Magical Moment Photos

MARTIN BARRE OF JETHRO TULL ELECTRIFIES THE AUDIENCE IN PULLMAN, WA ON 3/5/77. PHOTO BY BEN UPHAM.

JETHRO TULL-
“ANDERSON SHARPENS HIS FLUTE PLAYING”
BY GERRY GALLPAULT
THE CHRONICLE TELEGRAM
ELYRIA, OHIO
NOVEMBER 17, 1995

Ian Anderson needs to improve his flute-playing like Kelsey Grammar needs to sharpen his comic wit. But the venerable leader of rock’s legendary Jethro Tull says that’s exactly what he felt he had to do a few years ago, right up to the recent release of the group’s 28th album, “Roots to Branches” (Chrysalis/EMI).
Still, it’s an odd thing to hear from a man whose musicianship is the hallmark of a group’s sound. “I got back into playing the flute seriously a couple years back when I decided I would really try to learn to play better,” Anderson said in a recent phone interview from his English home, “and that continued with the solo project earlier this year called ‘Divinities’ and through to the new Jethro Tull album.
“The two projects were quite intertwined. In fact, there are a couple of pieces from the Jethro Tull album that were actually outlined in a basic demo before I even started working on the ‘Divinities’ project, so if s all sort of contemporary, all part of that time of 12 months that staff was coming from the same musical sources and musical interests.”
In turn, that revitalized his flute-playing. “I quite enjoyed playing the flute on the Jethro Tull album, feeling that it was a much more integral part of the music than it usually is,” Anderson said. “I usually feel that I’m putting it in because people expect to hear it, and secondly, if s sort of a decorative function. It’s usually the last thing to go on the record. “On this album, a lot of the flute was music that was very fundamental to the way the music was written and arranged.”
The result — like it or not for some Tull fans — is one of the group’s most focused albums, brimming with songs of considerable depth. One track in particular, “Valley,” is a gentle but insistent passage about intolerance, leading one to believe it’s an anti-war song aimed at Bosnia. “I guess it is,” Anderson said, “but it also could be a song about Northern Ireland or about city streets or be anything where you have people intolerant of their neighbors and jealous and suspicious, feeling that they impede each other through their proximity in some way. “It’s a song about intolerance and trying to point out to people that we don’t always get along with our neighbors, but there’s so much unnecessary aggravation for a lack of willingness to understand and to sympathize and to respect. That’s probably the most important word of all: respect You should respect people who may have a different set of beliefs.”
“Roots to Branches” entered the British charts at a respectable No. 20. It premiered at No. 114 on Billboard’s Top 200 chart. Anderson couldn’t be happier. “It’s not going to be a monster hit album,” he said, “and it’s not going to be everybody’s cup of tea, but I think among Jethro Tull fans it has signs of being generally approved of and seen by people as one of our better rather than one of our worst yet.
“After 27 years, I’ll settle for that”

JETHRO TULL DISCOGRAPHY:
1968 This Was
1969 Stand Up
1970 Benefit
1971 Aqualung
1972 Thick as a Brick
1972 Living in the Past
1973 Passion Play
1974 War Child
1975 Minstril in the Gallery
1976 Too Old to Rock & Roll, Too Young to Die
1977 Songs from the Wood
1978 Heavy Horses
1978 Bursting Out Live
1979 Stormwatch
1980 A
1982 Broadsword and the Beast
1984 Under Wraps
1987 Crest of a Knave
1989 Rock Island
1991 Catfish Rising
1992 A Little Light Music
1993 Night Cap
1993 Box Set
1995 Roots to Branches
1999 J. Tull Dot Com
2003 Christmas Album
2004 Live at Isle of Wight 1970
2005 Aqualung Live 2005
2007 Live at Montreaux 2003
2009 Live at Madison Square Gardens (1978)

CLICK THE LINKS BELOW FOR JETHRO TULL PHOTOS:
JETHRO TULL PHOTOS BY BEN UPHAM
AND
JETHRO TULL FINE ART AMERICA IMAGES BY BEN UPHAM

CHARLIE TUMAHAI & BILL NELSON OF BE BOP DELUXE PERFORMING IN SPOKANE, WA. ON 11-19-76. PHOTO BY BEN UPHAM.

BILL NELSON-
“FANCY PLANETS” CD

Studio Album, released in 2009

Songs / Tracks Listing:
1. Fancy Planets.
2. The Golden Days Of Radio (Compact Mix).
3. Kiss Me Goodnight, Captain Marvel.
4. The Land Of Dreams Is Closed.
5. This Leads To That Leads To This.
6. Where Are We Now.
7. Twice In A Blue Moon.
8. Everyday Now Is Forever Again.
9. She Dreams Of Fires.
10. I Hear Electricity.
11. Mysterious Object Overhead.
12. Dream Cities Of The Heart.
13. Mystery Engine.
14. The Golden Days Of Radio (Hypermix).

Line-up / Musicians:
Bill Nelson all instruments
Releases information:
Released on Sonoluxe CD013 July 2009

REVIEWS:
#1-
BY STATGRUBBY-
NOVEMBER 2, 2009

Full vocals on this one. Edgy and perfect. IT has great melodies and hooks hooks hooks. If you love Bill..this is a classic!

#2-
BY STEPHEN B. GRIGGS – MuzikReviews.com Contributor
FEBRUARY 23, 2010

With Fancy Planets, prolific recording artist and revered experimental rocker Bill Nelson creates his own, rather well removed, sonic universe. The cover art depicts a buxom damsel distraught in the arms of a soaring space villain. Rest assured, the music is a trip too. Between lyrics on dream-space-and-time travel, super heroes (“Kiss Me Goodnight, Captain Marvel”), and super beauties (“The Land of Dreams Is Closed”) and fantastically over the top production, even the casual listener can’t help be entertained.
What Nelson creates on Fancy Planets is his own show, his own framework for his music, which makes it very hard for him to go wrong. Cheating? Maybe, but it’s arguably the same idea behind what we hear on commercial radio. The rules don’t apply; this isn’t for people who like the rules. And with that, Nelson bathes you in chimes before zapping you with synth lasers and phaser beam guitars, all the while spouting off something or other about time traveling cowboys and lucid dreams. If it weren’t all so tongue-in-cheek, it’d be cheesy, but lines like “Me oh my, oh how that dress becomes you / me oh my, and here it comes again” induce smiles rather than cringes.
Despite all the wise cracks and techie noodling, the songs on Fancy Planets make for good rock ‘n’ roll, with plenty of guitar work and a few considerable hooks that manage to get nestled in the mix. “The Golden Days of Radio” is an easy standout choice, replete with BBC Radio vocal samples and guitar tones that change at the drop of a name. Albeit, Fancy Planets would sound like more of a guitar record, but the MIDI-heavy orchestration often pushes Nelson’s fret play to the back of the mix. You can tell he’s having fun, and that enjoyment transmits, but if there’s any detractor on Fancy Planets it’s over-saturation. The carnival only comes to town for a limited time, and fourteen songs—none shorter than two and a half minutes—stuffed full of production and flippancy are likely to tire out all but the most devoted Nelson fans. A healthy tasting might include “The Golden Days of Radio,” a catalog of the man’s guitar heroes; “Kiss Me Goodnight, Captain Marvel” with its tasty refrain; “Where Are We Now” a nice ambient interlude; and “I Hear Electricity.”
Often times an artist’s prolificacy necessitates a sacrifice of quality for quantity, and ultimately, Fancy Planets—a fifth release for 2009—is another exercise of Nelson’s productive muscles. The end result is an entertaining listen, offering the odd song that earns its own despite the company.

#3-
BY BEN UPHAM
12-31-2011
I have been a fan of Bill Nelson for 36 years now. I was initially exposed to his Music at a Concert by Be Bop Deluxe in Spokane, Wa. on 11-19-76 as they were the opening act for Ted Nugent.
It was a brilliant performance that had the entire audience stomping and lighting their lighters for a full 10 minutes to get them back for a lengthy encore! This was a Ted Nugent crowd in late 1976 mind you…
After seeing that show I went out and purchased a couple of Be Bop Deluxe’s albums, “Axe Victim” and “Sunburst Finish”. The Music was fantastic and I was on my way to becoming a huge fan of this band. I was disappointed to hear that the group had disbanded in 1978. Nelson released “Red Noise” in 1979 and I remember listening to it and not appreciating it at all.
He had gone into a new realm that sounded nothing like the Rock stylings of his Be Bop Deluxe days…Almost no audible guitar could be heard…
Flash forward about 20 years and I started to give some of Bill’s later releases a chance.
The CD’s that I wound up finding were quite good….”Practically Wired….Or How I Became Guitar-Boy”, “Blue Moons and Laughing Guitars”, and “Whimsey” were among my favorites. They were fresh and found Bill exploring many new Musical Worlds…But still…For me at least they were not as intense and satisfying as the Be Bop Deluxe material from the 1970′s…
Then a few months ago I was turned on to “Fancy Planets”…
I’ve got to say that for my ears and Musical tastes this is the BEST Bill Nelson Music since Be Bop Deluxe! It’s not that it’s retro, or goes back to that Be Bop sound either…More like it has transported much of the Be Bop Space and Energy forward in Time from the 1970′s to receive a 2009 treatment….
It is a Magical, Shining open door to fresh and new ideas and lots of excitement in Bill’s singing and playing….It sounds to me like his finest work to date…The production is fantastic. The guitar work is everywhere in the mix….lots of great power chords and spacey riffs along with golden soloing and even a few Be Bop surprise licks!
I am hoping that anyone reading this that hasn’t given this CD a listen will at least sample it from the links that I’m attaching…It is a beautiful addition to anyones collection if you have any respect for this man’s gift…Thank You Bill…………..

BE-BOP DELUXE DISCOGRAPHY:
1974 Axe Victim
1975 Futurama
1976 Sunburst Finish
1976 Modern Music
1977 Live in the Air Age
1978 Drastic Plastic
1978 The Best of and the Rest of
1981 Singles A’s and B’s
1987 Raiding the Divine Archive
1994 Radioland- BBC Radio One Live in Concert
1997 Air Age Anthology
1998 Tramcar to Tomorrow
2002 Tremulous Antennae
2002 Postcards from the Future

BILL NELSON (SOLO) DISCOGRAPHY:
Northern Dream (1971)
Sound – On – Sound (1979) (Bill Nelson’s Red Noise)
Quit Dreaming And Get On The Beam (1981) Mercury
Sounding The Ritual Echo (Atmospheres for Dreaming) (1981)
Das Kabinet (The Cabinet Of Doctor Caligari) (1981)
The Love That Whirls (Diary Of A Thinking Heart) (1982)
La Belle Et La Bete (1982)
Chimera (1983)
Savage Gestures For Charm’s Sake (1983)
The Two-Fold Aspect of Everything (1984)
Trial By Intimacy – The Summer Of God’s Piano (1985)
Trial By Intimacy – Chamber Of Dreams (Music from the Invisibility Exhibition) (1985)
Trial By Intimacy – Pavilions Of The Heart And Soul (1985)
Trial By Intimacy – A Catalogue Of Obsessions (1985)
Chameleon (The Music Of Bill Nelson) (1985)
Getting The Holy Ghost Across (1986)
Iconography (1986) [Orchestra Arcana]
Map Of Dreams (1987)
Chance Encounters In The Garden Of Lights – The Angel At The Western Window (1987)
Chance Encounters In The Garden Of Lights – The Book Of Inward Conversation (1987)
Optimism (1988) [Orchestra Arcana]
Demonstrations Of Affection – Chimes And Rings (1989)
Demonstrations Of Affection – Nudity (1989)
Demonstrations Of Affection – Heartbreakland (1989)
Demonstrations Of Affection – Details (1989)
Simplex (1990)
Raiding the Divine Archive – [Be-Bop Deluxe] (1990)
Altar Pieces (1990)
Luminous (1991)
Blue Moons & Laughing Guitars (1992)
Automatic (1994) [Channel Light Vessel]
Radioland – [Be-Bop Deluxe] (1994) BBC Radio 1 live in concert 1976
Crimsworth (Flowers, Stones, Fountains And Flames) (1995)
Practically Wired or how I became…Guitarboy! (1995)
My Secret Studio Volume I – Buddha Head (1995)
My Secret Studio Volume I – Electricity Made Us Angels (1995)
My Secret Studio Volume I – Deep Dream Decoder (1995)
My Secret Studio Volume I – Juke Box For Jet Boy (1995)
After The Satellite Sings (1996)
Excellent Spirits (1996) [Channel Light Vessel]
Confessions Of A Hyperdreamer: My Secret Studio Volume II – Weird Critters (1997)
Confessions Of A Hyperdreamer: My Secret Studio Volume II – Magnificent Dream People (1997)
Atom Shop (1998)
Whistling While The World Turns (2000)
Noise Candy – Old Man Future Blows The Blues (2002)
Noise Candy – Stargazing With Ranger Bill (2002)
Noise Candy – Sunflower Dairy Product (2002)
Noise Candy – King Frankenstein (2002)
Noise Candy – Console (2002)
Noise Candy – Playtime (2002)
Caliban And Chrome Harmonium (2002)
Astral Motel (2002)
Whimsy (2003)
Whimsy Two (A Garage Full Of Clouds) (2003)
The Romance Of Sustain Volume One: Painting With Guitars (2003)
Luxury Lodge (2003)
Plaything (2003)
Dreamland To Starboard (2004)
Custom Deluxe (2004)
Satellite Songs (2004)
Wah-Wah Galaxy (2004)
Rosewood: Ornaments And Graces For Acoustic Guitar Volume One (2005)
Rosewood: Ornaments And Graces For Acoustic Guitar Volume Two (2005)
Orpheus In Ultraland (2005)
The Alchemical Adventures Of Sailor Bill (2005)
Neptune’s Galaxy (2006)
Return To Jazz Of Lights (2006)
Arcadian Salon (2006)
Gleaming Without Lights (2006)
Secret Club For Members Only (2007)
And We Fell Into A Dream (2007)
Silvertone Fountains (2008)
Illuminated At Dusk (2008)
Mazda Kaleidoscope (2008)
Clocks & Dials (2008)
Golden Melodies Of Tomorrow (2008)
Fancy Planets (2009)
Here Comes Mr Mercury (2009)
Theatre Of Falling Leaves (2009)
The Dream Transmission Pavilion (2009)
Non-Stop Mystery Action (2009)
Picture Post (2010)
Modern Moods For Mighty Atoms (2010)
Captain Future’s Psychotronic Circus (2010)
Fables And Dreamsongs (2010)
Fantasmatron (2011)
Signals From Realms Of Light (2011)
Model Village (2011)

CLICK THE LINKS BELOW FOR BE BOP DELUXE PHOTOS AND MORE:
BE BOP DELUXE FINE ART AMERICA IMAGES BY BEN UPHAM
AND
BE BOP DELUXE PHOTOS BY BEN UPHAM
AND
SAMPLE AND PURCHASE BILL NELSON- “FANCY PLANETS” CD

TOY CALDWELL OF THE MARSHALL TUCKER BAND (PHOTO/ART BY BEN UPHAM)

THE MARSHALL TUCKER BAND-
“THERE’S GOLD IN THEM GRASSROOTS”
THE GASTONIA GAZETTE
GASTONIA, NORTH CAROLINA
MAY 2, 1976

It’s 3:00 A.M. in the Capricorn sound studios on Broadway and while George McCorkle and Doug Gray of the Marshall Tucker Band get whipped in a game of Ping-Pong by the band’s roadies, down the hall in the main control room, Toy Caldwell, Marshall Tucker’s lead guitarist and songwriter, and producer Paul Hornsby are listening
to John McEuen of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band add some banjo overdubs to Caldwell’s ‘Long Hard Ride,’ the title track to the band’s fifth album and their first recorded instrumental. Mark Pucci, Capricorn Record’s publicist, is also there, touting the song as the next ‘Rawhide’, but as a publicist he knows he’s able to do little with press releases to help Tucker.
Marshall Tucker is a grassroots band, and its own greatest asset for publicity. For the last three-and-a-half years, the band has been on a “long hard ride,” covering the country in a customized bus on a grueling tour schedule, trying to play most of their markets at least twice a year. “We play a place,” says Toy, “and when we come back, there are twice as many people as before. All those people who come out to see ya, that’s a weird feeling sometimes. Look at me! What the hell do they want to see me for?”
While Marshall Tucker worked on their latest album in Macon, Capricorn threw a party for the band, giving them gold copies of their first album, “The Marshall Tucker Band,” recorded three years ago. And on the basis of their grassroots appeal, two other albums have gone gold within the last six months, “Where We All Belong” and
“Searchin’ fora Rainbow.”
Four years out of being just another club band from Spartanburg, S.C.,
Tucker still comprises its six original members, with Caldwell on lead, McCorkle on rhythm guitar, Gray on vocals, Tommy Caldwell (Toy’s brother) on bass, Jerry Eubanks on alto sax and flute and Paul Riddle on drums.
Toy Caldwell and McCorkle played together in high school in Spartanburg, then in the early Seventies Caldwell formed a band with Gray and Eubanks called The Toy Factory. In 1972 they joined
McCorkle, Riddle and Tommy Caldwell and changed their name to the Marshall Tucker Band, after the owner of their rehearsal hall in Spartanhurg.
In May of that year Tucker played with Wet Willie, a Capricorn Records group, at the Ruins, a club in Spartanburg. “They heard our stuff.” recalls Toy, and told us to take it to Phil Walden (President of Capricornt. Hell, I never heard of the cat. Still, we drove down to Macon and dropped a tape off.” They were booked into Grant’s Lounge in Macon. “I went by there one night,” recalls Capricorn’s executive vice president Frank Fenter, and they sounded entirely different than anything we had on the label. Surprisingly, though, people compare them to the Allman Brothers.
Marshall Tucker’s first album was released in March 1973, and that year they toured as the opening act for the Allman Brothers, before being added to tours with Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Eagles. And, as the Tucker band developed into a strong touring band Capricorn’s natural temptation to do a heavy hype on them waned. “It’s easy for me to sit here, with three gold records,” reflects Jerry Eubanks, “and say, ‘No, I’d never sell out.’ But there have been many times when you’re broke and starving when you’d do about anything. Capricorn had the sense not to come to us and say, ‘You be that kind of band,’ or put us into the position of trying to fill large halls when we weren’t ready for it.”
Doug Gray is less analytical. “You could never imagine me coming out on roller skates; I’d probably trip over my hair. We kid each other and say, ‘Hey, I’m gonna dress up in tights tonight.’ But we laugh at people who have to do that stuff in order to sell a record. If they want to do it, fine, but not anybody in our band. Hell, what would your friends think?”
Toy Caldwell turned to the new album, set for release in June. “The tunes — eight of them — are there. The pickin’s there and the sound is crisp.” The album demonstrates Marshall Tucker’s amazing versatility, with a mixture of slow — and fast-paced luncs, heavily overlaid with country, rock and jazz influences. In this latest album, they’re not just another Southern band. “The country is ready for Marshall Tucker.” Phil Walden immodestly proclaims. “Groups like the Eagles have paved the way… and the Eagles don’t say ‘ain’t’ like Marshall Tucker says ‘aint.’

MARSHALL TUCKER BAND DISCOGRAPHY:
1973 The Marshall Tucker Band
1974 A New Life
1974 Where we All Belong
1975 Searchin’ For A Rainbow
1976 Long Hard Ride
1977 Carolina Dreams
1978 Together Forever
1979 Runnin’ Like The Wind
1980 Tenth
1981 Dedicated
1982 Tuckerized
1983 Just Us
1983 Greetings From South Carolina
2003 Stompin’ Room Only (1976 Live)
2006 Live on Long Island 4-18-80
2008 Carolina Dreams Tour 1977

TOY CALDWELL DISCOGRAPHY:
1992 Toy Caldwell
1998 Can’t You See (Live)
2000 Son of the South

CLICK ON THE LINKS BELOW TO SEE MARSHALL TUCKER BAND PHOTOS AND ART:
MARSHALL TUCKER BAND PHOTOS BY BEN UPHAM
AND
MARSHALL TUCKER BAND ART BY BEN UPHAM
AND
MARSHALL TUCKER BAND FINE ART AMERICA IMAGES BY BEN UPHAM

LONESOME DAVE PEVERETT & ROD PRICE TURN THE SPOKANE COLISEUM BLUE ON 2-2-77. PHOTO/ART BY BEN UPHAM.

FOGHAT-
“YOUTH SCENE”
BY ANDY MELLEN
THE WINNIPEG FREE PRESS
WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, CANADA
JANUARY 8, 1977

Although many major acts such as Queen and The Eagles rightfully command a lot of my listening time, much of my listening pleasure is derived from a wide array of lesser known groups and performers.
One such group is Foghat, a veteran British quartet which started up four years ago utilizing the nucleus of one of Savoy Brown’s earliest (and best) line-ups. Rhythm guitarist-lead singer Lonesome Dave Peverett, drummer Roger Earl and bassist Tony Stevens (who was replaced a couple of albums ago by Craig MacGregor) performed on some of Savoy’s most memorable sides, including the “Raw Sienna”, “A Step Further” and “Looking In” albums. Together with lead guitarist Rod Price, they paid their dues in the truest sense of the word, working countless one-nighters as the opening act for everyone from Deep Purple to Rod Stewart and The Faces.
The group’s determined efforts were rewarded last year when a single from the band’s fifth album, “Fool For The City”, proved to be one of the surprise hits of 1976. An edited version of “Slow Ride” went Top 10 nationally, boosting “Fool For The City” to platinum record status for sales in excess of one million units. Not a bad accomplishment for a group often dismissed by many critics and radio announcers as “just another boogie band.”
Foghat’s latest album, “Night Shift”, enhances the group’s reputation as an honest, hard working rock and roll outfit. The group’s sound remains the main feature of riff-dominated rockers such as “Take Me To The River”, “Driving Wheel” and “Burning The Midnight Oil”.
Rod Price’s lean, slashing guitar work is ably complemented by the aggressive bottom served up by Roger Earl and Craig MacGregor, resulting in a razor sharp assault on the senses. There will always be a place on my turntable for this group’s brand of unpretentious, straight-forward hard rocking.

FOGHAT DISCOGRAPHY:
1972 Foghat
1973 Foghat (Rock ‘n’ Roll)
1974 Energized
1974 Rock and Roll Outlaws
1975 Fool For The City
1976 Night Shift
1977 Foghat Live
1978 Stone Blue
1979 Boogie Motel
1980 Tight Shoes
1981 Girls to Chat and Boys to Bounce
1982 In the Mood for Something Rude
1983 Zig-Zag Walk
1994 Return Of The Boogie Men
1998 Road Cases (live)
1999 King Biscuit Flower Hour (Live)
2001 Road Cased Version 2 (live)
2001 Extended Versions (live)
2003 Decades Live
2003 Family Joules
2006 Live II

CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO SEE FOGHAT PHOTOS:
FOGHAT PHOTOS BY BEN UPHAM

JAMES YOUNG (J.Y.) OF STYX PLAYING SOME HOT GUITAR IN SPOKANE, WA. IN AUGUST 1977. PHOTO/ART BY BEN UPHAM.

STYX-
“MIDWEST HAS IT’S OWN ROCK SOUND”
BY BRUCE MEYER
THE HUTCHINSON NEWS
HUTCHINSON, KANSAS
MARCH 14, 1978

Rock ‘n’ roll has always been subject to a lot of geographical influences. It began in the South, a blend of blues and country with a beat, but spread rapidly and evolved wherever it found a home, from Los Angeles to Liverpool.
And the places where rock is most at home tend to evolve their own “sounds,” readily identified by anyone with even a passing interest in the music. Currently, California has its own mellow sound — typified by the Eagles and Linda Ronstadt and the South is stronger than ever with hard-driving guitar bands like Marshall Tucker and the Outlaws.
Then there’s the Midwest. Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland and a dozen other Midwestern cities have long been known as hotbeds of rock fever, but for some reason no “Midwest sound” has ever been defined.
Until now…
In the last few years a different sort of rock blend has developed in the Midwest, a synthesis that falls roughly between Britain’s art-rockers (Yes, Genesis, ELP) and the latterday heavy metal boogie bands (Aerosmith, Ted Nugent). Kansas — which leans more toward the arty side — is one successful example of this kind of group.
But perhaps the best Midwestern band of all right now is Styx, whose eight long years in the music business are finally beginning to pay off big.
Using last year’s superb “Grand Illusion” album as a springboard, the five members of Styx seem destined for the Big Time at last.
Which raises the question — why has it taken them so long? Styx guitarist James Young (J.Y.) answers: “My opinion is the whole thing is 25 percent talent and 75 percent having your business together — knowing what to do when. And we didn’t. There are a lot of talented bands that never surface — and in some ways, with progressive bands, it’s more difficult still.” That’s the word J.Y. uses for Styx’ music — “progressive” — and he concedes that it’s one of those terms that means something different to everyone. “But to me,” says J.Y., “progressive (rock) is music with a hard edge — that’s attractive to concert audiences — that is also self-indulgent enough to include an extended guitar solo, an extended synthesizer passage from time to time, without vocal communication to the audience.”
It takes time to evolve a musical identity as complex as Styx’ — and
the band has put its eight years of experience to good use, on stage as well as in the studio. “You don’t have a style when you start out,” says J.Y., “you’re shooting for a style … and we (the members of Styx) had such diverse influences, it was hard finding our own space, and yet please everyone in the group. “We explored a lot of directions …had to assess what our strong points are — a hard rock approach, the vocals, the dramatic changes and dynamics, the synthesizer work. So we’ve retained all these things and they’re pretty much the keys to everything we do.” They are also the keys to the emerging Midwest school of rock — and Styx is at the head of the class.

STYX DISCOGRAPHY:
1972 Styx
1973 Styx II
1974 The Serpent is Rising
1974 Man of Miracles
1975 Equinox
1976 Crystal Ball
1977 The Grand Illusion
1978 Pieces of Eight
1979 Cornerstone
1981 Paradise Theatre
1983 Kilroy was Here
1984 Caught in the Act (Live)
1990 The Edge of the Century
1997 Return to Paradise (Live)
1999 Brave New World
2001 Styxworld Live 2001
2002 Live at the Rivers Edge
2003 Cyclorama
2003 21st Century Live
2005 The Big Bang Theory
2006 One with Everything (Live)

CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO SEE STYX PHOTOS:
STYX PHOTOS BY BEN UPHAM

ROBIN TROWER ON GUITAR & JAMES DEWAR ON BASS & VOCALS. PHOTO BY BEN UPHAM.

ROBIN TROWER-
“TROWER BAND REBORN”
BY J.J. SYRJA
THE SEQUIN GAZETTE
SEQUIN, TEXAS
JANUARY 19, 1978

Austin music listeners have always been discriminating, perpetually with an ear open for the unusual. When Robin Trower’s current disk, In City Dreams” (Chrysalis) placed a surprising sixth in KLBJ-FM’s 100 most-requested albums of 1977, it said something for a group often criticized for its Jimi Hendrix imitations.
Trower’s debut, “Twice Removed from Yesterday” and the sequel, the best selling “Bridge of Sighs”, offered little intrinsically original but with such an understanding of what Hendrix was about that critical panning became pointless.
A key review of one of Trower’s failures, 1976′s “Long Misty Days”, was by Rolling Stone’s Teri Morris, who noted that the band was imitating itself. A lot has happened for this combo since, and the rewards are apparent on “In City Dreams”.
Trower and singer James Dewar have composed their best material since “Daydream,” ex-Sly and the Family Stone bassist Rustee Allen has been added so that Dewar can concentrate on vocals, and soul producer Don Davis (“Disco Lady”) has contributed a silky, full-bodied sound that enhances all of the above developments.
With the exception of the trite “Little Girl,” the songs are loose and excellent, although they still rely largely on performance rather than
substance. “Somebody Calling” is an enticing opener, where the Trower band lightly high-steps through dance rhythms for two minutes before Dewar’s evocative singing enters the picture.
All through the record, Dewar combines the savvy of Bobby Blue Bland with the anguish of Gary Wright, without the latter’s whine.
Trower, of course, is a monster guitarist. He rips off a screeching, metallic solo on “Love’s Gonna Bring You Around” that rings with passion. He has matured so that his work behind Dewar rivals
Robbie Robertson’s subtler fills and patterns with Richard Manuel and Levon Helm of The Band. On “Bluebird,” Trower plays fuzz-free, wondrous lingering notes and the purity of Dewar’s delivery could be equated to that of the very finest of gospel vocalists.
Eland’s 1957 hit “Farther On Up the Road” has been covered in a rocking rampage by Eric Clapton; the version here successfully recalls the blackness and control of the original. Trower’s guitar chorus is congested, dramatic and intense, while Allen and drummer Bill Lordan lay down a flowing groove.
“In City Dreams” caps off this album in a trance, with Dewar’s shining performance and something Trower should do more often — integrate acoustic and electric guitars. The stylistic weavings here possess a world of depth, inspired but not lifted from Hendrix, one of the few truly creative rock musicians. “In City Dreams” is a refreshing venture and has put Robin Trower back on the track to realizing his full potential.
The singing of James Dewar on Trower’s LP owes lots to Bobby Blue Bland and other Rhythm and Blues innovators. It goes without saying that Dewar’s approach has been influenced by Ray Charles because an astounding amount of rock voices have continued to learn from this master in the last 20 years.

ROBIN TROWER DISCOGRAPHY:
1973 Twice Removed from Yesterday
1974 Bridge of Sighs
1975 For Earth Below
1976 Robin Trower Live
1976 Long Misty Days
1977 In City Dreams
1978 Caravan to Midnight
1979 Victims of the Fury
1981 B.L.T. (w/Bill Lordan & Jack Bruce)
1982 Truce (w/Bill Lordan & Jack Bruce)
1983 Back It Up
1985 Beyond the Mist
1987 Passion
1988 Take What You Need
1990 In the Line of Fire
1994 20th Century Blues
1995 Live in Concert
1996 In Concert
1997 Someday Blues
1999 This Was Now ’74-’98 (Live)
2000 Go My Way
2004 Living Out of Time
2005 Living Out Of Time: Live (Note: Also available on DVD)
2005 Another Days Blues
2008 Robin Trower at Royal Oak ’08 (Live)
2008 Seven Moons (w/Jack Bruce)
2009 What Lies Beneath
2010 The Playful Heart

CLICK THE LINK BELOW FOR ROBIN TROWER PHOTOS:
ROBIN TROWER PHOTOS BY BEN UPHAM