ELVIS PRESLEY 'Welcome To My World' [Release Date 14/09/2009]
DVD: This is the inside story of the King from the early years as told by former band members, legendary Elvis guitarist Scotty Moore, his long time drummer DJ Fontana and his loyal backing vocal quartet the Jordanaires who unveil the events behind the scenes. These are the musicians who actually worked with the Elvis, shared long term friendship and trust of the King, performed on all the classic records, played live with Elvis on stage and appeared in the ground breaking television shows and movies. In addition to the documentary there are live performances of many of the King's best known hits from the beginning to the end of his career.
MOTORHEAD 'On Parole' [Release Date 14/09/2009]
Ltd 2LP: This is the only album to feature the band's original line-up of Lemmy on vocals and bass, Larry Wallis on guitar and vocals, and Lucas Fox on drums. During the sessions, original producer Dave Edmunds relinquished his duties being replaced by Fritz Fryer. Drummer Fox was then replaced by Phil 'Philthy Animal' Taylor, a casual acquaintance of Lemmy's who had been persuaded to drive him to Rockfield Studios. Taylor overdubbed all of Fox's tracks except for 'Lost Johnny'. Of the tracks, three ('Motorhead', 'The Watcher' and 'Lost Johnny') were re-recordings of songs Lemmy had written and recorded with Hawkwind, 'City Kids' was a re-recording of a Wallis track co-written and recorded with The Pink Fairies, 'Leaving Here' was a cover version of a Holland/Dozier/Holland Motown song Lemmy had learnt whilst roadying for The Birds. 'On Parole' was recorded and released by Larry Wallis [backed by Eddie and the Hot Rods] as a b-side to the Stiff Records 'Police Car' single in 1977, after this album had been recorded but prior to its release. At the time United Artists were not convinced of the album's commercial potential and shelved its release. After the band's profile had risen with the commercial success of the albums 'Overkill' and 'Bomber', UA re-appraised the album and gave it a belated release at the end of 1979, despite the disapproval of the band. Due to the record company's initial refusal to release this album, when a reconfigured Motörhead [featuring Eddie Clarke on guitar] were given studio time by Chiswick Records in 1977, they chose to re-record the album in almost its entirety [only 'Fools' and 'Leaving Here' weren't re-recorded] leading to their debut release 'Motörhead'.
DEEP PURPLE 'Never Before' [Release Date 14/09/2009]
DVD: Deep Purple were one of the pioneers of hard rock, and have gone sold over 100 million albums, despite the constant personnel changes and personality clashes between the main players. This DVD draws on archive footage of Deep Purple playing in concert from film and tv sources, and features the candid reflections of former Deep Purple band members Nick Simper and Glen Hughes, along with archive interviews of Ritchie Blackmore, Jon Lord, Ian Paice, Ian Gillan, David Coverdale and one of the last interviews by the late Tommy Bolin. We also hear first hand accounts of insiders from the Purple camp along with a team of leading journalists and musicians who help strip away the layers of sensationalism and half truths to produce the definitive re-appraisal of Deep Purple, in their own words.
MUSE 'Burning Skies' [Release Date 05/10/2009]
DVD: Muse has released four albums, with their last 'Black Holes & Revelations' earning them a prestigious Mercury Music Prize nomination. Their awesome stage shows have cemented their place in rock history as the greatest live band on the planet and with a new album planned for later this year, they will only continue to take over. Muse 'Burning Skies' goes behind the scenes and follows their road to success, to festivals and arenas around the globe and reveals many more facts and information about the band. A must for any Muse fans collection.
THE WHO 'The Who, The Mods And The Quadrophenia' [Release Date 05/10/2009]
DVD: There's barely any misinformation out there regarding the astonishing career path of The Who: the band formed 1964, were adopted as figureheads by the British Mods, they continued through the 1960s and 1970s making extraordinary record after extraordinary record [with a couple of 'rock operas' thrown in for good measure], Keith Moon their madcap drummer died in 1978 - and then it all went a bit pear shaped. The remaining members haven't made a standout track since Moon passed on. But as far as the Mod movement which had guaranteed The Who's early success, and the Pete Townsend composed musical depiction of that movement, 'Quadrophenia' are concerned, the story has been twisted, complicated and misunderstood, but remains endlessly fascinating. The band, the movement, the album, the second wave, the movie and now the 30th anniversary of the latter two, all make for a story that needs to be told in depth. That is exactly what this film does. Using recently unearthed archive footage from the early movement, rarely seen performance and interview footage of The Who, plus expert contributions and comment from a panel headed by friend of Pete Townsend and the band's 'Mr Fixit' throughout their career, Richard Barnes, and featuring; mod experts Paolo Hewitt and Terry Rawlins; the ever delightful owner of Acid Jazz records, DJ and broadcaster, Eddie Pillar; members of Mod revivalists The Chords ad The Purple Hearts; Who biographer and 1960s expert, Alan Clayson and a host of others.
NICK CAVE / VARIOUS ARTISTS 'Nick Cave's Jukebox' [Release Date 12/10/2009]
CD: While Nick Cave is a highly original and talented songwriter in his own rite, in common with many of the musical heroes he holds most dear, he rarely misses a chance to both acknowledge the influence and cover the music of those who have provided him with sonic inspiration over the years. This 23-track compilation collects together some of the most potent influences on Nick Caves enormous and ever-growing body of work. From the drone-blues of John Lee Hooker to the wild guitars of Jimi Hendrix, and from the punk-folk of the Pogues to the gothic-country of Johnny Cash - all via classic rock n roll, country blues, murder ballads, trad-jazz, one off novelties, Neil, Bob and Elvis.
ROLLING STONES 'The Rolling Stones In The 1960's' [Release Date 12/10/2009]
DVD: Formed in 1962 and still a top live draw almost 50 years on, The Rolling Stones are surely the most unique act of the Rock age, still performing dynamic shows and regularly recording new material that stands up as well as anything the competition has to offer. But the period in which the Stones star shone brightest was undoubtedly during the 1960s, when barely a month would go by without a classic new single, a dynamic new album or a news story telling of yet more bad behaviour from the boys! Featuring contributions from an enormous list of friends, associates and contemporaries and with comment, insight and critique from some of rocks most respected journalists, and including rare band footage, archive interviews, news reels from the era, locations shoots, unseen photographs and a plethora of other features, this beautifully packaged DVD set is amongst the very finest films about this truly exceptional band.
GREEN DAY 'The Only Rhyme That Bites' [Release Date 19/10/2009]
DVD: The success of Green Day over the past year has been staggering. From having a large but strictly indie / punk fanbase to hitting the mainstream with gusto, and in such an unexpected fashion, is something previously unknown in the music industry. Commemorating this incredible achievement, 'Green Day: The Only Rhyme That Bites' traces the bands history from their earliest days as part of the San Franciscan punk underground to achieving widespread recognition and, along with Nirvana and the Chilli Peppers, to bringing punk rock to a massive American audience. The film continues by documenting their more recent successes and with rarely seen band footage, exclusive interviews, further contributions from friends, ex band members, colleagues and others who know Green day well, provides an informative, revealing and downright entertaining look at a truly exceptional band.
IRON MAIDEN 'Collectors Box' [Release Date 19/10/2009]
3CD: The best selling and most successful metal band ever, Iron Maiden remain the most popular and respected rock act on the planet and more than 30 years into a quite astonishing career appear not to have lost one iota of their legendary energy, passion or craft. This box set celebrates the phenomenal achievements of the Mighty Maiden by way of interviews with all band members recorded at different points throughout their career, audio biography revealing hitherto unreported facts and stories about the band plus booklets, poster and slipcases all illustrated with rare photos.
THE BEATLES 'Composing Outside The Beatles: Lennon And McCartney 1967-1972' [Release Date 26/10/2009]
DVD: Recordings from individual Beatles had appeared as early as 1966, with Paul McCartney and George Martin's Family Way soundtrack, but it wasn't until John Lennon's string of superb late 1960s singles that anything emerged which appealed to Beatles fans in droves and started the ball rolling for two quite fascinating and wildly creative solo careers. Between the closing days of the Beatles through to the point at which McCartney had just formed Wings and Lennon had just left the UK to live in New York, some of their finest individual solo work appeared. 'Composing Outside the Beatles: Lennon and McCartney 1967-1972' is an independent documentary film which reviews the music and impact of Lennon and McCartney as solo composers, during this first post-Beatles period. From the avant-garde, Yoko influenced, brace of Lennon / Ono albums, via some superb singles and albums from both players, and culminating with the first Wings record from Macca, and Lennon celebrating his new city of residence with the most political songs he ever wrote, this film shows how and why they composed the music they did during this era and illustrates their usage of old and new techniques as well as their continuance to borrow from each other despite being in both legal and personal disputes at the time. Drawing on rare footage, archive and exclusive interviews, classic performances and penetrating revelations from close friends of the pair, fellow musicians, Beatles academics and musicologists, we discover here the true story of how their music was composed when writing alone ,or with new partners.
KISS 'The Lowdown' [Release Date 26/10/2009]
2CD: Almost 40 years into a quite staggering career, Kiss still have enormous energy, huge creativity and a massive fan-base. So a decade since their last record and despite assurances to the contrary, a new album is in the works, summer as usual means festivals and live shows and a full tour of the USA and Canada is planned for later in the year. All you are ever sure of with Kiss is, they aint slowing down! This 2 Disc set features the full story of the band as a CD audio-biography, plus a second disc of interviews with Paul Stanley and other Kiss members recorded in their heyday of the mid -1970s.
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN 'The Interview Sessions' [Release Date 26/10/2009]
CD: If theres one thing Bruce Springsteen likes to do when not singing or playing guitar, its talk! This disc finds Bruce in fine form during more than 70 minutes of unedited conversation, recorded at different stages throughout his quite staggering career. During these exclusive recordings, Bruce waxes lyrical about his long and successful career, the thrill of touring and performing his greatest hits, his musical influences, his involvement in politics, playing with The E Street Band, and why he thinks hes got one of the best jobs on the planet.
MICHAEL JACKSON 'Thank You For The Music: The Final Word' [Release Date 26/10/2009]
2DVD: Theres very little left to say about Michael Jackson that, by now, hasn't been said a million times. So after the media frenzy in which every microsecond of his tragically short life has been put under the microscope, every controversy and indiscretion has been magnified to extremes and every word he ever uttered in public has been repeated again and again, all we can say is, Thank You For The Music. Because ultimately thats why Michael Jackson was, and still is, universally loved and why, despite often being seen as less than orthodox in his general behaviour, at the time of his sad passing his life was celebrated around the world in a manner that, among pop performers, has previously only been witnessed for Elvis Presley and John Lennon. This film celebrates the joyous and timeless music of Michael Jackson from his first recordings with the Jackson 5 through hit after hit from the seventies, the eighties and the nineties, right up to his most recent cuts and in so doing tells the story of a true pop genius, the way it really happened. Featuring rare performance and interview footage of Michael, archive material featuring Jacko in a number of seldom seen settings, contributions from friends, those who have worked closely with him and the finest industry broadcasters and writers, plus location shoots, news clips and a host of other features all set to a backdrop of Michael Jackson music.
JEFFERSON STARSHIP 'Performing Jefferson Airplane' [Release Date 05/10/2009]
CD: Jefferson Starship grew out of the San Francisco band Jefferson Airplane. The band released their debut album 'Dragonfly' in early 1974, and since that time the band has enjoyed massive success on the world stage both with albums and concert appearances. Rather like fellow San Francisco band The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Starship find themselves in the twenty first century with as much interest in their career as they had in the sixties and seventies. The band still led by founder member Paul Kantner and joined by fellow founder member David Freiberg still tour regularly and also record releasing a new studio album in late 2008. This live album was recorded on June 12th 2009 at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in Del Mar California. The album captures this legendary band at one of their most recent live concerts celebrating Jefferson Airplane's appearance at the legendary Woodstock Festival in August 1969. The band perform a number of their classic songs including 'Somebody To Love', 'White Rabbit', 'Eskimo Blue Day Volunteers' and 'The Other Side Of This Life', all of which featured in Jefferson Airplane's set at Woodstock forty years ago. The album also features former Grateful Dead keyboardist Tom Constanten on two Grateful Dead songs, 'Deal' and 'I Know You Rider' which cements the relationship The Dead shared with the Airplane and Starship during the sixties and seventies. It is a relationship that survives to this day. Jefferson Starship are currently touring the world as part of the celebrations for the 40th anniversary of the Woodstock Festival.
MAGGIE REILLY Looking Back Moving Forward [Release Date 05/10/2009]
CD: Maggie Reilly has had a varied career that stretches back over thirty years. She first came to prominence with the Scottish band Cado Belle releasing a well respected album and EP while fronting the band From here Maggie went on to find herself in demand as a session singer working with artists such as Morrissey Mullen, Hamish Stuart and Kokomo. Her next career move was perhaps to be the one many people remember her for. Having heard her sing, Mike Oldfield invited Maggie to join his band for his 1980 tour. Following this tour, Maggie sang on the album 'QE2' and subsequently joined Oldfield's band full time singing on the albums 'Five Miles Out' and 'Crises' and the hit singles 'Moonlight Shadow' and 'To France' from the album 'Discovery'. Following a short break in order to concentrate on her family Maggie continued to work as a solo artist and also work with many other artists on a number of varied projects including legends like Jack Bruce, Dave Gilmour and Nick Mason [Pink Floyd], Mike Batt, George Harrison and Andrew Eldridge's Sisters Of Mercy. Maggie Reilly's solo albums have included the albums 'Starcrossed', 'Echoes', 'Midnight Sun', 'Elena', 'Save It For A Rainy Day' and the Best of Compilation 'There And Back Again'; 'Looking Back Moving Forward' is the latest album from Maggie and the follow up to the 2006 album 'Rowan'. The album contains re-recordings of some of the key songs in Maggie's career alongside new recordings. Once again Maggie has collaborated with her former Cado Belle keyboardist Stuart MacKillop making this the ninth album they have worked on together since that first Cado Belle album in the seventies. Tracks include, 'It's A Lovely Day', 'To France', 'Stone's Throw From Nowhere', 'Moonlight Shadow', 'Family Man', 'Everytime We Touch' and 'True Colours'.
GRAHAM BONNET 'Graham Bonnet' [Release Date 19/10/2009]
CD: Graham Bonnet is considered one of the finest Rock vocalists of his generation. Beginning his career in the sixties Graham was one half of the pop duo The Marbles who scored a worldwide hit single with the Bee Gees written song 'Only One Woman'. Following on from the Marbles, Graham embarked on a solo career in the seventies and was one of the first signings to former Beatle Ringo Starr's record label Ringo Records. Following one self titled album, Graham was approached to replace Ronnie James Dio in Rainbow. Graham featured on the album 'Down To Earth' and also the hit singles 'Since You've Been Gone' and 'All Night Long' before he left Rainbow in late 1980 following Rainbow's performance at the first Monsters of Rock festival at Donnington. Following his departure from Rainbow mid way through recording the follow up to 'Down To Earth', Graham recorded his second solo album 'Line Up' which featured many guest artists such as Cozy Powell and Micky Moody. The album also spawned the hit single 'Night Games' which became a staple of Rock radio stations worldwide. Following the release of 'Line Up', Graham then joined the Michael Schenker Group recording just one album entitled Assault Attack and the hit single Dancer. Preferring the band format Graham decided to form his own American based rock band Alcatrazz with whom he would record three studio albums and a live album. Graham left Alcatrazz in 1987, when the band folded and he picked up his solo career once more which has continued to this day. Graham's first self titled solo album was released in 1977 and was originally released on former Beatle Ringo Starr's Ringo Records. The album was critically well received and featured a broad selection of covers including 'Tired Of Being Alone', 'Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow' [snatches of which Graham used to sing live whilst with Rainbow] and a cover of Bob Dylan's 'It's All Over Baby Blue' which just missed out on being a hit single in the UK. Amongst the musicians backing Graham up on the album are Micky Moody, Graham Preskett, Tony Hymas, Mike Giles, Stevie Lange and Pete Zorn.
HAWKWIND 'Winter Solstice 2005' [Release Date 19/10/2009]
CD: This is the audio of the most recent concert performance in the series and comes from a concert at the London Astoria in December 2005. The line up now features the core of Dave Brock, Richard Chadwick and Alan Davey alongside newer member keyboardist Jason Stuart. Jez Huggett also guests here on some numbers. The setlist included a fine mix of newer material from the album 'Take Me To Your Leader' ('Angela Android', 'Greenback Massacre') and older material such as '7 By 7', 'Paradox', a welcome outing for 'Psychedelic Warlords' and 'Spirit Of The Age' which is considered an older song but also features on 'Take Me To Your Leader' .
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