Posts

Kansas- The Prelude Implicit- Phil Ehart, Rich Williams, Ronnie Platt, David Ragsdale

Five years ago the first new original studio album in sixteen years, "The Prelude Implicit",  from all-American progressive rockers Kansas, was one of the most pleasant musical surprises in 2016...like discovering the "lost"  album which would have fit naturally between early mid-Seventies efforts "Song for America"  and "Masque". Lifers drummer Phil Ehart and guitarist Richard Williams are joined here In the Studio  by violinist David Ragsdale and impressive veteran lead singer Ronnie Platt.

Moody Blues- Every Good Boy Deserves Favour- Justin Hayward, John Lodge, the late Graeme Edge

"Every Good Boy Deserves Favour" was the Moody Blues' seventh album in a string of commercially and critically popular efforts including "Days of Future Passed", "On the Threshold of a Dream", and "A Question of Balance". Singer/ lead guitarist Justin Hayward, singer/ bass player John Lodge, and drummer Graeme Edge take "Every Good Boy Deserves Favour" to share here In the Studio insights into some of the Moody Blues' best of those early years.
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Genesis- Invisible Touch- Mike Rutherford, Tony Banks, Phil Collins

Concerts came back just in time for the anniversary of Genesis' biggest album in their long fifty year+ career, Invisible Touch  (worldwide sales estimated at 15,000,000), so we convene Mike Rutherford, Tony Banks, and Phil Collins here In the Studio  to discuss the blockbuster sales behind "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight", "Land of Confusion", "In Too Deep", "Throwing It All Away", and "Invisible Touch".
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Peter Gabriel- So

(cont)...It was not until stumbling into the broadcast media/entertainment business that I got to witness, up close and personally, individual musicians who have been given enormous powers of influence through the modern phenomenon of celebrity, by the very people who they entertain. Case in point is this week's classic rock interview subject: ex-Genesis lead singer Peter Gabriel had a cult following after four studio solo albums, with his most significant creation being the ground-breaking "Shock the Monkey" video. But with the May 1986 release of So (#1 UK,#2 U.S., over 5 million sold; 4 Grammy nominations including Album and Record of the Year for the #1 hit "Sledgehammer"), Peter Gabriel was vaulted into international pop stardom with all of its attendant door-opening , barrier-eliminating amenities...(more)

Moody Blues- Long Distance Voyager- Justin Hayward, John Lodge

After scoring a worldwide #1 seller with "Seventh Sojourn" in 1972, then spending the next two years mounting the largest concert tour in history at the time, the Moody Blues baffled everyone by taking practically the rest of the Seventies off as a collective. To fill in the missing piece of the puzzle, as well as mark the fortieth anniversary of their #1 selling album "Long Distance Voyager", Moody Blues lifers Justin Hayward and John Lodge are my guests here In the Studio.

Alan Parsons Project- Tales of Mystery and Imagination

"Basically he signed a blank tape," Alan Parsons chuckles about 20th Century Records President Russ Regan greenlighting a concept album "Tales of Mystery and Imagination", based on the books of Edgar Alan Poe, composed by the young Abbey Road studio hound and songwriter Eric Woolfson as The Alan Parsons Project.

YES- Union- Jon Anderson,Tony Kaye, Steve Howe,Trevor Rabin,the late Chris Squire & Alan White

It's the thirtieth anniversary of the long dreamed about, too good to last summit meeting of both Seventies- and Eighties-era YES members on the album "Union", with Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin, Alan White, Steve Howe, Tony Kaye, and the late Chris Squire ALL In the Studio.
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Rush- 2112: Early Best 45th Anniversary- Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson

"2112"  by Rush was an amalgam of hard rock, progressive rock, science-fiction and Ayn Rand socio-economics right about the same time that The Ramones, The Dead Boys, and Ian Dury and the Blockheads were singing "Sex and Drugs and Rock'n'Roll". So things were about to get interesting in 1976. Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson of Rush join me here In the Studio
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Jethro Tull- Aqualung- Ian Anderson

Few albums from any time in the Rock Era continue  to satisfy quite so well as Jethro Tull's masterpiece "Aqualung". Ian Anderson smartly wrote songs for all seasons for a superb band, including the timeless rockers "Aqualung","Cross-Eyed Mary","Locomotive Breath," and "Hymn #43", but perfectly paced the album with tasty acoustic classics like "Wond'ring Aloud"and "Mother Goose". On "Aqualung" 's golden anniversary, Ian Anderson is my guest In the Studio.

YES- The YES Album- Jon Anderson, Tony Kaye, Steve Howe, Bill Bruford

It is the fiftieth anniversary of The YES Album , a progressive rock touchstone. If the British Invasion bands led by The Beatles and Rolling Stones wanted to be rock'n'roll's second verse after "Be Bop a Lula" and "Maybe Baby", then London's King Crimson, Emerson Lake and Palmer, and YES were determined to be rock's "C" section, the musical bridge which takes the listener somewhere unexpectedly before returning to the familiar refrain.