The Moody Blues - The current edition of the Moody Blues have been entertaining audiences for thirty-seven
years. They burst onto the music scene in 1967 with the haunting Nights in White Satin. Their first album, Days of Future
Past, still wows listeners, young and old alike, to this day. It is one of the orignial rock 'concept albums'. Between
then and now they had a string of hits, including: Tuesday Afternoon, Ride My See-Saw, Question, I'm Just a Singer (in a Rock
n Roll Band), The Story in Your Eyes, Gemini Dream, The Voice, Your Wildest Dreams, The Other Side of Life, I Know Your Out
There Somewhere, Say it with Love, and several others. I 'discovered' the Moodies in the summer of 1988. Some friends of
mine at the time were big Moody Blues fans, and had tickets to see them in Springfield (the 'Sur la Mer' tour)...they asked
me to come along, and so I did...I have loved all their songs over the years, but didn't equate those songs with the band!!
After listening to a couple of albums I realized that I loved this music. Their lyrics speak to everybody...I have found
a song for every mood I'm in...many of the older songs have a philosophical edge to them. Much of their music is very personal
to me. In 2006, they released a new live album, entitled Lovely to See You. Also, 2006 saw the release of the 'Classic Seven'
albums; remastered and on hybrid SACD/CD's. The clarity is amazing with a Dolby 5.1 receiver. The Moody Blues are Justin Hayward
(vocal, guitar), John Lodge (vocal, bass), Graeme Edge (drums, spoken word), Ray Thomas (vocal, flute, saxophone - Thomas
retired in mid 2003), Mike Pinder (vocal, keyboard/mellotron from 1967 to 1978), and Patrick Moraz (keyboard from 1979 to
1992). FAVORITE ALBUMS: Seventh Sojourn and Sur La Mer FAVORITE SONGS: The Actor; The Other Side of Life; and Deep
Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) - Simply put, ELO IS Jeff Lynne. Jeff Lynne is probably one of the most underrated musicians
of our time. He is a prolific singer/songwriter/guitarist/producer. ELO had a string of hits in the 70's and 80's, including
Turn to Stone, Telephone Line, Hold on Tight, Living Thing, Evil Woman, and countless others...their latest release is 2002's
Zoom. ELO's trademark sound was that of orchestral instruments (especially violins) in the music. It was said that if the
Beatles were around today they would sound like ELO. Strangely enough, the two songs recorded for The Beatles Anthology in
1996 were produced by Lynne, and they DO sound like ELO!! Jeff Lynne was also with The Traveling Willburys. FAVORITE ALBUM:
Time FAVORITE SONGS: Turn to Stone and I'm Alive
The Beatles - The granddaddys of them all...John, Paul, George, and Ringo; The Original Boy Band, the
first in the British Invasion, later they became the fathers of the long form Progressive Rock composition...with Abbey Road.
Their music is timeless, and often covered. They have a new release in 2003 called Let It Be...Naked.
These are the original Let It Be recordings, without the violins and other tracks that were added on in the studio...it's
just the band...and the sound is clean...a great album!! FAVORITE ALBUM: Abbey Road FAVORITE SONG: A Day in
the Life
King Crimson - a progressive rock band with a unique sound and edge to them...the driving force of the
band is Robert Fripp, one of the more demented characters in rock...they defy any description or explaination that I could
try to offer!! FAVORITE ALBUMS: In the Court of the Crimson King and Discipline FAVORITE SONG:
Matte Kudasai
ABBA - Anni-Frid (Frida), Benny, Bjorn, and Agnetha. They are to the 70's what the Beatles are to the
60's. I believe after 1973, there wasn't a time ABBA wasn't on the top 10 list. Bjorn Ulvaeus (guitar, b-vocal)
and Benny Anderson (keyboard, b-vocal) were masters of writing the 'catchy hook'. This could be seen on their string
of hits...Waterloo, Dancing Queen, SOS, Mamma Mia, Take a Chance on Me, The
Winner Takes it All, Knowing Me Knowing You, The Name of the Game, and countless others. Bjorn
and Benny would go on to write the musicals Chess (with Tim Rice) and Mama Mia. FAVORITE SONGS: Summer
Night City, Eagle, and The Visitors (Cracking Up)
Chicago - When these guys started out in 1967, they played some of the
most cutting edge rock and roll on the music scene. This was rock with a brass section. Their first album, Chicago
Transit Authority, shows how much freedom bands were given in that day, and just what talented musicians can do with that
freedom. The band went to hell in the eighties, when they started to use outside writers so they can stay on the pop
charts...however, Chicago has returned to their original form, and producing more of the music that made them famous.
Favorites include Does Anybody Really Know What Time it is? and Saturday in the Park. 2008 saw the
release of the fabled lost album: Stone of Sisyphus (XXXII) . This album was recorded in 1993, and it was a departure
from the ballad heavy-mostly written from outsiders albums of the 80s. Warner Bros. management so hated this album that they
refused to release it. The album sat in the vault for fifteen years!! It was a mix of the various styles they played, and
the music was completely written by the band. This album has tracks that are leaps and bounds better than the disappointing
XXX, released in 2006. But, watch their live shows...they still rock. FAVORITE ALBUMS: Chicago Transit Authority
and Chicago FAVORITE SONGS: Does Anybody Really Know What Time it Is? and Saturday in the Park
Led Zeppelin - You know the names: Page, Plant, Bonham, and Jones. Their music is timeless and philosophical. And no band
exuded raw energy on stage more than Zep. So named because Pete Townsend of The Who was convinced they were great, but
'would go down like a led zeppelin'. In 2007, a remastered The Song Remains the Same saw the light of day,
in both video and CD. It is the definitive rock concert. Both an audio and visual feast. And, FINALLY, the three surviving
members reunited with Foreigner drummer Jason Bonham for the O2 concert in November of 07. All the reviews have said the
band had truly returned to previous form!! Now the question is: will they tour again? Robert Plant is the only holdout.
FAVORITE SONGS: Over the Hills and Far Away and Dazed and Confused
Judas Priest - or, as frontman Rob Halford puts it, 'Judas F*@#^ing Priest'! Put simply, they are the gods of Heavy Metal. Combine the screaming and singing
talents of Halford, along with the rockin lead guitars of Glen Tipton and K.K. Downing, and the power rhythms of bassist Ian
Hill and current drummer Scott Travis, and you have one of the loudest bands ever. When other bands were fearing the
term 'Heavy Metal', these guys embraced it. After a few year absence, Halford has reunited with the rest of the band
and they are touring with Ozzfest in 2004.
They've released a new box set, Metalogy, and have a new live DVD, Electric
Eye. Their new album, Angel of Retribution, released in 2005, absolutely rocks! The Metal
Gods have returned!! FAVORITE ALBUM: Screaming for Vengeance FAVORITE SONG: You Got Another Thing Coming
Alan Parsons - Alan Parsons got his start as a sound engineer at Abbey Road Studios in the UK. In fact, he was a sound engineer on the
Beatles 'Abbey Road' album. In 1976, he got together with Eric Woolfson and produced an album simply titled The Alan
Parsons Project...it has been re-released as Tales of Mystery and Imagination Edgar Allan Poe. He wasn't looking
to make a hit album--instead, he was trying to showcase what a producer is able to do when in control of the music. The album
had a cult following, and soon Parsons and Woolfson made several more, with the Project taking off in the early 80's. They
are known for classics such as Eye in the Sky, Time, 'Games People Play, and others. The sound
was always on the cutting edge, but this was because Parsons would use the latest technology and technique. The Alan
Parsons Project was never meant to be a band name, but what the albums were--projects by Alan Parsons. Now all his newer
albums are listed under Alan Parsons. 'The Alan Parsons Project' was also a frickin' laser put on the moon by mad
genius Doctor Evil in an attempt to extort one trillion dollars from the world's governments in 1969. FAVORITE ALBUM: The
Turn of a Friendly Card FAVORITE SONGS: Games People Play and Prime Time
Jean-Michel Jarre - Composer, Artist, Musician. Jarre is the father of Electronic Music. His first album Oxygene, released in
1976, was definitely on the cutting edge. Listening to it today you can see it was about fifteen years ahead of its time.
He came to prominence through another pioneering frenchman, Jacques-Yves Cousteau. Cousteau used Jarre's music throughout
all his TV documentaries. Most recently one of the German skating pairs used a Jarre piece for their short program at the
2006 Winter Olympics. His music has evolved over the years, becoming a combination of new age and Euro-techno. His rare
live shows use entire cities and exotic locales for his laser light and firework shows. If you are looking for something
different, this is IT. FAVORITE ALBUM: Equinoxe FAVORITE COMPOSITIONS: Equinoxe 1-8, Oxygene 1-6
and 7-13 and Calypso 1-3
Manfred Mann's Earth Band - How do you take a Bruce Springsteen song and actually make it good? Let someone else do it!! Manfred Mann is a one of
the rare musicians, who, at the height of a career, reinvented himself. He scored big hits in the 60's with Doo Wah
Diddy and Quinn the Eskimo . In the 70s he reinvented himself with the Earth Band. He went from British brum
beats to psychedelic rock. He created a signature synthesizer and guitar sound like no other. In the mid-seventies, the
Earth Band hit it big after Chris Thopmson of If You Remember Me fame took over lead vocals from Mick Rodgers.
They scored their biggest hit with a remake of Springsteens Blinded by the Light, which is still considered today
to be the definitive version of that song. Even though their popularity has waned, they are still around. A compilation
album was released last year, called Manfred Mann 2006. FAVORITE ALBUM: The Roaring Silence FAVORITE SONGS:
Blinded by the Light, Spirit in the NIght (another Springsteen cover), and On the Run
