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It’s been way too long…

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…since I posted a Tedeschi Trucks Band video. So…

The Tedeschi Trucks Band has a new live album out of a 2015 tour which recreated the legendary Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour of 1970.

Leon Russell plays piano, just as he did back then, and the incredible TTB are also joined by Chris Stainton, Claudia Lennear, Dave Mason and Rita Coolidge from the original company. Covering for the late Joe Cocker, alongside Susan Tedeschi, are Chris Robinson and Warren Haynes.

When husband and wife, Derek and Susan, put their band together it was always that Mad Dogs band that was the template, and you can hear it in the fantastic brass section and backing singers.

Everyone who knows me knows that I love this band so much. They are fantastic, live, and Derek Trucks is, for me, the best slide-guitar player on the planet.

Here they are with the old Box Tops hit, The Letter, the song that closed some of the shows back in 1970.

Top to Toe in Tailbacks

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Chris Rea knew that his record contract wasn’t going to be renewed when the label refused to pay for the return train journey from Middlesbrough to London, in December 1978. He had just about got enough to fund the trip ‘down south,’ so Joan, his wife, said she would pick him up at Abbey Road Studios in a couple of days time and drive him back north. It was less than ideal but, struggling musicians can’t be choosers. Especially when they’re currently banned from driving.

The sessions at Abbey Road were for his second album, Deltics. His debut album had been out for a few months and, while the first single, Fool If You Think It’s Over, had received some radio-play, the album had not done well. It had been expensive to make; produced by Gus Dudgeon, Elton John’s producer, and packed with stars like Rod Argent, Pete Wingfield and Dave Mattacks; so Chris was in substantial debt to Magnet Records until such time as the album generated enough profit to cover the cost. For now, he was being paid a small weekly wage, (welcome to the real world of the struggling artist.)

Joan pulled into the small car park » Continue Reading.

Wishbone Ash

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Venue:

Islington Assembly Halls

Date: 16/10/2025

There is plenty of talk at the moment about the lack of guitar bands. So, if you crave a night of blistering, brilliant plank-spanking you should get yourself along to a Wishbone Ash show; because they have not one but two of the very best British guitarists currently treading the boards.

The show at Islington Assembly Halls was a proper rock gig and my third consecutive night in a 33-date tour. The venue is standing downstairs and unallocated seating upstairs; for us infirm old gits. The place was packed and the sound was pinpoint accurate which gave me a great opportunity to study the playing of Mark Abrahams; Andy Powell’s co-pilot.

Mark has been in the band for 8 years and has brought a new energy and urgency to the sound. Of course he plays the iconic ‘bits’ that us fans associate with Ted Turner and Laurie Wisefield but it’s when he solos that the level of his playing shines.

He flies.

His arrival instantly meant that Andy upped his game and the two of them are now the best twin lead combination still regularly touring the U.K. I would argue that the » Continue Reading.

FM – Brotherhood

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What does it sound like?:

Fifteen albums into a 41-year career you wouldn’t normally expect bands to be putting out some of their best work in 2025.

‘Bollocks to that,’ shout the five members of British rockers, FM.

Formed in ’84 by two members of Samson; two members of Wildlife, (brothers Chris and Steve Overland,) and the keyboard player from new wave band, The Invaders, (I still treasure their 1979 single, Girl’s in Action,) the band was signed by CBS and sent out on a German tour with Meatloaf. Their debut album, Indiscreet, was a big hit and they supported acts like Tina Turner, Foreigner, Gary Moore and Quo in their first two years, culminating in opening the U.K leg of Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet tour.

After several personnel changes and four more excellent albums, the band split up at the end of 1995.

In 2007, singer Steve Overland, drummer Pete Jupp and bassist Merv Goldsworthy decided to have another go and the band has toured the planet and put out ten more albums since.

Last year’s Old Habits Die Hard was a masterpiece of melodic rock, packed with loud guitars, pinpoint harmonies and terrific tunes. I » Continue Reading.

Radio KW9174FM is on the air.

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If you commented on my post about putting together a radio show for an imaginary Californian FM radio station in 1974, then here is the result.

It is 31st December 1974 and KW9174 has given the entire day’s programming over to two Brits; Roger Scott and Bob Harris. Their brief is that they can play whatever they want but no record should be repeated, (different versions of the same track are permitted.) The music should run for around 23.5 hours, allowing time to back-announce every 4 or 5 tracks. The only song-stipulation is that Stairway to Heaven should play up to midnight on NY Eve.

So, here is what 2 of my very favourite DJ’s have chosen. There’s a few duck-eggs in there for the enthusiast to find and, naturally, the list is completely self-indulgent. For instance, there are three instrumentals by Fleetwood Mac; back to back, which all feature the beautiful Danny Kirwan; just because they fit together perfectly; and because I can.

So, enjoy your Bank Holiday weekend, tune into to Radio KW9174FM and tell your friends!

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7viyIH6A7G3VFlMnq845DG?si=e58a187ef8e54845

Ain’t No Rock in the USA

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At a recent Doobie Brothers gig in London I was enjoying the pre-show music very much. It was 45 minutes of what I imagined an early ‘70’s FM Radio Rock station sounded like: Little Feat, Doobies, Zeppelin, Mountain, Grand Funk, Purple, Poco, early Fleetwood Mac, Cream, ZZ Top, Chicago, etc

They were playing my record collection and I was a pig in muck.

I vowed to create my own 3-hour radio playlist for a fictional FM station in 1974; I started it yesterday.

One thing soon became clear; there was a lot more British acts in it than American.

I rationalised it by the fact that we had very little contact with American Rock in the early’70’s, so my record purchases were almost exclusively British acts. So I did some research to see who I was missing.

I found an excellent website which holds all of the Billboard Top 200 Album Charts for every year I was looking at; ‘67 to ‘74 and, guess what?

I’m really not missing very much.

Grateful Dead The Guess Who Blood Sweat & Tears

That’s about it.

So my contention is that, in the late 60’s and early’70’s there wasn’t much good rock in » Continue Reading.

Remembering Now. Van Morrison

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What does it sound like?:

Reviewing a new Van Morrison album has been a tough sell for a good few years now. His pervasive mood of persecution and paranoia has led to him writing lumpy twelve-bar blues songs about going down to Monte Carlo to get away from the Press and, in the main, the albums have rarely made it past a third play. In our house, Van invented a new acronym; AFNK; All Filler No Killer.

Well, people; let me tell you that Remembering Now is Van’s best album in 30 years and he has restored that acronym to its rightful order. It is AKNF.

I remember sitting in a cinema in January 2022 to see Kenneth Branagh’s new film, Belfast and being captivated by the opening montage, filmed over a Van Morrison song called Down to Joy. The song sounded like it could have come from the sessions for his 1982 album, Beautiful Vision; it would have sat perfectly alongside Cleaning Windows and Dweller On the Threshold; and I realised how much I missed ‘spiritual, happy Van.’

Down to Joy is the opener here and it is immediately better than anything on his last 24 albums; which » Continue Reading.

The Doobie Brothers with Michael McDonald

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Venue:

The O2 Arena, London

Date: 19/07/2025

The curated pre-show music tells me I’m at the right gig; Little Feat; Chicago; ZZ Top; The Allman Brothers; Mountain; Doors; The Faces and Tower of Power; and the audience reaction, (tapping of feet, singing along, air guitar,) tells me I am with my people.

The eight musicians walk onto the huge stage at precisely 8pm; Nashville bassist, John Cowan; sax player, Marc Russo; drummer, Ed Toth and percussionist, Marc Quiñones join multi-instrumentalist, John McFee; guitarists and originals, Pat Simmons and Tom Johnston; and, on keyboards, the great Michael McDonald who, let’s face it, is the main reason I’m here.

I saw The Doobies in the same venue, in 2017, (a stellar show with Steely Dan,) and saw McDonald at the Hammy O the following year. He sang four of his five biggest Doobie Brothers hits that night; I Keep Forgetting; Minute By Minute; What A Fool Believes and Taking It To the Streets; just omitting It Keeps You Running; but it wasn’t with The Doobies.

The band opens with Take Me In Your Arms and hits the ground running. I do love an American guitar band who comes out fighting, taking » Continue Reading.

ATM: Travel wi-fi units; are they all that?

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Help please.

We are coming to the end of a wonderful week in a rental property on the Welsh coast. It’s been a terrific place; a lodge, (big caravan, if you like,) and is better kitted out than some expensive Cornish cottages we rent.

But:

The wi-fi is shite.

It is so underpowered that the brand new Roku telly is almost impossible to use other than on Freeview. It is fully loaded with the streaming apps but, watching a two-hour film on Netflix involved 6 resets because the thing just stopped.

So, is there a decent travel wi-fi booster that is available for less than an arm and a leg and, more importantly, actually works?

Hymn to the Dudes.

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Mick Ralphs RIP

I play this video a lot.

This gig took place the day before my 15th birthday and, just 7 weeks later, I was ‘down the front’ at Guildford Civic Hall for my first ever live gig; by the bunch of hairy, lairy reprobates in the video.

I play the video to remind me of the 10,000 volts of electricity that coursed through my body that night; to remind me what a fantastic front man Ian Hunter is; and to remind me that I am constantly amazed that I didn’t lose my hearing that night.

I have written before that 1970/71 Mott the Hoople were ‘punk’ five years before anyone thought to link the word with a band; I’ve no doubt that is why Mick Jones of The Clash followed Mott all over the country during the early ’70’s; and he’s only 14 months older than me; and then took that attitude and chaos into the music he wanted to play.

Turn this up to 11, close your eyes and you could be in the Marquee or the 100 Club in the early winter of ’76.

My first Mott album was Brain Capers, and it’s still » Continue Reading.

Mick Ralphs RIP

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Very sad news. He’d been ill for quite a while and I know that Bad Company’s drummer Simon Kirke was with him a few weeks ago.

He was the first lead guitarist I ever saw, in November 1971 when Mott the Hoople played Guildford Civic Hall. 18 months later, he was back, this time in Bad Company, at one of their first few gigs.

He was a lovely, lyrical player and is also the performer of my favourite ever solo; on Mott’s version of Sweet Jane.

RIP Mick and thanks for all the gigs and the great music.

The Robbie McIntosh Band

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Venue:

The Sound Lounge, Sutton, London

Date: 20/06/2025

Gigs by Robbie McIntosh and his band are as rare as hen’s teeth so, when this one popped up at the wonderful Sound Lounge in Sutton, London; I had to go. Apart from anything, Robbie is a Sutton boy so the crowd is peppered with friends.

Five days earlier I was sitting in the Royal Albert Hall waiting for Bonnie Raitt to come on when Robbie and Giles Martin sat in the row in front of me. During the standing ovation for the encore I was able to tell Robbie that I would be at his gig on Friday. He was genuinely chuffed and shook my hand before disappearing backstage, (having had a “I’m honoured to have guitarist Robbie McIntosh in the house tonight,” from Bonnie earlier.)

First off I have to name check his stellar band; some of the best British musicians still doing the miles.

On bass and bv’s, the effortless Steve Wilson; on keyboards and bv’s, the ‘wearer of hats,’ Steven Darrell Smith; on percussion, the evergreen Jody Linscott; on vocals and acoustic guitar; the delightful Hannah Robinson; on harmonicas and jews harp, the unbelievable Peter Hope Evans » Continue Reading.

Bonnie Raitt

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Venue:

The Royal Albert Hall, London

Date: 16/06/2025

Bonnie Raitt at The Royal Albert Hall? It’s always one of my favourite gigs of the year, when it comes around every couple of years.

This time, the support is the Man from Kent who is called ‘the 8th Wonder of the World’ by Bonnie herself; Jon Cleary. He comes out to a packed audience, many of whom know him well due to his ten-year residency in Bonnie’s band around the turn of the century.

Cleary immediately sets about turning the big old hall into a piano-bar on Bourbon Street in New Orleans; the city he’s called home for much of his life; and has us in the palm of his hand, (I’m actually sure he has three hands; so mesmerising is his playing.) His voice has been soaked in Sazerac rye whisky and the smoke from a thousand Lucky Strikes and the 40 minutes passes in the blink of an eye and ends with a huge ovation.

Bonnie’s band has two ‘new-boys’ over the last couple of tours; Duke Levine has stepped into the huge shoes left by George Marinelli, Bonnie’s gunslinger for 30 years, and does a brilliant » Continue Reading.

Nectar of the Gods.

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Bassist and original member of The Wrecking Crew, Carol Kaye has shared her studio diary memories of the Beach Boys sessions she played on. For nerdy fans like me, (and many Afterworders, I’ll bet,) it’s like nectar to a particularly ravenous honeybee:

People have been asking about this and that “are you on xxxxxxx?” So, here’s the List of the BB’ hits I am on: BB’s Hit Credits: BEACH BOYS CREDITS – PER UNION RECORDING CONTRACTS AND MY LOG ALSO: There’s been so many emails about which of the BB’s hits I played on, etc., that I’ve decided to post them here for general information. This is not just from my Log, or memory, but also verified by Musicians Union Contracts. Be aware that there were 13 total recording dates for “Good Vibrations”, the first date (dates are 3-hour sessions in the studio) at Gold Star with Ray Pohlman on elec. bass was totally scrapped, and I did the other 12 dates on “Good Vibrations” for Brian at Western Studio 3. A copy of the re-use check I get for “Good Vibrations” is on the website. Studio musicians receive royalty checks on these tunes when re-used in movies according to » Continue Reading.

Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band

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Venue:

Co-Op Live, Manchester

Date: 14/05/2025

Over the past few tours we’ve got used to seeing Bruce Springsteen in a reflective mood; reflecting back on times past and on lost friends. This has led to some wonderful, life affirming shows, especially that Saturday show at Hyde Park in 2023 and last year’s wonderful shows at Wembley Stadium. He became Playful Bruce; Cuddly Bruce; Uncle Bruce.

Well, last night, at the opening of his 2025 Land of Hope and Dreams European tour, we got Angry Bruce.

The chance to see The E Street Band in an indoor setting in the U.K is as rare as spotting a Cadillac on the M6 motorway, (the O2 Arena in 2007 is the most recent I can find,) so I grabbed a ticket for Manchester’s American-owned Co-Op Live Arena with both hands. The advantages over a stadium gig?

Better sound, (I could hear the immaculate bass playing of Garry W Tallent last night, for the first time in years,) and a more intimate setting; I hardly looked at a screen last night, whereas you rely on them in a stadium setting.

On the stroke of the advertised 7.45pm start time, the lights went down » Continue Reading.

Go West

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Venue:

London Palladium

Date: 08/05/2025

This was the third of three Go West gigs with the Sinfonia Smith Square orchestra to celebrate 40 years since the band’s debut album. The build up to the short tour was marred by an illness to Richard Drummie which meant that singer, Peter Cox was flying solo, albeit with the help of the regular GW band, three backing singers and the orchestra.

The first night at the beautiful Bridgewater Hall in Manchester was a terrific gig. Peter was a little nervous at the start, understandably so, especially when he had to announce that his wingman was unable to be there, but the audience lifted the mood. The setlist was a strong mix of those 80’s/90’s classics mixed in with some of their more recent tracks. The arrangements by Rob Taggert were wonderful, giving plenty of space for the brass section to stretch out.

The second gig, at Birmingham’s wonderful Symphony Hall, was even better than Manchester. Everyone on stage had relaxed into their roles and Peter seemed more at ease with the fact that he was carrying the show. His voice is still one of the best around, as it has been for » Continue Reading.

David Gray

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Venue:

The London Palladium

Date: 09/05/2025

My first David Gray gig was much too long coming. I have every album but, for some reason, his tours have passed me by. His music has resonated with times in my life, something which meant that, on several occasions during the set, I had something troubling in my eye.

The five musicians on stage with him all sang backing vocals which made for a lush wall of sound, while faithful drummer, Clune, demonstrated that he’s as much a part of Gray’s sound as David’s voice.

The delicate After the Harvest from the excellent new album, Dear Life, led into My Oh My and we were off to the races. I was delighted to get three tracks from Slow Motion, one of my favourite of his albums, including the wonderful Nos Da Cariad during which the pesky dust affected me greatly. White Ladder and Silver Lining reminded everyone of Gray’s golden age before the support act, Talia Rae, joined him for Plus and Minus from Dear Life. The atmosphere was building but, when Clune launched into Please Forgive Me, it’s fair to say that the audience lost its collective mind; as did Dave, » Continue Reading.

Wishbone Ash/At the BBC 1970-1988

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What does it sound like?:

An 11 CD Wishbone Ash retrospective from 18 years of live performances and sessions at the BBC, you say?

Plus a DVD of OGWT footage from 1971; ’77 and ’80, including outtakes and behind-the-scenes footage?

AND a 72-page hardback book with rare photos, interviews and session documentation?

Flippin’ heck, I say; let me at it.

Those lovely people at Madfish have spent four years putting this together with help from band-members and fans alike and the first thing to say is that I can’t believe that all of this material was still available, given the Beeb’s reputation for re-using their tape stocks. Yet, here we are.

The line-up of the band obviously changed quite a bit during its first 18 years; so we go from the classic line-up of Andy Powell, Ted Turner, Steve Upton and Martin Turner in 1970 through to 1988 when the line-up is, er, exactly the same – except Martin had left for 7 years and come back; and Ted had been gone for 13 years and returned.

In those intervening years, Laurie Wisefield and Jamie Crompton had occupied Ted’s spot while John Wetton, Trevor Bolder, Mervyn » Continue Reading.

Jon Anderson & The Band Geeks – Live Perpetual Change

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What does it sound like?:

Oh, bloody joy! What a glorious noise.

This is a live album from 2023’s American tour with The Band Geeks, recorded in St. Charles Illinois in the August. The tour was to celebrate the upcoming release of their wonderful album, True, and was, by all accounts, a triumph. On this evidence, that is the understatement of the century.

Jon Anderson is a force of nature; he was two months short of his 79th birthday at the time of this recording; and his sheer joy at singing these songs, with these musicians, roars out of the speakers at you. So, what do get?

It’s a Yes Greatest Hits setlist, as it should be, so they crash in with Yours is No Disgrace and Perpetual Change from The Yes Album before the glory of Close to the Edge. Then comes Heart of the Sunrise, Starship Trooper, Awaken and And You And I. Next comes Your Move/I’ve Seen All Good People and Gates of Delerium before the obligatory, (but perpetually exciting,) closer, Roundabout.

The musicianship is fantastic. You get to hear 5 musicians who have been practising their whole lives to play with their hero, never thinking » Continue Reading.

Rick Wakeman. Yessonata

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What does it sound like?:

This limited edition vinyl release is a follow up to Wakeman’s Final One Man Solo Tour of North and South America from earlier this year. It is a piece he wrote for solo piano after performing The Yes Suite for orchestra and choir at his London Palladium concert in 2023.

This work contains more than 30 musical fragments of YES music that Rick was a part of, including the much maligned, (by him, let’s be fair,) Tales From Topographic Oceans.

Picking out your favourite elements is great fun but the piece soon becomes a whole entity, as you give it time and space. I found that putting it on in the background while I was writing was a lovely thing to do as it would suddenly catch me as the beginning of South Side of the Sky or Long Distance Runaround would emerge.

The aforementioned elements of TFTO work perfectly alongside parts of Close to the Edge and nothing grates or diverts.

The second piece is a piano adaptation of the main themes and melodies from Rick’s ‘The Myths and Legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table’. Again, this is full » Continue Reading.

The End; an African icon and an album that began in a tiny room in West Hampstead…

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…and sold 50+ million copies.

Today’s episode of my blog about London recording studios is the 4th and final part of the story of EMI Studios at No.3 Abbey Road. The tale includes the end of The Beatles, a fleeting visit by Fela Kuti and the story of Dark Side of the Moon.

https://willyoumeetmeonclareisland.wordpress.com/2025/02/14/the-studios-of-london-emi-studios-abbey-road-pt-4/

Toto / Christopher Cross.

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Venue:

OVO Arena, Wembley

Date: 05/02/2025

Christopher Cross doesn’t visit the U.K too often these days, (2019 was the last time,) and that’s a shame. His music has endured over the 45 years since that all-conquering first album, (‘the green album,’ as he calls it; the one with the flamingo on the cover,) hauled in five Grammy awards and set the course of the genre of Yacht Rock through the ‘80’s, (as Toto guitarist, Steve Lukather, says later; “Where’s my fucking yacht?”)

Cross is a consummate guitarist, (Becker & Fagen asked him several times to be on Steely Dan albums, but he declined,) and his band reflects that, giving his arrangements a distinctly ‘Dan feel’ throughout the set. It is a four-piece band plus three female singers, with the star of the show being the drummer, French jazzer Francis Arnaud. Sounding like Porcaro, Keltner and current Dan drummer, Keith Carlock, all at the same time, I spent much of the 45 minute-set with my eyes glued to that left-hand jazz grip which always looks so classy when he is rolling around his impeccably-tuned kit.

The setlist is pulled from Cross’s first two albums, five of the nine songs coming » Continue Reading.

Josh Rouse

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Venue:

The Garage, Highbury Corner.

Date: 24/01/2025

Two years ago, at this venue, Josh Rouse performed his wonderful album, 1972, on its 20th anniversary. In 2025, it’s the turn of the follow up, Nashville. Both albums are packed with classics and tonight’s he’s playing Nashville in track order. His band has been with him for over 15 years and are all Spaniards – Rouse landed in Valencia when he fled a broken marriage in 2003 and ended up marrying Paz Suay from Valencia, where they have lived, on and off, ever since.

Any set which kicks off with It’s The Nighttime and Winter in the Hamptons has a fair chance of being a belter – those two would normally be part of the last 5 or 6 of his normal set – and the audience are singing and dancing along and we’re off to the races.

The wonderful Carolina reminds me that we’re only a Middle School Frown away from my favourite JR song, My Love Has Gone. When it starts I struggle to fight back the tears, it means that much to me. He has the incredible knack of making a lost-love song sound upbeat and as his » Continue Reading.

Attention @Twang and all fans of good music.

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Next Saturday (25th January) there’s a veritable cornucopia of music docs and concerts on TV.

It all kicks off at 5pm on Sky Arts with the fantastic Hollies doc, Look Through Any Window. I promised @Twang I’d look out for it, hence why he gets the shout-out.

On BBC2 it’s James Taylor & Carole King night. Documentaries and gigs run from 8.35pm through to 2.30am.

Back on Sky Arts there’s the Beach Boys, Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, Eric Clapton & Buddy Guy.

This has been a Public Service Announcement.