Positive
music with themes of love and home on today’s episode of the Minstral show
featuring: Hoobastank, The Fixators, Ivan
& Alyosha, Yusuf Cat Stevens, Wheat Fields, The Greek Theatre, Saintseneca,
Marqui Adora, Travel Mind Syndrome, The Nadas, Houndmouth & Chris de Burgh.
More than just a podcast, World
United Music has emerged to bring you the best music being made in the 21st
century by signed, unsigned and Independent artists.
To all the Artists, be sure to
share the podcast episode with your network as it helps bring attention not
only to your work but to the work of others as well. That's what the “World
United Music” project is all about, bringing attention to all the artists who
make great music. SET: 01
Opening
today’s program is Hoobastank with the title track of their December 2003 album
“The Reason”. This song is a personal favorite of mine in lyric, music and in
the passion in which it is delivered. It’s truly a great song of emotional
healing. The album went double platinum in the US alone selling 2.3 million
copies which is a testament on how good the album is. Incidentally, Hoobastank
will be on tour from October to December 2018 for the 15th
anniversary of their album “The Reason” so this is a great time to play the
song and check out this band if you don’t know them already. Great stuff.
Next
up is Sydney Australia’s “The Fixators” with “Rust” taken from their January
2014 album “Colorblind”
Rust
is a wonderful Pop rock song about looking back in time…a very well produced
sound, full of hooks to send the approval meters into gold territory…it has
that summers end feel to it as well, that makes it especially likable as we
pass through the days of September looking back with a farewell to summer. A
very pleasant and enjoyable song.
Seattle
Washington band “Ivan & Alyosha” follow with “Be Your Man” taken from their
2013 album “All the Time We Had”. Another, up beat, feel good, energy booster
kind of song that harnesses the youthful excitement boys show when interested
in girls. Love this tune. There’s a good video of the song on YouTube that
deserves a million more hits so please do check it out…Ivan & Alyosha – Be
Your Man
Closing
the set is Yusuf Cat Stevens with “See What Love Did to Me” taken from his 2017
album “The Laughing Apple”
The
Laughing Apple brings Yusuf's career full circle, as it reunites him with
producer Paul Samwell-Smith and guitarist Alun Davies who were prominent
collaborators on the 1970's multi-platinum, Tea for the Tillerman.
“See
What Love Did to Me” is the wonderful result of Yusuf's search for spiritual
meaning put to music that expands the fantastic creative expressions of the
Tillerman days. This song is very catchy AND one listen is not enough. I love
this tune.
And
so we offer, a set of passion, longing and love to pick your spirits up, on the
Minstral Show.
SET: 02
Black-heath
Australia band “Wheat Fields” kicks off our second set with “Let’s Play” taken
from their 2013 Album “Saturnalia”… “Let’s Play” is a laid back psychedelic
tune that puts the mind at ease and releases the listener into an expanding
universe of mello…I love the state of mind this song leaves me with. It’s
really Good stuff.
From
Sweden, the Greek Theater follow with “Still Lost at Sea” taken from their 2017
album “Broken Circle”. “Still Lost at Sea” reminds me of the infectious Pop sounds
of the 60’s…songs such as “How Can I Be Sure” by The Young Rascals, “You Showed
Me” by The Turtles and “You didn’t have to be so nice” by the lovin spoonful come
to mind when I hear this song. In fact, I’m convinced that if this song was on
the radio back then it would have gone multi platinum for sure…it’s certainly a
pleasant and refreshing sound amongst all the noise that passes as pop today…good
laid back sounds.
Saintseneca
from Columbus Ohio follow with “Beast in the Garden” from their August 31st
2018 release “Pillar of Na”. I love the harmonic sounds in this song, the old
and new folk instrument’s and the way the vocals blend with them. It certainly
caught my attention the moment the album dropped a few days ago. “Beast in the
Garden”
Marqui
Adora from Miami Florida follow with their 2008 single “Catch the Sun”. Here’s
an upbeat feel good tune that celebrates our youth, through the time and life
we spent together with friends…a time when it felt that we could reach out and
catch the sun and live forever. If you love singing, this is a good one to sing
to.
Marqui
Adora have put out some excellent music in the past and certainly deserve mucho
radio play…a band I feel that is very underrated.
And
so, “Let’s Play” while we’re “Still Out at Sea”, but beware, “The Beast in the
Garden”, while trying to “Catch the Sun”, on the Minstral Show.
SET: 03
“Travel
Mind Syndrome” from Athens Greece start our final set with “Breeze of Light”
taken from their 2010 Album “East Action to Saint Friday”.
“Breeze
of Light” is a song that recalls the memories of a past love that sparks a
beacon of light to guide the way for that special person to return. Very
positive energy by Travel Mind Syndrome.
“The
Nada’s” follow with “Feel Like Home” taken from their 2008 album “Ghosts Inside
these Halls”.
"Feel
Like Home" is about embracing the familiar while away from home in a
strange place. A good connecting song when on the road.
The
song is also used as the community anthem for the Des Moines, Iowa "Do
More" campaign… What a great choice of songs for a community program. Very
positive with a big thumbs up
Houndmouth
follows with their 2015 single “Sedona”.
The
song refers to “Sedona Arizona” a little town that played host to more than 60
Hollywood movies through the 1920’s to the 1970’s including the first big movie
filmed there called “Stagecoach” produced by John Ford. It’s a great little
tune that tells the story of the rise and fall of the movie industry there.
Sedona!
Chris
de Burgh closes today’s program with “Big City Sunday’s taken from his 2014
album “The Hands of Man”. A fantastic album by the way if you haven’t heard it.
“Big
City Sunday’s” is a song written with passion with the emotional connection to
home. We always feel a little alone when far away and in that loneliness our
thoughts often turn to youthful days of home, the place where everything’s ok,
the place we live forever.
Be sure to support the artists by
going to their official websites, buying their music and joining their email
platforms. Details are in the episode description.
You can also find these songs in
playlists on the World United Music Blog…@ worldunitedmusicDOTblogspotDOTcom
And
so a set of deep connecting music with thoughts of friends we will live forever
with, in the places we call home, on the Minstral Show.
See
you next week everybody.
The Minstral Show – (Episode 056)
SONGS:
SET
01
Hoobastank
– The Reason
The
Fixators – Rust
Ivan
& Alyosha – Be Your Man
Yusuf
Cat Stevens – See What Love Did to Me
SET
02
Wheat
Fields – Let’s Play
The
Greek Theatre – Still Lost at Sea
Saintseneca
– Beast in the Garden
Marqui
Adora – Catch the Sun
SET
03
Travel
Mind Syndrome – Breeze of Light
The
Nadas – Feel Like Home
Houndmouth
– Sedona
Chris
de Burgh – Big City Sunday’s
ALSO:
Be sure to support the artists by
going to their official websites, buying their music and joining their email
platforms. (See Links below.)
The World United Music Podcast was carried
on 11 different platforms including Anchor FM, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pocket
Casts, Radio Public, Castbox, Breaker, Google Podcasts, Overcast, PodBean and
of course on our World United Music Blog. You can still find the show on
Breaker & PodBean linked below. Hey, “Catch the Wave!”
Today’s
episode takes us on a journey of awakening through songs that express the walls
and battles we all have to overcome either by ourselves or collectively as a
community. The road of life brings with it many hurdles, battles and lessons that
eventually lead to an awakening and vision for creating a better world, featuring
music by, Chastity Brown, Eric Burdon, Michael on Fire, Burlap to Cashmere,
Chris de Burgh, Steve Hackett, Different Light, Matthew Perryman Jones, Deep
Purple, and Dream Theater.
More than just a podcast, World United
Music has emerged to bring you the best music being made in the 21st
century by signed, unsigned and Independent artists.
To all the Artists, be sure to share the
podcast episode with your network as it helps bring attention not only to your
work but to the work of others as well. That's what the “World United Music” project
is all about, bringing attention to all the artists who make great music.
SET: 01
Starting
us off on the Long Road to awakening is Minnesota-based musician, singer and
songwriter Chastity Brown with the soulful bluesy roots rock title song to her
2014 album “Long Way”. Our journey begins by revisiting the past where
experience and memory can well up over each mile travelled back in time…it’s a
long way, but a necessary journey to help clarify life going forward.
Following Chastity Brown is
UK legend Eric Burdon with “27 Forever” taken from his 2013 album “Til Your
River Runs Dry” A conscious conversation with ones self looking back in time
with what would have been if we had taken the other path at the fork in the
road. Eric Burdon bares his soul in 27 Forever.
Detroit’s
own, Michael on Fire follows with “Cadillac Beach” taken from his 2014 album
“The Artist, the Dreamer. The Lover and the Fool”.
Cadillac
Beach, is beautifully expressed through poetic lyric and soothing acoustic
guitar reminding us to appreciate life because it can change in an instant and
leave us with unforgettable, painful moments. Wise words to remember when
running around at 200 miles an hour trying to check off all the things on an
endless to do list. Don’t miss out on what’s really important…
Burlap to Cashmere closes the
set with the title track to their 1998 album “Anybody Out There” an empathic
song of reflection and awakening as one finds themselves alone in searching for
answers to life. A powerful moment on our long road.
And
so, we begin a mindful journey to overcome the hurdles of life on the road to
clarity, and all through the best music of today, on the minstral show.
SET: 02
Chris
de Burgh starts off the second set with “Waiting for the hurricane” taken from
his 2012 album “Home”
“Waiting
for the hurricane” is a robust, energetic filled song that lifts the adrenalin
levels, much the same way his classic tune, “Don’t pay the Ferryman” does. The
energy and flow reminds us that, sometimes in life, there’s no escaping the
storms that come our way, and so the best thing to do is brace yourself and
stand up for what’s to come.
Following
Chris de Burgh is Steve Hackett with the title track to his 2015 album “Wolflight”
“Wolflight”
is a song that tells of community’s endless fight for survival from sinister
forces while trying to preserve our existence. We stand our ground and fight
back for our very survival…and its at this point where the awakening grows
exponentially…a great tune by Steve Hackett and band.
Following Steve Hackett is
“Different Light” from the Czech Republic with “In Love and War” taken from
their 2016 Album “The Burden of Paradise” The song takes us through the
aftermath of battles fought and down the emotional road that is left in their
wake, to confront, the memories that have become scars in the game of love and
war.
And so, we brace for the
hurricanes that descend onto us in life and battle enemy forces to win our
freedom, on the Minstral show.
SET: 03
Leading off the third set is Matthew
Perryman Jones with the title track to his 2015 album “Cold Answer”. Poetic
lyrics describe feelings of being spiritually grounded, when waking up in the
middle of a war and seeing for the first time the cold reality of wars purveyors.
Great empathic music by Matthew Perryman Jones
Deep
Purple follows with “Blood from a Stone” taken from their 2013 album “Now
What!?”
The
peoples voice screams out in this song by Deep Purple as the community is
always under attack by economic predators that often call themselves our
governments. An excellent blues tune that packs a lotta truth.
Dream
Theater closes the set with “Our New World” taken from their 2016 album “The
Astonishing”
Hope
cries out to build a new World, one that’s better and made for all and not just
the few. And all we have to do, to make our dreams a reality, is to just go out
and make it happen. The world is ours to build, and so freedom awaits in “Our
New World”…a great tune to unite people in creating a better world.
Be sure to support the artists by going to
their official websites, buying their music and joining their email platforms.
Details are in the episode description.
And now the conclusion to an awakening, on
the Minstral Show.
Have a great week everybody!
The Minstral Show – (Episode 046)
SONGS:
SET
01
Chastity
Brown – Long Way
Eric
Burdon – 27 Forever
Michael
on Fire – Cadillac Beach
Burlap
to Cashmere – Anybody Out There
SET
02
Chris
de Burgh – Waiting for the Hurricane
Steve
Hackett – Wolflight
Different
Light – In Love and War
SET
03
Matthew
Perryman Jones – Cold Answer
Deep
Purple – Blood from a Stone
Dream
Theater – Our New World
ALSO:
Be sure to support the artists by going to
their official websites, buying their music and joining their email platforms.
(See Details below.)
The World United Music Podcast was carried
on 11 different platforms including Anchor FM, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pocket
Casts, Radio Public, Castbox, Breaker, Google Podcasts, Overcast, PodBean and
of course on our World United Music Blog. You can still find the show on
Breaker & PodBean linked below. Hey, “Catch the Wave!”
Hello
and welcome to episode 41 of “The Minstral Show”!
There
is an awakening taking place today that is led by an empathic moral desire to make
the world a better place. This awakening has morphed into a global collective
consciousness, brought to life by the individual and our common moral
foundations over the internet, through computers and our communication
technology. The World is evolving, and moving away from the age that came
before when we all lived in our own little worlds, before the internet.
We
live in interesting times where the individual voice can rise and be heard by
many…yet it can also be silenced by the powerful…however, two things are certain,
truth and evolution cannot be held back for very long as we communicate with
each other across the World and over the Internet.
A
very important element of our collective consciousness is art and music which comes
from the creative thoughts and impressions of the individual, transposed onto canvas
or into compositions. The world has entered a new age of renaissance that is consciously
expressive...and so today’s theme takes us on a quest to understand our path in
these days of great change, featuring Graham Nash, Temples, Riverside, David
Ian Roberts, David Crosby, Neil Young, The Colin Tench Project, Casey Stratton
and Chris de Burgh. Have a listen and if it resonates, share it with your
friends.
More
than just a podcast, World United Music is a solid connection to a global
consciousness that has emerged to build a better world…
SET: 01
Graham
Nash opens the fist set with “This Path Tonight” taken from his 2016 album of
the same name. Asking, “Where are we going”… The song reflects our common need
to understand where this dizzying and collective path of life is taking us… “This
Path Tonight” is beautifully written and expressed by one of the worlds very best
artists.
Following
Graham Nash is Kettering UK band “Temples” with their 2013 single “Colours to
Life”…
“Colours
to Life” is a song that steps back into the psychedelic sounds of the mid 60’s
era to bring its vibrant Colour and magic back to the 21st century.
As
the Psychedelic era of the 60’s kindled our expanding consciousness and desire
to understand life, the internet today serves our collective consciousness and
desire to understand as well…yet it is still, music and lyric that brings
colours to life…
Rounding
out the set is Riverside with “Reality Dream III” from their 2005 album “Second
Life Syndrome”
“Reality
Dream III” is a brilliant progressive rock tune that seemingly represents
communication of the fractal being who then passes into a collective state of
mind. A brilliant thought provoking instrumental that urges our minds forward in
a free-flowing thought transfer to set us on a path of understanding and
collective evolution.
And
so, this Path tonight brings colours to life in this reality dream, on the
minstral show.
SET: 02
Our
second set of music expresses how the vulnerable individual soul deals with the
transition and new unfolding reality of a collective consciousness; where
beliefs and illusions can be shattered by truth and by some of the spiritual
and material negatives that have risen with the technocratic side of the
corporate AI world.
Opening
the set is Cardiff Wales singer songwriter David Ian Roberts with “Indian
Blues” taken from his debut 2014 album “St. Clears”
David
Ian Roberts provides reflective understanding through a soft jazzy acoustic
tune to capture the essence of the individual in deep thought through serene
moments of reflection… In the overall collective consciousness, differing thoughts
of mind, battle, and can leave us wounded while feeling a little blue, but also
with important lessons learned…the music is emotionally expressive and Subtly
pleasant that connects on a deep level.
David
Crosby follows with “What’s Broken” from his 2014 album “Croz”
David’s
song asks “What’s Broken” as he describes the lonely fractal soul in all its
vulnerability.
Poetically
engaging lyrics and infectious soft jazz rock music, serves as a catalyst in the
sensual perception of a collective conscious awakening within a single soul, seen
through open eyes and empathic tether in a world living in lies…yet also understanding,
that life’s precious moments are quickly passing by. “What’s Broken” is a deeply
moving song that expresses the empathic ability to see the world as it is… by a
brilliant artist.
Neil
Young and Crazy Horse close out the set with “Driftin Back” from their 2012
album “Psychedelic Pill”.
“Driftin
Back” is a 28 minute masterpiece of reflection to when freedom and quality of
life was abundant and corporate greed had not usurped the world or lowered the
quality of life.
The
conscious connection that Neil Youngs has had with his audience throughout his
career is ever present in “Driftin Back”. When Neil sings, he sings our
collective feelings for peace, justice and human rights. An important lesson we
continue to learn as this vast world we live in becomes smaller through
technology and communication but most importantly, through our emerging collective
consciousness.
A
memorable set with David Ian Roberts, David Crosby, Neil Young and Crazy Horse
on the minstral show.
SET: 03
The
final set on today's show expresses the realization of how powerful the Internet
has become in bringing all of us together as a collective consciousness. Where,
through our moral values, understanding and empathy we can build a better world
together for the generations to come.
The
Colin Tench Project opens the set with “See How She Runs” from their Dec 2017
album “Minor Masterpiece”…”See How She Runs” expresses the lighter side of music
in an almost “Broadway meets 10cc” themed musical where our collective minds
have merged and begins speaking to itself…Sung brilliantly by Peter Jones.
The
album “Minor Masterpiece” is just that and more and features Joey Lugassy, Joe Vitale,
Gordo Bennett, Petri Lemmy Lindström, Peter Jones and the late Colin Tench with
Special guests, Christo Pellani, & Eddie Young
Following
Colin Tench is Casey Stratton with “Weight of the World” taken from his 2016
album “Collective Sigh”
“Weight
of the World” is a song lush with Casey Stratton’s empathic vocals in lyrics that
compares the intersection of two different worlds, the one before the internet
when we were all in our own little worlds separated from each other, and the
consciously connected world of today where the connection to millions of souls is
just a click away. A Brilliant song dedicated to making the world a better
place through the giving of ones self. A very moving expression not to miss.
Chris
de Burgh closes the show with a wonderful song of hope…hope for overcoming all the
trials we face together, collectively…we are closer today to achieving a
unified moral community because we are all connected through modern
communication of the Internet…we can achieve great things together and even
though there are problems in the world, they will fade as we grow collectively
in voice and consciousness until one day we cross the plane of evolution and
begin building a better world. Chris de Burgh at his very best.
Be
sure to support the artists by going to their official websites, buying their
music and joining their email platforms. Details are in the episode
description.
And
now its time to sit back and enjoy another great set of music, on the minstral
show, see you next week.
The
Minstral Show – (Episode 041)
SONGS:
SET
01
Graham
Nash – This Path Tonight
Temples
– Colours to Life
Riverside
– Reality Dream III
SET
02
David
Ian Roberts – Indian Blues
David
Crosby – What’s Broken
Neil
Young – Driftin Back
SET
03
Colin
Tench Project – See How She Runs
Casey
Stratton – Weight of the World
Chris
de Burgh – The Hands of Man
ALSO:
Be
sure to support the artists by going to their official websites, buying their
music and joining their email platforms. (See Details below.)
The World United Music Podcast was carried on 11
different platforms including Anchor FM, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Pocket Casts,
Radio Public, Castbox, Breaker, Google Podcasts, Overcast, PodBean and of
course on our World United Music Blog. You can still find the show on Breaker
& PodBean linked below. Hey, “Catch the Wave!”
Few artists can lay claim to international success spanning
three decades but, beginning with his very first release, Chris de Burgh has
achieved precisely that.
The foundations for a remarkable and durable career were
laid back in 1975 with the release of Chris’s debut album, ‘Far Beyond These
Castle Walls’, featuring a single, ‘Flying’, which spent 17 weeks at No. 1 in
Brazil.
Subsequent records, almost in turn, continued to steadily
draw in audiences around the world; Scandinavia was early to embrace the vivid
story-telling that is Chris’s unique talent, South Africa quickly tuned in to
his power as a live performer, North America even demanded its own specially
compiled ‘greatest hits’ collection, ‘Best Moves’. In the United States,
meanwhile, relentless touring with his management stablemates Supertramp was
beginning to establish Chris as a gritty, charismatic stage presence.
Indeed, by 1980, Chris’s global profile had already mushroomed
to the point where that year’s album, ‘Eastern Wind’, became one of the
biggest-selling albums of all time in Norway. A year later, its follow-up, ‘Man
On The Line’, was a Top 30 album in the UK, the US and 20 other countries,
while producing the single ‘High On Emotion’, which went to No. 1 in ten
European countries.
In many respects, it was this album that opened the door to
the enormous success which was to follow and scale new heights with the arrival
of Chris’s 1986 album ‘Into The Light’. Chris, by his own estimation, had
shrewdly perceived this record to be one which could place him fully centre
stage as an artist and, indeed, it featured the song which finally established
him as a known singer-songwriter around the world. ‘The Lady In Red’, now
undeniably an evergreen classic, achieved No. 1 status in 25 countries,
including the UK, went to No. 2 in America – and has now sold in excess of 8
million copies. To this day, it remains one of the most played songs on the
planet; in America alone, it has subsequently been the recipient of six annual
ASCAP (Association of Composers and Publishers) Awards, presented to
acknowledge the track as one of the Top 20 most played records in the United
States in a period of 12 months.
By now, Chris’s stature had reached true superstar status in
many territories – particularly in Germany, where his sell-out tours were
grossing more than any other artist on the road.
Come 1990, Chris’s German popularity was such that he was
the only international artist personally invited by then Chancellor Kohl to
perform at the historic public celebrations marking the re-unification of East
and West Germany. This momentous privilege immediately followed sell-out tours
of Australia and Japan.
In the intervening years, and on the eve of the Millennium,
Chris continued to add new audiences to his vast fan base – from Moscow to
Malta, from Singapore to Sarajevo – and, always, to find and embrace new
challenges for himself as a musician and a performer. Specifically, his 1995 album,
‘Beautiful Dreams’, realised a long-held ambition to have his music (both new
material and selected highlights from his previous repertoire) recorded in a
classical style – with a full, 32-piece orchestra.
Not only did this album breathe new life into Chris
artistically, but it also enabled him to embark on a series of open-air shows
in some of the UK’s finest palaces and stately homes.
His 1999 album ‘Quiet Revolution’ featured a band for the
first time since his ‘This Way Up’ LP, five years earlier. Road-tested as
players via tours of Germany, South Africa, the Eastern Bloc, Middle East and
South East Asia, a solid line-up of musicians once again invigorated Chris’s
approach to making music in a group scenario, a philosophy still very much in
evidence on his next studio album, ‘Timing Is Everything’, released in 2002.
In every sense, the record was a current statement of
Chris’s craft, easily placing all of the several trademarks he had made his own
– vivid story-telling, powerful anthems and heartfelt ballads – against an
undeniably contemporary backdrop.
“It was a modern-sounding record, within the parameter of me
as a songwriter, because I write in the classic vein. I’m writing in that
old-fashioned way, but I think we brought a very new and dynamic sound to it.”
Musically and lyrically, his 16th studio album moved with
the times, but on his terms; as always, Chris was content to pursue his own,
personal and unique path. It has proven to be the successful route to longevity
which, across three decades, has won him a devoted, worldwide following.
All eleven new songs presented on the album were instantly
in tune with this international acclaim, reputation and credibility. Each was
written and recorded with uncommon ease and speed, factors which infected both
the vocal performance and the overall mood of the album. “I found that writing
the songs was not a grind and a chore; they came out very easily. I felt so
good about the album that I actually recorded four or five full, finished,
vocals in an afternoon. That’s unheard of for me! Another day I recorded vocals
for four other songs; I just thought ‘Well, I’m in the voice for it – why don’t
I just do them?’ It was like I was saying ‘There’s no big deal about this…’
“The speed with which we recorded reflected the fun we were
having. That was a big part of it all. When making records previously, there
had always been that slightly freaky thing of saying to myself ‘Today I’m doing
a lead vocal’. In the past, I have been aware of the need to get my singing, my
vocal performance, absolutely right in the studio – because what is recorded
there stays with you forever. It’s like taking a penalty in an important
football match; you’ve got to get it right.”
There were, and will be, many interpretations concerning the
meaning of ‘The Road To Freedom’, the title given to his 17th album, released
in 2004.
For Chris, the album name openly identified his enthusiasm
about not only producing an intensely individual record but, also, for choosing
to be at liberty to make it available on his own, Ferryman Records, label;
having been signed to a major record company for almost 30 years, the time had
come to do things on his own. For listeners, the album presented a vibrant and
emotionally uplifting journey along a path filled with insight, inspiration
and, as ever, colourful imagination. And it did so with a lyrical diversity
married perfectly against a musical backdrop of truly international appeal;
Spanish, Celtic, North American and Eastern European melodies are instantly
apparent.
Equally, it was a record which tackled a wide spread of
subject matter; the bittersweet life of Queen Elizabeth the First (‘Rose Of
England’), a rallying, heartfelt plea for people to make something of their
lives (‘Read My Name’), a moving tribute to the late Eva Cassidy (‘Songbird’)
and – possibly most intriguingly – a song called ‘Five Past Dreams’, the ‘what
happened next?’ follow-up to Chris’s biggest career hit, and one of the most
romantic ballads of all time, ‘The Lady In Red’.
Each of the songs, and the other seven original compositions
featured on the album, were written with a quite specific aim in mind; the
desire within Chris to be able to play them all in the context of solo concert
performance, without the need to embellish every track with any accompaniment
beyond his guitar or piano. An extensive World Tour, with dates across Europe,
the UK and North America, followed to support the album and that intent. ‘The
Road To Freedom’ presented an up-beat, positive and hopeful over-view of the
world as Chris de Burgh then saw it, viewed in the cinematic proportions which
have become one of his unique abilities.
By now recording and releasing albums with more regular
frequency than at almost any other point in his career, Chris delivered his
next studio LP, ‘The Storyman’, in 2006. Its title alone aptly summed up Chris;
imaginative story-making has, after all, always been at the very core of his
worldwide success.
Whether his lyrical – and musical – themes have tackled love
and loss or been set against imaginative backdrops created from the past,
present or future, the telling of tales is his special gift.
Across more than three decades by now, Chris’s extensive
repertoire of songs has taken his audience on travels through continents,
cultures and centuries – in cinematic proportion – and such was the inspiration
behind the concept of ‘The Storyman’.
Each one of the songs was accompanied by stories – also
written by Chris and printed in the CD booklet – which set the scene and expand
upon the lyrics with detail, colour and atmosphere.
In order to win a place on his next album, Chris de Burgh
selected the songs he recorded by applying three critical principles: he had to
love them, have sung them many times before – and, perhaps most relevantly,
they had to have inspired him.
As a result, and by any measure, the 13 ‘covers’ on
‘Footsteps’ represent a deeply personal and candid appraisal by Chris of songs
which have influenced and affected the way he has crafted his own particular
musical imprint.
There is little doubt that these songs and songwriters
provided solid cornerstones for him to build upon. Equally, there is no attempt
by Chris to disguise, in his selection, the creative models and ideals he
aspired to – and still does.
Writing and recording his new album ‘Moonfleet & Other
Stories’ took Chris de Burgh on the most ambitious, challenging and evocative
journey of his long and successful career,
With sales of his albums now approaching 50 million
worldwide, his unique, vivid slant on musical story-telling is already clearly
established, but ‘Moonfleet & Other Stories’ raises the bar to
unprecedented new heights.
It’s entirely appropriate to call ‘Moonfleet & Others
Stories’ a tour de force, not merely since it comprises 20 original elements
(including an orchestral overture), but because it’s a fully-rounded and
realised musical suite based on the book from which the album takes its name.
Yet while the piece – a sequence of songs threaded together
by narration – concerns itself with a musical and lyrical interpretation of the
classic work (a tale of 18th Century smuggling, treasure, friendship, love and
loss) by English novelist J. Meade Falkner, elsewhere on the album Chris
tackles an extraordinarily diverse and wide-ranging variety of topics.
Songs which moved and motivated Chris de Burgh to become a
better writer himself are at the core of ‘Footsteps 2′. In a variety of ways,
the 10 ‘covers’ on the new album each proved influential to Chris in forging
and developing his career – and one of the original versions quite literally
stopped him in his tracks when he first heard it.
“I had to pull my car over to the side of the road and
simply listen,” says Chris of ‘The Living Years’ by Mike & The Mechanics .
“It suddenly hit me about my own relationship with my father, which was not the
easiest. I couldn’t drive because I was crying. The tears were rolling down my
face and this song helped me to build bridges between myself and my father.”
Whereas the songs featured on his successful 2009 album
‘Footsteps’ were selected for being inspirational personal favourites often
performed by Chris, the material on ‘Footsteps 2′ was chosen for the “big
effect” it has had upon him. “Music is the soundtrack to our own lives,” he
says. “These songs, at particular times in my life, were cornerstones. They
were the footsteps, like stepping stones across the river, that helped me on my
way.”
Chris refers to the driving creative impetus of other
musicians on his career in a verse of ‘Every Step Of The Way’, one of three new
songs he wrote for ‘Footsteps 2′. They are joined by a reworking of a German
lyric in ‘Seven Bridges’, an orchestral version of the ‘Footsteps’ theme, The
Beatles tracks ‘Let It Be’ and ‘Lady Madonna’ and the Stevie Winwood song,
‘While You See A Chance’.
While his approach to several of the songs was to produce
‘faithful versions’ of the originals, Chris had an entirely different agenda
with others – particularly ‘SOS’ by Abba, for which both the tempo and
arrangement was altered, in part. His personal reading and interpretation of
particular song lyrics was also a key focus. “With certain songs, I wanted to
bring more attention to the lyric than was possibly there initially. I was
really concentrating on the feeling of the song.”
As with ‘Footsteps’, arriving at the final tracks for
‘Footsteps 2′ – and their positioning in the running order of the album – was a
painstaking process. “I spent a lot of time researching the tracks, going
through songs, listening to songs, wondering if I could do a good job on them,
whether I could add something to the original, or whether I was just going to
do an ‘homage’ to the original.
“There were no definite choices, immediately, but the album
began to take its own shape and, as always, it’s very important to have a
dynamic attitude to the overall; you can’t just have ten really powerful songs
at high tempo, you have to balance – the balance is critical.”
The result is the third new album Chris has recorded and
released in as many years; a prolific output by any standards, with the two
‘Footsteps’ projects sandwiching 2010′s hit album of original material,
‘Moonfleet & Other Stories’. “I gave myself the biggest challenge of my
career in writing and recording that album,” Chris estimates. “It was very
difficult but great, great fun to have done that, ultimately. Meanwhile, let’s
not forget that the ‘Footsteps’ albums were of songs that existed already! I
didn’t have to put a lot of songwriting into them, which is what really takes
the time.”
As always, Chris is set go on the road in support of his
latest release, just as soon as he’s completed the final leg of the ‘Moonfleet
& Other Stories’ tour. “I’m very much looking forward to going on tour in
2012 with ‘Footsteps 2′. We’ll be performing quite a few songs from it, which
I’m really excited about doing.”
And what of ‘Footsteps 3′? “I have no plans to write and
record another of my own albums at all at the moment because we’re still very
much involved with ‘Moonfleet’ , but ‘Footsteps 3′ is definitely a possibility.
“I think the day will come, as long as I’m still in good
voice and, certainly, people who have heard ‘Footsteps 2′ say it’s probably the
best singing I’ve ever done. I am very pleased with it. It also comes down to
public interest; whether they want to hear it. The material is out there. There
are plenty of great songs to record. Maybe we’ll approach it in a slightly
different way, perhaps look at a different kind of material. I’ve always been
drawn, for example, to classical music and to church chorale music. Maybe an
album of Christmas carols. Who knows?”
Psychedelic, Alternative, New Wave, Dark Wave – (2000 to 2019)
Psychedelic, Alternative, New Wave, Dark Wave – (2020 to 2029)
Rock, Alternative - (2010 to 2019)
Rock, Alternative – (2020 to 2021)
Soft Rock, Lite Rock, Alternative – (2010 to 2019)
Soft Rock, Lite Rock, Alternative – (2020 to 2021)
Pop Rock – (2000 to 2019)
Pop Rock - (2020 to 2021)
Folk Rock, Acoustic – (2010 to 2019)
Folk Rock, Acoustic – (2020 to 2021)
Hard Rock, Heavy Metal – (2000 to 2019)
Punk Rock, High Energy Rock n Roll – (2000 to 2019)
Southern Rock, Alt Country – (2000 to 2019)
Classic, New Age Classic
New Age Alternative
Ambient, Electronic, Relaxation
Music for the Revolutionary Mind
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