By: Greg Barbrick When I first heard that there was to be an album featuring the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra performing the music of Rush I had no idea what to expect. In the ‘70s, Rush recorded a number of extended pieces which definitely had potential to be adapted into the classical world. It is a different world today though, and the era of the 20-minute song seems very long ago and far away. Out of curiosity more than anything else, […]

By: Nick DeRiso The intrigue of compilations like this is when seemingly incongruent artists successfully combine, or when somebody turns a familiar tune inside out. Who Are You: An All Star Tribute to the Who — due October 2, 2012, from Cleopatra Records — offers its share of both. The set opens with John Wetton, who always sings like his life is in the balance, tearing into the 1982 Who track “Eminence Front.” He turns out to be a perfect […]

By: Greg Barbrick The Outlaws may not be as well remembered today as such Southern Rock luminaries as Lynyrd Skynyrd or The Allman Brothers, but they should be. If ever there were a music that belonged to the ‘70s (besides disco), it had to be Southern Rock. For this dyed-in-the-wool Yankee, Southern Rock was a revelation. The best bands incorporated a wild stylistic mix into their music, including country, blues, R & B, straight-ahead rock, and even jazz-like extended soloing. […]

By: David E. Gehlke A play on the band’s notorious “Born to Lose” credo, Live to Win is a lovingly-assembled book by Motorhead fanclub president Alan Burridge, who has been with Lemmy and crew since 1979. Pictures (vintage, revealing, exclusive, you name it) are in full supply here, making it a visual delight for those who are charmed by Lemmy and the various goons he’s trotted out since his fortuitous Hawkwind ouster in the mid-70’s. And judging by the cast […]

By: Nick DeRiso Billy Sherwood, both with Yes and on his recent helming of the Prog Collective, has already established himself as a staunch advocate for the 1970s’ signature rock style. So why shouldn’t he do the same with 1970s jazz? The forthcoming Sherwood-produced Fusion Syndicate, set for release by Purple Pyramid/Cleopatra on October 16, 2012, recalls all of the genre-busting triumphs of Mahavishnu Orchestra — and even includes a pair of former members in Billy Cobham and Jerry Goodman. […]

PLANET EARTH ATTACK, an exciting new meta-eclectic LP by Blackburner, is set for a release on September 25th on Cleopatra/Hypnotic Records. I had the distinct pleasure of obtaining a pre-release of this disgustingly dark–yet occasionally mesmerizing–album, headed by the former-metalhead Skyla Talon, who is ostensibly still enamored with the genre. PEA exploits Skyla’s roots as a member of Killingbird and former Rob Zombie guitarist Riggs’ Scum Of The Earth, throws them into a rusty meat-grinder with a Glitch-Dubstep-House concoction, and […]