Listening to the introduction had me checking I had put on the right album, as the first minute of this 109-minute-long epic had me convinced I was listening to a news release by Clive Nolan. In recent years Clive has moved away from his more overtly progressive releases into musical theatre, and now Neal has followed the same trend. I grew up in a Christian household, one of my favorite albums as a child was ‘ Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat’, the first musical I ever saw was ‘Godspell’, and still enjoy ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ to this day (I thought the recent all-star cast was excellent, Alice Cooper as King Herod? Inspired). So, this is a musical and lyrical style I am comfortable with, and I was intrigued to see how Neal would approach this. The first thing which struck me was just how little we hear from the man himself, in that he has given himself a few minor parts but that is all. In the two main roles of Jesus and Judas we have his fellow Spock’s Beard lead vocalists Ted Leonard and Nick D’Virgilio respectively, and as one would expect they do a mighty fine job indeed, but the biggest change for me is the writing style, which is not what I would expect from Neal at all. Although there are bits and pieces such as the acoustic “Gather The People” and the dramatic “The Madman of the Gadarenes” which does remind listeners of his roots and normal approach, overall there has been a dramatic change in how Neal approaches things. Literally.
This is an album that is designed to appeal to people who wouldn’t normally know who Neal is, and instead, this is a rock musical to be viewed as a logical updated version of ‘Superstar’. Consequently, we have music which flows and ebbs, taking the listener with them. Songs such as “Get Behind Me Satan” are out and out rockers, while others are designed to get the audience clapping in time, others more prosaic and gentler in style. By now Neal has become a dab hand at producing the odd concept album, and this isn’t the first time he has approached a Christian story either, but here he has moved further in both directions. This is bound to be listened to by progheads and White Metal fans alike, but really this is aimed at a new audience altogether, namely Broadway as opposed to the Garden.
In 2002 Morse was responsible for what is undoubtedly one of the finest concept albums of all time, ‘Snow’. He followed it up the next year with his first solo release since leaving the Beard, with ‘Testimony’, which is still my favorite solo album. That told his personal story, and I don’t think anyone who saw him performs it in London and hears him talk about his daughter Jayda could fail to be moved. She is referenced again in this album, just briefly, but it shows again just how personal this for him and just what it means. Regarding the idea behind the musical, Neal explains, “Sometimes providence comes with a whisper; sometimes it comes with an unexpected phone call. A friend of mine who works in the music business called me from New York one day in 2008 and said, “Hey man, a friend and I were listening to Jesus Christ Superstar last night and were saying, ‘Man, somebody ought to do a new rock opera based on the Jesus story’. I told my friend, ‘I know the guy!’ He went on to tell me I ought to write an epic prog piece based on the gospels. With a New York accent, he said, ‘Ya gotta do it!’ I laughed and said, ‘Well, I’m busy right now, but I’ll think about it.’ Over the next couple of months, I began to feel that “yes” inside and spent a few months writing the first draft. The strong sense that I was onto something continued to grow and the people that sang on the original version were really into it.” For me, this is an interesting idea, and there are undoubtedly some good songs on it. But there are times when it feels clunky, something I never expected from him. The story is pushed very hard, as one would expect, but sometimes this is to the detriment of the music. On a personal level, I have always enjoyed his vocals, but here he is asking to be judged as a songwriter and arranger as
opposed to a performer. The result is something which is probably going to gain him a much wider audience than normal for his work and is a very good album indeed, but from a personal perspective I think I’m just going to go back to ‘Testimony’ and pass on this for now. 8/10 Kev Rowland
Special guest performance by legendary actor Malcolm McDowell!
Join producer Billy Sherwood (Yes, Circa) for an expansive musical journey through Christmas classics of yesterday and today, all performed by leading figures in Prog Rock music!
Includes gorgeous performances by guitar legend Steve Morse, angelic vocalists Annie Haslam (of Renaissance) and Sonja Kristina (of Curved Air) plus Thijs Van Leer (of Focus), Simon House (of Hawkwind) and others! Also a special guest performance by actor Malcolm McDowell!
Available on both CD in an attractive digipak and on limited edition vinyl in your choice of RED or WHITE!
Track List: 1. Run With The Fox – Jon Davison 2. Christmas Lights – Kasim Sulton 3. Carol Of The Bells – Steve Morse 4. The Twelve Days Of Christmas – Annie Haslam 5. Wonderful Christmastime – Billy Sherwood & Patrick Moraz 6. I Believe In Father Christmas – Martin Turner 7. Fairytale Of New York – Leslie Hunt & Robin McAuley 8. O Come All Ye Faithful – Sonja Kristina 9. A Christmas Song – Thijs Van Leer 10. You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch – Malcolm McDowell 11. Linus & Lucy (Charlie Brown Christmas Theme) – Geoff Downes [CD ONLY] 12. Silent Night – Nik Turner & Simon House 13. Happy Christmas (War Is Over) – John Wetton
Featuring ERIC BURDON (The Animals), IAN ANDERSON (Jethro Tull), YES (Steve Howe, Chris Squire, Alan White), DAVE COUSINS (The Strawbs), JUDY DYBLE (Fairport Convention), Nazareth (PETE AGNEW & DAN MCCAFFERTY), STEVE ABBOTT (UK Decay) and SONJA KRISTINA (Curved Air)
Los Angeles, CA – Cleopatra Entertainment will release the rock music magazine story “MELODY MAKERS the Bible of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” in Hollywood CA on November 29, 2019. The directorial documentary debut feature from venerable and respected Canadian award-winning filmmaker, and Female Eye Film Festival founder/director Leslie Ann Coles, the immensely entertaining and insightful documentary MELODY MAKERS will screen at the ARENA CINELOUNGE, from NOVEMBER 29 to DECEMBER 5th, 2019 with a special Q&A with Director Leslie Ann Coles, on Monday, December 2nd at 6:30pm. In addition, Cleopatra will release the film to VOD Platforms coinciding with a home entertainment DVD version on December 17th, 2019.
MELODY MAKERS is not just another music doc. It chronicles the birth of music journalism and the world’s oldest and longest standing seminal music magazine; Melody Maker. Through a series of interviews from artists (Ian Anderson/JETHRO TULL, Eric Burdon/THE ANIMALS, Alan White, Steve Howe and Chris Squire/YES, among others) and journalists of the time, the film tells the true story of the rise and fall of the world’s most influential music publication and uncovers an era of tremendous creative freedom.
At the heart of the story is Barrie Wentzell, Chief Contributing Photographer of Melody Maker Magazine (1965-1975) and his iconic photographic archive of legendary musicians during the birth of the rock ‘n roll era, who along with his journalist colleagues gained unprecedented access to bands and musicians that would go on to become the legends of rock n’ roll. Wentzell’s photos are the touchstone of this documentary as the photographer and others recount the many untold stories from behind the pictures. Barrie recalls a Peter Townshend telling him about an idea he had for a rock opera when Tommy was a concept. Melody Maker journalist, Chris Charlesworth recalls when the magazine tried to expand into the US market without paying off the mobsters who controlled magazine distribution in key cities such as New York, and PR Keith Altham shares an anecdotal story about a publicity stunt gone awry involving the notorious drummer, Keith Moon and a hovercraft.
Beyond the visual stories told, Melody Maker includes interviews ERIC BURDON (The Animals), IAN ANDERSON (Jethro Tull), YES (Steve Howe, Chris Squire, Alan White), DAVE COUSINS (The Strawbs), JUDY DYBLE (Fairport Convention), Nazareth (PETE AGNEW & DAN MCCAFFERTY), SONJA KRISTINA (Curved Air) and SEVE ABBOTT (UK Decay); journalists CHRIS WELCH, CHRIS CHARLESWORTH, ALLAN JONES (Senior Editor UNCUT Magazine); ALAN LEWIS; and other notable subjects PETER WHITEHEAD (filmmaker Charlie My Darling), ROGER DEAN (artist), JEFF DEXTER (DJ/ Promoter), KEITH ALTHAM (PR for The Rolling Stones, The Who) and GLEN COLSON (Stiff Records) to name a few.
BIOGRAPHY Leslie Ann is thrilled to launch her debut feature documentary MELODY MAKERS with the enhanced Apple Book made possible with the generous support of Telefilm Canada’s Marketing and Promotions Program. As the executive producer and director of LA Coles Fine Art Films she is currently engaged in a wide variety of works which include theatrical features, non-scripted TV, documentaries, shorts and interactive digital media. Her company is committed to producing films and cross platform projects that combine art, entertainment and social justice. Coles is a Women In the Director’s Chair alumni, and a recipient of three CTV Banff Fellowships for original series. Founder of the Female Eye Film Festival (FeFF) in 2001 to address gender parity in the film industry, she has executive-produced 46 short films directed by at risk female youth through the Young Filmmaker Development Workshop (YFDW), a program established under the auspices of the FeFF. In her capacity as Festival Director for the past 17 years, she oversees the rigorous evaluation and selection of independent films for FeFF from over 2,500 entries every year. Intimately familiar with the local and international filmmaking community since 2001 with the inaugural festival and her debut multiple-award-winning film “In The Refrigerator: Spirit of a Haunted Dancer,” Leslie Ann’s strength is her ability to creatively strategize projects and determine market potential during the development process, always with a critical understanding of a film’s milieu, be it social, cultural, or art-focused.
MELODY MAKERS will see a limited theatrical release on November 29, 2019 at the Arena CineLounge Sunset, 6464 Sunset Blvd, Hollywood CA, followed by the Apple iBook on the same day and the DVD Release on December 17, 2019.
“A cinematic love letter to late British weekly music magazine Melody Maker — captures a vital passage in 20th-century music history.” – Kim Hughes, Original Cin
“This cheerful history of the music weekly Melody Maker has enough inside dope to maintain interest.” – Adrian Mack, The Georgia Straight
“Whimsically titled Melody Makers leans heavily on Barrie Wentzell, chief photographer from 1965-1975, both for his recollections and his amazing collection of images.” – Chris Knight, The National Post
“Melody Makers is charming, informative, and highly entertaining.” – Andrew Parker, The Gate
“The narrator-less film rattles along to the extent that I couldn’t believe it was over, so enthralled was I by the anecdotes, analysis, pictures and film of such an extraordinary ten years of music.” – Martin Webb, A New Day
“The tunes and the images, combined with countless inspiring and entertaining first-hand recollections brilliantly resurrect a time that produced some of the most remarkable artists that have ever lived.” – Amy Balog, 60’s Today
FESTIVAL AWARDS FOR MELODY MAKERS WINNER Best Music Documentary, 18th Bare Bones International Film Festival 2017 WINNER Best Documentary, 8th Fort Myers Film Festival 2018 WINNER Best International Documentary, 16th Garden State Film Festival 2018 WINNER Audience Choice Award, Hot Springs Women’s Film Festival 2018 WINNER Gold Award Best Documentary, Spotlight Film Festival 2018 WINNER Best International Documentary, Color Tape Film Festival 2018 WINNER Best Documentary, Meraki Film Festival 2018 WINNER Best Director, Borderlands Film Festival 2018 WINNER Best Feature Documentary, Nice IFF 2018 WINNER Best Documentary, MedFF 2019
Progressive rock icons Coheed and Cambria continue to create new career benchmarks for themselves. This is showcased in their recent partnership with Sixthman to create an immersive festival at sea that brings their audience closer than ever before in their 19-year history. The band plans to perform early songs and deep cuts that can rarely be heard, as well as bring their sci-fi concept, The Amory Wars, to life in several onboard installations. The band will also interact with fans in Q&A sessions and other scenarios.
Joining the Coheed on this fantastic voyage is Taking Back Sunday, The Dear Hunter, Polyphia, Culture Abuse, and others. More artists and activities will be added in the near future. The S.S. Neverender sets sail aboard the Norwegian Pearl on October 26-30, 2020 from Miami to Nassau, Bahamas.
“We’re always trying to find ways to improve the fan experience. Our fans like to travel, they like to meet other fans, we’re like a big family. So the idea of a cruise seemed like a way to allow a bunch of us to just go on vacation together,” explains Coheed founding member Travis Stever.
Fans are encouraged to join the cruise pre-sale for early access. Fans who bought the band’s most recent box set, The Unheavenly Creatures, will be given priority. Low deposits of $150 and flexible payment-plans that feature zero interest rates are available. To learn more about S.S. Neverender, visit www.ssneverender.com
I can’t believe there are any progheads out there who don’t have at least one copy of the ELP album in their collection, and if they are anything like me then they probably have it on vinyl, a couple of different CD releases as well as the accompanying DVD.
But of course the music which is the inspiration for this album is from far earlier, in fact in many ways it dates all the way back to 1868 when composer Modest Mussorgsky first met artist, architect, and designer Viktor Hartmann, who gave him two of the pictures that later formed the basis of the inspiration. When Hartmann passed away at the age of 39, Mussorgsky was affected quite badly, and this led to him writing the score in just three weeks. However, a version wasn’t published until some five years after his own death, and it wasn’t until the 50th Anniversary of that event that a complete score was produced.
Over the years it has been recorded multiple times, and within the progressive scene, it was, of course, the inspiration for ELP’s 1971 live album.
Now, nearly fifty years on from that, and some 150 years since the original paintings were given to Mussorgsky, we have a new version from German quartet Voyager IV. The line-up is Marcus Schinkel (piano and keyboards), Johannes Kuchta (vocals and drums), Fritz Roppel (bass) and Wim de Vries (drums). That they have been inspired to undertake this piece of work due to the ELP release is never in doubt, as although they do have ten tracks inspired by the original classical work, they also include both Lake’s “Lucky Man’ and King Crimson’s “I Talk To The Wind” which of course also featured Lake on vocals.
In some ways it is an album which confused me quite a great deal, just because they have been inspired by the original score, just as Emerson was, which means that some themes are familiar yet others are quite different as apart from the two numbers already mentioned the rest were all composed either by Schinkel or in collaboration with Kuchta. Also, there is no use whatsoever of guitar on the album (although there are two drummers it doesn’t sound to me as if they are both playing at the same time, although that could be different in concert), plus this is a studio album which has allowed some layering. Then in Roppel they have a bassist who uses a six-string as his instrument of choice, and sounds to me as if he is approaching music from a jazz background and is certainly not content just to be pinning down the bottom end but is adding his own styles and runs.
It is as bombastic as one would expect, but not heavy-handed, and songs such as “Bydlo” are incredibly accessible, exciting and invigorating. It would also be wrong of me not to mention the packaging on this release – as it comes as a hardback digipak containing multiple pages of photos and lyrics, quite something for what I believe is a debut release. This really is the total package, and fans of the original, ELP, Isao Tomita or any of the many other artists who have taken this as inspiration will find much on here to enjoy. Well worth discovering. 8/10
It is with great pleasure that PeacockSunrise Records (PSR) can finally announce the addition of UK Psych-roots folk pop artist Elfin Bow to its family of musicians. Elfin Bow truly is unique and offers up something very special both musically and artisticlly. We look forward to introducing this talented artist to an audience that embraces quality music drawn from the heart, music that inspires and gives us hope, music that just makes us feel good. Nick Katona President of PeacockSunrise Records
Elfin Bow’s music has been described as a fairy tale experience; pastoral psych-folk, deeply rooted in the life and nature that surrounds her. Her self-penned songs and stories weave a tapestry that combines mysterious characters, myths, and legends, with the heartache and adventure of real life. With imagery that blends her twin passions of music and art, her songs and stage presence exude color, charisma and a gentle charm.
In a statement from Elfin Bow? Peacock Sunrise Records is a label that puts the artist at the centre of everything they do, encouraging full and authentic creative expression. Joining the PSR family is a truly exciting opportunity to take my music to an international audience.
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