Albums from the Past (August 2018?)

Sorry, I posted this last night as I was multi-tasking,

But I have been off and on checking older albums or bands/artists who I have meant to, but never did.

Actually I always have, but maybe I'll try and post a list like this every month or every week or 2 of what I am checking out.

Mind you, I have not checked any of these out YET, but they are Queued-Up so to speak and I hope to in the coming days/weeks. And many others from the artists here and others (10cc and Crack the Sky are others, who slipped my mind but now I'm remembering).

Bee Gees - Bee Gees 1st (1967)
Budgie - In for the Kill (1974)
Budgie - Never Turn Your Back on a Friend (1973)
Chicago - Chicago Transit Authority (1969)
Depeche Mode - Violator (1990)
Depeche Mode - Music for the Masses (1987)
Roxy Music - Roxy Music (1972)
Spandau Ballet - True (1983)
Talking Heads - Remain in Light (1980)

edit:
10cc - Sheet Music (1974)
10cc - The Original Soundtrack (1975)
ABC - The Lexicon of Love Vol 1 and 2 (1982)
Crack the Sky - Crack the Sky (1975)
INXS - Kick (1987)

also some newer records like the King Gizzard album Notes Reviews mentioned, and many on that list I didn't know.

Mals Totem - Mals Totem EP (2012)
A Dying Planet - Facing the Incurable (2018)

Future Castle - FutureCastle EP (2016-2017)

I recall hearing about this when I finally got to meet Gavin Castleton after The Dear Hunter/Coheed and Cambria concert in May.

4 tracks, all covers. Sade, Hall and Oates, Chicago and Roland Orzabal (of Tears for Fears),

It was released back in August, which I may recall seeing an email or something on twitter, but ultimately missed it.

But these are pretty sweet and fitting for Rare Futures and Gavin Castleton.

Trent Gardner Rest in Peace (Magellan)

https://www.gofundme.com/29ckrzbg

I'm not going to talk extensively about this, but Trent Gardner was the singer, keyboardist and one of the main songwriters in the progressive rock band Magellan, I thought I read on 1 of the forums he was ill, within the last year or 2, but I can't find anything really about it now,

Magellan were 1 of the bands I checked out in the mid 90's up to early 2000's really. Their album Test of Wills got a fair amount of attention among Dream Theater fans and people who enjoyed bands on the Magna Carta label beyond Liquid Tension Experiment.

Also there were a handful of tribute albums that MC issued, Yes, Genesis, Rush, ELP, etc, and Trent and Magellan played on some of them as well.

He also ended up collaborating with James LaBrie on maybe more than 1 project. Namely the Leonardo: the Absolute Man album. Along with John Petrucci and some others on Explorer's Club.

He really was all over the place if you enjoyed smaller, modern prog bands/albums for almost a decade.

And I'll fully admit, while I enjoyed Test of Wills, I never got around to hearing any of the other Magellan albums, largely per not as favorable reviews. And then hearing some stuff on those collaborations, I kind of stopped pursuing his music. It seemed he used a lot of the same keyboard patches for long, extensive sections.

But in retrospect, and compared to many of the so-called "prog" bands since Magellan and his work left my radar, I would definitely favor his stuff and style over many.

Also not to forget the use of Trombone with Magellan's music, which was quite unusual for prog. I guess I kind of see it as pretty unique and forward-thinking now. I guess Chicago were a very big influence on him, and he eventually got to collaborate with them recently.

Anyway, Rest in Peace Trent, along with your brother and fellow Magellan bandmate Wayne.

Marillon Night 2 in Chicago (6/23/12)

Again the setlist is just a estimation of what I remember. The order of songs included. Another fine evening, and sad that this very well may be the last time I ever see them. Hopefully in the next few days I can include more details about these 2 shows in Chicago, but for now this will have to do as around 10 minutes after 1AM on a Sunday morning, I'm beyond spent.

The Invisible Man
Cover My Eyes
Out of This World
Afraid of Sunlight
Cannibal Surf Babe
Slainte Mhath
The Great Escape
Estonia
Lucky Man (new song)
Neverland

Encore 1:
This Strange Engine
Between You and Me

Encore 2:
Kayleigh
No One Can (H piano)
Three Minute Boy (beginning with H Piano)

Marillion in Chicago Night 1 (6/22/12):

I don't have the time/energy to write a proper review, but here's what I remember of the setlist

The Invisible Man
Beautiful
You're Gone
King
Easter
Fantastic Place
Power (new song)
Ocean Cloud
A Voice From the Past
This Towns/100 Nights
Man of a Thousand of Faces

1st Encore
Neverland

2nd Encore:
Sugar Mice
Happiness is the Road

I actually got to speak to Steve Hogarth after the show, given where the seats my GF and I found towards the back upstairs. Pretty unexpected, as he was rather upbeat.

Anyway, great show, I got goosebumps and found a few tears (Sugar Mice), not unexpectedly. Tomorrow night I wouldn't expect much difference, save for the fact the set will be entirely different than tonight's cracking performance and set.

Marillion: North American Tour in 2012

Lucy Jordache, Marillion's manager, posted this on facebook recently:

"OK - gonna share this with my friends. On October 25th I will be announcing the cities for our first North American Tour for 8 years! Tickets will go on sale from November 4th/5th. We're coming!!!!!!!! Rest Of The World info later this year. One step at a time!"


So, I'll have to plan in early November to buy a ticket for at least 1 show. Minneapolis? I guess even by some chance there is one, I still probably will look to travel somewhere to see them. Likely Chicago again, but scheduling, cost and other factors may impact where if it isn't Chicago.

Back from 5 Days in Chicago..Renaissance Concert

I spent most of the time there in Chicago the past 5 days, living life and getting to know my 2 young nieces and of course my brother and sister in law. That was for the most part, all well and good. Perhaps I will elaborate more about that here or in another blog.

I also ventured down to Chicago to finally see Renaissance and Annie Haslam perform. I am just guessing here, but I think it was close 14 if not close to 15 years ago when I 1st heard Annie sing the Yes song "Turn of the Century" and I was blown away by her voice (and that song of course!). I then purchased a solo album of hers Still Life which I don't think was the next best thing to pickup, but so be it. Soon after I found Renaissance.

Moving along, I always wanted to see her sing live and even meet her. But it was around 2001 or 2002 I remember hearing she was doing more artwork and not singing so much. That status, from memory, remained until maybe 2 years ago or a little less. I always hoped Nearfest or some other festival would get them with her, or even a tour that would hopefully come to Minnesota.

Well not Minnesota, but Chicago was close enough, I couldn't pass up the chance to see them perform.

So it was last night. Like some other almost Murphy's fucking law situations on trips (LTE and Jordan Rudess keyboard breaking, ProgPower, Enchant's new cds at Nearfest), when I got to the Park West after 6:30pm, there still was a line (the doors were supposed to open at 6:30pm). I then found out Renaissance's van broke down on the way from the airport.

So I'm a little paranoid, especially after getting inside and noticing Steve Hackett hit the stage 1st. Now mind you, I am a fan of his solo work and Genesis of course, but I have seen Steve 3 previous times (and wouldn't be making a priority to travel to see necessarily given those facts). So I was getting a little more worried at that point.

Thankfully due to time constraints and a curfew, Steve announced that the order of bands would be reversed than normal and Renaissance would be going on after his band, given they only arrived to the club 5 minutes before his band took the stage.

Hackett's set was actually maybe a bit more enjoyable than I expected. And it wasn't so extensive that it didn't eat up some of Renaissance's time on stage like I feared. The set from what I recall.

Every Day
New Song
Ace of Wands
New Song
Spectral Mornings
Los Endos
Chicago Blues song?

Encore
Firth of Fifth

I have a feeling some of the set lists that are published here show the missing songs/song titles. I know his set list was altered a bit, and he didn't do "Horizons" which I would have liked to have seen, but so be it.

(from prologue.ning.com)



So then I moved up to about 5 or 5 rows/tables in front of the stage (thanks to a nice fella who I met there with a Kevin Gilbert Shaming shirt on, giving me his seat since he didn't desire to stay for Renaissance). And Renaissance took the stage.

Set list:
Prologue
Carpet of the Sun
Midas Man
Running Hard
The Mystic and the Muse
Things I Don't Understand
Mother Russia

Encore
Ashes Are Burning


(from prologue.ning.com)



The performance was definitely as good or probably better than I expected. Annie was good to perform again finally when her voice allows now. She was going WAYYY UP at times. Some of those falsettos she pulled off were very operatic and powerful. The new piece "The Mystic and the Muse" which comes from their brand new 3-track ep, really shows the shape she is in again vocally. I honestly do not recall more than 1 or perhaps 2 moments where I was even the tiny bit suspicious if she was off. Frankly, I was almost worried she might be exceeding her limits (see the difference that Ray Alder of Fates Warning has to go through now live). So all in all, it was rather special and lived up to my hopes/dreams of seeing her sing.

The rest of the band definitely pulled all that great stuff off as well. Michael Dunford, other longtime member along with Annie, was modest but still great to see bang out the old tunes, as well co-write the new piece they did. Even with the limited/selective use of guitar, their music includes or even features.

Tom Brislin pulled off many of the classic stuff. The intricate piano melodies. Running Hard and Ashes Are Burning namely. Great to see him help out (and now record) with another classic prog band. He's played live with Yes and Camel among others, and his own original group Spiraling.

Rave Tesar the other keyboardist currently with them. He took many of those classic John Tout leads. I guess he's been playing with Dunford for almost 20 years or something. You can tell he knows this stuff well.

David J. Keyes the bassist who played a rather big role given how much their music uses a lead bass that John Camp got somewhat known for. They remind me in a way of Weather Report, or even take bass lines from bands like The Who, Yes or even Rush. Really it's just a tuned-down guitar not using chords. He was faithful and upfront enough for their work.

Frank Pagano definitely fit will with the band and pulled off their stripped down, tribal at-times drum parts.

The set list: while they did as expected, do a lot of the classic-period songs. Having waited so many years, I still couldn't avoid hoping they might play some of my favorites. Carpet of the Sun and Running Hard are certainly up there. But a song like "A Trip to the Fair," "Song of Scheherazade" or even "A Song For All Seasons" certainly would have made the evening even more memorable. But I really don't feel much if any issue with it. The new song they did was nice, and Ashes Are Burning is a great epic closing/encore track. Just as it is on their much praised live double-disc Live at Carnegie Hall which actually was recorded in 3 nights, the last being exactly 1 year before I was born in fact in 1975.

(from prologue.ning.com)



Now on to the difficult part. I have always loved her voice, and came to learn about her as a person. She supported many thoughtful ideas, including animal rights? or something involving helping animals, namely dogs. I signed up to "The Annie Haslam Appreciation Society" in 2000 I think it was. 1 year she even sent me an autographed photo I think.

I have always wanted to see her perform and MEET Annie Haslam. Some rather unusual images or dreams (fantasies) of mine crossed my mind. Sort of wanting to pour out my heart to her (spill my guts) about how her voice and the band made think of when I was a little kid, going to music class. Living in the 70's, the ole hippie era, and the romantic, even innocent element to it. I often listen to their music and get terribly sad or just feel like it is the 1970's, I'm at times a little boy and she sings at a concert for me that I'm with either a class or my parents. And even sings me a lullaby to sleep.

And other times, more recently, I wish and almost feel like I was in my early 20's in the mid 1970's. Annie totally seduces and hypnotizes me and my desire for her. I'm not meaning in a purely sexual way. That line in "I Think of You" "I love you, like a friend" actually almost fits. But it's still romantic in some ways. She's just so kind- heart-ed, gentle, soft, warm, thoughtful. Her voice mesmerizes me like no other. Especially at the time I got into them, where 97% or more of the music I listened to (prog, prog metal, classic rock, etc) was from all-male musicians. She totally stood out, and gave me that female to admire and even lust after.

Even if the music was decades old and she was much older then. It didn't matter to me and in some ways, my naive self. I even registered a screen name online "Mr.AnnieHaslam" after seeing 1 for Dream Theater's guitarist "Ms.Petrucci"

It wasn't fair how so many girls got to drool over so many male musicians, and I didn't have a girlfriend of course, nor even a female musician to do the same with. But Annie was that for me.

So all that in mind (and at least in recent years, the ability to find female musicians to admire/lust after has increased at least. My taste expanding helps I think), getting to finally meet her ended up a little too rushed and compartmentalized. She wasn't exactly rude, but I was at the end of the line and the band had had some hurdles to get by to even be there last night. But on the surface, I got to mention 1 or 2 things to her, but not everything I would have liked.

I even bought 1 of her not exactly cheap pieces of art, mostly with the hope that she would notice or even remember me a bit more. I mean part of it was to just SUPPORT HER and even buying some other merch as well for her and the band. They have a new full-length disc in the works for 2011. And with the work on the new ep, I am rather optimistic and excited to hear it. But with that digression, I really hoped she might make an impression on me, and vice-versa in some ways. Pretty much how in Chicago in 2006 with Jimmy Gnecco (and ever since), and also especially with Steve Hogarth of Marillion in 2004.

Both of those concerts in Chicago were a rather big deal to me. Ours was a short time thing of course, but it was special finally meeting Jimmy. And the experiences since have only added to that. And Steve Hogarth, I mean for one, HE KISSED ME on my forehead when I confessed to him about how important Brave was to me. It was, and always will be something I'll never forget. It was like I stood out somehow; like what he made, or what his muse/art created made a significant difference in someone's life.

Now both of those experiences were more extensive, although not incredibly long. They were CASUAL and IN-PERSON ONE-ON-ONE. Outside too. The table the band were sitting at wasn't really like that.

But after wards, my thoughts went to celebrity and encountering fans in person. Maybe had I met her at Nearfest when she was showing and selling her art, very CASUALLY, I might not have come away so lacking what I hoped for. It was late last night. Like 11:40 or something.

But it made me think about the in-person, before or after concert meets should be brief with most musicians. I thought about Ian Anderson, lol. He's totally funny and great on stage, but he won't give you the time of day (night) after wards. Neil Peart of Rush is sort of like that I guess too.

But then I have been fortunate to spend pretty extensive non-show time hanging with some great, albeit somewhat accessible musicians/people. Doug Pinnick of King's X and most of the Fair to Midland guys come to mind among dozens and dozens of others.

So what is Annie's approach? Was she more or less fan-friendly since the 70's? (or even in the 70's?). Just because she comes across incredibly thoughtful and kind in her music and in public forums, doesn't mean she isn't very private. And so I did fear I might come across potentially as creepy, even asking for a hug. St.Vincent was nice enough, but maybe the fact she's younger and newer, and not into the whole celebrity thing.

I dunno. I just know 13-15 years of dreaming came true last night, but I also know part of me wishes I had never wished for the brief encounter with my favorite female singer to be more than a quick thanks for the music, I'd love to see you again sometime, instead of bonding or spilling my guts confessional that could ultimately give the exact opposite reaction to what I'd ever want to leave on her about me.

And ya know, I'm hardly the 1st guy to admire or have a thing for her, given some of the accounts I've read about young men holding candles for her when the band were at their peak. So maybe asking to shake her hand was even too forward, although she ultimately did shake my hand. But it was still a little awkward and unclear if it was her being funny or sort of out of tired obligation. I have no clue.

So, after babbling about what has crossed my mind after this, and over-analyzing it to death as I tend to do. I can still hope that they will tour again soon, probably in 2011, and even come to Minneapolis. And perhaps have a 2nd chance to make a 1st impression..or make a new impression on her again soon.

But in the mean time, I am still very thankful I got to see them finally and meet her however unclear the overall experience was in that. And perhaps I'll be able to be more careful with meeting these musicians I admire. Imogen Heap perhaps 1 day certainly comes to mind. And even my next encounter seeing Warpaint, although at least those girls HUGGED ME. So, go figure why I might hope Annie might even consider shaking my hand. But women are and probably always will be far too confusing to understand their approach to physical touching. Some love it, or are touchy-feely, but others are not crazy for it, especially from potentially creepy fans in this case. But how am I supposed to know? I'm not sadly =\