"What if?" unreleased albums

Over the years, due to personnel changes, record label resistance, or any myriad of other reasons there have been albums which were either never finished, or finished but never released-- at least not in their original form. These are some of my favorite rock and roll album "what ifs?":

Beach Boys Smile (1966): While Brian Wilson did finally realize his musical vision in 2004, and over the years the Beach Boys did release various tracks that were supposed to be on this-- "teenage symphony for God." I do wonder how the Beach Boys would stack up next to the Beatles today had this musical vision been realized at the time of Wilson's initial creative inception.

REO Speedwagon Ridin' the Storm Out (1973): The album was almost finished, the cover art had even been completed when lead vocalist Kevin Cronin opted to leave the band to pursue a solo career. All tracks were re-recorded with new lead vocalist, Mike Murphy, and Cronin's face was airbrushed out of the cover art and replaced with Murphy's face. One track from the original Kevin Cronin sessions was released on REO's A Decade of Rock & Roll: 1970-1980 (Son of a Poor Man), but as of now the rest of the material from the original Kevin Cronin sessions remains unreleased. Incidentally 3 years and 3 albums later, Mike Murphy left the band and was replaced by... Kevin Cronin, whose "successful" solo career had never materialized.

Toto Isolation (1985): Bobby Kimball has said in interviews this album was almost done when he was fired for drug abuse in 1984. Fergie Frederiksen was hired to replace Kimball and the album was re-recorded with a bit of a different track listing. As much as I love Frederiksen's soaring falsetto, I'd still love to hear what Isolation would have sounded like had Kimball never been fired. A few of the tracks that were recorded for the original Kimball-ized version of Isolation did show up on Toto's 20th anniversary rarities collection XX, it has been rumored from time to time that with Kimball back in the band (after a 14 year "vacation") the band may actually release Isolation as it was originally intended-- with Bobby Kimball on lead vocals.

Chicago Stone of Sisyphus (1994)*: Unlike the other "unreleased" albums mentioned, bootleg copies of SoS were leaked out to fans and have been circulating for years. So I have actually heard it in its entirety. This is easily Chicago's best material since the departure of Peter Cetera-- possibly even their best since the untimely passing of Terry Kath in 1978. The record label absolutely hated it and it was inevitably shelved. For the full story, you can read my review of Stone of Sisyphus. This album has been the source of tremendous fan frustration-- not just due to the fact it's still unreleased, but because next to the recently released XXX it is a masterpiece. Where XXX is sterile and vapid, Stone of Sisyphus, had balls. Where XXX is evidence of a band going through the motions making music in a vain attempt in a less than half-hearted effort to score another hit and "preserve their legacy", SoS is a band firing on all cylinders, making music they believe in for the sake of the music-- not the sake of their "legacy." And the sad thing is, if the band had put even half as much heart into XXX as they put into SoS they might still have a legacy worthy of preservation.

*three different versions of Stone of Sisyphus (in 3 different states of completion) are temporarily available for download here

Asia Web Release

Geoffrey Downes, Steve Howe, Carl Palmer, John Wetton

The Four Original Members of ASIA

are delighted to announce the following dates have been confirmed for their September 2006 US tour.

1 - JIM THORPE, PA - Penns PeakSat
2 - ATLANTIC CITY, NJ - Trump Marina CasinoSun
3 - MASHATUCKET, CT - Foxwood �Casino
7 - BOSTON, MA - Avalon Ballroom
8 - NEW YORK, NY - Nokia Theater
9 - NEW YORK, NY - Nokia Theater
10 - NORWALK, CT - Oyster Festival
12 - RED BANK, NJ - Count Basie Theater
13 - PHILADELPHIA, PA - Keswick Theater
15 - CLEVELAND, OH - House of Blues
16 - CHICAGO, IL - Park West
17 - MILWAUKEE, WI - Pabst Theater
20 - LONG BEACH, CA - The Vault
21 - LAS VEGAS, NV - House of Blues
22 - FOUNTAIN HILLS, AZ - Radisson Casino
23 - AGOURA HILLS, CA - Canyon Club
24 - PALM DESERT, CA - McCallum Theater


This makes me doubleplushappy!

Hunters & Collectors - Living in Large Rooms and Lounges (1995)

If this double live set is any indication, I was born in the wrong country. Easily one of the best live albums I've ever heard, Hunters & Collectors exude a chameleon-like live energy that adapts to the size of the venue they're playing.

Disc 1 features H&C playing a rather intimate and more acoustic gig at the Continental Cafe. Among the highlights are their Aussie hit Throw Your Arms Around Me, their cover of John Hiatt's The Most Unoriginal Sin, The Slab, their anthemic Holy Grail, and the infectious Easy.

Lead vocalist Mark Seymour doesn't sing, he bleeds the emotion out of every song, every lyric. Even on The Most Unoriginal Sin, Seymour manages to make the song all his own.

Disc 2 features a selection of live performances from some of the larger pubs H&C played. There's a decidedly more electric feel to the material and there's something positively electric to hearing the audience singing "You don't make me feel like I'm a woman any more" on H&C's live staple Say Goodbye.

While there is some overlap of songs (Easy, Say Goodbye, and Holy Grail appear on both discs) the performances of the songs on the 2 discs are different enough to keep the album consistently interesting.

In addition to Seymour's empassioned vocals, the rhythm section is tight-- and much as it should be, the electric bass tends to be higher or at least equal in the mix with the guitar and the tight horn arrangements round out and give their songs that extra brass punch which sets Hunters & Collectors apart from so many other groups.

For those who are unfamiliar, the best way to describe Hunters & Collectors:

Bono + Michael Hutchence + a killer rhythm section + The Tower of Power horn section = Hunters & Collectors

Unfortunately, in 1998 Hunters & Collectors released their final album, Juggernaut, and proceded to go their seperate ways. Luckily, Living in Large Rooms & Lounges encapsulates the live performances which made this great band such a fixture of the eighties and nineties Aussie pub rock scene.

Starcastle (1975)

In the mid seventies there was a bit of an American backlash to the British progressive rock movement pioneered by the likes of King Crimson, Yes, and Emerson Lake & Palmer. American groups like Styx, Kansas, Fireballet, and Starcastle rose in the wake of their British progenitor's success.

While Styx and Kansas are rather well known even today, Starcastle never matched their success nor their longevity. Upon first listen, one will notice vocalist Terry Luttrell's unique mastery of Jon Anderson's vocal style. It's uncanny to think that Luttrell had been fired from his original gig-- lead vocalist of REO Speedwagon-- because he wasn't "good enough." His vocals with Starcastle are far more listenable than his REO successor, Kevin Cronin's, ever were or will be.

Unfortunately, due to their timing and their uncanny similarities to Yes, they're considered largely derivative of Yes and Yes's style. But, if imitation is the highest form of flattery, Yes should be honored that a group of musicians as skilled as those in Starcastle saw fit to extrapolate upon the style of The Yes album and their other early material.

While the musicians of this band are not of the same calibre of the likes of Howe, Squire, Wakeman, or Bruford-- a little Jon Anderson goes a LONG way, so it's Luttrell's vocals which help make Starcastle's material imminently enjoyable and utterly listenable. Another benefit of their music is that it leans more to the rock and less to the prog side of things-- making their music a bit more accessible to the casual listener than much of Yes's material.

Generally speaking, if you're a Yes fan-- chances are you'll find Starcastle derivative and disappointing. However if you respect Yes's music but find much of it to be a bit TOO progressive (or find Jon Anderson's voice to be a bit too much), Starcastle may be just what the doctor ordered.

Long Way Back by Brendan Halpin

Brendan Halpin writes from the heart, after having read his 2 memoirs (It Takes a Worried Man and Losing My Faculties) and his other novel (Donorboy), I knew what I was in for.

Halpin writes in an unapologetic, emotional, heart on the sleeve style. Without giving too much away, Long Way Back is about loss and the healing power of music.

The characters-- Clare and Francis are imminently likable and believably human in their qualities and traits. There's nothing about this novel which would make a "suspension of disbelief" a requirement, it's inherently believable. The cliches the book sometimes falls prey to are the very cliches many of us encounter and experience in life and are, thus, forgivable.

While my musical tastes are considerably different than the tastes of many of the characters in Long Way Back, I found myself still being able to relate due to my own feelings about the music I do like. The connection the characters had to the music they enjoyed was something I found myself easily relating to.

In a nutshell Clare and Francis are brother and sister. Clare is the typical protective older sister who gets her younger brother, Francis, into punk rock (in particular, The Ramones) and throughout much of her life she remains in awe with Francis connection with God. Tragedy strikes and her brother's faith is shaken to its core. Clare has to continue to find her way despite the loss of her brother's shining example of faith.

In light of his tragedy, Clare has to help her brother find his "long way back"-- she's a constant beacon of support as Francis initially just goes through the motions and eventually finds something to fill in the void left behind when he lost his faith.

From start to finish this is a thoroughly enjoyable, if light, read. At just over 200 pages, as far as books go, this is a "light snack" and despite the occassionally heavy subject matter, Halpin manages to keep the overall tone relaxed.

Dennis Wilson - Pacific Ocean Blue (1977)

Brian had the production and songwriting talent, Carl had the angelic voice-- with a family as talented as the Wilsons, it's no wonder Dennis got lost in the mix. It was to the Beach Boys and the listening public's detriment that he was so often-overlooked.

Dennis was a mediocre drummer at best. On many of the Beach Boys albums it was actually Hal Blaine playing drums, not Dennis. But what his brothers and bandmates didn't realize was that Dennis had something to say and if Pacific Ocean Blue is any indication, in the Beach Boys, Dennis was 2nd only to big brother, Brian, when it came to songwriting prowess.

Hiding the perceived "lesser-talented" brother behind a drum kit was perhaps one of the Beach Boys greater fallacies. While, they were generally correct about his sub-par drumming, assuming that lack of talent also translated to vocals and songwriting is where the Beach Boys went wrong.

Over the course of the seventies, Wilson had stockpiled quite a repertoire of songs, a handful of which ended up on Pacific Ocean Blue and another albums worth that were to have been his 2nd solo album, Bamboo. These songs show a much different side of this Beach Boy-- and truthfully, none of this material would have sounded quite "right" within the confines of the Beach Boys tight vocal harmonies. There's a rawness and an urgency to Dennis' solo material that was conspicuously absent on much of the Beach Boys seventies material.

There are no standout tracks, as this whole album is a stand-out album. All of the songs on the album are equally impressive and worth listening to. And while brother Brian's influence is obvious on several tracks, Dennis certainly makes this material his own. From the catchy groove of Dreamer to the wistful melancholy of the ballad Thoughts of You, or the vastly underrated album opening River Song. This album is a delicious slice of seventies California rock/pop.

Unfortunately, this album is long out of print-- if there's any justice in the world, Brian will use his recent resurgence in popularity to help campaign for this album's re-release. This album tops the list of long out of print albums that NEED to be re-released (It is an essential album for any collector of great classic rock. It's also an excellent candidate for being remastered for 5.1 Dolby Surround DVD Audio release).

Toto - The Seventh One (1988)

Toto has delved into a myriad of different musical styles, but in the eighties they seemed to have their fingers firmly planted on the pulse of pop music. But even when focused on pop music, Toto's music was leaps and bounds above much of the other pop music of the era.

While 1982's IV swept the Grammies and is thus much more well known, The Seventh One is at least equal in quality if not superior due to it's pristine production and a greater sense of musical adventurousness-- integrating steel drums, Spanish guitar, and other musical styles and elements not traditionally heard in pop music.

In 1984 Toto parted ways with lead vocalist Bobby Kimball. After being turned down by Mr. Mister vocalist, Richard Page, Toto settled on Fergie Frederiksen. Unfortunately, due to Fergie's difficulties in the studio, he only lasted 1 album (Isolation) and 1 tour (1985) before Toto opted to part ways with him as well. One of the vocalists they approached, Jason Scheff, had already gotten a gig-- replacing Peter Cetera in Chicago, but he did recommend a tenor vocalist, Joseph Williams, who he was familiar with.

Williams got the gig and sang lead on 1986's Fahrenheit and on The Seventh One. While he sounded exceptional on Fahrenheit he sounds considerably more self-assured and more comfortable in his new shoes on The Seventh One. His soaring tenor, a perfect fit for Toto.

The Seventh One is one of those rare albums where each track is inherently catchy, where the hooks get under your skin and get your toes tapping, hands clapping, or fingers snapping. Drummer, Jeff Porcaro, once again proves his worth as one of the best groove drummers in the industry. Toto even borrows a horn section for several tracks (including Chicago trombonist, James Pankow on the lead-off track, Pamela)-- it could even be argued that Toto was more comfortable with using a horn section in the eighties than their contemporaries, Chicago, as evidenced largely by this album.

The vocal harmonies are tight as always (and borrowing another page from Chicago, Joseph Williams lead vocals are layered with his background vocals-- much like Peter Cetera used to do with Chicago), Steve Lukather's guitar chops seem a bit more crisp as having Joseph singing lead allowed him to concentrate more on his guitar.

Standout tracks include Pamela, Stop Loving You, Mushanga, Anna, and the anthemic Home of the Brave which has become a favorite at Toto's live shows in recent years.

In short, if you enjoyed Toto IV, you'll be pleased as punch with The Seventh One as it uses the same pop-friendly foundation as IV and takes it to another level.

Related article:
Joseph Williams Telephone Interview 4/14/1998

United 93

This weekend my wife & I went to see United 93. I felt like I was reliving September 11th. Initially, I wanted to be there with those people before they got on that plane. I wanted to relive, even if just for a few minutes, what life was like before the world was turned upside down.

My wife & I were watching the people boarding and wanting to just scream "DON'T GET ON THE PLANE!" Watching with frustration as the Air Traffic Controllers tried to figure out what was going on with all of the hijacked planes and watching in shock as the 2nd plane struck the 2nd tower.

I still remember that day-- it was a Tuesday, I had the day off but for some reason I got up around 8:30 am, quite early for a day off. I remember I logged on to check my email and saw a Yahoo headline saying "click here for the latest on the World Trade Center Bombing." Which really puzzled me, "what latest? The World Trade Center was bombed back in 1993! What possible new information could there be now?" I thought to myself. So clicked on the link and saw a picture of the World Trade Center with smoke billowing out the top of it. I knew something wasn't right-- The WTC had been bombed from its base in 1993, I'd NEVER seen any photos with smoke billowing out the top of either of the buildings.

So I jumped, yes literally jumped out of my chair, ran to the TV and turned it on and watched in horror as they replayed the footage of the 2nd plane striking the second tower. And then the news of the Pentagon, followed by news that the State Department was being evacuated due to a suspected bomb threat there. "What the hell is happening to my country?" I'd never seen my nation in such chaos, such confusion and panic. I remember watching in disbelief as each of the two towers came crashing down.

My wife and I sat there and cried through most of the film, clutching each others hands with white knuckles wishing desperately for a different ending than the one which we knew was coming. We watched as the passengers of United 93 formulated a plan and prevented 9/11 from becoming an even more disastrous day that it ended up being. And as the film blacked out at the end-- dead silence at first followed by a few scattered sniffles. No one said a word. Everyone stayed in their seats letting it all sink in and then-- slowly, quietly, everyone stood and filed out of the theater. Everyone was a little red and puffy around their eyes, some people were just nodding in disbelief-- still in shock that this had actually happened. It's been nearly five years now, and it still seems so unreal... so surreal.

Some will say, it's still too soon. Not enough time has passed. But if we let too much time pass, we will forget... and if we forget what happened on 9/11/01 WILL happen again-- and next time it could be worse.