Al Stewart "Year Of The Cat" 3CD/1DVD 45th Anniversary Limited Edition Box Set Available For Pre-order

Released March 26, 2021.

• A DELUXE 4 DISC 45TH ANNIVERSARY LIMITED EDITION BOX SET OF THE CLASSIC 1976 ALBUM BY AL STEWART
• NEWLY REMASTERED FROM THE ORIGINAL MASTER TAPES BY ALAN PARSONS
• FEATURING AN ADDITIONAL 25 BONUS TRACKS: DRAWN FROM A NEW 5.1 SURROUND SOUND ALBUM MIX FROM THE ORIGINAL MULTI-TRACK MASTER TAPES BY ALAN PARSONS, A PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED CONCERT RECORDED IN SEATTLE IN 1976 AND AN OUT-TAKE FROM THE ALBUM SESSIONS
• INCLUDES AN ILLUSTRATED 68 PAGE BOOK WITH AN ESSAY FEATURING AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH AL STEWART AND ALSO INCLUDES 4 POSTCARDS AND A REPLICA POSTER

Esoteric Recordings is proud to announce the release of a new re-mastered four-disc deluxe 45th anniversary boxed set limited edition (comprising 3 CDs and a DVD) of YEAR OF THE CAT the legendary 1976 album by AL STEWART.

Recorded in the early months of 1976 at Abbey Road studios (with some sessions and mixing taking place at Davlen Studios in Los Angeles), YEAR OF THE CAT was the seventh album by Stewart and was the second album on which he collaborated with the celebrated producer ALAN PARSONS.

The record was an album of immense musical inventiveness and creativity and was a triumph both in terms of Al Stewart’s song writing and the stunning and sophisticated production by Alan Parsons. Featuring such classic songs as ‘On the Border’, ‘Lord Grenville’, ‘Midas Shadow’, ‘If it Doesn’t Come Naturally, Leave It’, ‘One Stage Before’ and the classic title track. YEAR OF THE CAT was a major commercial and critical success on its release, reaching the US Billboard Top Five and was a European hit, eventually earning platinum disc status in the USA by March 1977. The single ‘Year of the Cat’ was also a Top Ten hit in the States and was a Top 40 hit single in the UK, establishing Al Stewart as a major artist.

This 45th Anniversary edition of this special album has been newly re-mastered for the very first time from the original first-generation master tapes by ALAN PARSONS and also features his stunning new 5.1 Surround sound mix from the original multi-track tapes. In addition, the set includes a complete, previously unreleased concert recorded at the Paramount Theater, Seattle in October 1976 on the YEAR OF THE CAT tour over two CDs and a new mix of the track ‘Belsize Blues’, recorded at Abbey Road Studios in September 1975.

This limited edition boxed set also features an illustrated 68-page book with a new essay featuring an interview with Al Stewart and a facsimile promotional poster and a set of four postcards and is a fitting tribute to a much treasured and legendary masterpiece by a consummate songwriter and performer.

Track Listing:

DISC ONE
YEAR OF THE CAT
RE-MASTERED BY ALAN PARSONS

1. LORD GRENVILLE
2. ON THE BORDER
3. MIDAS SHADOW
4. SAND IN YOUR SHOES
5. IF IT DOESN’T COME NATURALLY, LEAVE IT
6. FLYING SORCERY
7. BROADWAY HOTEL
8. ONE STAGE BEFORE
9. YEAR OF THE CAT

BONUS TRACK
10. BELSIZE BLUES

(RECORDED AT ABBEY ROAD STUDIOS IN SEPTEMBER 1975)

DISC TWO:
LIVE AT THE PARAMOUNT THEATER,
SEATTLE – OCTOBER 1976
PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
1. APPLE CIDER RE-CONSTITUTION (LIVE 1976)
(PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED)
2. THE DARK AND THE ROLLING SEA (LIVE 1976)
(PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED)
3. ONE STAGE BEFORE (LIVE 1976) (PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED)
4. SOHO (NEEDLESS TO SAY) (LIVE 1976)
(PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED)
5. NOT THE ONE (LIVE 1976) (PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED)
6. ON THE BORDER (LIVE 1976) (PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED)
7. BROADWAY HOTEL (LIVE 1976) (PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED)
8. ROADS TO MOSCOW (LIVE 1976) (PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED)

DISC THREE:
LIVE AT THE PARAMOUNT THEATER,
SEATTLE – OCTOBER 1976
PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

1. NOSTRADAMUS (LIVE 1976) (PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED)
2. SIRENS OF TITAN (LIVE 1976) (PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED)
3. THE POST WORLD WAR TWO BLUES (LIVE 1976) (PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED)
4. YEAR OF THE CAT (LIVE 1976) (PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED)
5. SAND IN YOUR SHOES (LIVE 1976) (PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED)
6. CAROL (LIVE 1976) (PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED)
7. IF IT DOESN’T COME NATURALLY, LEAVE IT (LIVE 1976) (PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED)

DISC FOUR:
YEAR OF THE CAT THE NEW 5.1 SURROUND SOUND MIX & ORIGINAL 96 KHZ / 24-BIT RE-MASTERED STEREO MIX BY ALAN PARSONS

1. LORD GRENVILLE (5.1 SURROUND SOUND MIX)
2. ON THE BORDER (5.1 SURROUND SOUND MIX)
3. MIDAS SHADOW (5.1 SURROUND SOUND MIX)
4. SAND IN YOUR SHOES (5.1 SURROUND SOUND MIX)
5. IF IT DOESN’T COME NATURALLY, LEAVE IT (5.1 SURROUND SOUND MIX)
6. FLYING SORCERY (5.1 SURROUND SOUND MIX)
7. BROADWAY HOTEL (5.1 SURROUND SOUND MIX)
8. ONE STAGE BEFORE (5.1 SURROUND SOUND MIX)
9. YEAR OF THE CAT (5.1 SURROUND SOUND MIX)

To pre-order: https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/al-stewart-year-of-the-cat-3cd-1dvd-45th-anniversary-limited-edition-box-set/

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158 (US), glassonyonpr@gmail.com

Chicago Prog Ensemble Sonus Umbra Release New Album “A Sky Full of Ghosts”

Sonus Umbra came to life in 1991, formed by a group of physics and math students in Mexico City who drew from their shared love for all things dark, hard rocking and melodic. 30 years later, now based in Chicago and including some of the most accomplished veteran musicians of the Chicago rock music scene, the band continues casting shadows made of sound.

Sonus Umbra has played many progressive rock festivals in North America, including RoSfest, ProgDay, FestivAlterNativo, Progtoberfest and Terra Incognita, toured Mexico and Canada with Discipline, and shared stages along the way with the likes of Spock’s Beard, PFM, Stick Men, Haken, Thank You Scientist, Necromonkey, Deus Ex Machina, Tiles and Glass Hammer.

The band’s new studio album “A Sky Full of Ghosts” concludes the journey that began with “Beyond the Panopticon” and closes a chapter in the band’s own journey. The new album is a milestone of elaborate and ferocious progressive rock, and yet it is also their most melodic material to date.

Part 1 (“Beyond the Panopticon”) tells a story about the misconceived identity of a nameless protagonist who reminisces about lost love and near misses with death until he suddenly discovers that all of these memories are false. As he awakens to the reality around him, he realizes things are not as they seem, and that he is being watched...

Part 2 (“A Sky Full of Ghosts”) starts with the protagonist at war with his identity and environment. He learns that he is on board a vessel, deep in space and very far from home. The date is unknown. His mission is to assist the AI that runs the vessel and keeps him healthy and alive as they search for an exoplanet suitable for human habitation. In his broken mind, he personifies the AI that watches over him as a supernatural adversary: the Lorelei, with a bewitching song that will eventually lure him to his death.

Ultimately, the protagonist realizes that the Lorelei was always his ally, and the Earth of his memories is long gone, its flora and fauna decimated and no longer able to sustain life, destroyed by humanity’s hubris and senseless greed. As denial gives way to acceptance, the album is a plea for reason to prevail: it is suicidal and insane to wage war against your ship, which is the only thing keeping you alive in space. This is true whether the ship is an artificial vessel or the planet we call home.

We are all in this together, and we all are the same in the dark.

Sonus Umbra:

Roey Ben-Yoseph: Lead Vocals
Rich Poston: Electric Guitar, Keyboards
Steve Royce: Flute, Keyboards
David Keller: Cello, Orchestral Percussion
Tim McCaskey: Acoustic and Electric Guitar
Andy Tillotson: Drums, Keyboards, Guitars, Sound Design
Luis Nasser: Bass, Keyboards, Sound Design

You can order the eight-panel digipak compact disc directly from the band and stream the songs at gotsonus.bandcamp.com.

The album is also available at select distributors or directly at shadowsmadeofsound.com/store.

For more information:
shadowsmadeofsound.com
facebook.com/sonusumbra
twitter.com/sonusumbra

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 1-828-350-8158, glassonyonpr@gmail.com

Chicago Prog Ensemble Sonus Umbra Release New Album “A Sky Full of Ghosts”

Sonus Umbra came to life in 1991, formed by a group of physics and math students in Mexico City who drew from their shared love for all things dark, hard rocking and melodic. 30 years later, now based in Chicago and including some of the most accomplished veteran musicians of the Chicago rock music scene, the band continues casting shadows made of sound.

Sonus Umbra has played many progressive rock festivals in North America, including RoSfest, ProgDay, FestivAlterNativo, Progtoberfest and Terra Incognita, toured Mexico and Canada with Discipline, and shared stages along the way with the likes of Spock’s Beard, PFM, Stick Men, Haken, Thank You Scientist, Necromonkey, Deus Ex Machina, Tiles and Glass Hammer.

The band’s new studio album “A Sky Full of Ghosts” concludes the journey that began with “Beyond the Panopticon” and closes a chapter in the band’s own journey. The new album is a milestone of elaborate and ferocious progressive rock, and yet it is also their most melodic material to date.

Part 1 (“Beyond the Panopticon”) tells a story about the misconceived identity of a nameless protagonist who reminisces about lost love and near misses with death until he suddenly discovers that all of these memories are false. As he awakens to the reality around him, he realizes things are not as they seem, and that he is being watched...

Part 2 (“A Sky Full of Ghosts”) starts with the protagonist at war with his identity and environment. He learns that he is on board a vessel, deep in space and very far from home. The date is unknown. His mission is to assist the AI that runs the vessel and keeps him healthy and alive as they search for an exoplanet suitable for human habitation. In his broken mind, he personifies the AI that watches over him as a supernatural adversary: the Lorelei, with a bewitching song that will eventually lure him to his death.

Ultimately, the protagonist realizes that the Lorelei was always his ally, and the Earth of his memories is long gone, its flora and fauna decimated and no longer able to sustain life, destroyed by humanity’s hubris and senseless greed. As denial gives way to acceptance, the album is a plea for reason to prevail: it is suicidal and insane to wage war against your ship, which is the only thing keeping you alive in space. This is true whether the ship is an artificial vessel or the planet we call home.

We are all in this together, and we all are the same in the dark.

Sonus Umbra:

Roey Ben-Yoseph: Lead Vocals
Rich Poston: Electric Guitar, Keyboards
Steve Royce: Flute, Keyboards
David Keller: Cello, Orchestral Percussion
Tim McCaskey: Acoustic and Electric Guitar
Andy Tillotson: Drums, Keyboards, Guitars, Sound Design
Luis Nasser: Bass, Keyboards, Sound Design

You can order the eight-panel digipak compact disc directly from the band and stream the songs at gotsonus.bandcamp.com.

The album is also available at select distributors or directly at shadowsmadeofsound.com/store.

For more information:
shadowsmadeofsound.com
facebook.com/sonusumbra
twitter.com/sonusumbra

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 1-828-350-8158, glassonyonpr@gmail.com

Writings By Drummer & Multi-instrumentalist Bill Rieflin in “Within Without” Now Available

New Annual Publication “Within Without” Shares Intimate Writings From Bill Rieflin - Drummer & Multi-instrumentalist With Bands Such As R.E.M, King Crimson, and Ministry

This landmark issue of an independent annual print publication series that shares intimate perspectives into the hearts and minds of creatives unfolds over 90 pages of Bill Rieflin's personal correspondence with the editor, Iona Singleton, as he shares his intimate thoughts during the last four years of his life, from 2016 until his passing on the 24th March 2020. His letters are beautiful, sarcastic, and disturbing. He imbues the mundane with the whimsical, searching for a deeper meaning amid his own illness and the death of his wife, Francesca.  

“I think sharing is a natural aspect of human experience. Sharing who we are is an expression of love.” - Bill Rieflin

Rieflin’s writings are accompanied by images from an array of leading photographers and graphic artists. Each of them expresses their unique creative perspective on the theme ‘a space for change’ as a starting point for the distinct narratives that unfold throughout.

photo by Tony Levin

To purchase: https://www.withinwithout.co.uk/shop/p/within-without-volume-i

For more information: www.withinwithout.co.uk

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 1-828-350-8158, glassonyonpr@gmail.com

Writings By Drummer & Multi-instrumentalist Bill Rieflin in “Within Without” Now Available

New Annual Publication “Within Without” Shares Intimate Writings From Bill Rieflin - Drummer & Multi-instrumentalist With Bands Such As R.E.M, King Crimson, and Ministry

This landmark issue of an independent annual print publication series that shares intimate perspectives into the hearts and minds of creatives unfolds over 90 pages of Bill Rieflin's personal correspondence with the editor, Iona Singleton, as he shares his intimate thoughts during the last four years of his life, from 2016 until his passing on the 24th March 2020. His letters are beautiful, sarcastic, and disturbing. He imbues the mundane with the whimsical, searching for a deeper meaning amid his own illness and the death of his wife, Francesca.  

“I think sharing is a natural aspect of human experience. Sharing who we are is an expression of love.” - Bill Rieflin

Rieflin’s writings are accompanied by images from an array of leading photographers and graphic artists. Each of them expresses their unique creative perspective on the theme ‘a space for change’ as a starting point for the distinct narratives that unfold throughout.

photo by Tony Levin

To purchase: https://www.withinwithout.co.uk/shop/p/within-without-volume-i

For more information: www.withinwithout.co.uk

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 1-828-350-8158, glassonyonpr@gmail.com

Beautiful People “If 60’s Were 90’s” Box Set Featuring Sampled Guitar Riffs, Lead Vocals & Word Raps From Guitar God Jimi Hendrix

FIRST RELEASED IN 1993

The cleverly titled “If 60’s Were 90’s” by the band Beautiful People, is a truly unique and seminal record.

“Beautiful People are a bunch of movers and shakers from London's Acid House Scene, who have a highly developed fascination with the music of Jimi Hendrix, emphatically not a ‘Tribute’ band in the style of the Bootleg Beatles or the Australian Doors, Beautiful People have used sampling technology to virtually recruit Hendrix into the groups line up.” - David Sinclair, Billboard Magazine

Consisting of over fifty guitar riffs, vocal cut outs, out- take lead breaks, and word raps from guitar god Jimi Hendrix, “If 60’s Were 90’s” also features spoken steals from Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones, Experience drummer Mitch Mitchell, 60’s blues guitarist Mike Bloomfield and a party called the “Milky Way Express” that included the one and only Frank Zappa. Like some Groovy Psychedelic time-machine cruising the Hendrixphere, Beautiful People pluck from over 30 different Hendrix recordings, writing nine new songs creating an... “Ambient Dance Dream Tribute” (Kris Needs, NME)… of … “Super Psychedelic Baggy Indie dance with Orb like overtones..” (Ian McCan, VOX) creating a sound that arguably helped kick off the rock dance crossover phenomenon of the early 90’s, bringing guitars back into dance music while still retaining the psychedelic rock majesty of one of the greatest guitarists of the 20th Century.

It all began when Singer/ Guitarist turned Acid House promoter Duncan Elder AKA Du Kane teamed up with Keyboardist/Studio Tech Whizz Luke Baldry, and created a one-off Hendrix sampled house track that found its way to Eric Clapton. Eric initially wanted to release the track but on managerial advice generously passed it on to Alan Douglas, (who ironically had been looking for an “environment” for the sampling of Hendrix at that time.) Douglas gave the gig to Kane and Baldry, the boys decided to name the band after Kane’s Acid House promotion company “Beautiful People” a name inspired by and attributed to author Ken Kesey and his team of 60’s Merry Pranksters. The album was completed in July 1992 with live drums recorded by Robin Goodridge (later of BUSH fame) and first released in 1993 on Castle Communications Essential label with remixes by Killing Joke bassist and Legendary producer YOUTH (Pink Floyd, Verve, U2.) The album was generally well received even if the idea of it did freak out some purists, but it proved to be a grower. The New York Post called it “An inspired bit of Grave Digging.” In 1994 Beautiful People toured Europe supporting HAWKWIND then on the personal request of Noel Gallagher toured the UK on the OASIS “Definitely Maybe” tour.  

After securing an American deal with Continuum records Beautiful People racked up a number #1 and number #3 in the US dance chart with “If 60’s Was 90’s,” and “Rilly Groovy” (the former with accompanied video featuring Jimi’s son James Sunquist, aka Jimi Hendrix Jnr,) “Rilly Groovy” which was also placed in the opening credits for the movie “P.C.U” (a Grunge Era National Lampoon’s Uni flick starring Jeremy Piven and David Spade), as well as “If 60’s Was 90’s” being added to the movie soundtrack of “Prefontaine” starring Jared Leto... With a huge American Tour booked and the single about to be released to the mainstream chart, everything was looking good when out of the blue their American Label Continuum went bankrupt ...everything halted and the album was frozen.  

...And this Cult favorite was lost in a 90’s ethereal mist...

That is... until now...Out on Gonzo MultiMedia in box set form, and for the first time on (Purple) Vinyl is the whole remastered album, a triple CD selection of the best remixes by YOUTH, PM DAWN, Ben Mitchell, and Astralasia amongst others, a remastered CD of the album, also a DVD of all the bands Live TV performances, music videos, an interview with Alan Douglas, as well as a scrapbook coffee table book put together by Ian Brown and Fall. Producer Mike Bennett, with Du Kane telling the whole story with pictures and testimonials from members of the Darkness, Happy Mondays, The Fall, Sub Sub, Wishbone Ash, Sisters of Mercy, Oasis, Spiritulised, Steve Etherington, BUSH, Primal Scream, blues guitarist Will Johns, Fuzz Box, The Dust Junkys, and Hendrix photographer Karl Ferris commenting on how much influence “If 60’s Were 90’s” had on them personally, and on the music that followed, proving that Jimi Hendrix was still showing the way to another generation twenty five years after his tragic passing, and still inspiring future generations.

“It’s an album to dream to... or just play spot the lick ...and the closing ‘The Sea’...Eventually incredibly combines the beautiful intro of ‘Hey Baby’ with those stoned vocals of Electric Ladyland. It’s as if Jimi just got up and walked into the studio yesterday.” - Record Collector

“Listening to this album it is obvious it was made with the utmost respect...in fact somewhere or other Jimi is probably smiling” - Guitarist magazine

“Mixing previously unheard slabs of Hendrix into an Ethereal Post Rave haze will appeal to psychedelic warlords of all ages” - Melody Maker

“Sounds like the ghost of Jimbo is its executive producer”- SELECT MAGAZINE

“The fact that Jimi’s 60’s freakouts are still lightyears ahead of what passes for rock in the 90’s is not wasted on this group...An ambient dance dream tribute” – NME

“You get the sense Beautiful People do actually know and love Hendrix’s music ...it’s a great record both cheeky and elegant” - TIME OUT

“Loved if 60’s Were 90’s a hidden Gem...and a welcome relief from Brit Pop” - Billy Duffy (Guitarist - The Cult, Dead Men Walking)

“One of my favorite bands of the 90’s. It’s great to hear If 60’s Were 90’s is out again... Historic!” - Kenney Jones (Drummer - Small Faces, The Faces, The Who and Jones Gang)

“A right Royal Hendrix Groovathon!” - Toby Toman (Drummer - Primal Scream, Nico)

“Beautiful People were massive in Manchester...It was Perfect as purist Hendrix fans loved it and another generation in the indie scene lapped it up too... and not a duff track on it!” - Nicky Tunes (Dust Junkys and collaborator with the Fun Lovin Criminals)

“I played all the Live drums on this Jimi inspired dance /rock crossover record... I gave a copy to Gavin Rossdale and he was so impressed he called me early the next morning about doing an audition for BUSH!” - Robin Goodridge (Drummer - Beautiful People, Spear Of Destiny, BUSH, Ellis)

“When I first heard the ‘Beautiful People - If 60’s was 90’s’ album,

I was Blown Away with how they respectfully fused Jimi Hendrix’s music with their modern Electronic Beat and played along perfectly with him as if he was there in the group! And therefore, I absolutely know that he would have loved it and would have wanted to Jam with them...” - Karl Ferris (Photographer & Designer of “The Jimi Hendrix Experience” 1967-1968 US Album Covers:“Are You Experienced?” and “Electric Ladyland”)

“Wow when of my favorite remixes, I remember hearing it as the closing track on a beach on a 20k rig with 2000 freaks going crazy just after dawn, dolphins were flippin, naked beautiful people in the waterfall... Certainly one of the best and most memorable experiences I’ve ever had...” - Youth (Bassist for Killing Joke and Producer for Pink Floyd, The Verve, Paul Mcartney and many more.)

To purchase: https://www.musicglue.com/beautiful-people/

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 1-828-350-8158, glassonyonpr@gmail.com

STRAWBS Release New Studio Album “Settlement”

Released February 26, 2021

Esoteric Antenna is delighted to announce the release of the new studio album by the legendary band STRAWBS. “Settlement” is the latest album recorded by STRAWBS, more than 50 years on from the band’s first major label release. The album comes at a time of political and social upheaval, which the lyrics and melodies of the songs reflect. Undeterred by the fact that ‘business as usual’ was not possible because of the global COVID-19 pandemic – working remote from one another, from their own home studios – “Settlement” is a remarkable achievement.

David Cousins, leader of STRAWBS says: “‘Settlement’ is something extraordinary. I can’t think of another band who can go from metal grunge to the lilt of an Irish ghost story – or from a song in 6/8 time to singing in 4/4 over a 5/4 backbeat – in half an hour. The lyrics reflect the times we have been living through and I’m immensely proud of what we’ve achieved.”

“Settlement” is produced by Blue Weaver who played with STRAWBS and Bee Gees in their 1970s heydays. The recording was coordinated from Blue’s studio in Germany, where he now lives. STRAWBS are David Cousins, Dave Lambert, Chas Cronk, Tony Fernandez and Dave Bainbridge. Special guests on the album are John Ford, another former member of STRAWBS, who lives in New York, Cathryn Craig, with her lovely voice and unmistakable Southern lilt, who lives in Northern Ireland, and bass player Schalk Joubert, with whom David Cousins performed in South Africa at the beginning of the year. The album will be available both on CD and 180 gram vinyl formats.

“There comes a time when every Settlement is due!”

Track Listing:

1. SETTLEMENT
2. STRANGE TIMES
3. JUDGEMENT DAY
4. EACH MANNER OF MAN
5. THE VISIT
6. FLYING FREE
7. QUICKSILVER DAYS
8. WE ARE EVERYONE
9. CHORALE
10. CHAMPION JACK
11. BETTER DAYS (LIFE IS NOT A GAME)
12. LIBERTY

To pre-order:
https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/strawbs-settlement-cd-edition/
https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/strawbs-settlement-180g-vinyl-lp/

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158 (US), glassonyonpr@gmail.com

STRAWBS Release New Studio Album “Settlement”

Released February 26, 2021

Esoteric Antenna is delighted to announce the release of the new studio album by the legendary band STRAWBS. “Settlement” is the latest album recorded by STRAWBS, more than 50 years on from the band’s first major label release. The album comes at a time of political and social upheaval, which the lyrics and melodies of the songs reflect. Undeterred by the fact that ‘business as usual’ was not possible because of the global COVID-19 pandemic – working remote from one another, from their own home studios – “Settlement” is a remarkable achievement.

David Cousins, leader of STRAWBS says: “‘Settlement’ is something extraordinary. I can’t think of another band who can go from metal grunge to the lilt of an Irish ghost story – or from a song in 6/8 time to singing in 4/4 over a 5/4 backbeat – in half an hour. The lyrics reflect the times we have been living through and I’m immensely proud of what we’ve achieved.”

“Settlement” is produced by Blue Weaver who played with STRAWBS and Bee Gees in their 1970s heydays. The recording was coordinated from Blue’s studio in Germany, where he now lives. STRAWBS are David Cousins, Dave Lambert, Chas Cronk, Tony Fernandez and Dave Bainbridge. Special guests on the album are John Ford, another former member of STRAWBS, who lives in New York, Cathryn Craig, with her lovely voice and unmistakable Southern lilt, who lives in Northern Ireland, and bass player Schalk Joubert, with whom David Cousins performed in South Africa at the beginning of the year. The album will be available both on CD and 180 gram vinyl formats.

“There comes a time when every Settlement is due!”

Track Listing:

1. SETTLEMENT
2. STRANGE TIMES
3. JUDGEMENT DAY
4. EACH MANNER OF MAN
5. THE VISIT
6. FLYING FREE
7. QUICKSILVER DAYS
8. WE ARE EVERYONE
9. CHORALE
10. CHAMPION JACK
11. BETTER DAYS (LIFE IS NOT A GAME)
12. LIBERTY

To pre-order:
https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/strawbs-settlement-cd-edition/
https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/strawbs-settlement-180g-vinyl-lp/

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158 (US), glassonyonpr@gmail.com

Leading Figures Of Modern Electronic & Veteran Artists Rediscover & Revitalize The Music Of British Visionary ROBERT CALVERT!

Los Angeles, CA - Robert Calvert was one of the most charismatic and cutting-edge visionaries to emerge out of London's psych rock scene of the '60s & '70s, first as the frontman for the behemoth that is Hawkwind and later as a solo artist whose avant garde albums made him a highly influential art rock raconteur. And although mainstream recognition alluded Calvert during his career, a diverse and distinguished collection of nextgen artists along with several notable veterans are attempting to change that with a new remix project, called The Last Starfighter. The project features vintage Calvert tracks taken from both his solo albums as well as raw, unfinished demos, completely revamped by the likes of indie noise icons Xiu Xiu, chillwave group Small Black, post-punkers Soft Kill plus darkwave duos Xeno & Oaklander and Sixth June as well as veterans A Flock Of Seagulls and The Damned's Rat Scabies!

Xiu Xiu leader, Jamie Stewart, whose remix of “Marathon Man” is now available as a standalone single, shares this story about discovering Calvert’s music, “Around 2010 our tour manager, a continual fountain of musical exposure, introduced me to kosmische musik. Somehow I had gone my entire life before never having come across this world. During this tutelage, he professed one of his heroes, who is now also one of mine, to be Robert Calvert. We have listened to his forays into the beyond while driving across Europe in a van for years now. It was an incredible honor to be able to explore and touch one of his many masterpieces so thoroughly. I hope it was shown the love it deserves.”

The Last Starfighter will be available on both CD and gorgeous silver or purple vinyl in a gatefold jacket starting February 19 courtesy of Cleopatra Records!

Stream the single: https://orcd.co/robert_calvert_xiu_xiu_marathon_man

Pre-order the album: https://orcd.co/robert_calvert_the_last_starfighter

Track List:

CD

1. Over The Moon (A Flock Of Seagulls Remix)
2. Marathon Man (Xiu Xiu Remix)
3. Lord Of The Hornets (Rat Scabies Remix)
4. Acid Rain (Black Plastic Remix)
5. The Luminous Green Glow of the Dials of the Dashboard (At Night) (Antoni Maiovvi Remix)
6. Hidden Persuasion (Xeno & Oaklander Remix)
7. Thanks To The Scientists (Sixth June Remix)
8. I Hear Voices (Soft Kill Remix)
9. Subterraneans (Small Black Remix)
10. Marathon Man (Ritual Howls Remix)
11. Work Song (The KVB Remix)
12. Ned Ludd (Die Krupps Remix)
13. Over The Moon (Xiu Xiu Remix)
14. Working Down A Diamond Mine (Crying Vessel Remix)
15. All Machines Are Quiet (Andre Obin Remix)
16. Ambitious (Nite Remix)
17. Teen Ballad Of Deano (Inhalt Remix)
18. Telekinesis (S Y Z Y G Y X Remix)
19. Flight 105 (European Ghost Remix)

VINYL

SIDE A

1. Over The Moon (A Flock Of Seagulls Remix)
2. Marathon Man (Xiu Xiu Remix)
3. Lord Of The Hornets (Rat Scabies Remix)
4. Acid Rain (Black Plastic Remix)
5. The Luminous Green Glow of the Dials of the Dashboard (At Night) (Antoni Maiovvi Remix)

SIDE B

1. Hidden Persuasion (Xeno & Oaklander Remix)
2. Thanks To The Scientists (Sixth June Remix)
3. I Hear Voices (Soft Kill Remix)
4. Subterraneans (Small Black Remix)
5. Marathon Man (Ritual Howls Remix)

Press inquiries:
Glass Onyon PR
Billy James
PH: 828-350-8158
glassonyonpr@gmail.com

CLEOPATRA RECORDS, Inc.
11041 Santa Monica Blvd #703
Los Angeles CA 90025
www.CleopatraRecords.com
Facebook @Cleopatrarecords
https://www.facebook.com/CleopatraRecords/
Instagram @cleopatrarecords
https://www.instagram.com/cleopatrarecords/
Twitter @cleopatrarecord
https://twitter.com/cleopatrarecord
Youtube @Cleopatrarecords
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCopQ0616Fpfrq8Gt0N-0zOQ
Soundcloud @cleopatra-recs
https://soundcloud.com/cleopatra-recs
Dailymotion @Cleopatrarecords
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Leading Figures Of Modern Electronic & Veteran Artists Rediscover & Revitalize The Music Of British Visionary ROBERT CALVERT!

Los Angeles, CA - Robert Calvert was one of the most charismatic and cutting-edge visionaries to emerge out of London's psych rock scene of the '60s & '70s, first as the frontman for the behemoth that is Hawkwind and later as a solo artist whose avant garde albums made him a highly influential art rock raconteur. And although mainstream recognition alluded Calvert during his career, a diverse and distinguished collection of nextgen artists along with several notable veterans are attempting to change that with a new remix project, called The Last Starfighter. The project features vintage Calvert tracks taken from both his solo albums as well as raw, unfinished demos, completely revamped by the likes of indie noise icons Xiu Xiu, chillwave group Small Black, post-punkers Soft Kill plus darkwave duos Xeno & Oaklander and Sixth June as well as veterans A Flock Of Seagulls and The Damned's Rat Scabies!

Xiu Xiu leader, Jamie Stewart, whose remix of “Marathon Man” is now available as a standalone single, shares this story about discovering Calvert’s music, “Around 2010 our tour manager, a continual fountain of musical exposure, introduced me to kosmische musik. Somehow I had gone my entire life before never having come across this world. During this tutelage, he professed one of his heroes, who is now also one of mine, to be Robert Calvert. We have listened to his forays into the beyond while driving across Europe in a van for years now. It was an incredible honor to be able to explore and touch one of his many masterpieces so thoroughly. I hope it was shown the love it deserves.”

The Last Starfighter will be available on both CD and gorgeous silver or purple vinyl in a gatefold jacket starting February 19 courtesy of Cleopatra Records!

Stream the single: https://orcd.co/robert_calvert_xiu_xiu_marathon_man

Pre-order the album: https://orcd.co/robert_calvert_the_last_starfighter

Track List:

CD

1. Over The Moon (A Flock Of Seagulls Remix)
2. Marathon Man (Xiu Xiu Remix)
3. Lord Of The Hornets (Rat Scabies Remix)
4. Acid Rain (Black Plastic Remix)
5. The Luminous Green Glow of the Dials of the Dashboard (At Night) (Antoni Maiovvi Remix)
6. Hidden Persuasion (Xeno & Oaklander Remix)
7. Thanks To The Scientists (Sixth June Remix)
8. I Hear Voices (Soft Kill Remix)
9. Subterraneans (Small Black Remix)
10. Marathon Man (Ritual Howls Remix)
11. Work Song (The KVB Remix)
12. Ned Ludd (Die Krupps Remix)
13. Over The Moon (Xiu Xiu Remix)
14. Working Down A Diamond Mine (Crying Vessel Remix)
15. All Machines Are Quiet (Andre Obin Remix)
16. Ambitious (Nite Remix)
17. Teen Ballad Of Deano (Inhalt Remix)
18. Telekinesis (S Y Z Y G Y X Remix)
19. Flight 105 (European Ghost Remix)

VINYL

SIDE A

1. Over The Moon (A Flock Of Seagulls Remix)
2. Marathon Man (Xiu Xiu Remix)
3. Lord Of The Hornets (Rat Scabies Remix)
4. Acid Rain (Black Plastic Remix)
5. The Luminous Green Glow of the Dials of the Dashboard (At Night) (Antoni Maiovvi Remix)

SIDE B

1. Hidden Persuasion (Xeno & Oaklander Remix)
2. Thanks To The Scientists (Sixth June Remix)
3. I Hear Voices (Soft Kill Remix)
4. Subterraneans (Small Black Remix)
5. Marathon Man (Ritual Howls Remix)

Press inquiries:
Glass Onyon PR
Billy James
PH: 828-350-8158
glassonyonpr@gmail.com

CLEOPATRA RECORDS, Inc.
11041 Santa Monica Blvd #703
Los Angeles CA 90025
www.CleopatraRecords.com
Facebook @Cleopatrarecords
https://www.facebook.com/CleopatraRecords/
Instagram @cleopatrarecords
https://www.instagram.com/cleopatrarecords/
Twitter @cleopatrarecord
https://twitter.com/cleopatrarecord
Youtube @Cleopatrarecords
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCopQ0616Fpfrq8Gt0N-0zOQ
Soundcloud @cleopatra-recs
https://soundcloud.com/cleopatra-recs
Dailymotion @Cleopatrarecords
https://www.dailymotion.com/CleopatraRecords
Vimeo @cleopatrarecords
https://vimeo.com/cleopatrarecords
Spotify @cleopatra_recs
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Linkedin @cleopatra-records
https://www.linkedin.com/company/cleopatra-records

Guitar Legend TOMMY BOLIN Celebrated With New Collection Of Lost Tracks!

Los Angeles, CA - This year will mark the 55th anniversary of the passing of Tommy Bolin, the supremely talented guitarist and songwriter, best known for his work with Deep Purple and The James Gang, who captivated the world with his sophisticated and ferocious playing. Bolin’s tragic death, he was a mere 25 years old, has been one of rock music’s great “what ifs” forcing critics and fans to grapple with what Bolin might have been able to accomplish in subsequent years were he still alive, given that he managed to produce such amazing works of mature artistry at such a young age. Many point to Bolin’s most fully realized, and sadly final, album, the magnificent Private Eyes, as proof that for all of Bolin’s success, the man was just getting warmed up!

Now a new collection of never before released outtakes and demos from those recording sessions will be released showing the many sides of Bolin’s talent. The collection is called Shake The Devil - The Lost Sessions and will be released on February 12 courtesy of Cleopatra Records. Licensed directly from Bolin’s estate and with informative liner notes from rock journalist Dave Thompson, these recordings offer both acoustic, instrumental and alternate versions of some of Bolin’s best known tunes including his most popular song, “Bustin’ Out For Rosey.” That track is today offered as a special sneak preview of the album, which will be available on both CD as well as a gorgeous gatefold vinyl with your choice of white, purple or red vinyl!

Stream the single: https://orcd.co/tommy_bolin_bustin_out_for_rosey_alternate

Pre-order the album: https://orcd.co/tommy_bolin_shake_the_devil

Track List:
1. Shake The Devil (Alternate Mix)
2. Bustin' Out For Rosey (Alternate Version)
3. Hello Again (Outtake, No Strings)
4. Gypsy Soul (Outtake)
5. Sweet Burgundy (Alternate Version)
6. Someday We'll Bring Our Love Home (Instrumental Demo)
7. You Told Me That You Loved Me (Instrumental Demo)
8. Post Toastee (Acoustic Demo)
9. Tommy's Instrumental (Outtake)
10. Gypsy Soul (Acoustic Demo)
11. Gypsy Soul (Rehearsal Demo)
12. Someday We'll Bring Our Love Home (Instrumental Demo)

Press inquiries:
Glass Onyon PR
Billy James
PH: 828-350-8158
glassonyonpr@gmail.com

CLEOPATRA RECORDS, Inc.
11041 Santa Monica Blvd #703
Los Angeles CA 90025
www.CleopatraRecords.com
Facebook @Cleopatrarecords
https://www.facebook.com/CleopatraRecords/
Instagram @cleopatrarecords
https://www.instagram.com/cleopatrarecords/
Twitter @cleopatrarecord
https://twitter.com/cleopatrarecord
Youtube @Cleopatrarecords
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCopQ0616Fpfrq8Gt0N-0zOQ
Soundcloud @cleopatra-recs
https://soundcloud.com/cleopatra-recs
Dailymotion @Cleopatrarecords
https://www.dailymotion.com/CleopatraRecords
Vimeo @cleopatrarecords
https://vimeo.com/cleopatrarecords
Spotify @cleopatra_recs
https://open.spotify.com/user/cleopatra_recs
Linkedin @cleopatra-records
https://www.linkedin.com/company/cleopatra-records

Richard Barbieri (Japan, Rain Tree Crow, Porcupine Tree) Returns With His New Album 'Under A Spell'

Released on Kscope on 26th February

(photo credit – Carl Glover)

The man whose illustrious career began in the late 70s with synth-pop visionaries Japan and more recently as a member of influential art-rock band Porcupine Tree follows up 2017's Planets + Persona with new album Under A Spell.  

CHECK OUT THE TRAILER HERE:

Richard Barbieri didn’t plan to make an album like Under A Spell, originally intended his fourth solo album to be a direct follow from its predecessor, 2017’s Planets + Persona.

That record, made in different studios across Europe and heavily incorporating live performances from a range of musicians, was adventurous and bold, showcasing Barbieri’s endlessly inventive song writing and mastery of electronic music. The follow-up would pick up where it left off, journeying further into the expansive terrain he mapped out on the previous record. And then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and everything changed. “I wrote and recorded it in my studio at home, with all this strangeness going on outside,” says Barbieri of Under A Spell. “It became something completely different: this weird, self-contained dream-state album.”

On Under A Spell, Barbieri was intent on capturing the atmospheres and moods that his disconnected brain was conjuring rather than slaving over arrangements and melodies. Songs such as ‘Flare’, ‘Serpentine’, ‘Sleep Will Find You’ and its companion piece-of-sorts ‘Darkness Will Find You’ are sharply defined despite their dream-inspired genesis. He points to the evocative opening and closing tracks, ‘Under A Spell’ and ‘Lucid’, as the keys that unlock the album. “Those two tracks have the whole meaning within them,” he says. “The first song, ‘Under A Spell’, is leading you down a path, moving into places where you’re not sure what’s going on. There are whispers in the background, spells being cast in a deserted wood. Then the final track, ‘Lucid’, is the opposite. You’re in this comforting lucid dream, but then you're drifting further away from it, trying to come out of it. There are voices saying: ‘Wake up, wake up, come back alive...’”

Listeners will be able to make out those voices but there are no vocals, these voices, collaborators, include Marillion frontman Steve Hogarth and Swedish singer Lisen Rylander Love (who co-wrote ‘A Star Light’).

The album’s title perfectly encapsulates the haunting, evocative world Barbieri has created. Songs such as the skittering, billowing ‘Clockwork’ and ‘Sketch 6’s dub-inspired soundscape hang suspended in that strange half-world between sleep and waking – a subconscious reflection of the surreal state the planet has found itself in over recent months. “I was having a lot of bizarre, recurring dreams that were hanging around after I woke up,” says Barbieri. “They were based around this woodland pathway, which is really summed up by the album cover – this surreal, deserted, Blair Witch Project type of environment. You’re going through these woods, heading towards this light, almost like you’re leaving life. That’s where the title Under A Spell came from – it was a feeling of not being totally in control. Almost as if your dreams are pointing you in directions that sometimes you can control and sometimes you can’t.”

As ex-founder of Japan, the new-wave pioneers and one of the most ground-breaking bands of their era, Richard Barbieri helped spark the electronic music revolution that followed, his synthesiser sound not only defined the band but influenced the likes of The Human League, Duran Duran, Gary Numan and Talk Talk. Following Japan’s split, Barbieri joined Steven Wilson to form the legendary progressive outfit Porcupine Tree, that saw him play on nine of the band’s albums, including 1999’s Stupid Dream, 2002’s In Absentia and 2007’s acclaimed Fear Of A Blank Planet. Following PT’s hiatus Barbieri has pursued a solo career, releasing albums that include 2005’s Things Buried, 2008’s Stranger Inside and 2017’s Planets + Persona, as well as his recent EP series, Variant.1-5.

Barbieri's willingness to constantly redefine his own musical boundaries are never more evident than on the brilliant, hypnotic Under A Spell – the latest milestone on this utterly unique journey.

Under A Spell tracklisting
1. Under A Spell [07:19]
2. Clockwork [02:33]
3. Flare 2 [08:51]
4. A Star Light [03:50]
5. Serpentine [06:22]
6. Sleep Will Find You [02:51]
7. Sketch 6 [06:30]
8. Darkness Will Find You [04:58]
9. Lucid [06:14]

Under A Spell will be released on Kscope on 26th February, on CD,  gatefold double black vinyl LP, limited edition gatefold double red vinyl LP (exclusive to the Kscope store) and digitally with pre-orders available HERE https://RichardBarbieri.lnk.to/UnderASpell

For Hi-res images please go to www.kscopemusic.com/media/richardbarbieri

Follow Richard Barbieri:
https://www.facebook.com/RichardBarbieriOfficial/
https://www.instagram.com/richardbarbieri_music
http://kscopemusic.com/artists/richard-barbieri

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 1-828-350-8158 (US), glassonyonpr@gmail.com

Richard Barbieri (Japan, Rain Tree Crow, Porcupine Tree) Returns With His New Album 'Under A Spell'

Released on Kscope on 26th February

(photo credit – Carl Glover)

The man whose illustrious career began in the late 70s with synth-pop visionaries Japan and more recently as a member of influential art-rock band Porcupine Tree follows up 2017's Planets + Persona with new album Under A Spell.  

CHECK OUT THE TRAILER HERE:

Richard Barbieri didn’t plan to make an album like Under A Spell, originally intended his fourth solo album to be a direct follow from its predecessor, 2017’s Planets + Persona.

That record, made in different studios across Europe and heavily incorporating live performances from a range of musicians, was adventurous and bold, showcasing Barbieri’s endlessly inventive song writing and mastery of electronic music. The follow-up would pick up where it left off, journeying further into the expansive terrain he mapped out on the previous record. And then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and everything changed. “I wrote and recorded it in my studio at home, with all this strangeness going on outside,” says Barbieri of Under A Spell. “It became something completely different: this weird, self-contained dream-state album.”

On Under A Spell, Barbieri was intent on capturing the atmospheres and moods that his disconnected brain was conjuring rather than slaving over arrangements and melodies. Songs such as ‘Flare’, ‘Serpentine’, ‘Sleep Will Find You’ and its companion piece-of-sorts ‘Darkness Will Find You’ are sharply defined despite their dream-inspired genesis. He points to the evocative opening and closing tracks, ‘Under A Spell’ and ‘Lucid’, as the keys that unlock the album. “Those two tracks have the whole meaning within them,” he says. “The first song, ‘Under A Spell’, is leading you down a path, moving into places where you’re not sure what’s going on. There are whispers in the background, spells being cast in a deserted wood. Then the final track, ‘Lucid’, is the opposite. You’re in this comforting lucid dream, but then you're drifting further away from it, trying to come out of it. There are voices saying: ‘Wake up, wake up, come back alive...’”

Listeners will be able to make out those voices but there are no vocals, these voices, collaborators, include Marillion frontman Steve Hogarth and Swedish singer Lisen Rylander Love (who co-wrote ‘A Star Light’).

The album’s title perfectly encapsulates the haunting, evocative world Barbieri has created. Songs such as the skittering, billowing ‘Clockwork’ and ‘Sketch 6’s dub-inspired soundscape hang suspended in that strange half-world between sleep and waking – a subconscious reflection of the surreal state the planet has found itself in over recent months. “I was having a lot of bizarre, recurring dreams that were hanging around after I woke up,” says Barbieri. “They were based around this woodland pathway, which is really summed up by the album cover – this surreal, deserted, Blair Witch Project type of environment. You’re going through these woods, heading towards this light, almost like you’re leaving life. That’s where the title Under A Spell came from – it was a feeling of not being totally in control. Almost as if your dreams are pointing you in directions that sometimes you can control and sometimes you can’t.”

As ex-founder of Japan, the new-wave pioneers and one of the most ground-breaking bands of their era, Richard Barbieri helped spark the electronic music revolution that followed, his synthesiser sound not only defined the band but influenced the likes of The Human League, Duran Duran, Gary Numan and Talk Talk. Following Japan’s split, Barbieri joined Steven Wilson to form the legendary progressive outfit Porcupine Tree, that saw him play on nine of the band’s albums, including 1999’s Stupid Dream, 2002’s In Absentia and 2007’s acclaimed Fear Of A Blank Planet. Following PT’s hiatus Barbieri has pursued a solo career, releasing albums that include 2005’s Things Buried, 2008’s Stranger Inside and 2017’s Planets + Persona, as well as his recent EP series, Variant.1-5.

Barbieri's willingness to constantly redefine his own musical boundaries are never more evident than on the brilliant, hypnotic Under A Spell – the latest milestone on this utterly unique journey.

Under A Spell tracklisting
1. Under A Spell [07:19]
2. Clockwork [02:33]
3. Flare 2 [08:51]
4. A Star Light [03:50]
5. Serpentine [06:22]
6. Sleep Will Find You [02:51]
7. Sketch 6 [06:30]
8. Darkness Will Find You [04:58]
9. Lucid [06:14]

Under A Spell will be released on Kscope on 26th February, on CD,  gatefold double black vinyl LP, limited edition gatefold double red vinyl LP (exclusive to the Kscope store) and digitally with pre-orders available HERE https://RichardBarbieri.lnk.to/UnderASpell

For Hi-res images please go to www.kscopemusic.com/media/richardbarbieri

Follow Richard Barbieri:
https://www.facebook.com/RichardBarbieriOfficial/
https://www.instagram.com/richardbarbieri_music
http://kscopemusic.com/artists/richard-barbieri

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 1-828-350-8158 (US), glassonyonpr@gmail.com

Be-Bop Deluxe “Drastic Plastic” 4CD/2DVD Deluxe Box Set Available For Pre-order

Released February 26, 2021

• A DELUXE 6 DISC LIMITED EDITION BOXED SET OF THE CLASSIC 1978 FINAL STUDIO ALBUM BY BE BOP DELUXE
• NEWLY REMASTERED FROM THE ORIGINAL MASTER TAPES
• FEATURING AN ADDITIONAL 88 TRACKS DRAWN FROM NEW 5.1 SURROUND SOUND & STEREO MIXES FROM THE ORIGINAL MULTI-TRACK MASTER TAPES, NON-ALBUM SINGLES, PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED BILL NELSON DEMOS, A BBC RADIO JOHN PEEL SESSION AND THE “SIGHT & SOUND IN CONCERT” PERFORMANCE FOR RADIO IN JANUARY 1978
• ALSO INCLUDES A VISUAL DVD FEATURING BILL NELSON’S HOME MOVIES OF THE DRASTIC PLASTIC SESSIONS AND THE 1978 BBC TV “SIGHT & SOUND IN CONCERT” BROADCAST
• INCLUDES A LAVISHLY ILLUSTRATED BOOK WITH MANY PREVIOUSLY UNSEEN PHOTOGRAPHS & NEW ESSAY BY BILL NELSON
• ALSO INCLUDES POSTCARDS AND A REPLICA POSTER

Esoteric Recordings is proud to announce the release of a new re-mastered six-disc deluxe expanded boxed set limited edition (comprising 4 CDs and two NTSTC – Region Free DVDs) of “Drastic Plastic” the classic 1978 album by BE-BOP DELUXE.

“Drastic Plastic” would be the final Be-Bop Deluxe album and was recorded in the summer of 1978 in the South of France at The Villa Saint Georges, Juan-les-Pins, utilising the Rolling Stones mobile studio, with final sessions taking place at The Manor Studio and Abbey Road Studios. The record saw BILL NELSON (vocals, guitars, keyboards), CHARLES TUMAHAI (bass, vocals), ANDY CLARK (keyboards) and SIMON FOX (drums) venture into new musical styles, with the album being ground-breaking in its move to more “art rock” and “new wave” influences. In many ways it can be seen as the signpost to where Bill Nelson would head with his RED NOISE project with a desire to continue to progress as an artist by pushing musical boundaries.

Co-produced by BILL NELSON and JOHN LECKIE, “Drastic Plastic” was another hit album in both the UK and the USA and featured such classic material as “Electrical Language”, “Panic in the World”, “New Mysteries”, “Islands of the Dead” and “Surreal Estate”. The recording sessions produced many more tracks which would appear as singles (such as Japan) and others that were originally planned for release as an EP set (“Autosexual”, ‘Lovers are Mortal”, “Speed of the Wind”, “Quest for the Harvest of the Stars”, “Face in the Rain”), all of which eventually appeared on the retrospective compilation “The Best of & the Rest Of”… later in 1978.

This expanded deluxe reissue has been newly re-mastered from the original master tapes and features an additional 88 tracks, (43 of which are previously unreleased), drawn from stunning new 5.1 surround sound & stereo mixes from the original multi-track tapes by award winning engineer Stephen W. Tayler, previously unreleased out-takes from the album sessions, a BBC Radio John Peel Show session from January 1978, along with a CD of Bill Nelson’s previously unreleased demos for the album, “A Feeling of Playing”.

Also included is an additional DVD featuring Be-Bop Deluxe in the South of France, (a collection of Bill Nelson’s 8mm home movies shot whilst recording “Drastic Plastic”) and the band’s Sight & Sound In Concert performance for BBC TV from 1978.

Another highlight of this limited-edition boxed set is the lavishly illustrated 68-page book with many previously unseen photographs and an essay of recollections by Bill Nelson. Additionally, the set includes postcards and a replica poster. This special deluxe limited-edition boxed set of “Drastic Plastic” is a fitting tribute to the creative vision of Bill Nelson and the musicianship of Be-Bop Deluxe.

Track List:

DISC ONE:
DRASTIC PLASTIC
THE ORIGINAL STEREO MIX REMASTERED

1. ELECTRICAL LANGUAGE
2. NEW PRECISION
3. NEW MYSTERIES
4. SURREAL ESTATE
5. LOVE IN FLAMES
6. PANIC IN THE WORLD
7. DANGEROUS STRANGER
8. SUPERENIGMATIX (LETHAL APPLIANCES FOR THE HOME WITH EVERYTHING)
9. VISIONS OF ENDLESS HOPES
10. POSSESSION
11. ISLANDS OF THE DEAD
BONUS TRACKS
12. JAPAN
13. FUTURIST MANIFESTO
14. PANIC IN THE WORLD (SINGLE EDIT)
15. BLUE AS A JEWEL
16. ELECTRICAL LANGUAGE (SINGLE VERSION)
17. LOVE IN FLAMES (SINGLE VERSION)
18. FACE IN THE RAIN (PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED ON CD)
19. ISLANDS OF THE DEAD (TAKE FOUR) (PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED)
20. THE SAXOPHONIST (JUAN LES PINS VERSION) (PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED)

DISC TWO:
ADDITIONAL TRACKS & SESSIONS

1. AUTOSEXUAL
2. LOVERS ARE MORTAL
3. BLIMPS
4. SPEED OF THE WIND
5. QUEST OF HARVEST FOR THE STARS

RECORDED AT THE MANOR STUDIO, AUGUST 1977 FOR AN INTENDED EP

6. NEW PRECISION (BBC IN CONCERT 1978)
7. SUPERENIGMATIX (BBC IN CONCERT 1978)
8. POSSESSION (BBC IN CONCERT 1978)
9. DANGEROUS STRANGER (BBC IN CONCERT 1978)
10. ISLANDS OF THE DEAD (BBC IN CONCERT 1978)
11. PANIC IN THE WORLD (BBC IN CONCERT 1978)
12. LOVERS ARE MORTAL (BBC IN CONCERT 1978)
13. LOVE IN FLAMES (BBC IN CONCERT 1978)
14. BLAZING APOSTLES (BBC IN CONCERT 1978)

BBC RADIO ONE “SIGHT & SOUND IN CONCERT” – 19th JANUARY 1978

15. SUPERENIGMATIX (JOHN PEEL SESSION 1978)
16. POSSESSION (JOHN PEEL SESSION 1978)
17. PANIC IN THE WORLD (JOHN PEEL SESSION 1978)
18. LOVE IN FLAMES (JOHN PEEL SESSION 1978)

BBC RADIO ONE JOHN PEEL SESSION –
30th JANUARY 1978

DISC THREE:
DRASTIC PLASTIC
THE NEW STEREO MIXES

1. ELECTRICAL LANGUAGE (NEW STEREO MIX)
2. NEW PRECISION (NEW STEREO MIX)
3. NEW MYSTERIES (NEW STEREO MIX)
4. SURREAL ESTATE (NEW STEREO MIX)
5. LOVE IN FLAMES (NEW STEREO MIX)
6. PANIC IN THE WORLD (NEW STEREO MIX)
7. DANGEROUS STRANGER (NEW STEREO MIX)
8. SUPERENIGMATIX (LETHAL APPLIANCES FOR THE HOME WITH EVERYTHING) (NEW STEREO MIX)
9. VISIONS OF ENDLESS HOPES (NEW STEREO MIX)
10. POSSESSION (NEW STEREO MIX)
11. ISLANDS OF THE DEAD (NEW STEREO MIX)

SINGLES AND EP TRACKS
12. JAPAN (NEW STEREO MIX)
13. FUTURIST MANIFESTO (NEW STEREO MIX)
14. BLUE AS A JEWEL (NEW STEREO MIX)
15. AUTOSEXUAL (NEW STEREO MIX)
16. FACE IN THE RAIN (NEW STEREO MIX)
17. LOVERS ARE MORTAL (NEW STEREO MIX)
18. SPEED OF THE WIND (NEW STEREO MIX)
19. QUEST FOR THE HARVEST OF THE STARS (NEW STEREO MIX)

For more information:
https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/be-bop-deluxe-drastic-plastic-4cd-2dvd-deluxe-box-set/
https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/be-bop-deluxe-drastic-plastic-2cd-remastered-expanded-edition/

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158 (US), glassonyonpr@gmail.com

Be-Bop Deluxe “Drastic Plastic” 4CD/2DVD Deluxe Box Set Available For Pre-order

Released February 26, 2021

• A DELUXE 6 DISC LIMITED EDITION BOXED SET OF THE CLASSIC 1978 FINAL STUDIO ALBUM BY BE BOP DELUXE
• NEWLY REMASTERED FROM THE ORIGINAL MASTER TAPES
• FEATURING AN ADDITIONAL 88 TRACKS DRAWN FROM NEW 5.1 SURROUND SOUND & STEREO MIXES FROM THE ORIGINAL MULTI-TRACK MASTER TAPES, NON-ALBUM SINGLES, PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED BILL NELSON DEMOS, A BBC RADIO JOHN PEEL SESSION AND THE “SIGHT & SOUND IN CONCERT” PERFORMANCE FOR RADIO IN JANUARY 1978
• ALSO INCLUDES A VISUAL DVD FEATURING BILL NELSON’S HOME MOVIES OF THE DRASTIC PLASTIC SESSIONS AND THE 1978 BBC TV “SIGHT & SOUND IN CONCERT” BROADCAST
• INCLUDES A LAVISHLY ILLUSTRATED BOOK WITH MANY PREVIOUSLY UNSEEN PHOTOGRAPHS & NEW ESSAY BY BILL NELSON
• ALSO INCLUDES POSTCARDS AND A REPLICA POSTER

Esoteric Recordings is proud to announce the release of a new re-mastered six-disc deluxe expanded boxed set limited edition (comprising 4 CDs and two NTSTC – Region Free DVDs) of “Drastic Plastic” the classic 1978 album by BE-BOP DELUXE.

“Drastic Plastic” would be the final Be-Bop Deluxe album and was recorded in the summer of 1978 in the South of France at The Villa Saint Georges, Juan-les-Pins, utilising the Rolling Stones mobile studio, with final sessions taking place at The Manor Studio and Abbey Road Studios. The record saw BILL NELSON (vocals, guitars, keyboards), CHARLES TUMAHAI (bass, vocals), ANDY CLARK (keyboards) and SIMON FOX (drums) venture into new musical styles, with the album being ground-breaking in its move to more “art rock” and “new wave” influences. In many ways it can be seen as the signpost to where Bill Nelson would head with his RED NOISE project with a desire to continue to progress as an artist by pushing musical boundaries.

Co-produced by BILL NELSON and JOHN LECKIE, “Drastic Plastic” was another hit album in both the UK and the USA and featured such classic material as “Electrical Language”, “Panic in the World”, “New Mysteries”, “Islands of the Dead” and “Surreal Estate”. The recording sessions produced many more tracks which would appear as singles (such as Japan) and others that were originally planned for release as an EP set (“Autosexual”, ‘Lovers are Mortal”, “Speed of the Wind”, “Quest for the Harvest of the Stars”, “Face in the Rain”), all of which eventually appeared on the retrospective compilation “The Best of & the Rest Of”… later in 1978.

This expanded deluxe reissue has been newly re-mastered from the original master tapes and features an additional 88 tracks, (43 of which are previously unreleased), drawn from stunning new 5.1 surround sound & stereo mixes from the original multi-track tapes by award winning engineer Stephen W. Tayler, previously unreleased out-takes from the album sessions, a BBC Radio John Peel Show session from January 1978, along with a CD of Bill Nelson’s previously unreleased demos for the album, “A Feeling of Playing”.

Also included is an additional DVD featuring Be-Bop Deluxe in the South of France, (a collection of Bill Nelson’s 8mm home movies shot whilst recording “Drastic Plastic”) and the band’s Sight & Sound In Concert performance for BBC TV from 1978.

Another highlight of this limited-edition boxed set is the lavishly illustrated 68-page book with many previously unseen photographs and an essay of recollections by Bill Nelson. Additionally, the set includes postcards and a replica poster. This special deluxe limited-edition boxed set of “Drastic Plastic” is a fitting tribute to the creative vision of Bill Nelson and the musicianship of Be-Bop Deluxe.

Track List:

DISC ONE:
DRASTIC PLASTIC
THE ORIGINAL STEREO MIX REMASTERED

1. ELECTRICAL LANGUAGE
2. NEW PRECISION
3. NEW MYSTERIES
4. SURREAL ESTATE
5. LOVE IN FLAMES
6. PANIC IN THE WORLD
7. DANGEROUS STRANGER
8. SUPERENIGMATIX (LETHAL APPLIANCES FOR THE HOME WITH EVERYTHING)
9. VISIONS OF ENDLESS HOPES
10. POSSESSION
11. ISLANDS OF THE DEAD
BONUS TRACKS
12. JAPAN
13. FUTURIST MANIFESTO
14. PANIC IN THE WORLD (SINGLE EDIT)
15. BLUE AS A JEWEL
16. ELECTRICAL LANGUAGE (SINGLE VERSION)
17. LOVE IN FLAMES (SINGLE VERSION)
18. FACE IN THE RAIN (PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED ON CD)
19. ISLANDS OF THE DEAD (TAKE FOUR) (PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED)
20. THE SAXOPHONIST (JUAN LES PINS VERSION) (PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED)

DISC TWO:
ADDITIONAL TRACKS & SESSIONS

1. AUTOSEXUAL
2. LOVERS ARE MORTAL
3. BLIMPS
4. SPEED OF THE WIND
5. QUEST OF HARVEST FOR THE STARS

RECORDED AT THE MANOR STUDIO, AUGUST 1977 FOR AN INTENDED EP

6. NEW PRECISION (BBC IN CONCERT 1978)
7. SUPERENIGMATIX (BBC IN CONCERT 1978)
8. POSSESSION (BBC IN CONCERT 1978)
9. DANGEROUS STRANGER (BBC IN CONCERT 1978)
10. ISLANDS OF THE DEAD (BBC IN CONCERT 1978)
11. PANIC IN THE WORLD (BBC IN CONCERT 1978)
12. LOVERS ARE MORTAL (BBC IN CONCERT 1978)
13. LOVE IN FLAMES (BBC IN CONCERT 1978)
14. BLAZING APOSTLES (BBC IN CONCERT 1978)

BBC RADIO ONE “SIGHT & SOUND IN CONCERT” – 19th JANUARY 1978

15. SUPERENIGMATIX (JOHN PEEL SESSION 1978)
16. POSSESSION (JOHN PEEL SESSION 1978)
17. PANIC IN THE WORLD (JOHN PEEL SESSION 1978)
18. LOVE IN FLAMES (JOHN PEEL SESSION 1978)

BBC RADIO ONE JOHN PEEL SESSION –
30th JANUARY 1978

DISC THREE:
DRASTIC PLASTIC
THE NEW STEREO MIXES

1. ELECTRICAL LANGUAGE (NEW STEREO MIX)
2. NEW PRECISION (NEW STEREO MIX)
3. NEW MYSTERIES (NEW STEREO MIX)
4. SURREAL ESTATE (NEW STEREO MIX)
5. LOVE IN FLAMES (NEW STEREO MIX)
6. PANIC IN THE WORLD (NEW STEREO MIX)
7. DANGEROUS STRANGER (NEW STEREO MIX)
8. SUPERENIGMATIX (LETHAL APPLIANCES FOR THE HOME WITH EVERYTHING) (NEW STEREO MIX)
9. VISIONS OF ENDLESS HOPES (NEW STEREO MIX)
10. POSSESSION (NEW STEREO MIX)
11. ISLANDS OF THE DEAD (NEW STEREO MIX)

SINGLES AND EP TRACKS
12. JAPAN (NEW STEREO MIX)
13. FUTURIST MANIFESTO (NEW STEREO MIX)
14. BLUE AS A JEWEL (NEW STEREO MIX)
15. AUTOSEXUAL (NEW STEREO MIX)
16. FACE IN THE RAIN (NEW STEREO MIX)
17. LOVERS ARE MORTAL (NEW STEREO MIX)
18. SPEED OF THE WIND (NEW STEREO MIX)
19. QUEST FOR THE HARVEST OF THE STARS (NEW STEREO MIX)

For more information:
https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/be-bop-deluxe-drastic-plastic-4cd-2dvd-deluxe-box-set/
https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/be-bop-deluxe-drastic-plastic-2cd-remastered-expanded-edition/

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158 (US), glassonyonpr@gmail.com

SANDY MCKNIGHT & FERNANDO PERDOMO Release Second EP "San Fernando Blitz"

After last January's release of their successful first collaboration, Albany-area artist Sandy McKnight and Los Angeles' ubiquitous multi-instrumentalist/producer Fernando Perdomo are about to hit the road running with this year's model,"San Fernando Blitz".

Their last set, "San Fernando Beat", met with wide acclaim, with critics and fans alike. Named 'best EP of 2020' by PowerPop News, the songs "Any Time of Day" and "Fake" were breakout hits, getting national and international airplay.

The new EP by the team features 6 power pop killers, with the first single scheduled to be the dancy-hooky "Living on the Westside", due out January 4.

McKnight has been an in-demand bassist since the 70s, and has worked with many notables as a musician and producer. His large catalog of self-penned songs can be heard regularly on TV and in films.

Perdomo has become one of the top session players and producers on the west coast. He's been called the 'Todd Rundgren of L.A.', and was featured with Jacob Dylan in the recent documentary 'Echo in the Canyon', now playing on Netflix.

This new set highlights Perdomo on guitar, drums and keys. McKnight plays bass and sings leads and harmonies on all 6 tracks. Recording took place at Reseda Ranch Studio in L.A., and Systems Two in NYC.

The early buzz from those who've heard the preview tracks has been enthusiastic, and the boys are hopeful they might have the best EP of 2021 as well.

The EP will be available for download after January 11 on Bandcamp, and streaming on Spotify, YouTube, and Soundcloud

To purchase:
https://sandymcknight.bandcamp.com/album/san-fernando-blitz
sandymcknight.com

For more information:
sandymcknight.com
sandymcknightmusic.com

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 1-828-350-8158 (US), glassonyonpr@gmail.com

DOWNES BRAIDE ASSOCIATION Launch “Your Heart Will Find The Way” – The Second Track From Upcoming Album 'Halcyon Hymns'

Downes Braide Association (DBA) have announced the release of “Your Heart Will Find The Way” - the second track to be taken from their forthcoming album Halcyon Hymns. Watch the video here: 

Chris Braide says: “Your Heart Will Find The Way has an almost YES like quality of all the songs from Halcyon Hymns I feel, in that it's very up and direct. It’s also a great example of how Geoff and I will sometimes write. Geoff sent me the verse chord progression and the riff and then I added the chorus chord progression and the melody just fell out on top of those two elements. The brooding verse and majestic riff coupled with the uplift of the chorus dictated the lyric which is about listening to your inner voice and trusting your gut instinct to navigate you out of adversity…It’s a positive self-affirmation of a song.”

A few words from Geoff: “It was such a joy to hear the basic idea I sent Chris for ‘Your Heart Will Find A Way’ turn into something of a mini-epic. The masterful development of the rhythm section of Ash & Andy really enhances the track and brings it to life. It has become something of a feature of mine and Chris’s songwriting where the verse (in the minor key) sets the mood of the piece only to climax into an upbeat chorus (in the major). Here is a good example I believe of how we mix pathos with positivity – but ultimately delivering the overall message as one of hope and promise. It could be about a relationship, or indeed about having a belief and confidence in yourself that will eventually succeed. It’s for the listener to relate to and hopefully feel the strength of the message contained within.”

Halcyon Hymns is the fifth DBA collaboration and follows their previous critically-acclaimed studio albums Pictures of You (2012), Suburban Ghosts (2015) and Skyscraper Souls (2017). The duo also released Live In England (2019) recorded at their first ever concert at Trading Boundaries, East Sussex, in 2018.

Here’s the video to the first track that was released in December, “Love Among The Ruins”: 

About Downes Braide Association

Downes Braide Association was formed as a studio-based project by Geoff Downes and Chris Braide and has now produced three studio albums: Pictures Of You (2012), Suburban Ghosts (2015) and Skyscraper Souls (2017) and a live album Live In England (2019). The project draws on Downes’ and Braide’s rich musical heritage to create a delightfully accessible brand of classic rock.

Keyboard wizard Geoff Downes was thrust into the limelight with the worldwide success of “Video Killed The Radio Star” in 1979. The single topped the charts chart in 16 countries for The Buggles duo of Geoff and Trevor Horn (vocals, bass guitar). They briefly joined prog legends YES before Downes became a founder member of the supergroup Asia with YES guitarist Steve Howe, ELP drummer Carl Palmer and the late John Wetton (vocals, bass guitar). The Wetton-Downes composition “Heat Of The Moment” became a world-wide hit in 1982 heralding many years of success for Asia with their FM radio-friendly brand of rock. Downes later rejoined YES in 2011 and remains with the band alongside Steve Howe.

British singer-songwriter-pianist Chris Braide has recently returned to UK shores after many years based in California. He enjoys enormous success writing and producing music for film scores, advertising campaigns and working closely with artists including Sia, Lana Del Rey, Christina Aguilera, Beyonce, Paloma Faith, Britney Spears and Marc Almond.

Downes Braide Association: “Your Heart Will Find A Way” on Halcyon Hymns is released on 15th January 2021 and is now available to order from Cherry Red Records:
CD/DVD https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/downes-braide-association-halcyon-hymns-cd-dvd-edition/
2LP White Vinyl:  https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/downes-braide-association-halcyon-hymns-limited-edition-2lp-white-vinyl/

For more information:
Twitter: @TheRealDBAMusic
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/downesbraide
www.downesbraide.co.uk
www.christopherbraide.com
www.geoffdownes.com

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 1-828-350-8158 (US), glassonyonpr@gmail.com