Walter Becker in December

walterbecker.com Photo: Sandrine Lee

Donning our Walter Becker Circus Money T-shirts seconds after we realised we've neglected that great album from 2008, we promised ourselves that December 2014 would be the month when tracks from Circus Money props up not only the Radio Dupree playlist but our listeners lives as well.

While perfectly useable as a Christmas gift, this album should be given as a "Life Gift". It is THAT GOOD! And all that without any gratuitous nudity. Or maybe because of.

Whatever.

Enjoy today, next week, Christmas and the rest of your life with a copy of Circus Money within reach.

P.S.
Radio Dupree is the station where you can here the bonus/rare stuff like Bob Is Not Your Uncle Anymore (Demo) from the Downtown Canon digital single, Bob Is Not Your Uncle Anymore (Radio Edit) and Circus Money Dub (Instrumental Remix)  from the Somebody's Saturday Night digital single, Dark Horse Dub (Japanese bonus album track) as well as the elusive Circus Money Hammerhead Remix released as a free download for newsletter subscribers in January 2009. You get the drift. We'll be no stranger to Walter's previous album 11 Tracks of Whack or his collaboration with John Beasley on the music for Mose the Fireman as told by Michel Keaton.

And if Walter or his associated should happen read this:
2015 would be a nice year to release some of the music you've been recording lately! Yes ... we haven't heard any news about any new recordings but surely those guitars and other gear bought in the past five or so years must've been put to good use?

http://walterbecker.com

Dweezil announces One Size Fits All 40th anniversary tour

Dweezil Zappa & Zappa Plays Zappa announces the tour dates for the 1st leg of the One Size Fits All 40th anniversary tour.
The band will perform the 1975 Frank Zappa album One Size Fits All plus a mix of other Zappa songs covering all eras.
The 1st leg of the tour takes place in the US and starts in Buffalo, NY on 3/31 2015.

The tour dates

Telegraph.co.uk: 50 best albums of 2014

It's upon os once again. What? The end-of-year charts and listings! The Daily Telegraph list the Top 50 Albums of 2014 here:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/cdreviews/11252866/best-albums-of-2014.html

New King Crimson album in January 2015

King Crimson leader Robert Fripp announces the news of a new Crimson live mini album, including a version of Starless.

New from Bryan Ferry: Loop Di Li

New album out tomorrow (November 17, 2014) titled Avonmore!

贅沢ないいわけ: File only release from パスピエ/Passepied

Cover art for the song/file

パスピエ/Passepied, today released a brand new song titled 贅沢ないいわけ (Zeitakuna īwake) that means Lyxury excuse (according to Google Translate) or I mean a luxury (says Bing Translator).

We mention this not only because we like the band, but because it is also an alternative release compared to the special physical extra goodies packaging that seem to be very prevalent in the Japanese music business.

This time around the song comes as a plain sound file. No physical CD. Although a little extra is that one onlite site - mora.jp - offers a high resolution 88.2kHz/24bit FLAC version for 540 Yen (4.65 US$/3.7 €). That is twice the price of the regular file.

New-ish album from Doobie Brothers

 

The Doobie Brothers has just released Southbound, with guest musicians adding their talent to new versions of classic Doobie Brothers songs. A sort of Greatest Hits looking to attract new fans while entertaining the old ones.

The tracks:
Black Water with Zac Brown Band
China Grove with Chris Young
Jesus Is Just Alright with Casey James
Listen to the Music with Blake Shelton with Hunter Hayes on guitar
Long Train Runnin' with Toby Keith
Nobody with Charlie Worsham
Rockin’ Down the Highway with Brad Paisley
South City Midnight Lady with Jerrod Niemann
Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While) with Tyler Farr
Takin’ It to the Streets with Love and Theft
What a Fool Believes with Sara Evans
You Belong to Me with Amanda Sudano Ramirez of the band Johnnyswim with Vince Gill on guitar.


And, yes, Michael McDonald is back in the band for this album. Not part of the touring version though:

Guy Allison – Keyboards/Vocals
John Cowan – Bass/Vocals
Tom Johnston – Vocals/Guitar
John McFee – Guitar/Strings/Vocals
Tony Pia – Drums
Marc Russo – Saxophones
Pat Simmons – Vocals/Guitar
Ed Toth – Drums

Banned From Utopia - footage from the 2014 tour

Found on YouTube: Village of the Sun and Zomby Woof.
From the first show of Banned From Utopia's European tour 2014. Location: Umeå, Sweden November 6.

Banned From Utopia on tour again - a review

Banned From Utopia on tour again

Left to right: Robert Martin, Ray White, Chad Wackerman, Jamie Kime, Tom Fowler and Albert Wing.

The Frank Zappa sidemen band Banned From Utopia started their European tour yesterday in Umeå, Sweden.
They opened the set with Chunga's Revenge and then played a varied mix of songs from Zappa's carreer. There were well known songs as I'm The Slime and Zomby Woof, there were more obscure instrumentals as Mar-queson's Chicken. The regular set ended with Bamboozled By Love and City Of Tiny Lites, where Bongo Fury veteran Denny Walley joined in on slide guitar.

The musicianship of this band is great although there were a couple of obvious mistakes on stage, but they are excused since they did their first rehearsal earlier the same day.
The crowd wanted more and the boys came in for encores twice. One of the last songs was Whipping Post (the Allman Brothers song), just as singer and keyboardist Robert Martin promised The Swedish Broadcasting one week before the show.

Tonight they play in Oslo. More tour information here.

Radio Dupree Top 30 - November 2014

1. George Duke - For Love
Three Originals

2. Frank Zappa - More Trouble Every Day
A Token of His Extreme (Soundtrack)

3. Donald Fagen - Big Noise New York
Trilogy : 10 Extras

4. Yes - Tempus Fugit
Drama

5. The Zombies - Beechwood Park
Odessey and Oracle

6. Genesis - Scenes From A Night's Dream
And Then There Were Three

7. Vinegar Joe - Proud To Be (A Honky Woman)
Six Star Gypsies   

8. King Crimson - Cadence and Cascade
In the Wake of Poseidon

9. Janelle Monae - Givin Em What They Love (Feat. Prince)
The Electric Lady

10. The Beatles - Come Together
Abbey Road

11. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - All You Can Carry - Hypnotic Eye
12. Deep Purple - Loosen My Strings - Purpendicular (Blu-Spec)
13. David Bowie - Karma Man - David Bowie
14. Electric Light Orchestra - Eldorado Overture - Eldorado
15. Genesis - In Hiding - From Genesis To Revelation
16. Brand X - Act Of Will - Do They Hurt?
17. Blood Sweat & Tears - Lucretia MacEvil - Blood Sweat & Tears 3
18. The Beatles - Across the Universe - 1967-70
19. David Bowie - London Bye Ta Ta - Bowie at the Beeb
20. Frank Zappa - Teen-age Wind - You Are What You Is

-----------------------------------------------------

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

The 100th Zappa album on its way

"The 100th Release, Produced in it its Entirety by FZ, will be available to order next month on Zappa Records."
This is the message from Zappa.com. Has to be the long awaited Dance Me This album which Frank Zappa described as follows to Guitarist Magazine in 1993: "a Synclavier album which is designed to be used by modern dance groups."
There are rumours that the music may include contributions by Spoonman, some members of the Tuvan singers and keyboardist Mats Öberg. Öberg recently told the Swedish Broadcasting that he was very excited to find out if Zappa had used some of the things he played for Zappa back in 1991, on the album.

Zappa.com also mentions a new Vaulternative Concert "in your near future", the celebration of FZ's 75th anniversary of his arrival on this planet, and that ROXY the Movie has been sent off to SXSW for consideration for their Film Festival.