soul kitchen connection
The Kinks Arthur Or The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire
50th Anniversary Edition Now Out on BMG & ABKCO Formats: Deluxe Box Set, 2LP, 2CD & Digital
By HARVEY KUBERNIK © 2019
To mark its 50th anniversary, The Kinks today announce a special release of Arthur Or The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire released
Album Cover Courtesy of BMG
last October 25th on BMG & ABKCO, the Kinks 7th studio album is one of the greatest rock albums ever made, a near perfect example of Ray Davies’ incredible storytelling ability in what was an innovation in 1969: a concept album. It’s also poignant that a record based on the story of emigrating from the UK around its potential to enter the Common Market should hit its 50th anniversary right now. With Brexit on the horizon, the themes of Arthur ring alarmingly familiar.
Arthur received unanimous acclaim on its release. Each of its 12 original album tracks is an absolute gem and all perfect examples of Ray Davies’ intrinsic ability to weave a story around a song. In what was a golden period for the Kinks, Arthur followed another classic, The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society when it was released on October 10th 1969.
In the midst of the Arthur sessions, studio time was devoted to completing tracks for Dave Davies’ proposed solo album. The idea had progressed in staggered intervals since the initial success of Dave’s 1967 single, “Death Of a Clown” but, ultimately, never reached completion. Continue reading
CLASSIC COUNTRY MUSIC
By Harvey Kubernik © 2019
The 5 CD deluxe box set edition of COUNTRY MUSIC – A Film By Ken Burns (The Soundtrack) (Legacy Recordings, a division of
Album Cover Courtesy of Columbia/Legacy Records
Sony Music Entertainment, in association with Universal Music Group ), which chronicled the diverse roots, evolution and stylistic diversity of 20th century American country music is the companion to the 8-part (16.5 hour) documentary which premiered during September on PBS-TV.
The collection and television broadcast further reinforced the influence and impact of this musical genre that continues to inform pop, rock, jazz artists and Americana catalogues.
COUNTRY MUSIC – A Film By Ken Burns (The Soundtrack) followed the 2006 2-disc DVD set of The Best of the Johnny Cash Show, hosted by Kris Kristofferson distributed by CMV/Columbia Legacy, a division of Sony BMG Music Entertainment.
The Johnny Cash Show debuted on June 7, 1969 and ran until March 31, 1971 which exposed the Cash invited country, pop, jazz and rock artists to new ears. Continue reading
THE BEATLES REVISIT ABBEY ROAD WITH SPECIAL ANNIVERSARY RELEASES SEPTEMBER 27th
Abbey Road Presented with New Mixes in Stereo, 5.1 Surround, and Dolby Atmos; Expanded with Previously Unreleased Session Recordings and Demos
By Harvey Kubernik © 2019
It was 50 years ago today, on August 8, 1969, that the world’s most famous band stepped out from London’s EMI Recording Studios to
Courtesy Universal Music Enterprises/ Apple Corp. LTD
stride, single-file, across the black and white stripes of Abbey Road’s nearby zebra crossing. With photographer Iain Macmillan balanced on a stepladder and one policeman stopping the street’s light traffic, The Beatles crossed back and forth three times, led by John Lennon, followed by Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison. Just six photos were taken, with the fifth selected as the cover shot for The Beatles’ penultimate studio album, Abbey Road, named after the tree-lined street in which the studios are located.
Released September 26, 1969, Abbey Road was not The Beatles’ final album, as Let It Be followed in 1970, but it was the last one John, Paul, George, and Ringo recorded together as a band. The Beatles will celebrate Abbey Road’s anniversary with a suite of beautifully presented packages to be released worldwide on September 27 by Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol/UMe. the album’s 17 tracks are newly mixed by producer Giles Martin and mix engineer Sam Okell in stereo, high res stereo, 5.1 surround, and Dolby Atmos, accompanied by 23 session recordings and demos, most of which are previously unreleased.
This is the first time Abbey Road has been remixed and presented with additional session recordings and demos. The album’s sweeping new edition follows the universally acclaimed remixed and expanded anniversary editions of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and The BEATLES (‘White Album’) released in 2017 and 2018, respectively. To create Abbey Road’s new stereo, 5.1 surround, and Dolby Atmos mixes, Martin and Okell worked with an expert team of engineers and audio restoration specialists at Abbey Road Studios. All the new Abbey Road releases feature the new stereo album mix, sourced directly from the original eight-track session tapes. To produce the mix, Giles was guided by the album’s original stereo mix supervised by his father, George Martin. Continue reading
LITTLE STEVEN AND THE DISCIPLES OF SOUL WORLD TOUR
FIRST ALBUM OF NEW MATERIAL SUMMER OF SORCERY IN 20 YEARS VIA WICKED COOL/UME Label;
BY HARVEY KUBERNIK © 2019
Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul’s Summer Of Sorcery was just released during May on CD, digitally and on vinyl as double LP on 180-
Courtesy of UMe Records
gram black vinyl via Wicked Cool/UMe label.
A wide-ranging world tour began May 16 at Liverpool, UK’s 02 Academy and then made stops across the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy and Spain.
The first leg of the North American tour started July 2 at the London Music Hall in Ontario, Canada and take Van Zandt and band all across Canada and the Eastern U.S., culminating at Outlaw Jam in Annapolis, Md.
They will return to Europe in August for more shows and return to the US in September for the second leg of the tour that will culminate at New York City’s Beacon Theatre on November 6th.
Each show on the American tour will benefit Van Zandt’s TeachRock education initiative and offer an introduction to the Teachrock.org curriculum. Before the show, the TeachRock staff will host free professional development workshops designed to engage educators with techniques and content through which they can comfortably use music to inspire students, even if they’ve never touched an instrument.
The free, multimedia K-12 interdisciplinary curriculum meets prevailing standards in English Language Arts, Social Studies/History, the Fine and Performing Arts, and also includes STEAM and advisory material suitable for K-12 teachers of all disciplines, interdisciplinary best practices and group activities.
Summer Of Sorcery – which arrives just two years after Little Steven’s acclaimed 2017’s solo return, Soulfire, and its 2018 live follow-up, Soulfire Live! – was written, arranged, and produced by Van Zandt at his own Renegade Studios in New York City; the album was co-produced and recorded by Geoff Sanoff and co-produced by Disciples of Soul musical director and guitarist Marc Ribler.
Courtesy of UMe Records
Summer Of Sorcery was mixed and mastered respectively by Van Zandt’s career-long collaborators and friends Bob Clearmountain and Bob Ludwig (. The album – which features an exclusive introduction written by Van Zandt – is adorned with Frank Frazetta-inspired cover art by Steven’s longtime art director, Louis Arzonico.
“I know it sounds a bit silly but I do believe Rock ‘n’ Roll can change the world,” Van Zandt volunteered. “It’s about bands, and that for me suggests brotherhood, family, friendship, and community”
In addition to his ongoing role as a touring and recording member of The E Street Band, the past two decades have seen the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer expand his personal parameters to include legendary work as an actor on The Sopranos and Lilyhammer as well as host-creator of Sirius XM’s one-and-only Little Steven’s Underground Garage creator of Sirius XM’s long-running Outlaw Country format). Continue reading
THE ROLLING STONES – BRIDGES TO BREMEN
CONCERT FILM TO BE RELEASED JUNE 21ST 2019
RESTORED, REMIXED AND REMASTERED SHOW LIVE FROM GERMANY
PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED CONCERT PLUS FOUR BONUS TRACKS FROM CHICAGO;
KEITH RICHARDS 1999 INTERVIEW
By HARVEY KUBERNIK © 2019
As the Rolling Stones’ No Filter US tour dates are currently being re-scheduled Bridges To Bremen was announced today by the Rolling
DVD cover Courtesy of Eagle Vision
Stones for release on June 21st.
Presented by Eagle Vision, the previously unreleased concert film has been completely restored, remixed and remastered and will be available on digital, DVD + 2CD, Blu-ray + 2CD, triple vinyl and digital audio formats.
Bridges to Bremen captures a complete September 2, 1998 show at Germany’s Weserstadion venue from the final leg of the Rolling Stones’ year-long trek that supported their Bridges to Babylon album, which achieved Platinum and Gold status in multiple markets upon the album’s original release in 1997.
The Bridges To Babylon tour was the first time the band went on the road with a permanent, and now infamous, B-stage, and also the first time that fans could vote on the band’s website for a track they wanted to hear at the show – “Memory Motel” in the case of the Bremen fans, making each show on the tour unique. Continue reading
Download The Album!
