, Margo Price, MC Taylor of Hiss Golden Messenger, Scott Devendorf of the National, John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats, Jenny Conlee of the Decemberists, and Hunter Brown of STS9.Printed on thick cover matte stock, this deluxe 12×12″ booklet also features archival and rare photos and ephemera courtesy of iconic photographers from the eras.The product is limited to 7,500 units.
Supergroups have been an integral part of the rock mystique practically since the beginning. The so-called Million Dollar Quartet, consisting of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis, first birthed the concept during an impromptu jam session at Sun Studios in 1956, a time when rock and roll was still coming of age. Just over a dozen years later the idea came to full flourish with the deliberate convergence of such star-tilted ensembles as Blind Faith and Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, the former a reflection of their uncertainty and the latter a banner more befitting a law firm than a casual conglomeration. Nevertheless, the appeal was obvious — gather a group of stellar players, each with a fabled resume of their own, allow them the ability to combine their talents, and then witness what results.
The idea has apparently fallen out of favor in recent times — the one notable exception being the Traveling Wilburys a top-heavy gathering featuring George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison and Tom Petty whose brief tenure was a testament to untenable circumstance — but the idea still holds magic and mystique, especially to those who are star-struck by the possibilities.
The latest outfit to lay claim to a similarly distinct designation is a band that calls themselves The Lickerish Quartet. Granted, it’s actually a trio and not a quartet, and the pedigrees are nowhere near as hallowed as the aforementioned ensembles. However for power pop aficionados, there will likely be a decided lure regardless. The band’s charter members — Roger Joseph Manning Jr. (Beck, Air, Cheap Trick, Imperial Drag), Tim Smith (Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, The Finn Brothers, Sheryl Crow, Umajets) and Eric Dover (Imperial Drag, Slash’s Snakepit, Alice Cooper, Sextus) — obviously boast impressive credentials of their own, and their initial offering, a four song EP dubbed Threesome Vol. 1 offers a hint of their potential prowess with the promise of more to come.
The common connection for all three players was their initial partnership in Jellyfish, which last found them working in common on the band’s Spilt Milk album some 27 years prior, but regardless, the new combo marks a belated return as far as all three.
The results are predictably flush with plenty of power pop references, from the assertive opener “Lighthouse Spaceship,” with its plethora of Beatles/Badfinger references, to the semi-psychedelic swirl of “There Is a Magic Number,” the harmonious ELO-sounding ballad “Bluebird’s Blues,” and the fanciful “Fadoodle,” a playful look at practical ways of rekindling a relationship as it might have once been imagined had Queen given it their own regal treatment.
“I think we share many influences together, though it’s hard to quantify,” Dover suggests. “Between the three of us is a massive knowledge of music past and present. We never really go into it thinking it has to sound like any one in particular. Sometimes we’ll play each other something we dig as an inspiration, but it’s usually more for arrangement, vibe or timbre purposes. At the end of the day it’s up to the three of us coming together with the music and lyrics. It’s a very fluid process.”
Naturally, hints of their former associations find their way into the mix, and with them, a willingness to indulge in lush production and heavenly harmonies as the key components of their pop perfect sound. Both the energy and enthusiasm are apparent, evidence that even at the outset that the three musicians clearly clicked immediately. Each man has stated their satisfaction with the set-up while promising that there’ll be more music to come. With a determination not to allow egos to interfere, it appears that democracy and desire will prevail.
“There should be a reasonably quick follow up as we have a dozen tracks in the can at the moment, and yes it will be called Volume 2,” Dover insists. “We have enjoyed reconnecting immensely, so I think it’s safe to assume we shall record more music together.
While the arrangements are elaborate to a great degree, the circumstance that brought the trio together was decidedly straight forward. “It was Roger who got in touch with Tim in 2017,” Dover recalls. “They then reached out to me. I think we all were very enthusiastic to reconnect. Once we got into the workflow, it was like the old riding a bicycle adage.”
That said, Dover dismisses any chance that even after the pandemic subsides, the band will choose to tour.
“The short answer is no,” the musician replies when asked about the possibilities. “We may endeavor virtual engagements in the future, but for now, with the world in turmoil over the virus, I have grave doubts that live music performed to a crowd will ever be the same as it was again. It’s heartbreaking, but that’s the reality we must deal with.”
Dover also discounts the need to typecast themselves by tying themselves to any particular style or sound. After all, categorization can be misleading. “Speaking for myself, I don’t follow genres as much as I do songs and songwriting,” he says. “It could be any genre really, and if it’s something that connects with me, I’m in. I hold a huge place in my heart for power pop in the classic sense, but I couldn’t tell you much about its current landscape.”
The Lickerish Quartet Released on: 2020-05-15 Musical collaborations between Roger Joseph Manning Jr, Eric Dover, and Tim Smith
Near death experiences make extraordinary records. On their way to recording “Live at the Hideout”, Screaming Females lost control of their van. As they slid backwards down the frozen Interstate, they locked eyes with another driver, headed their way. In a blink, a semi-truck smashed into her minivan. Luckily, everyone survived, and the band made it to Chicago, with a sense of urgency that dominated bedroom-sized venue, The Hideout, for 2 nights of sold out shows.
Unlike a cellphone-uploaded YouTube video, “Live at The Hideout” is a lasting document that asserts Screaming Females as one of the best live bands of our time. To ensure a professional representation of their raw live sound, Screaming Females enlisted engineers, Steve Albini and Timothy Powell—who spent those 2 nights in Powell’s “Metro Mobile” truck (a control room on wheels), which was parked in a snow-covered alley, behind The Hideout.
This album is not simply raucous-sounding versions of old songs; it is an illustration of how 900+ live shows, and the roads in between, can morph songs into something entirely new. Whether it’s a 7-minute improvisation of “Lights Out” (typically a 4-minute track) or, a freak-out during “Boyfriend”—like roaring frontwoman, Marissa Paternoster, crowd surfing with blood running down her chin—the evolution of sound is evident. 9 years in the making, “Live at The Hideout”.
“It All Means Nothing” is from Screaming Females first ever live album, Live At The Hideout, recorded over two nights in Chicago, IL by Steve Albini.
Andrew Combs’ the Nashville singer-songwriter. Using his gifts for lyricism and wry observation, Combs weaves tales of love, sin and redemption, in a style that brings together classic country and contemporary pop. Nashville singer-songwriter Andrew Combs has released This Is The Light (Quarantine EP) All earnings from the EP will be donated to MusiCares’ COVID relief fund Combs also released a music video for the EP’s third track “Fire Escape.”
This is a collection of love songs — for my wife, my daughter, the moon, an Ingmar Bergman film — all little pieces I love about quarantine life that I tried to magnify,” Combs explains. The pandemic has obviously caused anxiety, pain, and frustration for many people, so it’s hard for me to relish in the fact I am able to stay at home and be creative, but I’d be lying if I said this whole experience has not been fruitful for my art.
Without any sort of pressure coming from the industry side, it’s been freeing to make some new recordings for fun! Everything about this EP happened organically. The songs were written quickly, recorded on my humble little recording rig (a laptop, keyboard, and two microphones), then sent on to musician friends to lay down tracks from their own home recording setups.
The EP features pedal steel and electric guitar from Spencer Cullum (Steelism), drums from Dominic Billett, bass and electric guitar from Jerry Bernhardt, and Dan Knobler mixed, mastered, and played various instruments. Filmmaker Austin Leih produced the video for “Fire Escape” and is currently working on another for the track “Your Light, Your Love.
This Is The Light (Quarantine EP)
Your Light, Your Love
This Is The Light
Fire Escape
To Love Someone
Through The Glass
was a blockbuster album for Robin Trower. The album reached the top 10 album charts in 1973. Every track on the record was killer.
, Robin Trower came roaring back one year later with another rocking blues infused album that was every bit as good as Bridge of Sighs
. Robin Trower’s For Earth Below
was even more successful than Bridge of Sighs
as the record For Earth Below 
hit the number five-spot on the Billboard top 100 albums. “Confessin’ Midnight,” knocked listeners out with a heavy lick that resonated throughout the song and laid the groundwork for another blistering Robin Trower explosive guitar solo’s.:format(jpeg):mode_rgb():quality(90)/discogs-images/R-869115-1167479560.jpeg.jpg)
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, Rush, All The World’s A Stage
, Lou Reed’s Rock and Roll Animal and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s One More From The Road but the 1975 Live album that Robin Trower released was one of the most smoking guitar records ever issued. This one cranks past eleven. The airy opening to “Daydream,” is a bit reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix’s “Little Wing.” However, the song than takes on its own spellbinding groove that simply mesmerized the audience. The songs unbelievable second solo will drop your jaw and bend your knees.From the opening high-energy rip through Too Rolling Stoned to the dense thundercloud chords of I Can’t Wait Much Longer, this Stockholm recording concert recording captures the classic Trower trio at an early, elemental peak of power.
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