Chris Robinson Brotherhood - Rosalee

Chris Robinson Brotherhood is an American blues rock band formed in 2011 by Black Crowes singer Chris Robinson while The Black Crowes are on indefinite hiatus.

Chris Robinson Brotherhood began as an experiment but became a 'band' during their California residency tour. The original intention, according to Robinson, was to "have a local L.A. band, just play in California, see where the music takes us, and have a good time". They then embarked on an 118 date North American tour in 2011. Robinson names Grateful Dead members Phil Lesh and Bob Weir, who sat in with the band during CRB's run at the Great American Music Hall, as both musical inspirations and friends. As well as Robinson, the band features fellow Black Crowes member Adam MacDougall, Ryan Adams collaborator Neal Casal, bassist Mark Dutton, and drummer George Sluppick. Robinson describes the Brotherhood as a "farm-to-table psychedelic band".

Chris Robinson Brotherhood released a version of "Blue Suede Shoes" (written by Carl Perkins) b/w a live version "Girl, I Love You" (written by Al Bell and Eddie Floyd) for Record Store Day on April 21, 2012. The CD version also features a cover of the Jimmy Reed song, "Bright Lights Big City".

The band's debut album, Big Moon Ritual, was recorded at Sunset Sound Studios, Los Angeles, and was released on 5 June 2012. Chris Robinson suggests that Big Moon Ritual is "not a concept album, but it's very conceptual sonically." He also notes that CRB "isn't the type of band that's going to make a concise four-minute song record", and that they prefer instead to make lengthier compositions.

The Magic Door Just three months after its predecessor, on 11 September 2012, Chris Robinson Brotherhood's second studio album, The Magic Door, was released. It was recorded at the same time as Big Moon Ritual and features a cover of the Hank Ballard song "Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go", which the band has often played live.

Band members

Chris Robinson — lead vocals, guitars
Neal Casal — guitars, vocals
Adam MacDougall — keyboards, vocals
Mark Dutton — bass, vocals

George Sluppick — drums

Todays tune "Rosalee" is taken from the debut studio album "Big Moon Ritual".

Chris Robinson Brotherhood perform "Rosalee" on Live @ 5 from the Bearsville Theater on Radio Woodstock WDST 100.1 on Friday, 8/24/12.



This summer, The Black Crowes will visit the Swedish Festival "Putte i parken".

More info @

Official Chris Robinson Brotherhood Web

Listen to "Chris Robinson Brotherhood - Rosalee" on Spotify here!

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Black Sabbath - Never Say Die!

New week, new album to present. This time there will be no new record, but an old and dusty one, a record that received a lot of beating once it arrived.

The album I'm talking about is "Never Say Die!", the eighth studio album by British heavy metal band Black Sabbath, released in September 1978. It was the final Black Sabbath studio album to feature vocalist Ozzy Osbourne prior to his departure from the band in 1979.

At the time of the recording of Never Say Die! the members of Black Sabbath were all heavily involved in drug and alcohol abuse. Prior to the recording of the album, vocalist Osbourne quit the band and was briefly replaced by former Savoy Brown and Fleetwood Mac vocalist Dave Walker. Some songs were written with Walker, and the new group even performed an early version of "Junior's Eyes" with different lyrics on the BBC programme, Look Hear. Osbourne eventually rejoined the band, refusing to sing any of the songs written with Walker. These particular songs were rewritten, including "Junior's Eyes", rewritten to be about the then-recent death of Osbourne's father.

The album was recorded at Sounds Interchange Studios in Toronto, as were parts of Technical Ecstasy. Closing track "Swinging The Chain" features lead vocals from drummer Bill Ward, necessitated by Osbourne's frequent absences from the studio and inability to perform due to substance abuse. 

The sleeve was another by Hipgnosis and the US and UK releases differed slightly in the faint images of British military pilots seen in the sky. The inner-bag featured graphics in keeping with the sleeve and credits, but no lyrics. The airplane on the cover appears to be a North American T-6 Texan.

Osbourne has criticized the album and the decision to record it in Toronto, telling After Hours in a 1981 interview "The last album I did with Sabbath was Never Say Die and it was the worst piece of work that I've ever had anything to do with. I'm ashamed of that album. I think it's disgusting". He went on to claim that the band flew to Toronto in January during sub-zero temperature "purely because the Rolling Stones had recorded a live album there..." Only three songs from the album were performed live during the tour in support of it, and dropped from subsequent set lists. Chart positions and singles

In the UK the title-track, released well-ahead of the album and the band's first UK picture-sleeve single, reached #21 in the chart and gave the band its first Top Of The Pops appearances since 1970. The band twice appeared live in the studio, miming to the song. One of these appearances was included on the official The Black Sabbath Story Vol. 1 - 1970-1978 video release, in a poor b/w transfer from a fan's off-air archive, despite the BBC holding both appearances in their archive.

In the UK "A Hard Road" was released as the second single from the album and reached the UK Top 40, 25,000 copies being pressed in a limited-edition purple-vinyl. There was no picture-sleeve release.

The music on "Never Say Die" is a mixed bag, where Sabbath exploring a new musical ground. The classic heaviness is not so very clear here,  as the focus is set on a little more classic rock. Nothing wrong with that at all when you listen to this today. Here it is played anywhere from a few ballads to experimental jazz. All of the aforementioned songs are fine compositions, even if some songs are a little bit odd and not keeps the high "Sabbath" standard. But if one approaches the album with an open mind, and enjoys the music rather than focusing on the fact that this is the original lineup's swansong, one will find much variety to enjoy here.

All music by Black Sabbath (Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne and Bill Ward); all lyrics by Geezer Butler.

Todays tune "Never Say Die" is the title track from the 1978 album of the same name.

It was the last single Black Sabbath wrote with singer Ozzy Osbourne, who left the band and went on to a successful solo career, until 1998's Reunion. Osbourne actually left the band before Never Say Die! was released, but came back to record this album. It's one of the only three songs off the album to ever be performed live.

The band collectively chose the title as a phrase that summed up the previous ten years of their lives. It deals with never giving up. This is commonly cited as ironic, because Osbourne left the band again after the album's release.

Black Sabbath - Never Say Die ! (Top Of The Pops 1978)




A little bonus for today is a little clip with Rick Rubin on Producing Black Sabbath's New Album, '13'



More info @

Official Black Sabbath Web

Listen to "Black Sabbath - Never Say Die! " on Spotify here!

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Flower Travellin' Band - Satori Part II

 

Sunday, time for a classic. The Japanese rock band "Flower Travellin' Band" creates a wonderful atmosphere with their album "Satori", The band was formed in 1968. In Japan they often go by the moniker FTB.

They were connected to Japans counterculture movement and noted for their mixture of early heavy metal with psychedelic and progressive rock. They received wide acclaim from critics although failed to achieve commercial success and disbanded in 1973 to pursue individual careers. The band reunited in late 2007 when hippie influences became popular again in Japanese fashion, music and cinema; it was permanently disbanded after the 2011 death of vocalist Joe Yamanaka.

While the bands releases have never sold well they continue to be held in high regard by the music industry, as such their albums have never been out of print. They also continue to be made available on the latest audiophile formats such as SHM-CDs. Although disbanded the members of the Flower Travellin' Band continue to perform FTB songs live together under the name Flower Power with other musicians.

Todays tune "Satori Part II" is taken from the second album "Satori", but their first of original material. It was released in Japan by Atlantic Records, and in the US and Canada by GRT Records in 1971.

The North American release differed to the Japanese original, as it contained songs off their upcoming album Made in Japan and the bonus track "Lullaby". The original Japanese version was reissued on CD by Warner Music in 1988. It was digitally remastered in 1998. In 2009 it was remastered on the new SHM-CD format. A re-release in 1991 contained the bonus track "Map", which was written by Kuni Kawachi and originally on his album Kirikyogen, which featured Joe Yamanaka and Hideki Ishima, under the name "Works Composed Mainly By Humans". This version of the song was previously released as a single by Flower Travellin' Band. Satori is distributed worldwide by Phoenix Records, on both CD and Vinyl.

First clip is a Rare 8mm footage of Japanese 70's psychedelic rock group "Flower Travellin' Band" playing their last show at Maruyama in Kyoto, Japan.



Second clip contains the full version of the tune.



Flower Travellin' Band (フラワー・トラベリン・バンド Furawā Toraberin Bando?)

More info @

Official Flower Travellin' Band Web

Listen to "FTB - Satori Part II" on Spotify here!

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Spiritual Beggars - Wise As A Serpent

Spiritual Beggars is a stoner metal band from Halmstad, Sweden, formed by Michael Amott, who is known from Arch Enemy, Carcass and Carnage. The band just released the first taste of the upcoming album.

Todays tune "Wise As A Serpent" is taken from the upcoming new album "Earth Blues" In stores April 15th.  

Guitarist Michael Amott says: “We chose this particular song as the first video off Earth Blues because it’s an explosive track – and also the shortest song on the album!

“I filmed and directed the video myself and Anders Björler of At The Gates did a great job on the edit. We’re more than pleased with the end result; it’s done in true DIY spirit – raw and authentic.”


The band consist of:

Michael Amott - Guitars
Apollo Papathanasio - Vocals
Ludwig Witt - Drums
Sharlee D'Angelo - Bass Guitar
Per Wiberg - Keyboard, Vocals


Spiritual Beggars / Zodiac European tour

15.04.2013 Hamburg (Germany) – Logo
16.04.2013 Köln (Germany) – Underground
17.04.2013 Ludwigburg (Germany) – Rockfabrik
18.04.2013 München (Germany) – Backstage
19.04.2013 Pratteln (Switzerland) – Galery
20.04.2013 Nürnberg (Germany) – Rockfabrik (Rock’n’Roll Overdose Festival)
21.04.2013 Tilburg (The Netherlands) – 013 (Roadburn Festival)
22.04.2013 Paris (France) – La Scene Bastille
25.04.2013 Madrid (Spain) – Caracol
26.04.2013 Barcelona (Spain) – Sala Music Hall
27.04.2013 Erandio / Bilbao (Spain) – Sonora
28.04.2013 Toulouse (France) – Le Saint Des Seins

23.06.2013 Clisson (France) – Hellfest

More info @

Official Spiritual Beggars MySpace
Official Spiritual Beggars Facebook

Sorry no spotify on this one yet!

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