Rare MP3 tracks posted to date: 15th of November:
Classic Rock Productions have announced that a Curved Air DVD will be released sometime in December. The material will include the 1972 Belgian TV program in which the band performed "Marie Antoinette," "Propositions," "Melinda (More or Less)" and "Vivaldi." A lengthy interview with Darryl is included as well. Apparently negotiations are underway for a second DVD -- contents yet to be determined. You can order the DVD when it becomes available, right here.
23rd of October:
The website was down for a couple of days over the weekend due to some technical difficulties which have now been sorted out. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Voiceprint has released the "Jam" CD in the UK, featuring Francis, Florian & Rob. The album also includes brand new liner notes written by yours truly. You can order it right here.
I've updated the Discography pages with the "Jam" CD, the reissue of "Acid Folk," several more library releases from Francis, some more unreleased Sonja material, and the now infamous "Air Cut" boot.
30th of August:
A message from Sonja:
Sonja's first concert in five years was this past Monday the 26th at The Astor Theatre in Kent. From all accounts it was a rousing success and wonderful return to the stage for Sonja. She was joined onstage by Marv Ayres, who played violin and keyboards. We'll post any and all reviews you may care to send along. The setlist for the concert included tracks from Acid Folk, Harmonics, the Sonja Kristina LP and several Curved Air favorites, along with some new material:
Sonja's self-described 'smoky jazz album,' "Cri de Coeur," is now scheduled for release in January.
6th of August:
A message from Sonja:
By the way, the Russian bootleg pressing of "Air Cut" is on the streets. It's taken from a semi-clean LP, and the artwork is a faithful reproduction of the original. But it's strictly for hard-core collectors who can't stand not having it in their collections.
25th of July:
Sonja visited my wife Deb and me for a couple of days this week here in Maryland -- we had a fabulous time. She and Marv Ayres are working on new material and are reviving some of the Acid Folk songs with an eye towards both a new recording and some live dates in the UK this autumn. Details will be posted here, of course. Sonja and I had a chance to play and record together a bit, as well, and she also gave us a sneak preview of two new songs. Beautiful tunes and lovely lyrics.
I've changed the link name above to MP3 & News Archive Page, as some folks were having a hard time finding the MP3 files. The website has grown enormously over the past two years, and sometimes I forget just how much information I've packed into it -- and I also forget where I've put stuff!
I've also added a link above to the Fan page. I also made a few cosmetic changes to the page, as well.
"Air Cut" has been released in Russia by the enormous bootleg label which has released countless rare titles over the past couple of years. Their product, while illegal as hell, always seems to have stunning sound quality. No telling where they're getting their tapes.
And finally, I've added on links to the other two websites I work on. First, for Washington, DC-based folksinger/songwriter and good friend Debi Smith. Deb is a marvelous talent for those of you who have yet to discover her. She began her career with her sister Megan as the Smith Sisters in the early 80's. She now performs solo, and also as a member of the Four Bitchin' Babes, along with Suzzy Roche, Sally Fingerett and Camille West.
And the second website is for my old band, Whistling Cadaver. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
12th of July:
I added a great photo of John Jacob with his Curved Air concert poster collection to the fan page.
And here's a photo of our friends Caravan which I took at the NEARFest in Trenton, New Jersey on June 30. The lineup still includes founders Pye Hastings, Richard Coughlan and Dave Sinclair, along with long-time viola player, Geoffrey Richardson.
10th of July:
Well, I've started a fan page, but the response to date has been less than overwhelming. Take a look, and send me your photos!!
Also, the "Jam" CD featuring Francis, Florian, Rob and Mike Gore and featuring liner notes by yours truly, is ready for release by Voiceprint. I'll give you an exact release date soon as I hear.
28th of June:
My hero passed away yesterday. The Ox. Thunderfingers. Big Johnny Twinkle. The Man Whose Name They Couldn't Spell.
The man who inspired me to play music way back in 1965. The man who inspired me to pick up a bass guitar for the first time -- and who taught me everything I know about the instrument. The man whose recordings and live performances for 37 years turned me into a giant goosebump, put a lump in my throat, made my heart race, filled my eyes with tears, and ultimately left me worn out and exhausted.
Today I find that my eyes are filling with tears again.
John Entwistle has died, and the greatest rock and roll band in the world has died with him.
22nd of April:
I've made several updates to the discography today; the reissues of "21st Century Blues" and "Songs From The Acid Folk," and two more in the seemingly endless series of undiscovered library albums from Francis and Darryl. The new ones are "Light My Fire," a Bruton LP from 1978 which includes two tracks from Francis, and "Highlights," a full album of Darryl's tracks on the Rouge label. And a tape of Sonja live in 1979 has surfaced -- I've added the details to the Bootlegs page.
Alyn Smith, our new hero, has sent in a fabulous collection of goodies for me to scan. I've posted four pages of photos and other memorabilia below.
A set of Curved Air photos from 1976, including another rare shot of Alex playing with the band.
A set of Sonja photos from various solo concerts from 1978 - 1981.
A set of Sonja Kristina's Escape concert photos.
And a set of Sonja & Tunis concert photos.
1st of April:
New website contributor Augusto Croce sent along this very nice (and previously unknown) Italian picture sleeve from the Wolf single "A Bunch of Fives."
25th of March:
There's a new Japanese bootleg in circulation called "A Rainbow in Leichester." This is a repressing of the 1999 Japanese CDR release called "Vivaldi." It was recorded by an audience member at the Leicester De Montfort Hall on the 13th of March, 1971. The quality of both CDs is utterly horrible even for an audience recording, so please don't waste your time or money.
20th of March:
I've added a link above to a new page for New and Upcoming Releases.
From this point on I'll be transferring News items to the News Archive page once they're 90 days old, otherwise this page begins to grow rather lengthy.
I'll also be moving the photos around a bit over the next couple of weeks -- its become quite a juggling act keeping them all sorted into the correct electronic albums.
19th of March:
I've added a couple of photos of Sky-era Francis right here , courtesy of Richard Sliwa from the Sky website. Thanks again, Rich.
Still working on getting the video clips down to a size which will be a manageable download -- no easy thing!
2nd of March:
I've scanned a bunch of recently acquired photos -- a couple are absolutely amazing. For example,
one is the only surviving photo of Sisyphus from 1969, courtesy of Rob Martin.
1st of March:
Just an addition to Francis's discography today -- a German library album from 1976. Now that's obscure.
I'll be adding a pile of photos to the site over the next few days, and possibly a video for the first time. Stay
tuned....
22nd of February:
I've added the new cover of Francis's "21st Century Blues" on the Voiceprint label right here.
7th of February:
Here's the cover of the new "Songs From The Acid Folk" reissue on Market Square Records in the UK.
Couldn't resist putting this relic on the website -- a scan of the "Phantasmagoria" 8-Track Tape!
It's notable that you can see more of our little hookah-smoking friend perched on his mushroom than is possible
on the LP.
I want to say thank you once again to Sonja, Francis and Tony Reeves for putting up with me a couple of weeks ago
during my quick visit to London. I also had a chance to meet Sonja's new producer and musical collaborator Marvin
Ayres -- a great guy with a wicked sense of humor.
Francis has recently moved out of Hampstead to a big, lovely home north of London. The setting is beautiful and
quiet -- perfect for working on new music. Hint, hint.
This was the first time I'd met Tony, after many months of correspondence. Guess I wasn't too intolerable --
he treated me to an excellent pasta lunch which wound up lasting several hours. Thanks again, Tony. By the way,
check out Sonnie Kenney's Greenslade website for the latest tour dates for both Greenslade and Big Chief. I'm
letting him carry that responsibility rather than duplicating the information here.
And Sonja -- what a sweetheart. I had the rare privilege of spending some time with her in her music studio, playing
a few songs together. An experience I won't soon forget.
By the way, I'll be posting an MP3 from Marvin Ayres's new album tonight, so please check back
tomorrow and have a listen -- it's lovely music.
I've added a wonderful photo to Sonja's front page -- a lovely shot from the 90's. Scroll down, you'll see it.
And I've added a better version of the cover of "Dweller On The Threshold" to Francis's Gallery number 2, along
with the cover of his "Electronic Philharmonic Orchestra" LP.
Finally, we've lost another great musician. Perhaps not as high profile as George Harrison, but just as talented.
Peter Bardens died on January 22nd of cancer. He will be missed. Further details at the
Camel Productions website.
28th of January:
Updated the Shopping Page.
22nd of January:
Sonja Kristina's "Songs From The Acid Folk" has been reissued by Market Square Records in the
UK. The album features an additional bonus track, "Free To Be Me," which has been available as a lesser-
quality MP3 here on the website. The cover has been changed from the familiar bright blue and red to
the cover of the original "Anna" single. And new liner notes have been added by yours truly. You can
order it now right here.
And Francis Monkman's "21st Century Blues" has been reissued by Voiceprint Records in the UK with
a new cover as well. You can order it from Voiceprint, who just happen to be using my old review of
the album, right here.
13th of January:
Added Japanese picture sleeves to the "Airconditioning" and "Second Album" pages.
18h of December:
Discography updates today.
11th of December:
Oh, the privileges of running the website -- once again I've had the opportunity to hear a CA-related album
prior to release. Michael Wedgwood sent along a copy of his new CD entitled "Secret Document."
Quite lovely, as expected. It's a direct descendant of his first CD, "Places Like These," but
utilizing the services of excellent session musicians and less reliance on programmed drums.
Hopefully we'll see a definite release date early next year. The album takes the listener on
an emotional roller coaster -- exquisitely romantic to utterly heart-rending, and even a touch of
bittersweet comedy. This is the work of a truly gifted singer-songwriter. And damned a fine bassist, too.
I've posted an MP3 of my favorite track, the
remake of "Searching For A Fantasy."
I've updated Francis's discography yet again. There's a in-print release on an obscure label
called FM Classics in the UK called, "George Martin Presents the Medici Quartet." Francis plays
some marvelous piano on several tracks. John Williams also makes an appearance on guitar.
Too bad the quartet never recorded Francis's composition "Between Them Is Fire" -- it would have
fit in perfectly on the album.
4th of December:
I've updated Francis's discography today. Also I've posted two MP3 files by request, both lesser
known single tracks by Darryl. First is the second (and best) recording of "Little Plum" from 1984, and second is "As Long As There's A Spark," the
A-side of an EP released in 1983.
30th of November:
Thank you for all the wonderful music, George.
16th of November:
Heard from Ian Eyre -- hopefully I'll have some new material to post on his page shortly. The only former member
we haven't been in touch with is Kirby Gregory -- anyone have any leads as to his whereabouts?
The release date of Francis's "21st Century Blues" CD on Voiceprint has been pushed back to
December 10, apparently due to artwork delays. No word on the new release dates for the "Jam"
and "Harpsichord" CDs, although I'm probably to blame for the delay on the "Jam" as my liner notes
were late!
8th of November:
Several new things today. First, I've had the rare privilege of hearing previews of not one but two upcoming
Curved Air-related releases.
Sonja's new "Cri de Coeur" CD should be released early next year. The songs are classic jazz from legends
such as Thelonius Monk and Billie Holiday, the vocals are sultry
and sexy, and the atmosphere is late-night smoky jazz club. Monk's "Round Midnight" is a highlight.
Can't wait to hear more.
Tony Reeves sent along a preview of Greenslade's upcoming live CD, recorded during their
February 2001 UK tour. The new material from "Large Afternoon" holds up very well indeed in concert,
and John Young does a fine vocal job on the old favorites like "Joie de Vivre" -- Dave Lawson would be
very pleased. The full album should be released next year.
I've added yet another library album, called "Fresh Approach," to Francis's discography. Plus another
collaboration with John Keating called "Songs of Love."
There's a couple of new photos from the Surrey University concert in 1975 on the 1975 - 1976 Photos page.
And I've added links to the Quicksilver Messenger Service and Spririt websites -- old favorites of mine and
the band's.
5th of November:
Today I added a link for Marvin Ayres's new website which should be up and running by the end of the week.
Marvin is the strings player and co-producer of Sonja's new album "Cri De Coeur." Marvin also let me know that he
has a new album out called "Neptune," which will be available on the site.
2nd of November:
One addition to the Francis discography today -- an obscure album of classics done on synths from 1980, called
"Masterworks." Francis plays French composer Charles-Marie Widor's Toccata from Symphony No. 5 in F.
1st of November:
OK, this is just too much fun. We found the first radio commercials which Warner Brothers produced for the
original "Air Conditioning" album. No excuses made for the lousy quality of the 31 year old
record (yes, they produced radio adverts on records way back in the dark ages).
29th of October:
Today I've posted an MP3 from the upcoming reissue of Sonja's "Songs From the Acid Folk" album.
The track is "Anna," which was also released as a 7" single.
5th & 1st of October:
Just some discography updates.
8th of September:
Amazingly enough I found a copy of Darryl Way's library album called "Variations" after many years of
searching. It was worth the wait -- a lovely collection of classical pieces scored for both chamber
and full orchestra. I've added the details to the discography page.
6th of September:
Today I just added a new live tape discovery from 1973 to the bootlegs page in the discography.
4th of September:
As you've probably already noticed, I've been posting rare
and/or unreleased tracks on the website once or twice each month in MP3 format. So rip 'em
while they're up! Sorry --
I can only get them to work with Internet Explorer, as Netscape corrupts the files as they're
downloading.
Today I posted the MP3 file for "Sarah's Concern," the
non-LP single which immediately preceded the "Phantasmagoria" album in 1972.
And I did a little chronological fixing of the discography, too.
29th of August:
Some upcoming releases of great interest from our friends at Voiceprint. Francis Monkman's
"21st Century Blues" is being reissued on or about the 15th of October, his marvelous Harpsichord
album is being issued around the 12th of November, and the "Jam" CD featuring Francis, Florian
and Rob Martin is finally being issued also around the 12th of November.
I should have final release dates for three Sonja Kristina-related albums shortly. These are the
reissue of "Songs From the Acid Folk" on Market Square Records, her new jazz album "Cri de Coeur," and
an interesting album on the Italian MP Records label (based on one of Isaac Asimov's works) featuring
two songs co-written and sung by Sonja.
I'd like to thank Rob Martin for his hospitality when I visited him a couple of weeks ago in
New York. Thanks again Rob for too much alcohol and for introducing me to that very good Japanese
restaurant. By the way, Rob is an amazingly talented programmer and musician -- you should see
his studio! Hopefully I'll be able to post an MP3 or two of his recent work on the website very soon.
4th of August:
Awful news to report -- some of you may have already heard about this. One of my old musical
heroes, Peter Bardens of Camel (and even further back -- Them) fame, is seriously ill. Pete underwent
surgery in May to remove a cancerous tumor from his brain. And as if that wasn't bad enough, he
just had another round of surgery in July after doctors discovered he also had lung cancer. We're
sending Pete all our best wishes. You can send him a "get well" note at petebardens@yahoo.com.
31st of July:
Just a couple of minor edits to the discography today.
6th of July:
The London cast recording of "Hair" featuring Sonja from 1968 has been reissued on CD here in
the States. It's on Decca by way of Univeral Classics. Available from all tasteful shops, online
and off.
I've made a number of additions to the discography, including the CA, Sonja, Francis & Darryl sections.
Also, I've added a BBC interview with Darryl from a month or so ago. It's at the bottom of
his page.
Speaking of Darryl, the first two Wolf albums "Canis Lupus"
and "Saturation Point" are finally being reissued -- they will appear shortly as Japanese imports. Unfortunately,
the non-lp singles have been left off. Again.
See the shopping page for pre-ordering information. And I've updated the shopping page, removed a few dead links, etc.
30th of June:
I've added quite a bit of material today. First, two promo photos to the
1971 - 1974 page in the Photo Archive. Plus,
an "Airconditioning" advert and a "Second Album" promotional postcard to the Memorabilia page, also
in the Photo Archive.
Next, there's a new Wolf promo photo and an interesting Wolf compilation album cover on
Darryl's 1st Gallery page, and a new promo photo of Eddie Jobson on his Alumni page (you're welcome,
Eddie!), from his Zinc album press kit.
I've updated the discography, including new listings and track listings for Francis Monkman's
library LPs "Classical Odyssey" and "Contemporary Impact," and CDs "Futuristic Electronic"
and "Love Stories." In addition, I've found three singles from Francis. "Hyperdrive" was pulled
off his "Predictions Part One" library LP by the BBC for a television program called "Gibson and the
Red Arrows" in 1981. "Dweller on the Threshold/Margarita" and "Pushu Pulu/Forgive" were both
taken from the "Dweller" album. "Pushu Pulu" is credited to Francis and Jools (Julia) Rathbone, and
the "Dweller" single came in a picture sleeve.
Darryl Way's website is up and running. His new Darryl Way Band performed a concert June 9th at the
Kingsbridge Festival in Kingsbridge, Devon. Tracks included "Vivaldi" and "Electric Bolero," plus many
new songs. Photos and soundclips are up on his site, as well. There is
another concert scheduled for August 18th at the Malborough Festival in Malborough, Devon.
Sonja's new jazz album, "Cri de Coeur," should be finished now -- I'll
post a release date soon as I hear. She also traveled to Rome at the end of May to record two
new songs with a pair of Italian composers. The titles are "Eyes Do More Than
See" (lyrics by Sonja, music by Fabio Liberatori) and "Nightfall" (lyrics by Sonja,
music by Arturo Stalteri). Vannuccio Zanella and Nino Destra from MP Records emailed me --
the album is based on one of Isaac Asimov's works and should be ready for release at
the end of September.
And everything prior to June 30, 2001:
Just to stop the rumor -- Rhino Records is not releasing "Air Cut," in fact they've never even
considered it. A shame.
Darryl has been in touch again. He's putting together his own website -- see the links page for the
address. It's still under construction, but it should update us all on what he's been up to lately.
Also, he should have a number of new recordings ready for release by the end of the year. These
will include the long-awaited "Master and Margarita" opera, his new "Sirens Rock" classical work, and
a recording from his newly-formed classical rock band.
I managed to get my hands on a large group of Francis Monkman's library albums recently, and I've
added the tracklists to the Discography page.
I've also established a link to Sonnie Kenney's Greenslade website, both on the Links page and
on the Greenslade Tour Page.
Darryl Way was in touch. He sent us the following press release which gives details
of the upcoming premiere performances of his new symphonic work, "Siren's Rock." Darryl's previous
classical works have all been extraordinary. They include "The Concerto for Electric Violin,"
"The Human Condition," an album of concertos by Bach, Vivaldi, and others with the Elektra Ensemble,
and his opera "The Master and Margarita."
So if you're anywhere
near Kingsbridge or Plymouth, by all means try to attend. We guarantee you will enjoy the productions.
Press release:
Darryl Way -- World premiere of new symphonic choral work comes to South Devon.
The first performances of "Siren's Rock", a symphonic choral work for solo soprano, solo tenor, choir and
symphony orchestra, will be given in Kingsbridge and Plymouth on the 3rd and 4th of March, respectively.
Written by Darryl Way, the piece will be performed by two London soloists, Naomi Harvey and Stephen
Crook, the South West Sinfonietta, and the chorus of Opera South West, conducted by Derek Kitt.
Darryl Way, the composer (better-known as the violinist with the Seventies rock band Curved Air), has since
made a career as a composer and arranger for film and television, and has worked with such luminaries as
Sting, Sir Tim Rice, and Roger Corman.
Darryl moved to South Devon two years ago, and was so inspired by the stunning and dramatic coastline of his
new location, that he immediately started work on a piece about the sea, basing its text on the myth of the
Sirens, found in Homer's Odyssey.
The other pieces in this strong programme are:
Kingsbridge Concert: Saturday March 3rd, St. Edmund's Church, 7.30 pm.
Plymouth Concert: Sunday March 4th, Plymouth Guildhall, 3.00 pm.
Sonja has been in touch -- seems she's been busy with recording plans, and has spoken with
yet another of the "lost" Curved Air members. "I got in touch with Eddie Jobson and he says
he would be happy to contribute to the site when he
finishes his current project. He sent me a CD he produced and has a couple of
tunes on -- 'Voices of Life' by The Bulgarian Women's Choir.
"I also have been invited by MP records in Italy to sing on an album
by two Italian composers, Arturo Stalteri and Fabio Liberatori. I have written
the lyrics for a song called 'Nightfall' and should be recording in Rome in March.
"My Jazz project is progressing well. I have recorded the 'live' tracks and am
working with a musician/composer named Marvin Ayres, who plays cello and
violin. He composes ambient albums with layers of strings and abundant 'sound
design.' We are adding strings to the songs and mixing then with a spacey,
ambient feel."
Tony Reeves let us know that the Greenslade tour went beautifully, with appreciative crowds at
every gig. We've posted some rehearsal photos and concert shots -- see the Photo Archives page.
The set list for the the concerts, mixing the classic songs with new material from the "Large
Afternoon" album, was: "Cakewalk," "Feathered Friends," "Catalan," "No Room," "Large
Afternoon," "Sundance," "En Suite," "In the Night," "Bedside Manners Are Extra," "Joie de Vivre"
and "Spirit of the Dance."
The dates for the second leg of the Greenslade tour:
Jim Russell has been in touch. He let us know just how busy he's been since the "Air Cut"
version of Curved Air split. He did studio and live work with:
Stretch (with Kirby Gregory), Chaos, The Wild Angels
Danny Kirwan, Gay and Terry Woods, Yamaguchi Momoe, Iian Matthews, The Inmates,
Pete Shelly, Human League, The Associates, Billy Mackenzie, Shellyan Orphan, Sam Brown,
Alison Moyet, Paul Young, Los Pistoleros, Bobby Valentino, Amanda Norman Sell, Andrew Strong,
Desmond Dekker, Laurel Aitken, Los Paccaminos (with Paul Young), Peter Green, and
Scotty Moore amongst others!
He also wanted to move into production in the eighties and worked in the
studio as an engineer with:
Elvis Costello, Dexy's Midnight Runners, Madness, Human League, The Associates, Steve Winwood,
Ray Davies, Level 42, XTC, The Go Gos, The Adventures, The Kane Gang, Hazel O'Connor,
Hazee Fantazee and The Cure.
Jim wrote, "There are a few blanks here too, but it should give you an idea. I'm still
playing with Los Paccaminos, The Inmates and a few others. Most recently I have had the
great fortune to tour and record with Scotty Moore which has been a real treat.
"By the way, Richard, I share your enthusiasm for John Entwistle. Recently I have started
teaching at a college along with Steve Bolton who played with The Who on their 1989 'Kids Are Alright'
tour."
We also heard from Alexandra Soltow, better known to Curved Air aficionados as Alex Richman, the
keyboard player who joined the band toward the end of 1976 and played on the "Airborne" tour. She
sent along a photo taken a couple of years ago, too.
"After playing with Curved Air, I went back to the States and ended up in
Colorado, where I got married, had a daughter, and put music on the back
burner for quite a few years. Eventually we moved to Nyack, New York,
which is about 20 miles north of New York City, and I gradually got back
into playing. A gig at the Black Sheep in Manhattan lasted for about a year and a half; since
then I've been doing occasional gigs with The Rat's Ass Rhythm Section, and various
and sundry blues gigs around the city, interspersed with an occasional solo
stint. I've recently become single again, and my daughter will be going to
art college next fall, so I expect I'll have more and more time to play."
Alexandra also played with a band in New York called The Sylvester Brothers in 1995 - 1996.
They have a nice page dedicated to her on their
website.
Michael Wedgwood also checked in with us. "I'm quite busy in the studio
with local artists and (finally) my next solo album, which is going slowly
but surely. I'm hoping to start looking for a record company/distributor in
a couple of months." Good news, it's been far too long since Michael's last album, "Places Like These."
We hate to bring you all bad news, but unfortunately Sonja has had to
cancel her concert at the Astoria on March 9. Time simply was too short
to permit assembling a band and rehearsing a new show. She has asked
me to send you all her apologies.
Stuff from 2000:
Below is the list of Greenslade and Big Chief tour dates from October through December.
We're hoping Tony Reeves will give us his review of the shows.
The final lineup for the Greenslade tour was Tony on bass, Dave Greenslade on keys, John Young on keys and
vocals, and John Turner from Manfred Mann's Earth Band on drums.
The Greenslade dates were:
The Big Chief (with Tony & Mike Jacques) dates were:
Several soundtracks have been added in Darryl's section of the Discography page, and the
Bootleg page has been updated as well.
The elusive lyrics to "Piece of Mind" and "Twenty Years On" have been added
to the "Second Album" and "Alive, 1990" pages. Many thanks to Francis for his help.
We've just heard from Tony Reeves, Curved Air bassist on the "Airborne"
album and tour.
Seems Tony is alive and well and living on the northern outskirts of London, in Bushey. He
runs a company called MTR Ltd.
which makes audio equipment for bands and studios. Take a look at his website, www.mtraudio.com. Tony is also in regular contact with Mick Jacques --
he's been playing with him in a semipro band called Big Chief for very many years. They've
just done a 4 track CD, which should be ready in time for a gig they have at the Brecon Jazz
festival in September -- details to come.
Tony also said that the reformed Greenslade have finished their new album called
"Large Afternoon" and will be touring the UK in November, with European dates planned as well.
There is even some talk about Japanese dates, due to the strong interest in the band in that country.
The new band lineup is Tony, Dave Greenslade, John Young (late of Asia and John Wetton's Qango)
and a
touring drummer yet to be determined. We'll be adding a few archive photos of Greenslade-era
Tony to
his page shortly.
The Discography page has been updated with information on the
"Alive, 1990" album, Sonja's newly reissued "Songs From the Acid Folk" CD,
recently discovered library albums by
Francis Monkman and Darryl Way, plus several collaborations between Francis and John Keating.
Your website host Richard Wynne and his wife Deb recently had the good fortune to spend a bit of time in London
with Francis, Sonja, and Florian. Many thanks and much love to all three for their hospitality, generosity and
friendship. And a big thank you to John Jacob for travel considerations, too!
We'd heard that Florian was an extremely talented sculptor as well as being one of
the finest drummers in rock, but we had no idea he was this good. We've set up a gallery for some of
Florian's favorites, linked to his page. If you're interested in any of the pieces, please contact
us here at the website.
We also found several very rare Francis Monkman LPs on the internet, called "Hits in Hi-Fi,"
"Space Experience 2," "The Electronic Philharmonic,"and "Incorporated," all with John Keating,
plus yet another of Francis' library albums, called "Advanced Technology."
We've added a very rare single to our Eddie Jobson discography.
The discography page has been updated to reflect the re-discovery of a live Sky BBC
concert recording featuring Francis, live at the Dominion Theatre in 1979. Many thanks to
John Selby for this one!
The discography page has also been updated
to reflect another re-discovery, the Francis Monkman mystery library LP from 1984 entitled
"Forcefield,"
plus the reissue of the classic "801 Live" album with bonus tracks. A new contributor,
Michael Thom, has provided further information on the U.S. edition of the "Air Conditioning"
LP. Also, the musical "Curriculee, Curricula" by Dave Greenslade has been added to Sonja's
section.
And we've added a "not-quite-so-legitimate" recording page, linked to the main discography.
We've added a link to a great bunch of Curved Air song samples on the "Album
Cover" page -- many thanks to Eduardo Mota!
We added a couple of links to related band webpages -- Tony Reeves'
Greenslade and Kirby Gregory's
Stretch.
We still have some very special signed records listed for sale on the
Shopping page. Don't pass
up this opportunity -- once these are gone, they're gone for good!
We've added a link to a wonderful, thoroughly researched Curved Air gig list on the 1969-1999
page.
Sonja's "Songs From the Acid Folk" page is up and running -- plus we've established a
link to the official TY-LOR site on the page, as well. And there is now a third Curved Air
Photo Gallery on the 1969-1999 page.
The Alumni page has been completely reworked -- each member now has their own page.
So there.
RW
"Hello Everyone. I called the Boardwalk (in Sheffield) today and John Otway is booked for
Sept 29th. There has been an agent/promoter mixup and I am waiting to hear
further on the outcome. John Otway is launching his new single on that night
and they will be opening HMV at Midnight after the show so fans can rush in
and buy it. As for our show, I'll let you know as soon as I know. "
"To everyone! I am doing a little concert in Deal in Kent at The Astor
Theatre, on August 26th (Bank Holiday Monday) Stanhope Road Deal East Kent.
Also September 29th The Boardwalk, Snig Hill Sheffield S38NA . This is a duo,
myself on Vox and guitar and Marvin Ayres on Violin, Cello and Keyboards.
Acid Folk material, some new songs and a couple of Curved Air songs. My first
live appearance in five years.....Please come along and bring a crowd! If you
are on the Curved Air Yahoo list, wear a red rose.."
With more to come in February 2001, and probably some in Hungary/Czech Republic/Austria.
