TRANSATLANTIC – the Prog Supergroup of Neal Morse, Mike Portnoy, Roine Stolt & Pete Trewavas – are set to release the new concert set ‘The Final Flight: Live At L’Olympia’ on Friday, February 17th, 2023. It was recorded and filmed in France on the last stop of a tour to promote the band’s fifth and most audacious album to date, ‘The Absolute Universe’. This was the multinational group’s first outing in eight years.
Watch the live clip for ‘We All Need Some Light’, originally featured on the bands debut album, here:
Watch the band performing ‘Owl Howl’, a highlight from ‘The Absolute Universe’ album, here: https://youtu.be/7kHEtZNPtsQ
Released in February 2021 to unanimous praise, ‘The Absolute Universe’ came in two alternate formats; an abridged 64-minute record known as ‘The Breath Of Life’, and a companion piece entitled ‘Forevermore’ that added a further four songs, clocking in at an hour and a half. Though the foundations of both were shared, each format featured lyrics and music independent of the other.
However, when Transatlantic finally hit the road they opted to perform a third format of the album, a full-bells-and-whistles, 96-minute Blu-ray culmination of both takes known as ‘The Ultimate Edition’ that had been released in 5.1 surround sound. Following that segment of the show Transatlantic took a short intermission and returned to the stage for a rollercoaster trawl through the remainder of their lavish catalogue. From the first note of ‘Overture (The Absolute Universe)’ through to the medley based around the first two Transatlantic albums that closes the evening, the performance comprised 3 hours of music in total.
“Ever since the start of this band we have played for three hours, so that’s something we’re all used to,” states drummer Mike Portnoy, who grins whilst describing his own experience as “butt-numbing”. However, Roine Stolt is ready to admit that this time felt very slightly different.
“It was a great tour,” acknowledges the guitarist and multi-musician, “but when you include our spot at Morsefest [where besides performing ‘The Absolute Universe’ the band also revisited their 2009 album ‘The Whirlwind’ and revised a cover of Procol Harum’s ‘In Held (’Twas) In I’ that had featured on their debut from 2000, ‘SMPTe’] I felt the challenge of learning, or re-learning, three-and-a-half hours of music before leaving Sweden. Now that I am getting slightly older, I was a little worried about playing for that long – it requires a lot of concentration: ‘Is this one in 7/8 or 9/8? Maybe we’ll play it in 13/8 and in a different key?’ But of course, once we got out there onto the stage, those thoughts went straight out of the window.”
With a chuckle, vocalist and keyboard wizard Neal Morse reveals that as the tour found its feet Transatlantic threw an additional curveball. “We started playing songs slightly differently to the way you’ve heard them on ‘The Ultimate Edition”, he grins. “So what you get with this live album is similar, but essentially it’s a fourth version [of the record]. When you play live, from night to night it helps to keep things fresh by jamming a bit and changing things up as you go. There are a few examples of that, for instance, the beginning of the last section that starts with ‘Belong’ is quite different than the record – partly because we couldn’t remember it! So we made up a new structure.”
“We’re always as well prepared as we can be but in a way Transatlantic is kind of a show band” points out bassist Pete Trewavas. “Playing alongside Mike who is a powerhouse on the drums, there is this raw power. If he wants to raise the energy that’s what we do. We’re all taking solos here and there, though we get the songs across we’re all showing off as much as we can”.
Filmed by Paul Green (who also shot their ‘Whirld Tour 2010: Live in London release), and mixed by longtime collaborator Rich Mouser, this set will be available as a Special Edition 3CD+Blu-ray Digipak (incl. 5.1 surround sound) & as a Gatefold 180g 4LP release. Both feature artwork by Thomas Ewerhard & photos by Nidhal Marzouk.
1. The Absolute Universe Intro 2. Overture 3. Reaching For The Sky 4. Higher Than The Morning 5. The Darkness In The Light 6. Take Now My Soul 7. Bully 8. Rainbow Sky 9. Looking For The Light 10. The World We Used To Know 11. MP Intro 12. The Sun Comes Up Today 13. Love Made A Way (Prelude) 14. Owl Howl 15. Solitude 16. Belong 17. Lonesome Rebel 18. Can You Feel It 19. Looking For The Light (Reprise) 20. The Greatest Story Never Ends 21. Love Made A Way 22. The Whirlwind Suite 23. NM & RS Intro 24. We All Need Some Light 25. The Final Medley
Line-Up (on this recording): Neal Morse – Keyboards, Acoustic Guitar & Vocals Mike Portnoy – Drums & Vocals Roine Stolt – Guitar & Vocals Pete Trewavas – Bass & Vocals
With:
Ted Leonard – Guitar, Keyboards, Percussion & Vocals
We’re living the most surreal, creepy and tragic years of modern era history.
This album tries to translate in words and music the sensations, the emotions and our sense of loss of these strange days. MMXX is the latin notation for 2020, the year that changed our lives forever. MMXXII stands for 2022, and our sense of loss gets worse and worse.
MMXX was recorded in two years. It was a great challenge because of its structure and its complex arrangement including a rock band and a choir, merging several styles together. – Dario Lastella
Written and produced by Dario Lastella, except MMXXII (music by Lastella – Mesina – Giugliano)
Arranged and performed by ifsounds Mastered by Steve Kitch – audiomaster.co.uk
MMXX Sessions
Lino Giugliano – piano, organ, synth and keyboards Dario Lastella – guitars, bass guitar, synth and vocals Lino Mesina – drums Italo Miscione – bass guitar Runal – lead vocals Ilaria Carlucci – lead and backing vocals
Guest Musicians: Claudio Lapenna – vocals on MMXX and piano on Kandinsky’s Sky Nadezhda Chalykh – vocals on MMXX Mariano Gramegna – vocals on MMXX Giovanni Liberatore – vocals on MMXX
Sleeve design by Laura Meffe
Release Date: Spring 2023 Catalog No. MRRCD 22220 Label: Melodic Revolution Records Format: CD, Digital and Streaming Barcode: – 198015284826
Introduction of ifsounds
Dario Lastella is the guitarist, producer and the main songwriter of ifsounds. He founded the band in the 90s and has led the band since then.
Runal is the lead vocalist of ifsounds since 2013. He provides strong rock and blues vocals to the band’s progressive rock music.
Lino Mesina is a talented drummer. He joined ifsounds in 2015 and he is one of the main driving forces of the band.
Lino Giugliano is a pianist, keyboard player and composer. He joined ifsounds for live performances after the An Gorta Mór album, and as a full time member of the band for MMXX album.
Italo Miscione is an experienced bass player well known in the musical scene of Abruzzo. He joined ifsounds for the MMXX album.
Ilaria Carlucci is a talented vocalist, pianist and music teacher. She provided excellent vocals for the MMXX album.
The mad man is the happiest one but he frightens the right-minded world”
ifsounds are the images of our dreams and our nightmares. Music is just the shape we give to our stories, our hopes and our fears.
The ifsounds project brings together the talents of a group of musicians, all very different from each other, whose idea is to create a sound that is able to express an emotion, to describe a state of mind, to recount a story, to make a journey into the realms of inner consciousness.
The aim of ifsounds is to reproduce not only the world around us, but above all the world inside us, because each of us is the author of his own reality and his own existence.
**LIMITED EDITION POSTCARDS AVAILABLE WITH PRE-ORDERS WHILE STOCKS LAST!**
• A DELUXE LIMITED EDITION BOXED SET OF THE CLASSIC ALBUM BY THE ALAN PARSONS PROJECT.
• THREE CDs AND ONE BLU-RAY DISC (REGION FREE), REMASTERED AND REMIXED FROM THE ORIGINAL MASTER TAPES BY ALAN PARSONS.
• FEATURING AN ADDITIONAL 42 BONUS TRACKS DRAWN FROM ERIC WOOLFSON’S SONGWRITING DIARIES, STUDIO SESSION OUT-TAKES AND A STUNNING NEW 5.1 SURROUND SOUND FROM THE ORIGINAL MULTI-TRACK MASTER TAPES BY ALAN PARSONS AND FOUR PROMOTIONAL VIDEOS.
• INCLUDES A LAVISHLY ILLUSTRATED BOOK WITH NEW ESSAY AND A REPLICA POSTER.
First released in November 1980, “The Turn Of A Friendly Card” was the fifth album by The Alan Parsons Project, the brainchild of composer, musician and manager Eric Woolfson and celebrated producer and engineer Alan Parsons.
Inspired by the period in which both Eric Woolfson and Alan Parsons had resided in Monte Carlo, this legendary album was recorded in Paris. The album sessions featured the contribution of musicians such as Ian Bairnson (guitars), David Paton (bass), Stuart Elliott (drums) with Eric Woolfson playing keyboards and providing lead vocals, along with Elmer Gantry, Chris Rainbow and Lenny Zakatek. “The Turn Of A Friendly Card” would become one of the biggest selling albums for The Alan Parsons Project, attaining gold status in many European countries and the USA. The album featured such classic compositions as “Games People Play,” “Time,” “The Gold Bug” and “The Turn Of A Friendly” suite which dominated the album’s second side.
This new deluxe edition comprises 3CDs and a Blu-Ray disc (Region Free) with an additional 42 tracks drawn from Eric Woolfson’s song-writing diaries, studio session out-takes and a stunning new 5.1 surround sound mix by Alan Parsons and a high resolution remastered original stereo mix, along with the promotional videos of “Games People Play,” “The Gold Bug” and “The Turn Of A Friendly Card” plus a promotional television advertisement. This stunning set also features a lavish illustrated book with a new essay with photos, memorabilia and features recollections from Alan Parsons and Sally Woolfson. It also includes a reproduction poster.
DISC ONE
THE TURN OF A FRIENDLY CARD’ REMASTERED
1 MAY BE A PRICE TO PAY
2 GAMES PEOPLE PLAY
3 TIME
4 I DON’T WANNA GO HOME
5 THE GOLD BUG
6 THE TURN OF A FRIENDLY CARD (PART ONE)
7 SNAKE EYES
8 THE ACE OF SWORDS
9 NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE
10 THE TURN OF A FRIENDLY CARD (PART TWO)
BONUS TRACKS
11 MAY BE A PRICE TO PAY (INTRO DEMO)
12 NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE (BASIC BACKING TRACK)
13 NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE (CHRIS RAINBOW OVERDUB VOCAL COMPILATION)
14 TIME (EARLY STUDIO ATTEMPT)
15 GAMES PEOPLE PLAY (ROUGH MIX)
16 THE GOLD BUG (DEMO)
DISC TWO
ERIC WOOLFSON’S SONGWRITING DIARIES
1 MAY BE A PRICE TO PAY
2 GAMES PEOPLE PLAY
3 TIME
4 I DON’T WANNA GO HOME
5 THE TURN OF A FRIENDLY CARD
6 SNAKE EYES
7 NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE
8 TOFC / SNAKE EYES / I DON’T WANNA GO HOME
9 LA LA LA LAH
10 NEXT YEAR
11 SOMEONE ELSE
12 TAKING IT ALL AWAY
13 TO THOSE OF YOU OUT THERE
DISC THREE
RECORDING SESSIONS BONUS TRACKS
1 MAY BE A PRICE TO PAY (EARLY VERSION – ERIC GUIDE VOCAL AND UNUSED GUITAR SOLO)
2 GAMES PEOPLE PLAY (EARLY VERSION – ERIC GUIDE VOCAL)
3 TIME (ORCHESTRA AND CHRIS RAINBOW BACKING VOCALS)
4 THE GOLD BUG (EARLY REFERENCE VERSION)
5 THE GOLD BUG (CHRIS RAINBOW BACKING VOCALS)
6 THE GOLD BUG (CLAVINET WITH NO DELAY)
7 THE TURN OF A FRIENDLY CARD – Part One (EARLY BACKING TRACK)
8 SNAKE EYES (EARLY VERSION – ERIC GUIDE VOCAL)
9 THE ACE OF SWORDS (EARLY VERSION WITH SYNTH ORCHESTRATION)
10 THE TURN OF A FRIENDLY CARD – Part Two (ERIC GUIDE VOCAL AND EXTENDED GUITAR SOLO)
SINGLE EDITS
11 GAMES PEOPLE PLAY (SINGLE EDIT)
12 THE TURN OF A FRIENDLY CARD (SINGLE EDIT)
13 SNAKE EYES (SINGLE EDIT)
DISC FOUR – BLU RAY
5.1 SURROUND SOUND MIX (2019) AND HIGH- RESOLUTION ORIGINAL STEREO MIX BY ALAN PARSONS
Writer, producer, raconteur, comedian, singer-songwriter, fashion icon and renown hand-model Jason Bieler and the Baron Von Bielski Orchestra has returned once again with Postcards From The Asylum, the follow up to 2021’s critically acclaimed Songs For The Apocalypse.
The Baron Von Bielski Orchestra’s music has been described as Nordic Ambient Post-Classical Satanic Love Songs for Nomadic Peoples Living Above the Arctic Circle catering specifically for those who staff Musk Oxen Rescues and wear hemp based sweaters.
When aggressively prodded for comment The Baron says…“Well, Art is Art, isn’t it? Still, on the other hand, water is water. And east is east and west is west and if you take cranberries and stew them like applesauce they taste much more like prunes than rhubarb does. Now you tell me what you know.”
Postcards From The Asylum features a guest appearances by: •Andee Blacksugar: Blondie, KMFDM, Peter Murphy •Marco Minnemann: The Aristocrats •Todd “Dammit” Kerns: Slash & The Conspirators, Toque •Edu Cominato: Geoff Tate, Soto •Ryo Okumoto: Spock’s Beard, Progject and more
Tracklisting: 1. Bombay 2. Numb 3. Heathens 4. Mexico 5. Birds Of Prey 6. Flying Monkeys 7. Sic Riff 8. The Depths 9. Beneath The Waves 10. Sweet Eliza 11. 9981 Dark 12. Feels Just Like Love 13. Bear Sedatives 14. Deep Blue 15. Human Head
Starting February 15, you’ll be able to watch the short film “Outside the Dream” online via YouTube or Vimeo and purchase a CD of the soundtrack which is available through Melodic Revolution Records. The instrumental musical short film is ten and a half minutes of thought-provoking eye candy while the 10-minute “Epic Edition” of “Outside The Dream” goes far beyond the original version. The music takes you deeper on a voyage with newly added arrangements and instrumentation. The film and soundtrack make up the perfect companions to “Charging The Electric Dream,” the ultimate acoustical trip.
This EP contains 16 minutes of content consisting of music that was recorded during the last quarter of 2022 with some additional material recorded in January of 2023. “Outside the Dream, Epic Edition” is an expansion and rearrangement of the piece by the same name from the “Charging The Electric Dream” album. The second song on the CD is “Alternate Frequencies” which is found as is in the album “Charging The Electric Dream”. Both songs in this EP were composed and recorded during sessions between October and November of 2022. Although the music directly relates to the “Charging The Electric Dream” album, the artwork for the CD follows its own path resembling the style of illustrated artwork found in science-fiction posters from the ’70s. Being heavily influenced by the music from those days, Leon thought a touch of nostalgia depicting a “future that might have been,” would be appropriate for this particular project.
OUTSIDE THE DREAM (SOUNDTRACK) Release date: February 15, 2023
Tracklisting: 1. Outside The Dream – Epic Edition 10:02 2. Alternate Frequencies – Single Version 5:52
Personnel: Leon Alvarado, all instruments Engineered by Leon Alvarado Mastering by Maor Appelbaum Label: Melodic Revolution Records
Ingenious Devices features new versions of a trilogy of revered Big Big Train epic tracks – East Coast Racer, Brooklands and Voyager.
These tracks prominently feature an elite 17-piece string section recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London. Apart from the late David Longdon’s lead vocals, which have been compiled from the original album sessions, East Coast Racer is a completely new studio version recorded by the line-up of the band as it was in 2019. Brooklands features newly recorded drums, bass, and bass pedals, while Voyager includes additional guitar and violin. All three songs have been re-mixed for this release.
TRACKLISTING East Coast Racer The Book of Ingenious Devices Brooklands Voyager
Atlantic Cable (recorded live in September 2022)
CD, DOUBLE LP, and HI-RES 24/96 DOWNLOAD released 30th June 2023
STANDARD DOWNLOADS and STREAMING available 28th July 2023
Gregory Spawton explains: “I was always happy with the original recorded version of East Coast Racer, but adding the strings at Abbey Road gave the song a further lift and the new recording also features Dave Gregory’s guitar solo on the closing section, a solo which has only previously featured on live performances of the song. I am pleased we now have the definitive studio version of Ingenious Devices.By contrast, I was never entirely satisfied with Brooklands and felt it got a bit overlooked on the Folklore album, which is perhaps why we’ve not played the song live yet. The Abbey Road strings have significantly enhanced the song and I’m delighted with the outcome. The changes to Voyager are more subtle but still elevate the song beyond the version on our Grand Tour album.”
Additionally, Ingenious Devices includes a previously unreleased orchestral piece called The Book of Ingenious Devices, which links East Coast Racer and Brooklands, as well as a live version of Atlantic Cable, which was recorded on the band’s tour in September 2022.
Alberto Bravin comments: “Atlantic Cable was recorded at our second show of the tour last year. It’s not an easy song to play at all and we were both amazed and relieved that we pulled it off so well. I experienced a real baptism of fire playing that show in front of over 1,000 passionate BBT fans, but their response to the song and the rest of our live set that night was truly motivating.”
Nick D’Virgilio says: “Ingenious Devices is a great way of uniting four of Big Big Train’s epic songs about technology. The album also celebrates the wonderful vocals of our late, great friend David Longdon on East Coast Racer, Brooklands, and Voyager and looks forward to the future with Alberto putting in such a great performance on Atlantic Cable.”
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