Record Reviews

JON LORD ~ CONCERTO FOR GROUP AND ORCHESTRA EAR MUSIC 4029759081838 (Barcode: 4029759081838) ~ UK ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 2011 - 2012 Released: 2012 British organist / composer Jon LordFind albums by this artist composed his legendary “Concerto For Group And OrchestraFind albums with this title” in 1969, when he was a member of the iconic British group Deep PurpleFind albums by this artist. The concerto was first recorder live by Deep Purple with the Royal Philharmonic OrchestraFind albums by this artist, conducted by Malcolm ArnoldFind albums by this artist, and became Depp Purple’s 4th consecutive album (1st live). It was one of the first Rock albums to feature a full orchestra. The concerto’s original score was lost shortly after the first performance and was later painstakingly recreated by Lord and since 1999 was performed live many times around the globe with many different orchestras. This album presents the first studio recording of the concerto, recorded in 2011 and 2012, and completed shortly before Lord’s death in July of 2012. The orchestral parts were executed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic OrchestraFind albums by this artist conducted by Paul MannFind albums by this artist. The group parts were executed by Lord, guitarists Darin VasilevFind albums by this artist, Joe BonamassaFind albums by this artist and Steve MorseFind albums by this artist, vocalists Steve BalsamoFind albums by this artist, Kasia LaskaFind albums by this artist and Bruce DickinsonFind albums by this artist, bassist Guy PrattFind albums by this artist and drummer Brett MorganFind albums by this artist. Separated by forty-two years, this version of the concerto offers a much better balance between the Rock group and the orchestra and a sublime sound quality, which was simply unobtainable at the time of the original recording. The music lost absolutely nothing of its power, beauty and relevance over time and is still very much a model of cross-genre thinking. Overall, this is a timeless classic, which every fan of Rock, Prog and good music in general must have in his private music library. Thanks to Lord’s determination to complete this project before his departure, we can now enjoy it in its full glory.

Updated: 16/12/2021Posted: 16/12/2021

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend

VARIOUS ARTISTS ~ CELEBRATING JON LORD THE COMPOSER EAR MUSIC 4029759095590 (Barcode: 4029759095590) ~ UK ~ Pop-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2014 Released: 2014 This is a live recording of a concert at The Royal Albert Hall held on April 4th, 2014, which commemorated the compositions of keyboardist / composer Jon LordFind albums by this artist, known primarily as a founding member of the seminal British Rock band Deep PurpleFind albums by this artist, who sadly departed a couple of years earlier. Lord was a pioneer of the Rock-Classical Fusion and his "Concerto For Group And OrchestraFind albums with this title" album performed and recorded in 1969 by Deep Purple with the Royal Philharmonic OrchestraFind albums by this artist at The Royal Albert Hall was a first of its kind attempt to combine Rock and Classical Music on such scale. Over the years Lord composed a long list of orchestral works, which often bridged Rock and Classical Music and his works were always received enthusiastically by his many dedicated followers, including yours truly. Lord´s surprising and tragically premature death from cancer was a terrible blow to his many fans and fellow musicians, who respected him deeply. The album presents eight beautiful orchestral compositions by Lord, performed by the Orion OrchestraFind albums by this artist conducted by Paul MannFind albums by this artist, who was a long time collaborator with Lord. Celebrated Rock musicians take part in the concert including: keyboardist Rick WakemanFind albums by this artist, guitarist Micky MoodyFind albums by this artist, bassist Neil MurrayFind albums by this artist, pianist Nigel HopkinsFind albums by this artist, vocalist Steve BalsamoFind albums by this artist and many others. Actor Jeremy IronsFind albums by this artist recites poetry. The music is beautifully produced and performed with taste and panache, with the typical British restraint and elegance. The album achieves its goal in full, both plying respect to Jon Lord the composer and musician and presenting his sublime music in the best possible form, keeping the memory alive. Overall this is a superb piece of music, which should be appreciated by a wide circle of connoisseurs, both from the Rock and Classical Music spheres and all good music lovers around the world. Wholeheartedly recommended!

Updated: 13/09/2019Posted: 13/09/2019

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

FRANK ZAPPA ~ 200 MOTELS (50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION) ZAPPA 20037 (Barcode: 602438384136) ~ USA ~ Avant-Garde Rock Recorded: 1971 Released: 2021 This Box Set is the 120th official release by iconic American guitarist / composer / bandleader / visionary Frank ZappaFind albums by this artist, released posthumously in 2021. It presents an expanded reissue / remaster of the material recorded originally in 1971 with his group The Mothers Of InventionFind albums by this artist and The Royal Philharmonic OrchestraFind albums by this artist, conducted by Elgar HowarthFind albums by this artist. The Box Set contains the soundtrack of the film “200 Motels” (thirty-four tracks) originally released as a 2LP album in 1971, as well as over 4 CDs worth of additional material: demos, outtakes, dialogues and a plethora of bonus tracks, all worth their value in gold. All the material was composed by Zappa. The Box Set is a lavishly packaged Super Deluxe (LP sized) edition, which is up to the usual ZappaFind albums on this label Records standard. The Mothers, who recorded this music included, in addition to Zappa who played guitar and sung, vocalists Howard KaylanFind albums by this artist, Mark VolmanFind albums by this artist, Jimmy Carl BlackFind albums by this artist and Jim PonsFind albums by this artist, keyboardists George DukeFind albums by this artist and Ian UnderwoodFind albums by this artist (who also plays woodwinds), bassist Martin LickertFind albums by this artist, percussionist Ruth UnderwoodFind albums by this artist and drummer Aynsley DunbarFind albums by this artist. The music is an incredibly complex amalgam of Classical Music, Pop, Rock, comedy and satire. Although not the very first album to feature Rock and Symphony Orchestra, it is by far the most advanced, revolutionary and complex of all such attempts to this very day. Zappa included in this music his modern 20th Century Classical Music influences from Edgar VareseFind albums by this artist, Igor StravinskyFind albums by this artist and others. Zappa shows on this album that he is able to write music, which amalgamates anything between Avant-Garde Pop and Rock, Jazz, including Free Jazz and Jazz-Rock Fusion and contemporary orchestral Classical Music. He appears as the first “total musician” on the Pop / Rock scene, a status he was able to hold till the day he died. From day one his extravagant personality and brilliant intelligence marked him as an outsider, a fate shared by most geniuses. This album is often regarded as “peripheral” in his overall output, which is of course completely nonsensical and absurd. The whole concept of Zappa’s music was the complete disregard of genres and a firm belief that “music is one”, regardless how someone might wish to categorize it. In retrospect, this album is definitely one of his absolute Artistic apogees, although he never recorded anything which could be considered less important than anything else. Overall, although over fifty years passed since this music was recorded, this album remains an absolute Classic in every respect, which stands proudly as an icon of superb music, which still shines brighter than almost anything else recorded since. Zappa’s genius, not only as a musician, but also as a visionary and a brilliant observer of the human condition and American folly and deceit, remain completely relevant and are even more actual today than ever.

Updated: 18/06/2022Posted: 18/06/2022

CD 6 Digibook Box Set Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend

FRANK ZAPPA ~ 200 MOTELS (SOUNDTRACK) ZAPPA 3846 (Barcode: 602438287055) ~ USA ~ Avant-Garde Rock Recorded: 1971 Released: 2021 This is a reissue / remaster of the 13th album by iconic American guitarist / composer / bandleader / visionary Frank ZappaFind albums by this artist, his group The Mothers Of InventionFind albums by this artist and The Royal Philharmonic OrchestraFind albums by this artist, conducted by Elgar HowarthFind albums by this artist, originally released as a 2LP album in 1971. The album contains the soundtrack of the film “200 MotelsFind albums with this title” and presents thirty-four tracks, all composed by Zappa. This is the only album by Zappa, which was not reissued / remastered as part of the 2012 reissue program, and was eventually released as part of the 50th Anniversary reissue in 2021, finally closing the gap. The Mothers, who recorded this music included, in addition to Zappa who played guitar and sung, vocalists Howard KaylanFind albums by this artist, Mark VolmanFind albums by this artist, Jimmy Carl BlackFind albums by this artist and Jim PonsFind albums by this artist, keyboardists George DukeFind albums by this artist and Ian UnderwoodFind albums by this artist (who also plays woodwinds), bassist Martin LickertFind albums by this artist, percussionist Ruth UnderwoodFind albums by this artist and drummer Aynsley DunbarFind albums by this artist. The music is an incredibly complex amalgam of Classical Music, Pop, Rock, comedy and satire. Although not the very first album to feature Rock and Symphony Orchestra, it is by far the most advanced, revolutionary and complex of all such attempts to this very day. Zappa included in this music his modern 20th Century Classical Music influences from Edgar VareseFind albums by this artist, Igor StravinskyFind albums by this artist and others. Zappa shows on this album that he is able to write music, which amalgamates anything between Avant-Garde Pop and Rock, Jazz, including Free Jazz and Jazz-Rock Fusion and contemporary orchestral Classical Music. He appears as the first “total musician” on the Pop / Rock scene, a status he was able to hold till the day he died. From day one his extravagant personality and brilliant intelligence marked him as an outsider, a fate shared by most geniuses. This album is often regarded as “peripheral” in his overall output, which is of course completely nonsensical and absurd. The whole concept of Zappa’s music was the complete disregard of genres and a firm belief that “music is one”, regardless how someone might wish to categorize it. In retrospect, this album is definitely one of his absolute Artistic apogees, although he never recorded anything which could be considered less important than anything else. Overall, although over fifty years passed since this music was recorded, this album remains an absolute Classic in every respect, which stands proudly as an icon of superb music, which still shines brighter than almost anything else recorded since. Zappa’s genius, not only as a musician, but also as a visionary and a brilliant observer of the human condition and American folly and deceit, remain completely relevant and are even more actual today than ever. Side Note Frank Zappa created a vast recorded legacy during his lifetime, which is continuously being expanded using music recorded and stored in his extensive vault. The albums officially released and approved by Zappa are numbered sequentially in the "Official Release" series, from #001 to the last release so far #126. The albums between #001 to #062 were released during Zappa's lifetime and all the others were released posthumously. There are countless unofficial / bootleg releases on the market as well. Zappa's catalogue was remastered for CD release twice: in 1995 for the RykodiscFind albums on this label releases and again in 2012 for the ZappaFind albums on this label Records / UniversalFind albums on this label releases. The Zappa / Universal program includes 60 releases, which cover the entire catalog released during his lifetime (62 releases, except #013 "200 Motels" and the three Box Sets #043, #046 and #049 called "The Old Masters vol.I / II / III"), and 6 posthumous releases (#064, #065, #067, #068, #093 and #094), which were also included.

Updated: 15/05/2022Posted: 15/05/2022

CD 2 Remastered Recommend To A Friend

FRANK ZAPPA ~ 200 MOTELS: THE SUITES ZAPPA 20019 (Barcode: 824302001929) ~ USA ~ Avant-Garde Classical Recorded: 2013 Released: 2015 This is the 101st album by iconic American guitarist / composer / bandleader / visionary Frank ZappaFind albums by this artist, released posthumously in 2015. It presents the Classical Music components (in a form of thirteen suites) of the music originally composed for the soundtrack of the film “200 MotelsFind albums by this artist”, which was recorded originally in 1971 with his group The Mothers Of InventionFind albums by this artist and The Royal Philharmonic OrchestraFind albums by this artist, conducted by Elgar HowarthFind albums by this artist. Since the final soundtrack included only parts of this suites, this album presents them in their entirety for the first time, as recorded in 2013 by The Los Angeles PhilharmonicFind albums by this artist and The Los Angeles Master ChoraleFind albums by this artist, conducted by Finnish conductor / composer Esa-Pekka SalonenFind albums by this artist. Several actors / vocalists and additional musicians are also featured in the recording, including keyboardists Ian UnderwoodFind albums by this artist and Randy KerberFind albums by this artist, drummer Joe TraversFind albums by this artist, bassist Scott ThunesFind albums by this artist and guitarist Jamie KimeFind albums by this artist. This album shows the full scope of Zappa’s Classical Music ambitions and his ability to move directly to the very core its Avant-Garde facet, skipping over centuries of the legacy, which of course was unprecedented and largely misunderstood. The soundtrack of “200 Motels” is an incredibly complex amalgam of Classical Music, Pop, Rock, comedy and satire. Although not the very first album to feature Rock and Symphony Orchestra, it is by far the most advanced, revolutionary and complex of all such attempts to this very day. Zappa included in this music his modern 20th Century Classical Music influences from Edgar VareseFind albums by this artist, Igor StravinskyFind albums by this artist and others. Zappa showed that he is able to write music, which amalgamates anything between Avant-Garde Pop and Rock, Jazz, including Free Jazz and Jazz-Rock Fusion and contemporary orchestral Classical Music. He appears as the first “total musician” on the Pop / Rock scene, a status he was able to hold till the day he died. From day one his extravagant personality and brilliant intelligence marked him as an outsider, a fate shared by most geniuses. The “200 Motels” soundtrack is often regarded as “peripheral” in his overall output, which is of course completely nonsensical and absurd. The whole concept of Zappa’s music was the complete disregard of genres and a firm belief that “music is one”, regardless how someone might wish to categorize it. In retrospect, this album is definitely one of his absolute Artistic apogees, although he never recorded anything which could be considered less important than anything else. Overall, although over fifty years passed since this music was composed, this music remains an absolute Classic in every respect, which stands proudly as an icon of superb creativity, which still shines brighter than almost anything else recorded since. Zappa’s genius, not only as a musician, but also as a visionary and a brilliant observer of the human condition and American folly and deceit, remain completely relevant and are even more actual today than ever.

Updated: 13/08/2022Posted: 13/08/2022

CD 2 Mini-Sleeve Recommend To A Friend