Friday, May 17, 2013

Steely Dan 2013 tour coming to Europe?

Will Steely Dan play Europe this time?

That's the question looking for an answer. At least if you're living in Europe. And you are running something on the Internet called ”Radio Dupree”.

If I were to listen to what I want the answer would be a solid and definitive ”yes”. But that answer has very little to do with the actual truth. At least for now.

The tour dates are set from July 19 to September 28. US and Canada. And no holes big enough in the schedule to squeeze in some dates abroad.
So we have to look at October. Now, when rumours about a 2013 tour popped up on fan sites we seem to recall one unsubstantiated post said the tour would run July-October. That would open the door for some touring on other continents, in some other countries.

Looking back at the touring history since Steely Dan reformed there have been tours in 1993 – 1996,  2000, 2003, 2006 – 2009, 2011 and now 2013. Since 2006 the tours have been long ones running three months or more, with the one in 2011 being the longest starting in June and ending in early November after playing both Australia and New Zealand.
Last visit to Europe was during the 2009 tour while Japan have been left without Steely Dan after a few dates in 2007.

So... Will this 2013 tour stay in the US and Canada just like the previous one back in 2011? It's a packed schedule and long enough as it is. But let's – for the sake of argument – pretend we know that Donald, Walter and the band are eager to play a few more dates and that there's a demand for tickets in Japan, Australia, New Zealand and throughout Europe. 

Looking back at previous tours the dates played in Europe has been in the middle of summer, save for the first two. 1996 and 2000 the European dates were in early September. From there on it's been during the ”jazz festival season”. 2007 in July and 2009 late June, early July.

Japan? Well, it's been April in 1994 and October in 1996. In 2000 it was i May and in 2007 late August/early September.

Australia and New Zealand has been constant in being the finishing places for the tours in 2007 and 2011. September and late October/early November respectively.

So. Japan is well overdue for another visit from Steely Dan. It's been six years since the latest shows there. And once you're there there's not much travel to do between a limited number of shows/venues.

Australia and New Zealand? If we interpreted all the reviews/interviews from previous visits they were a great success. And the weather in those countries in October is a lot more pleasant than it is in Europe. Compared to Europe a tour is more concentrated and with fewer shows.

Prediction time!
IF the 2013 tour continues after September and IF some of the shows will be abroad we have a hunch (and barely that) that Australia/New Zealand and Japan is a safer bet than Europe.

Hopefully it's the pessimistic Swede in me talking...

-- N.S.


And since this speculating is posted on May 17,  The National Day of Norway, how about we end it with the Norwegian group Fra Lippo Lippi and Angel from the Walter Becker produced 1987 album Light And Shade:

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Chris Hadfield - Space Oddity

A high flying Bowie cover:


A revised version of David Bowie's Space Oddity, recorded by Commander Chris Hadfield on board the International Space Station.

With thanks to Emm Gryner, Joe Corcoran, Andrew Tidby and Evan Hadfield for all their hard work.

Find out more:
Twitter: twitter.com/Cmdr_Hadfield
Facebook: www.facebook.com/AstronautChrisHadfield?­­fref=ts
Google+: plus.google.com/113978637743265603454/po­­sts/p/pub

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Help I'm a Rock 12" for Mothers Day

Zappa.com announces a special release for Mothers Day, a 12" vinyl with four tracks:

Side 1: HELP I'M A ROCK / IT CAN'T HAPPEN HERE Original Stereo 1966 Mix

Side 2: WHO ARE THE BRAIN POLICE? Original Mono Release
WHO ARE THE BRAIN POLICE? Basic Trackings (Rock your own mic!)

http://barfkoswill.shop.musictoday.com/Dept.aspx?cp=971_9206

Thursday, May 09, 2013

Scary Music (and Super Songs)

Just had a quick look at the songs currently on our playlist and found these three to scare the most listeners away from listening according to statistics:

1. 10cc - Brand New Day - The Original Soundtrack
2. Peter Gabriel - Mercy Street - So
3. George Duke - Love - My Soul - The Complete MPS Fusion Recordings

So not the best place for one of the tracks from our Album of the Month; The Original Soundtrack, to show up, but that's the way it goes.

Worth noting is that Peter Gabriel's Mercy Street differs from the other two in having gotten some positive reaction as well.

And talking about positive reactions... Here's the current Top 3:

1. Santana - Transformation - Oneness: Silver Dreams Golden Reality
2. Frank Zappa - Fembot in a Wet T-shirt - Joe's Garage
3. Gong - Heavy Tune - Expresso II

Chartistically yours,
N.S.
Scary, apparently:
 

Zappa Plays Zappa on the road with Roxy album

Dweezil Zappa and his Zappa Plays Zappa goes on the road with the Roxy & Elsewhere on the repertoire to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the classic Zappa album.
The North American tour starts in Providence, RI in September. They will also perform at the Roxy Theatre in Hollywood, exactly 40 years to the day of Frank Zappa's performances at the Roxy in December 1973.
Zappa.com says that the tour also will include Europe. We Europeans do hope for that!

http://www.zappaplayszappa.com/tourdates.html

The band:
Dweezil Zappa: Guitar
Scheila Gonzalez: Saxophone, Flute, Keyboards & Vocals
Ben Thomas: Vocals
Chris Norton: Keyboards
Kurt Morgan: Bass
Ryan Brown: Drums

Friday, May 03, 2013

Steely Dan engineer Bill Schnee on digital high resolution recordning

Watch this episode of Home Theater Geeks and hear recording engineer Bill Schnee (Aja, Gaucho) talk about his quest to bring high resolution audio to the masses and why digital recording done right does sound better than analogue.



(Note to Steely Dan fans: Steely Dan only mentioned in passing, but it is an interesting show for audiophiles and others interested in stuff sounding good.)

Audio-only podcast, various video resolution downloads and more information available here:

http://twit.tv/show/home-theater-geeks/157

Thursday, May 02, 2013

Radio Dupree Top 20 - May 2013

1. Gong - Heavy Tune
Expresso II

2. Frank Zappa - Fembot in a Wet T-shirt
Joe's Garage

3. Sting - All This Time
The Soul Cages

4. Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention - Later That Night
Cruising With Ruben & The Jets

5. The Tubes - Getoverture
Remote Control

6. Mark Knopfler - Privateering
Privateering

7. Tin Machine - Amazing
Tin Machine

8. Roxy Music - Serenade
Stranded

9. Donald Fagen - What I Do
Morph The Cat

10. David Bowie - Dirty Boys
The Next Day

11. Jesus Christ Superstar - Heaven on Their Minds - Jesus Christ Superstar (rock opera)
12. Jimi Hendrix - Somewhere - People, Hell & Angels
13. The Beatles - Till There Was You - Anthology 1
14. Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention - She Painted Up Her Face - 200 Motels: Original MGM Motion Picture Soundtrack [Enhanced CD]
15. Donald Fagen - The Great Pagoda Of Funn - Morph The Cat
16. Donald Fagen - The New Breed - Sunken Condos
17. Blue For Two - Occupants of Solitude - In Gold We Trust (sampler)
18. Camel - Mystic Queen - Camel
19. Frank Zappa - Sleep Dirt - Sleep Dirt
20. Electric Light Orchestra - The Diary of Horace Wimp - Discovery
-------------------------------------------------------
Chart compiled by listeners voting
on the songs they hear on Radio Dupree

The listeners have spoken! And this month's favourite was released back in 1978; Expresso II from the group Gong. We had an expert team on modern computer technology working around the clock for days, and it finally unearthed an embeddable YouTube-video of the number one song this month.

But before we get to the song we'd like to point out two facts. 1: Frank Zappa and Donald Fagen are generously sprinkled throughout this Top 20 with tracks from various albums. 2: The highest charted woman this time around is Lana Del Ray. Her Mermaid Hotel landed at number 33...

--N.S.