Donald Fagen live in Japan. Ticket presale starts today

Donald Fagen will be the headline act with his band The Nightflyers both evenings of the Blue Note Jazz Festival in Yokohama, Japan September 23 & 24.

Tickets go on presale today for members only. General sale starts May 20.
Prices?

You can pay 11 000 yen (99 USD/94 Euro) for the standing section or go for seated tickets at 16 000 (144 USD/136 Euro) or 24 000 yen (216 USD/204 Euro).

http://bluenotejazzfestival.jp/

Donald Fagen will play the Blue Note Jazz Festival in Yokohama

Donald Fagen and The Nightflyers will headline both nights of his years Blue Note Jazz Festival in Yokohama, Japan. The dates are September 23 and 24.

You might be forgiven for thinking that his backing band The Nightflyers will consist of members from the Steely Dan touring band, but apparently not.

See the official promo for the festival here.


And the homepage (in Japanese) is here.

http://bluenotejazzfestival.jp/

Amusing article on Sgt. Pepper anniversary release

Of all the doubtful articles that popped up yesterday this one was the best, according to the Radio Dupree staff. 
It is about the upcoming 50th anniversary edition of The Beatles' Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, and includes a list of previously unknown songs. Very amusing and well written.

Here is an excerpt:
“Dead Man” (Lennon/McCartney) – This song begins with a distorted guitar riff and biting lyrics about a “bass player who had it all.” The singer (Lennon) blames the bass player for spending a “careless night on a moped.” The feel of the song shifts dramatically in the chorus as a spectral, haunting choir accompanies the dead man’s assent to heaven.  In the final verse of the song, the singer extracts his revenge by replacing the bass player with the singer of a local pub band. The song fades to the sound of voices chanting “William Cheers! William Cheers!” It is unclear who the dead man represents or why this would have been considered a “Liverpool story.”  

Check out the entire article here: 
http://www.culturesonar.com/beatles-liverpool-stories-album/

Bob Dylan gets his Nobel Prize medal this weekend

It has been unclear whether Bob Dylan will come to Sweden to collect his Nobel Prize medal and if he will hold his Nobel Prize lecture. 
Now the Swedish Academy has received a message from Dylan that he will meet the Academy the coming weeked to receive the Nobel Prize diploma and medal. 
A suitable arrangement since Dylan is giving two concerts in Stockholm.
Sara Danius, secretary of the Swedish Academy, writes on her blog that there will be a small and intimate meeting and that no press will be present.

What about Bob Dylan's Nobel Lecture then?
Sara Danius puts it like this:
"The Academy has reason to believe that a taped version will be sent at a later point. (Taped Nobel lectures are presented now and then, the latest of which was that of Nobel Laureate Alice Munro in 2013.) At this point no further details are known."

Bob Dylan, laureate of Nobel Prize in literature 2016, has to hold his Nobel Prize lecture no later than June 10 to get the award money (about US$900,000).

More Zappa albums available

...on CD, download or via streaming. 
Two dozen rare Frank Zappa recordings will be made widely available around the world when UMe assumes distribution of the albums as part of their global partnership with the Zappa Family Trust.
So, this is actually a re-release of these albums. The thing here is that nine of the albums have never been available for download or streaming.

Radio Dupree's recommendations:
If you're Spotify listener or CD consumer and do not really know which new Zappa albums to check out, (since there are just so many titles out there and how on earth will you find something as accessible as Apostrophe ('), Sheik Yerbouti or Freak Out!), we have listed five albums that you should give a listen:

A Token Of His Extreme (Zappa Records, 2013) CD 
In August 1974, Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention taped two legendary sets at KCET TV Studios in Hollywood, CA. This popular footage was used by FZ in a number of different edits originally intended as a TV special and eventually featured in the home video release The Dub Room Special (1982). A Token Of His Extreme was officially issued on DVD in 2013 along with the release of the soundtrack on CD. If you like the albums Roxy & Elsewhere and You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 2 (The Helsinki Concert), you will love this one.

Frank Zappa Plays The Music of Frank Zappa (Barking Pumpkin, 1996) CD 
A CD with three Zappa signature guitar pieces: “Black Napkins,” “Zoot Allures” and “Watermelon In Easter Hay” in their original released form (remastered) with added live versions that predate the issued masters. Also included is “Merely A Blues In A: from Paris ’74.
If you're into Frank's solos from the mid 70's, this one's for you.

Joe’s Corsage (Vaulternative Records, 2004) CD 
An excellent collection of recordings by the original the Mothers of Invention before their first record contract in early 1966. Surprisingly tight! Not as much insanity as on Freak Out! A mystery why Frank did not release this himself on his You Can't Do That On Stage series for instance.

Philly ’76 (Vaulternative Records, 2009) 2 CD 
Here Zappa went on the road with a totally new band. Only drummer Terry Bozzio had been around for the three previous tours. New players were Patrick O'Hearn (bass), Eddie Jobson (keys/violin), Ray White (guitar/vocals) and Lady Bianca (vocals/keys). It's a joy to hear Lady Bianca sing. How sad that she quit the band in the mid of the tour. This is one of the absolutely best Zappa albums released after his death.

Buffalo (Vaulternative Records, 2007) 2 CD 
Buffalo captures an entire concert recorded live at the Memorial Auditorium in Buffalo, NY on October 25, 1980. At the time some fans may have missed the percussion from the previous tours, but this is a hell of a band. Vince Colaiuta: drums, Steve Vai: guitar, Arthur Barrow: bass, Tommy Mars: keys/vocals, Ray White & Ike Willis (both lead vocals & rhythm guitar), Bob Harris (keys, vocals, trumpet).

Entire list of albums here: http://www.zappa.com/news/rare-frank-zappa-recordings-set-physical-release-and-streaming

Rock legend Chuck Berry dies

Chuck Berry was one of the most influental rock & roll artists from the 1950's. He wrote songs that quickly became classics, as Roll Over Beethoven and Johnny B. Goode. He died at the age of 90.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39318602

Steely Dan & The Eagles part of two new festivals

Two veteran acts share the stage for four shows this summer. The Eagles and Steely Dan will perform at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles July 15 and 16 plus at Citi Field in New York July 29 and 30.

According to Billboard the four days are part of what's being called the Classic West and Classic East Festivals with additional bands like Journey and Earth, Wind & Fire part of the proceedings.

Donald Fagen on Todd Rundgren's new album

Todd Rundgren's new album White Knight will be released May 12 and this is what the cover looks like:

The track listing have more than one guest appearing and it'll be fun to hear the songs. From an industry ad:

Veteran producer, pioneering performer and legendary songwriter Todd Rundgren returns with a brand new album featuring a stellar line-up of all star guest performers!
White Knight showcases Rundgren's diverse range of styles from Soulful art-rock to ambient synth pop and include performances from Rundgren equally diverse musical companions such as Trent Reznor, Donald Fagen (of Steely Dan), Joe Walsh (of the Eagles), Daryl Hall, Dam Funk, Joe Satriani, Robyn and more!

1. Come
2. I Got Your Back (featuring KK Watson with Dam Funk)
3. Chance For Us (featuring Daryl Hall with Bobby Strickland)
4. Fiction
5. Beginning Of The End (featuring John Boutte)
6. Tin Foil Hat (featuring Donald Fagen)
7. Look At Me (featuring Michael Holman)
8. Let's Do This (with Moe Berg)
9. Sleep (with Joe Walsh)
10. That Could Have Been Me (featuring Robyn)
11. Deaf Ears (featuring Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
12. Naked & Afraid (featuring Bettye LaVette)
13. Buy My T
14. Wouldn't You Like To Know (featuring Rebop Rundgren)
15. This Is Not A Drill (featuring Joe Satriani with Prairie Prince & Kasim Sulton)

All Hipgnosis album covers collected in new book

All 373 album sleeves by art design group Hipgnosis is collected in the upcoming book, "Vinyl. Album. Cover. Art".
Hipgnosis designed their first album cover in 1968, Pink Floyd's A Saucerful of Secrets. They have created art for albums by Led Zeppelin, Genesis, Peter Gabriel, Yes, The Alan Parsons Project and many more. Many of the album covers have became iconic.

Vinyl. Album. Cover. Art is being published on April 13 by Thames & Hudson.

http://thevinylfactory.com/news/vinyl-album-cover-art-hipgnosis-book/

Teen skipped school and ended up on stage with Springsteen

An Australian teenage boy skipped school to go to a Bruce Springsteen concert in Brisbane on February 16. 
He held up a sign reading "Missed school, in the s--- now, can I play Growin' Up with you?" Springsteen took him up on stage and, yes, the kid (Nathan Testa) could perform.

Giant bolt marks Bowie memorial in Brixton

There is a crowd funding project going on with the aim to raise a 9 meter steel bolt a' la Aladdin Sane near David Bowie's birthplace in Brixton, UK.

Check pictures here:

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/feb/22/campaign-david-bowie-memorial-brixton

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-39044933

Happy 67, Walter Becker!

Photo: Sandrine Lee/walterbecker.com

This June it'll be nine years since his latest solo album; Circus Money.
It's close to 14 years since Steely Dan released a new recording; Everything Must Go.
His co-worker in that band, Donald Fagen, presented his latest record to the world; Sunken Condos, late 2012, so a little over four years ago.

With this trickle of new music from the duo there's been more time to tour as Steely Dan. And that's what Walter and Donald have planned for 2017 as well.

So Happy Birthday Walter, from Radio Dupree!
And if you should get the urge to record and release a third solo album we promise we won't try to stop you.

Unexpected cover from Rickie Lee Jones and Madeleine Payroux

We've always had a soft spot for the earlier, quirkier hits from British singer David Essex from the 1970's, so it was a suprise to find his Rock On covered by Rickie Lee Jones and Madeleine Peyroux!



Here's what David's original sounds like.



Bonus:

New book: The Beatles in Tokyo 1966

1 966 copies and no more...

The Beatles last tour was in 1966. They spent a couple of days in Tokyo, Japan and a photographer named Shimpei Asai documented the bands stay.

These photos have now been collected in a limited edition book named Hello, Goodbye: The Beatles in Tokyo, 1966.
Signed by Shimpei Asai and in hand-bound leather with a cloth-bound slipcase and a facsimile ticket it will cost a pretty penny? Yes, with the print run limited to 1 966 copies the recommended retail price is £265 or 330 US dollars or €311.

More on the book here:
http://www.genesis-publications.com/Hello-Goodbye-The-Beatles-in-Tokyo-by-Shimpei-Asai/default.htm

And you can see photos from the book in this rollingstone.com article:
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/pictures/beatles-in-japan-see-photos-of-groups-historic-tokyo-trip-w464967

5 Grammy Awards for Bowie's Blackstar

David Bowie's Blackstar album won all five nominations:
Best Rock Performance
Best Rock Song
Best Alternative Music Album
Best Recording Package
Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical

Frank Zappa's 200 Motels - The Suites was nominated for Best Classical Compendium but did not get the award, unfortunately.

https://www.grammy.com/nominees