Saturday, March 21, 2015

Steely Dan biography updated

Cover of the 2015 edition.
"Comprehensive, obsessed with detail, slow-moving and a bit dull: the description applies equally well to both book and band."

Hey! It's not our description but one from a review of the new and updated (as in February 2015) edition of the biography originally released in 1994 and written by Brian Sweet.

We read it back in the early 2000's with the knowledge that neither Donald nor Walter wanted to be interviewed for the book, and that hardcore fans were somewhat ... er ... critical of the contents and book in all.

That being said we found it a great way to get an overview and timeline of the band and look forward to what this updated version might bring. Last edition dates back to 2008.

(And if we ever run into Donald and/or Walter we wouldn't be busy asking what facts in this book are "facts", but rather enjoy a coffee/tea/beer together while watching the sun set ... as only the sun can ... set.)


Monday, March 16, 2015

Record Store Day release: Zappa 200 Motels single


A purple 7 inch single with two pieces from Frank Zappa's 200 Motels, two previously unreleased tracks. 
The first one is Overture from the 2013 concert of 200 Motels, performed by The Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen. On the flip side: The piece What's The Name Of Your Group?, an original recording from 1971.

http://www.recordstoreday.com/SpecialRelease/7596

What's The Name Of Your Group?

Toto-member Mike Porcaro has died

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-31900407

The third obituary in a row on the Radio Dupree blog. We do hope that there will be other types of news now.

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Polar Music Prize winners: Emmylou Harris and Evelyn Glennie

The 2015 recipients of the Polar Music Prize has been announced.

"The Polar Music Prize 2015 is awarded to the artist Emmylou Harris from Birmingham, Alabama. No one in the history of popular music has harmonised like Emmylou Harris. For five decades she has embellished other artists’ recordings by adding vocal parts that did not exist in the melodies. But it is as an artist in her own right that she has made the greatest contribution.
...
Emmylou Harris has also used her position as a musician to work for feminism, animal rights and the care of people affected by war. Emmylou Harris makes the world bigger and smaller, more valuable and more beautiful."

"The Polar Music Prize 2015 is awarded to percussionist Evelyn Glennie from Aberdeen, Scotland. Evelyn Glennie, who has been deaf since the age of twelve, has a mission to teach the world to listen. She has widened our understanding of what music is and shown us that listening is only partly to do with our ears.
...
She has played with the world’s foremost orchestras, conductors and artists and has released more than 30 solo albums. Evelyn Glennie shows us that the body is a resonance chamber and that we live in a universe of sound."

More here:
http://polarmusicprize.org/announcement/

Sunday, March 08, 2015

Radio Dupree Top 20 - March 2015

1. Frank Zappa - Jesus Thinks You're a Jerk
Broadway the Hard Way

2. Jethro Tull - Play In Time
Benefit

3. The Beatles - Old Brown Shoe
The Beatles: 1967-1970

4. The Tubes - Boy Crazy
The Tubes

5. Frank Zappa - Dupree's Paradise
Roxy by Proxy

6. Captain Beefheart - Alice In Blunderland
The Spotlight Kid

7. Wishbone Ash - Time Was
Argus

8. Jean-Luc Ponty - Is Once Enough?
Aurora

9. Jukka Tolonen - Windermere Avenue
Crossection

10. Roxy Music - Would You Believe?
Roxy Music

11. Bruford - The Sliding Floor - Gradually Going Tornado
12. Yes - We Have Heaven - Fragile
13. Santana - Jingo - Santana
14. The Tubes - Telecide - Remote Control
15. Talking Heads - Born Under Punches - Remain in Light
16. Hawkwind - We Took The Wrong Step Years Ago - In Search of Space
17. Frank Zappa - Alley Cat - The Lost Episodes
18. Frank Zappa - Wonderful Wino - Zoot Allures
19. The Tubes - Don't Touch Me There - What Do You Want From Live
20. Mahavishnu Orchestra - Eternity's Breath Part 2 - Visions of the Emerald Beyond
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Chart compiled by listeners voting
on the songs they hear on Radio Dupree

Wednesday, March 04, 2015