The Fat Angel Sings

This classic 1984 Jethro Tull Radio Broadcast including tracks from Tull’s 15th studio album, “Under Wraps”, which came out September 7th, 1984. The songs’ subject matter is heavily influenced by bandleader Ian Anderson’s love of espionage fiction. It was controversial among fans of the band due to its electronic/synthesizer-based sound, particularly the use of electronic drums. Guitarist Martin Barre has referred to it as one of his personal favourite Tull collections.

“Under Wraps” as an album with its drum machine and eighties keyboard motifs wasn’t altogether a popular album with Tull fans. The live tour though with actual thundering drums from Doane Perry was something else. On the UK leg of the tour before Ian Anderson damaged his vocals the band was on fire. The aforementioned Doane, Peter Vettese on lively keyboards, and wonderful intricate playing from Martin Barre on guitar and Dave Pegg on truly excellent fluid Bass. Anderson himself is in great voice and judging by the stage patter ,He was enjoying himself. 

The record reached No. 76 on the Billboard 200 and No. 18 on the UK Albums Chart. The single ‘Lap of Luxury’ reached No. 30. The day after the release, 8th September, Jethro Tull were to be found performing at London’s Hammersmith Odeon, where they put on a stunning show which was broadcast on King Biscuit Flower Hour, This concert is from the band’s second night of three at Hammersmith Odeon, on the ‘Under Wraps `84’ tour.

This release featuring a good selection from the new record, alongside a slew of Tull classics and more recent hits, the show went down a storm with the fans, many of whom still list the gig as among their all-time favourites.

Now released in its entirety on the new 2CD set, this delightful recording is available here for the first time. Eight selections from that particular performance (the 9th) were eventually released on the Raw Fruit Records label, in December 1990, titled as ‘Live At Hammersmith `84’, produced by BBC’s Tony Wilson and Dale Griffin – he of ex-Mott The Hoople fame.

The show feature’s five brand new tracks from the just released ‘Under Wraps’ album, two nearly new from Ian Anderson’s solo album, ‘Walk Into Light’ from the previous year and two from the previous Tull album, ‘Broadsword & The Beast’, 

Long-term Tullies will already know that both concerts had been available in decent FLAC quality as free downloads some years ago from Wolfgang’s Vault, 

DISC ONE 1 Hunting Girl 7:03 2 Under Wraps #1 5:04 3 Later, That Same Evening 4:19 4 Nobody’s Car 5:11 5 Apogee 5:41 6 Thick As A Brick 7:02 7 Skating Away On The Thin Ice Of The New Day 2:44 8 Pussy Willow 4:17 9 Clasp 4:12 10 Living In The Past 4:13 11 Serenade to A Cuckoo 4:39

DISC TWO 1 Band Introduction 1:59 2 Fat Man 6:45 3 Fly By Night 10:40 4 Made In England 5:21 5 European Legacy 3:51 6 Black Sunday 6:30 7 Locomotive Breath 7:14 8 Too Old To Rock And Roll Too Young To Die 8:34 9 Aqualung, Part 1 4:02 10 Aqualung, Part 2 2:33

Well into their sixth decade, Jethro Tull remain one of those rare acts whose work is instantly recognisable. That’s largely down to the vocal presence of founder and chief songwriter Ian Anderson, and the inimitable tones of his trademark flute. The image of him, wild-eyed and demonstrative, stood on one leg like a particularly hirsute flamingo, follows close behind in the mind’s eye. But as this special edition of Record Collector shows as we look back over 23 albums, plus singles, solo works, live LPs, books and videos, he’s always had far more to offer beyond showmanship and woodwind flourishes.

In two exclusive interviews, he colours in their turbulent history as well as offering some background on new Norse-themed album “Rökflöte”. Elsewhere, celebrity fans tell of how they first fell for the band, the top 55 most intriguing rarities are picked out of the archive and there’s an extensive discography to get your teeth into.

The year 1976 was a golden one for the band Little Feat. The iconic classic rockers had some shakeups during their formative years, but by 1976, they had settled into a groove that toed the line between folk rock and New Orleans boogie. After releasing “Dixie Chicken” (1973) and “Feats Don’t Fail Me Now” (1974), the band was rocking and rolling in style.

While things took a turn in the later 1970s, the band was sitting at the top of the world by May 10th, 1976. On that day, the group headed to the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C., where their performance was taped by WHFS and broadcast over the radio waves. The show features Little Feat at their finest, jamming out on classics like “Skin It Back”, “Dixie Chicken”, and a triple encore of “Sailin’ Shoes”, “Feats Don’t Fail Me Now”, and “Teenage Nervous Breakdown”.

Setlist: Little Feat Warner Theatre Washington, D.C. 10th May 1976

Skin It Back, Walkin’ All Night, One Love Stand > Rock and Roll Doctor, Oh Atlanta, On Your Way Down, Romance Dance, Lafayette Railroad > Day Or Night, All That You Dream, Dixie Chicken, Triple Face Boogie

Encore: Sailin’ Shoes, Feats Don’t Fail Me Now, Teenage Nervous Breakdown

Lowell George – vocals, slide guitar Paul Barrére – guitar, vocals Bill Payne – keyboards, vocals Kenny Gradney – bass Richie Hayward – drums, backing vocals Sam Clayton – percussion, backing vocals

Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real fall to their knees before the almighty bottle on their new single, “Alcohallelujah”. The “spiritual” song is the second single from the alt-country outfit’s upcoming seventh album, “Sticks and Stones”.

With the classic Nelson wit he inherited from his father, Willie, Lukas profiles a boozy life on the edge. “Sunday fun day” leads to “headache Monday” and a wife tired of “boozy lovin’”. Praying for forgiveness and asking the barroom congregation for an “Alcohallelujah”, Nelson is “drinkin’ on a prayer” as the jug of communion wine comes by for a holy pull.

Following the band’s emotionally weighty 2021 album, “A Few Stars Apart”, Nelson and Promise of the Real decided to go back to the fundamentals and make a record that’s as fun to hear as it is to play. The album’s lead single, “More Than Friends“, featuring Lainey Wilson, introduced the 12-track album’s new aura, which comes in stark contrast to “A Few Stars Apart‘s” reflection on the distance caused by the COVID pandemic.

“This album is about celebrating the human connection, joy and excitement,” Nelson said. “We went from quiet and introspective on “A Few Stars Apart” to something big and fun to really showcase the band’s talent and performance. You can listen to the album “Sticks and Stones” from start to finish and get the songs to dance to and then the quiet, poignant songs. To me, this album is the perfect setlist.”

Check out “Alcohallelujah”, the latest track from the upcoming Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real album “Sticks and Stones”, available here for pre-order. The album is out on July 14th via 6ACE Records/Thirty Tigers. The band will tour Ireland and the U.K. in June

We recently announced the the July 25th, 2023 publication of our new book “The Gospel Of The Hold Steady: How A Resurrection Really Feels by Michael Hann and The Hold Steady.

The book features stories from the band and some of our favuorite writers, as well as contributions from The Unified Scene.

Especially for you International Customers, you can now preorder a LIMITED EDITION package for the book directly from our non-US store, located here. Options include: 

• A copy of the book signed by the band
• A copy of the limited edition, full colour chapbook TJK on THS, featuring candid, behind the scenes photographs of the band members by Tad Kubler from the last 20 years of The Hold Steady. This volume has an intro by Craig Finn and is signed by Tad.

After releasing two albums under his own given name, Trevor Powers has revived his Youth Lagoon moniker and is releasing a new album under that name, “Heaven Is a Junkyard”, on June 9th via Fat Possum. Now he has shared the album’s third single, “The Sling,” via a music video. Tyler T. Williams directed the video.

Powers had this to say about “The Sling” in a press release: “For years, I’ve been chasing a phantom. This feeling of an unseen world deep inside of me. It’s why I make music. I have a compulsion to understand myself. Or learn to love myself. Maybe that’s the same thing. I’ve been asked by multiple people to describe ‘The Sling’—where does it come from? What does it mean? Every time I start an explanation, I contradict myself. I’d consider it a song about time. And love. That I can say with confidence. I wrote it one night I felt trapped. The next morning I was free.”

When “Heaven Is a Junkyard” was announced, Youth Lagoon shared its first single, “Idaho Alien,” via a music video.

Then he shared the album’s second single, “Prizefighter,” via a music video, and announced he would be playing some tour dates.

As Youth Lagoon, Powers released three excellent albums: 2011’s “The Year of Hibernation”, 2013’s “Wondrous Bughouse”, and 2015’s “Savage Hills Ballroom”.

Then he retired the name in 2016 and released two albums simply as Trevor Powers: 2018’s “Mulberry Violence” and 2020’s surprise-released “Capricorn”.

“I felt like I was in a chokehold,” Powers said in a previous press release of the initial name change. “Even though it was my music, I lost my way. In a lot of ways, I lost myself.”

He added: “My mind has always been a devil. It tells me terrible things—like I’m worthless, ugly, or broken. It’s like a motel TV stuck on a channel that won’t shut off, with static and endless late-night ads and preachers screaming about the end of the world.”

Things took a turn for the worse in October 2021, when Powers had a bad reaction to an over-the counter medicine that a press release says turned his stomach into a “non-stop geyser of acid” and coated Powers “larynx and vocal cords for eight months.”

“I saw seven doctors and multiple specialists. I lost over 30 pounds. No one could help me,” said Powers. By Christmas that year, he could no longer speak. “I wasn’t sure if I’d ever be able to speak again, let alone sing,” he said. “It all felt symbolic in a way. I’d been swallowing fear all my life and now here it was coming back up.”

Following this trying time, Powers had a renewed focus on his song writing, writing about home rather than the larger world. “Family, neighbours, and grim reapers,” said Powers. “I’ve always written about far away things, but the best material has been right in front of me this whole time in Idaho.”

That included the album’s first single, “Idaho Alien.” Of the song, Powers said: “I’ve always loved old hardboiled crime novels. They’re twisted but pure. ‘Idaho Alien’ comes from that space. Home often feels like a Jim Thompson book. One of my neighbours smokes meth all day and mows the lawn at 2:00 am. Her boyfriend lived in a tent in her backyard, and one day she locked him out of the house so he went as far as trying to stab her. He got sent to prison for 10 years. She told me she still loves him, and I told her she deserves better. The last time I asked her not to mow the lawn at 2:00 am, we wound up talking about aliens and Subway sandwiches. Every November, a church group rakes her leaves and tells her about Jesus. I don’t think it’s working.”

Summing up the album, Powers added: “Heaven Is a Junkyard” is about all of us. It’s stories of brothers leaving for war, drunk fathers learning to hug, mothers falling in love, neighbours stealing mail, cowboys doing drugs, friends skipping school, me crying in the bathtub, dogs catching rabbits, and children playing in tall grass.”

releases June 9th, 2023

All songs written and performed by Trevor Powers (aka Youth Lagoon). “Heaven Is a Junkyard” Due Out June 9th via Fat Possum

Brooklyn post-punk five-piece Geese are releasing a new album, “3D Country”, on June 23rd via Partisan/Play It Again Sam. Now they have shared its third single, “Mysterious Love,” via a self-directed music video, and announced some new tour dates.

Geese frontman Cameron Winter had this to say about “Mysterious Love” in a press release: “This song is about a dozen ’90s rock cliches mixed into one little over-produced package. We like the contrast in mood between the first and second halves. We used to punctuate the very end with one last hit and be done with it, but then one day Max Bassin, our drummer just kept hitting his drums, and we kept doing the same ending hit for like, two minutes. When we recorded it, there were about 40 hits, but our label begged us to cut them out. We ended up at around 15 after negotiations.”

Drummer Max Bassin ominously summed up the new album this way: “It feels like going to the circus and instead of having a good time, everyone is trying to kill you.”

“3D Country” includes “Cowboy Nudes,” a new song the band shared back in January. When the album was announced in March they shared its second single, and the title track “3D Country,” .

“3D Country” is the band’s sophomore album. Their debut album, “Projector”, was released in 2021, also via Partisan/Play It Again Sam.

The new album “3D Country” out June 23rd, 2023 on Partisan Records and Play It Again Sam.

Bright Eyes (Conor Oberst, Mike Mogis, and Nathaniel Wolcott) have announced the third wave of their companion EP releases that tie into previous albums: “Cassadaga: A Companion”, “The People’s Key: A Companion”, and “Noise Floor (Rarities 1998-2005): A Companion”.

They have also shared three tracks, one from each EP: “Middleman (Companion Version)” (from Cassadaga), “When You Were Mine” (from “The People’s Key“), and “Blue Angels Air Show (Companion Version)” (from “Noise Floor“).

The EPs are all due out June 16th via Dead Oceans. Check out the tracks below.

The EPs feature various notable guest musicians, including: Johanna and Klara Söderberg of First Aid Kit (“JeJune Stars,” “Coatcheck Dream Song,” “Wrecking Ball”), Gillian Welch (“Napolean’s Hat”), and Alynda Segarra of Hurray for the Riff Raff (“Clairaudients (Kill or Be Killed),” “Firewall,” ‘When You Were Mine”).

Dead Oceans has been reissuing the newly-acquired Bright Eyes back catalogue on vinyl over the past year, and we’re thrilled to present the Bandbox editions of the campaign’s third wave – the 2006 rarities collection “Noise Floor“, 2007’s chart-topping “Cassadaga” and the 2011 LP that closed the book on the band’s first chapter, “The People’s Key”.

“Middleman: Companion Version”, the first single from ‘Cassadaga: A Companion’ in the Bright Eyes reissue series.

Oberst had this to say about the EPs in a press release: “We are really excited about the final installment of our companion EPs. It’s been an interesting journey revisiting and reimagining all of these old songs. 54 songs total seems ridiculous now looking back, but I’m glad we did it. This new batch includes great contributions from Alynda Segarra (Hurray For The Riff Raff), Johanna and Klara Söderberg (First Aid Kit), and an amazing cast of other fantastic musicians that brought these songs into the present tense. I hope all of the fun and neo-nostalgia we experienced recording these comes through to the listeners.”

“When You Were Mine”, the first single from ‘The People’s Key: A Companion’ in the Bright Eyes reissue series.

“Blue Angels Air Show: Companion Version”, the first single from ‘Noise Floor: A Companion’ in the Bright Eyes reissue series

The beloved Omaha indie group’s “Noise Floor (Rarities: 1998-2005)” [2xLP clear smoke] and “Cassadaga” [yellow vortex] are coming to colored #vinyl for the very first time, while “The People’s Key” [fiery orange splatter] is making its standalone colour debut.

Tracks Cassadaga: A Companion, The People’s Key: A Companion, and Noise Floor (Rarities 1998-2005): A Companion All Due Out June 16th via Dead Oceans All three Bandbox exclusive color pressings come with our signature artist #fanzine, this time sporting career-spanning features on Conor Oberst & co., rare photos, and a Bright Eyes crossword puzzle!

In 2022 they released the first two waves of the Companion EP series, with the first set out in May and the second set out in November.

Bright Eyes’ most recent album, Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was, came out in 2020 via Dead Oceans.

The Drums (the project led by Jonny Pierce) have shared two new songs, “Plastic Envelope” and “Protect Him Always.” They are interconnected songs that play as one complete piece and have been shared via one YouTube post featuring both songs. The singles are out now via ANTI-Records.

Pierce had this to say about the songs in a press release: “‘Plastic Envelope’ is about the pain that comes when your trust has been violated and the dread of not knowing if you could open your heart again the same way. The second song, ‘Protect Him Always,’ is an apology to the young boy in me, who I try my best to protect, knowing that when I get hurt, he gets hurt all over again.”

Written, performed, produced, engineered and mixed by Jonny Pierce All Instruments played by Jonny Pierce

The tracks follow an earlier song “I Want It All,” The Drums shared in April.

The Drums’ last album, “Brutalism”, came out in 2019 via ANTI-Records. Jonny Pierce has a new Drums album in the works.

Dream-pop band Beach Fossils are releasing a new album, “Bunny”, on June 2nd via Bayonet. The band have shared another song from it, “Seconds,” via a music video. The band’s frontman, Dustin Payseur, directed the video, which features footage shot on the band’s Australian tour. .

Payseur had this to say about “Seconds” in a press release: “‘Seconds’ is a song about realizing you love somebody more than they love you.”

The music video is a collection of iPhone footage taken by us and our friends over the past 8 years of touring. I love it because it’s not a traditional “music video” it’s just a straightforward and candid representation of our life on the road and the love we have for each other as a band. I know I talk about that a lot, but it’s important for me to express how much my bandmates mean to me. On tour, the fact that I get to go out there every night and play music with my best fiends is the greatest feeling in the world. I’m so grateful for it and I never want to take it for granted. I’ve said this before but I mean it, the only reason we’re able to do all of this is because of you. Because you’re listening to the music, you’re coming out to the shows, you’re supporting us when you get a record or a t-shirt… Beach Fossils has always largely been a DIY band from the beginning through now, so it only makes sense that half of the videos for this record are DIY as well. I’m proud of how far we’ve come, and I owe so much of it to all of you. Big love,

Beach Fossils also features Tommy Davidson (guitar), Jack Doyle Smith (bass), and Anton Hochheim (drums). Previously the band had shared two other “Bunny” songs: “Dare Me” and “Don’t Fade Away.” Then they posted the album’s third single, “Run to the Moon,” .

Lyrically this is my favorite song off the new album “Bunny”. I told myself I’d never write a song about becoming a dad but here we are! Through my music, I’ve been lucky enough to live a life where I can do whatever I want whenever I want, and the idea of becoming a parent terrified me because I was scared I would lose that freedom. But the second my daughter was born, I was so immensely full of love, it fully changed me and made me a better person. It’s like this puzzle piece I never knew was missing was finally found and made me feel whole. I still deal with personal and internal struggles despite all of this love, but that’s life, that’s the human experience. One day, my wife and I were at a park and the moon was big in the sky, our daughter grabbed our hands and yelled “Run to the moon!!” and we took off running (I even got a voice memo of it in the song). The combination of these big and small moments make life what it is, it can be hard to express in words alone, so I do it through song.

As for the music video, this is the most fun I’ve ever had making a video. It’s like a beautiful and candid homage to the friendship and love we have within the band. It really shows how close we are with each other in a way that you don’t usually see with bands.

“Bunny” follows Beach Fossils’ 2017 album “Somersault”, as well as the 2021 release “The Other Side of Life: Piano Ballads”, an album of jazz re-imaginings of songs from across their catalogue.