Album of the Month teaser

Come Sunday July will be upon os and it is time to set a new Album of the Month in rotation on our playlist.
We've once again gone for a good, forgotten collection of songs from the 1970's. With a summer feel and well worth discovering - or hear again if you were around at that time.

The arist had a couple of big hits, but had even more success "borrowing" his voice to one of the really big "concept groups" of that era.

???

What album and artist are we talking about? The answer will be here tomorrow. In the meantime you can have a peek at a part of the cover above.

Phil Collins retirement story makes a comeback ... and refuses to retire

We got this link to an article published June 19 in the UK tabloid newspaper The Sun with the headline Phil Collins rules out a comeback.

It quotes Phil saying "I don’t anticipate playing anymore, and I don’t particularly anticipate writing anymore. I’ve kind of put that side of my life on hold mainly because I feel like I’ve earned this opportunity to do nothing."

But. Wait. Phil retiring from writing and recording new music as well as performing. That was news some time ago. And as we recall Phil himself took to his homepage to correct the news reports. Let's see what we can find...

Back to March 2011 and he does write on his homepage:

Many of the articles printed over the last few months have ended up painting a picture of me that is more than a little distorted. Therefore, I would like to add my comments and try to explain again my reasons for calling it a day.

1/ I'm not stopping because of dodgy reviews or bad treatment in the press.

2/ I'm not stopping because I don't feel loved, I know I still have a very large fanbase that loves what I do. Thank you.

3/ I'm not stopping because I don't fit in, this was proved with "Going Back" reaching No 1 in the UK, and doing incredibly well worldwide.

4/ I'm not stopping so I can dive full time into my interest for the Alamo.

I am stopping so I can be a full time father to my two young sons on a daily basis.

He writes that the reports make himn come across like a "tormented weirdo who thinks he was at the Alamo in another life, who feels very sorry for himself, and is retiring hurt because of the bad press over the years."

Back to the new article in The Sun. They quote from an interview Phil's given to Rolling Stone magazine. The thing is that that interview was published in November 2010 and it is one of the sources for the number of retirement articles that was published early 2011. Articles that made Phil write that statement on his homepage.

So, basically nothing new here.
Phil still retired for the time being and enjoying taking care of his kids.

And writing books about his Alamo collection.

Closed for "Midsommar"

Andon this day, June 22, 2012, Radio Dupree takes a quick break from everyday chores to celebrate Swedish Midsummer; i.e. "Midsommar". How we do it? Look here:



We hope to be back tomorrow. Perhaps sleeping in for a few hours. ;)

Dukes of September 2012 performing more originals

Apparently more originals and pushing the envelope this time around for The Dukes of September Rhythm Revue. That what this article from The Telegraph says.

We also get to learn that Donald Fagen is the musical director and Boz Scaggs the "token Okie".

Read it here.

The tour starts in St. Louis on June 20. Touring schedule here.

UPDATE June 23: Michael McDonald interviewed on Fresh 102.5 in St. Louis:

UPDATE June 21: Here's a review of the premiere including a setlist, so SPOILER ALERT!

Celebrate 40 years of Steely Dan June 9, 2012 on WUSB

In just five hours time John Tabacco and Nigey Lennon will play nothing but Steely Dan for five hours on internet-available radio station WUSB in New York. John on Facebook:

This Saturday from 7pm - 12am Clam Radio and the Non Objective Reality Show will be celebrating 40 years of Steely Dan music. All the Becker and Fagen classics, solo work and rarities will make it to the airwaves. Tune in at www.wusb.fm or if you are in the area, 90.1 FM. No Static At All!

And Nigey:

This Saturday from 7 PM to midnight Eastern time, on WUSB FM 90.1 Stony Brook -- http://wusb.fm/. Any requests? We'll be getting to a lot of very "deep" material in five hours, so anything is possible. What better way to spend Saturday night?

To find the exact time where you live this Time Zone Converter might come in handy.

Tune in, request a tune or just listen... We will!

And while you wait how about...

John's version of The Second Arrangement:



Nigey's version of Brain Tap Shuffle is available on her 2001 album Reinventing The Wheel.

The Dukes of September 2012 tour dates - final!

It's all there in all its glory over on michaelmcdonald.com; the ccomplete list of tour dates on a dedicated Dukes of September page:

TOUR DATES

JUNE
20 - St. Louis, MO - Fox Theatre
22 - Aspen, CO - Benedict Music Tent / Aspen Jazz Fest
24 - Las Vegas, NV - The Joint
25 - San Diego, CA - Humphrey's
27 - Santa Rosa, CA - Wells Fargo Center for the Arts
28 - Los Angeles, CA - Gibson Amphitheatre
30 - San Jose, CA - Civic Auditorium

JULY
01 - Oakland, CA - Paramount Theatre
03 - Santa Barbara, CA - Santa Barbara Bowl
05 - Jacksonville, OR - Britt Pavilion
06 - Woodinville, WA - Chateau St Michelle
07 - Vancouver, BC - Orpheum Theatre
10 - Denver, CO - Paramount Theatre
11 - Beaver Creek, CO - Vilar PC
13 - Tulsa, OK - Brady Theatre
14 - Grand Prairie, TX - Verizon Theatre
15 - Austin, TX - ACL Live at The Moody Center
17 - Houston, TX - Cynthia Woods Pavilion
18 - San Antonio, TX - Majestic Theatre
20 - Alpharetta, GA - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
21 - Orange Beach, AL - Amphitheatre at The Wharf
24 - Clearwater, FL - Ruth Eckerd Hall
27 - St. Augustine, FL - St. Augustine Amphitheatre
28 - Tuscaloosa, AL - Tuscaloosa Amphitheatre

AUGUST
01 - New York, NY - Beacon Theatre
02 - New York, NY - Beacon Theatre
04 - Red Bank, NJ - Count Basie Theatre
05 - Atlantic City, NJ - Borgata - link
06 - Vienna, VA - Wolf Trap
08 - Bethlehem, PA - Musikfest
09 - Boston, MA - Wang Theatre
11 - Canandaiga, NY - CMAC
12 - Toronto, ONT - MCA
14 - Cleveland, OH - Jacob's Pavilion
15 - Toledo, OH - Zoo
17 - Detroit, MI - DTE Center
18 - Interlochen, MI - Kresge
20 - Milwaukee, WI - Riverside
22 - Highland Park, IL - Ravinia Festival
23 - Kettering, OH - Frazee Pavilion
24 - Indianapolis, IN - Farm Bureau Insurance Lawn at White River State Park

(all with links to tickets et al) 

Click this link for all our Dukes of September blog posts including links to setlists and more.

The Dukes of September on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon

One week ahead of the start of the 2012 tour The Dukes of September (Donald Fagen, Michael McDonald and Boz Scaggs) makes an appearance on late night TV.

The date is June 14, 2012. That's next Thursday when this blog entlry is written.

And if you live close by you're invited to join the Late Night with Jimmy Fallon show audience by entering the ticket sweepstakes on this page.

UPDATE June 20:
With laws and regulations on their side NBC and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon has decided anyone living outside the USA shouldn't get to see the performance.

How many decades have the lawyers and others of their ilk had do fix this let's divide Internet into little small rooms and shut most of the visitors out-mess?

Anyhooo... Those living in the USA can enjoy The Dukes take on the Brothers Johnson 1976 hit I'll Be Good To You here:

http://www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com/video/Thursday-June-14-2012/1406397

The rest of us have to go looking elsewhere. We really shouldn't have to...

Radio Dupree Top 12 - June 2012

1. David Bowie - Seven
Hours

2. Bill Bruford - Back To The Beginning
Feels Good To Me

3. Pink Floyd - Julia Dream
Masters of Rock (compilation)

4. Gentle Giant - Nothing at All
Gentle Giant

5. Jethro Tull - Rover
Heavy Horses

6. The Who - I Can't Explain
The Kids Are Alright

7. The Police - Synchronicity I
Synchronicity

8. Frank Zappa - What's New in Baltimore?
Does Humor Belong in Music?

9. Syd Arthur - Mornings Calling
Moving World

10. Chicago - Feelin' Stronger Every Day
VI

11. The Beatles - Hold Me Tight - With The Beatles
12. Mark King - I Feel Free - Influences

-------------------------------------------------------
Chart compiled by listeners voting
on the songs they hear on Radio Dupree

June is David Bowie month here on Radio Dupree! Not only is his The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spirders From Mars our Album of the Month, he's also number one on our chart with a comparatively new song released back in 1999.

Looking at the chart there are big names all the way. Perhaps with two exceptions; Mark King at number 12 (solo outing from singer/bassist from English 1980's band Level 42) and Syd Arthur at number 9 (a four man band from Canterbury, England that may sound like it's from the 1960's/1970's, but the band released its first songs as recently as 2010.)

Unedited 2006 Donald Fagen interview online

A little Sunday reading for the Donald Fagen curious, perhaps?

Back in 2006 Scott Healy interviewed Donald Fagen for Keyboard Magazine after the release of Donald's Morph The Cat.
Scott has now published the whole interview "unedited ... all 4500 words of it, typos, explicatives deleted—all of it" on his blog. You find it here.