I'm back

Soon to put my blog clothes on and continue posting musical culture as before. Keep listening!

Summer Has Gone By

Mike Oldfield - Moonlight Shadow (playback at Italy television, 1983)

I wouldn't like to delay this for September, so before marching out, I do it right now.

A rare recording, bad videotape source though, in which Mike Oldfield is awarded with several prizes and interviewed before another 'interpretation' of his success "Moonlight Shadow" (I've never seen him playing any song in real direct at any TV show, except acoustic ones). As it's possible this video would be deleted in the future by some Italian broadcasting channel I won't say, owner of the contents shown in this post, serve yourselves to download it in both ways: one, using next link, and the second choice is quite useful: if you got RealPlayer installed, you can easily save YouTube videos to your computer, so you can do the same with this.

Download MPEG clip

PS: It's a gift for all Oldfield fans around the world. ;)

Mike Oldfield - 1980 European Tour Concerts

Before leaving my homeland, I post here a new remittance of Oldfield's concerts, this time made during 1980. Next time I come back, there will be more.

1980-04-22 Live in Munster
1980-04-23 Live in Frankfurt
1980-04-28 Live in Wien
1980-04-29 Live in Munchen
1980-05-22 Live in Newcastle
1980-05-23 Live in Preston
1980-05-29 Live in London
1980-05-31 Live in Dublin
1980-06-21 Live in Knebworth
1980-09-19 Live in Barcelona
1980-09-20 Live in San Sebastian
1980-12-00 Live in Edinburgh
1980-12-20 Live in Dortmund

Enjoy!

Tyrannosaurus Rex - My People Were Fair And Had Sky In Their Hair... (1968)

My People Were Fair and Had Sky in Their Hair... But Now They're Content to Wear Stars on Their Brows is the debut album by British rock band Tyrannosaurus Rex (later known as T. Rex), released in 1968. The record features Marc Bolan on vocals and guitars, and Steve Peregrine Took on backing vocals, drums, pixiephone, and percussion. It also features disc jockey John Peel, who reads a Bolan-penned fairytale for the album's closing track, "Frowning Atahuallpa (My Inca Love)", which includes what must be one of the earliest "Hare Krishna" chants on a British pop record (two years before George Harrison's My Sweet Lord).

The album's music is much influenced by Tyrannosaurus Rex' psychedelic contemporaries, and marks, for Bolan, a rejection of the electric guitar–led freakbeat music he'd been playing with his previous band, John's Children.

Recordings of the songs "Mustang Ford" (single release, titled "Go Go Girl") and "Hot Rod Mama" (live) by John's Children exist.

Released: July 5, 1968
Recorded at Advision Studios, London
Genre: Rock, Psychedelic folk
Length: 33:18
Label: Regal Zonophone, LRZ 1003 (mono), SRZ 1003 (stereo).
Producer: Tony Visconti

Actually, a decent second-hand LP may have a "nice" value for collectors if looking at eBay stores, but first try at your local record fairs or second-hand record shops, then other towns secondly.

The new 180-gram vinyl LP contains the bonus track "Debora" plus a lyric sheet, available at Aural Exploits shopping web.

Track Listing:

1. Hot Rod Mama
2. Scenscof
3. Child Star
4. Strange Orchestras
5. Chateau In Virginia Waters
6. Dwarfish Trumpet Blues
7. Mustang Ford
8. Afghan Woman
9. Knight
10. Graceful Fat Sheba
11. Weilder Of Words
12. Frowming Atahuallpa

Bonus: Debora (from A-side 7" single c/w "Child Star", Regal Zonophone RZ-3008, 1968 - rereleased on Fly label, 1972), and included in the recent remastered edition with added tracks.




Lyrics

This will be my last post before my little holidays I start tomorrow. I'll be back in September. See ya!

Purchase:

Amazon (USA)
Amazon (UK)
MP3 Panda
MP3 Sparks

Michael Chapman - Fully Qualified Survivor (1970)

A former art and photography teacher, Michael Chapman (born 24 January 1941 at Hunslet, Leeds, Yorkshire, England) emerged from the folk scene in Yorkshire, gaining a reputation as one of England's finest original singer-songwriters. He first appeared on the London and Cornwall folk music circuits in 1967, alongside John Martyn and Roy Harper. His first album was Rainmaker in 1969 on the Harvest label, and he played the folk and 'progressive' circuits during the festivals of the early 1970s, with Mick Ronson, Rick Kemp and Keef Hartley.

He recorded a further three albums for Harvest. Fully Qualified Survivor (FQS) which received much critical acclaim from the likes of BBC Radio 1 DJ, John Peel, and contained his best well known track, "Postcards of Scarborough". Window and Wrecked Again albums followed, the latter being Chapman's attempt at a Memphis, Tennessee album. Brass arrangements featured on biographical tracks like "Shuffleboat River Farewell" and the title track.

FQS reached #45 at British charts.

Tracks:

1. Aviator
2. Naked Ladies and Electric Ragtime
3. Stranger in the Room
4. Postcards of Scarborough
5. Fishbeard Sunset
6. Soulful Lady
7. Rabbit Hills
8. March Rain
9. Kodak Ghost
10. Andru's Easy Rider
11. Trinkets and Rings

Originally released on Harvest label in 1970.

Michael Chapman profile on Time Has Told Me blog and Wikipedia.

Purchase:

CD Universe
Amazon
MP3 Sparks

Steve Hackett - Spectral Mornings (1979)

Tracklist:

1. Every Day
2. The Virgin and the Gypsy
3. The Red Flower of Tachai Blooms Everywhere
4. Clocks-The Angel of Mons
5. The Ballad of the Decomposing Man
6. Lost Time in Cordoba
7. Tigermoth
8. Spectral Mornings



Purchase:

Camino Records (2005 Remastered)
Amazon (USA)
Amazon (UK)
CD Universe
7-Digital ES
7-Digital UK
Rhapsody
MP3 Gun