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Dear Frosties,

I'm going to see Rush play Moving Pictures at Sheffield on Thursday evening (19 May), but I was going to take my eldest lad and it turns out he's got an A-level mock exam the next morning. I'm very impressed that he's disappointed about not being able to worship at the High Altar of Rock Deities, and more impressed still that he's so diligent about his education. But, hell, I'm still going even though I've got to teach the next morning!

This means that I've got a spare ticket if anyone wants to join me. Somehow I doubt the wife will fancy it...

All the best,

David

Wearing my non-prog hat as a classical music critic, I received a press release yesterday warning of the following. I thought it might be curious to Frosties who are serious Genesis fans (that is, serious fans of Genesis, but perhaps more so die-hard fans of serious Genesis. LOL).
--------------------------------------------
MUSIC OF ICONIC ROCK BAND GENESIS
TO BE RE-IMAGINED FOR ORCHESTRA
BY TOLGA KASHIF
RECORDING ON TOLGA'S NEW LABEL LIGHTSONG SCHEDULED FOR JULY
TOLGA TO CONDUCT LONDON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
IN ABBEY ROAD STUDIO 1
London, 23 June 2010 – The ink is dry on the latest opus by world-renowned composer, producer and
conductor Tolga Kashif, as he prepares to enter Studio 1 at Abbey Road with the London Symphony
Orchestra in July, to record his orchestral tribute to the iconic rock band Genesis.
For his latest project, Tolga – whose Queen Symphony achieved international success in 2003 with a
release on EMI Classics and sold-out concerts world-wide – has turned to the multifarious music of 2010
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Genesis, documenting the full range of the band's songbook in a
fresh sound-world. Tolga comments, "My endeavour has been to weave the band's material into the
orchestral medium whilst remaining faithful to the essence of the original songs. The richness of the
Genesis catalogue is a gift to a composer, and working with it so closely has taken me on an unexpected
journey. I hope the result will have cross-genre appeal to Genesis fans and classical audiences alike."
Tolga's work with the music of Genesis is a multi-faceted project that has been in the making for over a
year. The album will be released on Tolga's new label, Lightsong, and launched on October 11 with the worldpremiere
performance by the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Tolga, at London's Barbican Centre.
----------------------------------------

Of course, this has been done before, as anyone who knows the ups and downs of David Palmer's "We Know What We Like" will testify.

David

So, for those devoted fanboys like me who pre-ordered from the band some months ago, who's heard the new Spock's Beard offering?

I don't do any of the partisan stuff like "they've been rubbish ever since Neal left", "Neal Morse just does prog by formula", or, "they used to be great but I hate 'Snow' because I feel uncomfortable with Christianity, but some of the stuff since he left has been ok", etc. I love almost all of their stuff, whether its 'V' or 'Octane'. And I adore 'Snow'. So there.

But is anyone else really quite shocked and mostly thrilled by the ballsy and quirky prog showcased on 'X'?
Not what I was expecting, and it takes a few listens to adjust into it. Along with the Divine Comedy's wonderful 'Bang goes the Knighthood', long car journeys this week have been pleasanter than usual.

David

Blimey, what is it with this band? Having eventually just brought out "The Gathering Light", which has a few tasty moments, it now seems that Ian Jones has managed to lose almost his entire band yet again...

Advertising on their website for a lead female singer, keyboardist and drummer, doesn't seem like progress.

Maybe Lisa Fury & Co have left so that they can team up with the 38th line-up of The Reasoning...

Ah well. Bands, eh? Who'd put up with 'em?

Now, do I go to see the Rush rockumentary tonight on the big screen? Can I afford to re-mortgage the house so I can see Roger Waters play The Wall next May? ... decisions, decisions

David

Anyone had any thoughts about the new-look Karnataka's "Gathering Light" album?

On the fourth or fifth listen, I began to think some of it is really good. Maybe I'm just more taken with Panic Room and The Reasoning. But I'm curious to know what fellow Frosties make of it...

Nice to have the forum back, and I much prefer the brightness! All the best to Jem with his ongoing studio building project, etc.

All the best,

Dodie

Dear all,

I don't usually post on this corner of the forum, so please be patient and forgiving. I haven't used a scrap of music technology since 1996, and even then had only a passing acquaintance with the likes of Notator, Logic, a four-track Fostex casstte machine the size of a Rolls-Royce engine, and an Ensoniq TS-10 workstation. I am an ignorant philistine who doesn't know what pro tools, cubase, plug ins, and so on, are for, what they do, etc.

But after a dozen years of spending my working life immersed in music of the early 18th century, I'm hankering to write and record some prog-pop-rock songs again (partly because my exposure to Frost & Co has inspired me to have a go once more). I've got a limited pot of money (let's say no more than a grand). So where the hell do I start?

My old Vaio laptop is full of work documents and won't support a recording/production suite. I've still got the old TS-10, and I love playing it, but I'm fed up with trying to use it's in-built sequencer. I want to join the digital home studio revolution, but haven't got the foggiest where to start. There's a lot of websites that want to sell you a lot of stuff, and I'm confused...

Should I get a Tascam 24 track recorder? Or a reasonably priced laptop running Cubase 5 and a few bits to make it all work together with mics, guitars, etc.? The cheapest version of Pro tools adequate for my needs? Or some weird combination of all of them? I can't afford to buy new synths, much as though I love the few Nords I've tinkled on in my local Dolphin store.

Some friendly advice for this techno-dummy would be really appreciated.

All the best,

Dodie

See below for an update on the health of Andrew Latimer, from his partner Susan Hoover. As an aside, he's my nomination for most soulful guitarist in prog (makes a change from the more common "most under-rated" tag!). My reissue of the year has got to be the expanded (i.e. complete) Pressure Points concert - the live version of "Stationary Traveller" has got something that the studio versions just doesn't reach:

Just a brief missive to send holiday wishes and to thank you all for your emails, cards, and letters asking after Andrew.  I apologise for not posting an update much sooner, but the news is good.  Andrew continues to recover well.

We expect to have Camel's next DVD "Opening Farewell" available in the near future.  We still can't say when, but Andrew and Denis are working on it daily now, and progress is steady.  

We get to close the year on an exciting and high note.  Recently, Camel were invited to appear as special guests at the High Voltage Festival in London this coming July, and we are seriously considering it.  He would want to do a small string of shows, not just the one, so before we can say definitively, we have to work out the logistics and be sure Andrew is fit for the demands of a live show.  The decision must be made by early spring, so it won't be long before we say 'yay' or 'nay' .

For now, we send our very best wishes for health and contentment.  This year-ending, we'll light our Hour Candle for this good life we have.  There is no greater gift than health.  It is the pot of gold at Rainbow's End.

With our fondest and best wishes,
Susan Hoover

My copy just arrived. Hurrah.

Nice...

Title-track is gorgeous.

I try to suppress fanboy tendencies, but Anne-Marie Helder is just, well, awesome.

:-)

David

Dear Frosties,

I take it I may not be the only one here pleased by this news:
http://www.genesis-music.com/news/

Now they only need to release all four boxed sets together, all in for a fiver, and then I'll be truly happy.

Cheers,

David

Hi all,

Dream Theater have released several cover versions on i-Tunes and for download at Amazon in the run-up to the release of their new album. An interesting and eclectic choice of covers, and the newest is out today: a storming version of King Crimson's Larks Tongues in Aspic, part 2.

They've also done a spirited version of Rainbow's Stargazer and a fantastic medley of songs from Queen's Sheer Heart Attack.

Maybe most Frosties know all this already, but just thought I'd put in a good word...

Cheers,

David

Dear all,
A while ago we were encouraged to sign a petition to stop legislation about noise control at entertainment venues. I've just had this response from No. 10 Downing Street:
http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page18339
Seems it isn't the government that's the problem, but local authorities. Still, good news that no such law is being considered.
Cheers
David

Dear all,

I'm down in London on Saturday, and wonder if there are any good bricks-and-mortar CD shops that have a good range of prog? I only know the two HMVs on Oxford Street, but there must be somewhere a bit more specialist and exciting? For example, there's a specialist second-hand classical CD place in Notting Hill that's incredible, and I wonder if there's any proggish equivalent?

Cheers

David

Dear all,

Does anyone know a good and easy-to-understand way to burn tracks from DVDs into mp3s?

It bugs me that I can't listen to some stuff from my favourite DVD concerts while in the car.

Hope someone can suggest something that works.

Cheers

David

Hi Frosties,

I was watching the Jeff Beck at Ronnie Scotts concert (recorded from TV a few months ago), and the song with Imogen Heap just blows my away. Wow. Alas, the guest bits in th TV broadcast are not on the CD that was released just before Christmas (though that's fab too).

Two questions, if anyone is kind enough to answer:
1) what was the song, and where can I find the original? Is it a song from one of Jeff's albums, or something from one of Imogen's?
2) If I had to get one of Imogen's albums, which one?

Cheers

David

Hi all,

TBE (in the Ask Frost bit about the CD Booklet) writes an entirely laudable comment about why EIMA is proper prog, and lays down the guantlet:
"Jem is the artist, and he has made a statement which means something. He doesn't need to explain why the booklet has no lyrics. It may not be what some expected but there is a reason for it and it would be great to read a discussion as to why people think he has done so, or for that matter why the album contains the themes and ideas it does..."

I'm probably the least insightful person to get the ball rolling on this, but I'd love to read ideas from others (or even Jem LOL) about what the album's themes and ideas are...

So, erm, what are EIMA's themes and ideas?

I seem to recall Jem saying that "You/I" was the little vital last part in the album, and does this provide some sort of key to one of the album's themes? It seems to be connected to "EIMA" thematically (I mean words, which seem to be expressing disillusionment with misunderstanding fans or stupid A&R people); so there seems to be a thread about the record industry (a noble prog tradition ever since Wish you were here, of course)

Then again, I might be completely off-track
 :roll:

David