Los Angeles, CA – One of the greatest storytellers of his generation, a scion of the stage, master of the musical performance and fearless artistic innovator is facing his toughest audience yet - kids! William Shatner, beloved Star Trek actor and real-life space traveler, proudly presents his newest musical project, an ingenious, infectious and thoroughly entertaining album, Where Will The Animals Sleep? - Songs For Kids And Other Living Things! This 13-song project unites the talents of Shatner with longtime guitarist for They Might Be Giants, Dan Miller, and award-winning YA novelist Robert Sharenow, who together create a menagerie of characters drawn from the animal kingdom who sing and dance and share their stories on this whimsical and educational release. Mr. Shatner declares, “This is a children’s album but I think children of all ages will be intrigued and entranced at the songs that are on this album!”
So come along on a wondrous journey through the natural world with William Shatner as your guide and narrator through the sticky sweet adventures of the honey bee, to the majesty of bird migrations, to the hidden world of the Coral Sea, and the secret communication between mushrooms and trees. For a preview of what’s to come, check out the album’s first single “Elephants And Termites,” a hilarious and captivating look at the unique symbiotic relationship between the large, itchy elephants and the tiny termites whose nests provide the perfect scratching post. The song, as well as the album, is sure to inspire and cultivate a love for creatures of all kinds, shape and size!
Where Will The Animals Sleep? - Songs For Kids And Other Living Things will be available on all formats including CD and vinyl starting May 17. Order your copy today!
TRACK LIST 1. Elephants And Termites 2. Oh My Honeyguide 3. 7000 Miles On A Non-Stop Flight 4. Barnacle Bill The Sailor 5. Chomp, Chomp, Chomp 6. Mushrooms Talk To Trees 7. Where Would The Animals Sleep? 8. Aphids And Ants 9. I'm A Coral See In The Coral Sea 10. The Rhino's Guard 11. Why Do We Bug You 12. Secret Agent Whale 13. Birdsong Symphony
CLEOPATRA RECORDS, INC. Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | Spotify | Cleopatra Records Store 11041 Santa Monica Blvd #703 Los Angeles CA 90025 www.CleopatraRecords.com
Album features performances by Steve Vai, Rick Wakeman, Hawkwind’s Simon House and Nik Turner, Tangerine Dream’s Edgar Froese,The Doors’ Robby Krieger, jazz great Al Di Meola, country superstar Vince Gill and others!
Los Angeles, CA - On the eve of its original release in 2013, William Shatner, one of the most prolific and visionary artists of his generation, declared Ponder The Mystery “quite possibly the most creative thing I have ever done.” A sprawling epic of progressive rock music and poignant, personal lyrics, Ponder The Mystery continued Shatner’s lifelong pursuit to find answers to life’s mysteries both beyond the cosmos and in the majestic mundanity of everyday experience. The album earned high praise not only from several of its stellar guest artists who performed on the tracks but also music fans and critics the world over.
Now, a decade later, this masterpiece is being revisited. A bold new mix by prodigious producer Jürgen Engler brings Shatner’s deft and poetic wordplay into the foreground while still making room for the all-star guests including Steve Vai, Rick Wakeman, Simon House, Nik Turner, Edgar Froese, Al Di Meola, Vince Gill, Mick Jones, Dave Koz, Robby Krieger and others! Check out the title track, “Ponder The Mystery” featuring the guitar stylings of rock legend Steve Vai, which is released today for a sampling of how this new version revamps and reinvigorates the original.
TRACK LIST: 1. Red Shift 2. Where It's Gone...I Don't Know feat. Mick Jones 3. Manhunt feat. Simon House 4. Ponder The Mystery feat. Steve Vai 5. So Am I feat. Al Di Meola 6. Change feat. Rick Wakeman 7. Sunset feat. Joel Vandroogenbroeck 8. Twilight feat. Edgar Winter 9. Rhythm Of The Night feat. Nik Turner 10. Imagine Things feat. Vince Gill 11. Do You See? feat. Edgar Froese 12. Deep Down feat. Robby Krieger 13. I'm Alright, I Think feat. Dave Koz 14. Where Does Time Go? feat. George Duke 15. Alive feat. Zoot Horn Rollo
CLEOPATRA RECORDS, INC. Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | Spotify | Cleopatra Records Store 11041 Santa Monica Blvd #703 Los Angeles CA 90025 www.CleopatraRecords.com
Los Angeles, CA – Not many real life events can elicit chills from sci-fi fans but when William Shatner, who portrayed space captain James T. Kirk on the long-running sci-fi series Star Trek, was actually flown into space aboard the Jeff Bezos-owned Blue Origin rocket, well, even the most cynical among us couldn’t help but feel a certain amount of astonished delight!
Now, fans of Mr. Shatner can celebrate that historic, out-of-this-world trip with a fun commemorative single! Shatner’s brilliant rendition of Elton John’s classic “Rocket Man” was originally released as a part of his 2011 solo album Seeking Major Tom. The track featured guitar work from influential Gong axeman Steve Hillage and recently has been newly mixed by producer Jürgen Engler. This new version is being released on both digital platforms as well as a limited edition 7” vinyl backed with Shatner’s version of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity featuring Deep Purple’s Ritchie Blackmore & Candice Night! Get your copy now before the Klingons destroy them all!
Los Angeles, CA – Hot on the heels of the superb joint effort from William Shatner and Canned Heat comes a brand-new alliance that is sure to have music fans cheering. Former Rainbow and Deep Purple axeman and one of the most revered guitarists of the classic rock era, Ritchie Blackmore, joins Mr. Shatner for a deeply felt, heart-rending take on the blues classic “The Thrill Is Gone.” The song, perhaps best known by the smash hit version that B.B. King recorded in 1970, was actually written the same year that the young Mr. Shatner made his film debut in 1951. Since then it has been interpreted numerous times, but King’s version was the first to unite the soul-piercing lyrics with absolutely awe-inspiring guitar licks to create the definitive version of the song, and no doubt inspired the Shatner/Blackmore version. As a special treat, Blackmore’s wife and longtime collaborator in Blackmore’s Night, Candice Night, contributes background vocals to add even more pathos to this inspired track.
Mr. Shatner had this to say about the song, “'The Thrill is Gone' is the title of the song, but the thrill is there with Ritchie Blackmore and his great guitar!”
Blackmore and Night return the praise saying, “We would like to express our gratitude for being able to appear on the recording with William Shatner. It is always an honor to work with him. He is a man of many legendary performances.”
“Thrill” is a highlight of Mr. Shatner’s fantastic new album, The Blues, which is now available for pre-order on CD, vinyl, and digital. The album will feature a constellation of blues, rock and country performers who work together with Mr. Shatner to bring the blues to life including Sonny Landreth, Brad Paisley, Pat Travers, Tyler Bryant and more! Look for the album to be released October 2 courtesy of Cleopatra Records.
Track List:
1. Sweet Home Chicago feat. Brad Paisley
2. I Can't Quit You Baby feat. Kirk Fletcher
3. Sunshine Of Your Love feat. Sonny Landreth
4. The Thrill Is Gone feat. Ritchie Blackmore
5. Mannish Boy feat. Ronnie Earl
6. Born Under A Bad Sign feat. Tyler Bryant
7. I Put A Spell On You feat. Pat Travers
8. Crossroads feat. James Burton
9. Smokestack Lightnin’ feat. Jeff “Skunk” Baxter
10. As The Years Go Passing By feat. Arthur Adams
11. Let's Work Together feat. Harvey Mandel & Canned Heat
12. Route 66 feat. Steve Cropper
13. In Hell I’ll Be In Good Company feat. Albert Lee
14. Secrets Or Sins
Los Angeles, CA - In 1969, songwriter and recording artist Wilbert Harrison released “Let’s Work Together” amidst unprecedented social strife and racial tensions in America. The song was a clarion call to “every boy, girl, woman and man” to join the burgeoning social movements that promoted peace, justice and equality and a declaration that “Together we will stand, divided we’ll fall.” The following year, Southern California hippie blues band Canned Heat released their own version of the song, which became a major hit and amplified Harrison’s call to action and unity. Now, that same band has teamed up with famed actor and musical interpretationist William Shatner for a much-needed revival of the spirit of unity found in this song.
“Let’s Work Together” features a backing track created by the current line-up of Canned Heat, including long-time drummer Adolfo “Fito” de la Parra, as well as a special guest appearance by former member, and revered blues guitarist, Harvey Mandel. The musical stage thus set, Mr. Shatner joins in with a dramatic, passionate rendering of the song’s lyrics, breathing a new life into the message.
Mr. Shatner proclaims, “This is a terrific song for this moment in time!”
Fittingly, “Let’s Work Together” will be one of the centerpieces on Mr. Shatner’s new album, The Blues, coming later this year that will feature a constellation of blues, rock and country performers who work together with Mr. Shatner to bring the blues to life including Sonny Landreth, Brad Paisley, Ritchie Blackmore, Pat Travers, Tyler Bryant and more - courtesy of Cleopatra Records.
Los Angeles, CA - DO NOT PANIC, Hawkwind fans! Alan Davey, the former bass player of that legendary UK rock band, has put together an incredible project involving no less than 9 members of the Hawkwind family including co-founder Nik Turner, original bassist Lemmy Kilmister, drummer Ginger Baker, violinist Simon House, original guitarist Huw Lloyd-Langton, Paul Rudolph, Mick Slattery, and Bridget Wishart. It’s an epic undertaking worthy of the band that united these accomplished musicians, and continues to gain new followers with every new generation of music lovers.
The album is called The Future Is Us and it features brand new compositions alongside several re-workings of Alan Davey’s solo songs plus a very special new version of the spoken-word Hawkwind classic “Sonic Attack” with the Captain himself, William Shatner!
Davey shares his thoughts on the project, saying “It has been so much fun making this album with my ex-Hawkwind friends. This is what the fans have wanted from us ex-Hawks for some time and now it’s here! Cleopatra suggested the idea and then gave me free reign to contact everyone, write the songs, mix and produce the whole project. The ex-Hawks and William Shatner all did exceptional performances for the album as they always did. It’s been a real honour for me to work with them all again and end up with a great, historically important album which has reminded me what great musicians we all are! Bravo everyone and huge thanx to all at Cleopatra!!”
The Future Is Us will be available everywhere August 9 on both CD in an attractive digipak as well as on a special limited edition BLUE vinyl 2LP set in a gatefold jacket.
Track List: 1. Do What You Need To Do 2. World For Fear 3. Sea Of Sand 4. Nyx Of Khaos 5. The Future Is Us 6. Sonic Attack 7. 12 String Shuffle 8. May Sun 9. Goodbye Death Valley 10. Free Like Us 11. Old Dinah 12. Hawkestrel 13. Bad Boys For Life (2019 AD Version)
Los Angeles, CA - DO NOT PANIC, Hawkwind fans! Alan Davey, the former bass player of that legendary UK rock band, has put together an incredible project involving no less than 9 members of the Hawkwind family including co-founder Nik Turner, original bassist Lemmy Kilmister, drummer Ginger Baker, violinist Simon House, original guitarist Huw Lloyd-Langton, Paul Rudolph, Mick Slattery, and Bridget Wishart. It’s an epic undertaking worthy of the band that united these accomplished musicians, and continues to gain new followers with every new generation of music lovers.
The album is called The Future Is Us and it features brand new compositions alongside several re-workings of Alan Davey’s solo songs plus a very special new version of the spoken-word Hawkwind classic “Sonic Attack” with the Captain himself, William Shatner!
Davey shares his thoughts on the project, saying “It has been so much fun making this album with my ex-Hawkwind friends. This is what the fans have wanted from us ex-Hawks for some time and now it’s here! Cleopatra suggested the idea and then gave me free reign to contact everyone, write the songs, mix and produce the whole project. The ex-Hawks and William Shatner all did exceptional performances for the album as they always did. It’s been a real honour for me to work with them all again and end up with a great, historically important album which has reminded me what great musicians we all are! Bravo everyone and huge thanx to all at Cleopatra!!”
The Future Is Us will be available everywhere August 9 on both CD in an attractive digipak as well as on a special limited edition BLUE vinyl 2LP set in a gatefold jacket.
Track List:
1. Do What You Need To Do
2. World For Fear
3. Sea Of Sand
4. Nyx Of Khaos
5. The Future Is Us
6. Sonic Attack
7. 12 String Shuffle
8. May Sun
9. Goodbye Death Valley
10. Free Like Us
11. Old Dinah
12. Hawkestrel
13. Bad Boys For Life (2019 AD Version)
Los Angeles – On April 15th Purple Pyramid records will be releasing an out of this world collection of extraordinary performances by legendary YES keyboardist Rick Wakeman! For more than four decades Rick Wakeman has established himself as a visionary showman without peer, the creator of some of the most extravagant performances, breathtaking soloing and imaginative passages ever preserved on record, or executed on stage.
Aptly titled “Starship Trooper”, this amazing collection contains 2 previously unreleased tracks including a powerful rendition of Tool's “Sober” plus several more brilliant cover songs of The Who, Pink Floyd, and The Doors including 5 never before heard versions! The compilation also includes performances by Gong’s Steve Hillage, Yes's Billy Sherwood, Steve Howe and Tony Kaye, William Shatner, Colin Moulding, Jerry Goodman, Nik Turner, Carmine Appice and more!
“Over the last few years I have performed on many tracks as a 'guest' but never before has anybody put some of the best of those I played on into a compilation. It's always challenging to be involved in tracks of other people's music and other people's arrangements as it often makes you think and play differently and certainly on many of these tracks I play in quite an unexpected way, but there again, much of my life has been pretty unexpected anyway!” - Rick Wakeman
The liner notes were written by modern rock scholar Dave Thompson, who says of Rick Wakeman, “This most personable of superstars has made inroads into the worlds of journalism, broadcasting and acting - professions which his eye for spectacle, story telling and stylishness might well have made inevitable all along. But he also happens to be among the most gifted, visionary and brilliant performers his chosen instruments have seen.”
Track List: 1. Sober 2. Are We To Believe 3. Random Acts (Revisited) 4. Dynamics Of Delirium 5. Love Reign O'er Me 6. Crime Of The Century 7. The Great Gig In The Sky 8. I'm Not in Love 9. Starship Trooper 10. Check Point Karma 11. Change 12. Nobody Home 13. Light My Fire
Los Angeles – On April 15th Purple Pyramid records will be releasing an out of this world collection of extraordinary performances by legendary YES keyboardist Rick Wakeman! For more than four decades Rick Wakeman has established himself as a visionary showman without peer, the creator of some of the most extravagant performances, breathtaking soloing and imaginative passages ever preserved on record, or executed on stage.
Aptly titled “Starship Trooper”, this amazing collection contains 2 previously unreleased tracks including a powerful rendition of Tool's “Sober” plus several more brilliant cover songs of The Who, Pink Floyd, and The Doors including 5 never before heard versions! The compilation also includes performances by Gong’s Steve Hillage, Yes's Billy Sherwood, Steve Howe and Tony Kaye, William Shatner, Colin Moulding, Jerry Goodman, Nik Turner, Carmine Appice and more!
“Over the last few years I have performed on many tracks as a 'guest' but never before has anybody put some of the best of those I played on into a compilation. It's always challenging to be involved in tracks of other people's music and other people's arrangements as it often makes you think and play differently and certainly on many of these tracks I play in quite an unexpected way, but there again, much of my life has been pretty unexpected anyway!” - Rick Wakeman
The liner notes were written by modern rock scholar Dave Thompson, who says of Rick Wakeman, “This most personable of superstars has made inroads into the worlds of journalism, broadcasting and acting - professions which his eye for spectacle, story telling and stylishness might well have made inevitable all along. But he also happens to be among the most gifted, visionary and brilliant performers his chosen instruments have seen.”
Track List:
1. Sober
2. Are We To Believe
3. Random Acts (Revisited)
4. Dynamics Of Delirium
5. Love Reign O'er Me
6. Crime Of The Century
7. The Great Gig In The Sky
8. I'm Not in Love
9. Starship Trooper
10. Check Point Karma
11. Change
12. Nobody Home
13. Light My Fire
“Seriously well-distilled and blended” - Van Dyke Parks
Brisbane, Australia – Australian cinematic progressive-rock singer-songwriter Ben Craven is releasing his highly anticipated third album “Last Chance To Hear”. The new release features guest contributions by YES legend Billy Sherwood and iconic actor William Shatner (yes, Capt. Kirk himself!!!). A new single titled “The Remarkable Man” is available for immediate download when pre-ordering the album. It's an imaginary theme song from a spy thriller movie franchise.
Says Ben, “ 'Last Chance To Hear' is loosely inspired by the end of the music industry as we knew it. There’s never been a time when so much new music was being made by so many people and being listened to by so few people. The concept of paying for new music is now alien to a lot of the audience. Digital downloads have made physical media virtually obsolete. Streaming services mean that anybody making new music is now competing with the whole history of recorded music. And the album format is in danger of becoming extinct. There's never been a time full of more 'opportunity' than now. So I made an album about it.
“The new album is a logical progression from my previous album, 'Great & Terrible Potions'. The arrangements are more confident and more purposeful. But probably the biggest difference is that there are fewer vocals on this new one. 'Last Chance To Hear' is more about having the confidence, and presumably the competence, to let the music do the talking.”
The obvious question is how did Ben recruit such iconic artists as William Shatner and Billy Sherwood to guest on his new album? Ben explains, “I was not my first choice to perform the vocals on 'Spy In The Sky Part 3'. I pored over the melody and the lyrics to get them just right. But when I finally ran through the completed lyrics in my head, I could only imagine a speaking voice.
“Immediately I thought 'William Shatner!' and loved the idea. Then reality kicked back in and I got on with the job of singing my own vocals. Except the idea never went away. It kept nagging and eating away at me, like all good ideas do. And here I was willing to give up my own vocal performance on the most dramatic piece of music on the album! So I had to stop ignoring it.
“I reached out to Billy Sherwood who as you know produced William Shatner's last album, the excellent 'Ponder The Mystery'. Billy would have been my first and only choice to record the session. I asked him if he thought the concept of having Shatner appear one of my songs would even be possible. Amazingly, everyone agreed, and Billy is the one who actually made it happen.
“Deep down I felt a lingering terror that the music might collapse under the weight of a William Shatner vocal performance. But I suspect Shatner realized the opposite. He played the lead vocalist role perfectly, as boldly and grandly as the music aspired to be. It is an awesome combination and he brought the track up to a new level altogether. I love it.”
Hailing from Brisbane, Australia, immersed as a toddler in the era of big prog rock, Craven taught himself guitar and keyboards and joined a series of bands. None of them made it and none of them remotely played the kind of music that had been burned into his mainframe as a kid. Nonetheless, the songs he wrote accumulated steadily. In 2005, Craven dispensed entirely with the band approach and recorded his debut album, “Two False Idols” under the name of Tunisia. The result was a work of incredible maturity, with influences ranging from Pink Floyd and Brian Wilson to the likes of Bernard Herrmann and John Barry.
Says Ben, “My usual suspect influences are Pink Floyd, Mike Oldfield, Yes and King Crimson. But just as important are composers like Bernard Herrmann, John Barry, Henry Mancini and John Williams. I seem to blend progressive music with film soundtrack elements. I'm also a Brian Wilson tragic.”
As Craven worked his first album it became painfully obvious that the music business was in the midst of a sea change, and most of the old guard didn't seem to realize they were the cause. Very quickly he took an anti-DRM stance and released the live acoustic EP “Under Deconstruction” as a high-quality free download.
Craven stepped up a gear for his sophomore album, “Great & Terrible Potions”. Delivering on the cinematic promise of “Two False Idols”, “Potions'” went widescreen as Craven blurred the boundaries between conventional songs and orchestral soundtracks. Augmented by a stunning cover designed by legendary artist Roger Dean (Yes, Uriah Heep, Asia), “Potions” was dense, complicated and unashamedly pretentious – everything a good prog rock album should be! Or, to put it another way, Craven sounded exactly like someone reveling in the creative freedom that came only from not worrying about what others wanted, and delivering what he felt instead.
And now, much to the excitement of Prog fans worldwide, Ben is releasing his latest masterpiece “Last Chance To Hear”!
Here's what the press raved about Ben Craven's previous release:
“Heavy-duty prog rock monster” - Anil Prasad, Innerviews “Cracking virtuoso performance by an absurdly talented individual” - Classic Rock Society “Craven’s one-man-band production is a prog opus for the 21st century” - Musoscribe “All the drama, thunder, strum and drang you could want the spiritual grand child of Rick Wakeman and Keith Emerson to bring” - Midwest Record “Craven’s tremendous ability to combine memorable hooks with complex progressive rock and cinematic orchestral music is astounding” - Sea Of Tranquility “Press play and this album does the rest” - Muzikreviews
In support of “Last Chance To Hear” Ben is putting together a one-man show for the album launch event in April, and hopes to develop it for further performances.
In closing Ben has this to impart to his fans and listeners, “This is a desperate time for music. The landscape is littered with album reissues, remixes, repackages and compilations. Record companies are trying to squeeze out every last cent while they still can. Some artists only put out new albums so they can tour. Others have decided that nobody wants to hear their new music so they don't bother making any. There’s so much noise out there now that it’s virtually impossible for anyone to stand out without the marketing might of a big record label. I want people to know that there are still those of us flying under the radar, the obsessives, who make music because it keeps us alive. With no realistic expectations of financial success, it's the anticipation of the next song, the one we haven't finished yet, that keeps us going!”
“Seriously well-distilled and blended” - Van Dyke Parks
Brisbane, Australia – Australian cinematic progressive-rock singer-songwriter Ben Craven is releasing his highly anticipated third album “Last Chance To Hear”. The new release features guest contributions by YES legend Billy Sherwood and iconic actor William Shatner (yes, Capt. Kirk himself!!!). A new single titled “The Remarkable Man” is available for immediate download when pre-ordering the album. It's an imaginary theme song from a spy thriller movie franchise.
Says Ben, “ 'Last Chance To Hear' is loosely inspired by the end of the music industry as we knew it. There’s never been a time when so much new music was being made by so many people and being listened to by so few people. The concept of paying for new music is now alien to a lot of the audience. Digital downloads have made physical media virtually obsolete. Streaming services mean that anybody making new music is now competing with the whole history of recorded music. And the album format is in danger of becoming extinct. There's never been a time full of more 'opportunity' than now. So I made an album about it.
“The new album is a logical progression from my previous album, 'Great & Terrible Potions'. The arrangements are more confident and more purposeful. But probably the biggest difference is that there are fewer vocals on this new one. 'Last Chance To Hear' is more about having the confidence, and presumably the competence, to let the music do the talking.”
The obvious question is how did Ben recruit such iconic artists as William Shatner and Billy Sherwood to guest on his new album? Ben explains, “I was not my first choice to perform the vocals on 'Spy In The Sky Part 3'. I pored over the melody and the lyrics to get them just right. But when I finally ran through the completed lyrics in my head, I could only imagine a speaking voice.
“Immediately I thought 'William Shatner!' and loved the idea. Then reality kicked back in and I got on with the job of singing my own vocals. Except the idea never went away. It kept nagging and eating away at me, like all good ideas do. And here I was willing to give up my own vocal performance on the most dramatic piece of music on the album! So I had to stop ignoring it.
“I reached out to Billy Sherwood who as you know produced William Shatner's last album, the excellent 'Ponder The Mystery'. Billy would have been my first and only choice to record the session. I asked him if he thought the concept of having Shatner appear one of my songs would even be possible. Amazingly, everyone agreed, and Billy is the one who actually made it happen.
“Deep down I felt a lingering terror that the music might collapse under the weight of a William Shatner vocal performance. But I suspect Shatner realized the opposite. He played the lead vocalist role perfectly, as boldly and grandly as the music aspired to be. It is an awesome combination and he brought the track up to a new level altogether. I love it.”
Hailing from Brisbane, Australia, immersed as a toddler in the era of big prog rock, Craven taught himself guitar and keyboards and joined a series of bands. None of them made it and none of them remotely played the kind of music that had been burned into his mainframe as a kid. Nonetheless, the songs he wrote accumulated steadily. In 2005, Craven dispensed entirely with the band approach and recorded his debut album, “Two False Idols” under the name of Tunisia. The result was a work of incredible maturity, with influences ranging from Pink Floyd and Brian Wilson to the likes of Bernard Herrmann and John Barry.
Says Ben, “My usual suspect influences are Pink Floyd, Mike Oldfield, Yes and King Crimson. But just as important are composers like Bernard Herrmann, John Barry, Henry Mancini and John Williams. I seem to blend progressive music with film soundtrack elements. I'm also a Brian Wilson tragic.”
As Craven worked his first album it became painfully obvious that the music business was in the midst of a sea change, and most of the old guard didn't seem to realize they were the cause. Very quickly he took an anti-DRM stance and released the live acoustic EP “Under Deconstruction” as a high-quality free download.
Craven stepped up a gear for his sophomore album, “Great & Terrible Potions”. Delivering on the cinematic promise of “Two False Idols”, “Potions'” went widescreen as Craven blurred the boundaries between conventional songs and orchestral soundtracks. Augmented by a stunning cover designed by legendary artist Roger Dean (Yes, Uriah Heep, Asia), “Potions” was dense, complicated and unashamedly pretentious – everything a good prog rock album should be! Or, to put it another way, Craven sounded exactly like someone reveling in the creative freedom that came only from not worrying about what others wanted, and delivering what he felt instead.
And now, much to the excitement of Prog fans worldwide, Ben is releasing his latest masterpiece “Last Chance To Hear”!
Here's what the press raved about Ben Craven's previous release:
“Heavy-duty prog rock monster” - Anil Prasad, Innerviews “Cracking virtuoso performance by an absurdly talented individual” - Classic Rock Society “Craven’s one-man-band production is a prog opus for the 21st century” - Musoscribe “All the drama, thunder, strum and drang you could want the spiritual grand child of Rick Wakeman and Keith Emerson to bring” - Midwest Record “Craven’s tremendous ability to combine memorable hooks with complex progressive rock and cinematic orchestral music is astounding” - Sea Of Tranquility “Press play and this album does the rest” - Muzikreviews
In support of “Last Chance To Hear” Ben is putting together a one-man show for the album launch event in April, and hopes to develop it for further performances.
In closing Ben has this to impart to his fans and listeners, “This is a desperate time for music. The landscape is littered with album reissues, remixes, repackages and compilations. Record companies are trying to squeeze out every last cent while they still can. Some artists only put out new albums so they can tour. Others have decided that nobody wants to hear their new music so they don't bother making any. There’s so much noise out there now that it’s virtually impossible for anyone to stand out without the marketing might of a big record label. I want people to know that there are still those of us flying under the radar, the obsessives, who make music because it keeps us alive. With no realistic expectations of financial success, it's the anticipation of the next song, the one we haven't finished yet, that keeps us going!”
“Seriously well-distilled and blended” - Van Dyke Parks
Brisbane, Australia – Australian cinematic progressive-rock singer-songwriter Ben Craven is releasing his highly anticipated third album “Last Chance To Hear”. The new release features guest contributions by YES legend Billy Sherwood and iconic actor William Shatner (yes, Capt. Kirk himself!!!). A new single titled “The Remarkable Man” is available for immediate download when pre-ordering the album. It's an imaginary theme song from a spy thriller movie franchise.
Says Ben, “ 'Last Chance To Hear' is loosely inspired by the end of the music industry as we knew it. There’s never been a time when so much new music was being made by so many people and being listened to by so few people. The concept of paying for new music is now alien to a lot of the audience. Digital downloads have made physical media virtually obsolete. Streaming services mean that anybody making new music is now competing with the whole history of recorded music. And the album format is in danger of becoming extinct. There's never been a time full of more 'opportunity' than now. So I made an album about it.
“The new album is a logical progression from my previous album, 'Great & Terrible Potions'. The arrangements are more confident and more purposeful. But probably the biggest difference is that there are fewer vocals on this new one. 'Last Chance To Hear' is more about having the confidence, and presumably the competence, to let the music do the talking.”
The obvious question is how did Ben recruit such iconic artists as William Shatner and Billy Sherwood to guest on his new album? Ben explains, “I was not my first choice to perform the vocals on 'Spy In The Sky Part 3'. I pored over the melody and the lyrics to get them just right. But when I finally ran through the completed lyrics in my head, I could only imagine a speaking voice.
“Immediately I thought 'William Shatner!' and loved the idea. Then reality kicked back in and I got on with the job of singing my own vocals. Except the idea never went away. It kept nagging and eating away at me, like all good ideas do. And here I was willing to give up my own vocal performance on the most dramatic piece of music on the album! So I had to stop ignoring it.
“I reached out to Billy Sherwood who as you know produced William Shatner's last album, the excellent 'Ponder The Mystery'. Billy would have been my first and only choice to record the session. I asked him if he thought the concept of having Shatner appear one of my songs would even be possible. Amazingly, everyone agreed, and Billy is the one who actually made it happen.
“Deep down I felt a lingering terror that the music might collapse under the weight of a William Shatner vocal performance. But I suspect Shatner realized the opposite. He played the lead vocalist role perfectly, as boldly and grandly as the music aspired to be. It is an awesome combination and he brought the track up to a new level altogether. I love it.”
Hailing from Brisbane, Australia, immersed as a toddler in the era of big prog rock, Craven taught himself guitar and keyboards and joined a series of bands. None of them made it and none of them remotely played the kind of music that had been burned into his mainframe as a kid. Nonetheless, the songs he wrote accumulated steadily. In 2005, Craven dispensed entirely with the band approach and recorded his debut album, “Two False Idols” under the name of Tunisia. The result was a work of incredible maturity, with influences ranging from Pink Floyd and Brian Wilson to the likes of Bernard Herrmann and John Barry.
Says Ben, “My usual suspect influences are Pink Floyd, Mike Oldfield, Yes and King Crimson. But just as important are composers like Bernard Herrmann, John Barry, Henry Mancini and John Williams. I seem to blend progressive music with film soundtrack elements. I'm also a Brian Wilson tragic.”
As Craven worked his first album it became painfully obvious that the music business was in the midst of a sea change, and most of the old guard didn't seem to realize they were the cause. Very quickly he took an anti-DRM stance and released the live acoustic EP “Under Deconstruction” as a high-quality free download.
Craven stepped up a gear for his sophomore album, “Great & Terrible Potions”. Delivering on the cinematic promise of “Two False Idols”, “Potions'” went widescreen as Craven blurred the boundaries between conventional songs and orchestral soundtracks. Augmented by a stunning cover designed by legendary artist Roger Dean (Yes, Uriah Heep, Asia), “Potions” was dense, complicated and unashamedly pretentious – everything a good prog rock album should be! Or, to put it another way, Craven sounded exactly like someone reveling in the creative freedom that came only from not worrying about what others wanted, and delivering what he felt instead.
And now, much to the excitement of Prog fans worldwide, Ben is releasing his latest masterpiece “Last Chance To Hear”!
Here's what the press raved about Ben Craven's previous release:
“Heavy-duty prog rock monster” - Anil Prasad, Innerviews “Cracking virtuoso performance by an absurdly talented individual” - Classic Rock Society “Craven’s one-man-band production is a prog opus for the 21st century” - Musoscribe “All the drama, thunder, strum and drang you could want the spiritual grand child of Rick Wakeman and Keith Emerson to bring” - Midwest Record “Craven’s tremendous ability to combine memorable hooks with complex progressive rock and cinematic orchestral music is astounding” - Sea Of Tranquility “Press play and this album does the rest” - Muzikreviews
In support of “Last Chance To Hear” Ben is putting together a one-man show for the album launch event in April, and hopes to develop it for further performances.
In closing Ben has this to impart to his fans and listeners, “This is a desperate time for music. The landscape is littered with album reissues, remixes, repackages and compilations. Record companies are trying to squeeze out every last cent while they still can. Some artists only put out new albums so they can tour. Others have decided that nobody wants to hear their new music so they don't bother making any. There’s so much noise out there now that it’s virtually impossible for anyone to stand out without the marketing might of a big record label. I want people to know that there are still those of us flying under the radar, the obsessives, who make music because it keeps us alive. With no realistic expectations of financial success, it's the anticipation of the next song, the one we haven't finished yet, that keeps us going!”