Not to be outdone, British rock icon Sting has recently released his own seasonal recording titled If on a Winter’s Night. Thankfully Sting didn’t go the typical route of covering the same ol’ yuletide fare that countless of other artists have done over the years. He dug deep and unearthed ancient carols, folk-songs and lullabies from the British Isles. It’s an intriguing collection that challenges the listener with, at times, dark imagery and a somber mood.

If you’re looking for sugary-sweet holiday music, look elsewhere. But if you want thought-provoking and an ultimately rewarding meditation on the winter season, be sure to pick this album up.

On a related note, Sting is also releasing a live performance of the new album on DVD titled Sting: A Winter’s Night… Live from Durham Cathedral. Filmed this past September near his hometown of Newcastle, Sting performs the bulk of “If on a Winter’s Night” along with some extra material not on the album including “Ghost Story”, “Bethelehem Down” and “I Saw Three Ships”.

Deutsche Grammophon will be releasing the 2-DVD set on November 24. Purchase it here via CDUniverse.

And be sure to catch a special edition of this concert as part of the Great Performances series on PBS on Thanksgiving night (Thursday, November 26, 9pm EST, local schedules may vary).

here’s the tracklist for the new DVD set:
Disc 1
1. Intro (Sting/A Winter’s Night Concert)
2. The Snow It Melts The Soonest
3. Gabriel’s Message
4. Soul Cake
5. There Is No Rose Of Such Virtue
6. Lo How A Rose E’er Blooming
7. Christmas At Sea
8. Now Winter Comes Slowly
9. Cold Song
10. The Burning Babe
11. Ghost Story
12. Team Spirit
13. The Hounds Of Winter
14. Cherry Tree Carol
15. Balulalow
16. Bethelehem Down
17. Coventry Carol
18. Lullaby For An Anxious Child
19. I Saw Three Ships
20. You Only Cross My Mind In Winter

Disc 2
1. Intro (Sting/A Winter’s Night Documentary)
2. Italy
3. Newcastle
4. Durham
5. The Ship Inn
6. The Gosforth Hotel
7. Durham Cathedral
8. Christmas At Sea

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My Brave Face
Ever since you went away I’ve had this sentimental
inclination not to change a single thing.
as I pull the sheets back on the bed I want to go bury my head
In your pillow.
We Got Married
It’s not just a loving machine, it doesn’t work out
if you don’t work at it.
This One
What opportunities did we allow to flow by
Feeling like the timing wasn’t quite right?
What kind of magic might have worked if we had stayed calm,
Couldn’t I have given you a better life?
Put it There
I don’t care if it weighs a ton,
as long as you and I are here, put it there.
P.S. Love Me Do
Someone to love, somebody new
Someone to love, someone like you
Let ‘em In
Someone’s knockin’ at the door
Somebody’s ringin’ the bell
Do me a favor, open the door and let ‘em in

The live band featured: Paul, Linda McCartney (on keyboards), Wix Wickens (keyboards), Hamish Stuart (bass, guitar), Robbie McIntosh (lead guitar), Chris Whitten (drums).

enjoy!! happy friday!!

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After listening to Bill Champlin’s latest album No Place Left to Fall, I think I now understand why he left Chicago. Champlin sounds so free and alive on this record. Chicago had become creatively stagnant, releasing only two albums worth of new material in the last twenty years. I’m sure the steady income from touring was nice and all but playing the same set year after year probably took its toll on Champlin. The new album is full of energy and ideas and it’s an absolute joy to listen to. It’s Champlin at his finest, running the full gamut of styles from laidback funk/R&B (Total Control, Tugging at your Sleeve) to acoustic pop (Look Away), gospel (Looking for You) to Chicago-esque ballads (Never Been Afraid, All Along).

The musicianship here is top notch with Champlin on keyboards & Hammond B-3, Bruce Gaitsch on guitar, Billy Ward on drums and George Hawkins Jr. on bass. The standout track for me is “No Place Left to Fall”. It’s tastefully restrained with Champlin and band holding back and keeping things at its bare minimum during the whole track. I love that tension that is built during the song and really serves the track well. It takes a truly mature musician to know not to “play out” on every song.

other favorites include: “Total Control”, “The Truth”, “Looking for You” and “All Along”.

retroGrade: A
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Bill Champlin – No Place Left to Fall
released in the U.S.: August 2009
record label: Dreammakers
official website: BillChamplin.net

TRACKLIST:
1 Total Control (Champlin, Graydon) 05:19
2 Tuggin’ on Your Sleeve (Caruso, Champlin, Champlin) 05:53
3 The Truth (Champlin, Gaitsch) 04:16
4 No Place Left to Fall (Caruso, Champlin, Champlin) 04:10
5 Lover Like That (Champlin) 05:39
6 Lookin’ for You (Champlin, Matkosky) 04:24
7 Never Been Afraid (Carlsson, Champlin) 04:56
8 Angelina (Champlin, Gaitsch, Hawkins) 06:16
9 Look Away (Warren) 06:34
10 I Want You to Stay (Burnett, Gaitsch) 04:51
11 Never Let Go (Carlsson, Champlin) 04:25
12 Stone Cold Hollywood (Champlin) 04:41
13 All Along (Champlin, Gaitsch, Hawkins) 06:41

listen to a sample of “Total Control” via Lala.com

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Catch Bill Champlin live in November :
Fri 11/06/09 San Juan Capistrano, CA The Coach House
Sat 11/07/09 San Diego, CA Anthology
Tue 11/10/09 Santa Cruz, CA Moe’s Alley
Wed 11/11/09 Mill Valley, CA Throckmorton Theatre
Thu 11/12/09 Tuolumne, CA Black Oak Casino
Sat 11/14/09 Santa Rosa, CA The Last Day Saloon
Sun 11/15/09 Newcastle, CA Constable Jack’s
Thu 11/19/09 Portland, OR Jimmy Maks
Fri 11/20/09 Langley, WA Mukilteo Coffee Roasters
Sat 11/21/09 Langley, WA Mukilteo Coffee Roasters
Sun 11/22/09 Seattle, WA The Triple Door
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When a band catches that mercurial wave of mainstream popularity, the modus operandi for most is to NOT rock the boat and keep riding the wave. And that basically sums up Paramore’s latest release, brand new eyes. The followup to their hit album Riot! is pretty much more of the same which will please most fans and will most likely continue to broaden their appeal. They’ve got that hook-laden pop/punk formula down pat.

Paramore sounds confident and comfortable in their role as a female-fronted Green Day clone. The one-two punch of album openers “Careful” and “Ignorance” feel like an overeager attempt at proving to their fans that they haven’t gone soft just yet. But things begin to click by the third track “Playing God” which features a great chorus with the memorable lines: Next time you point a finger I might have to bend it back or break it, break it off. Next time you point a finger I’ll point you to the mirror.

It’s a bit unfortunate that producer Rob Cavallo (Green Day, My Chemical Romance) and the band chose to master this sucker “loud”. Granted the brick-walled, in-your-face sound is standard for this genre, but man, it’s brutal on the ears. Ear-fatigue is a given when listening to this album for an extended period of time. But even so, the band is poised to widen their already massive fanbase with radio-ready hits like “Where the Lines Overlap”, “Looking Up” and “All I Wanted” which features Hayley Williams channeling her inner-diva (think: Kelly Clarkson).

retroGrade: B+

Paramore – brand new eyes
released: September 2009
record label: Fueled by Ramen
produced by: Rob Cavallo

TrackList:
1 Careful (Farro, Williams) 03:50
2 Ignorance (Farro, Williams) 03:38
3 Playing God (Farro, Williams, York) 03:02
4 Brick by Boring Brick (Farro, Williams) 04:13
5 Turn It Off (Farro, Williams) 04:19
6 The Only Exception (Farro, Williams) 04:27
7 Feeling Sorry (Farro, Williams, York) 03:05
8 Looking Up (Farro, Williams) 03:29
9 Where the Lines Overlap (Farro, Williams) 03:18
10 Misguided Ghosts (Farro, Williams, York) 03:01
11 All I Wanted (Williams, York) 03:45

watch Paramore at the mtvU Ulalume Festival performing “Brick By Boring Brick”:


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Paramore:
Hayley Williams: vocals
Taylor York : guitar
Zac Farro: drums
Josh Farro: guitar
Jeremy Davis: bass

current tour dates:
Tue 11/03/09 St. Louis, MO The Pageant
Wed 11/04/09 Kansas City, MO Uptown Theater
Fri 11/06/09 Saint Paul, MN The Roy Wilkins Auditorium
Sun 11/08/09 Denver, CO Fillmore Auditorium
Tue 11/10/09 San Francisco, CA Warfield Theatre
Wed 11/11/09 Hollywood, CA Hollywood Palladium
Sun 11/29/09 Helsinki, Finland Helsinki Ice Arena
Mon 11/30/09 Stockholm, Sweden Arenan
Tue 12/01/09 Copenhagen, Denmark VEGA House Of Music
Thu 12/03/09 Hamburg, Germany Gruenspan
Fri 12/04/09 Berlin, Germany Huxleys Neue Welt
Sun 12/06/09 Cologne, Germany Palladium
Mon 12/07/09 Paris, France Casino de Paris
Tue 12/08/09 Tilburg, Netherlands 013
Thu 12/10/09 Glasgow, United Kingdom S.E.C.C.
Fri 12/11/09 Birmingham, United Kingdom The NIA
Sat 12/12/09 Dublin, Ireland The O2 Dublin
Mon 12/14/09 Cardiff, United Kingdom Cardiff International Arena
Wed 12/16/09 Manchester, United Kingdom Manchester Evening News Arena
Thu 12/17/09 Brighton, United Kingdom The Brighton Centre
Fri 12/18/09 London, United Kingdom Wembley Arena

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New York Dolls guitarist Steve Conte has a new solo album coming out titled Steve Conte and the Crazy Truth. It’ll be released in the U.S. on October 20th and in the U.K. on November 30th though Varese Vintage Records.

I’m looking forward to hearing the new CD which features Conte on guitar & vocals, Lee “Leeko” Kostrinsky on bass and Phil Stewart on drums. New York Dolls frontman David Johansen makes an appearance on the album as well as other guests like Catherine Russell and Nikki Richards.

A CD release party is scheduled for November 11, 2009 at the Bowery Electric in New York City. And then Conte is off to the U.K. to tour with the New York Dolls.

If you’re in the U.K. be sure to catch the New York Dolls at one of the following gigs:
02Dec09 – Cambridge, The Junction
03Dec09 – Bristol, Anson Room
04Dec09 – London, HMV Forum
06Dec09 – Southampton, Talking Heads
08Dec09 – Warwickshire, Leamington Spa
09Dec09 – Liverpool, O2 Academy
10Dec09 – Edinburgh, HMV Picture House




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I’m impressed that they were able to sell enough of those DVDs especially when I personally couldn’t find the title at my local Super Walmart last week. (most WalMarts SHOULD have them in-stock by now.)

Anyway, Congrats to Arnel Pineda and Journey. It’s too bad they just finished up their 2009 tour. I’m sure they would have seen a huge surge in ticket sales for their live shows due to the “Oprah Effect“.

One thing to look forward to is the upcoming documentary on Pineda by filmmaker Ramona S. Diaz titled Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey. I’m not sure exactly when the film will be released but check out the two-part sneak peek up on youtube:

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Tue 12/01/09 San Francisco, CA – Palace of Fine Arts
Wed 12/02/09 Sacramento, CA – Crest Theatre
Fri 12/04/09 Los Angeles, CA – Orpheum Theatre
Sat 12/05/09 Ventura, CA – Majestic Ventura Theater

Todd will be using the same backup band from his previous gigs in September with one exception – former Utopia member Ralph Schuckett will be replacing Roger Powell on keyboards. I’ll be interested to hear about the song choices for the opening “Utopia” set now that Schuckett is in the band.

anyway, get the latest info on the gigs by heading over to AWATSLive.com or TRConnection.com.
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Is It My Name? – from Akron 07Sep09

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Opening song from the Utopia Set – Road to Utopia:

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A DVD release of a McCartney show is pretty much a given nowadays since every tour of his has been filmed and released in some form or another. What I’m personally hoping for this time around is video of the FULL concert without any unnecessary “cut-ins” of interviews or old archival footage of the Beatles. Past concert DVDs have been marred in this way with stylized video edits and performances cut short by talking heads going on and on about the importance of the music and the history behind it all. I don’t want to be told what to feel. Just show me the concert “as-is” with no interruptions or awkward shots of middle-aged fans weeping uncontrollably. These video directors need to show some restraint and stop trying to show off the latest in video editing techniques!

So cross your fingers and hope for the best!

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Here’s the official press release:

PAUL McCARTNEY “GOOD EVENING NEW YORK CITY”
Multi-Disc CD/DVD Special Package Features Dazzling Performances of Beatles, Wings and Solo Classics From Citi Field, Formerly Shea Stadium, Historic Site of The Beatles’ Landmark 1965 Concert

US Release – 17th November
FROM HEAR MUSIC/CONCORD MUSIC GROUP

UK Release – 23rd November
Mercury Records

“It was three great nights for the band and for me personally it was very exciting to be back opening a new stadium on the site of the old Shea Stadium where we had played 44 years previously. Even more exciting because this time round you could hear us!”

Paul McCartney’s historic three-night musical christening of New York’s Citi Field, witnessed by 120,000-plus attendees and universally hailed as a concert experience for the ages, will be immortalized November 17 when Hear Music/Concord Music Group releases “Good Evening New York City”. This momentous musical experience will be available in two formats: a 3-disc (2 CD + 1 DVD) standard edition and a 4-disc (2 CD + 2 DVD) deluxe version featuring expanded packaging and a bonus DVD including McCartney’s traffic-stopping, headline-making July 15 performance on the Ed Sullivan Theater marquee (including bonus numbers not aired on the Late Show with David Letterman broadcast). The set will also be made available in high quality vinyl. In any configuration, the 30+ songs and nearly 3 hours of music comprising “Good Evening New York City” are a must-have for attendees wishing to relive the July 17, 18 & 21 shows, those who couldn’t get tickets and/or anyone interested in an audiovisual document of a living legend. “Good Evening New York City” marks McCartney’s 2nd release for Hear Music. The first was 2007’s highly acclaimed Memory Almost Full. The standard version of “Good Evening New York City” will be available at participating Starbucks company-operated locations in the U.S. and Canada and wherever music is sold.

As the inaugural musical event at Citi Field, the site of the former Shea Stadium, the July 2009 shows held special significance not only for McCartney but for generations of his fans. The shows were performed on the same hallowed ground that The Beatles, in 1965, played the 34-minute show that would set the precedent for the modern day stadium rock show–and where in 2008 McCartney joined Billy Joel for the final rock show before the original stadium’s demolition. As documented on “Good Evening New York City”, “I’m Down” from the 1965 set list was revived for the Citi Field shows, albeit this time played through a PA that was not overpowered by screaming fans (though there were still several thousand who tried). Other highlights of “Good Evening New York City” include faithful takes on Beatles classics “Drive My Car,” “Got To Get You Into My Life,” “The Long And Winding Road,” “Blackbird,” “Eleanor Rigby,” “Back In The USSR,” “Paperback Writer,” “Let It Be,” “Hey Jude,” “Helter Skelter” and more, plus “Something” rendered on ukulele gifted to Paul by George Harrison, and a tribute to John Lennon in the form of a medley of “A Day In The Life” and “Give Peace A Chance.” Wings era chestnuts include “Band On The Run,” “My Love,” “Let Me Roll It” and the pyrotechnic tour de force of “Live And Let Die,” while timeless McCartney solo material ranges from “Here Today” to the upbeat “Flaming Pie” and “Dance Tonight” to a pair of numbers from Electric Arguments, the 2008 album released under the alias of The Fireman.

The concert footage featured on “Good Evening New York City” standard edition features concert footage directed by Paul Becher, who has overseen live visuals for McCartney for some 200 performances and counting. The 33-song 2 hour 40 minute performances were shot in High Definition using 15 cameras and digital footage incorporated from 75 Flipcams handed out to fans over the course of the three night stand. The audio mix, in both stereo and 5.1, was handled by longtime McCartney engineer Paul Hicks, whose credits include the recent Beatles remasters, The Beatles Anthology, Let It Be… Naked, and two Grammy awards for his mixing work on the Beatles’ Love album.

The deluxe edition bonus DVD will feature footage of McCartney’s July 15 performance on the outdoor marquee of the Ed Sullivan Theater, previously available only as a webcast on the Late Show with David Letterman website. The marquee set, which marked McCartney’s return to the site of The Beatles U.S. television debut, generated front page headlines and literally stopped traffic as word of mouth generated a crowd that packed Broadway from Columbus Circle to Times Square.

Paul McCartney’s July 17-21 Citi Field stand has already been unanimously hailed by critics and audiences alike as the concert experience of a lifetime. On November 17, “Good Evening New York City” will document it for the ages.
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Check out the tracklist – they’ve included pretty much all the songs that they’ve been playing the last two years including some lesser performed numbers like “When You Love a Woman”, “Turn Down the World Tonight” and “Where Did I Lose Your Love”.

Another big plus about the DVD is the fact that Arnel sang the songs during the March 14th show in the original key. Like I mentioned in my concert review of the Greensboro show, hearing these classic songs tuned-down in pitch is a bit of a let-down in my book. So it’s nice to have a live document of the band playing these songs without any compromises.

You can purchase the new DVD set at your local WalMart beginning this friday, October 2nd. Journey will also be appearing on the Oprah Winfrey show on friday to promote the new release.
**UPDATE: 30Sep09** – Journey’s Oprah appearance has been pushed back to Monday, October 5th.

Here’s the tracklist:
Disc One
1. Never Walk Away
2. Only The Young
3. Ask The Lonely
4. Stone In Love
5. Keep On Running
6. After All These Years
7. Change For The Better
8. Wheel In The Sky
9. Lights/ Still They Ride
10. Open Arms
11. Mother Father
12. Wildest Dreams
13. When You Love A Woman
14. Separate Ways
15. What I Needed
Disc Two
16. Edge Of The Blade
17. Where Did I Lose Your Love
18. Escape
19. Faithfully
20. Don’t Stop Believin’
21. Anyway You Want It
22. Lovin’ Touchin’ Squeezin’
23. Turn Down The World Tonight
24. Be Good To Yourself

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Here’s Journey from their recent appearance on the CBS Early Show performing “Don’t Stop Believin’”:

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Sun 10/18/09 Bay Shore, NY – YMCA Boulton Center
Tue 10/20/09 Rochester, NY – German House Theater
Wed 10/21/09 Annapolis, MD – Rams Head
Fri 10/23/09 Philadelphia, PA – Wachovia Spectrum (with Hall & Oates, the Hooters)
Sun 10/25/09 San Juan Capistrano, CA – The Coach House

The Spectrum show in Philadelphia is part of the “Final Farewell Concert Series” for the Spectrum which includes major rock acts like Bruce Springsteen and Pearl Jam closing out the sports arena. And believe it or not, tickets for the Hall & Oates/Rundgren show are only $6!!!

As for the musicians Todd will be using for these shows, it’ll be the usual “Arena” band minus Rachel Haden. I guess there was a scheduling conflict so in Rachel’s place will be none other than bassist Sara Lee. I’ve personally seen Sara Lee play live several times in the past, including her stint with the B-52’s and the Indigo Girls. She’s a fantastic bass player and it will be great to see her play along side the Wizard himself, Todd Rundgren.

OK, it’s time now for the Song of the Day! Since we’re on the subject of Todd’s Arena tour, I thought I’d post one of the many highlights from his Arena set.

Weakness by Todd Rundgren

I don’t keep a lot of secrets
But the ones I do will die with me
It’s not because I’m hiding something
A trusted friend I try to be

That you are my weakness, my weakness
You are my Kryptonite
The sun that shines a light on my soul…
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Download a live version of “Weakness” [mediafire, mp3]
recorded off the live webstream of the Norwegian Wood show in Oslo, Norway, 13 June 2009. (courtesy of TR fan robznl)

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purchase Todd Rundgren’s latest release, Arena from CDUniverse.

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for more Todd Rundgren related posts on retroblog, click here.

and for the list of Rundgren live dates, please visit the TR Connection.

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