Tracklist
1. Gas Tanks
2. Coffin Confession
3. Going Down
4. Once I Had Illusions (Part 1)
5. I Like Games
6. Shining Brightness
7. The Blues and Messing Round
8. Long Long Road
9. Once I Had Illusions (Part 2)Line-up
Arthur Brown – vocals, guitars, piano
Rik Patten – multiple instrumentsRecording at Sonic Scoops Studios UK Produced by Arthur Brown with Rik Patten Arrangements by Arthur Brown and Rik Patten Mix&engineering by Rik Patten Mastering by Marc UrselliArtwork by Laurie Avon Photography and imagery by Harvey Waller Layout & design by Jean Valnoir Simoulin
Available formats “Long Long Road” is available as a box set including a 48-page hardcover 2CD artbook, a gatefold 180g orange marble vinyl-LP, a bonus 7″ vinyl single, a wall flag, 4 30×30 cm art prints, and a certificate of authenticity personally signed and hand-numbered by Arthur Brown. The 2CD artbook is also available separately and includes liner notes by Arthur Brown, enhanced artwork and photography, and two exclusive studio recordings. “Long Long Road” is furthermore available on black 180g vinyl LP, on transparent red 180g vinyl LP, and as a Digipak CD.
WHO IS ARTHUR BROWN?
Pretty much everyone into rock music knows ARTHUR BROWN. Be it via listening to or watching The Who’s rock opera “Tommy” or spending time with The Alan Parsons Project’s classic debut album “Tales of Mystery and Imagination”, most people have encountered Arthur – even if they might not have realized it.
Yet when it comes to THE CRAZY WORLD OF ARTHUR BROWN’s iconic, career-defining 1968 transatlantic hit single ‘Fire’, everybody knows that this is Arthur – the self-proclaimed God of Hellfire!
But, we are getting ahead of ourselves, when we really ought to start with Arthur’s new full-length masterpiece “Long Long Road”.
Wild, vibrant, and crammed with rich musical textures, his new album is quintessentially ARTHUR BROWN, and can easily be construed as the apex and summary of a fascinating career that has spanned no fewer than seven decades.
Scheduled for release on Arthur’s 80th birthday on June 24, “Long Long Road” effortlessly shifts from progressive rock and soul to pristine blues rock, with the much-loved singer summoning his full vocal range with a mature mastery that comes only with the experience of a lifetime.
Make no mistake; ARTHUR BROWN is a true rock legend – luckily, one whose star still burns very brightly, making audiences’ jaws drop whenever he takes to the stage.
Born in 1942, this outstanding vocalist and pioneering performer have recently been experiencing a renaissance. Arthur’s ground-breaking work over several decades was honored at the 2019 Prog Awards when he received the Visionary Artist Award. In 2021, Arthur was given an HRH Legend Award that celebrates the best of British rock music. Prior to these, Classic Rock magazine bestowed a “Showman Award” on Arthur in 2005. This renewed attention by fans, media, and peers in the autumn of his artistic endeavors can be recognized as a long-overdue tribute to an iconic musician, similar to that enjoyed by JOHNNY CASH late in his expansive career.
ARTHUR BROWN‘s legacy has been long appreciated by fellow musicians, writers, and dedicated rock fans far beyond the vast shadow cast by his gigantic number 1 hit single ‘Fire’. The iconic track from his 1968 album “The Crazy World of Arthur Brown” still maintains its mesmerizing power with audiences and peers today. At the same time, it could be argued that the omnipresence of ‘Fire’ has partly obscured Arthur’s many outstanding accomplishments over the 54 years since its release.
To understand the massive impact and influence of ARTHUR BROWN‘s wild stage persona, flamboyant theatrical performances, and charismatic multi-octave voice, one only needs to listen to these rock icons:
“Without Arthur Brown, there would be no Alice Cooper.” ALICE COOPER
“Now there’s a man who was ahead of his time.” ELTON JOHN
“Arthur Brown was a big influence of mine… Arthur Brown has the voice of death.” Bruce Dickinson, IRON MAIDEN
“Arthur Brown is as much a dancer as he is a singer.” Pete Townshend, THE WHOARTHUR BROWN is widely recognized as a pioneer of shock rock and progressive rock, and a significant influence on heavy metal. His live performances include iconic classics, dance, poetry, visuals and a subliminal soundtrack of new electronic music. Whenever he plays, Arthur still brings the dramatically elegant and always extravagant style that he established as the gold standard onstage.During his long and distinguished career, Arthur has been the lead singer of various groups, most notably THE CRAZY WORLD OF ARTHUR BROWN and KINGDOM COME, along with a cameo in the cult film “Tommy”, in which his dramatic vocals were backed by ERIC CLAPTON and THE WHO. Collaborations include the debut album of THE ALAN PARSONS PROJECT, DAVID GILMORE, THE PRODIGY, BRUCE DICKINSON, THE STRANGLERS, KULA SHAKER, DIE KRUPPS, and many more.
With each note on “Long Long Road”, ARTHUR BROWN makes the impressive statement that he remains as authentic, challenging, creative, and compelling as he was at his career’s fiery beginning. This record is not a swansong, but the thrilling beginning of the final phase of an utterly singular career.
22nd May 2022: YES Management have announced today that due to current health issues Alan White will not be taking part on the forthcoming 50th Anniversary Close to the Edge UK & Eire Tour. Alan was really looking forward to playing live again preparing to celebrate 50 years with Yes, having joined the band for the July 1972 Close to the Edge Tour, coming full circle in 2022. Alan’s close friend Jay Schellen will be taking on drumming duties in Alan’s place.
The Album Series Tour 2022 which willcelebrate the 50th anniversary of YES’ iconic album Close to the Edge and will feature the album, performed in full, along with other classic tracks from YES’ extensive catalogue.
The tour line-up will feature Steve Howe (guitars), Geoff Downes (keyboards), Jon Davison (vocals), Billy Sherwood (bass guitar and backing vocals) with Jay Schellen (drums and percussion).
The show will comprise full production and a high-definition video wall directed by Roger Dean who will also be joining the tour with an exhibition of YES related art.
A full performance of the Relayer album will now be featured in a future UK tour in The Album Series. European dates were recently announced for rescheduled dates in 2023.
The 10 date UK and Eire tour starts on 15th June – full dates are:
Wed 15th JuneGlasgowRoyal Concert Hall
Fri 17th JuneManchesterBridgewater Hall
Sat 18th JuneNottinghamRoyal Concert Hall
Mon 20th JuneLiverpoolPhilharmonic Hall
Tues 21st JuneLondon Royal Albert Hall
Wed 22nd JuneYorkBarbican
Fri 24th JuneBirminghamSymphony Hall
Sun 26th JuneNewcastle O2 City Hall
Tues 28th JuneDublinVicar Street
Wed 29th JuneCorkOpera House
Tickets remain valid for the rescheduled shows. For full details and to book tickets for all shows go to venue website or http://yesworld.com/live where you can also book Meet and Greets with the band.
About YES
Steve Howe: guitars, backing vocals (1970 –1981, 1990–1992, 1995–present) Alan White: drums, percussion (1972 – present) Geoff Downes: keyboards (1980–1981, 2011–present) Jon Davison: lead vocals, acoustic guitar (2012–present) Billy Sherwood: guitar, backing vocals ((1994, 1997–2000), bass guitar, backing vocals (2015–present)
Formed in 1968 by Jon Anderson and the late, and much-missed, Chris Squire, YES have been one of the most innovative, influential and best-loved bands in rock music history. Their 1970s albums The Yes Album, Fragile, Close to the Edge, Yessongs (a triple live album set), Tales From Topographic Oceans,Relayer and Going For The One were ground-breaking in musical style and content. Their music also became synonymous with artist Roger Dean whose distinctive YES logo design and artwork adorned the lavish gatefold presentation sleeves of many YES albums.
With sales of over 50 million records, the Grammy-award winning YES were inducted into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2017 where they performed Roundabout from the album Fragile and the FM radio-friendly Owner Of A Lonely Heart from the 1985 album 90125. In 2021 YES released their 22nd Studio album, The Quest, produced by Steve Howe, which went to No.1 in the UK rock chart and entered the Official UK Album Chart at No. 20.
English alternative progressive rock band The Pineapple Thief will release an album titled Give It Back on May 13th via Kscope. This is an album of newly recorded, re-worked classic tracks, that now feature drum legend Gavin Harrison (Porcupine Tree, King Crimson), from the band’s impressive catalog.
The Pineapple Thief is one of the leading lights of Europe’s experimental rock domain, led by post-progressive mastermind Bruce Soord and reinforced by Gavin Harrison (King Crimson) on drums.
In the lead up to their extensive forthcoming 2022 European and US tour (23 Feb through to June) in support of their latest studio album ‘Versions Of The Truth’, The Pineapple Thief present ‘Give It Back’ which is due for release on the 13th May through Kscope.
‘Give It Back’ is a new album featuring 12 new versions of earlier works including songs taken from the albums ‘Little Man’, ‘All The Wars’, ‘Tightly Unwound’. The band has completely re-recorded all of the tracks to complement brand new Gavin Harrison drum parts and new song arrangements. The result of this process is a unique release of reworked songs which showcases the evolution of The Pineapple Thief. Bruce Soord explains the idea behind the album “Gavin went through the entire TPT back catalog and picked out some songs he felt we could revisit. As soon as I heard what Gavin was doing, it inspired me to completely rework the songs too. Gavin would suggest adding new parts, chopping things around, bringing in extra verses and I was completely open to all of it. I also ‘closed the story’ lyrically on a lot of the songs which I felt were left too open-ended. It was a lot of fun to do, even if it felt a little strange at times going back in time.”
The Pineapple Thief – Give it Back (Rewired) [Official Lyric Video]
Gavin Harrison comments “When I first started working with The Pineapple Thief I had only played on the album “Your Wilderness”, so when the time came to play live, I obviously had to approach quite a few songs I didn’t know and hadn’t played before. Having spent some years in King Crimson (where this challenge was often presented to me), Robert Fripp suggested that you should approach every song as if it were new regardless of when it was written. So with the blessing of The Pineapple Thief, I developed my own take on some of the earlier material. As the tours went by, I got curious about their huge back catalog and found myself listening through and applying the ‘old song/new song’ process and imagining how I could (sometimes radically) rework them – initially just for the purposes of finding other songs to play live. However, Bruce encouraged me to go as far out as I wanted (including writing whole new sections) – after all, the original already existed – so why not breathe new life into these earlier songs? This isn’t a compilation album or any kind of selected ‘best of’ record – but rather the tunes that gave me inspiration to rearrange, rework, rewire.”
The title track from the album is the first single to be released on 22nd February. Bruce explains“One of the first songs that Gavin picked out from the back catalog was Give it Back. We completely re-recorded and re-worked the entire piece. It feels like a completely new song and it’s already part of our live set.”
The ‘Give It Back’ album artwork has been created by Carl Glover.
‘Give It Back’ will be released as a 2 disc CD & Blu-ray (Audio – Hi-res Stereo/DTS-HD MA 5.1/Dolby Atmos), CD, black vinyl LP, and digitally and is available to PRE-ORDER HERE (https://TPT.lnk.to/GiveItBack )
‘Give It Back’ Tracklisting
Wretched Soul (Rewired) [05:26]
Dead In The Water (Rewired) [04:43]
Shoot First (Rewired) [03:43]
Build A World (Rewired) [03:42]
Start Your Descent (Rewired) [04:23]
Give It Back (Rewired) [06:20]
Boxing Day (Rewired) [03:25]
Someone Pull Me Out (Rewired) [04:00]
Last Man Standing (Rewired) [05:15]
Little Man (Rewired) [03:51]
137 (Rewired) [05:06]
Warm Seas (Rewired) [03:59]
The band will also be touring North America for the first time in years in support of the record.
The Pineapple Thief – Dead In The Water Rewired (Lyric Video)
Big Big Train has recruited Alberto Bravin as lead vocalist following the tragic death of David Longdon in November 2021.
Based in Trieste in Italy, Bravin’s career includes performing around 200 shows with progressive rock legends PFM between 2015 and January 2022, both in Italy and internationally, singing lead and backing vocals and playing keyboards.
Alberto Bravin says: “I am extremely honored to have the opportunity to join Big Big Train. I was already a huge BBT fan and am looking forward to play my part in taking this great band forward while also honoring the memory of David Longdon.”
Big Big Train bassist and founder Gregory Spawton comments: “Before Covid-19 hit, Nick D’Virgilio and I had both seen Alberto perform with PFM. We were very impressed with his abilities as a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist and therefore approached him earlier this year.
“We know that David is irreplaceable and we miss him deeply both musically and personally,” Spawton continues. “We were very clear that we didn’t want to bring someone into the band who would seek to mimic David; that just felt fundamentally wrong. Instead, we wanted someone who could do justice with their own musical skills and personality to the songs that David sang for Big Big Train as well as being able to help to drive the band forwards. From his first audition singing some BBT classic songs and subsequently his work on some new material that we’re working on, we’re confident that we’ve found the right person in Alberto.”
“Aside from Alberto’s great voice and all-around musical skills, it was also vital for us to find the right personal fit, particularly after being struck with David’s sudden death,” drummer Nick D’Virgilio comments. “We flew Alberto to London several weeks ago so we could hang together for a few days and the chemistry immediately felt right.”
AboutAlberto Bravin
Alberto was born in Trieste, on Italy’s north-eastern border with Slovenia.
His involvement in music began at the age of three when he started taking piano lessons. Later on, he developed an interest in electronic keyboards and synthesizers and this paved the way for his love of progressive rock music.
At the age of 17, Alberto began studying opera singing at the Trieste Conservatory and after a couple of years, he moved to London where he graduated in modern singing. Alongside his singing and piano playing, Alberto is also a self-taught guitarist, bassist, and drummer.
After his studies in London, Alberto returned to Trieste where he opened his own recording studios (Echoes Recording Studios) and released two albums (Sinestesia and The Day After Flower) with his band Sinestesia (featuring Alberto, Roby De Micheli, Alessandro Sala, and Paolo Marchesich of Rhapsody Of Fire). Both albums were produced by Franz Di Cioccio of Italian progressive rock legends PFM – Premiata Forneria Marconi. Alberto also recorded and mixed Rhapsody Of Fire’s eleventh album, 2016’s Into The Legend.
In 2015 Alberto joined PFM (alongside Marco Sfogli) as a singer and additional guitarist and keyboard player. With PFM he played around 200 shows, both in Italy and worldwide, and released two albums (2017’s Emotional Tattoos and 2021’s I Dreamed Of Electric Sheep). Alberto is a Beatles fanatic and at the same time a progressive rock and metal aficionado.
Big Big Train is pleased to confirm that their two previously announced UK shows in September 2022 will take place. In addition, the band has scheduled six further shows for September in the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, and France.
Keyboardist/vocalist Carly Bryant is unable to tour with the band in September 2022 for family reasons. “After over two years of being part of Big Big Train and involved in two studio albums, I was extremely keen to go on the road with the band. However a recent change in my family situation means that sadly I cannot be away from home in the autumn,” Bryant explains. “I love being part of BBT and will be on stage with the band at the earliest opportunity when my family commitments permit.”
Alongside Bravin, D’Virgilio, Spawton, and longstanding guitarist Rikard Sjöblom, the Big Big Train line-up for the September 2022 shows will consist of guitarist Dave Foster, violinist/vocalist Clare Lindley, keyboardist Oskar Holldorff and the Big Big Train brass section led by Dave Desmond. Holldorff leads Norwegian band Dim Gray, whose debut album Flown was much acclaimed last year and who are preparing to release their second album later this year.
“Oskar came to our attention from his work with Dim Gray and is another tremendous talent to involve in Big Big Train,” Sjöblom says. “We’re very grateful to him for stepping in while Carly is unavailable. It’s also exciting that Big Big Train is becoming an increasingly international band – in September we will have an American, a Swede, an Italian, and a Norwegian on stage with the Brits.”
During the September tour, Big Big Train will be playing material from various stages of their career and also one new song.
“We were originally scheduled to play live shows in spring 2020 but then Covid-19 derailed our live plans repeatedly and since then we’ve prepared numerous different setlists,” Sjöblom continues. “We’ve released two full albums since we last played live and are spoilt for choice with the setlist for September.”
“In addition to our UK shows, I’m really looking forward to getting back into continental Europe,” D’Virgilio adds. “As well as visiting the prog strongholds of the Boerderij and Z7, we thought it would be cool to play some smaller venues in France and Germany as we re-establish BBT as a live band. We can’t wait to get out and play again and show what this band can do!”
Legendary Guitarist With Frank Zappa, David Bowie, King Crimson, Talking Heads
First Single “a13” Now Available!
Adrian Belew is a legendary guitarist well-known for his diverse travels around the musical map. He is a multi-instrumentalist whose solo records are critically acclaimed. His moving singing voice and prolific songwriting has endeared a loyal fan base of music lovers. His music is being discovered everyday by more and more listeners thirsty for great music with a creative standard not often pushed by the commercial music industry.
Adrian has signed with Bliss Entertainment, distributed exclusively by Ingrooves Music Group. “Elevator” will be the first Adrian Belew solo recording released through streaming. Adrian and management chose the Ingrooves Music Group channel based on the Ingrooves technology and the Universal global distribution channel. As with all artists, the optimization of music sales revenue is key to picking their distribution and marketing partners. The first single “a13” is now available!
“Elevator” is Adrian’s 25th solo record and as with most of his solo releases, he writes the songs, produces the record, and plays and sings everything. “Elevator” includes 38 of Adrian’s recent digital paintings as well as the lyrics to his songs. There are 12 new songs, ranging from delicate ballads to raging art rock as well as Adrian’s unique brand of avant-pop music.
To promote his new solo album and digital distribution deal, Adrian will be touring the US and Canada this summer starting July 13th in St. Paul, MN. Adrian’s touring trio will include bassist Julie Slick and drummer Johnnie Luca. Adrian describes the “Elevator” show as “part ‘classic’ power trio, new power trio songs never performed before, and a short solo acoustic performance of favorites and new songs from ‘Elevator.’” Adrian will be performing fan favorites spanning his whole career!
Adrian also continues to perform with the Remain In Light tour featuring Adrian and Jerry Harrison, and will finish out the year touring the states as guest artist alongside Todd Rundgren for the “Celebrating David Bowie” show.
Adrian Belew first appeared on the guitar-world radar when he toured with Frank Zappa in 1977 who later said, “Adrian reinvented electric guitar”. Adrian’s signature tones, unique use of effects and whammy bar remains completely different, and his techniques continue to be a huge influence on today’s guitarists. He was guitarist, songwriter and frontman Progressive Rock Powerhouse King Crimson for over 30 years. “Discipline”, Adrian’s first record with King Crimson, is listed among the most important rock records ever made.
Adrian has had a career that commands both awe and respect from fellow musicians and loyal fans, from his first solo record “The Lone Rhino” to the Atlantic Records hit album “Mr. Music Head” or any of his other solo records (25 total) that push sonic boundaries while maintaining artistic integrity. Adrian shreds on guitar but also writes beautiful songs that will make you cry. Yes, Adrian has taken his fans on a wild ride through countless world tours and albums with David Bowie, Talking Heads, Laurie Anderson, and Paul Simon. He truly is the Twang Bar King!
Tour Dates:
7/13/22 – Turf Club, St. Paul, MN 7/14/22 – Shank Hall, Milwaukee, WI 7/15/22 – Arcada Theatre, St. Charles, IL 7/16/22 – Hi-Fi Annex, Indianapolis, IN 7/18/22 – City Winery, Chicago, IL 7/19/22 – City Winery, Chicago, IL 7/21/22 – The Ludlow Garage, Cincinnati, OH 7/22/22 – Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland, OH 7/23/22 – Magic Bag, Ferndale, MI 7/24/22 – The Oaks Theater, Oakmont, PA 7/26/22 – City Winery, Nashville, TN 7/27/22 – City Winery, Atlanta, GA 7/29/22 – The Grey Eagle, Asheville, NC 7/30/22 – City Winery, Washington, DC 7/31/22 – Rams Head, Annapolis, MD 8/1/22 – Ashland Theatre, Ashland, VA 8/3/22 – Higher Ground, South Burlington, VT 8/4/22 – The Flying Monkey, Plymouth, NH 8/5/22 – City Winery, Boston, MA 8/6/22 – The Newton Theatre, Newton, NJ 8/14/22 – Center for the Arts of Homer, Homer, NY 8/16/22 – City Winery, Philadelphia, PA 8/18/22 – City Winery, New York, NY 8/19/22 – The Egg, Albany, NY 8/20/22 – Ridgefield Playhouse, Ridgefield, CT
Penguin Cafe are back with a lovingly produced 10th anniversary reissue of their debut album, titled A Matter of Life… 2021. Besides being completely remastered and pressed on vinyl for the very first time, the record also features a brand new 2021 recording of lead single Harry Piers, a song commemorating Arthur Jeffes’ late father and Penguin Cafe Orchestra founder Simon Jeffes.
A Matter of Life… 2021 is a chance for a classic example of the beauty that’s found in collaboration to reach fresh ears, and an opportunity to breathe new life into fan favourites. The album, performed by a mix of personalities — including Neil Codling of Suede and, on percussion, Cass Browne of Gorillaz — incorporates the aesthetics of the original PCO, seasoned into a confident and redefined style, maintaining that quintessentially English sound, but adding a fresh direction and a sense that they are evolving into something new and very much their own.
“I originally wrote Harry Piers to play at my dad‘s memorial service 24 years ago, and I played it at the end of pretty much every gig (and soundcheck) we’ve done since, so I’ve probably played it hundreds if not thousands of times since we originally released A Matter of Life… So when we decided to reissue the album, Robert and I both felt it would be fun to record an up-to-date version of this song, because it has changed over time and it continues to evolve. So while this is still very much the same tune, I think it has a lot more nuance and detail that reflect the years that have passed since 2011” — Arthur Jeffes
The cover artwork also received an update in the shape of a beautiful photograph taken by the UK photographer and long-time collaborator Alex Kozobolis, who was sent to visit Arthur in his second home in Tuscany. Raths’ concept for this was to not only reenact the original painting by Emily Young, but to express the generational change by putting Arthur and his daughter in place of the little boy and the emperor penguin figure that suggest father and son.
The remastered 10th anniversary edition of A Matter of Life… 2021 will be available digitally, on 12” vinyl and on CD from April 29, 2022.
“it’s been really lovely to come back to these old friends — and with this re-issue we’ll be bringing them all out to play live again. Now four albums on, and with our new home at Erased Tapes, it makes a lot of sense for us to go back and pull this record out and brush it off for today” — Arthur Jeffes
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