Many thanks to Paul Richardson and The Move
Mailing List for the links. There are also quite a few clips
available on Youtube.
21/12/2009
- Videoclips
page updated with
two videos added to my
Youtube Channel
of The Orchestra performing 'Last Train To London' and 'Mr Blue Sky' live
at The Guildhall, Portsmouth on October 17th 2009. I have also uploaded a video
of ELO Part 2 performing 'Turn To Stone' live in Warsaw, Poland on May
26th 2000 which was broadcast by Polish tv channel TV4.
21/12/2009
- Melvyn Gale, the former cellist with Electric Light Orchestra
between 1975 and 1980 was interviewed recently by Martin Kinch. To read the full
interview, check out Martin's 'Cherry
Blossom Clinic' website.
11/12/2009
- Check out the
Russian
ELO Message Board to view some great photos, videos and reviews (in Russian)
from The Orchestra's gig at the Crocus City Hall, Moscow, Russia on 10th
December 2009.
11/12/2009
- Check out
10538Komando's Youtube channel to view some great footage from The
Orchestra's gig in Moscow on 10th December 2009.
10/12/2009
- Check out the following link for
TV100 to see
a short clip of The Orchestra live in St Petersburg, Russia on 8th
December 2009.
10/12/2009
- The Orchestra were interviewd on Radio ROKS 102FM in St Petersburg,
Russia on 8th December 2009. Click
here
to view some studio photos of Eric Troyer and Phil Bates.
10/12/2009
- Jane Wilkinson has put together the Winter 2009 issue of The Orchestra
Newsletter. Click
here to visit
Jane's superb Orchestra website with all the latest news and superb photos from
The Orchestras recent gig in Prague, Czech Republic and the BBBV gig in
Andover last month. Click
here
to download the latest newsletter.
10/12/2009
- Check out the Darkside website
here to view
some great photos of The Orchestra live in St Petersburg, Russia on 8th December
2009.
08/12/2009
- Soundclips page updated with a live recording of
'Back In The USSR' by E.L.O. Part 2 at the Edinburgh Playhouse during the
bands first U.K. tour on 1st June 1991.
06/12/2009
- Check out this interview with Roy Wood for the
Birmingham Mail where he mentions about a recording with Jeff Lynne
he hopes to put on a new album release in 2010.
06/12/2009
- Check out the Argentinian-based
ELO Secret
Messages blog which has some great news and interviews including some rare
live photos of E.L.O. on stage during their 1975/1976 'Face The Music'
world tour.
06/12/2009
- Check out
ds-p's Flickr photoset of The Orchestra live in Szczecinie, Poland on
25th November 2009.
06/12/2009
- Check out this
link for some great photos from The Orchestra's gig in Gdansk, Poland on
24th November 2009.
19/11/2009 - Check out the
Concert Reviews pages to read my review of the
Beatles, Blues & Blue Violin concert featuring Mik Kaminski, Phil
Bates and Tina McBain at the Keys Restaurant, Huddersfield on 15th November
2009. I have also uploaded 5 videos to my
Youtube Channel
(videos taken with permission) from the concert - 'Old Love', 'I'd Rather Go
Blind', 'Showdown', 'Evil Woman' and 'Waiting For The Shit To Hit The Fan'.
08/11/2009 - Check out the
Concert Reviews pages to read my reviews of The Orchestra
live at Newcastle Journal Tyne Theatre on 2nd November and Glasgow Pavilion
Theatre on 3rd November.
Concert Photos page also updated with my photos
from the stunning performance by The Orchestra live at Glasgow Pavilion
Theatre on 3rd November.
31/10/2009 - Check out the
Concert Reviews pages to read my review of
The Orchestra's gig at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall on 30th October.
31/10/2009 - Check out the following
Flickr pages for some great photos from various Orchestra U.K. Autumn
2009 gigs.....
31/10/2009 - Roy Wood appeared
at the International Mini Meeting 2009 at Longbridge, Birmingham on 10th August
2009. Check out
IMM2009 for more photos from the various events.
25/10/2009
- Check out my new
Youtube Channel
to see some great new video clips.
16/10/2009 - Check out the
Concert Reviews pages to read my review of
The Orchestra's gig at the Buxton Opera House on 12th October. Also added my
video of the band performing 'Don't Bring Me Down' to the Videoclips section.
16/10/2009 - Mik Kaminski was interviewed by
Carolyne Proud on Radio Teesdale on 10th October 2009. Mik chatted about his
musical history, and about The Orchestra's upcoming gig at the Newcastle
Journal & Tyne Theatre on 2nd November. Click
here to
download.
16/10/2009 - Check out Serena Torz's
superb video clip of The Orchestra performing '10538
Overture' at Buxton Opera House on 12th October. I also attended this
fantastic gig and original E.L.O. founder Roy Wood was also in
attendance.
11/10/2009
- Check out the 'Under
London Skies' website hosted by Serena Torz to see some great photos of
The Orchestra from the gigs at Dartford on Monday 5th October and Brentwood
on Friday 9th October. Check out the following video clips on Youtube of The
Orchestra at Brentwood Centre on 9th October -
Four Little Diamonds /
One More Tomorrow & 1000
Eyes / If I Needed
Someone / Clog Dance.
11/10/2009
- The Orchestra have begun their Autumn 2009 U.K. tour, with a new set
list and new songs introduced. Also new merchandise including a new 2cd
Anthology featuring tracks from the various incarnations of the band over the
past 20 years.
Track listing :
Disc 1
ELO Part II Hello Hello
Honest Men
For The Love Of A Woman
ELO's Greatest Hits, ELO Part II With
the Moscow Symphony Orchestra Turn To Stone
Thousand Eyes
Roll Over Beethoven
Moment Of Truth Moment Of Truth ( Overture)
Breakin' Down The Walls
Power Of A Million Lights
Interlude 3
One More Tomorrow
Voices
The Fox
Love Or Money
Blue Violin
So Glad You Said Goodbye
One Night Do Ya
Don't Bring Me Down
Disc 2
No Rewind Jewel And Johnny
Say Goodbye
No Rewind
Let Me Dream
Before We Go
Italian Medleys For The San Remo
Festival
Medley 1 Confusion/Twilight/Last Train To London/Twist And
Shout
Medley 2 Turn To Stone/Evil Woman/Last Train To London
Live In Reno If Only
Living Thing
Evil Woman
Live In Lithuania Standin' In The Rain
Mr. Blue Sky
Twist And Shout
Kelly's Last Studio Recordings with
'Orchestra' For the Russian TV show: Star Factory 5 Last Train To London
Ticket To The Moon
Live in Lowestoft Midnight Blue
11/10/2009
- Mik Kaminski was interviewed by Alan Thompson on BBC Radio Wales on
30th September. Mik talked about the upcoming Orchestra U.K. tour, Kelly
Groucutt's passing, the Beatles, Blues & Blue Violin project and Mik's time touring with E.L.O. Click
here to
download.
20/09/2009
- Mik Kaminski was interviewed by Spencer Leigh on Radio Merseyside on
12th September. Mik talked about the upcoming Orchestra U.K. tour, Kelly
Groucutt's passing, the Beatles, Blues & Blue Violin project and Mik's time touring with E.L.O. Click
here to
download.
20/09/2009
- The Orchestra have a number of gigs featuring orchestral backing in
Poland and the Czech Republic during November / December 2009. Tour dates below:
23.11.2009 Arena Hall, Poznan, Poland
24.11.2009 Hala Sportowo-Widowiskowa "Gdynia", Gdynia, Poland
25.11.2009 MTS Hall, Szczecin, Poland
26.11.2009 Hala Łuczniczka, Bydgoszcz, Poland
29.11.2009 Auditorium Maximum, Krakow, Poland
30.11.2009 Sala Kongresowa, Warsaw, Poland
01.12.2009 Mosir Hall, Lodz, Poland
03.12.2009 Sareza Arena, Ostrava, Czech Republic
04.12.2009 Hotel Thermal, Karlovy Vary, Brno, Czech Republic
05.12.2009 Hala Lokomotiv, Plzn, Czech Republic
06.12.2009 Kongresové centrum, Prague, Czech Republic
08.12.2009 St. Petersburg, Russia
10.12.2009 Moscow, Russia
11.12.2009 Ufa, Russia
20/09/2009
- Check out the Phil Bates
Official website to read a great interview with Tina McBain about the
upcoming Beatles, Blues & Blue Violin U.K. tour featuring Tina, Mik Kaminski
and Phil Bates.
20/09/2009
- Jane Wilkinson has just put together the Autumn 2009 edition of The
Orchestra Newsletter. Check out Jane's website
here, and download
the latest newsletter here.
06/09/2009
- Just over a month until The Orchestra's U.K. Autumn tour gets under
way. Full gig dates below.
06/09/2009
- Bev Bevan makes a cameo appearance in a short film called 'Waiting In
Rhyme'. The film is available to buy on dvd for just £5 with all money raised in
aid of the Macmillan Cancer Trust. Full details can be found
here.
06/09/2009
- Check out Jorge Devincenzi's superb
Podcast featuring Jim Onslow via the
Secret
Messages Blog. Lots of great information from Jim including the early
involvement of Jeff Lynne. Also on the Blog is the sad news of Ellie Greenwich's
passing recently and an interview with Marge Raymond, both of whom sang backing
vocals on 'Face The Music'.
06/09/2009
- Mike Edwards, the former cellist with Electric Light Orchestra
from 1971 to 1974 will be appearing at the Totnes Festival this week in a dance
performance called Snakewing. (News courtesy
ELO Espana
Website).
23/08/2009
- I can highly recommend the latest project featuring Phil Bates, Mik
Kaminski and Tina McBain. The Beatles, Blues & Blue Violin
project features original acoustic re-workings of classic songs by The Beatles,
E.L.O., blues classics and from Phil and Mik's solo material. The project is
back on tour in November 2009 with another tour currently being planned for
March 2010. Full tour details at
Phil's Official Website.
23/08/2009 - Just added a great clip
of Roy Wood performing 'Looking Through The Eyes Of A Fool' on the U.K.
television show 'Supersonic' back in 1975 to
the Videoclips section.
19/08/2009
- Former member of The Orchestra, Parthenon Huxley took to the
stage with his new band Huxmonster at The Bullpen, outside
Nationals Ballpark Stadium on July 26th 2009. Below is a photo by Dave Chen at
the gig (check out his Flickr photos
here).
18/08/2009
- Just added five new video clips of E.L.O. Part 2 to
the Videoclips section, including a rare appearance
by Don Airey as a stand-in on keyboards for Lou Clark during a
concert in Germany back in 1997.
18/08/2009
- Renaissance Records in the U.S.A. have just released the Kelly Groucutt
solo album 'Kelly', having the full approval of Kelly's family. This release
features 14 tracks all remastered as on the U.K. cd release from 2001 on 'Li'l
Jenny Records'. The cd artwork features the cover from the original U.S.A.
release with song lyrics, career photos including a photo of the 'Evening
Without Kelly Groucutt' tribute concert promo poster, and a nice biography of
his career. More details can be found
here.
Track listing : Am I A Dreamer / Oh Little Darlin'
/ Dear Mama / Black Hearted Woman / Midnight Train / Can't Stand the
Morning / Anything Goes With Me / Old Rock n' Roller / Don't Wanna
Hear That Song / You've Been Telling Lies / You Don't Need to Hold
Me Tight / Sea of Dreams Bonus Tracks : I'll Cry For You Tonight / Am I A Dreamer
(Player Version with Mik Kaminski).
18/07/2009
- Just added three new video clips of E.L.O. Part 2 to
the Videoclips section.
18/07/2009
-
Jeff Lynne attended the
opening night of the Monthy Python member Eric Idle's musical 'Spamalot' on July
8th 2009. The event took place at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles. Below are
a short video clip of the event and a photo of Jeff arriving at the theatre
taken by Ryan Miller. (News courtesy ELO Espana website).
18/07/2009
- The Orchestra have announced a U.K. tour for October & November 2009.
Below is an advert from 'Record Collector'.
05/07/2009
- Parthenon Huxley, former member of ELO Part 2 and The
Orchestra has put together a new band, Huxmonster. The band features
Hux on lead guitar and vocals, Brian Keating on bass and James O'Connell on
drums. The bands debut gig was on July 3rd 2009 at the American Music Festival
in Harrisburg, PA, USA. Check out
Hux's Official Website
for future gig dates.
05/07/2009
- Phil Bates performed with the Ernie Schmeidel Hammond Trio
on the main stage at the 2009 Bergmannstrasse Festival in Berlin on June 28th
2009. Phil's daughter Rosie also took to the stage to perform a few songs. Check
out 'Offshore's'
Flickr photostream for some great photos of Phil and Rosie.
05/07/2009
- Check out
'O-Ren's' Flickr photostream for some great photos of The Orchestra
live at the Shuni Fortress Theatre, Binyamina, Israel on June 5th 2009.
01/07/2009
- Martin Kinch has just updated the
Cherry Blossom Clinic with news of an upcoming gig by The Old Horns Band
on July 26th 2009. The band features former
Wizzard members Nick Pentelow, Mike Burney, Bob Brady and Charlie Grima. Martin
has also uploaded some video clips from the bands gig at The Kings Head, Aston
Cantlow back in July 2008.
Video 1
/ Video 2
/ Video 3
/ Video 4.
01/07/2009
- How I Became the Bomb and
KinderCastle performed the complete E.L.O. album 'Out of the Blue' at Mercy
Lounge, Nashville on June 26th 2009. There's a great review by The Spin here
including plenty of photos. The photo from the gig below is (c) & courtesy
Village Voice Media. (News courtesy of the Showdown ELO Mailing List).
21/06/2009
- Jane Wilkinson has put together a 38-page book featuring photographs taken
during the 'An Evening Without Kelly Groucutt' tribute night at the Robin 2,
Bilston on May 11th 2009. You can preview some of the photos and purchase a copy
at
Blurb with profits from sales of the book via the Blurb website forwarded to
Kelly's widow Anna.
21/06/2009
- Just added some new clips of E.L.O. Part 2, Orkestra, Kelly Groucutt and The Orchestra to
the Videoclips section.
19/06/2009
- Michael Morton and two friends David Miller and Gary Hodges have
recently started a website, 'Brit Rock by the Bay', that features photos
(taken by David Miller) of British bands at concerts in the San Francisco area
in the early 1970s. The photos are accompanied by descriptive text and their
collective recollections of the various concerts. The guys are currently
featuring exclusive photos from a performance by Electric Light Orchestra
at Winterland, San Francisco, in 1973. Check the site out
here. Images courtesy & (c) David Miller.
18/06/2009
- Just added a new Videoclips section to the site.
Check out the new video I have added featuring The Orchestra performing
'Midnight Blue' live at the Shepherds Bush Empire, London on 7th October 2008.
15/06/2009 -
The theme tune from the tv series 'Gladiators' was originally sung by
Phil Bates of The Orchestra.
Click
here to download the song. (News from ULS Mailing List).
15/06/2009 -Concert Reviews
page updated with my reviews of The Orchestra's gig at The M Club, Crewe
on 16th May and also 'An Evening Without Kelly Groucutt' gig at The Robin 2,
Bilston on 11th May. Concert Photos page also
updated with official photos from The Orchestra's gig at The M Club,
Crewe. Soundclips page also updated with
Orkestra performing 'Fly Away' live on Dutch radio station in 1991, plus
Kelly Groucutt performimg 'Vincent' live at The Acoustic Cafe, Tamworth on
16th December 2001.
07/06/2009 -The Orchestra performed two sold-out gigs in
Israel on 5th and 6th June. Check out
Youtube for some video
footage from the Ra'anana show. Also check out the
Yos Music
website for some great photos and video footage from the show in Ra'anana. Below
are some images from the Ra'anana show. All images (c) Yos Music.
05/06/2009 -Check out this great
interview with Mik Kaminski for the Jerusalem Post ahead of The
Orchestra's two concerts in Israel on 5th and 6th June. Both concerts
feature the Ra'anana Symphonette Orchestra.
04/06/2009 -Richard Freedman interviewed Mik Kaminski a
couple of weeks ago ahead of The Orchestra's gigs in Israel on 5th and
6th June. The interview was part of a one hour E.L.O. special broadcast by Rusty
Mike Radio in Jerusalem and the complete show can be downloaded
here.
04/06/2009 - Check out George Reed's
official Kelly Groucutt tribute video which he has uploaded to
Youtube. The video was used during the recent U.K. tour by The Orchestra
where the band performed Kelly's song 'Fly Away' whilst the video was shown on a
large screen at the shows, including the 'Evening Without Kelly Groucutt'
memorial show at The Robin 2, Bilston.
04/06/2009 - On 23rd April 2009,
Reuters UK reported that Jeff Lynne was working on a new album.
"LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - For a musician who claims to live a
leisurely existence, rocker Jeff Lynne has plenty of projects on his
plate.
The brains behind the '70s art-rock band Electric Light Orchestra
(ELO) recently took a break from sessions for his first solo album
in almost two decades to produce songs for quirky folk
singer/songwriter Regina Spektor. He also has plans to write and
record with Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh.
The bearded Birmingham native has kept a relatively low profile
since the 2001 album "Zoom," which was credited to ELO but was
essentially a Lynne solo work. Sales were poor, and a scheduled
arena tour was cancelled.
But Lynne's legacy as the writer and producer of such ELO tunes
as "Livin' Thing" and "Mr. Blue Sky" is secure. And then there was
his tenure with the Traveling Wilburys, not to mention his
collaborations on solo works by fellow Wilburys George Harrison, Tom
Petty and Roy Orbison.
As for his own album, he hopes to release it later this year. It
would be his official solo follow-up to 1990's "Armchair Theatre."
"It's coming, gradually," Lynne, 61, said in a recent interview
with Reuters. "I can do 'em quick, but it depends whether you want
'em good or quick!"
It is indeed a solo work, with Lynne playing all the instruments
apart from the occasional violin or cello. As is his wont, he will
be tinkering with the project right up until the last minute, and
accordingly declined to reveal any titles.
Lynne will emerge from his hilltop home-recording studio compound
on Friday when performing rights group ASCAP presents him with its
Golden Note Award for lifetime achievement during its annual expo in
Hollywood. Lynne will in turn discuss his 40-year career at a Q&A
session. His advice to musicians?
"You've just got to love it. You can't really do it unless you
love it to bits, and you'd rather be doing it than anything else.
That's what I've found. I'm still getting thrilled with music even
after 40 years of doing it professionally. The hairs stand up on the
back of my neck at certain music."
One of those hair-raising experiences occurred recently when
Lynne was working with Spektor. He was busy with his own album, but
could not resist the opportunity to put his stamp on some songs she
had sent him. He produced five tunes, since working on a whole album
would have taken upwards of a year.
But even those five songs proved to be a challenge because
Spektor had been performing them live for several years and had
definite ideas about how they should sound on disc.
"Yeah, and I had to sorta change her mind! No, not really," Lynne
said. "She was very open-minded actually about it. That's why she
asked me to do it, to see what I would bring to the party, as it
were."
Lynne said he has planning to work with Walsh for some time, but
the guitarist has been kept busy touring and recording with the
Eagles.
"I love Joe. He's a terrific guy, and we'll probably mess around
and come up with some ideas together."
04/06/2009 - Jeff
Lynne has produced five tracks on Regina Spektor's upcoming album 'Far'.
The album will be released on 22nd June 2009 in a variety of formats including
vinyl lp, cd and a special cd/dvd edition. The five tracks produced by Jeff are
'Blue Lips', 'Wallet', 'Folding Chair', 'Genius Next Door' and 'The Sword & The
Pen'. The first single from the album, 'Laughing With' / 'Blue Lips', was
released on 11th May. Both of these tracks are available to listen to on
Regina Spektor's
Myspace
page.
Regina also performed 'Blue Lips' live on the 'Later With Jools
Holland' tv show broadcast on BBC1 on 19th May 2009. Check out the performance
on Youtube by clicking
here.
04/06/2009 -
Jeff Lynne attended
BritWeek twice during April.
BritWeek gathers together many of the British organisations in the Californian
area.
On 21st April 2009, he attended the BritWeek 2009 'Malaria No
More' charity event at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, Beverly Hills, Los Angeles.
Former British prime minister Tony Blair presided over the gala dinner. Then on
23rd April 2009, he attended the champagne launch reception at the British
Consul General's Official Residence, Hancock Park, Los Angeles. (News courtesy
Nicolas Guibert's
Discovery Website).
03/06/2009 -
On 18th April 2009, Jeff
Lynne made a surprise appearance at a concert by Thenewno2 , Dhani Harrison's
group, at the Coachella festival in California. Dhani Harrison when interviewed
by NME
that he had been extremely touched by his presence. Jeff is pictured alongside
Dhani and the band in the photo below (taken from a
photo diary by band member Oli Hecks).
03/06/2009 - June 16th 2009 sees the
release of 'Let It Roll', a career-spanning best of collection from George
Harrison. The collection features
Harrison's solo hits from 1970's 'All Things Must Pass' right through to 2002's
'Brainwashed', remastered, plus live recordings from the 1971 'Concert For
Bangladesh'. Jeff Lynne produced a number of the songs on the album. More
details at the Official
George Harrison website. Track listing : 1. Got My Mind Set On You / 2. Give Me Love (Give
Me Peace On Earth) / 3. The Ballad Of Sir Frankie Crisp (Let It Roll) / 4. My
Sweet Lord / 5. While My Guitar Gently Weeps [Live] - Concert For Bangladesh /
6. All Things Must Pass / 7. Any Road / 8. This Is Love / 9. All Those Years Ago
/ 10. Marwa Blues / 11. What Is Life / 12. Rising Sun / 13. When We Was Fab /
14. Something [Live] - Concert For Bangladesh / 15. Blow Away / 16. Cheer Down /
17. Here Comes The Sun [Live] - Concert For Bangladesh / 18. I Don't Want To Do
It / 19. Isn't It A Pity.
02/06/2009 - On 14th April 2009,
George Harrison was
honoured with a posthumus star on the Hollywood 'Walk Of Fame' in Los Angeles.
Those in attendance at the ceremony included Jeff Lynne, Olivia and Dhani
Harrison, Paul McCartney, Tom Petty, Jim Keltner, Joe Walsh, Tom Hanks and Eric
Idle. Reports and photo links :
Beatles Examiner /
National Examiner /
Youtube
video /
E! Online /
Getty Images.
01/06/2009 -
Jeff Lynne was the
guest of the 4th Annual
ASCAP
"I Create Music" EXPO in Los Angeles on 24th April. He received the
"Golden Note Award" in recognition of his contribution to music and he was
interviewed about his 40-year career. (Many thanks to the
Showdown
Mailing List and David Jay, the whole interview is available
here).
Click here
to view Paul Williams presenting Jeff with the award.
31/05/2009 - The E.L.O. tribute band
The E.L.O. Experience are currently touring throughout the U.K. Check out
their website for tour
dates, latest news and song downloads.
31/05/2009 - Check out
Tribute Band Reviews website for details on another U.K. based E.L.O.
tribute band called The Essential Light Orchestra. The band also have
their own
website with gigs booked throughout 2009.
31/05/2009 - The North West Evening
Mail edition from 25th January 2007 features a lengthy interview with John
Marcangelo. John was a member of Violinski alongside Mik Kaminski
and wrote the classic 'Clog Dance'. Check out the full interview
here.
31/05/2009 - Roy Wood was the
featured artist in 'The Record Producers'
radio show broadcast on BBC Radio 2 on April 13th 2009.
"Richard Allinson and Steve Levine look at the
work of a man who has achieved the rare feat of having Top Ten singles with
three different groups and as a solo artist, yet remains somewhat under-valued
in his contribution to British pop music - Roy Wood. This programme concentrates
on his work during this period, but also features some of his productions for
other artists, such as the Annie in Wonderland album by Renaissance singer Annie
Haslam".
An extended version of the show was broadcast on on BBC 6Music on April 18th.
"On the next 'Producers Cut' in the 'Record Producers' series, Richard Allinson
and Steve Levine look at the work of a man who has achieved the rare feat of
having Top Ten singles with three different groups, and as a solo artist, yet
remains somewhat under-valued in his contribution to British pop music - Roy
Wood.
Following a Denny Cordell-produced debut album by The Move, Roy
took over the controls for the rest of the group's career, then went
on to form Electric Light Orchestra with Jeff Lynne. After a
stunning debut single, '10538 Overture', he left to write and
produce a string of hits with his new band Wizzard. At the same
time, he was writing and recording as a solo artist, giving him a
further four hit singles and an acclaimed debut album 'Boulders'.
This extended version of the Radio 2 documentary concentrates on
his work during this period, but also contains some of his
production work for others, such as the 'Annie In Wonderland' album
by Renaissance singer Annie Haslam.
Featuring interviews with Roy, Jeff Lynne, Alan Parsons, Annie
Haslam and others, Steve and Richard also take an in-depth look at
the original multi-track recordings of '10538 Overture' by ELO;
Wizzard's number one 'Angel Fingers'; and Roy's Top 10 solo hit
'Forever'; one of the oldest surviving recordings of a Roy Wood
song. In an exclusive to this 6 Music 'Producer's Cut' there's also
an analysis of a seasonal favourite - the multi-track of 'I Wish It
Could Be Christmas Everyday'.
The 90-minute programme will be followed by a half hour of Roy
Wood's music".
The show was outstanding, and explained in depth just how some of
Roy's intricate songs were put together.
31/05/2009 - The
Sunday Mercury is leading a campaign to get Roy Wood immortalised
with a star on the Birmingham Walk Of Stars. The Broad Street attraction
honours entertainers from showbusiness and sport. So far, stars have been sunk into
the pavement bearing the names of Ozzy Osbourne, Jasper Carrott, Slade
singer Noddy Holder, Black Sabbath guitar star Tony Iommi, and motor racing
commentator Murray Walker.
31/05/2009 - Phil Bates has
co-written the song 'Hard Not To Fall' by Jessica Garlick. Check out
Jessica's Official
Website for more details.
31/05/2009 - Roy Wood has his
own exclusive column in the
Sunday Mercury. In his first write-up he talks about the scourge of
'binge-drinking', and this has been followed by his thoughts on 'daytime
television'!!!
31/05/2009 -
'Ugly Things' magazine
Issue 28 features an exclusive interview with Trevor Burton. (News from
Useless Information Mailing List).
31/05/2009 - There are a few rare
Carl Wayne songs available to download via Amazon UK.
'Rare Tracks Collection Volume 1' released on 27th April 2009, contains 'I'm
Falling', 'No', 'It's You That Makes Me Sing' and 'C'Mon Round To My Place'.
'60's
Super Hits' released back in November 2007, has Carl's version of 'Flowers
In The Rain'.
31/05/2009 - The 2001 remastered cd
of the Kelly Groucutt 'Kelly' album (Li'l
Jenny Records LJ9284)
is now available again via
Kelly's Official Website.
Track listing : Am I A Dreamer / Oh Little Darlin'
/ Dear Mama / Black Hearted Woman / Midnight Train / Can't Stand the
Morning / Anything Goes With Me / Old Rock n' Roller / Don't Wanna
Hear That Song / You've Been Telling Lies / You Don't Need to Hold
Me Tight / Sea of Dreams Bonus Tracks : I'll Cry For You Tonight / Am I A Dreamer
(Player Version with Mik Kaminski)
Renaissance Records in the U.S.A. has just gained the rights for
the 'original' U.S.A. release of the album. Expected release date is June 30th
and has the approval of Kelly's family. No details as yet on remastering, extra
tracks, etc.
31/05/2009 -
The 5th Jeff Lynne and Electric Light
Orchestra
Fan
Meeting will take place in Chojnice, Poland from 24th to 26th July 2009. The
meeting will include a quiz about E.L.O., a karaoke competition, a sightseeing
tour and much more! Everyone is welcome. For more information, contact the
organiser Jurek Erdman.
31/05/2009 - Mike Edwards
played cello in E.L.O. from 1972 to 1975. There is a recent video of Mike
on Youtube
playing a new instrument, the Parabolin, at The Tradesmans Arms pub in Scoriton,
U.K. (News from MBS Mailing List).
31/05/2009 - Jane Wilkinson has put
together 'The Orchestra Newsletter' to keep fans up-to-date with
latest news, photos, interviews and tour dates.
Click here to visit
Jane's superb Orchestra website. Download the newsletter here :
Spring
2009 /
Summer
2009.
31/05/2009 - Glen Burtnik, the
newest member of The Orchestra has a new compilation cd called 'Album'
available at gigs. The collection features tracks from a number of Glen's
previous albums.
Track list : Roses For The Working Girl /
Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough / Super Boy / Watching The World Go By / Roar /
Follow You / Cry / When Kathy Spoke / Walls Come Down / Welcome To Hollywood /
Bam! / Kiss Your Ass Goodbye / Liars Club.
Do also check out his superb 2004 cd, 'Welcome To Hollywood' which was released
in Europe as a cd/dvd package with 9 superb videos of tracks from the album
featured on the dvd.
30/05/2009 - Check out the
Concert Reviews pages to read my review of
The Orchestra's gig at The M Club, Crewe on May 16th.
26/05/2009 - Mik Kaminski was
interviewed by the
Sunday Mercury on 29th March 2009, where he talked about the tragic loss of
Kelly Groucutt and the plans for the 'Evening Without Kelly Groucutt' memorial
show at The Robin 2, Bilston on 11th April. (News from
Beatles Forever
Blog).
16/05/2009 - There are some great fan
videos up on Youtube at the moment, including The Orchestra performing 'Evil
Woman' and 'Mr
Blue Sky' at the Edinburgh Playhouse on 9th May, plus The Orchestra and
Groucutt family performing 'Don't
Bring Me Down' at the emotional 'Evening Without Kelly Groucutt' concert at
the Robin 2, Bilston on 11th May.
14/05/2009 - Chris Tew who
played in Orkestra and Session 60 alongside Kelly Groucutt introduced what is
believed to be the last song Kelly recorded prior to his tragic passing, at the
'Evening Without Kelly Groucutt' tribute concert at The Robin 2, Bilston on
Monday night. The song 'Sleepless Night' was played whilst a backdrop of images
of Kelly were shown on a large screen. You can listen to the song on the
Samples page of Chris
Tew's website.
13/05/2009 - Eric Troyer has a
new Blog site here. Lots
of news, history, songs to purchase and daily updates on the current U.K. tour.
13/05/2009 - Check out the
Concert Reviews pages to read my review of the
emotional 'Evening Without Kelly Groucutt' tribute gig at the
Robin 2, Bilston on Monday 11th May.
13/05/2009 - Check out the
Concert Reviews pages to read my review of
The Orchestra's gig at the Edinburgh Playhouse on May 9th. This was the
bands first gig since the tragic loss of Kelly Groucutt, and a first gig
for new bassist and vocalist Glen Burtnik.
10/05/2009 - Mik Kaminski was
interviewd by the
Birmingham Mail on 8th May where he spoke about the Kelly Groucutt tribute
gig to be held at The Robin 2, Bilston on Monday 11th May.
29/03/2009 - ASCAP EVENT WILL HONOR
JEFF LYNNE : The upcoming 4th Annual ASCAP "I Create Music Expo" program
will feature interviews with Jeff Lynne, Ann and Nancy Wilson, and a
conversation with Chaka Kahn. Create Music Expo will take place April 23-25 at
the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel in Los Angeles.
Prior to the interview with Lynne, ASCAP will present the former
Electric Light Orchestra leader with its Golden Note Award in
recognition of his extraordinary contributions to music. Previous
honorees include Tom Petty, Quincy Jones, Stevie Wonder, Sean
"Diddy" Combs and Garth Brooks.
The ASCAP conference, for songwriters, composers and producers in
all genres, is comprised of panels, workshops, master classes,
keynotes, product displays, and performances. For more details,
including a regularly updated list of panelists, go to
www.ascap.com/expo . [Ed
Christman, N.Y.BILLBOARD.BIZ].
(Information courtesy of Showdown - The Official ELO Mailing
List).
29/03/2009 - The
Sunday Mercury has a short interview with Mik Kaminski about the
upcoming 'Evening Without Kelly Groucutt' memorial concert to be held at the
Robin 2, Bilston on Monday 11th May.
29/03/2009 - A special evening
celebrating the life and music of Kelly Groucutt is to be held at The
Robin 2 in Bilston, Near Wolverhampton, on Monday 11th May. The concert will
feature many artists that Kelly has performed alongside including The Orchestra
(news courtesy of Ken Latta).
Monday 11th May -
The Robin
Mount Pleasant,
Bilston
Wolverhampton
WV14 7LJ
An evening without
KELLY GROUCUTT
A celebration of the life and music of a wonderful man, featuring
many artists including THE ORCHESTRA AND FRIENDS.
All proceeds go to Kelly’s favourite charity - The National Parrot
Sanctuary Trust.
IMPORTANT NOTE - TO PURCHASE TICKETS (£10 each in advance only)
You can only purchase tickets for this event in the following
ways:- By Cheque - Payable A.M. Bialaga
Send with S.A.E stating how many tickets you require to:-
The Leisure Factory
20-22 Mount Pleasant
Bilston
West Midlands
WV14 7LJ
By cheque or cash
Over the counter at the Robin 2 box office or venue Woody’s Bar
(when open)
Any enquiries, call the Robin 2 box office 01902 401211
Doors 7.30pm Starts 8.00pm
29/03/2009 - Glen Burtnik will
join The Orchestra as vocalist and bass player for the May U.K. tour.
Glen is best known as being a member of Styx but he also stood in for Kelly
Groucutt in the mid 1990's during some of E.L.O. Part 2's gigs. Check
out Glen's Official Website
here. Check out a
couple of Glen's recent performances available on Youtube.
Youtube 1
/ Youtube 2.
22/03/2009 - I
have just updated the Concert Photos pages with
some excellent photos from the Beatles, Blues and Blue Violin gigs at
Middleton Hall, Tamworth on 6th December 2008 and The Horn, St Albans on 5th
March 2009.
22/03/2009 - Click on the images
below to see some excellent video clips from the Beatles, Blues and Blue Violin
gigs at Middleton Hall, Tamworth on 6th December 2008 ('Can't Buy Me Love'), and
The Horn, St Albans on 5th March 2009 ('Port In A Storm' and 'While My Guitar
Gently Weeps'). Many thanks to Andrew Ross for these clips.
22/03/2009 -
Check out the Website Links page for lots of new and updated links.
22/03/2009 -
Jansen
Photography have some great live concert photos of The Electric Light
Band from 2005.
22/03/2009 -
Jeff Lynne was interviewed during 'Legends : Roy Orbison', a one hour
programme broadcast on BBC4 last night. The programme was shown as it is is 20
years since Roy's death.
22/03/2009 -
Check out some great Electric Light Orchestraphotos
at the Chris Walter / Photofeatures site.
22/03/2009 -
Roy Wood will be the support act on Status Quo's arena gigs during
December 2009.
Click here for gig dates.
22/03/2009 - Jeff Lynne has produced
some songs on the new album by American singer Regina Spektor. The album will be
released in June and is called 'Far'. She gave some details about her meeting
and her collaboration with Jeff Lynne in an
interview. (News from Showdown - ELO Mailing List).
22/03/2009 -
Check out some superb
photos of The Orchestra live in Kaunus, Lithuania on 21st November
2008.
22/03/2009 -
Check out some superb
photos
of The Orchestra live at the Prague Congress Centre, Prague, Czech
Republic on 23rd November 2008. This concert included a full orchestral backing
by the Czech National Symphonic Orchestra.
22/03/2009 -
Check out Ralf Fitzner's superb
photos
from E.L.O.'s live concert at the Festhalle, Frankfurt on 13th February
1982.
14/03/2009 -
Play.com has a 5cd Electric Light Orchestra set 'Original Album Classics'
listed as due for release on 30th March.
14/03/2009 -
Yet another E.L.O. best of cd's has just been released by Sony Music.
'The Collection' has 11 tracks - Evil Woman / Livin' Thing / Can't Get It Out Of
My Head / Showdown / Turn To Stone / Rockaria! / Sweet Talkin' Woman / Telephone
Line / Ma-Ma-Ma Belle / Strange Magic / Mr Blue Sky.
12/03/2009 -
Check out this
Youtube
link to see a great clip of Tina McBain, Mik Kaminski and Phil
Bates performing 'With A Little Help From My Friends' during their Beatles,
Blues & Blue Violin gig at The Arts Centre, Kings Lynn on 7th March.
12/03/2009 -
The Orchestra's new Live cd is now available to
purchase at
Parthenon Huxley's Official Website. This spectacular live
album captures The Orchestra in concert at the 8000-seat Phillips Arena
in Vilnius, Lithuania. Lithuania's national symphony orchestra accompanies the
band on 15 classic ELO tracks and The Orchestra's stunning remake of Twist And
Shout. All performances are by bassist/vocalist Kelly Groucutt, violinist Mik
Kaminski, conductor Lou Clark, keyboardist/vocalist Eric Troyer, drummer Gordon
Townsend and guitarist/vocalist Parthenon Huxley.
Track listing : Evil Woman / Livin' Thing / Xanadu / Wild West
Hero / Sweet Talkin' Woman / Shine A Little Love / Confusion / Showdown / Hold
On Tight / Can't Get It Out Of My Head / Telephone Line / Standin' In The Rain /
Mr Blue Sky / Twist & Shout / Ticket To The Moon / Do Ya
12/03/2009 -
Bev Bevan's Move have just updated their website and has a new
web address.
09/03/2009 -
The funeral of Kelly Groucutt took place today at Christ
Church, Church Road, Coseley at 12.15pm, which was followed by a private
cremation at Gornal Wood Crematorium.
08/03/2009 -
Two more clips from the Beatles, Blues & Blue Violin gig at The Horn, St.
Albans on 5th March have been uploaded onto Youtube. These are
'Evil
Woman' and the Phil Bates track
'Waiting
For The Shit To Hit The Fan'.
06/03/2009 -
Check out this
Youtube
link to see a nice clip of Mik Kaminski and Phil Bates performing 'Showdown'
during their Beatles, Blues & Blue Violin gig at The Horn, St. Albans on 5th
March.
04/03/2009 -
Check out the Concert Reviews section to read
my review of the excellent and 'emotional' Beatles, Blues and Blue Violin
gig at the Keys Restaurant situated in the crypt of St. Peters Church in
Huddersfield on Sunday 1st March.
03/03/2009 -
Bev Bevan will be joining BBC Radio WM to present his own show every
Sunday between 2pm and 4pm. (Thanks to Nicolas Guibert for this news - more
details
here).
03/03/2009 -
Check out the following links on Youtube for two extremely rare clips of The
Move. The first is of The Move performing 'Night Of Fear' in Simons Boutique
on the Kings Road, London in 1967. The other clip is of The Move
performing 'Ella James' for Beat Club in 1971 which was not broadcast.
Night Of Fear clip /
Ella James clip.
25/02/2009 -
Former E.L.O. cellist Hugh McDowell has been playing a few live shows
with John Wetton and Geoff Downes (Asia) this past few weeks. The shows are to
help promote the upcoming Icon 3 album due out on 16th March. There are a few
clips on Youtube from the show at De Boerderij, Zoetermeer,
Holland on 19th February.
Video 1
/ Video 2
/ Video 3
/ Video 4
/ Video 5.
25/02/2009 -
Andy Kinch has just posted a tribute video on
Youtube
featuring the late Kelly Groucutt singing 'Everlasting Love' from Andy's
1998 album 'Andy's Diner'. Thanks to Martin Kinch (Andy's brother) for this
news.
25/02/2009 -
The Times newspaper of 25th February features a very nice obituary on Kelly
Groucutt.
Click here to read.
22/02/2009 -
The Orchestra's concert at the Admiralpalast in Berlin on Tuesday 17th
February will be forever remembered as Kelly Groucutt's last live
concert. There is a very nice tribute on Spree Radio's official site to Kelly
with lots of photos of the show, pre-concert interview with the band, a video
feature of the band plus footage of the encore from the show with Kelly
in fine form during 'Don't Bring Me Down'.
20/02/2009 -
It is with great sadness and disbelief to report the news of the death of
Kelly Groucutt. Kelly, aged 63, the bassist and singer with E.L.O.
during the 'glory days', Orkestra, ELO Part II and The
Orchestra died of a heart attack on Thursday 19th February after falling ill the
previous evening. Kelly was actually performing on Tuesday evening with The
Orchestra at the Admiralpalast in Berlin, Germany in front of a sell-out
1000+ audience.
I really cannot put into words just how
sad I feel at this present moment with the thought of not being able to see
Kelly up on stage again, entertaining the audience with his great
showmanship and the great on-stage antics with Lou, Mik, Eric, Gordon and Phil
of The Orchestra.
E.L.O. music has been the soundtrack to my
life, from the 1970's with the classic 'A New World Record', 'Out Of The Blue',
'Discovery' and 'Time' all featuring the distinctive bass and vocals of Kelly.
Throughout the 1980's I continued to buy and listen to the E.L.O. albums but
something was 'missing'. It took until the 1990's when Bev Bevan started up
E.L.O. Part 2 with other former members of E.L.O. (Mik Kaminski, Lou Clark and
Kelly) and when I went to see the band at numerous live shows when I realised
what the 'missing' part was - KELLY!!
Over the past 20 years I have enjoyed
countless shows by the various line-up changes of ELO Part 2 and The Orchestra
and I am forever indebted to Bev and in particular Kelly for keeping the E.L.O.
songs 'alive' and enabling me to meet so many great people 'all over the world'
and for enabling my children to watch great live music as they have grown up.
Kelly was a superb musician,
singer, bassist and showman who always had time for the fans, signing
autographs, posing for photographs and chatting before and after gigs. He will
be greatly missed by all those who have met him, and he leaves a great legacy
with the brilliant music he has left behind for us to listen to, and I will
certainly treasure the memories of the times I have met and talked to Kelly over
the years. My sincere condolences to his family, friends and colleagues in
The Orchestra.
Kelly at Sala De Luz, Barcelona, Spain : June 2008
Kelly posing for the camera at The Sands Centre, Carlisle : May 1999
Me and Kelly backstage Manchester Opera House : May 2006
Below are some links to further news and tributes
to Kelly - UPDATED 31/05/2009
08/02/2009 - Argentinian E.L.O.
fan Jorge Devincenzi has been producing his Zoom Radio show for a number of
years now. The show features classic and rare material by many ELO-related
artists and also many artists from the 1960's. His latest show is a two-hour
special which features exclusive songs and an interview with Steve Maher of
Tinkerbell's Fairydust. For further details check out
RadioELO.
06/02/2009 - 'This Is Nationwide', a
programme looking back on the news and current affairs show Nationwide which ran
from 1969 to 1983, is being shown this week on BBC4 here in the U.K. The show
also features some clips of the British Rock & Pop Awards (which are now known
as The Brits), with Jeff Lynne and Bev Bevan shown prior to
picking up an award.
04/02/2009 - The Orchestra are
featured on Yamaha's commercial audio website discussing with the bands' sound
engineer about the bands live set up during the recent UK Autumn tour. Also
featured are a couple of photos taken at Northampton's Dearngate
Theatre.
Click here to visit the website. (Thanks to Ken Latta for this news).
04/02/2009 - Mik Kaminski, Phil
Bates & Tina McBain are busy promoting their upcoming Beatles, Blues &
Blue Violin tour which starts at The Keys Restaurant, Huddersfield on 1st
March.
From Ian Gibbons :
"This week Phil, Mik and Tina have been busy doing PR and press for
the forthcoming BBBV tour. Tickets at venues are on sale now and they are
looking forward to being out and about again with this project. The tour kicks
off on 1st March at the Keys Restaurant, The Crypt, St. Peter's Church in
Huddersfield, which is already sold out. The tour finishes with a home town show
for Phil and Tina at the Tamworth Assembly Rooms on Sunday 15th March.
Phil said 'It's looking good, we were all reasonably pleased with the response
from the first tour in November last year and we are looking to develop the
show. But all in all it was a very pleasing first tour. We are looking forward
to meeting lots of friends, old and new in March.'
For details of the all the BBBV March tour dates please visit
www.phil-bates.co.uk ."
04/02/2009 - The Orchestra
have just announced a concert at the Admiralpalast, Berlin on Tuesday 17th
February 2009. There are only 1000 tickets available and should be on sale from
today.
Click here for more details.
01/02/2009 -
Website Links
updated with some new sites and updated existing links.
01/02/2009 -
Amazon and Play have
details of a new Very Best Of The Move compilation due for release on 2nd
March 2009.
Track listing : Flowers In The Rain / Blackberry Way / I Can
Hear The Grass Grow / Night Of Fear / California Man / Fire Brigade / Omnibus /
Beautiful Daughter / When Alice Comes Back To The Farm / Curly / Tonight / Don't
Throw Stones At Me / (Here We Go Round) The Lemon Tree / It'll Be Me (Live At
The Marquee) / Do Ya / Cherry Blossom Clinic / Disturbance / Hello Susie
(Abridged) / Wild Tiger Woman / Piece Of My Heart (Live At The Marquee) / Wave
The Flag And Stop The Train / Chinatown / Useless Information / Brontosaurus /
Move
06/01/2009 - The Orchestra
have lined up a short U.K. tour for May 2009. The official tour flyer below has
all the details.
The guys also have two dates in Israel booked, plus 2 dates in
Jersey and a festival date in Yorkshire : Friday 5th June 2009 - Mivtzar Shuni,
Binyamina, Israel
(www.last.fm/event/869836)
Saturday 6th June 2009 - Amphipark, 6
Jerusalem Rd. Ra`anana,
Israel (www.last.fm/event/869945)
Saturday 4th July 2009 - Grassington Festival, Grassington, North Yorkshire
Sunday 5th July 2009 - Opera House, Jersey, Channel Islands
Monday 6th July 2009 - Opera House, Jersey, Channel Islands
06/01/2009 - A new 24 disk dvd set
featuring every edition of the German tv pop show 'Beat Club' has just been
released. Full details can be found
here. The Move
appeared regularly on the show performing 'Wild Tiger Woman', 'Blackberry Way',
'Fire Brigade', 'Curly', 'Brontosaurus' (which has never been broadcast before),
'When Alice Comes Back To The Farm', and 'Down On The Bay'.
06/01/2009 - Hugh McDowell,
former cellist with E.L.O. has teamed up once again with John Wetton and
Geoff Downes (of Asia) to record their third Icon album which will be released
shortly. The band have one live show lined up in London next month which will be
filmed for future dvd release. More details at The Official
John Wetton and
Geoff Downes websites. Hugh also appeared on the 'Icon Acoustic TV Broadcast'
dvd in 2006.
24/12/2008 -
Website Links page updated and I have added my own
review of the excellent Beatles, Blues &
Blue Violin gig at The Cavern Club, Liverpool on 15th November 2008.
