Yes Tour A Success Says Squire

Chris Squire sounds like a happy guy. With the end of the Yes tour just around the corner, he has nothing but good things to say about the recent history of the venerable group; one that has weathered dramatic personnel changes during its four decades of existence.

“Most people who come to see us have a real favorable opinion of Benoit. I have heard nothing but positive feedback,” the veteran bassist says regarding their current lead singer Benoit David. David, who came into the limelight after what must have been a pretty successful run as part of a Yes tribute band, has been filling Jon Anderson’s shoes since Anderson was sidelined by health problems.

It’s not certain what the relationship between Anderson and the rest of the group is these days, but Squire has continued to say that they would like to do something with him again in the future. It sounds like Squire might be a bit less optimistic about the possibility of a full recovery than Anderson may be, and indicates that he does not think the singer will ever be well enough to take on a full-blown tour.

Although Anderson’s absence from the lineup seemed like it would be temporary situation at first, over the last two years that possibility has gradually diminished if Squire’s comments are any indication.

Yes –- in it’s current form – has started to talk about a new music. Squire confirms that they plan to work on new material that they hope to release at some point during the year. There’s obviously enough confidence in Benoit David among to other member of the group to grant him what is looking more and more like a permanent slot.

Squire’s comments fortify that speculation.

“When new members come in, they usually bring something that’s refreshing and exciting and full of energy, and I’m hoping that will happen this time, as well,” he says, referring to their plans to record new music.

Guitarist Steve Howe seems fully on board with the idea of including David as a permanent member of the group as well. His reference to the group’s many personnel changes over the years is an indication that he has no problems welcoming a new member.

“Peter Banks was a pretty fine guitarist when I took his place; (keyboardist) Rick Wakeman brought in something different coming in for Tony Kaye; and (drummer) Alan White took on a new role when Bill Bruford decided to try something more eclectic. People’s individual experience were allowed to come into the band,” Howe explains.

In addition to David, the group seems to have accepted keyboardist Oliver Wakeman as one of their own. As the son of former Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman, Oliver is not quite the outsider that some might consider Benoit David to be, and he may not be subject to the same fan scrutiny that a lead vocalist might have to endure.

Squire, Howe and drummer Alan White seem determined to keep Yes alive in one incarnation or another. Whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing is something fans will decide for themselves.

Read more on Yes at The News-Herald and The Palm Beach Post.

Tags: Alan White, Album, Benoit David, Chris Squire, Jon Anderson, Oliver Wakeman, Recording, Steve Howe, tour, Yes

Scorpions Set to End Career on a High Note

At first I thought he was nuts. In the days of my youth back in the early 1980’s, I had a friend who introduced me to a rock band from Germany called Scorpions. First I’m thinking “A rock band from Germany?” It just didn’t make sense to me at the time. Everyone knew all of Europe’s great rock groups came out of the U.K., right?

Well, after riding around in his car listening to Scorpions cassette tapes for hours, I started to get it. These guys actually are pretty good. That was my introduction to the best-known rock band ever to come out of Germany. I won’t lie and say they are among my all-time favorites, but I still give their albums a listen once in a while, and usually end up enjoying their material more than I had anticipated.

After a wildly successful career which earned them a loyal fan base around the world, the Scorpions have decided to call it quits. They will, however, not be leaving quietly by any means. A new album entitled Sting in the Tail is in the works, and will be followed by a two-year tour spanning five continents.

Some fans may be wondering why they are throwing in the towel while they are still able to rock their fans like a hurricane, but as guitarist Rudolf Schenker describes it, “You can’t think about Scorpions at 70, not moving on stage, playing ‘Rock You Like a Hurricane’ — but on stage it’s not like a hurricane, it’s a very small wind," he says. "There’s no stinger, and that’s not good. You’re going back down hill, from big hall to small how, small how to club…Everything has it’s end; the question is it a good end or bad end? In this case we want to do these things and make it a good end.”

Man, I just love the way those guys put things sometimes. A “very small wind.” That’s not mean to be demeaning or to belittle their English skills in any way. It just comes out sounding rather amusing, but in a good way, and strangely endearing at the same time. Maybe it’s just me.

At any rate, Schenker is also quick to point out that they have no intention of disappearing altogether, and he eludes to all the film and other material they have accumulated during their career that they can continue releasing. In fact, the upcoming two-year tour is set to be filmed for possible release as some point.

It’s hard to blame them for wanting to go out on top. He’s very right about the “small wind.” Eventually we all reach the point where we would need a hand just getting up on a stage, and perhaps even a walker to move about once there!

It appears that these German rockers don’t have to worry about turning into a “small wind,” and will indeed be departing the scene like a hurricane. Venues around the globe are bound the be filled to capacity as they close out a pretty damn impressive career.

And to think I was doubtful about German rockers.

More details are online at Billboard.

Tags: Album, Breakup, Farewell, Rudolf Schenker, Scorpions, Sting in the Tail, tour

Them Crooked Vultures Let It All Hang Out on YouTube

They may not be the first group to put their entire new album on YouTube, but it’s still not something you see every day. New “supergroup” Them Crooked Vultures has confidently made their self-titled new album available free for anyone to listen to on the wildly popular video sharing site YouTube.

This may be an interesting experiment, whether or not the band planned it as such, I do not know. Will the release of the entire album online for free have any impact on album sales? Some fans have commented on YouTube and indicated that they plan to buy the album and applaud the group’s decision to put their music out there.

Other fans indicate that those who download music illegally are mostly kids who cannot afford to buy their music or people who would not buy it even if the downloads were not available. Groups like the RIAA surely do not agree with that assessment, but might this move by the Vultures prove them wrong? Is there any measurement that is used to accurately predict album sales? It would be interesting to know if the YouTube release has any effect on the numbers.

Perhaps the group is just facing up to reality, knowing that their album will be available online whether they put it there or not. I don’t think it takes a seasoned internet veteran to locate free music to download online, and it seems that barely any popular group is immune to having their material shared though various methods, which include download sites, news groups, torrents, P2P Networks, and perhaps others I have never even heard about.

The official release for the new album is set for November 17th.

To check out their new album in its entirety, head on over to Them Crooked Vultures’ YouTube Channel.

Tags: Album, Free, Online, Streaming, Them Crooked Vultures, YouTube

Jethro Tull Live At Madison Square Garden 1978

Tomorrow marks the release of the new Jethro Tull live CD/DVD set. From their Heavy Horses tour, the video and audio was recorded during a performance at New York’s famed Madison Square Garden and beamed around the world live via satellite. Something of an event in the days before satellite communications became so commonplace. In fact, the show had to be broken up into three segments due to the lack of broadcast time that was available on the satellite at the time, with the middle portion being shown on television.

The set consists of a single DVD and a single CD. The DVD includes just the audio for the first segment of the show which is comprised of three songs.

The middle portion of the show was televised and the resulting 50 or so minutes of video footage is included on the DVD. Eight songs are performed for the middle segment including hits like “Aqualung” and “Thick As A Brick.” Fans should not expect to see video footage presented in wide-screen “movie” format since the show was being shot for broadcast on television, and as we all know, there certainly was no HD in 1978.

The final segment on the DVD features the audio from three more songs, including “Cross Eyed Mary” and an encore of “Locomotive Breath.”

I had not seen Jethro Tull perform live before this, but I can say without any hesitation that they were certainly not a boring group to watch. Ian Anderson’s energy is extraordinary, and I’m not quite sure the man stood still for a single second during the entire performance. There is little doubt that both Anderson and the rest of the group poured every ounce of energy and ability at their disposal into that show.

Although the group took liberties with the arrangements of some well-known material, as one might expect during a live show, none of the changes diminished the quality of the performance for me. As is typically the case, the frontman got the lion’s share of the face time, and although some of us might have appreciated a little bit more attention directed at some of the other musicians, that appears to be the nature of show business and is not unique to this recording.

As anyone who has read my reviews of live albums in the past will know, my main sticking point is always the sound. I freely admit I am a bit of an audio snob, and I am often disappointed with live albums due to the mix, the acoustics, the microphone placement or any number of other circumstances I might be find disagreeable.

I’m happy to report that the sound quality of this live set is quite good. Especially when one considers that it was recorded 31 years ago! Kudos to Robin Black and Peter Mew, two gentlemen who were responsible for the mixing of the original recording and the newer 5.1 Dolby and stereo mixes respectively. Those are the names that most fans probably never notice among all the others in the liner notes, but they contribute enormously to the quality of the finished product. It really is a superb live recording.

Although I’ve been a fan of Jethro Tull since the 1970’s, I’m not sure I ever listened as carefully to their arrangements as I might have before receiving this new set. Certain passages are almost fusion-like to my ears, and reveal an impressive quantity of talent on that stage that I may have never fully appreciated before.

The CD that accompanies the DVD contains all the audio material from the DVD with the exception of the encore performance of “Locomotive Breath” and a few short non-musical segments like band introductions and such.

Although it is probably obvious by now, I would not hesitate to recommend this set to any Jethro Tull fan. As rare as it may seem coming from me, the quality of this recording elevates its status to one that is worthy of listening to for the audio alone.

Ian Anderson is currently on tour here in the U.S. Having finished up for the remainder of this month with a show yesterday in Connecticut, he will next appear in Phoenix at the Dodge Theatre on November 3rd.

Thanks to the folks at EMI for the review copy of this recording. At the same time, I should also mention that I was not compensated in any way for this review beyond the review copy of the set that I received.

Tags: 1978, Album, CD, DVD, Ian Anderson, Jethro Tull, Live, Madison Square Garden, New York City, Release

Aerosmith Gearing Up For Return To The Stage

Steven Tyler must be feeling better these days. There are reports that Aerosmith plans to forge ahead and head out to Hawaii next month to fulfill obligations that they agreed to in order to settle a lawsuit brought against them by angry fans who decided to band together and take action against the group after they cancelled a show on Maui during the fall of 2008.

The group is scheduled to perform two shows in Hawaii, one on Sunday, October 18 at the Blaisdell Arena and the other on Tuesday, October 20, at the Maui War Memorial Stadium. Tickets for both shows are set to go on sale Saturday and range in price from $65 to $195.

As for the 8,000 or so fans that filed the appropriate paperwork to be a part of the lawsuit, they can expect to receive tickets in the mail in the near future, according to attorney Brandee Faria, who was representing fans who were upset about losing money that was spent on things such as hotel and travel reservations that were made in order to attend the show.

The suit had been scheduled to go to trial in May, but the group decided to avoid a trial and settled with fans by offering them the two aforementioned shows.

There’s been a bit of friction between Tyler and the rest of the group if Joe Perry’s alleged comments were any indication, but it appears that relationships may be on the mend in addition to Tyler’s injuries. Whether or not the group’s return to the stage in Hawaii will pave the way for plans to make up the dates that have been missed over the past couple of months remains to be seen.

As I’ve noted before, Joe Perry has not been sitting around playing cards and watching TV during the past few months. Perry has kept himself busy with various activities, including doing interviews, pitching in as part of a a beach cleanup in Sarasota after a show was cancelled in Florida and working with his solo group.

Perry’s new album, Have Guitar, Will Travel, will hit store shelves on October 6. The video below shows Perry and his group, The Joe Perry Project at a recent performance in Plymouth, Massachusetts.

For more on Aerosmith’s up-coming Hawaii shows, check out the Star Bulletin.

Tags: Aerosmith, Album, Concerts, Have Guitar Will Travel, Hawaii, Joe Perry, Maui, October, Steven Tyler