Rooted in London, the one-man band Son of Jack is an artist that represents the best of eclecticism and experience, two qualities that enrich and permeate across his latest album, ‘Just a Life Flashing Before Our Eyes.’
Tag: albums
YOUR BEST NIGHTMARE is Back with Insane New Single ‘St. Agnes’
This single offers a new flavour of YOUR BEST NIGHTMARE that we’ve never seen before. ‘St Agnes’ takes the dark yet sweet delightfulness of ‘Presents: A Simple Solution for Toxic Masculinity,’ steeps it in venom, sets fire to it, and dances in its poisonous ashes. Oh yeah, this track is truly a rage-fuelled evolution of YOUR BEST NIGHTMARE’s style. The question is, whose downfall are you praying for?
David Gilmour – Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre, Irvine, CA, USA – June 24th 1984
Our thanks to Theatrice Westbrook for very kindly sharing recollections of an evening in Irvine, California, in June 1984, when David Gilmour played at the Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre as part of his About Face tour that year: Chef André Wiederkehr, a friend of my co-worker and friend Karen, got tickets and they had a couple extra. They invited me and other coworker/friend Brian and gave us a ride. Pink Floyd wasn’t really Brian’s cup of tea. He was more New Wave, outrageous⦠he turned me on to John Waters and “Pink Flamingos”! But ironically after a group of us saw Berlin in concert in Hollywood earlier, he told me LA was too much, he couldn’t wait to get back behind that Orange Curtain (the more conservative Orange County, California)! Go figure. Brian had his leg in a cast, but refused a wheelchair and walked from the parking lot to our seat on crutches. (He took up the wheelchair offer after the concert.) We had great seats in the lower section, closest to the stage. David Gilmour’s first solo tour. Roger Waters had also begun his first solo tour during the middle of this tour (and more Floyd acrimony would lay ahead). Before the show, André and I went to the restroom; I came out first. Through the fence I saw a guy in jeans and a red Pendleton talking with crew or someone. He looked like a trucker. I looked at his face from profile, it was David Gilmour, 20-25 feet away, with very short hair. I about shit myself. André came out of the bathroom, talking. André was a super hardcore European Floyd fan from Austria. (Translation: Hardcore fan.) When I pointed out David Gilmour, he stopped in his tracks, staring, speechless. We both stared for a couple minutes before returning to our seats. No opening act. A beautiful Summer eve, a little warm. I had both solo albums and hoped he would play my favourite track “There’s No Way Out of Here” (he didn’t). But I was not disappointed. The new album, “About Face”, was more “radio friendly”, with more guest players (Jeff Porcaro was the drummer). The stage was much more scaled down than on Floyd tours. (Part of the show is visible in the US-only 1984 home video release “David Gilmour Live.”) The band played cuts from Gilmour’s two solo albums along with a couple of Floyd tracks. The stage darkened and a deep synth pulsated in syncopation with lighting on the lip of the stage and around the edge of the stage risers. This signalled the opening song “Until We Sleep”, the first of 5 new album cuts. The band was on it. Loud and clear. I thought I recognized the second guitarist who looked like Mick Ralphs, noted this imposing bald drummer, and a lady on percussion who looked like she was pregnant. The next song was the Pete Townshend/David Gilmour song “All Lovers Are Deranged”, which slammed in the same fashion as the first, and with an ending that presaged the intro/outro of Pink Floyd song “Sorrow” (from the 1987 album “A Momentary Lapse of Reason”), as it shook the whole amphitheater.
Nick Mason donates signed drum heads, sticks and Pink Floyd albums to auction
nyt.org.uk/auction (https://nyt.org.uk/auction) to see details of all the lots, and place your bids!
Five For Friday – 2nd August 2024
Kailaya – ‘Montenegro For The Summer’ Multi-talented American-Ukrainian singer-songwriter Kailaya has now released her newest single ‘Montenegro For The Summer’. This alt-pop track, infused with jazz-afrobeat guitar and R&B flair, captures the playful spirit of a summer getaway and showcases Kailaya’s distinctive style, appealing to fans of artists like Camila Cabello, Cleo Sol, and KIRBY. […]
New issue of Prog Magazine with large David Gilmour features and Nick Mason’s Saucers reviewed
Prog Magazine (https://www.magazinesdirect.com/az-single-issues/47052423/prog-magazine-single-issue.thtml) – and as you’ll see from the cover image, it’s got plenty to interest fans of David Gilmour and Nick Mason’s Saucerful Of Secrets! Prog gave us the following rundown of what the issue offers: “Nine years after David Gilmour released his last solo album he is about to release Luck And Strange. That evocative guitar tone, those emotive solos, that distinct voice – all those components that make up a great Gilmour album are all in place. He tells us all about his upcoming release, and that heâs already planning a follow-up, plus we asked 30 of his peers, collaborators, fellow musicians and fans in the prog world to pick their favourite David Gilmour performance. “Also in this issue Thijs van Leer tells us all about the new Focus album, 12; Gryphon recall 1974, a year that saw them release two great albums and tour with Yes; Fairport Conventionâs Dave âPeggyâ Pegg looks back over his career; and we track down former ELO bass player Michael de Albuquerque. “Elsewhere, we have the latest from Tim Bowness, Jadis, Azure, Rendezvous Point, Evergrey and Alcest; we review the new album from Leprous and catch Yes, Saucerful Of Secrets, Caligulaâs Horse and more in the live arena. “We also have a free sampler from Spirit Of Unicorn Music with fantastic music from Yes, Keith Emerson, Greg Lake, Focus, John Wetton and loads more and four great David Gilmour postcards.” The main article with David – where he notes that Luck and Strange “is the best album I’ve made in all those years since 1973, when The Dark Side Of The Moon came out” – is an in-depth, six page look at the things which shaped the new album, and how it came together, through the words of Gilmour and Polly Samson. Inevitably, the list of his 30 greatest performances as chosen by fellow musicians will prove to fans as interesting as it will be divisive and debate stoking. Will your favourite be in there? Finally, on the Floyd related front, there’s a very (and rightly) enthusiastic two-page review of Nick Mason’s Saucerful Of Secrets live at London’s Royal Albert Hall recently, concluding their 2024 UK tour. You can order Prog Magazine through this link (https://www.magazinesdirect.com/az-single-issues/47052423/prog-magazine-single-issue.thtml) although depending on when you read this, the new issue might not yet be showing there. There also seems to be a pop up offer which could save you 5% on your order (although there are terms and conditions attached, so please check those).
Nick Mason’s solo albums available individually on CD and vinyl LP next month
To be released on June 7th, 2024 are all three of Nick Mason’s solo albums as individual LPs and CDs for the first time since their original release. In August 2018, the limited edition Unattended Luggage box set gathered the three album together but now you can get them separately. For those who need reminding, Fictitious Sports was Nick’s debut solo album from 1981, which included collaborations with a variety of different musicians including Robert Wyatt and Carla Bley. 1985’s Profiles saw him hook up with 10cc guitarist Rick Fenn, and is a mainly instrumental album except for tracks Lie for a Lie which features vocals from Maggie Reilly and Floyd bandmate David Gilmour. and Israel, sung by UFO keyboardist Danny Peyronel. Finally, there’s White of the Eye, another collaboration with Rick Fenn, a soundtrack for the British thriller movie of the same name. Originally released on January 1st 1987 on Harvest in the UK, and Columbia in the US, to coincide with the film’s release, the 2018 saw it appear on CD for the first time. ORDERING INFORMATION:
All purchases made after using one of our links make a small but vital contribution toward the site running costs, at no extra cost to yourself, and we really appreciate it! This is because we participate in the Amazon Affiliate program. NICK MASON’S FICTITIOUS SPORTS LP: Amazon.com (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B07H4QH5KC/braindamage-20) Amazon UK (https://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B07H4QH5KC/braindamage-21) Canada (http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/B07H4QH5KC/braindamageon-20) Germany (http://www.amazon.de/exec/obidos/ASIN/B07H4QH5KC/braindamage0f-21) France (http://www.amazon.fr/exec/obidos/ASIN/B07H4QH5KC/braindamageon-21) Italy (http://www.amazon.it/gp/product/B07H4QH5KC/bradamonl-21) Spain (http://www.amazon.es/gp/product/B07H4QH5KC/braidama01-21)
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A very happy birthday to Nick Mason!
All of us here at Brain Damage offer our very best wishes to Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason, who celebrates the very special occasion of his 80th birthday today (January 27th). We all hope you are going to have a fantastic day, Nick! The cornerstone of the band, he had his first drum kit at the tender age of 13. A member of Pink Floyd since the earliest iterations, he is the only one to have appeared on every one of their albums. Thanks to his late father Bill, he has been a petrol head from a young boy, and cars have been – and remain – one of his major passions in life. His most recent book, Passion for Speed (http://www.brain-damage.co.uk/books/passion-for-speed-nick-mason-and-mark-hales-2.html), is worth checking out, as is the DVD of the same name (http://www.brain-damage.co.uk/dvds-and-videos/passion-for-speed-ferrari-enzo-dvd-nick-mason-and-mark-2.html) focusing on his Ferrari Enzo car (with Nick heavily involved). Of course, for those who haven’t read it, Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd (http://www.brain-damage.co.uk/books/inside-out-2011-edition-updated-paperback-nick-mason-2.html) is an absolutely essential read, and available in a variety of editions: hardback, paperback and an audiobook, which is read by Nick himself… Nick has contributed to a number of magazines on motoring issues over the years (including a fascinating monthly column in Octane Magazine), and also became president of the Guild of Motoring Writers. He is a trustee of the Beaulieu National Motor Museum, and a life member and Guardian of the BRDC (British Racing Drivers Club). He has been involved in motor racing since the early 1970s and has entered Le Mans five times. Musically, of course, the big news over the last few years was the launch of his new band, Nick Mason’s Saucerful Of Secrets. The four initial, small gigs in May 2018 held in London lead to a very successful and critically acclaimed European tour in September. This was followed, of course, in 2019 with dates in the US, Canada, and more dates in the UK and Europe. 2020 saw the release of the superb London Roundhouse concert film on audio and video formats, and was due to see the band play more shows. Sadly, the pandemic put the halt on any such plans for 2020 and 2021, but the band were back with a bang in 2022 and 2023! This year, Nick and the band will be back on tour, with six dates in Italy, and one in Germany, announced so far – click here to see all the 2024 gigs as it stands (https://www.brain-damage.co.uk/nick-mason-s-sos-2024/index.php) – and we suspect there are plans for other shows too. Obviously, we’ll let you know as and when we get any further dates through. Many happy returns, Nick, and see you on the road!
Let’s celebrate Marianne Faithfull
Today is Marianne Faithfull’s birthday, and it is an occasion for looking back on her career that started almost 60 years ago in 1966. From there it was a bumpy road for her for several years. But after a dark … Continue reading
PRISON ESCAPEE Releases Ethereal Indie-Rock Single ‘The Day Lennon Died’
Singer-songwriter, PRISON ESCAPEE, rounds off 2023 with ethereal new single ‘The Day Lennon Died’. Have a look at what we had to say about it!