Thursday, November 21, 2019

New STARBYRD album out on December 1st




HPS has done it again!

Horst-Peter Schmidt (nicknamed The Crown Prince Of The Rickenbacker 12-String) has announced the release of his band Starbyrd’s new CD titled “Forward To The Past”.

As usual, Byrds fans who long to hear the jingle-jangle sound of Roger Mcguinn and The Byrds’ harmony vocals will be more than delighted with this release, as Roger McGuinn seems to have abandoned the idea of bringing back that sound on his recordings, and Horst-Peter more than adequately plays a mean Rickenbacker 12-string, adding his nice vocals and lyrics.

Sit down, put your headphones on and there you are, back to 1965-1967, listening to that fantastic sound.

The new CD will be available for download from CDBaby as from December 1st:


Physical copies are available by sending an email to Horst-Peter at:


We had the privilege to listen to the album already and our comment is:

Highly recommended by Byrds Flyght!

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Kevin Kelly - nice find!



We just found out that a 22 track album called "On The Great Highway" by a band called "Gas Food & Lodging" has been available for download from CD Baby since 2017.

https://cdbaby.name/g/a/gasfoodlodging.jpg

Drummer for that band was Kevin Kelley (spelled Kelly). He's center on the image above.

I had never heard of that band and Kelley's participation before, so this is a nice find for all Byrds completists.

We don't know if these tracks were ever released on vinyl or CD before, so if you have more news, please let us know.

More info on the band here:

http://www.billplummerbass.com/gas-food-lodging-band/

Saturday, September 14, 2019

GREAT NEWS FOR GENE CLARK FANS - Multi-release of "No Other" planned

From Four Suns Productions:

We've been keeping a lid on this for the past two years, but now the word is out. If you haven't already heard, Gene Clark's classic "No Other" album is being re-issued by 4AD, one of the UK's longest established and best respected indie labels.

The release comes in a variety of formats, from the original album, remastered at Abbey Road, to a fantastic collector's box set. Most excitingly, it includes 20 previously unheard outtakes from the No Other sessions, which show Gene working on different interpretations of the songs with a stellar band of LA's finest musicians.

You can get full details, hear some of the new music and pre-order the limited edition elements here:

http://geneclark.4ad.com/ 

And for more on the story behind this extensive and lovingly curated project, take a look at this special edition of Echoes, the Gene Clark newsletter:

https://www.gene-clark.com/so/44Mpp2Ob3?fbclid=IwAR2wI5q0mjzJqYOzXvSkyzNSLPU02C7HQk1WmRoPOR--WrNaEXXy-SDFiAY#/main

Cheers

Four Suns

Friday, July 26, 2019

KENTUCKY COLONELS inducted into the IBMA Bluegrass Hall of Fame for 2019

From Sierra Records' John Delgatto:

It has just been announced that THE KENTUCKY COLONELS are the latest inductees into the IBMA Bluegrass Hall of Fame for 2019!

Clarence's daughter, Michelle, will be at the ceremony on behalf of her father, Clarence White at the IBMA Awards on September 26 in Raleigh NC.

What a great honor at long last!


Best regards,


John


Thursday, March 14, 2019

Gram Parsons Tribute CD by The Gram Band now available on line


“Blue Eyes” is the title of a new CD of newly recorded Gram Parsons covers by “The Gram Band”, a side project of Chris James, the current leader of The Burrito Brothers.

Chris P. James, Kenne Cramer, Chip Abernathy, Brina Pepo, Sherrie Kay with help from Al Perkins, Barry Tashian, Roland White, Walter Egan and Mike Webb.

Available from:


Description of Sources for The Gram Band CD

All songs written by Gram Parsons except where indicated.

1.  Blue Eyes (Recorded late 1967, released on LHI Records March 1968). The least obscure of all the tracks here by The Gram Band, this was the opening song on “Safe At Home” by the International Submarine Band, Gram Parsons’ 1st album. This birth-of-Country-Rock LP was what essentially got Gram into The Byrds.

2.  November Nights (Solo 1966 & Gram Parsons & The Like 1965). The song is among the solo recordings of Gram taped on a Sony 500 reel to reel recorder in Winter Haven, Florida in 1965 & ‘66 by his friend Jim Carlton (whom Gram met in 1959 - they remained friends through high school and the rest of his life). This one is from December 1966. Before that Gram recorded a demo in late November 1965 with his group The Like (which soon transformed into the International Submarine Band) at the end of a Brandon DeWilde audition session for RCA in NYC in which the band was the back-up group. They knocked out “November Nights” and “I Just Can’t Take It Any More” at the end of the day. It was produced by Marty Ehrlichman, who managed, among others, Barbara Streisand and John Barry. Found on the CD “Fallen Angels” (1999 BMG Camden Deluxe Holland).
Peter Fonda released a single of Gram’s “November Nights” in 1967 on the Chisa label. Gram and Peter had become good friends. Fonda put Gram and the ISB in his movie “The Trip”. It was Fonda who first introduced Gram to The Byrds. Peter was well acquainted with the famous group. Replacing David Crosby in The Byrds was, undoubtedly, the biggest break of Parsons’ career.

3.  More And More (Rehearsal 1972) Written by Merle Kilgore. This is one of two songs, not on any of Gram’s albums, found on five audio cassettes that were in the possession of the late Rick Grech (who co-produced “GP” with Gram). Yet another great but obscure country classic. This one was done by Webb Pierce. Like most (if not all) of these tunes, Gram probably would have recorded this if he had lived longer. Side note: Chris James (leader of The Gram Band) lived with Debbie Pierce, Webb’s daughter, in the early 1980s in Nashville. “I remember a few times going over to Webb’s house with the guitar shaped swimming pool and seeing ol’ Webb sitting in the dark, listening to the radio and drinking the end of his life away,” Chris recalls. Furthermore, James played keyboards on Merle Kilgore’s final album.

4.  Everybody Loves A Winner (The Flying Burrito Brothers w/ Clarence White, Palomino Club, LA, June 8, 1969) Written by Booker T. Jones/Bill Williams. Here is a great example of Gram’s love for Rhythm & Blues music. His version of Cosmic Country-Rock incorporated this element. A recording exists of Gram singing this song at the Palomino in 1969 with the brilliant guitarist, Clarence White of the Byrds sitting in with the Burrito Brothers. This song is along the same lines as “The Dark End Of The Street” and “Do Right Woman”, the R&B classics from “The Gilded Palace of Sin” (the 1st Burrito Brothers album).

5.  Aint No Beatle, Aint No Rolling Stone (Hotel room rehearsal mid-1972). This is the other song from Rick Grech’s cassettes that isn’t on any of the albums. The sound quality on this ultra-rare Gram Parsons original is poor, recorded on a portable cassette recorder. It features just Gram singing and playing guitar while someone (probably Grech) is playing violin much too close to the microphone (ruining the recording). Not only is it a charming personal statement, it is the last unreleased Gram Parsons song.

6.  Don’t Let Her Know (Fallen Angels Live at Oliver’s Club, Boston, March 1973) Written by Buck Owens. Here is a fine example of Gram’s strong love for classic country music extending to lesser known songs. Parsons is probably more responsible than anyone else for turning a younger rock audience on to great country songs. Buck was one of his favorites. On a poor quality audience tape from the performance in Boston 1973, you can hear Gram introduce this one with these words: “This is for all of you people who didn’t quite get turned off by Hee-Haw before you got a chance to dig Buck Owens. He was really a gas before he started strapping on that red, white & blue guitar (little bit of applause). And he was. I really mean it. He did some silly things, ‘I’m-a pickin’ and he’s a-grinning’, whatever.”

7.  I Just Can’t Take It Any More (Solo 1966 & Gram Parsons & The Like 1965). Another song from the solo recordings of Gram taped in Winter Haven by Jim Carlton. This one is from December 1966 and, with “November Nights”, was recorded by Gram’s rock group, the Like at the end of the Brandon DeWilde RCA session. Dylan-esque and very much a product of the times, it’s a pretty good, though primitive and rough, studio recording.

8.  Out Of Control (Flying Burrito Brothers at the Seattle Pop Festival Sunday, July 27, 1969) Written by George Jones/Darrell Edwards/Herbie Treece. A tape exists of this performance by the Flying Burrito Brothers in Seattle ‘69. This is a song they performed that day that isn’t on any of the group’s or Gram’s albums. Another obscure, yet great country classic. Like “You’re Still On My Mind”, Gram’s debut on “Sweetheart of the Rodeo” by the Byrds, this one was originally done by George Jones.

9.  Wheel Of Fortune (Solo 1965). A gorgeous Parsons original from the solo recordings taped in 1965 & ‘66 by Gram’s friend Jim Carlton in Florida. This one is from December 26, 1965. Gram was in his folksinger phase, having attended Harvard and more recently hung out and played quite a lot in Greenwich Village with friends that included John Phillips, Barry Tashian and Richie Furay. The song is so pretty and well constructed that it’s almost certain that had Gram lived, he would have brought it back out (like he did with “Brass Buttons”, a song just as old that surfaced on his final album).

10.  One Day Week (Recorded September 14th, ‘66 by the International Submarine Band, this was Columbia single 4-43935). This Gram Parsons original was actually released and the recording, though somewhat primitive, is good. But it fell into immediate obscurity. It does not appear on any of the six studio albums that feature Gram. The group was performing Beatle-esque Pop-Rock here, one year before they underwent significant personnel changes and made their landmark Country-Rock album “Safe At Home” on LHI Records. Note: Chris James played on the reunion CD by the ISB recorded in the late 1980s.

11.  Widow Maker (WBCN Radio, Houston, Texas, March 23, 1973) Written by Jimmy Martin. Parsons and Emmylou Harris visited this radio station for an interview and impromptu performance (Gram playing acoustic guitar with just the two of them singing). They might have done the same thing at other radio stations but this is the only recording of the song in circulation. Other songs they performed that day are on Gram’s albums.

12.  Apple Tree (One of two Gram Parsons songs on Johnny Rivers, “Slim Slow Slider” Imperial LP 16001 released in 1970). Johnny Rivers made the acquaintance of Parsons in 1969 and got two unreleased songs from Gram for his album. “Apple Tree” was not recorded by Gram (at least no version has surfaced). The other song “Brass Buttons” wound up on Gram’s final LP “Grievous Angel” in January 1974. In 2000 the Nashville Country-Rock group, Mr. Hyde, with Chris James singing, released their version of “Apple Tree”.

The Burrito Brothers work on a new CD celebrating 50 years of "The Gilded Palace Of Sin"

The Burrito Brothers, now led by Chris P. James, are working on a new CD to be released later in 2019, to celebrate 50 years of "The Gilded Palace Of Sin".

The album title will be "The Notorious Burrito Brothers"

Tuesday, March 12, 2019

R.I.P. Hal Blaine



 

Hal Blaine (Harold Simon Belsky) R.I.P. at 90.

As a member of the Wrecking Crew, his drumming is heard on hundreds if not thousands of hits from the 60s. His biography on WIKI says that he played on more than 35,000 songs, including over 6,000 singles.

He was the drummer on the first Byrds single "Mr. Tambourine Man" / "I Knew I'd Want You".

He also plays, uncredited, on two tracks from The Notorious Byrd Brothers album, as well as on some tracks from Roger McGuinn's post-Byrds solo albums.

More details available here:


Wednesday, February 6, 2019

New STARBYRD cd: Tribute to Tom Petty now available



Starbyrd Newsletter

http://www.starbyrd.de

Starbyrd are pleased to announce the release of their new album:

Listen To The Wind - A Tribute To Tom Petty



Starbyrd's new album features a number of renowned guest musicians from the USA:
Karen Osterloh-Scot Hoffman-Steve Schaible & Ray St.Clair, with also Manfred Teßmer & Burckhard Thönissen of the Cologne-based band "The Sixtys"

Tracks:

Listen To The Wind
American Girl
I Won't Back Down
The Waiting
Into The Great Wide Open;
Running Down A Dream
A Face In The Crowd
Learning To Fly
Wildflowers
King Of The Hill
Unknown Friend II
Listen to the Wind (Reprise)
Bonus Track
Wildflowers (Alternative Mix)


Extract from the liner notes written by "Jangle On" columnist Eric Sorensen:

"The tragic news that Tom Petty had passed away on October 2nd, 2017 left a large void in the rock music universe (….).Horst-Peter Schmidt, the gifted and prolific German singer/songwriter who has fronted Different Faces and Starbyrd, has a similar strong connection to Tom Petty’s music (….). Sometime late in 2017 or early in 2018, we discussed the idea of a Tom Petty tribute song. The concept then grew from a single tribute song to a CD-EP and eventually into this full-length CD. Joining Starbyrd on this tribute album are fellow Petty enthusiasts Manfred Tessmer and Burckhard Thoenissen. The “Starbyrd West” contingent includes Karen Osterloh, Scot Hoffman, Steve Schaible and Ray St. Clair (….).

Listen To The Wind features two original tribute songs that serve as bookends to nine reverential cover songs that are among Starbyrd's favorite Tom Petty songs (….). Whether you are a diehard fan or a casual fan of Tom Petty, you will dig these fresh takes on classic Tom Petty songs and you will appreciate the sometimes haunting vocal and instrumental similarities between the original tracks and these cover songs. “Listen To The Wind” and you’ll hear Thomas Earl singing about his American Girl!

The album is available as digital download from

https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/starbyrd19

or in physical form by writing an email to


Prices:

€ 12,99 (Digital Download)
€ 14,99 (Hard Copy) & Postage

Postage (Germany)* €3,70 (regular mail) € 6,20 (registered mail)
Postage (Europe/World)* €3,70 (regular mail) € 6,20 (registered mail)

We strongly recommend having your CD sent by registered mail. We cannot be held responsible for any losses.

Payment for physical CDs:



Frank
(Customer Service)

A word about the postage fees:

The German post service has increased its prices. Since the start of the New Year, they want 16,00 Euros for shipping a CD, which is outrageous and unacceptable for us and our customers.

If we sent the CD without the jewel case as a "letter", the postage will be 3,70 Euros (regular postage) and 6,20 Euros (registered mail - which we recommend).

So the total price including postage will be 18,69 Euros or 21,19 Euros payable to our Paypal account starbyrd@t-online.de unless you decide to choose the "jewel case option" which means 30,99 Euros (as we don't want to support DHL's price policy, we would like to dissuade you from choosing this option.).

John York Sings Bob Dylan concert



YORK sings DYLAN

Sunday, February 17, 2019, 7pm

$20

The Coffee Gallery Backstage

2029 N. Lake Ave.

Altadena CA, 91001

Reservations: 626-798-6236

Saturday, January 19, 2019

Clarence White with Herb Alpert





A long time penfriend and correspondant just sent us a notice about Clarence White's playing a solo on "Country Lake", a track from Herb Alpert's LP " The Brass Are Comin' " from 1969.

We didn't know about that; nice find.

We don't know (yet) if Clarence is credited on the gatefold cover, but his participation has been confirmed by Gene Parsons (via Camille Parsons) and Bob Warford.

Listen here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-_D1pL8W7U