Mittwoch, Juli 30, 2014 / Eingestellt von peter / Kommentare (0)

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Sonntag, Juli 27, 2014 / Eingestellt von peter / Kommentare (0)

Kansas - Rock of Ages Festival 
26.07.14 Seebronn / Germany
Kansas war an diesem Abend Headliner. Und leider außer Tribes of Gypsies das einzige was mir dann auch gefallen hatte.
In bester Spiellaune und mit altbewährtem Set war die Band dann auch so gut wie lange nicht mehr gehört. Also hatte sich das lange warten doch noch richtig gelohnt. Na ja, es kann einem ja nicht immer alles gefallen. Sorry Rock of Ages.


Sonntag, Juli 20, 2014 / Eingestellt von peter / Kommentare (0)

Dire Straits - First (1978)
Aufgenommen im Februar 1978 in den Basing St. Studios, London, wurde das selbstbetitelte Album Dire Straits im Oktober 1978 veröffentlicht. Auf dem Album enthalten war u.a. die spätere Single "Sultans of Swing", die den ersten großen Erfolg der Band darstellte. Das Album Dire Straits erreichte im Jahr 1979 Platz 2 der US-amerikanischen Billboard Charts, die Single "Sultans of Swing" erreichte im selben Jahr Platz 4 der Billboard-Singlecharts. Ein Masterpiece das Weichen zu stellen wusste. Gitarre zu spielen so wie es Knopfler tut ist einzigartig.
Wertung:******(6)
Mark Knopfler – Gesang, Gitarre
John Illsley – Bass, vocals
David Knopfler – Gitarre, Gesang
Pick Withers – Schlagzeug

   The ’60s, ’70s and ’80s are full of stories about bands that limped along for years, touring hard and testing their labels’ patience before finally getting their big break. Given their low-key music and resolute lack of visual flash, the guys in Dire Straits seemed like good candidates for one of those slow-building careers — and unlikely candidates for mainstream pop stardom.
Initially, it looked like the band’s self-titled debut, released 35 years ago this month, might be destined for cult status; in spite of a spate of positive reviews, sales for ‘Dire Straits’ didn’t ignite right away — especially in the U.S., where the record’s big single, ‘Sultans of Swing,’ took more than five months to really start taking off. In the meantime, Dire Straits were busy touring across Europe, where audiences greeted them with more immediate enthusiasm, especially in Australia and the U.K. Eventually, record buyers on both sides of the Atlantic caught up with the band, and by the end of 1979, they’d graced the upper reaches of album charts worldwide while sending ‘Sultans’ to the Top 5 in the U.S.
It served as sweet vindication for a group whose pronounced financial poverty helped inspire its tongue-in-cheek name, and particularly for frontman Mark Knopfler, whose pursuit of a career in music took him through a divorce and a lot of late nights slogging through pub gigs while paying the bills as a teacher.

“I was wandering all through the country,” recalled Knopfler in a 1979 interview. “Taking all sorts of jobs — working in warehouses and offices — and my musical career was going nowhere. I finally got a job teaching English in a college, which I was delighted to have because it proved to be a real steadying influence. There happened to be guitar classes at the college, and there was a guitar teacher there with whom I used to play. In addition, I also would go out into country schools and teach little kids basic guitar and singing a few times a week.”
Knopfler’s blue-collar existence helped inform the characters in his songs, as well as the band’s lineup. Although he’d been steadily gigging for years, Dire Straits didn’t really begin to coalesce until Knopfler moved into a flat with his brother (and fellow guitarist) David, who was already sharing a place with bassist John Illsley. Once the trio recruited drummer Pick Withers to round out the band in 1977, they were off and running, recording a five-song demo in early 1978 and managing to get the tape — which included ‘Sultans of Swing’  – into the hands of influential BBC disc jockey Charlie Gillett, whose early support helped spark the interest of the group’s U.K. label, Phonograph Records.
In retrospect, it’s easy to hear what attracted Gillett and Phonograph execs to Dire Straits, but it’s also important to acknowledge that the band’s sound was entirely out of step with everything else that was going on in rock during the late ’70s. Though Knopfler’s distinctive lead guitar was often the focal point of the music, his playing resisted big hooks and flashy solos, and Muff Winwood’s clean production on ‘Dire Straits’ was the antithesis of the rawer, heavier sound that was popular with a lot of younger acts. Neither punk nor disco, glam nor metal, ‘Dire Straits’ existed in a part of the musical landscape all its own.
Ultimately, that’s a big part of what made Dire Straits such a draw for its widening circle of fans, and helped turn the band into one of the more unlikely arena-filling rock groups of the ’80s and early ’90s. But even at their biggest, their music never lost its quiet, contemplative heart — one that listeners heard loud and clear on ‘Dire Straits,’ and which hasn’t lost any of its power.

Down To The Waterline – 3:55



Water Of Love – 5:23
Setting Me Up – 3:18
Six Blade Knife – 4:10
Southbound Again – 2:58
Sultans Of Swing – 5:47
In the Gallery – 6:16
Wild West End – 4:42
Lions – 5:05

Dire Straits Facebook

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Steve Walsh resigning from Kansas

Donnerstag, Juli 03, 2014 / Eingestellt von peter / Kommentare (2)


Steve Walsh beendet nach 41 Jahren seine Zusammenarbeit mit Kansas. Er wird wohl am 16.08.14 sein letztes Konzert mit der Band geben. Eine Ära geht zu Ende.

On June 30, 2014, Steve Walsh informed the members of KANSAS that he is resigning from the band. His last performance with KANSAS will be August 16, 2014, in Sioux City, Iowa, at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. 

As KANSAS continues on, the band wishes Steve only the best in his future endeavors, and thanks him for the 41 years.
Steve Walsh 1981 at the Golden Summernight in Stuttgart/Germany
Foto: Peter

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Mittwoch, Juli 02, 2014 / Eingestellt von peter / Kommentare (0)

Steve Miller Band "Book of Dreams" is the tenth studio album by Steve Miller Band. It was released is May of 1977 and have since gone triple platinum. It was released to favorable reviews, and rightfully so. It features some of the songs the band are best known for.

1. "Threshold" - The album starts out with a spacey introduction. It is very well orchestrated and transcends perfectly into the next track.


 2. "Jet Airliner" - Many know this song. It's an awesome rocker that really stands out as one of the highlight songs from the band. The instrumentation is fairly simplistic, but it just works so well. The vocals are outstanding as well. It’s really hard to listen to this song without tapping your foot.

3. “Winter Time” - Another great tune. It starts off by sending some wind noises and acoustic guitar to capture the winter feel. Then in come a harmonica and the rest of the instruments. The whole song has a great rhythm. This is an absolutely beautiful song from start to finish.

4. “Swingtown” - Many will know this song as well, especially those that have watched the show of the same name. The awesome introduction from the drums and bass lets the listener know immediately that they’re in for a fun, upbeat song. All in all it’s a great tune that flows really well.

5. “True Fine Love” – This song also has a nice rhythm. This isn’t quite my favorite, but it still is a nice little tune with good vocal work. The lyrics talk of one searching for love, and many can connect with that.

6. “Wish upon a Star” – This starts out with another spacey introduction, with the vocals mixing in. It really takes you to another place when you listen to it. The singing is phenomenal! While definitely different, this song is just awesome.

7. “Jungle Love” – One of the best Steve Miller Tune’s ever. How could you not love this song? It is done so well, it makes me want to get up and dance, and I don’t dance. The band manages to get perfection without being over complex, and I love it.

8. “Electro Lux Imbroglio” – Try saying that five times fast. This is a quick spacey intermission of sorts, getting ready for the next song. Not really much to say, besides it is kind of eery.

9. “Sacrifice” – Thankfully it transcends perfectly into this song. It really captures the Steve Miller sound. The song is done very nicely (A recurring theme of the album), and stands out all its own as a nice, mellow track. Also the guitar work is noteworthy for being very well done.


10. “The Stake” – The early part of this song reminds me of Rocky Mountain Way. It is well done, with guitar and vocals trading off for each other. It just has a certain cool factor to it. This is a well done song with nice instrumentation.

11. “My Own Space” – The song starts off with a Boston-esque sound to it. This is a very soft, laid back song with good singing. Not much to say other than that.

12. “Babes in the Wood” – And yet again the sound changes in this song. The acoustic guitar is just awesome here. It is really folkish in a way. It sounds like the music you hear in a pub in an old fantasy movie. The instruments carry the song well, and they must for it is an instrumental. It is a nice, if strange, way to finish off the album.

This album explores many different sounds but still manages to capture the Steve Miller feel. This is an album I feel must be experienced start to finish. It has no filler songs. This may be due to my love of Steve Miller Band. Wertung:******(6) Steve Miller Band und Steve Miller Band Facebook


Personnel
•Steve Miller - vocals, guitar, synthesizer, sitar
•David Denny - guitar
•Greg Douglass - slide guitar
•Byron Allred - piano, synthesizer
•Lonnie Turner - bass
•Gary Mallaber - drums, percussion

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