Thursday, May 03, 2012

Inbox Update: Ringo Starr, Jellyfish

Ringo Starr is helping some of his "biggest friends" and legendary power pop outfit Jellyfish will be celebrated on the forthcoming release 'Live at Bogart's' courtesy of Omnivore Recordings.


Pictured on left: Baby Rhino named “Shida” Courtesy and Copyright of The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. The image is what greets visitors going to http://www.ringostarr.com/

This is a crucial time for the Rhino, with many species facing extinction having been on the Endangered Species list for over 10 years. So when Ringo Starr considered changing the image on his homepage - formerly his cat - he wanted it to be a Rhino.




“I’ve always loved Rhinos. They were close to my and Keith Moon's heart. In fact in I had two huge one’s made and gave one to Keith. Mine is still here out on the grass here in England."



A handful of wonderful organizations are working towards Rhino preservation including The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. Established in 1977, by Dr Dame Daphne Sheldrick in Kenya, they have hands-on practical experience and extensive knowledge of the black rhino which is unmatched. They have pioneered a hand –rearing approach for the rehabilitation of rescued orphaned Rhinos and their approach to protect and preserve the Black Rhino from extinction, as well as the increasingly threatened Elephant, has been emulated elsewhere in Africa.

For those of you based here in Southern California, a reminder that Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band (Steve Lukather, Todd Rundgren, Gregg Rolie, Richard Page, Mark Rivera & Gregg Bissonette) will perform at the Greek Theatre on Saturday night, July 21, 2012.


For more information on Ringo Starr and on The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust please visit the following links:

links: http://www.ringostarr.com/


http://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/






 
 
OMNIVORE RECORDINGS TO RELEASE JELLYFISH: LIVE AT BOGART’S ON JULY 3, 2012  ON CD, LIMITED-EDITION DOUBLE LP, AND OPEN-EDITION DOUBLE LP


FIRST OFFICIAL LIVE JELLYFISH ALBUM – EVER!  FEATURES 13 TRACKS INCLUDING FIVE PREVIOUSLY UNISSUED PERFORMANCES


RECORDED IN 1991 AT BOGART’S IN LONG BEACH, CA WHILE ON TOUR SUPPORTING THEIR DEBUT ALBUM BELLYBUTTON



Omnivore Recordings will release power pop band Jellyfish’s first official live album, titled Live at Bogart’s, on July 3rd. Recorded in 1991 in Long Beach, California, with the band on tour behind their debut album Bellybutton, Live at Bogart’s features 13 tracks. Five of these tracks are previously unissued performances, while the others, initially appearing on b-sides and compilations, have been out of the marketplace for decades. Live at Bogart’s will be available on CD, first as a limited-edition (1,500 copies) double-LP on translucent blue vinyl, followed by an open-edition on black vinyl thereafter. The double LP release will include three sides of music, with a fourth side sporting laser-etched artwork.

They had the songs—tremendous songs, with melodies and arrangements that harkened back to an earlier time when pop music was ruled by bands like Badfinger, Cheap Trick, The Beach Boys, and Big Star. This live performance captures the band minus all the frills of studio trickery and clever visuals, proving once and for all that Jellyfish was not a dog-and-pony show. They were the real deal, equipped with phenomenal songwriting, playing, instrumentation, and harmonies. Even though the group lasted for only two albums over four years, their influence has been as profound as that of any of the bands that influenced Jellyfish in the first place—all part of a power pop tradition.

In January of this year, Omnivore Recordings released Jellyfish’s debut album Bellybutton and its follow-up Spilt Milk in 180-gram, colored vinyl limited-editions of 1,500 per title, making the only two full-length studio albums in the band’s short, storied history commercially available for the first time in the U.S. on vinyl. The limited editions sold out immediately, but are currently available in an open-edition on 180-gram black vinyl.


Formed in San Francisco by singer/songwriter Andy Sturmer and singer/songwriter Roger Manning, Jellyfish rounded out the initial lineup with guitarist Jason Falkner (The Three O’Clock, The Grays) and Roger’s brother Chris Manning on bass. Following Bellybutton’s support tour, Falkner and Chris Manning left the band due to creative differences and exhaustion from life on the road. Jellyfish’s next album Spilt Milk was created by Andy and Roger with help from then session men Jon Brion (Fiona Apple, Spoon, Kanye West), Lyle Workman (Beck, Todd Rundgren) and T-Bone Wolk (Hall & Oates). After one tour in support of the record, the group disbanded in 1994.



Jellyfish: Live at Bogart’s CD and 2LP track listing:


1. Hold Your Head Up (Argent cover)/Hello

2. Calling Sarah

3. The King Is Half Undressed *

4. I Wanna Stay Home *

5. Bye Bye Bye *

6. She Still Loves Him

7. Will You Marry Me

8. Now She Knows She’s Wrong

9. Baby Come Back (Player cover)/Baby’s Coming Back

10. No Matter What (Badfinger cover)*

11. All I Want Is Everything *

12. The Man I Used To Be

13. Let ‘Em In (Paul McCartney & Wings cover)/That Is Why



* previously unissued