Tuesday, February 18, 2020
Time-travel Tuesday: out in front
Courtesy of an article this week in the Worcester Telegram, a moment from Yes' performance at the Worcester Centrum on May 12, 1984. It's always nice to see Trevor in a different stage outfit from the usual of that particular era. According to accounts on Forgotten Yesterdays, this show was particularly memorable because Jon fell through one of the access grates in the stage during "It Can Happen" but luckily was not seriously injured.
Friday, February 7, 2020
Media Watch: new YMP episode
The new episode of Yes Music Podcast concerns the formative period of YesWest in an examination of the Cinema days, with a special focus on the Yes fanzines which were providing coverage of the band and its' associated endeavors at a time when professional rock publications had all but forgotten them. In an upcoming Collector's Corner entry I will share one of those 'zines I am fortunate enough to own from the period of Trevor's live debut with the band.
https://yesmusicpodcast.com/who-were-cinema-dave-watkinson-and-jon-dee-tell-the-story-418/
(courtesy of Dave Watkinson's Facebook page)
https://yesmusicpodcast.com/who-were-cinema-dave-watkinson-and-jon-dee-tell-the-story-418/
(courtesy of Dave Watkinson's Facebook page)
Wednesday, February 5, 2020
The ERE is back!
For those of us who desire to keep track of Rick's activities, the latest edition of Grumpy Old Rick's Ramblings contained some very good news indeed.
So it appears this album will be titled The Red Planet and is, akin to his 2003 album Out There, another paean to the wonders of outer space. I am so excited! It will be great to hear Lee playing prog again...and who knows, he might even be ready to release his own project, which former Headspace drummer Richard Brook mentioned on Instagram back in 2018.
Speaking of the 'Gram, Lee now has an official account, huzzah!
https://www.instagram.com/leepomeroy1/
In related news Rick will be appearing with a version of the English Rock Ensemble (hopefully the above-mentioned combo) at the HRH Prog IX festival on March 28th at the O2 Shepherds Bush Empire in London and 29th at the O2 Academy in Sheffield. There is also a performance scheduled for May 23rd in Switzerland, which might also be a festival date of some kind?
I’ll start with an update as regards the new album.
As mentioned before, it is a keyboard heavy (now there’s a surprise), prog rock instrumental album. There are 8 tracks in total and the album length is around 56 minutes.
As well as having Erik Jordan in charge of the recording, I also have on board the services of three exceptional musicians in Lee Pomeroy on bass, Dave Colquhoun on guitars and Ash Soan on drums.
The basic tracks are already recorded and that includes contributions from the musicians named above and I am thrilled with the results so far. I still have a lot to add to each track and that will be done throughout this month before Erik starts his task of mixing it all so it ends up sounding like it should!
There are great plans afoot for a very special playback session and other surprises too. It’s been great fun getting back to prog and I think the period away from recording such an album has contributed greatly to making The Red Planet sound extremely fresh.
So it appears this album will be titled The Red Planet and is, akin to his 2003 album Out There, another paean to the wonders of outer space. I am so excited! It will be great to hear Lee playing prog again...and who knows, he might even be ready to release his own project, which former Headspace drummer Richard Brook mentioned on Instagram back in 2018.
Speaking of the 'Gram, Lee now has an official account, huzzah!
https://www.instagram.com/leepomeroy1/
In related news Rick will be appearing with a version of the English Rock Ensemble (hopefully the above-mentioned combo) at the HRH Prog IX festival on March 28th at the O2 Shepherds Bush Empire in London and 29th at the O2 Academy in Sheffield. There is also a performance scheduled for May 23rd in Switzerland, which might also be a festival date of some kind?
Monday, February 3, 2020
update redux: Changes
In order to provide further clarification, today I received the official press release for Changes which lists the contents of each disc and I have reprised it in this entry. So it might make things a bit less confusing in terms of what the box set contains.
There are a few things I wanted to note:
- There is no mention in the press release - as there is on the Gonzo Multimedia storefront - of the "Trevor Rabin - Roger" material; so it is unclear if that is happening.
- The track listing for Trevor Rabin does indeed appear to be Beginnings (as you can see the title is listed both ways). I'm still a little skittish about fully committing to my potential excitement, but a remastered Beginnings release is something I have been desiring for many years now.
- 90124 does appear to have the original tracklisting, but as most fans are aware, the last track is actually "Don't Give In" which is from the original Cinema sessions.
- It also appears that the live recording is the Cry Lonely Wolf bootleg, which is the full Boston performance, but of course it is known in online trading circles as "Live in Boston 1989." I'm not sure how you license a bootleg release, exactly? But hopefully the quality will be on par with the version in circulation.
There are a few things I wanted to note:
- There is no mention in the press release - as there is on the Gonzo Multimedia storefront - of the "Trevor Rabin - Roger" material; so it is unclear if that is happening.
- The track listing for Trevor Rabin does indeed appear to be Beginnings (as you can see the title is listed both ways). I'm still a little skittish about fully committing to my potential excitement, but a remastered Beginnings release is something I have been desiring for many years now.
- 90124 does appear to have the original tracklisting, but as most fans are aware, the last track is actually "Don't Give In" which is from the original Cinema sessions.
- It also appears that the live recording is the Cry Lonely Wolf bootleg, which is the full Boston performance, but of course it is known in online trading circles as "Live in Boston 1989." I'm not sure how you license a bootleg release, exactly? But hopefully the quality will be on par with the version in circulation.
Box Set Contents:
Disc 1 - Beginnings
Disc 2 - Face to Face
Disc 3 - Wolf
Disc 4 - Can't Look Away.
Disc 5 - Can't Look Away bonus tracks
Disc 6 - 90124
Disc 7 - Live in Boston 1989 part 1
Disc 8 - Live in Boston 1989 part 2
Disc 9 - Lost Soundtracks Vol. 1 - Jack Frost.
Disc 10 - Lost Soundtracks Vol. 2
also includes
Signed and Numbered Certificate
24 page A4 Photo Book, “The Making of Wolf”
24 page A4 Photo Book, “The Can't Look Away photo Session”
A3 Poster
4 x 10” x 8” Reproduction Promotional Photos
Reproduction Press Cuttings
Disc 1 - Beginnings
Getting To Know You Better 4:12
Stay With Me 3:49
I Love You 5:01
Love Alone 2:13
Love Life 4:01
Fantasy 3:19
Painted Picture 3:36
Could There Be 4:27
Live A Bit 4:44
Red Desert 3:38
Beginnings Bonus Tracks
Getting To Know You Better (single edit) 3:20
Stay With Me (single edit) 3:18
Disc 2 - Face to Face
I'll Take The Weight 3:56
Don't You Ever Lose 4:00
I'm Old Enough (To Make You A Woman) 4:10
The Wanderer 3:48
You 2:40
Now 4:50
The Ripper 3:48
Candy's Bar 4:02
Always The Last One 5:06
Face to Face Bonus Tracks
Don't You Ever Lose (single edit) 3:19
Disc 3 - Wolf
Open Ended 3:25
Heard You Cry Wolf 5:43
Do Ya Do Ya Want Me 3:30
Stop Turn 4:05
Lost In Love 3:45
Looking For A Lady (Wolfman) 4:41
Pain 4:35
Take Me To A Party 3:38
She's Easy 4:26
Long Island 3:41
Disc 4 - Can't Look Away
I Can't Look Away 7:19
Something To Hold On To 5:05
Sorrow (You Heart) 4:28
Cover Up 5:17
Promises 5:54
Etoile Noir 1:03
Eyes Of Love 6:53
I Don't Think It Would Last 4:05
Hold On To Me 4:42
Sludge 2:28
I Miss You Now 5:38
The Cape 2:57
Disc 5 - Can’t Look Away bonus tracks
Sorrow (Your Heart) (Edit) 3:28
I Can't Look Away (Edit) 5:04
Something To Hold On To (Demo Version) 4:15
Dan Neer Promotional Interview (Questions and Answers) 22:42
Dan Neer Promotional Interview (Answers Only) 19:05
Disc 6 - 90124
Hold On (Demo 1981) 6:19
Changes (Demo 1981) 3:11
Moving In 5:31
Would You Feel My Love 5:00
Where Will You Be (Demo 1991) 5:06
Owner Of A Lonely Heart (Demo 1981) 7:01
Walls (Demo 1990) 4:20
Promenade 1:44
Love Will Find A Way 3:29
Miracle Of Life 6:56
Cinema (Demo 1981) 4:31
Disc 7 - Live in Boston 1989 part 1 - 05 December 1989 (Previously Unreleased)
Cover Up
Sorrow (Your Heart)
Cry Wolf
Changes
Etoile Noir/Eyes Of Love
Solly's Beard
Something To Hold On To
Disc 8 - Live in Boston 1989 part 2
Carry On/Promises
Sludge
Can't Look Away
Make It Easy
Owner Of A Lonely Heart
Love Will Find A Way
Outroduction
Disc 9 - Lost Soundtracks Vol. 1 - Jack Frost (Previously Unreleased)
Frostbite
The Snowball Fight
It's Snowing
Magic Harmonica
Miss Him Too
The Cabin
Goodbye
The J Shot
Frost In Medford
Charlie Boy
Disc 10 - Lost Soundtracks Vol. 2 (Previously Unreleased)
Remember The Titans
Grace
Banger Sisters
Prague
A Beautiful Mind Trailer
Remembrance
Friendship
Sunrise
Gettysburg
Thursday, January 30, 2020
update: Changes
Some of you may have witnessed my full-on Rabid Fangirl freak-out on the Yesfans forum regarding the contents of the upcoming box set. Dear Reader, it was the veritable gamut of emotions.
Trevor is releasing a box set: OMG YAIS, this is amazing.
Reading the details of said box set on the storefront: Uh...what?
It's true I have some issues with some things but it's also true that the information provided by Gonzo Multimedia via the storefront is just downright confusing.
So I wanted to raise a few of those points as a die-hard fan (and someone whom this release is targeted directly at), and hopefully we might receive some clarification from someone before March 16th. I do find it kind of odd that after Henry Potts and I broke the story, so to speak, there's been no actual official announcement from anybody. I don't mind being the one enacting the publicity but you'd think there would be a plan for this sort of thing, right? Because any other outlet which reported on the box set did so hours after I did. So, once again: You're welcome.
How many discs?
As Henry helpfully pointed out in discussion, they have disc seven appearing in the listing twice, once for the Rabin-Hodgson disc (presumably) and once for the Boston show. So are there ten discs or eleven? Do we get a full show recording on two discs, or an edited version on one disc and the collaborations with Roger?
Beginnings or Trevor Rabin?
It's déjà vu all over again, it seems...when Trevor Rabin was reissued in 2003, it bore the original album title and cover art. Now it seems this version is the opposite, with the eponymous title and cover art (ugh). The tracklisting in the description is for Beginnings, and IF that is true, that is amazing. A remaster of Beginnings is something I have desired for a very long time, and the subject of one of my entries back in 2017. Now I don't even know if I should be excited. Is it actually correct? And if so, why did they not just use the original title and cover art (which they already had in the archives, presumably). But I'm really hoping this is not a misprint!
Do we get a full show?
Returning to a previous point. when I received the email from Ray Reithmeier regarding the storefront update, he pointed out to me that it appears the Boston show disc bears the cover of this bootleg version:
https://www.discogs.com/Trevor-Rabin-Cry-Lonely-Wolf/release/8151269
...and thus it's a reasonable supposition that the release is sourced from it as well (i.e. the original radio broadcast). But in conjunction with the issue of the number of actual discs, it appears uncertain. I'm also going to speculate that there were two versions broadcast: one was a full show simulcast by WBCN on 12/5/89 and one was an edited version by Westwood One sometime in 1990. It could be what will be included in the box set is this latter version and that would be disappointing, as I previously stated. And that's not even touching upon the fact that if they are using that cover, it's not even a photo of Trevor from 1989!
WTF?!
I don't know what to say about 90124, it's not even the same tracklist as the original CD? Of course the original CD also contained numerous errors in the liner notes, so...has it been resequenced, with some tracks swapped out, or what?
Extras
Bonus content is always a crapshoot from a fan's perspective, but it is disappointing in this case as most of the bonus tracks for the individual reissues are previously available, either in the collector's market or online.
But can we talk about the poster for a minute? As a fan, as a collector, I love posters; I am someone who - as some fellow fans/readers are aware - has an entire room decorated with posters, photos and artwork of Trevor. And the thought of a new poster made me very happy...until I closely examined the photo of the box set contents. The image used for the poster is the one which graces the back cover of Trevor Rabin, but presumably reproduced at a higher quality. But seriously...Trevor Rabin has the worst cover art of all of Trevor's solo albums. As I opined on Yesfans, what they should have done was reproduced the poster which came with the Japanese version of the album, which I have exhibited previously on the blog. I doubt it would have been difficult to obtain a copy for scanning. Or how about the poster which was created to promote Can't Look Away, which, sure, you can still buy on eBay but it's a great photograph (as are all of Lisa Powers' images). I'm assuming that one will at least be included in the photo book.
Were you really ready?
There are numerous formatting errors and typos in the merchandise listings and someone should have caught all of it before they went live. I'm asserting this from my professional perspective, not my fandom one.
Trevor is releasing a box set: OMG YAIS, this is amazing.
Reading the details of said box set on the storefront: Uh...what?
It's true I have some issues with some things but it's also true that the information provided by Gonzo Multimedia via the storefront is just downright confusing.
So I wanted to raise a few of those points as a die-hard fan (and someone whom this release is targeted directly at), and hopefully we might receive some clarification from someone before March 16th. I do find it kind of odd that after Henry Potts and I broke the story, so to speak, there's been no actual official announcement from anybody. I don't mind being the one enacting the publicity but you'd think there would be a plan for this sort of thing, right? Because any other outlet which reported on the box set did so hours after I did. So, once again: You're welcome.
How many discs?
As Henry helpfully pointed out in discussion, they have disc seven appearing in the listing twice, once for the Rabin-Hodgson disc (presumably) and once for the Boston show. So are there ten discs or eleven? Do we get a full show recording on two discs, or an edited version on one disc and the collaborations with Roger?
Beginnings or Trevor Rabin?
It's déjà vu all over again, it seems...when Trevor Rabin was reissued in 2003, it bore the original album title and cover art. Now it seems this version is the opposite, with the eponymous title and cover art (ugh). The tracklisting in the description is for Beginnings, and IF that is true, that is amazing. A remaster of Beginnings is something I have desired for a very long time, and the subject of one of my entries back in 2017. Now I don't even know if I should be excited. Is it actually correct? And if so, why did they not just use the original title and cover art (which they already had in the archives, presumably). But I'm really hoping this is not a misprint!
Do we get a full show?
Returning to a previous point. when I received the email from Ray Reithmeier regarding the storefront update, he pointed out to me that it appears the Boston show disc bears the cover of this bootleg version:
https://www.discogs.com/Trevor-Rabin-Cry-Lonely-Wolf/release/8151269
...and thus it's a reasonable supposition that the release is sourced from it as well (i.e. the original radio broadcast). But in conjunction with the issue of the number of actual discs, it appears uncertain. I'm also going to speculate that there were two versions broadcast: one was a full show simulcast by WBCN on 12/5/89 and one was an edited version by Westwood One sometime in 1990. It could be what will be included in the box set is this latter version and that would be disappointing, as I previously stated. And that's not even touching upon the fact that if they are using that cover, it's not even a photo of Trevor from 1989!
WTF?!
I don't know what to say about 90124, it's not even the same tracklist as the original CD? Of course the original CD also contained numerous errors in the liner notes, so...has it been resequenced, with some tracks swapped out, or what?
Extras
Bonus content is always a crapshoot from a fan's perspective, but it is disappointing in this case as most of the bonus tracks for the individual reissues are previously available, either in the collector's market or online.
But can we talk about the poster for a minute? As a fan, as a collector, I love posters; I am someone who - as some fellow fans/readers are aware - has an entire room decorated with posters, photos and artwork of Trevor. And the thought of a new poster made me very happy...until I closely examined the photo of the box set contents. The image used for the poster is the one which graces the back cover of Trevor Rabin, but presumably reproduced at a higher quality. But seriously...Trevor Rabin has the worst cover art of all of Trevor's solo albums. As I opined on Yesfans, what they should have done was reproduced the poster which came with the Japanese version of the album, which I have exhibited previously on the blog. I doubt it would have been difficult to obtain a copy for scanning. Or how about the poster which was created to promote Can't Look Away, which, sure, you can still buy on eBay but it's a great photograph (as are all of Lisa Powers' images). I'm assuming that one will at least be included in the photo book.
Were you really ready?
There are numerous formatting errors and typos in the merchandise listings and someone should have caught all of it before they went live. I'm asserting this from my professional perspective, not my fandom one.
Open for business!
With enormous gratitude to Raymond Reithmeier for giving me the heads-up!
As previously reported by Henry Potts and myself last week, the online store for Trevor's back catalog is now live and can be accessed via this link.
https://www.gonzomultimedia.co.uk/artists/categories/trevor-rabin
What is amazing to behold is the film music composed by Trevor Rabin promo release (the subject of a previous entry back in 2015) now available to everyone for a totally reasonable price (as most fans know this was probably the priciest score promo on the collector's market for many years). I highly recommend it if you are a fan of Trevor's scoring work. Also great to see is the release of the Jack Frost promo which contains what I consider to be Trevor's most beautiful theme ever, "Frostbite." There are some other score albums on offer which are signed by Trevor, and were available as official releases in prior years.
But the true highlight of the store's offerings is a box set entitled Changes, set for release on March 16th. What I assume to be a limited edition, signed and numbered 10-disc release, it features all of Trevor's solo back catalog (with the exception of Jacaranda and Live in L.A.) as well as some special bonus content:
- Additional material from the recording of Can't Look Away.
- The additional songs demo'ed/recorded with Roger Hodgson in 1990 (as "Walls" was previously released on 90124).
- What looks to be the full recording of the December 5th 1989 performance at Boston's Paradise Club as broadcast on WBCN (two discs).
- Two collectible books featuring photographs from the making of Wolf as well as Trevor's 1989 photo session with Lisa Powers for the Can't Look Away packaging and promotion.
So if you're desiring to fill some holes in your collection or salivating over that big beautiful box set...go get your shop on!
As previously reported by Henry Potts and myself last week, the online store for Trevor's back catalog is now live and can be accessed via this link.
https://www.gonzomultimedia.co.uk/artists/categories/trevor-rabin
What is amazing to behold is the film music composed by Trevor Rabin promo release (the subject of a previous entry back in 2015) now available to everyone for a totally reasonable price (as most fans know this was probably the priciest score promo on the collector's market for many years). I highly recommend it if you are a fan of Trevor's scoring work. Also great to see is the release of the Jack Frost promo which contains what I consider to be Trevor's most beautiful theme ever, "Frostbite." There are some other score albums on offer which are signed by Trevor, and were available as official releases in prior years.
But the true highlight of the store's offerings is a box set entitled Changes, set for release on March 16th. What I assume to be a limited edition, signed and numbered 10-disc release, it features all of Trevor's solo back catalog (with the exception of Jacaranda and Live in L.A.) as well as some special bonus content:
- Additional material from the recording of Can't Look Away.
- The additional songs demo'ed/recorded with Roger Hodgson in 1990 (as "Walls" was previously released on 90124).
- What looks to be the full recording of the December 5th 1989 performance at Boston's Paradise Club as broadcast on WBCN (two discs).
- Two collectible books featuring photographs from the making of Wolf as well as Trevor's 1989 photo session with Lisa Powers for the Can't Look Away packaging and promotion.
So if you're desiring to fill some holes in your collection or salivating over that big beautiful box set...go get your shop on!
Sunday, January 26, 2020
Collector's Corner: time for some groovy love
Spotted on Instagram: Marq Vas shares a few rarities from his collection, this time a grouping of the first Disco Rock Machine album and single releases for various markets. As we know there were only two albums, in 1978 and '79, but quite a few versions of both the albums and singles were issued.
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