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While my 13 year old son and I were walking around downtown Raleigh this past Tuesday evening, it was interesting to see the huge crowd of people heading for the Raleigh Amphitheater to see Maroon 5. We were headed in the opposite (less crowded) direction to see and hear classic 80′s pop/prog at its finest. That’s right, Asia in concert at the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium (Progress Energy Center).

Yes, I admit that it took a bit of convincing to get the 13 year old to agree to come with me and that’s understandable. I mean, these guys aren’t spring chickens by any means and are more likely to appear on the cover of AARP than Rolling Stone magazine. But come on, John Wetton, Carl Palmer, Geoff Downes and Steve Howe are legends of 70′s prog rock! And this was the FIRST time they’ve come to Raleigh so I just had to go to show my support as well as educate the young one on how *real rock musicians* play live.

And fortunately Asia did not disappoint. Yes, the members of Asia all look like your average “grandpa” but they can still ROCK. Wetton’s voice sounds stronger than ever – even singing the majority of the old 80′s tunes in their original key. Howe still amazes on the guitar. Downes has reduced the size of his keyboard rig but can still get those signature synths sounds we all know and love. And as for Palmer – man, he’s still a monster behind that double-bass drum kit. Yes, Palmer still has issues with tempo but when you’re there in the audience being pummeled by the mammoth wall of sound that the four of them create, tempo can blissfully be ignored.

highlights for me included: Palmer’s requisite drum solo – definitely worth the price of admission alone, “Holy War”, the unplugged version of “Don’t Cry”, “Time Again” and “Sole Survivor”.

There were a few noticeable rough patches though. Wetton had a hard time remembering the words to “Days Like These” and had to use a prompter. and Howe fudged the signature riff during “Heat of the Moment”. But man, I still enjoyed the show regardless.

As for my 13 year old – he gave me a thumbs up at the end of the night and I’ll accept that since he basically went along to please his old man. Hopefully concerts like this one will instill in him a reference point for what great musicianship is all about. It’s sad to think about but this level of musicianship may not be around when my son gets to be my age.

other random thoughts about the show:
- I wonder what they’re using to flesh out the harmonies during the big choruses especially since Howe and Palmer don’t sing. I suspect some real-time vocal harmonizer device of some sort.

- it was disappointing to see that the 2200 seat auditorium was a little over half full. I guess the concert promoter overestimated what Asia would draw here in Raleigh. It’s not the band’s fault since they don’t decide on the venues. but hopefully the promoter didn’t take too much of a hit for this gig.

- that being said, I like Memorial auditorium (except for the small bathrooms). The seats are nice, the staff is laidback and the section near the stage has plenty of room to move around.

- Geoff Downes didn’t have his keytar on this tour. I miss it.

- love the deep bass sound Wetton was getting with those Moog Taurus 3 bass pedals. it shook the building whenever it was used. nice!!

- Steve Howe had a Line6 Variax on a stand for the sitar sound. I personally didn’t think it was worth the trouble. the variax didn’t sound all that great. maybe a mix issue?

- and kudos to the band for including a healthy chunk of their new songs in the set list. I’m sure it’s easier just to rely on old favorites but the new stuff held their own. The set included 4 from Omega and 2 from Phoenix.

retroGrade: A

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I think a lot of people take Tom Petty for granted so it’s nice to be reminded of how talented this guy really is. Petty is a bonafide American Rock icon, no doubt. He has recorded fifteen studio albums, most of which went either gold or platinum. And he has toured, along with the Heartbreakers, extensively over the last three decades. Watching the newly released Damn the Torpedoes documentary just reaffirms why Petty and the Heartbreakers have had such a long career in the music business.

First of all, Damn the Torpedoes is Petty’s breakthrough album. It sat at the number two spot for seven weeks on the Billboard album chart and went on to sell over two million copies. With classic songs like “Don’t Do Me Like That”, “There Goes My Girl” and “Refugee”, the album has stood the test of time. And with producer Jimmy Iovine and engineer Shelly Yakus behind the recording console, the record still sounds great even to this day.

If you’ve never seen a “Classic Albums DVD” before, it’s essentially a detailed look back on how a particular album was put together with all the major contributors interviewed on camera. For this Damn The Torpedoes DVD- Petty, Yakus, Iovine, Mike Campbell, Benmont Tench and Ron Blair were brought into a recording studio to go over the multi-tracks of this album. For a “music nut” like me, it’s a huge treat to see and hear what went on “behind the scenes” especially concerning the songwriting and recording of it all.

Petty and Campbell obviously got most of the screentime but it was nice hearing insight from producer Iovine and from keyboardist Tench. It was a bit of a surprise to hear that Iovine demanded full live performances from the band in the studio instead of building songs track by track. But the interplay among the musicians really made the songs come alive which you may not have gotten if they had decided to record the album piece by piece.

Iovine also reveals the “secret” to the song “Refugee”. The key rhythmic ingredient, according to Iovine, is the *shaker* that was added by legendary musician Jim Keltner. Keltner just happened to be hanging out in the studio at the time and they got him to add a shaker to the track and it was like magical fairy dust sprinkled onto the song. heh. funny stuff.

Oh and speaking of “Refugee”, be sure to check the bonus material on the DVD. Studio engineer Yakus explains that the bass drum was intentionally recorded “out of phase” with the rest of the drums. And by doing so, the bass drum stood out in the overall mix, making it almost “pop out” from the speakers.

Another nugget from the bonus material, is Petty’s Rickenbacker guitar that’s featured on the album cover. It turns out that the Rickenbacker is actually Campbell’s. And get this, Campbell bought it used for only $150!! And by the serial number, he found out that it was the next guitar the shop made after they made George Harrison’s famous Rickenbacker. Man, I wonder if the original seller of that guitar ever found out what the guitar was really worth??

Anyway, there’s tons of neat info like that about the band and the album. It’s definitely worth viewing especially nowadays where professional recording studios are going the way of the dinosaur. The classic album series highlights the achievements that were done in a real recording studio using analog multi-track tapes. In this day and age of ProTools and bedroom recordings, a lot of these techniques and methods will unfortunately be lost. Can you imagine 20 years from now when the Classic Albums series features an album from 2010? The documentary will probably feature just some dude in a bedroom looking at waveforms on a computer screen. yikes!

retroGrade: A

Classic Albums: Damn the Torpedoes DVD
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
DVD U.S. release date: August 3, 2010
also available on Blu-Ray
running time: 98 minutes
Studio: Eagle Rock Entertainment
Directed by: Matthew Longfellow

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I’ve been meaning to post about this ol’ boot, August Outtakes & Different Mixes, for a while now. The amount of enjoyment one would get from this 2-disc set largely depends on how one feels about Eric Clapton’s August album from 1986. I personally have a soft spot for the Phil Collins produced album. But I can definitely see how someone would get bored to tears from these “alternate mixes” when not having a strong connection with the source material. Frankly there aren’t major revelations here in this bootleg. Mainly you’ll find early takes of songs from the album that aren’t all that much different from the final product. “Lady From Verona” is the only song that I wasn’t familiar with but it’s essentially a throwaway with cringeworthy lyrics. “Wanna Make Love to You” is another outtake but most fans are familiar with this one since it ended up on the Crossroads box set. The rest of the boot is made up of alternate takes. I don’t know about other fans but I get a kick out of hearing demos and work-in-progress versions of familiar songs. It sort of gives you a glimpse of the creative process that went into the final versions.

Two highlights for me are the guide vocals done by Nathan East and Greg Phillinganes on “Grand Illusion” and “Miss You”. I’m not exactly sure why their vocals were recorded other than for an early run-through of the songs. Nevertheless, it’s a hoot listening to them singing along (presumably without the lyric sheet) filling in nonsense words to fit the melody. fun stuff. The second disc ends with subpar audio from Clapton’s live appearance on the TV show NightLife. Those two tracks aren’t really necessary since there are superior sounding live boots from Clapton’s 1986/87 tour.

So, is this an essential Clapton boot? not really. But if you’ve got a fondness for mid-80′s Clapton (plus the heavy-handed production style of Phil Collins), this boot is worth seeking out.

retroGrade: B

Eric Clapton
August Outtakes & Different Mixes
Duffy Records
recorded at Sunset Sound Studios in Los Angeles April/May 1986
sound quality : B+ (cassette tape quality)
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Even though I’m a long time fan of Trevor Horn’s work, I never took the time to seek out the second album by The Buggles, Adventures in Modern Recording. I guess I assumed that it was simply a throwaway album filled with leftover tracks after keyboardist Geoff Downes left the band in 1981. Well, recently I had the chance to listen to the new re-issue put out by Salvo/ZTT and I have to say that I’m pleasantly surprised by the material on the album. It’s actually very good. In fact, I prefer this Buggles album over their more well known debut, Age of Plastic.

It’s got Trevor Horn’s signature production touches all over it. The sounds and production techniques that Horn achieved here on this album obviously carried over to his subsequent production work with ABC, Yes (90125) and Frankie Goes to Hollywood. There are also precursors to his work with the Art Of Noise in the song “Vermillion Sands”. Just listen for the samples of a car crashing and the car engine turning over. very AON. Horn also does a “left turn” at the end of “Vermillion Sands” with an upbeat pseudo-big-band like instrumental which would fit right in on an AON album. definitely fun to view all of this in hindsight knowing what he achieved as a producer after his start in the Buggles.

10 bonus tracks are also included here on this release. Notables include “We Can Fly From Here” (which was considered for Yes’ Drama album), the 12″ mix of “I Am a Camera”

Yes, there isn’t another song as catchy as “Video Killed a Radio Star” here but taken as a whole, this album is far more satisfying than their first album. Definitely worth seeking out. Highlights include: Adventures in Modern Recording, Vermillion Sands, I Am A Camera, Lenny.

retroGrade: A

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I had a chance to watch the new Doors’ DVD When You’re Strange: A Film About the Doors over the weekend and I have to say that I really enjoyed the Tom DiCillo-directed documentary. Like most music fans, I’m so accustomed to “VH1: Behind the Music”-style music documentaries that DiCillo’s choice of using only archival footage was a refreshing change of pace. “When You’re Strange” is essentially an overview of the band’s short time together with Johnny Depp doing the narrating. DiCillo assembled a great variety of riveting footage from Jim Morrison’s onstage antics to the surreal clips from the unreleased film “HWY”. The vintage clips have been cleaned up and restored for this release and the quality of the footage definitely adds to the enjoyment of this documentary. One of the more memorable scenes is when Morrison is simply hanging out in the crowd before “The Who” gig and fans are just in awe of his presence, some just wanting to touch his hair. Another great clip is of the band recording “Wild Child” in the studio with Morrison being a bit self-conscious with his vocals.

As expected, Morrison gets the bulk of the screentime here but the other band members (Robby Krieger, Ray Manzarek and John Densmore) make their mark by their notable instrumental performances.

I’m sure longtime fans will gripe about DiCillo not going into more detail about certain events or songs but my guess is that it would take a multi-volume set to get into the real “nitty-gritty” which simply can’t be accomplished in 86 minutes.

The bonus material on the DVD features an interview with Morrison’s dad, Admiral George Stephen Morrison, before he passed away in 2008. From what I heard, it’s the only interview he has done on camera concerning his famous son.

Title: When You’re Strange: A Film About the Doors
DVD released by: Eagle Rock Entertainment/Rhino
Directed by: Tom DiCillo
runtime: 86 minutes
released in the U.S.: July 2010

OK, as for the DVD giveaway, here’s the scoop. One lucky retroblog reader will be receiving a new DVD of “When You’re Strange: A Film About the Doors”. To enter in the drawing all you have to do is post your favorite Doors’ album in the comment section of this blog post. This will count as ONE ENTRY in the drawing. Please be sure to leave a legitimate email address or else I won’t have a way of contacting you if you’re selected as the winner.

For those that want a better chance of winning, you can also join the retroblog facebook page (which is essentially hitting the LIKE button on that page). And by “LIKING” us on facebook, you’ll get the equivalent of TWO ENTRIES in the DVD drawing. I hope that makes sense. Let me know if I’m confusing you.
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I suppose the knee-jerk reaction to Sting‘s latest endeavor is to simply dismiss the whole thing and say he’s scraping the bottom of the creative barrel. And yes, it’s true Sting hasn’t released an album’s worth of original material since 2003′s Sacred Love which might indicate some sort of writer’s block. But whatever the case may be, Symphonicities is surprisingly an enjoyable listen. It’s far from being a perfect record, mind you, but even with the flaws, there’s just something about hearing a full orchestra reinterpret these ol’ tunes that make you wanna hit the repeat button again. and again. Maybe I’m just like the rest of Sting’s ever-aging fanbase who are all inclined to nostalgia but there’s just no denying the power of well-written melodies featured in songs like “Every Little Thing She Does is Magic” and “Roxanne”.

The new arrangements vary in quality though. Some are very inventive including the new versions of “I Burn For You” and “We Work the Black Seam” but others are unimaginative and basically play it safe like “Englishman in New York” (almost a carbon copy of the original down to the hip-hop drum break in the middle which is a bit lazy in my opinion), “I Hung My Head”, “When We Dance”.

But in the end, let’s just say the album is some damn fine ear candy for the middle-aged. and there’s nothing wrong with that.

retroGrade: B-

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I’ve been listening to Audio Fidelity’s remastered Asia CD for the past week and I can enthusiastically confirm to all the Asia fans out there that it’s definitely the best sounding version of Asia’s 1982 debut album available. Most fans probably own the Asia Gold 2-disc anthology released by Geffen/Universal since it compiled the first three Asia albums plus all the b-sides into one package. Convenient, yes but the sound left a lot to be desired. Geffen/Universal felt it necessary to remaster the disc to compete with other modern day CDs. in other words, the audio ended up compressed, limited, re-EQ’ed and ultimately, not that pleasant to listen to.

Thankfully the audiophile record label, Audio Fidelity chose to issue their own version of this landmark pop-prog album. I’m not totally sure how they ended up choosing Asia since they’re not a band high on an audiophile’s list but I ain’t complaining.

Mastering engineer Kevin Gray made sure to produce a more faithful representation of the original master tapes with the dynamic range restored. The general public need to finally realize that “louder” isn’t always “better”. And yes, this CD is most definitely not as “loud” as the Geffen/Universal Gold edition. The sound is much more natural and clearer than before. Just listen to the smooth decay of the cymbal crashes as one reference point. Also the mid to high frequencies aren’t as harsh sounding as before. The recording is now easier on the ears and less prone to ear fatigue which tends to happen now with modern masterings.

The only thing missing in my opinion are the B-sides/bonus tracks. But from what I understand Audio Fidelity only focuses on creating the best sounding version of the original album and never adds bonus tracks on their releases.

Now if only we can get a better sounding Alpha album. but from what I understand, a better mastering job can only do so much. With such a dense sounding mix, I believe Alpha requires a full remix to get things cleared up!

retroGrade : A

Asia (self-titled)
label: Audio Fidelity
reissued: June 2010
features: John Wetton, Geoff Downes, Carl Palmer, Steve Howe
Produced by: Mike Stone
remastered by: Kevin Gray

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My favorite Paul McCartney era in terms of live performances has to be during the years 1989 through 1993. McCartney worked with a stellar group of musicians including Robbie McIntosh, Hamish Stuart and Wix Wickens. I saw Macca live on both tours during that time (1990 and 1993) and have collected a bunch of boots from that era. One recording that stands out among all the live boots from those tours is the 1992 show at the Ed Sullivan Theater that was done for the MTV special “Up Close”. Macca’s album Off the Ground was about to be released at the time and so the show was part of the whole promotional campaign for the album. The world tour was still a few months off so the set list for this show was pretty unique with songs that never made it on tour, including:

Big Boys Bickering – a non-album B-side that features Sir Paul singing the F word. It’s pretty weird. it’s like hearing your grandfather cussing or something. It’s probably the reason why it was dropped from their live set especially since fans bring their kids to the shows and all. Well that plus maybe the fact the song wasn’t all that good to begin with.

I Owe It All to You – a deep cut off the new album. I’ve always liked the melody and the instrumental portion of the song (especially McIntosh’s fantastic guitar work) but the lyrics are sadly cringe-tastic!

Can’t Buy Me Love – yes, the song has always been part of Macca’s live set but this version was performed in an interesting pseudo-bluegrass style. Pretty fun to listen to. I’m not sure if the way they did the song was simply a spur of the moment thing but it was never done that way again.

There are several versions of this show circulating among fans. I don’t know if there’s a sound quality difference among the versions but I highly recommend getting your hands on one of the recordings of this show. It’s fantastic and definitely *a must* for any McCartney fan. McCartney sounds relaxed and on the top of his game during the show and the band is absolutely flawless. I love the way Robbie McIntosh plays and Hamish Stuart voice blends well with Sir Macca’s. Oh and I have to add that Blair Cunningham drums with restraint which is what these songs need as opposed to sir Paul’s current basher of a drummer, Abe Laboriel Jr. Man, Abe hits his kit so hard that it would seem that he’d require a new set of drums and cymbals every night!!

retroGrade : A++

Paul McCartney
Live at the Ed Sullivan Theater
(Up Close MTV Special)
December 10, 1992
New York, NY
Soundboard Recording

TrackList:
Twenty Flight Rock
Get Out Of My Way
Fixing A Hole
Looking For Changes
Penny Lane
Biker Like An Icon
I Owe It All To You
Big Boys Bickering
Michelle
Hope Of Delieverance
Can’t Buy Me Love
Peace In The Neighborhood
Off The Ground
I Wanna Be Your Man
My Love
C Moon
Lady Madonna
C’Mon People
Live And Let Die

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Thanks to some dedicated Asia/ELP fans, there are still some live recordings of the short lived 80′s offshoot band 3 (Three) being circulated around. You may remember this little variation in the ELP timeline – it was when Keith Emerson and Carl Palmer teamed up with singer/guitarist Robert Berry to record the album “To the Power of Three” back in 1988. As you may have guessed, the album flopped and the supporting tour got cut short. I’m not totally certain how many live gigs the group actually ended up doing but I recently received copies of two of their shows (Boston and NYC), both of which were simulcast live on the radio at the time.

I haven’t had a chance to listen to the NYC gig but after listening to the Boston show, it’s pretty obvious to me why the band didn’t last (..well, besides the lack of album sales). In a live setting, the band just didn’t gel. It sounded more like a showcase for Keith Emerson and a backing band. I can’t say if it was his ego or talent or a bit of both but Emerson pretty much overshadowed the rest of the group. And there’s no question about his ability on keys. Just listen to his jawdropping solo piece “Creole Dance”. amazing stuff. But it just seemed that Palmer and Berry weren’t up to the task of pulling their own weight in this setting. Berry’s bass work was simply buried by Emerson’s synthesizers and his vocal range had a lot to be desired. And don’t get me started on Palmer’s drumming. Granted, he’s a world famous rock drummer and does amazing drum solos but when playing with the rest of the band, he simply can’t stay “in the pocket”. his tempo is all over the place. I’m not sure if he was preoccuppied with his electronic drum setup but his playing was pretty subpar in my opinion.

The problem was compounded with lackluster material that just didn’t translate well onto the stage. Come on singing lyrics like: “Sangre de toro, drinking the wine, beneath la montana, the shadows of time” is just embarrassing. Oh, they also included a backing vocalist (Jennifer Steele) and a guitarist (Paul Keller) for these live gigs. I’m almost certain that they brought in Steele for “eye-candy” because from hearing her off key harmonies, she obviously can’t sing.

If you’re interested in the group, I say stick with the studio album. Even though it has the typical 80′s production sheen, it’d a whole lot better than hearing them live.

retroGrade: C (performance), B+ (sound quality, FM source)

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The neat thing about Yes‘ 1994 Talk Tour was the implementation of “ConcertSonics” at all their U.S. shows. ConcertSonics was an experimental way to transmit the audio mix for the live audience to listen to simply by using their own personal FM receiver and headphones. Ultimately the technology didn’t catch on primarily due to the fact that the actual live sound in the venue overpowered any audio coming from the lil’ headphones. BUT it was an absolute boon for tapers!! Just attach a recorder of some kind to the FM receiver and voila, easy access/recording of a FM quality feed of the soundboard mix of the show. So as you can imagine, the whole U.S. tour was well documented with boots and fan-made tapes of practically every show.

One of my favorite recordings from this tour is the 9/10/94 show at Madison Square Garden in New York City. I’m not sure if it was due to it being in New York or because it was the last U.S. date of the Talk Tour or a bit of both but the band was tight and firing on all cylinders. You can definitely hear the difference in the performance when you compare it to one of the shows at the start of the tour (… but I guess you can say that about pretty much any tour. heh.) Anyway, Trevor Rabin particularly seems to be at his “A” game here. Amazing guitar solos throughout especially on the epic song “Endless Dream”. Yes, Rabin gets a bit self-indulgent with his needless piano solo before “And You and I” but he’s truly mindblowing on guitar.

As for the recording, it’s “FM radio quality” with a bit of static reception at a couple points around the beginning of the recording but still very good overall. Also the audio is heavily limited/compressed just like a radio broadcast so a lot of the big dynamics are missing. In other words, the drum sounds are “squashed” and Chris Squire’s bass isn’t deep and low like it should. But that’s just the audiophile in me talking. In any case, this boot is still a favorite in my collection.

retroGrade: A (performance), B (sound quality: FM quality)

Yes – Madison Square Garden NYC 1994
date: September 10, 1994
recording: from the FM transmitted ConcertSonics broadcast (soundboard mix)

band lineup:
Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin, Tony Kaye, Chris Squire, Alan White, Billy Sherwood

TrackList:
CD 1 -
Perpetual Change
the Calling
I Am Waiting
Rhythm of Love
Hearts
Real Love
Tony Kaye Solo
Changes
Heart Of The Sunrise

CD 2 -
Make It Easy/Owner of a Lonely Heart
Trevor Rabin piano solo
And You And I
All Good People
Walls
Endless Dream
Roundabout (with Purple Haze)

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