November 2018

RICK WAKEMAN - Odyssey in sound space

If you think of Rick Wakeman, the synthesizer immediately comes to mind. The traces that the famous musician has left in rock history with this electronic powerhouse are too deep. As a sound witch of Yes, but also as a solo artist who has created large-format works for symphony orchestra and choir. Now with "Piano Odyssey" he has once again recorded a quiet album, which shows him on the grand piano.

From Rick Wakemans to the hundred solo recordings, it is above all the early albums "The Six Wives Of Henry VIII", "Journey To The Centre Of The Earth" and "The Myths And Legends Of King Arthur And The Knights Of The Round Table" that have remained in the memories of rock and prog fans. These established him as the intoxication gold angel on the battlements of his synthesizer castles. But the 69-year-old Englishman has also repeatedly focused on the natural sounds of the piano, as in his current recording "Piano Odyssey", a follow-up to the very successful "Piano Portraits" from 2017 in Great Britain. On a Steinway grand piano he intones pieces by Yes, David Bowie, the Beatles and Queen as well as his own compositions.

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JEAN-MICHEL JARRE - Equinoxe instead of Botox

The smart electronics pioneer from France is a phenomenon. Apparently he knows the formula that keeps you young forever. Turned seventy in August, Jean-Michel Jarre still looks outrageously fresh. And although he can look back on a career spanning fifty years, he hasn't calmed down at all. With the compilation "Planet Jarre: 50 Years Of Music" and the studio album "Equinoxe Infinity", which will be released in mid-November, he shows that he can still be reckoned with.

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THE BEATLES - Project Management à la John, Paul, George & Ringo

In November a 6CD/Blu-ray box will be released on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the release of "The Beatles", commonly known as the White Album. As with the 50th Anniversary Edition of "Sgt. Pepper", the son of Beatles producer George Martin sat at the controls. Giles Martin not only gave the White Album a new sound, but also digged deep into the archives. We talked to the mastermind behind the Beatles-Reissues about his work on the mammoth project.

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PHIL COLLINS - The playmate

Hardly anyone has left his musical scent mark on so many well-known colleagues: Phil Collins is now gathering his collaborations with other artists in the four CD retrospective "Plays Well With Others", which covers the years 1969 to 2002.

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OPETH - In the garden of the Titans

The renunciation of guttural singing, which began with "Heritage" and continues at least in the studio, has already lasted seven years. A live document of this era (apart from an exclusive magazine release in 2011) remained indebted to Opeth for a long time. On "Garden Of The Titans: Live At Red Rocks Amphitheatre" they now show how well "old" and "new" Opeth go together - and that according to guitarist Fredrik Åkesson they sound even better than on record.

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"I don't think of myself as a progger" - STEVEN WILSON has no desire to commit himself

"Home Invasion: In Concert At The Royal Albert Hall" is the title of the latest live recording by Steven Wilson. The allusion to his album "Hand. Cannot. Erase" makes it clear that he is not primarily interested in documenting the tour cycle of the current album "To The Bone". Rather, the active musician shows where he stands artistically in 2018. Also Bollywood dancers play a role here..

eclipsed: During the "To The Bone" tour you were three times at the Royal Albert Hall (RAH). Why did you choose the last show for the DVD?

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The busy RAY WILSON recently gave concerts against an impressive backdrop in Dessau and Poznan

His latest live release "ZDF @ Bauhaus" shows Ray Wilson in an intimate atmosphere at the Bauhaus Dessau. The former singer of Stiltskin and Genesis has adapted to the art-historical environment with his performance on April 17 of this year and presented a straightforward unplugged set. On the occasion of his fiftieth birthday on 8 September, the Scotsman then performed at another unusual location, the neo-Romanesque residence palace of his adopted country of Poznan, where he celebrated with fans from all over the world.

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Geoff Barrow wants for his band BEAK> more experiments

It has been six long years since the British band Beak> released their second album ">>". The trademark of the trio around Portishead instrumentalist Geoff Barrow is spontaneity. Their new opus ">>>" may sound a bit more calculated and domesticated than their two predecessors, but Barrow, Billy Fuller and the new third man Will Young were again more concerned with experimental openness in sound than with completed songs.

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