Frank Zappa History: This will never end - Chapter XIV

Desafio aceito!!!! No Valvulado tem que ter tudo do Zappa. Recebi mais dois grandes álbuns de 2016, de meu grande colaborador Peter Hammil. E vamos em frente...

Frank Zappa‘s vaults will reopen in July for a pair of new releases, Frank Zappa for President and The Crux of the Biscuit. Both scheduled to arrive July 15, the new titles explore different sides of Zappa’s many-faceted musical personality. “Frank Zappa for President? You betcha! We know at various times he wanted to run for office,” reads a label press release. “In the spirit of the dramatic 2016 presidential election adventures comes a release that gives us a glimpse into what could have been. This album is comprised of unreleased compositions realized on the Synclavier, along with other relevant tracks mined from the Vault, with a political thread tying it all together. Don’t forget to register and vote!” The Crux of the Biscuit, meanwhile, was put together to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Zappa’s Apostrophe album in 2014. “As part of Zappa Records’ ongoing Frank Zappa Project/Object Audio Documentary Series,” notes the press release, “it contains rare alternate mixes, live performances, and studio session outtakes.” Frank Zappa for President and The Crux of the Biscuit are part of a spate of recent vault projects that includes a handful of titles released in May, and continue the Universal partnership announced by the estate in 2015. Check out the complete track listings for both new albums below.

Frank Zappa for President (2016)

Archival releases from the Zappa Family Trust are beginning to emerge since the trust partnered with Universal Music Enterprises in July of last year. Frank Zappa For President is one such release. The album centers around an idea Mr. Zappa had on more than one occasion, that of a Presidential bid. All songs on the record are previously unreleased. Frank Zappa For President will be released concurrently with The Crux Of The Biscuit, an album made up of outtakes and alternate-takes from Mr. Zappa’s 1974 album Apostrophe(‘).

The Crux Of The Biscuit (2016)

The Crux Of The Biscuit was created in conjunction with the 40th anniversary of Frank Zappa's 1974 album Apostrophe('). As part of the ongoing Project/Object Audio Documentary Series, it contains rare alternate mixes, live performances & studio session outtakes. This release celebrates the creation of a truly iconic record that reached the Top Ten in the Billboard Chart and earned FZ an RIAA Gold Record Award.

E aguardem, que muito em breve, deve ter muito mais...

(Thanks to Peter AGAIN!!!!)

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ALL ZAPPA IN VALVULADO

Unitopia - Crossover Prog • Australia

Unitopia biography (http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=4175)

Unitopia is the rare case of prog from "down under". The band was formed by Mark Trueack (vocals) and Sean Timms (keyboard, guitar) after they were introduced by a mutual friend who saw that the two had similar tastes in music and the story goes that as soon as Timms heard Trueack sing, he knew they had to do something together. They released their first album, "More Than A Dream" in 2005 after spending 8 years on the albums, and have since been working on material for their second album "The Garden", which was recently released after 3 years of writing, recording and mastering. The band's influences stretch all across the progressive scope and make for a very intriguing sound that has one foot in "retro"-70s style progressive while still being able to sound like other artists in the modern progressive scene. They have a rather large sound to them, which is no doubt helped by their 6-member roster (including Matt Williams (guitar), Monty Ruggiero (drums), Shireen Khemlani (bass) and Tim Irrang (percussion)). They mix a combination of Flower Kings-like symphonic qualities with the soul of Ladder-era Yes and Trueack's unique vocals to make the brunt of their sound.

With the band's two first releases they have shown that they're an ambitious bunch. While the first album failed to make waves in the progressive community, their second album, The Garden has received critical praise in many prog circles, and as a double album with multiple epics, it certainly isn't one to be taken as "a flash in the pan". From here, one can only wonder what the band will do next.

A promising new entrant into the "retro" scene which should turn the heads of those interested in hearing more modern symphonic prog with various influences.

Related bands on PA: UNITED PROGRESSIVE FRATERNITY

Unitopia official website

Unitopia - Covered Mirror Vol. 1 - Smooth as Silk 2012

Thanks PETER!!!!

Esfera - Crossover Prog (Portugal)

ESFERA é uma banda de Setúbal - Portugal, e lançaram no dia 21 de Março o seu álbum de estreia, All The Colours of Madness, que pode ser ouvido na integra no seu Bandcamp, e pode ser comprado tanto e formato digital como físico.

O disco é bastante conceptual e é realmente uma peça de arte dos tempos modernos. Algo que muitas vezes faz falta, um disco que se ouça num todo como uma peça inteira, onde só faz sentido se ouvirmos tudo. Isto vem colmatar um problema atual, os singles, onde já ninguém interpreta um disco como uma obra, ouvindo apenas o single. Como a banda diz:

“Fruto de um longo trabalho de composição e gravação, este álbum conceptual representa uma variedade de paisagens sonoras e influências da banda e uma afirmação da sua versatilidade. É uma viagem de 8 faixas pelas cores das diferentes emoções, da perspectiva de um cego que entrega a sua esperança numa forma de compreender os conceitos de sanidade e conforto. “

É realmente verdade, All the Colours of Madness tem temas muito distintos mas que se completam, podemos realmente fazer uma comparação pelas cores, e a junção de tudo na faixa final. Temos o vermelho romântico, o branco mais bluesy e claro, até ao preto, mais sombrio e melancólico. É sem dúvida um bom trabalho que todos os que gostam deste género musical devem escutar.

All the Colours of Madness (2016)

Uma grande indicação de nosso correspondente português, Magal - O Pescador....

Mystery - Neo-Prog • Canada

Mystery biography (http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=791)

A project of French Canadian guitarist/lyricist/producer Michel St-Père, MYSTERY took form in 1986 as a six-member outfit. They released a self-titled album in 1992 that generated quite some interest across Canada. Unfortunately, a year later, their drummer Stéphane Perreault lost the use of both his legs; but his strong determination and passion for his craft inspired him with a new and unique approach to drumming: he became one of the first drummers to play from a wheelchair without the help of any pre-programmed sequences. In 1995, St-Père founded label Unicorn Records under which the band released a second album titled "Theater of the Mind" and which boasted airplay both in North America and Europe. In 1998, they released their last and most progressive album todate titled "Destiny?", which features six guest musicians. In 2000, a compilation CD was released that marked the end of a chapter in the band's history, as it also features their vocalist and long-time buddy Gary Savoie who has now left the band.

Over the years, MYSTERY's style has evolved from AOR (STYX, ASIA) to more adventurous art rock like that of RUSH and SAGA, but featuring delicate acoustic passages not normally heard from these two. Their music is based on St-Père's guitar play, which is well executed yet appropriately restrained, while the keyboards remain in the background. MYSTERY won't dazzle you with technical prowess but you will appreciate their strong melodies, outstanding vocals (Gary Savoie is often compared to JOURNEY's Steve Perry), elegant arrangements and attention to detail. Their compilation CD "At the Dawn of a New Millenium" is made up of remastered tracks of their three albums and is a fairly good sampler of their répertoire for those wanting to get acquainted with the band.

Recommended to fans of SAGA, KANSAS, JOURNEY, RUSH and to fans of melodic rock in general.

: : : Lise (HIBOU), CANADA : : :

Mystery official website

MYSTERY MP3, Free Download (music stream)

Mystery - 1998 - Destiny

Mystery - 2012 - The World Is A Game

THANKS MAGAL!!!!!

Moon Safari - Symphonic Prog • Sweden

Moon Safari biography (http://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=2124)

MOON SAFARI started as a figment of our imagination in the late twentieth century. Realized in 2003, we are now casting our first progressive pie of epic proportions, "A Doorway To Summer", into the face of the enlightened world. 

Fifteen minutes of rehearsal on a dark February night was all it took to make us feel warm and summery inside. So the following month we entered the local recording facilities in Skelleftea, a small stretch of shoreline in the north of Sweden, and begun scribbling down the blueprint for what would later become a doorway to summer.

The four-track demo recorded that spring was send to Mr Tomas Bodin of the FLOWER KINGS. Our star-struck attitude must have been the convincing factor as he happily agreed to make the long journey north to mix and master the demo in the summer of 2003. The outcome of the collaboration, resulting in great versions of "Doorway" and the booming "Lovely rain", pleased both parties and it was decided then and there that we would record an album, with Tomas himself playing the role of producer. 

The band immediately began to gain followers in 2005 with the debut album "A Doorway To Summer." Their ambitions grew with the follow up double album, which included their first epic. As the music evolves MOON SAFARI changes but always maintains their vocal harmony laden, melodic approach to modern Symphonic Prog.

Moon Safari official website

Moon Safari - A Doorway To Summer

Moon Safari - 2012 - The Gettysburg Address

Obrigado Magal

Abel - Funk Rock

Great Funk rock album of Abel Sanchez with great horns and guitar effects including the nice tune "Music Maker". The drummer Tom Catalano had later form his own label :"Tom Cat".

Abel - Please World (1971)

Elephant Plaza - Norwegian Progressive Rock

Norwegian Progressive Rock band Elephant plaza´s debut album MOMENTUM began as a 2-piece project in 2006. Espen Mikarlsen (Guitars) and Gilbert Marshall one day started loosely jamming an idea for a song in our studio – Progstock Studio – and this should later turn into our first song “Naked”. After arranging the songs, drums and bass, additional guitars and vocals also were added in spite of various setbacks over the next years (amongst them, a great fire which burned down the whole studio in 2010).

In several sessions both 2012, 2015 and early 2016, we were able to gather guest singers and musicians for individual vocal and instrumental sessions in Cakehouse Studio (in which we were granted free studio time as a most generous gesture after the fire) and Gilbert Marshall´s and Kim Christiansen´s private recording lairs. These sessions were absolutely marvelous and wonderful. We had asked the singers and musicians years ago and still everyone was still enthusiastic and willing. Absolutely fantastic generous people with absolutely stunning performances. Thanks to all youse…

The album was mixed during February, March and April 2016, and is finally mastered by Hoffe Stannow at Cosmos Mastering in Stockholm, Sweden in May 2016. Stockholm is also the home of Progress Records.

The music was made simply by wanting to spontaneously pour our hearts out musically and lyrically. Just to see what came out with no specific agenda or style. From the moment of jamming those first simple riffs, throughout the massive production that this turned out to be, we have really only wanted to create something that we felt resonate with the musical longings and cravings within ourselves – to make good music and lyrics with emotions and stories that both others and ourselves can relate to…

Gilbert Marshall (Magic Pie)– electric & acoustic guitars, keyboards, lead vocals

Kim Christiansen – lead electric & acoustic guitars, vocals

John Kamphaug (Magic Pie) – bass, vocals

Olav Rygg (Magic Pie Sound Tech) – drums, percussion, vocals

John Petter Sæterdal – keyboards, vocals

Jan-Fredrik Heier – keyboards, vocals

Espen Mikarlsen(composer, arranger) - Lead & Rhythm guitars

With guest singers and musicians:

Eirikur Hauksson (Magic Pie, Kerrs Pink) – Lead & backing vocals

Anett Lunde - Lead & backing vocals

Maria Bentzen - Lead & backing vocals

Harald Hougaard - 6- & 12-string acoustic guitars

Bjørn Myrås - Electric Bass

Liv Frengstad - Cello

Links:

Homepage: http://elephantplaza.com/

BandCamp: https://elephantplazaband.bandcamp.com/releases

http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=107140

 Momentum (2016)

Mais uma de Peter!