Sights and Sounds: 'Jesus Christ Superstar' 50th Anniversary editions, Carlos Santana, Joanne Shaw Taylor, Gleaming Spires, Loveland Duren

I can hardly keep up with all the breaking news about upcoming special reissues and anticipated studio sets. Here is a roundup of news to land in my inbox yesterday and today...Robert Kinsler

TIM RICE AND ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER’S

REVOLUTIONARY ALBUM 

 ‘JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR’ 

 

SPECIAL 50th ANNIVERSARY EDITIONS 

 

OUT SEPTEMBER 17, 2021 

PREORDER HERE

 

ALBUM REMASTERED AT ABBEY ROAD 

 

 FORMATS INCLUDE:

3CD CELEBRATION BOX SET (INCLUDING 100-PAGE BOOKLET)

2CD DIGIPAK SET

 2LP GATEFOLD EDITION

 2LP GATEFOLD LIMITED EDITION (REPLICA OF 1970 ORIGINAL)

SD/HD VERSIONS IN DELUXE AND STANDARD EDITION

 

LOS ANGELES — August 3, 2021 — To mark the 50th anniversary of the 1970 concept double album, Jesus Christ Superstar, it has today been announced that a variety of special anniversary edition albums will be released September 17. This landmark release, which includes full cooperation from the creators Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, features an array of exclusive demos, commentaries, interviews and much more.  

 

In 1970, Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber released Jesus Christ Superstar as a concept double album. It became a massive global best-seller, topping the US Billboard Top LPs chart in both February and May 1971, as well as ranking at number one in the year-end chart. By 1983, the album had sold over 7 million copies worldwide.

 

However, the journey to international success was far from straightforward. As unknown names in musical theatre, Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber were unable to find a producer willing to stage their ambitious idea for a religious-themed rock opera. Eventually, they persuaded MCA records to let them record the score first. Using a full orchestra, and with the outstanding talents of Ian Gillan, Murray Head, Yvonne Elliman and The Grease Band, they created a masterpiece that revolutionized the form of musical theatre. 

 

Within a year of its chart success, stage productions of “Jesus Christ Superstar” began to appear all over the world, leading to record-breaking runs in the West End, a hit Hollywood film, Tony nominations and Olivier Awards. Its influence and impact have not diminished: in 2018 the NBC live production of the show, starring John Legend and Sara Bareilles, resulted in Emmy Award wins for Rice and Lloyd Webber (thereby making them two of the 16 people in history to have won an Emmy®, a Grammy®, an Oscar® and a Tony®).

 

Andrew Lloyd Webber said: 

"A musical about Jesus Christ! Back in 1969 the mere thought had theatre producers falling about with laughter.  But somehow Tim Rice and I persuaded MCA to record a single. It came at a time when fusion was all the rage. The Rolling Stones had recorded with the London Bach Choir. Deep Purple’s Jon Lord composed a symphony for rock band and orchestra. So I was like a kid in a sweet shop when I was able to combine a rock band, a symphony orchestra and a gospel choir in what was the first track to be recorded, simply titled Superstar. Overriding everything was that we were telling our story in sound - and sound alone. We had none of the visual elements of theatres and film to fall back on. A cast-iron musical and dramatic structure was the key. Dialogue had no place on a record, so music and lyrics had to carry everything. In truth, we were writing a musical radio play. Ultimately, this gave us one enormous advantage. Audiences came to know our recordings so well that no future director or producer could add musical passages for scene changes or tamper with the construction. The score had become set in stone."

 

Tim Rice stated, “I have nothing but fond memories of the writing and recording of Jesus Christ Superstar. We were incredibly lucky; we had a record company and a management team who were willing to take huge risks. Not just in terms of belief in our idea but also in terms of providing a budget to fulfil our musical vision which brought together a rock band, a full orchestra and not just one but two separate choirs.” He added, “I’m incredibly proud and grateful to have been part of it all, perhaps more now at 76 than I was at 25.”

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee and three-time Grammy Award-winner Nile Rodgers has commented on the impact of the musical through his career, stating “Jesus Christ Superstar permeated every part of our lives then. It was a cultural explosion, like an earthquake or asteroid crashing...with Tim, he made a genius work in Jesus Christ Superstar, which was as revolutionary to hippies as Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew was to jazz.”

 

The special anniversary editions are a celebration of the original 1970 concept double album and its continued success spanning 50 years. With the new editions all having been re-mastered at Abbey Road, fans have a great selection to choose from. There is a 10x10” 3-CD Celebration Box Set with exclusive unreleased material, as well as a 100-page hard-back booklet. Inside, fans can dive into interviews between Lloyd Webber and Rice, essays from famous figures including Nile Rodgers and Matt Berry, the 1970 lyric book, memorabilia from Tim Rice’s personal collection and more. Also available are 2CD Digipak set, 2LP gatefold edition which have been half-speed mastered, 2LP gatefold limited edition which comes as a replica of the original 1970 fold-out envelope sleeve. These special anniversary editions are also available in SD/HD versions in deluxe and standard edition. 

 

A tribute to an international phenomenon, these special 50th anniversary editions are the perfect way to celebrate the extraordinary legacy of “Jesus Christ Superstar.” 

 

TRACK LISTINGS

 

3CD CELEBRATION BOX SET – RIGID SLIPCASE AND 100-PAGE HARDBACK BOOK  

Includes unreleased material mixed by Nick Davis. The album was remastered by Miles Showell and Nick Davis at Abbey Road in November 2020. Includes a 100-Page Booklet, with extensive notes by Lois Wilson with new interviews from all the main protagonists and memorabilia from Tim Rice’s personal collection.

 

CD1

1. Overture
2. Heaven On Their Minds
3. What’s The Buzz – Strange Thing, Mystifying
4. Everything’s Alright
5. This Jesus Must Die
6. Hosanna
7. Simon Zealotes – Poor Jerusalem
8. Pilate’s Dream
9. The Temple
10. Everything’s Alright
11. I Don’t Know How To Love Him
12. Damned For All Time – Blood Money

 

CD2

1. The Last Supper
2. Gethsemane (I Only Want To Say)
3. The Arrest
4. Peter’s Denial
5. Pilate And Christ
6. King Herod’s Song 
7. Judas’ Death
8. Trial Before Pilate (Including the 39 Lashes)
9. Superstar
10. Crucifixion
11. John Nineteen: Forty-one 

 

CD3: 

1. Blood Money (guide vocal)*
2. Herod's Song (guide vocal)*
3. I Don't Know How To Love Him (Tim Rice Commentary)*
4. This Jesus Must Die (scat vocal 1)*
5. This Jesus Must Die (scat vocal 2)* Unreleased Instrumental*
6. I Don't Know How To Love Him (single edit)
7. 1970 open-end Interview with the creators Of Jesus Christ Superstar Part One (includes Superstar, Heaven On Their Minds, I Don’t Know How To Love Him)
8. 1970 open-end Interview with the creators Of Jesus Christ Superstar Part Two (includes Gethsemane, Herod’s Song and Superstar). 

 

2CD DIGIPAK SET

 

CD1

1. Overture
2. Heaven On Their Minds
3. What’s The Buzz – Strange Thing, Mystifying
4. Everything’s Alright
5. This Jesus Must Die
6. Hosanna
7. Simon Zealotes – Poor Jerusalem
8. Pilate’s Dream
9. The Temple
10. Everything’s Alright
11. I Don’t Know How To Love Him
12. Damned For All Time – Blood Money

 

CD2

1. The Last Supper
2. Gethsemane (I Only Want To Say)
3. The Arrest
4. Peter’s Denial
5. Pilate And Christ
6. King Herod’s Song 
7. Judas’ Death
8. Trial Before Pilate (Including the 39 Lashes)
9. Superstar
10. Crucifixion
11. John Nineteen: Forty-one 

 

 

 

2LP GATEFOLD EDITION - HALF SPEED MASTERED AT ABBEY ROAD BY MILES SHOWELL 

LP One

 

Side One 

 

1. Overture 
2. Heaven On Their Minds 
3. What’s The Buzz – Strange Thing, Mystifying 
4. Everything’s Alright 
5. This Jesus Must Die 

 

Side Two 

 

1. Hosanna 
2. Simon Zealotes – Poor Jerusalem 
3. Pilate’s Dream 
4. The Temple 
5. Everything’s Alright 
6. I Don’t Know How To Love Him 
7. Damned For All Time – Blood Money 

 

LP Two  

 

Side One 

 

1. The Last Supper 
2. Gethsemane (I Only Want To Say) 
3. The Arrest 
4. Peter’s Denial 
5. Pilate And Christ 
6. King Herod’s Song 

 

Side Two

 

1. Judas’ Death 
2. Trial Before Pilate (Including the 39 Lashes) 
3. Superstar 
4. Crucifixion 
5. John Nineteen: Forty-one  

 

  

2LP GATEFOLD LIMITED EDITION 

Replica of the 1970 original fold-out envelope sleeve. Half-speed mastered at Abbey Road. EDITION LIMITED TO 3000.

 

LP One 

 

Side One 

 

1. Overture 
2. Heaven On Their Minds 
3. What’s The Buzz – Strange Thing, Mystifying 
4. Everything’s Alright 
5. This Jesus Must Die 

 

 

Side Two 

 

1. Hosanna 
2. Simon Zealotes – Poor Jerusalem 
3. Pilate’s Dream 
4. The Temple 
5. Everything’s Alright 
6. I Don’t Know How To Love Him 
7. Damned For All Time – Blood Money 

 

LP Two  

 

Side One 

 

1. The Last Supper 
2. Gethsemane (I Only Want To Say) 
3. The Arrest 
4. Peter’s Denial 
5. Pilate And Christ 
6. King Herod’s Song 

 

Side Two

 

1. Judas’ Death 
2. Trial Before Pilate (Including the 39 Lashes) 
3. Superstar 
4. Crucifixion 
5. John Nineteen: Forty-one 

 

 

 

ALSO AVAILABLE IN SD/HD VERSIONS IN DELUXE AND STANDARD EDITION

LEGENDARY CARLOS SANTANA SIGNS WITH BMG TO RELEASE HIGHLY ANTICIPATED NEW STUDIO ALBUM

Los Angeles, CA – August 4, 2021 – Legendary Grammy award-winning artist and guitarist Carlos Santana has signed a new global recordings deal with BMG to release his star-studded, upcoming full-length studio album Blessings and Miracles. The debut single from the album is expected later this month.   For more than five decades, Carlos Santana has been the visionary force behind genre-bending artistry, from the earliest days of his band, Santana, as a ground-breaking Afro-Latin-blues-rock fusion outfit in San Francisco to his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and beyond.   Santana said, “I am honored to partner with BMG to release Blessings and Miracles. I would like to thank everyone at BMG for sharing our collective commonality-vision to touch people’s hearts with energy, conviction and integrity. Now more than ever, we need songs and melodies to remind us that we are significant, meaningful and that life is full of blessings and miracles.”   Michael Vrionis, President/Universal Tone Management, said, "All of us at Universal Tone Management are honored and excited to partner with BMG on Carlos' upcoming album, Blessings and Miracles. This album is sure to be a huge success with an all-star lineup of singers, writers, and the timeless grooves of Carlos Santana. These songs will add to the endless list of eternally relevant masterpieces created by one of the greatest guitar players of all time."   Thomas Scherer, BMG President Repertoire & Marketing, Los Angeles and New York, said, “We are honored to welcome the transcendent Carlos Santana and his team to BMG. Santana’s sound is a universal language with his guitar resonating deep inside your core. Listening to and feeling this album is an embrace of the source from where we all come from. Blessings and Miracles is full of joy, and we are grateful to be his partner in spreading this musical treasure to his fans and new fans everywhere around the world.”   To date, Santana has won 10 Grammy Awards and three Latin Grammys, with a record-tying nine Grammys for a single project for 1999’s Supernatural (including Album of the Year and Record of the Year for ‘Smooth’). He has received the Billboard Century Award (1996), was ushered into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1998), received the Billboard Latin Music Awards’ Lifetime Achievement honor (2009), and was the recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors Award (2013).   Among many other distinctions, Carlos Santana has been cited by Rolling Stone as number 15 on their list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time; and has joined the Rolling Stones as one of only two bands to have an album reach the Top 10 in every decade since the 1960s. In 2018, he released his first MasterClass, and recently celebrated three epic milestones – the 20th anniversary of his groundbreaking album Supernatural, the 50th anniversary of his legendary performance at Woodstock, as well as the 50th anniversary of his iconic album Abraxas. His most recent album, Africa Speaks (2019), was called his “best record in decades” (NPR) and was ranked among "the fiercest albums in Santana’s 50-year career” by The New York Times.   Santana will continue his concert residency at the House of Blues Las Vegas this summer and fall.

BRITISH BLUES-ROCK STAR JOANNE SHAW TAYLOR PUTS A FRESH SPIN ON SOULFUL CLASSICS WITH NEW STUDIO ALBUM RELEASING ON SEPTEMBER 24, 2021   ‘THE BLUES ALBUM’ SHOWCASES TAYLOR’S ELECTRIFYING GUITAR CHOPS AMPLIFIED BY HER MAGNIFICENT SULTRY VOCALS   HIGHLY ANTICIPATED ALBUM PRODUCED BY GUITAR LEGENDS JOE BONAMASSA & JOSH SMITH, SET TO RELEASE WORLDWIDE ON BONAMASSA’S INDEPENDENT LABEL KTBA RECORDS

WATCH “LET ME DOWN EASY” MUSIC VIDEO   PRE-ORDER ‘THE BLUES ALBUM’ ON VINYL, CD & DIGITAL FROM KTBARECORDS.COM   TICKETS FOR US TOUR DATES HERE

Critically acclaimed British guitarist and singer songwriter, Joanne Shaw Taylor, universally hailed as the UK’s premiere blues rock guitarist, is announcing the release of her seventh studio full-length record The Blues Album on Friday September 17, 2021. Today she also shares a new single, “Let Me Down Easy” along with a companion music video.   The album will be released via Joe Bonamassa’s independent blues label KTBA Records. It was produced and recorded by Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith at Ocean Way Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. The hotly tipped 11-track album features Joanne’s personalised covers of eleven rare blues classics originally recorded by Albert King, Peter Green, Little Richard, Magic Sam, Aretha Franklin, Little Milton, and many more. The Blues Album, the follow up to 2019’s critically acclaimed album Reckless Heart, features Josh Smith (guitar), Reese Wynans (keyboards), Greg Morrow (drums), Steve Mackey (bass), Steve Patrick (trumpet), Mark Douthit (sax), Barry Green (trombone). Joe Bonamassa plays guitar and sings on the track “Don’t Go Away Mad.” Mike Farris also joins as a special guest on “I Don’t Know What You’ve Got.” “I’d known from the beginning of my recording career that one day I wanted to record an album of blues covers, I just wasn’t sure when the right time to do that would be,” says Joanne. “I’ve always found it far easier to write my own material than come up with creative ways to make other artists’ material my own.” When the pandemic put the brakes on from musicians from touring during 2020 and most of 2021, Joanne thought it was the right time to head into the studio to record The Blues Album. “I mentioned my new project idea to Joe Bonamassa,” recalls Joanne. “He asked me for my song choices. Immediately he began sending me notes and was texting me song suggestions.” Joanne and Joe have been best friends and fans of each other’s music for many years. Joanne always wanted to work with Joe if the right project or collaboration came about. “He was already acting as a mentor as well as an unofficial producer on The Blues Album, so I asked him if he’d fancy the job, officially,” says Joanne. “Thankfully, he accepted. The Blues Album has been everything I hoped it would be. It’s been a labor of love, overseen by an artist, producer, and friend who I trust beyond measure. “We wanted to make a tough vocal centric straight blues record that showcases Joanne’s amazing talent but in a slightly different light," explains Bonamassa. “Joanne is a dear friend and a superstar. Josh and I focused on testing her limits and pushing boundaries that might not have occurred before. It's all about making a statement and having the listener want to play the music repeatedly." Joanne’s covers album pays tribute to artists and bands that are not obvious choices including Little Village, Little Milton, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, James Ray, but, at the same time, she covers seminal blues icons including Albert King, Fleetwood Mac’s Peter Green and Magic Sam. Some of the songs covered are B-sides of singles. “We try not to live in the well-worn trails of the blues,” explains Bonamassa. “Each song has to has to stand on its own while paying tribute to the original masters." “Joe made it known from the get-go that his main objective for this album was to push me as a singer,” recalls Joanne. “Obviously, Joe has seen me perform many times over the years and knows my voice well. I think he felt that he could my vocal performance more, and get more out of it, especially since I’d had over a year to rest my vocal cords.” As a musician and a recording and performing artist, Joe Bonamassa has always been a fan of Joanne’s music. Ultimately, what did Bonamassa set out to achieve by co-producing this magnificent, rich, and beautifully recorded and performed album for Joanne? Joe explains, “If you focus on what people might not associate with an artist and work hard on those areas it allows her fans to discover things and sets her up in a different light. Joanne’s a great singer and always has been. The guitar unfortunately has over-shadowed it until now. A lot of us in the business have the same problem. " “On the new album, I mostly played my own guitar, my 1966 Esquire ‘Junior’,” says Joanne. “I tried to use a few of Joes Tele’s, but they’re set up for much bigger hands than mine. I did use Joe’s vintage amps - I believe one of his 60’s Vibroverbs mixed with a fumble overdrive for pretty much all of it. We didn’t use any pedals.” It goes without saying that the production team of Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith are at the top of their game. They recently produced new albums for Joanna Connor, Jimmy Hall, and Eric Gales. Joanna Connor’s album, 4801 South Indiana Avenue, met with great critical acclaim worldwide, was the second album released on Bonamassa’s independent label KTBA Records and debuted at #1 on the Billboard Blues Chart. “Joe and Josh make a fantastic team,” insists Joanne. “Both bring something different to the table that the other maybe couldn’t. I loved working with them. I was worried about working with Joe for obvious reasons, (we are very close friends), but you never know how that will translate into a working relationship. It was cool to work with two guys not much older than me. Most of the producers I’ve worked with so far haven’t been so close to me in age, plus Joe and Josh have the added benefit of understanding what it is to tour on the same scene as me and what me touring this album will look like. All in all, it was a very relaxed fun session and hang.” TRACKLISTING 1. STOP MESSIN’ ROUND (3:38) 2. IF THAT AIN’T A REASON (4:00) 3. KEEP ON LOVIN’ ME (4:07) 4. IF YOU GOTTA MAKE A FOOL OF SOMEBODY (4:10) 5. DON’T GO AWAY MAD feat. Joe Bonamassa (2:49) 6. SCRAPS VIGNETTE (1:27) 7. CAN’T YOU SEE WHAT YOU’RE DOING TO ME (4:25) 8. LET ME DOWN EASY (4:50) 9. TWO TIME MY LOVIN’ (4:34) 10. I DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’VE GOT feat. Mike Farris (4:49) 11. THREE TIME LOSER (4:52)   JOANNE SHAW TAYLOR – SOCIAL MEDIA Official Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube

JOANNE SHAW TAYLOR SEPT/OCT 2021 US TOUR Tickets – www.joanneshawtaylor.com/events   SEPT 14 - DETROIT, MI @ MAGIC BAG SEPT 15 - GRAND RAPIDS, MI @ STUDIO C LISTENING ROOM SEPT 17 - MINNEAPOLIS, MN @ THE DAKOTA SEPT 18 - DAVENPORT, IA @ MISSISSIPPI VALLEY BLUES FESTIVAL SEPT 23 - WEST BEND, WI @ HISTORIC WEST BEND THEATER SEPT 24 - MILWAUKEE, WI @ BACKROOM AT COLECTIVO SEPT 25 - BERWYN, IL @ FITZGERALDʼS BLUES FEST SEPT 28 - CLEVELAND, OH @ BEACHLAND TAVERN SEPT 29 - COLOMBUS, OH @ WOODLAND TAVERN OCT 1 - BUFFALO, NY @ BUFFALO IRON WORKS OCT 2 - HOMER, NY @ HOMER CENTER FOR THE ARTS OCT 4 - NORTHAMPTON, MA @ IRON HORSE MUSIC HALL OCT 5 - BOSTON, MA @ CITY WINERY OCT 7 - SHIRLEY, MA @ BULL RUN OCT 8 - MANCHESTER, NH @ REX THEATRE OCT 9 - PLYMOUTH, MA @ THE SPIRE OCT 10 - WEST YARMOUTH, MA @ THE MUSIC ROOM OCT 12 - OLD SAYBROOK, CT @ KATHARINE HEPBURN CULTURAL ARTS CENTER OCT 13 - PAWLING, NY @ DARYLʼS HOUSE OCT 15 - NEW YORK, NY @ CITY WINERY   JOANNE SHAW TAYLOR – BIOGRAPHY   Joanne Shaw Taylor was discovered by Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics at the age of 16 who, having watched her play, immediately invited her on the road with his supergroup D.U.P. - a career in music was born and in the proceeding years, her incredible guitar playing saw her build an army of plaudits including Jimmy Cliff, Joe Bonamassa, Stevie Wonder and Annie Lennox. Still only in her 30’s, she has become one of the most sought-after guitarists in the world of rock. She released her first album on Ruf Records entitled “White Sugar” (2009), unleashing her distinct soulful voice on the world, and demonstrating a song writing prowess way beyond her years - the world of blues rock had a new star! Over the next few years, she released critically acclaimed albums including her sophomore album “Diamonds In The Dirt” (2010), “Almost Always Never” (2012) which featured the UK radio hit “Soul Station”, plus her final album for Ruf Records - the live album “Songs From The Road” (2013). In 2014 she released her fourth studio album “The Dirty Truth” on Axehouse Records that featured the singles “Mud, Honey” and “Wicked Soul”. In 2016, Joanne followed up with the release of her fifth album “Wild” (Produced by Kevin Shirley) which saw her perform songs “Dyin’ To Know” and “Summertime” on BBC Two Television’s popular music show “Later With Jools Holland”. Three years later, in 2019 she signed to Silvertone Records via Sony Music and released her sixth studio album, “Reckless Heart”. Over the past two decades, Joanne has proven herself as a prolific songwriter, releasing seven acclaimed albums under her belt, each increasingly more successful with her 2019 “Reckless Heart” breaking into the UK Top 20 Album Chart and cementing herself as one of the most important exports in British blues-rock. Her highly anticipated seventh studio album “The Blues Album”, produced by Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith at Oceanway Recording Studios in Nashville, Tennessee, will be released on Bonamassa’s independent label KTBA Records on September 17, 2021. KEEPING THE BLUES ALIVE RECORDS   The new independent record label is an offshoot of Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation, Joe Bonamassa’s non-profit that aims to conserve the art of music in schools and preserve the rich culture and history of the blues. Bonamassa along with his long-time manager, Roy Weisman, have expanded their business by creating the new label, Keeping the Blues Alive (KTBA) Records.   The first release on the label was Dion’s album “Blues with Friends” that was released to critical acclaim in June 2020. In February 2021, KTBA Records release Joanna Connor’s album “4801 South Indiana Avenue” which received rave reviews worldwide. KTBA Records’ main objective is to provide a platform for musical talent in blues and blues-rock based music and helping promote the careers of extraordinary musical talent. The label works synergistically with the non-profit’s mission of supporting musicians to continue the legacy of the blues. 10% of all profits from KTBA Records are donated to the non-profit.  KTBA Records is an important step in the co-evolution of the music and the business of making it. It represents another of Bonamassa’s continuing efforts over the last 25 years in support the artistic community. It reflects the philosophy of paying it forward just as so many did for Joe in the hope of paving the way for blues artists in the future. Visit www.KTBArecords.com for further information.

Gleaming Spires
L-R: Kendrick, Bohem
(Photo: Beth Herzhaft)

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — If you listened to L.A.’s World Famous KROQ or the many KROQ-inspired radio stations throughout the nation in the 1980s, you’ve probably heard Gleaming Spires. Their song “Are You Ready for the Sex Girls?” was hard to avoid. On September 17, 2021, Omnivore Recordings will reissue the duo’s three albums, Songs of the Spires, Walk on Well Lighted Streets, and Welcoming a New Ice Age, in expanded editions with bonus tracks, and track-by-track commentary by the band members.

 

Leslie Bohem and David Kendrick met in the late ’70s when David went to check out Les’ band Bates Motel. Kendrick joined as the band’s drummer. Bates Motel soon entered the studio with musician/producer Andrew Gold, to capture their repertoire on tape. They garnered a regional following and played gigs up and down the West Coast, but a record contract eluded them. They met Ron and Russell Mael of Sparks in 1980 and invited them to come see the band. But instead of the brothers producing them, they asked Leslie and David to join Sparks. While performing with Sparks, the two began to create music as Gleaming Spires.

 

Gleaming Spires’ debut album, Songs of the Spires, was issued in 1981 and the follow-up, Walk on Well Lighted Streets, in 1983. Both were produced by Stephen Hauge (New Order, Pet Shop Boys, OMD). Prior to recording their second album, the Spires grew to a quartet with the addition of Bob Haag (Bates Motel, Sparks) and Jim Goodwin (John Cale, Sparks). The band enlisted Greg Penny (k.d. lang, Elton John) to produce their well-received 1984 Party EP and their 1985 album Welcoming a New Ice Age. They even had time to write songs for — and appear in — the film School Spirit (made for Roger Corman’s production company). 

 

Post-Spires, Bohem and Kendrick continued to work together, adding Paul Cutler (45 Grave, The Dream Syndicate) on guitar. Calling themselves Eleven Blue Men, they only recorded two tracks; a band wasn’t meant to be as Bohem became a screenwriter (Dante’s Peak, The Alamo) and Kendrick went to work with Bob and Mark Mothersbaugh — eventually joining Devo as their drummer. 

 

These new, expanded editions are produced for release by Kendrick, Chaim O’Brien-Blumenthal, and Grammy^®-winner Cheryl Pawelski. Packaging for all features expanded artwork, lyrics, photos, an essay from producer O’Brien-Blumenthal, plus interviews and track-by-track commentary by Bohem and Kendrick. 

 

All include the original album tracks plus:

 

Songs of the Spires Adds a rare B-side, the Life Out on the Lawn EP, and six previously unissued Bates Motel tracks including three from their sessions with Andrew Gold. 

 

Walk on Well Lighted Streets Adds the Party EP, two tracks from Revenge of the Nerds, and the band’s contribution to the film Bad Manners — which gets its first official release here. 

 

Welcoming A New Ice Age Adds four tracks from School Spirit, which, along with the tracks from the Eleven Blue Men sessions, receive their first official release here.

 

Track listings:

Songs of the Spires:

 

1. Going Hey Hey
2. Are You Ready For The Sex Girls?
3. While We Can
4. When Love Goes Under Glass
5. The End Of All Good Things
6. Watch Your Blood Beat
7. How To Get Girls Thru Hypnotism
8. Talking In The Dark
9. Big Hotels

 

Bonus Tracks:
10. The Way Marlena Moves - Bates Motel 
11. Real Time - Bates Motel
12. Only The Young Die Young - Bates Motel 
13. Dedication - Bates Motel
14. Unexpected Overnighters - Bates Motel 
15. Real Love - Bates Motel 
16. Life Out On The Lawn 
17. Somewhere 
18. Passion Pit 
19. Walk Right  

 

Walk on Well-Lighted Streets

 

1. Mining
2. You’re Right
3. Big Surprise
4. Walk On Well Lighted Streets 5. Fun Type
6. A Christian Girl’s Problem
7. Happy Boy
8. At Together 
9. The Making Love Project
10. Yes I Can

 

Bonus Tracks:
11. Funk For Children 

12. Does Your Mother Know? 
13. Christine 
14. Brain Button 
15. Funk For Children (Part II) 
16. Brain Button (Part II) 
17. Kinda Like The Movies ]
18. Are You Ready For The Sex Girls? (Full Band Version) 
19. All Night Party 

 

Welcoming a New Ice Age

 

1. Mercy
2. Welcoming A New Ice Age
3. Tearaway
4. No One Coming Over
5. Your Secret Room
6. Bigger Than Life
7. Things I Have Done To Our Love 
8. Blowing Up My Life 9. What’s Coming Next 10. Unprotected
11. Harm 

 

Bonus Tracks:
12. It’s Alright Ma, I’m Only Bleeding 
13. Crumbling 
14. Here Comes Mr. Funhog 
15. Dedication 
16. I Want More 
17. A Boy And A Girl
18. Suspicious Minds 
19. That’s It, Forget It 

 

Gleaming Spires' "Are You Ready for the Sex Girls" video named among 40 Best Videos of 1981 by Billboard magazine. Article here.

NEW ALBUM COMING FROM LOVELAND DUREN ON OCTOBER 1, 2021

HERE A NEW TRACK HERE

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Veteran recording artists Vicki Loveland and Van Duren are cradling dynamite once again with their brand-new album, Any Such Thing (Edgewood Recordings), due out October 1, 2021.    Following the duo’s first two releases, Bloody Cupid (2013) and Next (2016), Any Such Thing reflects the sum of their experiences through the past five years of performing in the Mid-South and in faraway locales. Traveling the indie-film circuit in 2019 to L.A., London, Australia, and Tasmania in support of the documentary Waiting: The Van Duren Story, Loveland Duren performed for ecstatic crowds who fell in love with their music, moving Vicki and Van deeply. These 10 powerful new songs, written in 2019 and 2020, fueled inspired recording sessions in some of the most renowned studios in the world, right in their hometown of Memphis.    As a singer, songwriter, producer and performer, Vicki Loveland has always been about music. Her mother was a touring professional big-band singer; her father was a popular radio DJ. By the time Vicki was four years old, she was absorbing country, blues, and gospel music from her grandfather’s radio and became immersed in four-part harmonies with her mom and older siblings on the family’s front porch in Memphis. Vicki’s professional singing career began when she was 14, and has included work as a singer and percussionist with legendary artists such as Isaac Hayes, Albert King, Rufus Thomas, Alex Chilton, Tav Falco, The Box Tops, The Funk Brothers, The Hi Rhythm Section, Low Cut Connie and many more. Vicki also found time to graduate magna cum laude from the University of Memphis with a degree in music and recording technology, and has worked as a recording engineer and producer at several Memphis studios.    Vocalist/bassist/guitarist/pianist Van Duren is a native Memphian whose path was decided at 10 years old by one event: The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show in early 1964. His recording career began in 1977 with the critically acclaimed solo album Are You Serious?, now regarded as one of the progenitors of what later became tagged as “power pop.” Subsequently Van went on to release more than 12 albums, a mix of solo records as well as several collaborations. Duren led one of the top Memphis groups of the 1980s, Good Question, whose album, Thin Disguise (1986), is a cult fave. And in the studio Van has added his skills to recordings by Billy Swan, Rufus Thomas, Cait Brennan, and Ringo Starr.    Nine years into the Loveland Duren adventure the duo’s third album is finally here. Seven new songs were tapped for the first sessions in the autumn of 2019 at Ardent Studios with engineer Mic Wilson. In two days, drummer Ian Duren and bassist Adam Holton laid down basic tracks on six songs with Vicki singing and Van on guitar or piano. In the next session the seventh song, “Funny Way of Showing It” was tracked with Loveland’s dynamic vocal and violinist Jessie Munson and cellist Jana Misener embellishing the track until a 12-piece string section made the track soar. Memphis string-man Richard Alan Ford overdubbed pedal steel, then the recording was topped off with French horn tracks added remotely by old friend and Brian Wilson Band alum Probyn Gregory.   One of the highlights of Loveland Duren’s visit to London in March 2019 was finally meeting and spending some quality time with the brilliant singer/songwriter/recording artist Liam Grundy and his lovely wife, Fiona. A pact was made, and in November 2019 the Grundys made the trek to Memphis, where Liam contributed stunning piano tracks to five songs on the Ardent Steinway in one four-hour session.    In mid-2020 Loveland Duren moved to Memphis’ legendary Royal Studios for a session that captured Vicki’s fierce lead vocals on two more songs. The BTM Horns were added, followed by Rev. Charles Hodges on Hammond B-3 — all with the incomparable Boo Mitchell at the console. Over that summer “Tumbledown Hearts,” “Everyone Is Out of Tune,” and the final track, “Ending Again,” were brought to fruition at Royal with Adam Hill engineering and adding some impressive guitar work as well. Final mixing of Any Such Thing was completed in autumn 2020 by Hill with Loveland Duren.   The album cover features work by two gifted Memphis artists. An original collage by multimedia artist Nancy Apple incorporates images by renowned photographer Jamie Harmon, perfectly illuminating the eclectic music within — powerful, whimsical, familiar and new.   Any Such Thing swings from rock & soul to power pop to orchestral to rhythm & blues to eclectic improvisation in the most adventurous and wily ways. These 10 sly songs fuse worldliness with wide-eyed joy, folded in with well-traveled tales of the human condition in the 21st century. Love, too. Maybe. As Hemingway said, “Ain’t it pretty to think so?”   http://www.lovelandduren.com