Vol. 6, No. 5 - May 1999
I bought another screen saver creation program and played around with it, the result - I put another Yes screen saver to my web site. Check it out.
Just in case you missed this broadcast last Fall, VH1 (in the U.S.) is showing YES on Hard Rock Live one again at around Midnight this Saturday. This is the show with The Moody Blues & YES for a one hour live show at the Hard Rock Cafe. Check your local listing for the correct time.
Well, the performance ended up being at a recital of a few different woodwind quintets, which was better than at a student union, where people would kinda just give a wierd, unseducated glance at an oboe/bassoon/french horn/flute/clarinet group.
Well the program consisted of Mood for a Day first, followed by Vaclav Nehlybel,some Hindemith and even Mancini's pink panther. Well rounded stylistically. The top group, the Morelli quintet played Mood, and that was it..so we could really rehearse it thouroughly.
My mother showed up to the performance, so that was nice to have family as well as friends there. She is a flautist and took a look at my score and could tell just by looking at it, it would be very difficult to pull off, but arranged very carefully and would sound good when performed.
I must admit I was skeptical, they weren't getting it that week at all. I wrote in some 5/8 7/8 and 4/8 bars amidst the 6/8 feel I kept most of the theme in. I was busy all day this past Friday and couldn't attend the last rehearsal. A miracle must have happened---it was played gorgeously. I wrote in a high C for French Horn, and for any hornists out there, know how much energy one has to put into to belt it out. Chris Castallanos nailed it! I was so pleased with the whole group.
Dr. Steve Caplan, oboe professor at UNLV, took me aside and told me how much he enjoyed the piece, how it was arranged very well. I've even gotten some great feedback already this morning from people I don't even know. Dr. Caplan said he thought it was interesting that I chose a Yes tune, since he actually played for Jon Anderson once when Jon put an orchestra together once to do a concert. He says how it's nice how Yes seems to add the "classical" side to their music. Of course, I had to tell him about the Return to the Centre of the Earth!
I'm going to try to get a rough recording of the group, but will lose it's flavor on a tape. It really needs to heard live.
I was reading about the Phantom Menace review on Rolling Stone online and took the vote as to whether I thought the movie would live up to the hype (I think it will - but if it doesn't, I won't be too surprised either... how could ANYTHING live up to that much hype?)
Anyway, there is a cool voting thing going down there at:
http://www.rollingstone.com/sections/xplay/bob/text/archives.asp?afl=rsn
It caught my attention because one of the first votes shown was Yes vs. ELP. Yes is up 51% to ELP's 49%. Closer than I would have thought. The one that was really great was Celine Dion vs. a Root Canal. The root canal was beating Celine by something like 75%! Hilarious...
Looks like Emerson and Wakeman are working on a project together. Emerson describes in this interview: http://www.interstellar9.com/emerson/interview.htm
Here's the latest news from Yes: Sierra Studios and Relic Entertainment have partnered with Yes on their upcoming project entitled Homeworld. Homeworld is space odyssey that centers around a race of beings trying to find where they came from and how to get home. Yes have contributed a brand new song, entitled "Homeworld" that will be featured in the game. Game is set for release in Summer of 99 (could be July). Legendary artist Roger Dean is currently working on packaging elements for both the new Yes album (also scheduled for release in Summer 99) and Homeworld. Check out this website: <"http://www.gamecenter.com/News/E399/Item/0,162,0-2805,00.html">Gamespot. Besides information on this project, there's an interview with Jon. Sample question/answer:
Gamecenter: What's Yes doing these days?
Jon Anderson: We're in the middle of mixing our next album,
which will come out in August. It's called "The Ladder," and it's
the album I've been waiting [to do] for 20 years. It's the best
thing we've ever done. It's magic.
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From: Drakus - May 15
Here's some more news about homeworld:
Homeworld is a strategy game that promises intense space combat in a truly sprawling 3D world. Relic founder and one of the Homeworld programmers, Alex Garden, will be writing a monthly Designer Diary for us detailing the development process of this highly anticipated game. Homeworld
Here's the home site: http://www.homeworld.org/
I talked to the manager of Spock's Beard at the Borders Books acoustic show before that nights show at the Whiskey in Hollywood. He told me that YES's management was going to attend the show (looks like the voting on the web page paid off) BTW The show was incredible!!... I just hope they weren't too good, nobody wants the opening act to show them up.
Veteran producer Bruce Fairbairn, who worked with such notable bands as Aerosmith, Van Halen, AC/DC, Kiss, the Cranberries, and INXS among many others, was found dead at his home in Vancouver yesterday of unknown causes. He was 49.
Fairbairn had been expected at an afternoon recording session with Yes at his Armoury Studios and uncharacteristically failed to show up. Studio manager Sheryl Preston drove to his home and
discovered his body on the floor of his bedroom. There were no apparent signs of injury or trauma.
Fairbairn began his career as a horn player in the Canadian band Prism and went on to produce that band, as well as local favorites Loverboy, before going on to record such artists as Krokus and Blue Oyster Cult. He was often assisted by Bob Rock, who later established his own career as a rock producer. In 1986, Fairbairn produced Bon Jovi's breakthough album "Slippery When Wet," which set him on a course as one of the most successful producers of the era.
He recently completed an album with the horn-laden Atomic Fireballs, which Fairbairn said took him back to his "brass roots."
The current sessions for Yes (who were in the midst of mixing a new album) will continue after a brief break, with the bandmembers taking over the controls.
Guys, this is from the Japanese Yes mailing list:
"Good News! I've just heard that the official video from Union Tour will be released on July 23rd. from Vap Video Japan. They say it's from the last gig of Yesshows'91, Mountain view, CA. Shoreline Amph. on 8/8/91/ total running time/117 mins. I guess it's not a complete show video considering its length."
I copied this from Levin's Road diary........
Last night in Vancouver, Jon Anderson and Steve Howe, of YES, came by the show. They're finishing up the new album with the group and seemed remarkably rested and energetic after months of studio work. They tell me the tour will start in the Fall. We only had minutes to reminisce about the 1990 tour I was on with them (in an incarnation called "Anderson Bruford Wakeman & Howe.) Sadly the studio owner, Bruce Fairbairn, had just died this week, in a sudden and unexpected tragedy.
Sue wrote:
"And I am thrilled to finally have a copy of his version of Classical Gas to listen to over and over again."
I know! Isn't it great? :) :) :)
Have you listened to the clips of his new Dylan album on Guitar Rondo? I think I'm really going to like it. The only question is whether I can hold out for the summer domestic release, or more likely, will I break down now and get it as an import? The clip with Jon sounds *really* good.
Did you read the interview where Howe talks about doing the Dylan album? I was fascinated by his take on approaching the music from an arranger's perspective, rather than a composer's. That's something this non-musician never considers when she listens to music. Now I can appreciate why the project appealed to Howe, where before I was sort of scratching my head. Interesting stuff. :)
Has anyone purchased Steve's Interactive CD-Rom? I'm not even sure it's available yet, but I thought I'd throw the question out there just in case. The demos from the Beyond Sound table at Yestival looked very impressive. From what I recall, the CD-ROM contains the Steve Howe guitar collection, with a multimedia demonstration of select Howe/Yes classics (with close ups of guitar fingerings, tabs etc.) I asked the representative if
guitar transcriptions were going to be included; however, he mentioned that they would run into a bunch of legal mumbo jumbo...royalties etc. Oh well....if anyone can supply anymore info, that would be great!
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From: "Eddie Lee" [eddie_k_lee@hotmail.com] - May 16
Beyond Sound just updated their web site. Here is the detail:
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Steve Howe Interactive Update
The US release of the CD-ROM has been tentatively set for June1, 1999. Orders will be taken over the internet through the online Order Form. You will have several options for ordering the title:
1) Fill out the form online;
2) Print, fill out the form and fax back;
3) Print, fill out and mail to address below.
See below for details:
Here's How To Order Steve Howe Interactive CD-ROM.
Online -- Simply fill out the Online Order Form from your favorite browser and be sure to include all the required fields. Only Credit Card orders using Visa, MasterCard, or AmericanExpress will be processed, upon which you will receive a confirmation via email.
Faxable Order Form -- Print the Online Order Form from your browser to a local printer and fill out all the required fields clearly and legibly. Fax the completed form back to BeyondSound Ltd. 1.609.722.9107. You will be notified via email, or fax after your order has been processed (please allow two business days).
Mail Order Form -- Print the Online Order Form from your browser to a local printer and fill out all the required fields clearly and legibly. Mail the completed form to the attention of Order Processing, BeyondSound Ltd., PO Box 586, Moorestown, NJ 08057. You will be notified via email, or postal mail after your order has been processed (please allow 5-7 business days).
The Steve Howe Interactive CD-ROM is scheduled to begin shipping June, 1999. Stay tuned for sample screen shots and downloadable sample clips.
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Go here to order:
http://www.beyondsound.com/orderform_SHI.html
P.S. Everyone who has indicated their interest with Beyond Sound prior to the release of the title will be given a discount toward the suggested retail price (SRP $49.95 US) of the title, as well as a special bonus surprise. Mention code# EPRE when ordering.
For those in or near Philly, there is a cool art gallery in Manayunk that houses rock artists' paintings. It's called the Image Makers Art Gallery, and it's right on Main Street.
There were three Jon Anderson paintings there, and the woman said she is purchasing about 3-4 more soon, since they are moving pretty well. They are the typical watercolors you've probably seen before.
There was also some great art from Robby Krieger, Robert Smith, John Entwhistle, John Lennon and Yoko Ono.
I'm glad I got to see it before I move back to NYC next week!
This was posted to the Asia mailing list:
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In order to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the release of 'Video Killed The Radio Star', Geoff was asked to pen liner notes for a re-issue of the Buggles album 'The Age Of Plastic'. With Geoff's permission, I am happy to present those notes to you here. Geoff speculated that what he has written may be edited to fit the CD sleeve, so here's the uncut version.
*****
Dave,
I thought you might like, for posterity, a pre-copy of the liner notes I have submitted to Polygram for the re-issue of the Age Of Plastic album....
Geoff
"The Buggles" by Geoffrey Downes
The story begins in a dingy flat above a monumental stonemason's shop in Wimbledon, South West London, England. The year is 1977. There are three young men crammed into a smoky 7' x 7' box room. In the room there is also an upright acoustic piano, a Fender Rhodes electric piano, one Shure microphone and a B77 Revox 2-track tape machine.The reels on the tape machine are rolling. A rough demo is faintly audible from the overspill of the headphones. The music of the demo would be very familiar to
many listeners of today. The song that was playing was: Video Killed The Radio Star. Thus began the story of The Buggles. The three then unknown young men in the room were Trevor Horn, Geoffrey Downes & Bruce Woolley.
I remember these days very clearly. Because this was a room in my flat, and where the three of us would spend many afternoons and evenings putting down rough demos of our songs. We had been working on the roughs of Video, Clean Clean, On TV & several other songs. We did not know what we were going to do with them, but we knew even then, that there was some distant goal that had
to be reached. We coined the phrase: "They'll never be as big as The Buggles." It was a tongue-in-cheek reference to The Beatles. We joked that one day we would sell out Wembley Stadium.
In 1978 we took these demos as the basis for something bigger, and re-recorded them at a 16-track studio in North London. We hawked these around every record company in the country. Nobody was in the slightest bit interested. However, early in 1979, through a strange twist of fate, I managed to get a copy of the demos to Island Music in the UK. In an even stranger twist of fate, the demos were sent to America where they were listened to by Chris Blackwell (head of Island Records). The brief he sent back to the London office was: "Sign up these guys immediately, and at any cost".
And so began a snowball that grew and grew. By this time, Bruce had already departed to pursue a solo career, and Island were offering Trevor & myself more things than we had ever dreamed of. A record deal, a publishing contract, a production agreement, all with substantial financial backing. But then we knew the real work had to begin. We struggled to recapture the "magic" of the demos, and many months of intensive and arduous studio work
resulted, as we experimented with every ounce of invention and studio wizardry we could muster.
We arrived at the beginning of August, 1979 with what we believed to be the ultimate mix of "Video", which was the priority, along with 2 other tracks: Clean Clean & Kid Dynamo. 4 weeks later, "Video" exploded onto the airwaves. I remember the first time I heard it was on Capital Radio, being played by the DJ, the late Roger Scott. It was #1 on the People's Choice Phone-In. And then within a week, it was all over every radio station in the country. The snowball, just like the tape, was well and truly rolling.
The next few weeks we did interviews with national papers, national TV, and hundreds of radio stations. We made a video for the single. We had numerous photo sessions for all sorts of publications. We were being talked of as "pop stars" And, most importantly, the single had started to climb the UK Chart. The climb was rapid. By the third week of release it had hit the top 30, and the next week it hit the top 10. Every day there was more good news about its progress and exposure. The next week it went to #5. The expectation from Island was massive. The heat was turned up. Was this crazy, catchy pop tune fronted by two of the most unlikely combinations of people with the ridiculous name of The Buggles actually going to be Island Records' first ever #1 UK single after so many years? The answer was: YES. The following week it displaced "Message In A Bottle", leap-frogged over Michael Jackson and reached #1. We were ecstatic. Island were ecstatic. Everyone was ecstatic. The Buggles bandwagon was well and truly in gear.
News then started coming in that all the European countries had started to pick up heavily on the record. We started flying out to do promotion in all these countries, particularly France, Germany & Italy. The bases were set for Video to achieve what it had in the UK. And - It did. In Italy it stayed at #1 for 23 weeks.
The main problem that faced Trevor & myself was that we did not have an album' worth of material recorded. In fact we needed at least half a dozen or so more songs in addition to the 3 we had already completed. Amidst all the madness and fury of promotional activity, the pressure was now on to write these songs. And so we did. In airport lounges, dressing rooms, rehearsal rooms, studios. Anywhere we had the time to flick through the ideas and record rough versions on cassette. We had until Christmas to finish the album. It was a race against time.
We must have recorded in a dozen or so different studios during this period painstakingly putting together the songs for the Age Of Plastic. By Christmas we had the album mixed and ready to go for a New Year release. It was a fitting way to start the next decade. And we were proud of what we had done.
But the album did not live up to the massive sales and expectations of the record company. Already there were murmurs that there was not another "Video" on the album. The next single, Living In The Plastic Age did reasonably well (#16), but the fuse that had fired Video Killed The Radio Star to the top of the charts was not burning quite so brightly. Clean Clean was released and did not make the top 30. The Buggles chariot was starting to slip off the rails - almost as quickly as it had ascended. And, in the most bizarre set of circumstances, we had been approached to join the progressive rock giants YES.
And so we did. And that effectively put an end to our career as The Buggles, despite later attempts to resurrect the concept with the release of "Adventures In Modern Recording". But one thing remains certain, that in those crazy, hazy months between 1979 -1980, we achieved not only a place in pop history, but recorded an album that reflected much of our joint experiences over the years. The result is: The Age Of Plastic, and the memories of making this tragi-comic collection of songs are still very clear and dear in my mind. It is a recording that contains the passion and perfection of two young men collectively seeking success, glory, originality and mastery of their art. It turned out to be a milestone for us, and launched both of us on to successful careers, which have since taken us in different directions. But at this very moment in time, when you listen to this CD, I sincerely hope you enjoy this period piece, as much as we enjoyed the making of it. It is the music that was and is - The Buggles.
If you like Chris Squire, you might want to join the new Chris Squire mailing list "Squire-ville", take a look at it at: http://www.onelist.com/archives.cgi/Squire-ville