Produced by Greg Lake! Limited edition 1000 paper sleeve CD and 500 gatefolds colored audiophile vinyl!
Italy – Much to the excitement of Greg Lake & ELP fans worldwide, Annie Barbazza & Max Repetti are releasing MOONCHILD – A deep journey into the music and poetry of Greg Lake! To be issued as Limited edition 1000 paper-sleeve CD (MAN002) and 500 gatefolds colored audiophile vinyl (MANLP002) on Manticore Records on May 18, 2018, this album marks Greg Lake’s final production before his passing on December 7, 2016.
“Amongst the many projects Greg Lake and I planned for Manticore was the re-arranging of his favorite songs in a black and white, contemporary way. A sort of back to the bone, vocals and guitar setting, as simple as that. I remember Greg became an advocate of the new ‘less is more’ concept and he often reminded us that ‘simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.’
“As we went further into the project, we soon discovered that an acoustic guitar could be fine for some tunes, but not suitable for others; so Greg decided we should go for piano and vocals and asked me to look for a talented piano player. I knew Max Repetti who I considered to be the perfect pianist for Greg. Apart from the fact that he had the entire ELP songbook in his repertoire, he is a very able musician. The audition lasted just a few minutes in a countryside restaurant on an upright piano which had seen better days, slightly out of tune, where Repetti dared to propose a medley of ‘The Stones Of Years,’ from ‘Tarkus,’ and ‘Take a Pebble.’ Greg was so delighted that he immediately asked Max to arrange for him a list of tunes he intended to put on the album that we called ‘Moonchild,’ after one of our favorite early songs.
“Sadly, in early 2014 Greg called me with the very worst news. Shortly after that, he decided to ask his young friend and talented singer and musician Annie Barbazza to take his place and carry on his legacy with this album. He patiently trained Annie using all the available technology to keep him up to date with our progress, while continuing to work with Max Repetti and me on the arrangements and production. We all spoke on Skype several times a week to ensure this project matched his standard of perfectionism and musical integrity.
“When Greg was awarded with an honorary degree for lyrics and music composition by Conservatorio Nicolini in January 2016, he was already too ill to attend the ceremony in person. I decided to surprise him by having Annie and Max perform his music on his behalf in front of the dignitaries. Greg was attending via Skype and you may listen to his encouraging comments on Greg Lake’s Official Channel on Youtube. He was so happy with the results that he pushed even harder for Annie to improve her skills as a singer. Annie Barbazza and Max Repetti performed Moonchild again at a sold-out concert for Greg’s last birthday on November 10, 2016. As Greg wanted, we will keep the flame alive by playing his music. So this is for you, Grande Gregorio wherever you are. May your music resound forever in our hearts.” – Max Marchini
Greg Lake, Annie Barbazza
“Annie and Max recorded such a wonderful and touching tribute to the music I have made during my lifetime. Max’s arrangements are absolutely superb! What a magical touch he has and Annie’s vocals are at the same time beautiful, brave and heartfelt. It is a very moving experience for me to hear them perform these songs so passionately.” – Greg Lake, 2016
Tracks
01. In The Court of the Crimson King – 21st Century
Schizoid Man
02. Trilogy – The Endless Enigma part II
03. Moonchild
04. The Stones Of Years – Take A Pebble
05. C’est La Vie
06. Battlefield including Epitaph
07. Karn Evil 9 1st impression, part 2
08. Memories Of An Officer And A Gentleman
09. In The Wake Of Poseidon
10. Lucky Man
11. The Sage / The Great Gates Of Kiev
Melodic Revolution Records Is Thrilled To Announce A Second Video Release, Avalonia Teaserfor the upcoming Limited Edition LP & Hi-Res Digital Download Album by Nth Ascension front man Michael-Alan Taylor
The debut solo album by Nth Ascension frontman Michael-Alan Taylor is tentatively set for worldwide release on June 29, 2018. Michael-Alan has chosen to release the album on aquamarine Vinyl the watery home of Excalibur, it will also be available as a Hi-Res Digital Download. The lush landscape of the Arthurian Romance could only be captured in this format, complete with gatefold sleeve and a special storyline insert to spark the imagination; a glimpse through his eyes into this cinematic landscape, a soundtrack for your mind.
This video sets the stage through classical imagery, harkening to the days of chivalry, honor, quests, and loss all in the name of love, a timeless constant. Nine tracks, from Lancelot’s perspective for the King he served, and the Lady he loved. A story told in magnificent sweeping passages that cut with the ferocity of “The Final Battle”, soothe as “The Lady of The Lake” and bear witness to “The Dance of Love”.
Legendary keyboardist Rick Wakeman is launching his official YouTube channel in June 2018! The channel will feature many rare and unreleased videos, as well as the exclusive premiere of Rick’s forthcoming film “Live Portraits.”
“Would you believe I now have an official YouTube channel. If you fancy subscribing to it you’re going to see lots of different things. Some things perhaps you’ve seen before…certainly a lot you’ve never seen before. There will be some exclusive stuff – exclusive purely to this channel. So please subscribe and see some of the silly things I get up to, and the musical stuff as well.” – Rick Wakeman
Once the votes have been counted, the ten most voted tracks will be posted exclusively on Rick’s YouTube Channel for 48 hours. Fans should subscribe to Rick’s official YouTube Channel to be notified when this event will take place. Click here to Subscribe https://rick-wakeman.lnk.to/subscribe
1. MORNING HAS BROKEN
2. AND YOU AND I
3. SUMMERTIME
4. SWAN LAKE
5. SPACE ODDITY
6. AFTER THE BALL
7. SWEET GEORGIA BROWN
8. HELP
9. AMAZING GRACE
10. WONDROUS STORIES
11. MERLIN THE MAGICIAN
12. LIFE ON MARS
13. ELEANOR RIGBY
14. CLAIR DE LUNE
In other news:
Following the hugely successful “Piano Portraits” tour last year, in support of the album of the same name, Rick Wakeman will return in Autumn 2018 with a new show based on the follow-up release, entitled “Piano Odyssey.” The fourteen-date tour will feature even more classic tracks given Rick’s unique piano treatment and will travel to towns and cities not previously visited in 2017.
A live version of Rick’s critically acclaimed album “Piano Portraits” was filmed & recorded at the Lincoln Cathedral in London on March 7th, 2018. “Live Portraits” will be released on CD/DVD soon. It can be ordered exclusively from Pledge Music by using the following link: https://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/rick-wakeman-live-portraits
NEW SONG ALERT: Singer/multi-instrumentalist/producer Robert Berry’s new album, “The Rules Have Changed,” will be released under the name 3.2 on Frontiers Music srl on August 10, 2018. The full-length album will feature musical contributions by the late KEITH EMERSON, whom Berry was a bandmate within the band 3. This is the last musical project in which Emerson was involved prior to his untimely passing in 2016.
A preview of the album, the track, “Somebody’s Watching” has been released today. It is available on all streaming services as well as an instant download with digital pre-orders. Hear it here:
The working relationship between Emerson and Berry began in 1987 when former YES (official) manager Brian Lane and Carl Palmer arranged a meeting between the two prolific musicians. The plan was to form a more melodic, song-oriented band, compared to the complex symphonic rock compositions for which Emerson, Lake & Palmer was known, which would allow Emerson, Berry, and Palmer to follow in the footsteps of the success that Original Asia and GTR were enjoying during that period.
The result of that collaboration between Emerson, Berry, and Palmer was the band 3 and the album “… To The Power of Three,” was released worldwide by Geffen Records in 1988. The first single, “Talkin’ ‘Bout” reached #9 on the Billboard charts and the band successfully toured the U.S. to support the album.
With the success of the first release, Geffen urged the band to go back into the studio to begin work on a second album, but Emerson felt uncomfortable with Geffen’s momentum stifling, an inconsistent strategy that ultimately cut the first album’s success short, consequently prompting the band to call it quits. At the time of the band’s dissolution, several songs were already written for the band’s second release with some of the songs later being released on Robert Berry’s solo album, “Pilgrimage To A Point”.
In October 2015, conversations about a new 3 album started between Robert Berry and Frontiers’ President Serafino Perugino as Robert had been speaking to Emerson about releasing the band’s long-delayed follow-up album. Berry relayed those conversations to Emerson and in turn sparked revived enthusiasm from him for pursuing the project. The exchange of musical ideas ultimately paved the groundwork for “The Rules Have Changed.”
After Emerson’s death in 2016, Berry was left with Emerson’s final musical ideas for the project. From old cassette tapes, keyboard parts written over the phone and long discussions between the two friends about style, the framework of the album was set and ready to be brought to life.
After several months of grieving and contemplation about what to do with these co-written songs and musical fragments from Emerson, Robert decided to resume work on the material that was created and craft a record that would ultimately be a fitting tribute to Keith Emerson’s musical legacy and at the same time re-energize and update the musical style started with 3 some 30 years ago.
“Keith and I developed together with a vision of what the new album would be like, explains Berry. “There were many times over the past 30 years since 3 had come out that Keith either played on a session for me or we just talked on the phone. The new album consists of some past 3 writing from 1988, some newly written last efforts from Keith, and some songs written exclusively by me after Keith’s death. “
The final result is “The Rules Have Changed,” a reboot of the original 3 project, centered on Robert Berry’s amazing musical talents.
This is a record that deserves to be heard by every fan of the great Keith Emerson and includes many exquisite musical adventures, which every progressive music fan will be delighted to experience and enjoy.
“Every second I worked on writing, recording, and performing those songs I had one thing on my mind,” says Berry. “The phrase… ‘What would Keith do’…drove me, it guided me, it consumed my creativity. It was so important to me to fulfill our vision for this album. I believe Keith worked through me. I especially felt him with me when I did the solos. The songs we had worked on together but the solos were to be improvised while recording. You will hear his flare coming through on the solos. The solos are played by me, but, at the same time, also by him. I would never say I was even close to being the player Keith was. But I believe you can hear his spirit in the sound and in my playing. I am so proud of this album. I can’t help but think somehow he is proud of the results too.”
TRACKLISTING:
1. One by One
2. Powerful Man
3. The Rules Have Changed
4. Our Bond
5. What You’re Dreaming Now
6. Somebody’s Watching
7. This Letter
8. Your Mark on The World
PRODUCED BY: Robert Berry
SONGWRITERS: Keith Emerson, Robert Berry
ARRANGEMENTS: Keith Emerson, Robert Berry
RECORDED and MIXED BY: Robert Berry at Soundtek Studios, Campbell, CA MASTERED BY: George Horn Mastering, Berkeley, CA
INSTRUMENTATION: Robert Berry
On January 1, 1976, Stephen Holden of Rolling Stone magazine called the debut album by West Virginian prog-rock pioneers Crack The Sky “…one of year’s most impressive debuts.” Named by Rolling Stone in their 2015 list of 50 Greatest Prog Rock Albums Of All Time and in their 20 Rock Albums Rolling Stone Loved in the 1970s That You Never Heard, the magazine’s very first review in 1976 went on to compare the band to Steely Dan, 10cc, The Tubes, Ian Hunter, and the inimitable Davie Bowie.
Today, some 40 years later the band will release a pair of albums, one featuring new music, Living In Reverse and Crackology, a collection of the band’s 12 career favorites, both out August 24, 2018, on Loud & Proud Records.
Living In Reverse showcases 12 new genre-defying Crack tracks, while the cleverly-titled retrospective Crackology chronicles a dozen of the best-re-recorded gems as culled from the band’s rich and storied 40-year catalog. When you preorder Living In Reverse here on PledgeMusic, you get tracks from Crackology in advance – one track per week leading up to release day. This offer is only available on PledgeMusic!
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
