A serendipity story - 

After listening to a track on YouTube last week it then went into something that immediately caught my ear. Glancing at the screen I saw it was titled ‘Conversation with Billy’ ! As I continued listening a whole story emerged concerning a band and their music from 1970 that was never released until 2011. No surprise therefore that you’ve probably never heard of Sabattis. 

Today's video goes part way to telling the story of an underground hard-rock band from New York formed in 1968 by Jim Marvin (guitar & lead vocals), Gary Culotta (keyboard and vocals), Larry Wegman (drums) and Rocky Kaler (bass). Influenced by bands like Deep Purple, Mountain, and Grand Funk, they gigged around town playing a lot of psychedelic clubs and venues. In 1970, they recorded a demo with the intention of securing a record deal which never came. The demo tape was in fact a fully finished album recorded and engineered by a friend of the band, Mick Gauzaski, who despite using a homemade studio, managed to obtain a real professional sound. The Sabattis demo remained unreleased until 2011 when Jargon Records discovered the tapes and put out a CD edition with the band involvement. The album 'Warning In The Sky' was remastered from the original tapes.

There's more background plus an interview on this link: Psychedelic Baby

Here's the track 'Conversation with Billy' - which reminds me of Focus  

What a surprise! It's a really good 70s prog rock sounding LP - great organ playing and drums and guitar > Suggest listening to the whole album [at only 33 mins. long] - why not 😉  

  

" Why do Spirits Walk the Earth ?  You will be haunted by three Ghosts !

-  as the air filled with Phantoms "

Mr. CHARLES DICKENS

The choosing of today's track is not without reason. This group from Sweden came to my attention when I heard their music playing in Hastings HMV shop. A sense of macabre added to when I went there again a few weeks later only for another track by them to be playing as I walked in. Spooky !?

Formed in 2006 Ghost are renowned for their costumed on-stage presence, Band members, except for the lead vocalist, are known as "Nameless Ghouls". The lead-singer Tobias Forge performs under the persona of "Papa Emeritus".

The track I first heard was ‘Spillways’, a single from their 2022 album ‘Impera’.

Further info and recommended listening:

EP of 'covers' called 'Phantomime' [also heard in HMV] has 'Jesus, He Knows Me' among it's tracks. More info here. 

'Revolver Magazine' has a 25 best songs list - if you're really into them: 

Check out ‘Square Hammer’ - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqoyKzgkqR4

- along with ‘Per Aspera Ad inferi’ - ‘Kaisartion’ & ‘Mary on a Cross’.

NB: As mentioned I have deliberately picked today's band for a reason. Some of you will follow this, those of you who don't get the connection - all will be revealed early next week in a new link I will send.

  

Samhain, pronounced “sow-in” (“ow” like in cow), is a Gaelic festival that marks the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter or the “darker half” of the year. It is traditionally recognized on November 1 and considered the 'Celtic New Year'.

I have a song called just that ....

On 'Later... with Jools Holland' from his 2005 'Magic Time' album Van Morrison plays guitar and sings "In the Celtic New Year" >

  

Last Tuesday we said a sad fond farewell to Dave Lawrence.

Dave was an enthusiastic follower of this music blog. The David Bowie week back in January was done very much with him in mind. While a 'Midweek Spotlight' featuring an outfit calling themselves 'Two Cellos' was suggested to me by Dave on more than the odd occasion. [See reminder].

His music choices during the funeral were typically eclectic. Music from the spaghetti western 'The Good, The Bad and The Ugly' by Ennio Morricone, a lesser known Queen track 'Innuendo' and the Stones singing 'She's a Rainbow'. 
My earliest memory of Dave was of his love for Santana. So I have chosen this instrumental track co-written by keyboard player Greg Rolie, a very young Neal Schon on guitar and of course the maestro Carlos Santana. Although not as well known as "Samba Pa Ti" or "Europa," many fans consider it a hidden gem in Santana's catalog > "Song of the Wind".  

For Dave: 

  

"The Fender Stratocaster is arguably the most popular and most emulated solid electric guitar ever" 

Launched in 1954 the Fender Stratocaster or 'Strat' went into production in October of that year. See the full story here: click 

Two of the finest exponents of this guitar: Jimi Hendrix who wrote today's featured Star Track, while Eric Clapton recorded it on the Derek and the Dominos album 'Layla'. 

The version here is a live recording from 2008. Eric Clapton is joined by Steve Winwood on stage in New York's Madison Square Garden, and over two nights they played a wide variety of old gems from which a double CD* (and DVD) have been released. 
Here they are playing a fantastic version of Jimi Hendrix's 'Little Wing' >

* Want more ? Then give 'Double Trouble' off this record a listen.

More Blues Rock and 'Stratocasting' to follow... 

   

I don't know about you but the title of 'One-Hit Wonder' has never quite sat right with me !

Aside from being somewhat derogatory it can also be a fallacy. The term at first was supposed to refer to someone who had only one No.1 hit song and then nothing ... ! Now it seems to have become used in a haphazard way. 

Also, is this 'One-Hit Wonder' exclusive to a particular country ? For example John Denver did in fact have just the one UK No.1 with 'Annie's Song' but had countless US chart toppers and other No.1s around the world. Is he a 'O-HW' ? I think not ! 

Naturally there are others saddled with this misnomer so I will let you decide if today's track qualifies. I for one had not heard of Robin Beck until her worldwide hit 'First Time' came on a programme dedicated to today's subject. Spending three weeks at No.1 in 1988, her follow up single did not perform as well only reaching #84, but did far better in Germany and Switzerland. While in her native America she didn't have any chart success with either record, in part due to business political differences between Mercury Records and Coca-Cola. 

So her follow up single is linked below, after the big hit > 'First Time' 

A bit Cher like her follow up single (another power ballad) was ‘Save Up All Your Tears’ which was also really good - so why not a big hit too ?

Robin Beck Double bill - titled Hit-Medley - 1989 is mostly 'Tears' track with a brief beginning bit of 'First Time'. > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJUHPjoCOmE

 -  R  E  V  I  E  W  -

For those of you wondering how the recent Folk Shows went at The Cove in Fairlight, I can tell you they were a big success, so much so the pub are encouraging us to do more. Watch this space...

Both evenings were well attended and memorable occasions. We were able to video the performances and they are available to watch in full on YouTube - see links below - and original poster here. 
Introduced by Ian Dobson, who along with Karen Towner provided invaluable support in making these events happen. 

Paul Downes (and Annie Winter)

Part 1:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAVW2xToJQs

Part 2: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8WeQkyeHnQ

Martyn Wyndham-Read (with Iris Bishop) 
Part 1:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RJSaX_DrT8
Part 2:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nq7fk4zBffI

   

On leaving Genesis in 1977 Steve Hackett pursued a solo career. His second solo release in 1979 was an album called 'Spectral Mornings'.

To celebrate it's 40th anniversary he played a concert at Hammersmith in 2019. The title track is pure class, as captured here >

For completists the band line-up was: (as listed at the end of the video) 

- Steve Hackett / guitars
- Roger King / keyboards
- Jonas Reingold / bass
- Rob Townsend / saxophones, flutes
- Craig Blundell / drums, percussion
- Nad Sylvan / vocals (not in this video, as it's an instrumental) 

Released on 25 September 2020 - A Limited Edition Deluxe 2CD+Blu-ray+DVD with Artbook; 2CD+Blu-ray Digipak; 2CD+DVD Multibox; Limited Edition 4LP+2CD Box Set and Digital album. Something for every occasion !

  

This week has turned into one of 'Grandeur and Pomp', what with the music earlier in the week from the Paris Olympics (see below for this) to discovering the symphonic splendor of Imperial Age. 

Such full on productions are not to everyone's taste. You either like the epic arrangements or you find them too much and over the top. See what you make of Imperial Age and their dramatic orchestrations and theatrically fantastic videos.  

The band were originally founded in 2012 in Russia by singers/composers Alexander "Aor" Osipov and Jane "Corn" Odintsova. After the start of the Russian conflict with Ukraine in 2022, the band relocated, eventually settling in the United Kingdom. They are categorized as Symphonic Metal as Gothic fantasy meets the Pirates of the Caribbean. 

Here they are performing 'live' with an orchestra and choir and a track called 'The Way is the Aim' > 

 

Check out 'The Wheel' ‘live’ - here  

And the video for 'Windborn'  via here 

There are FREE downloads on their website, if you sign up to their mailing list: https://imperial-age.com/ 

  

An alternative (and occasional) music posting highlighting something out of the ordinary. Perhaps of limited appeal, unconventional, experimental or just far-out ! Call it what you like (or switch it off, if you don't like). 

Now that the 2024 Paris Olympics are finished, time to mention the music played during the event. 

Music Director for the Olympic and Paralympics was eclectic French musician and composer Victor Le Masne. Mainly associated with electro and pop he wrote 'Parade' the official anthem for the 2024 Olympiad. You certainly heard this as it played every time there was a medal presentation. 

Less played was the amazing piece at the Opening ceremony during the horse rider sequence along the River Seine. Titled 'Higher', this was quite something >

A word to on the Logo: that looked like the Olympic flame but also something else: see this story of explanation and discover Marianne.