Forty years ago today, the greatest rock band of all-time released the greatest rock album of all-time, Led Zeppelin IV. A powerhouse from the legendary opening vocal intro of “Black Dog” to the final notes of the hypnotic Mississippi blues-infused “When The Levee Breaks,” IV contains eight radio classics including “Rock And Roll,” “The Battle Of Evermore,” “Misty Mountain Hop,” “Four Sticks,” “Going To California,” and, of course, the ultimate rock anthem, “Stairway To Heaven.” “Hats Off” to Jimmy, Robert, John Paul, and John for creating a true work of art that only gets better with age.

Led Zep 4 is truly a rock classic and a must for any music collection.

To coincide with the UK release of Chickenfoot’s highly anticipated second album “III” (Oct 24^th) and the recent announcement of two UK concerts in January 2012, this week the band have released a new video for the single “Three and a Half Letters”. Watch the video here – http://bit.ly/nCStEu

Featuring guitar hero Joe Satriani, former Van Halen vocalist Sammy Hagar and bassist Michael Anthony, and drummer Chad Smith; “Three and a HalfLetters” is the second single to be taken from the band’s new album. The song’s poignant lyrics tackle the world’s economy and current levels of unemployment. The lyrics are taken directly from letters written to Sammy Hagar, following a suggestion from his long standing manager, Carter, who sadly passed away earlier this year during the recording of the new album.

“I’ve received letters from lots of people, mostly fans, but some people just needing help, looking for work,” says Hagar. “Carter had told me to write a song called ‘I Need a Job’ six months prior but the idea didn’t dawn on me until I received a letter from a guy who had just returned from Afghanistan. At the end of his letter he wrote – ‘Can you help? I need a job’.”

Watch a podcast of the band talking about “Three and a half Letters” here – http://youtu.be/w8An5z6q5bE

Highly anticipated would be an understatement… Chickenfoot – guitar hero Joe Satriani, drummer Chad Smith, former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony and frontman Sammy Hagar – have announced details of their second album Chickenfoot III, the follow-up to 2009’s award-winning eponymous debut album.

Following weeks of online rumours and escalating hype, the band themselves have finally set the record straight in an official announcement which confirms the album’s title, release date, and full track listing.

Chickenfoot III (not IV as previously implied) – UK Limited Edition Fan Pack is set for simultaneous worldwide release on Tuesday September 27th. The album, which was produced by Mike Fraser (AC/DC, Metallica), will come complete with specially designed 3D packaging.

The Fan Pack comes with two exclusive bonus tracks – “Down The Drain” (Live in Phoenix) and “Oh Yeah!” (Live in Phoenix) – plus a 132-page magazine dedicated to one of the worlds greatest supergroups. The Fan Pack magazine is 100% Chickenfoot-approved and contains exclusive interviews with Sammy Hagar, Joe Satriani, Michael Anthony and Chad Smith talking about their new album, plus their respective careers as part of some of the biggest bands in rock.

The Fan Pack also tells the story of the making of the band’s new video, how they created a 3D album cover, an overview of their solo careers and the story behind each and every song on the new record. The magazine is also packed with rare shots of the band, an exclusive muso section as well as a Guitar Pick Pack, 3D glasses and a 3D CD digital book pack with postcards.

The non-Fan Pack version of Chickenfoot III, will be available on CD, CD & DVD Deluxe Edition & 12″ Vinyl. Due for release on Monday October 24th.

Chickenfoot will perform two UK concerts in January 2012 as part of a 5-date European tour; dates include Manchester Academy (Jan 12) and London’s O₂Academy Brixton on (Jan 14), followed by concerts in Paris, Tilburg and Dusseldorf.  These are the band’s first European shows since July 2009, and will see them perform songs from their gold-selling eponymous debut album, alongside tracks from the new album ‘III’. Tickets are available from – http://bit.ly/qs8Srm.

High art it isn’t – but it rocks

When you have a voice a bit like Klaus Mein, you have a fair shot of climbing the old fame and fortune ladder. So, Tracer front man Michael Brown looks set to position himself as a man to whom you should listen. It doesn’t matter that he can’t play like a Schenker, although he poses with a Flying V quite nicely, because the lads write decent rock songs and perform them with enthusiasm and no little skill.

Based in Adelaide, South Australia, the trio of Michael, his brother Leigh who plays bass and drummer Andre Wise do the riff-rock genre proud with solid, uncomplicated songs that have a certain catchiness about them. Think of the driving, rhythmic feel of the Foo Fighters wrapped around the metallic thunder of the Scorpions and you’ll get close. The solos are short, to the point and derivative, as are the the songs, but despite this, Tracer manage to turn in a sound that works. They’re a rock band for a new generation of guitar heads. Lack of originality is nothing to be sneered at, dozens of bands from Guns n Roses to Pearl Jam via Muse have made massive careers out of it. So, unless you’re a genius, you make the best out of what you have and Tracer have quite a lot thank you.

Their new album: “Spaces In Between” taken as a whole is quite impressive. There’s lots of good, solid guitar rock to be had, nice hooks and bag of riffs to bang your head to. The album opens with “Too Much”. Take a listen to this:

I get the feeling I’ve heard it before somewhere, but it rocks, so who cares? Next up is “Push”, which opens with a pulsing drum beat, then we’re into the riffing. “Push” could have been lifted straight off a Free album in the seventies, Brown even manages to do a Paul Rogers intone in the chorus “It goes on and on…” The pace drops into Doctor-Doctor mode for “Walk Alone” and Brown starts singing like Percy Plant. We get served “Louder than this” after “Walk Alone”. It’s pretty much a blues standard of the kind Deep Purple used to excel when they were in the mood, circa Machine Head. “Devil Ride” takes into grungeland with shades of Nirvana daubed over Motorhead.

The best track on the album is “The Bitch”, which opens with a very promising, undistorted, metronomic riff, which is suddenly subsumed under a wailing voice and crashing guitar, only for it to disappointingly develop into a pretty standard seventies riff, although the chorus brings out a lovely dynamic contrast, which is really why this song is the stand out track on the album. It has a great hook, lots of drama and a sing along tune, with the best guitar solo on offer – it’s almost accomplished. The slide guitar at the end is very nice though and completely unexpected.

“Voice in the rain” nods to Jimi at his most mellow with Paul Rogers singing along. Good stuff if you’re in that bottle of whisky and a quiet cigarette while staring out at the rain type of mood. There’s a great crescendo that descends into a reprise of the opening bars. It’s really quite good.

The title track closes the middle section album. It’s five minutes I’ll never get back. The twee, eastern Indian influenced solo was particularly grating. It’s followed by “Dead inside”, which is a cracker, lots of dynamics, drama and contrasts. “Save my breath” is like “Too much” with a slightly different riff – enjoyable though. “All in my head” takes on a tour of Michael’s soft guitar  technique, before it breaks out into a “Wheels of fire” Cream sound-alike – he even does Jack Bruce phrasing, although the chorus breaks out into Foo Fighters yelling. I was moved to think Pete Brown must have had Aussie children. The chorus is really good though.

By time we get to “Won’t let it die” with it’s vibrato guitar, I’m ready for something different, and to be fair to Tracer, they serve it up with aplomb. This is a nice plodder, with a great, sparse sound. Good production can make a song and this one is a great example of good production values making a good song, great.

Overall, this is a good, perhaps very good album, but you’ll enjoy it more if you haven’t listened to everything rock from the sixties to the naughties. Recognising complete rips is not the same as admitting influences and “Spaces in between” tends more towards the latter than the former. Better still, it’s a grower – by time I’d played it three or four times, I was beginning  to sing along and by the sixth play I was sold and will probably end up buying my own copy.

Listen if you want high art, then this isn’t the album for you, but if you’re after real good time rock ‘n’ roll with a more than adequate sampling of listenable tunes and the odd sing along, then it might be worth shelling out a few quid.

Manic Street Preachers have announced details of their forthcoming album, National Treasures – The complete Singles.’

Celebrating the 21st anniversary of their first single release, Manic Street Preachers are releasing the ultimate singles collection in October.

’National Treasures – The complete Singles’ gathers 38 songs from the band’s rich history, starting with initial Heavenly Records release ‘Motown Junk’ (1990) to tracks taken from last year’s ‘Postcards From A Young Man’ album – the bands tenth which was greeted with universal critical acclaim.

The album also features a brand new single ‘This is the Day.’

Tracks

1. Motown Junk
2. Stay Beautiful
3. Love’s Sweet Exile
4. You Love Us
5. Slash ‘N’ Burn
6. Motorcycle Emptiness
7. Theme From M*A*S*H (Suicide Is Painless)
8. Little Baby Nothing
9. From Despair To Where
10. La Tristesse Durera (Scream To A Sigh)
11. Roses In The Hospital
12. Life Becoming A Landslide
13. Faster
14. Revol
15. She Is Suffering
16. A Design For Life
17. Everything Must Go
18. Kevin Carter
19. Australia
1. If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next
2. The Everlasting
3. You Stole The Sun From My Heart
4. Tsunami
5. The Masses Against The Classes
6. So Why So Sad
7. Found That Soul
8. Ocean Spray
9. Let Robeson Sing
10. There By The Grace Of God
11. The Love Of Richard Nixon.Empty Souls.Your Love Alone Is Not Enough.Autumnsong.Indian Summer.(It’s Not War) Just The End Of Love
12. Some Kind Of Nothingness
13. Postcards From A Young Man
14. This Is The Day

White Willow, one of Norway’s most successful Progressive Rock bands of recent times, return after a five year absence with Terminal Twilight.

Creating a distinctively mysterious Scandinavian sound that encompasses mellotron-drenched retro prog, gothic folk, art pop and post-rock, the band’s ambitious compositions combine sophisticated structures and harmonies with powerful playing and uncluttered production.

Main songwriter Jacob Holm-Lupo is joined by fellow band members, Sylvia Skjellestad, Mattias Olsson (Anglagard), Lars Fredrik Froislie (Wobbler’s vintage synth maestro), Ketil Einarsen (Jaga Jazzist) and Ellen Andrea Wang. No-Man’s Tim Bowness guests on the poignant Kansas Regrets.

Soaring Hackett-esque solos collide with demented Crimson-influenced riffs counterbalanced by compelling and ethereal song sections.

The Burning Shed page for this album features a nine minute promo video.

1. Floor 67 (9.34)
2. Kansas Regrets (4.39)
3. Mountain (7.10)
4. Natasha (6.30)
5. Red Leaves 8.41)
6. Rumour Of Twilight (2.35)
7. Searise (13.14)
8. Snowswept (4.13)

Iron & Wine, the work of Austin-based Sam Beam, released their fourth album, Kiss Each Other Clean through 4AD in January 2011. Somewhat of a departure from earlier recordings and representing an expansion of the ideas explored on last album The Shepherd’s Dog, the record saw Beam’s often stripped-back compositions development into ornate arrangements/ Live performances also saw Beam joined by a cast of musicians, helping flesh out his sound.

For this beautifully rendered 4AD Session, Beam made the conscious decision to return to his roots. Taking those album tracks back to their nascent form, Beam delivered five acoustic performances that immediately make clear the craft and care that constitutes each Iron & Wine track. Pushed to the fore is Beam’s languorous vocals, showcasing the seemingly effortless ease with which he is able to imbibe his music with a nuanced poetry.

Filmed at Miloco Recording Studios in Bermondsey in March 2011, the location proved truly fitting of the performance. Beam found himself surrounded by an array of vintage analogue equipment, a perfect complement to the down-home wood-and twine classic songwriting that has continued to characterize the work of Iron & Wine over the course of four albums. Playing four songs from the new album, long time fans will also note the inclusion of the ‘Upwards Over The Mountain’, a track drawn from the band’s much-loved back catalogue.

The session provides a neat precursor to when Iron & Wine return to the UK in October, playing an acoustic show at Hackney Empire on 9th. Before then, there will be a full band performance on the main stage at Latitude on 17th July and headline Green Man on 21st August, serving to highlight the broad talents of Iron & Wine.

European Tour

July
8th – Festival Cruilla, Barcelona
9th – Tivoli, Utrecht
10th – Cactus Festival, Brugge
11th – ZMF, Freiburg
12th – Zeltival, Karlsruhe
13th – St Katharina Open Air, Nurnberg
14th – Beatpol, Dresden
15th – Melt!, Ferropolis
17th – Latitude, Southwold

August
13th – Flow Festival
16th – Centralisation, Darmstadt
17th – Winterhurer Musikfestwochen, Winterhur
18th – Astra, Berlin
20th – Zakk, Dusseldorf
21st – Greenman Festival

October
9th – Hackney Empire, London (acoustic show)
10th – Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London

VSAD009 Tracklisting:
Tree By The River
Biting Your Tail
Big Burned Hand
Half moon
Upwards over The Mountain

Legendary guitarist and Mountain founder Leslie West will release a brand new solo album entitled Unusual Suspects on Monday September 19th 2011. The album is his first since 2006’s Blue Me.

During the course of his 30-plus year career, Leslie West has received world-wide acclaim as one of the most innovative and influential musicians in the history of rock music. He is perhaps best known for his role as leader of the explosive trio, Mountain, who were named by VH-1 as one of the Top 100 Hard Rock Groups of all time. With Mountain, he climbed the heights of rock stardom on the strength of a completely unique, signature guitar sound and classic songs such as “Mississippi Queen”, “Never In My Life”, “Theme From An Imaginary Western” and “Nantucket Sleigh ride”, all of which are still staples of rock radio to this day. Leslie has earned the admiration of a long list of famous peers. During his career, he has recorded or played with a plethora of rock icons including Billy Joel, Van Halen, The Who, Mick Jagger and Jimi Hendrix, to name just a few. In fact, Eddie Van Halen, Michael Schenker and Richie Sambora have all cited Leslie as a major influence on their own music.

Leslie’s bold, expressive and unique guitar style is a mirror of his own personality. Spend a little time talking with this larger-than-life figure, and you’ll realize that he is as charismatic without a guitar in his hands as he is with one. Possessing a sharp sense of humour, he is at once gregarious and gruff while recounting stories from his legendary past. And when discussing his newest projects, such as new album Unusual Suspects, he exudes an infectious enthusiasm and excitement.

West has never been one to rest on his impressive laurels. His boundless creativity has often involved him in projects that take him outside his traditional roles of guitarist, singer and songwriter.

In 1986, he acted alongside Tom Hanks and Shelley Long in the hit comedy film, The Money Pit and has lent his distinctive voice to the popular animated series, Beast Wars Transformers which ran for three seasons on the WB network in 1996.

Leslie West has long been a popular personality on the Howard Stern Radio Show, and it was Stern whom he gave an interview in late June 2011 from his hospital bed, mere days after undertaking life-saving surgery which saw his leg amputated above the knee.

A long-time sufferer of Diabetes; West was aboard a long-haul flight to Mississippi to perform at the Hard Rock Hotel And Casino, when the limb began to swell. He was rushed to the emergency room and lost consciousness. The decision to proceed with the operation was made by his wife, Jenni, who remarks “It was his leg or his life.”

Such a life-changing ordeal would surely deter other artists, but West is already looking forward, insisting that Unusual Suspects’ release date was not altered because of his condition. “Now I’ve got to figure out how to play the guitar [whilst standing] on one leg,” he states, under no illusions regarding the size of the task ahead. “The prosthetic ones they have these days are really good, but of course I’m used to balancing my weight on two feet. I’m going to have to retrain myself.”

Leslie West has been a creative force for over three decades and shows no sign of losing his ambition or his desire to continually reinvent himself. His ability to adapt his creative spirit to a diverse range of projects is a key ingredient in the longevity of this multi-faceted entertainer’s success. All humans have a unique fingerprint. In the world of guitar, Leslie has that distinctive sound and tone that is unique to him. There are many clones, but few who have a voice of their own. When Leslie hits a note, you know it’s him and that’s what makes him one of a kind.

Released by Provogue Records, the album, Unusual Suspects features West alongside a hand-picked line-up of the finest guitar players alive today including Slash, blues-rock guitar superstar Joe Bonamassa, Black Label Society front man and ex-Ozzy guitarist Zakk Wylde, ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons and Toto’s Steve Lukather.

“These guys don’t just show up to play on everybody’s albums,” says West on his special guests and the album’s title.  “They’re all stars in their own right, and fantastic players — everyone with their own sound and style, about as far from ‘the usual suspects’ as it gets.”

eslie West has long been a popular personality on the Howard Stern Radio Show in America.  It was Stern whom he gave an interview in late June 2011, from his hospital bed, mere days after undertaking life-saving surgery which saw his leg amputated above the knee.

On June 17th, West (a long-time sufferer of type 2 Diabetes) was aboard a long-haul flight to Mississippi to perform at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, when the limb began to swell. He was rushed to the emergency room and lost consciousness. The decision to proceed with the operation was made by his wife, Jenni, who remarks “It was his leg or his life.”

Such a life-changing ordeal would surely deter other artists, but West is already looking firmly forward, insisting that Unusual Suspects’ release date was not altered because of his condition. “Now I’ve got to figure out how to play the guitar [whilst standing] on one leg,” he states, under no illusions regarding the size of the task ahead. “The prosthetic ones they have these days are really good, but of course I’m used to balancing my weight on two feet. I’m going to have to retrain myself.”

’ASK’, the new album from the TOM FULLER BAND, will be released in the UK on Monday September 5th by Red Cap Records.

Hailing from Chicago, Fuller enlisted some of the biggest names in the rock and roll world to contribute to the album, including Abe Laboriel, Jr. and Brian Ray of the Paul McCartney Band.  ‘ASK’ is produced by Rick Chudacoff, (Alison Krauss, Smokey Robinson), and mixed by Cenzo Townsend and Dave Bascombe (U2, Bon Jovi, Kaiser Chiefs).
The first single from the album is the instantly infectious ‘LOVERS’. Listen to it here:

 Tom Fuller Band – "Lovers" by noblepr

"Kick ass and take names" – it’s a saying that they like to use in Chicago, the birthplace of the Tom Fuller Band, to describe how to get the job done.  Not in an Al Capone way you understand. Although Tom’s grandmother did work for the notorious gangster. But rather by enlisting some of the biggest names in the music industry to produce Fuller’s third studio album Ask.

On first listen you can’t help but be decadently seduced by the voodoo drums of the opening track Lovers, hooked on the impossibly contagious title track Ask and carried away by the closing magical escapism of Garden Dreaming Days. Ask is an album that continually manages to surprise, challenge, captivate and inspire.

Tom Fuller is a maverick and a troubadour. He’s also the same guy who, as a kid buying his first Paul McCartney album, never imagined that he would wind up recording the new album with two of his band members, Abe Laboriel, Jr. and Brian Ray.

Produced by the studio maestro Rick Chudacoff, (Alison Krauss, Smokey Robinson), and mixed by Cenzo Townsend and Dave Bascombe (U2, Bon Jovi, Kaiser Chiefs), the widescreen cinematic vision of Fuller’s music continues to flourish, as was evident on his 2005 debut album Chasing An Illusion and 2009′s subsequent sophomore album Abstract Man.

After trailblazing a path across America, the addition of new band members, and recording in both LA and Chicago, comes this life affirming album that is at once emotional and engaging. "It’s been one hell of a journey," says Fuller. "The new album’s like a songbook that’s accompanied me all along the trail. Every track means so much to me. I think it’s my strongest collection of songs to date."

Hailing from the Windy City, the Tom Fuller Band embodies the soul and creative energy of the city’s rich musical heritage – from Chicago’’s finest rhythm and blues, through Cheap Trick to late period Wilco. The songs embrace Fuller’s distinctive blend of innovative melodies and chord structures, alongside lyrics that engage, uplift and resonate with passion and truth.

After releasing the baroque-pop classic Triangle in 1967, The Beau Brummels shifted gears radically the following year when singer Sal Valentino, guitarist Ron Elliott, and producer Lenny Waronker travelled to Nashville to explore the crossroads of country and rock. Working with some of Music City’s hottest session players, the West Coast group recorded BRADLEY’S BARN, an album whose fusion of styles earned critical acclaim but was too far ahead of the curve to enjoy commercial success.

Rhino Handmade has rediscovered this unheralded gem of early country-rock and gives it its due as a two-disc set that comes in a hardbound booklet with rare photos and lengthy sleeve notes by Alec Palao that feature commentary from Valentino, Elliott, Waronker, and lyricist Bob Durand. The collection includes the original Warner Bros. album re-mastered by Dan Hersch and Andrew Sandoval, 25 rare and unreleased tracks, and a 1968 radio interview with Valentino and Elliott.

Unlike the stripped down approach The Byrds employed on Sweetheart Of The Rodeo (which was recorded around the same time), Waronker summoned a multilayered “guitar orchestra” for BRADLEY’S BARN, using it to explore Elliott’s complex melodies, and create clean but intricate arrangements to showcase Valentino’s velveteen voice. The band heard on most of BRADLEY’S BARN features Elliott, Valentino, keyboardist David Briggs, and bassist Norbert Putnam, plus guitarist Jerry Reed and drummer Kenny Buttrey, both of whom played with Bob Dylan during his Nashville years.

The first disc contains the newly re-mastered original album supplemented by several bonus tracks, including three previously unreleased songs: the alternate version of “I Love You Mama”; the 1967 demo for “Just A Little Bit Of Lovin’” recorded in Hollywood; and the stereo mix of the demo for “Black Crow.” Even more unissued recordings are revealed on the second disc, which features alternate takes of “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight” and “Lift Me”; an alternate mix of “Love Can Fall A Long Way Down”; an alternate demo of “Another”; the demo for “Confessions”; and a cover of the classic country weeper “Long Black Veil.”

The disc also contains several of Valentino’s post-Brummels solo recordings including several singles from the era making their debut on CD as well as three more unreleased songs: an alternate version of “An Added Attraction (Come And See Me)” and the Johnny Cash covers “A Little At A Time” and “Home Of The Blues.”

Along with the trove of unreleased material, BRADLEY’S BARN also contains seven outtakes from the album’s sessions that were originally compiled by Rhino Handmade on Magic Hollow, the now sold-out retrospective spanning The Beau Brummels’ entire career released in 2005. Valentino and Elliott get the last word, literally, on BRADLEY’S BARN, which concludes with an interview of the two that was originally broadcast on San Francisco’s KMPX-FM in October 1968. The conversation, which occurred around the time of the album’s issue, has never been previously released.

Brushfire Records recording artist, Bahamas, is giving away his song "Already Yours" from his new album ‘Pink Strat’. Click here to download the single.

Pink Strat, the critically acclaimed Canadian debut album from Bahamas, is set for a stateside release through Brushfire Records on May 17^th. Pink Strat is a lo-fi, sparse effort that defies genre classification. In 2010, Pink Strat received a Juno nomination (Canadian Grammy equivalent) for Roots & Traditional Album of the Year – Solo and was nominated for the 2010 Polaris Music Prize (Canadian Mercury Prize equivalent) for Best Canadian Album of the Year. Pink Strat will be release on CD and vinyl, with the first 500 produced on pink vinyl.

Bahamas is a moniker for Afie Jurvanen (pronounced AY-fee), a much sought-after sideman who spent three years as a guitarist/pianist for Feist, as well as many others. Jurvanen’s songwriting is filled with thoughtful storytelling, peculiar romance and quirky observations. The depth to Jurvanen’s songs and richness of his minimalist arrangements continue to unfold upon each listen to Pink Strat. The album title was inspired by the guitar Jurvanen began playing during his childhood, traveled the world with as a hired gun and eventually wrote the songs on that would become Pink Strat.

Pink Strat slowly developed a strong reputation in the music community leading to a Canadian tour supporting Wilco, as well as opening dates with Elvis Costello, The Weakerthans and the Sam Roberts Band.

Bahamas will embark on its first major U.S. tour as support for Noah and The Whale on 18+ dates. The cross-country tour will include shows in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New Orleans and New York City. See confirmed tour dates below.

Daytrotter.com featured Bahamas during one of their coveted Daytrotter Sessions, which posted on April 2. To hear Bahamas perform “Already Yours”, “Hockey Teeth” and “Sunshine Blues”, click the link below:http://www.daytrotter.com/dt/bahamas-concert/20032211-37382258.html

World renowned Australian acoustic guitarist Tommy Emmanuel will embark on a 10-date nationwide UK tour from Thursday December 1st at Hull City Hall. Tickets are now on sale from the 24 hour box office: 0871 230 1101 or can be booked online from www.seetickets.com or www.tommyemmanuel.com

The December UK tour dates include Hull City Hall (Dec 1), Harrogate International Centre (Dec 2), Buxton Opera House (Dec 3), Liverpool Royal Philharmonic (Dec 4), Birmingham Town Hall (Dec 5), Brighton Hove Centre (Dec 6), Cambridge Corn Exchange (Dec 7), Cardiff St David’s Hall (Dec 13), London Union Chapel (Dec 15), Salisbury City Hall (Dec 16).

Best known for his complex finger-picking style, Emmanuel is an Australian guitarist who performs energetic concerts, and is highly regarded for the use of percussive effects on the guitar. In 2008 and 2010, Guitar Player Magazine’s readers’ poll named him "Best Acoustic Guitarist.”

Throughout his career he has played with many notable artists including Chet Atkins, Eric Clapton, Sir George Martin, Air Supply, John Denver, Les Paul and Doc Watson.

Tommy and his brother Phil performed live in Sydney at the closing ceremony of the Summer Olympics in 2000. The event was televised worldwide with an estimated 2.85 billion viewers.

Tommy has said that even at a young age he was fascinated by Atkins’ musical style of playing bass with the thumb and melody parts with the first two or three fingers at the same time. This technique became the basis of Tommy’s guitar style.

While Tommy has never had formal music training, his playing ability has won him fans from all over the world. He is known to play percussion parts on the body of his guitar. As a solo performer he never plays to a set list and uses a minimum of effects. He usually completes recordings in one take.

Emmanuel frequently uses his left thumb to fret bass notes on the 5th and 6th strings as well as playing chords such as Am and E with just two fingers. He uses a thumb pick mostly, a flat pick or just fingers.

His main guitar is a small-bodied custom Maton EBG808 that is fitted with a pickup and an internal condenser microphone, to which he has given the nickname "Mouse" due to its quieter volume unplugged but massive sound when plugged into an amp. Two of his three main stage guitars, notably his signature TE1 Maton dreadnought, are battered and worn from his excessive playing and percussive techniques on them. He once stated that all three of his stage guitars have been broken and repaired numerous times over the years.

As a young man in Australia, Tommy wrote to his hero Chet Atkins in Nashville. Eventually Atkins replied with words of encouragement and a longstanding invitation to drop by to visit.

In 1997, Emmanuel and Atkins recorded as a duo and released the album “The Day Finger Pickers Took over the World,” which was also to be Atkins’ last recorded album before he died in 2001. In 1998, a year after the album was released it won Best Country Instrumental Album at the Nashville Music Awards.

In July 1999, at the 15th Annual Chet Atkins Appreciate Society Convention, Chet presented Tommy with a Certified Guitar Player award, an honour Atkins has bestowed on other guitarists. This award gains its fame from being bestowed by Atkins himself, a widely recognized leader in guitar music. The award states: "In Recognition of his Contributions to the Art of Fingerpicking." Tommy performs at the Chet Atkins Appreciation Society in July each year in Nashville.

“Tommy is about the only guitarist I’ve heard,” said Chet Atkins, “who can come close to what Lenny Breau did with harmonics, and he’s got a style all his own. I think he’s probably the greatest finger-picker in the world today. He’s inventive, fearless and has a flawless sense of rhythm. He’s a great showman, too.”

Emmanuel’s duet with Chet Atkins, “Smokey Mountain Lullaby,” was nominated for the 1998 Grammy award for Country Instrumental Performance. In 2006, Emmanuel received his second Grammy award nomination for Best Country Instrumental Performance for “Gameshow Rag.”

"No opportunity necessary" from "Time and a Word" Nov 69

“The Lost Broadcasts”, a DVD now available from Voiceprint, contains early television appearances of the Yes band between 1969 and 1971 with the band showcasing tracks from their first three albums. Among the rarities here are unseen takes as well as footage that has not been seen or properly presented since they were filmed around 40 years ago. The DVD consists primarily of live performances in both black & white and color, and provides a fascinating view of the band from their formative stages through their breakthrough with “The Yes Album”.

2008 was an important year for Yes. It was the year in which the band celebrated its fortieth anniversary. The band, still led by founder Chris Squire, toured America with the latest line up to bear the name of this rather special band of musicians. 2008 was also important for another reason, as towards the end of the year, whilst looking for footage for an entirely different project, a researcher unearthed the footage that is now included on this DVD

Yes first came together under the name Mabel Greer’s Toyshop, a name rather in keeping with the previous year’s “Summer of Love” ethos. However, by 1968, the name was beginning to lose its shine. The final line up of Mabel Greer’s Toyshop included Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Peter Banks, Tony Kaye and Bill Bruford. The name change from Mabel Greer’s Toyshop to Yes came in August 1968 when, following a couple of days rehearsing at the Lucky Horseshoe cafe in Shaftsbury Avenue, the band played their first gig as Yes at the Mersea Youth Club in Essex, although the first recorded actual billing of Yes at a gig was a two-show stand at the famous Marquee club some two days later on the 5th of August.

The reason for the name Yes, I hear you ask? Well according to Peter Banks it was instantly recognisable, extremely positive and more importantly looked big on posters advertising the band’s gigs. Between August and the end of December 1968 the band played fifty-five gigs throughout the length and breadth of the country. One special gig, however, on the 26th of November gave Yes a taste of what lay just around the corner for the band, when they were added to the bill of Cream’s farewell performance at London’s Royal Albert Hall. The band were bottom of the bill under Rory Gallagher’s Taste, John Hiseman’s Colosseum and, of course, Cream. Despite being incredibly nervous, the band acquitted itself well and from here on things moved quickly. The band were invited to record a session for John Peel’s Top Gear show in January 1969, the first of many recorded for the BBC, and shortly after secured a recording contract with the giant Atlantic Records label.

Over the coming months the band recorded their debut album – the epnymously titled “Yes” (not to be confused with ‘The Yes Album’ from two years later). The album featured a mix of covers and original material which was fairly representative of the bands live set at this time and was released in July of 1969. The band by now had started performing gigs overseas and from the fifty five concerts performed by Yes in 1968 the band performed a hectic two hundred and three concerts in 1969 and also managed to fit in a number of TV appearances both in the UK and Europe, including the first appearance featured on this DVD filmed for the German television programme ‘Beat Club’ in November 1969.

The tracks performed here are No Opportunity Necessary, No Experience Needed, Looking Around and Survival. Of the three tracks Looking Around and Survival were from the first Yes album and No Opportunity was a Richie Havens song the band had worked up for live performance and would feature as the opening track on the bands second album Time and A Word which would be released in July 1970. Only No Opportunity would be featured in the actual broadcast from this mini live set and was duly broadcast on the 29th of November 1969. In fact an interesting aside is that this particular edition of ‘Beat Club’ was the penultimate edition to be filmed in black and white. The show would change to colour after the final show of the year on the thirty first of December.

The set performed by Yes on this occasion would have been a cut down version of the bands live set, and Jon Anderson introduced the numbers, although he forgets which camera he is on whilst introducing Looking Around, much to the amusement of the rest of the band. The performance is a tight concise and well disciplined one proving that the live work undertaken by Yes in 1969 had sharpened up their musical skills no end. More importantly in terms of footage available from this period very little has survived making this small but historically important piece of film of the original line up of Yes all the more important.

The next clip featured here is a colour clip of the band performing Time And A Word. The performance is a lip synched performance as was the norm for many television programmes of the time and the band seem to be enjoying themselves performing the title track of their second album. Despite the good natured performance however there was an underlying tension which had arisen during the recording of Time And A Word. Peter Banks is featured here in possibly one of his last TV appearances with the band he helped to form. Just over seven weeks after this performance Peter Banks was sacked from Yes following a gig in Luton on the 18th of April 1970. Time And A Word the final album to feature Peter as a member of Yes was released in July 1970 by which time Peter’s successor Steve Howe was installed as the guitarist in Yes where despite a few periods where he has chosen to play with other bands such as Asia and GTR he has remained ever since

The next section of footage comes from another ‘Beat Club’ appearance filmed on the 19th of April 1971. The two tracks featured on the programme which was aired on the 24th of April were I’ve Seen All Good People and Yours Is No Disgrace however researchers recently found a second take of Yours Is No Disgrace which is slightly faster than the original take. This second take has remained in the vault until now as it was decided to use the first take rather than the slightly faster retake.

Following on from these TV performances Yes would finally break through with their third album, The Yes album and, following more changes in lineup, which saw Rick Wakeman replacing Tony Kaye, the band would go onto even greater success with albums such as Fragile, Close To The Edge & Tales From Topographic Oceans in the seventies through the eighties with albums like 90125 and Big Generator, and then to the bands most recent studio album, Magnification, which was recorded with a full orchestra in 2001

The band, despite short periods of inactivity and a great many changes in personnel (which has seen Chris Squire as the only constant throughout the bands history), have weathered the storms of fashion and commercial whims and released almost twenty studio albums and a number of live albums in the period 1968-2008. Yes have also remained hugely popular in the live arena and are still able to fill some of the largest arenas worldwide to audiences both young and old.

The performances featured on this DVD however are from the very early days of the band. You could say from a time “Before and Beyond” their massive success; but the spark of what made them the massively successful band they became is visible here for all to see and hear.