Friday, July 31, 2009

Power-pop dream release: 'Sgt. Pepper' live courtesy of Cheap Trick & friends

Wow, it must be Friday - wait it is Friday!
This came to my inbox today and I've been hoping for this announcement since I got the opportunity of a lifetime to see Cheap Trick, Aimee Mann, Ian Ball and others on Aug. 10, 2007 when they performed The Beatles' full-length "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" and other Fab Four classics with an orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl.

Here is the media release I received earlier today.

Cheap Trick’s new self-released album- "The Latest" - continues to impress listeners as it takes the honor of the #1 selling 8-track in the world. The limited edition format is available exclusively through the band’s website. “In the format, it makes sense,” proclaims Idolator. “The riffs crackle, Robin Zander’s voice sounds nearly curdled, and the whole enterprise brings the words ‘kick ass’ to mind over and over again. (I know, I know, not the most erudite assessment, but when one gets bludgeoned, it’s often hard to sound smart in the immediate aftermath.)”On September 1st, Cheap Trick heads to LA to perform the new single “Sick Man of Europe” on The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien. A big fan of the band, you may remember Conan sprinting across the United States during his premiere episode opening while the Cheap Trick classic “Surrender” played (watch here: www.tonightshowwithconanobrien.com/video/clips/cold-open-of-the-first-show/1116061/).

On December 12th, 2007, Cheap Trick performed Sgt. Pepper Live at the The Waldorf Astoria in New York City for the Prostate Cancer Foundation Charity Concert & Auction. A live DVD and CD of this performance are scheduled for release on August 25th with all artist proceeds from sales to benefit the Prostate Cancer Foundation. The New York Philharmonic and special guests Joan Osborne, Ian Bell of Gomez, singer-songwriter Rob Laufer and an Indian instrumental ensemble, lend their talents to the cause. Geoff Emerick, who engineered the original album in 1967 and engineered Cheap Trick's All Shook Up with George Martin for Epic in 1980, oversaw all elements of the recording and mixing.Sgt. Pepper Live featuring Cheap Trick originated in 2007 when the band was invited to be special guests of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra’s performance of the 40th Anniversary of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band record release.

The concert was reprised the following year and the shows sold over 50,000 tickets combined. At these shows, as at The Waldorf, the band performed a track-by-track rendition with the orchestra, an Indian ensemble and an array of very special guests. Michael Milken, founder and chairman of the Prostate Cancer Foundation, was at one of the Los Angeles shows and invited the band to re-create the event for his legendary holiday fundraiser in New York City.For more information on the foundation, please visit www.prostatecancerfoundation.org.
For more information on Cheap Trick, visit www.CheapTrick.com.

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