DVD reviews

Black Country Communion: Live Over Europe

Here Comes The Flood — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 14:54:00 GMT

Hard hitting blues rockers Black Country Communion were on tour in Europe in the Summer of 2011. Three shows in Germany (Hamburg, Munich and Berlin) were filmed with 14 HD cameras. Live Over Europe sees them playing up a storm, playing 16 songs songs from their two studio albums, a Joe Bonamassa solo song (>The Ballad Of John Henry) and Burn, a Deep Purple cover. Bass player and lead singer has every right to do so - he played and sang on the original way back in 1974.

The seeds for Black Country Communion were sown when Hughes ran into guitar player Joe Bonamassa in Sao Paolo in 1999. They jammed occasionally over the years, nothing serious, but when drummer aJason Bonham and keyboard player aDerek Sherinian joined in at the suggestion of producer Kevin Shirley things kinda snowballed. They quickly laid down the songs for a debut album and hit the road. All four are busy guys, but they obviously enjoyed the sessions and subsequent tour and so they decided to do it again this year, after hey had released their sophomore album "2".

Glenn Hughes has all the trappings of a vintage classic rock frontman, working the crowd, hitting a barrage of low notes with great dexterity, and he can hit high notes that singers half his age will shy way from. Bonamassa can channel his Seventies heroes, topped with his signature fluidity - - Songs of Yesterday and The Great Divide will haunt anybody who own a Gibson. Sherinian often conjures up a Hammond sound from his keyboards and does a great job of emulating the synths of Won't Get Fooled Again at the end of Sista Jane. Bonham steps out of the shadow of his father John, laying down a shoe-tapping funky beat, lining up his toms like a General of percussion.

photo: Christie Goodwin

The footage of Live Over Europe is tied together with short snippets of the members giving a bit of background and sharing their feelings about the tour. The second disc of the set contains a 20 minute behind the scenes about the creation of the group, using footage that is hinted at during the main feature.

Live Over Europe is released on Macto Records. A one-night only screening happens in UK cinemas on November 1st. Song of Yesterday is available as a free download.

DVD 1:

Revolution Of The Machine (intro)
Black Country
One Last Soul
Crossfire
Save Me
The Battle For Hadrian'S Wall
Beggarman
Faithless
Song Of Yesterday
I Can See Your Spirit
Cold
The Ballad Of John Henry
The Outsider
The Great Divide
Sista Jane
Man In The Middle
Burn
Smokestack Woman (end credits)

DVD 2 (Bonus Features):

Forging BCC - The Making of Live Over Europe
Photo Collection - Live On Tour
Photo Collection - Behind The Scenes

Video: Black Country Communion - "Live Over Europe" DVD trailer

HCTF review of Black Country Communion.
HCTF review of "2".

» bccommunion.com

Phish: Live in Utica + giveaway contest

Here Comes The Flood — Mon, 16 May 2011 18:05:00 GMT

The Phish show at Utica Memorial Auditorium in Utica, NY on October 20, 2010, went down as one of the most memorable of the band's 2010 Fall tour. The show is released as Live In Utica, a 2-DVD/2-CD Box Set, with the full show on DVD and minus three songs on CD (the first two songs of Set 1 and the Encore are missing).

Phish played a relatively small venue (cap. 5500) and built their first set to Guyute, one of their more challenging composed songs, which was teased throughout the remainder of the set. The Vermont band relied on their back catalog - Stealing Time From The Faulty Plan was the only song of their latest studio album Joy. Ever since Phish reunited in 2009 fans have been clamoring for jams and segues and on this night they got a few pretty good ones. David Bowie was augmented with a few snippets of Wilson and the coupling of Saw It Again > Run Like An Antelope was inspired, with keyboard player Page McConnell leading the way.

Utica Giveaway
HCTF has two Live In Utica box sets. Answer this simple question.

Name the date of the first ever Phish show in Amsterdam. Lucky winner picked at random.

» Dear HCTF, I Know This

For the second set, the band strung the songs together in two lenghty segments. Kicking off with bass player Mike Gordon singing The Who's Quadrophenia stand-out track Drowned the audience seems to realise tha they are in for a special treat. They get Sand, a warhorse of guitar player Trey Anastasio TAB side project and drummer Jon Fishman show his chops during the mellow Theme From The Bottom and the hard rock of Axilla 1. Another Gamehendge song, Tela opens segue number two, with a quirky Split Open and Melt shortly reprising after Have Mercy and a rather short Piper, before the band ends the set with Slave To The Traffic, a slow song to calm down the crowd. Smiles all round during Led Zeppelin encore Good Times, Bad Times.

Since Utica was an indoor show, the cameras caught plenty of the light show by Chris Kuroda, always an essential part of Phish in concert.. It's hard work to keep up with the twists and turns, but Kuroda manages to keep up, counting through the show working his faders and knobs and mumbling at his laptop, while directing his assistants. The DVDs should be watched on a set with a huge screen and 5.1 audio.

DVD Disc One My Soul Stealing Time From The Faulty Plan Vultures Wolfman's Brother Cities > Guyute David Bowie Wilson > McGrupp And The Watchful Hosemasters > Saw It Again > Run Like An Antelope	DVD Disc Two Drowned > Sand > Theme From The Bottom > Axilla > Birds Of A Feather Tela > Split Open And Melt > Have Mercy > Piper > Split Open And Melt > Slave To The Traffic Light E: Good Times, Bad Times
CD Disc One Vultures Wolfman's Brother Cities > Guyute David Bowie Wilson > McGrupp And The Watchful Hosemasters > Saw It Again > Run Like An Antelope	CD Disc Two Drowned > Sand > Theme From The Bottom > Axilla > Birds Of A Feather Split Open And Melt > Have Mercy > Piper > Split Open And Melt > Slave To The Traffic Light

MP3: Phish - Split Open and Melt > Have Mercy > Piper > Split Open and Melt > Slave To The Traffic Light
Video: Phish - David Bowie
Video: Phish - Wolfman's Brother
Video: Saw It Again > Run Like An Antelope

Live In Utica is released on JEMP Records. Release date: May 24. Buy it from Phish Dry Goods.

» phish.com

Stone Axe: Stone Axe - 2 Disc Expanded Edition / LP

Here Comes The Flood — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 09:44:00 GMT

Port Orchard heavy rock band Stone Axe brings back the Seventies, with long hair, guitar solos and a singer who can scream the house down while keeping in tune. Starting out as a duo multi-instrumentalist Tony Reed (of Moss Generator) and singer Dru Brinkerhoff cut a self-titled album in 2009. It created quite a stir in the stoner rock underground and their energetic intimate live shows with Mykey Haslip on drums and Mike DuPont on bass helped spreading the word.

Although Tony Reed prefers the studio for laying down the tracks, he is well aware of the fact that the live shows are were it's at and the expanded re-release adds eight live bonus tracks and a DVD with two music videos and (mostly grainy) live footage that sounds great. Filmed up close with hand held cameras the viewer can easily spot where Stone Axe. Singer Brinkerhoff wears Stones, MC5, Thin Lizzy and Humble Pie T-shirts.

The live tracks are a mixed big from their two studio albums, with Chasing Dragons Kings Of Everything and There'd Be days as the stand-out track. Stone Axe looks back fo their inspiration, but their musiicanship guarantees them a future as a cult band for years to come.

Stone Axe - 2 Disc Expanded Edition and the LP are released on Ripple Music. Release date: April 5.

Stone Axe:
Dru Brinkerhoff: vocals
Tony Reed: guitar
Mykey Haslip: drums
Mike DuPont: bass

CD:

Riders of the Night
My Darkest Days
Black Widow
Sky Is Falling
There'd Be Days
The Skylah Rae
Rhinoceros
Diamonds & Fools
Return of the Worm (on the LP: Shine On)
Taking Me Home
Live bonus tracks (CD only):
Riders of the Night
King of Everything
Ain't Gonna Miss It
There'd Be Days
Taking Me Home
The Skylah Rae
Sky Is Falling
Diamonds & Fools

DVD:

Riders of the Night (music video)
Chasing Dragons (music video)
Old Soul ("Beat Club" sessions)
On With The Show ("Beat Club" sessions - Charlestown Theater 05/24/10)
Just A Little Bit ("Beat Club" sessions)
When I Came Down ("Beat Club" sessions)
King of Everything (Rocket Records in-store)
Riders of the Night (Hell's Kitchen 6/5/09)
Black Widow (Hell's Kitchen 6/5/09)
Sky Is Falling (Hell's Kitchen 6/5/09)
Interview (KISW 99.9 On Air Guests)
Ain't Gonna Miss It (Winterland 12/31/09)
There'd Be Days (Winterland 12/31/09)
Taking Me Home (Winterland 12/31/09)
Shine On (Oak Street Speakeasy 4/10/09)
Skylah Rae (Stoner Hands Of Doom Festival 9/05/09)
Chasing Dragons (Mt. Tabor Theater)
My Darkest Days (acoustic - Winterland)
There'd Be Days (KZOK 102.5 On Air perfromance)

Video: Stone Axe - Chasing Dragons

Live dates:

03/19 The Drift Inn, Bremerton, WA
03/25 Tommy C's, Port Orchard, WA
04/02 The Hub ,Centralia, WA
04/08 The Wheatsheat, Oxford, UK [map]
04/09 The Unicorn, London, UK
04/10 The Earl, Sheffiled, UK
04/11 The Captains Rest, Glasgow, UK
04/12 Asylum 2, Birmingham, UK
04/14 The Vortex, Siegen, Germany
04/15 MTC, Cologne, Germany
04/16 Roadburn Festival, 013, Tilburg, The Netherlands
04/29 The Looney Bin, Belfair, WA
05/07 Manette's Saloon, Bremerton WA
06/04 The Cheyenne Saloon, Las Vegas, N

» stoneaxeband.com

Matisyahu: Live at Stubb's Vol. II

Here Comes The Flood — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 11:40:00 GMT

photo: Douglas Marshall

The 2005 Matisyahu album Live at Stubb's as a kind of breakthrough for the hazzan hiphop reggae singer. Once again the tapes were rolling during his August 18, 2010 show in Austin, TX and the results can be heard on Live at Stubb's Vol. II. A camera crew was on hand to preserve the proceedings for the DVD.

Over the years Matisyahu added snippets of loud rock guitar to his musical palette, which spices up a songs like Youth that could have been recorded wby The Clash in their Sandinista phase. He sings at length about his religious beliefs, but those never get in the way of the music. With a strong voice that can reach the higher notes without any trouble, he can holler, speak and whisper. He is backed by his Dub Trio. Stu "Bassie" Brooks (bass guitar), Joe Tomino (drums) and D.P. Holmes (guitar) can project a far larger band, locking into a transcending groove that will test the limits of you audio setup.

Live at Stubb's Vol. II is released on . Buy it from his website. Also available on DVD with two extra tracks: Jerulasem and King Without a Crown.

Tracks:

Kodesh
Time Of Your Song
Mist Rising
Youth
Darkness Into Light
I Will Be Light
Two Child One Drop
Open the Gates
One Day
Motivate

MP3: Matisyahu - Time Of Your Song

Live dates:

02/12 Adrienne Arsht Center, Miami, FL
02/13 Tampa Theatre, Tampa, FL
02/15 Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, Thousand Oaks, CA
05/22 Hangout Music Fest 2011, Gulf Shores, AL

» matisyahuworld.com

New York Dolls: Dancing Backward in High Heels

Here Comes The Flood — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 13:38:00 GMT

photo: Anna Victoria Best

From the big league to Newcastle. The New York Dolls recorded their new album in the tiny but well equipped Blast Studios in Newcastle. Produced by the engineer of The Killers, Jason Hill (who also plays bass), the Dolls had three weeks to come up with a new album. As per usual singer David Johansen supplied the lyrics and guitarist Sylvain Sylvain came up with the music and some words.

Their previous record, the 2009 album 'Cause I Sez So reunited the band with legendary producer Todd Rundgren, who brought back the Seventies glam and gloss. None of that is present on Dancing Backward in High Heels, which is raw and heartfelt. Obviously inspired by playing a three night stand at the tiny club The Cluny (September 4-6, 2010) they revisited the Sixties doo-wop (I Sold My Heart to The Junkman). Johansen stills projects the raunchy front man (I'm So Fabulous, Talk To Me Baby), but he also realizes that he is older and wiser now, singing as slow song about Kids Like You, on top of an Animals-esque organ played by Sylvain.

With original Blondie guitarist Frank Infante and Brian Delaney on drums, you'd expect to transported back to CBGB's. But Dancing Backward in High Heels has more musical depth. By bringing in a string quartet for You Don’t Have to Cry and a sax player who can add to the choruses like a Fifties cat, the Dolls pay tribute to their musical roots by coming up with new songs. As Sylvain explains in the accompanying Making of ... DVD, there's no real need for them to write new stuff. They would make enough money as a retro-act, but they want to keep on creating. And if three weeks in Newcastle can do the trick, they can carry on for many more years. They are still Funky But Chic.

Dancing Backward in High Heels is released on Blast Records. Release date: March 14 in the UK (March 18 in the rest of Europe). Comes with a bonus DVD filmed during the recording of the album, incorporating previous unseen footage and “live” audio tracks from the bands three sold-out performances at The Cluny, Newcastle, on September 4th, 5th and 6th 2010.

Tracks:

Fool For You Baby
Streetcake
I’m So Fabulous
Talk to Me Baby
Kids Like You
Round and Round She Goes
You Don’t Have to Cry
I Sold My Heart to The Junkman
Baby Tell Me What I’m On
Funky But Chic
End of the Summer

Live date:

03/16 Bowery, New York, NY

» nydolls.org

HCTF review of 'Cause I Sez So.

Graham Parker & The Figgs: Live at The FTC

Here Comes The Flood — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 14:21:00 GMT

Graham Parker has been at it for a little over 35 years, releasing album after album filled with three minute soulful storytelling rock songs. He never released a live DVD until now, which is odd for an performer who can captivate an audience with his performance, not to mention his totally-at-ease banter between tracks, explaining the song's background and cracking jokes. The show at the intimate Stage One of the FTC in Fairfield, CT was filmed, a no-thrills document of the proceedings on stage on Friday April 23, 2010. Backed by The Figgs, a band that he has been working with on and off with since the late Nineties.

On Live at The FTC Parker showcases six songs from his latest studio album Imaginary Television, a collection of songs for TV shows that never happened. With a huge back catalog such as his, he cherry picks gems from the past such as White Honey from his 1976 debut album Howlin' Wind, and Blue Highways the under appreciated Eighties highlight of his career, from The Mona Lisa's Sister album. He may not sound as angry as he did in his early work, but he isn't slowing down. Songs like Beancounter (of his 1997 album Acid Bubblegum and the new 1st Responder, (the story about a dad who has to get his son out of a jam, because he nicked a car, hasn't got a car himself, so he has to steal one himself to save his kid) all draw from the same well: stories about people getting into trouble and trying to deal with the ensuing mess.

On Live at The FTC is released as DVD/CD combo. The DVD has the show in full, with all the banter, tuning, giving the view a front row seat in this intimate club. Two songs were left out on the CD to make it fit on a single disc. Apart form being able to watch the whole thing, the DVD also has an interview with Parker made a few hours before the show, detailing his career from the humble beginnings of being an attendant in Deep Cut, a small town 35 miles South of London, a gas station who got a record deal, whose career got a lift when punk rock happened. Few musicians can talk as entertaining about his work as Parker does. The only odd thing that he goes on a bit about Don't Ask Me Questions, who gave him first shot at fame in the UK, but wasn't performed during the concert. Maybe he is saving that for the documentary that Michael Gramaglia is putting together.

Graham Parker & The Figgs:
Graham Parker: guitar, vocals
Mike Gent: guitar
Pete Donnelly: bass
Scott Janovitz: keyboards
Pete Hayes: drums

Live at The FTC is released on Primary Wave Music.

Tracks:

Chloroform
Turn It Into Hate
It's My Party (But I Won't Cry)
England's Latest Clown
Hole In The World
Life Gets Better *
Weather Report
Broken Skin
You Hit The Spot
My Love's Strong
Black Lincoln Continental
Blue Highways
Bring Me A Heart Again
More Questions Than Answers
Beancounter
Local Boys
Local Girls
White Honey
Snowgun *
Mercury Poisoning
1st Responder
Soul Shoes
Interview *

* DVD only

Video: Graham Parker & The Figgs - "Live at The FTC" trailer

Graham Parker solo

02/26 The Sanctuary Concerts, Chatham, NJ (co-headline with Garland Jeffreys)
03/02 Salt Gastropub, Bryam, NJ
03/04 The Record Collector, Bordentown, NJ
03/05 Rosendale Cafe, Rosendale, NY
03/06 Turning Point, Piermont, NJ

The Graham Parker Duo (featuring Mike Gent of the Figgs)

03/25 Infinity Hall, Norfolk, CT *
04/02 City Winery, New York, NY
04/03 Coffee Works Roastery and Cafe, Voorhes, NJ *

* Mike Gent opening

» grahamparker.net

Phish: Alpine Valley 2010

Here Comes The Flood — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 12:39:00 GMT

Phish captured the August 14-15 shows at the Alpine Valley Music Theatre on film. A box set contains all of the first night on both DVD and CD, while a few tracks of the second night have been added DVD extras. While not the most adventurous of shows the three-part segue of Down With Disease > What's The Use > Scent Of A Mule went down as a memorable one - a jammed Mule is pretty rare. A few day prior to the Alnine tow-night run, the band had unearthed Fuck Your Face, an off-kilter Mike Gordon one-off that had been played at Nectar's in Burlington, VT on April 29, 1987. Fans had been hoping for a second outing for decades and the band gave in during their Charlotte show on August 7. It went down pretty well and they reprised it at Alpine. This blast form the past is followed by Alaska, proof of the more mainstream melodic course that guitar player Trey Anastasio has set for the band.

After the band reunited in 2009 after a 5-year hiatus, musical prowess is slowly evolving. Gone are the long jams - no five or six songs sets, but at least taking risks on stage is no longer avoided. Songs like Run Like An Antelope and Reba are moving again, not wandering around aimlessly. Bass player Gordon is pushing, inviting Anastasio to sidestep the main melody off if he feels like it. Drummer Jon Fishman is more solid than last year, but keyboardist Page McConnell is the MVP during both nights - jazzing it up and singing his head off.

Alpine Valley 2010 is a document of a band on the way up. The fun is back, new material and cover songs have sneaked in into the setlist on a regular basis this year, albeit not on this set. For historical purposes the Led Zep-fest in Atlantic City on October 30 would have made more sense as a DVD/CD release. Still, this is an honest portrait of what Phish sounds like in 2010.

Alpine Valley 2010 is released on JEMP Records. Order the set from Phish Dry Goods.

DVD1 - Set I: (trt 1:27:14)

Tube > (03:51)
The Oh Kee Pa Ceremony > (01:48)
Suzy Greenberg (05:56)
Funky Bitch > (06:00)
Reba (12:20)
Fuck Your Face (02:38)
Alaska (09:21)
Back On The Train (09:22)
When The Circus Comes (04:37)
Lawn Boy > (02:50)
Sparkle (03:44)
Gumbo > (04:33)
Run Like An Antelope (10:44)

Bonus from 8/15/10 Set I: (trt 49:41)

AC/DC Bag
On Your Way Down
Divided Sky
Stealing Time From The Faulty Plan
David Bowie

DVD2 - Set II: (trt 1:21:33)

The Sloth (04:24)
Down With Disease > (17:05)
What's The Use > (06:28)
Scent Of A Mule (09:01)
Mike's Song > (07:26)
Dirt > (04:22)
Sneakin' Sally Thru The Alley > (08:43)
Weekapaug Groove (06:53)
Bug (09:52)
E: Quinn The Eskimo (05:45)

Bonus from 8/15/10 Set II: (trt 25:02)

Ghost >
Theme From The Bottom >
Big Black Furry Creature From Mars

CD1 - Set I: (trt 1:17:41)

Tube > (03:51)
The Oh Kee Pa Ceremony > (01:48)
Suzy Greenberg (05:56)
Funky Bitch > (06:00)
Reba (12:20)
Fuck Your Face (02:38)
Alaska (09:21)
Back On The Train (09:22)
When The Circus Comes (04:37)
Lawn Boy > (02:50)
Sparkle (03:44)
Gumbo > (04:33)
Run Like An Antelope (10:44)

CD2 - Set II: (trt 1:19:52)

The Sloth (04:24)
Down With Disease > (17:05)
What's The Use > (06:28)
Scent Of A Mule (09:01)
Mike's Song > (07:26)
Dirt > (04:22)
Sneakin' Sally Thru The Alley > (08:43)
Weekapaug Groove (06:53)
Bug (09:52)
E: Quinn The Eskimo (05:45)

MP3: Phish - Bug
MP3: Phish - Down With Disease > What's The Use
MP3: Phish - Dirt

Video: Phish - Reba
Video: Phish - Bug
Video: Phish - Down With Disease > What's The Use
Video: Phish - Fuck Your Face
Video: Phish - Stealing Time From The Faulty Plan
Video: Phish - Lawnboy

Watch all six Phish videos that were released for the Alpine Valley 2010 box set.

» phish.com

Joe Bonamassa: Live From The Royal Albert Hall

Here Comes The Flood — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 14:47:00 GMT

Joe Bonammassa fullfilled a childhood fantasy when he performed at London's Royal Albert Hall on May 4th, 2009. And it became even better when he was joined on stage by Eric Clapton for Further on up the Road (after which he enthuses: "that was the coolest thing I have ever done"). Bonamassa is one of the most respected modern day blues guitarist right now, with a smooth tone that can get rough when he feels it appropriate. Live From Royal Albert Hall was released on DVD last year and is now available on Bluray and 2CD.

Having just released his The Ballad Of John Henry, the attendees of the sold out venue are treated to eight songs from that album, with a memorable rendition of Woke Up Dreaming as the highlight - it's just him with an acoustic guitar.

Bonamassa is at his best when he sheds the sharp suited blues image and gets down an dirty during Just Got Paid and Mountain Time, which might have scared the folks in the expensive seats.

Joe Bonamassa: guitars, vocals
Bogie Bowles: drums
Anton Fig: drums
Rick Melick: keyboards, backing vocals
Carmine Rojas: bass
Lee Thornburg: saxophone
Mike Feithorn: trombone

Live From The Royal Albert Hall is released on Mascot Records. The Blu-ray edition contains the full show as well an interview filmed on the tour bus and the video for Woke Up Dreaming.

Disc 1:

Django
The Ballad Of John Henry
So It's Like That
Last Kiss
So Many Roads
Stop!
Further On Up The Road
Woke Up Dreaming
High Water Everywhere
Sloe Gin
Lonesome Road Blues

Disc 2:

Happier Times
Your Funeral My Trial
Blues Deluxe
Story Of A Quarryman
The Great Flood
Just Got Paid
Mountain Time
Asking Around For You

Video: Joe Bonamassa - Further on up the Road (Featuring Eric Clapton)

» jbonamassa.com

Phish: Coral Sky

Here Comes The Flood — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 15:45:00 GMT

The Phish show at the Coral Sky Amphitheater in West Palm Beach, FL, November 2, 1996, is one the high points in the band's career. The Crosseyed And Painless > Run Like An Antelope is revered by fans. The show is now available as a 2DVD set, with remastered audio in stereo and 5.1, and as a 2CD.

Recorded two days after their Halloween show at the Omni in Atlanta, during which they covered the Talking Head's Remain in Light album in its entirety, they were once again joined by Karl Perazzo (Santana, Prince) on percussion. The danceable, quirky rhythms are a treat throughout, with guitarist Trey Anastasio using his percussion rack quite a few times. The first set was tight, with a jubilant Julius, a solid Cavern > Stash segue, a note perfect The Lizards. They wrapped things up with Chuck Berry's Johnny B. Goode. Not as good as the Stones in their heyday, but close.

Set 2 has the band exploring the depth of the Heads' rhythm sense, with a 24 minute plus adventurous Crosseyed And Painless, with Jon Fishman and Anastasio trading vocals in the coda before launching into a freaky, percussive Run Like An Antelope. After a breather song, the ballad Waste, Perazzo and Fishman lock in with bass player Mike Gordon for a groovy Harry Hood.

So, it's all good then? Well almost. Keyboardist Page McConnell can't quite reach the high notes - a challenge for any vocalist - during A Day In The Life, but he puts in nice phrasing for the barbershop moment, the standard Sweet Adeline. With Allman Brothers drummer Butch Trucks sitting in for the Funky Bitch encore one of 1996 most memorable Phish comes to an end.

Coral Sky is released on Jemp Records. Order the 2DVD from Dry Goods or go for the 2CD.

DVD1/CD1 - Set I:

Ya Mar
Julius
Fee >
Taste
Cavern >
Stash
The Lizards
Free
Johnny B. Goode

DVD2/CD2 - Set II:

Crosseyed And Painless >
Run Like An Antelope
Waste
Harry Hood >
A Day In The Life
Sweet Adeline
E: Funky Bitch

MP3: Phish - Waste
MP3: Phish - Run Like An Antelope
MP3: Phish - Stash
Video: Phish - Julius
Video: Phish - Harry Hood

» phish.com

Black Country Communion: Black Country Communion

Here Comes The Flood — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 12:13:00 GMT

Black Country Communion is the latest incarnation of the supergroup phenomenon. This time it's vocalist/bassist Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple Black Sabbath, Trapeze), drummer Jason Bonham (recorded with David Gilmour and Jeff Beck, played his father's parts at the Led Zeppelin reunion concerts in 1985 and 2007), keyboard player Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater, Alice Cooper) and leading blues rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa.

The debut album Black Country Communion was recorded in ten days at Shangri-La Studios, with Hughes bringing in the bulk of the material. Kicking off with his instanyly recognizable bass rumble the listener enters an alternate universe where classic rock still reigns supreme. Hughes still has his huge rock voice and Bonamassa has internalized more music form that era than he care to remember. Bonham is all over his kit, but isn't above keeping a straightforward beat to provide a safe haven for Hughes and Bonamassa. Sherinian is the reliable sideman, adding color to black and white rock proceedings and stepping into the spotlights every now and then to show off his skills.

Standout track are the slow Stand (At The Burning Tree), that might remind you of Soundgarden in their "Superunknown" phase with a Jon Lordesque bit thrown in by Sherinian, back-to-basics rockers Black Country and The Revolution In Me and the stuttering guitar in Beggarman. Single One Last Soul got them on the radio with a tasty hook, but it pails among the other ten tracks that are celebration of ten of years of musicianship that will wow the kids and please their parents. Black Country Communion plan to be on the road in 2011.

Black Country is released on Mascot Records in the UK and Europe, and J&R Adventures in the USA. Available on CD and vinyl, and as a deluxe CD/DVD package with behind the scenes stuff and live footage of their concert at the Riverside Municipal Auditorium.

Tracks:

Black Country
One Last Soul
The Great Divide
Down Again
Beggarman
Song Of Yesterday
No Time
Medusa
The Revolution In Me
Stand (At The Burning Tree)
Sista Jane
Too Late For The Sun

Medusa was first recorded with Hughes' first band Trapeze in 1970. Joe Bonamassa played a vintage 1968 Gibson Les Paul for this track - as a nod to the sound of the original.

MP3: Black Country Communion - One Last Soul
Video: Black Country Communion - One Last Soul
(live @ Riverside Municipal Auditorium, Riverside, CA - 2010/03/17)

» bccommunion.com