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FISH: 'COMMUNION'
CHOCOLATE FROG: CF 040807
RELEASE DATE: MONDAY 5th NOVEMBER 2007
'Communion' A brand new double 'live' CD, UK
Tour and new studio album.
Fish, fiercely independent, proudly Scottish singer-songwriter, actor, former lead vocalist with Marillion, is to release a double live CD entitled Communion on his own Chocolate Frog label on Monday, 5th November 2007.
Communion was recorded in concert at St Mary’s Church, Haddington, East Lothian in August, 2006, and represents nothing less than a magnificent summation of his career so far, with our man in irrepressible vocal form throughout, fronting a well-drilled bunch of musicians.
Communion heralds a period of unparalleled activity on the Fish front; he is also embarking on a lengthy UK and European tour, throughout September and October 2007, wherein he will be performing highlights from Communion and previewing songs from his forthcoming studio album, Thirteenth Star.
Thirteenth Star is regarded by the man himself as his finest work so far; written as a celebration of his intended marriage, the album content took a bitterly ironic twist when his relationship with his fiancée sundered. Thirteenth Star will be officially released at the beginning of 2008, but copies of the album will be available via Fish’s official website.
Fish will be available for interviews. Please contact Alan & Lesley at Indiscreet PR for further information,LEAF HOUND: 'UNLEASHED'
R.A.R.E REPERTOIRE: RAR 1020
RELEASE DATE: MONDAY 12th NOVEMBER 2007
So…Leaf Hound…does the name seem somehow familiar? Well, to record collectors, it’s the name of a band that made one of the all-time most collectable albums, entitled Growers Of The Mushroom, originally released on the Decca label in 1970.
It didn’t click with the record-buying public Way Back When, but, as these things have a habit of doing, its legend has endured, with fans shelling out four-figure sums to secure a mint copy of the original vinyl. Indeed, when enterprising German reissue imprint Repertoire decided to enshrine it in the digital medium for the first time, its lustre had grown so much that it has sold over 10, 000 copies, and is still selling. Original Leaf Hound vocalist Peter French, who has sang lead with bands such as Cactus and Atomic Rooster (on their classic In The Hearing Of album), was approached by umpteenth generation removed hard rock bands such as Orange Goblin, who lavished praise and ‘we are not worthy’ type accolades, saying how much of an influence the Leaf Hound album was on them.
French’s antennae twitched; he was possessed of a notion that the name still had currency, and that there was a chance that his old band could exist in the here and now as vital as they ever were. Rather than reconvene the old line-up, French assembled a young and hungry crew behind him, and armed with a bunch of killer songs, Leaf Hound were born again, and a new album, entitled Unleashed, is the result. Nine slabs of unrefined hard rock, shot through with French’s bloodied but unbowed years of experience, backed up by the classic rock triangle of guitar, bass and drums, Unleashed is a savage entry into the Brit hard Rock mainstream.
One Hundred And Five Degrees, a swaggering, sure-footed opening salvo that recalls the heyday of classic seventies hard rock, kicks things into gear with a venom and unalloyed glee that is a pure pleasure to behold. From then on in, the contemporary Leaf Hound riff and roar with a hell hound on their tail, Barricades being another ferocious, unrefined hard rocking monster of a track.
The years have not blunted French’s hungry as hell vocals, a Bluesy hard rock howl firmly from the great Brit hard rock vocal style of Paul Rodgers, Robert Plant and David Coverdale. Nickels And Dimes adds light and shade with some acoustic twelve-string chords, showing that the intensity doesn’t drop one iota. It’s truly refreshing to hear such un-reconstituted Brit hard rocking, a classic rock sound that is utterly timeless and sounds damn fine right in the here and now. Stop, Look And Listen mixes staccato riffing with delicate arpeggios, showing a dynamic range that is breathtaking, another highlight on an album rich in memorable riffs, taut choruses and aggressive intent. Elsewhere, Deception shows the new Leaf Hound’s skill at song construction and musical colour. The album closer, Breakthrough is dedicated to French’s old Atomic Rooster band leader, Vincent Crane, and where you might think the song would be an elegiac homage to a dead hero, it’s a remorseless riff-driven rock beast that reprises the albums granite intensity.
Of course, Unleashed is no simple showcase for French’s vocal skills; the other members of Leaf Hound match French blow for blow in a hard rocking tour de force, and their efforts should be acknowledged with more than a mere name check. On guitar, Southpaw lead man Luke Rayner delivers killer riffs and sizzling solos. Bass player Ed Pearson lays down an authentically heavy duty bottom end that anchors the Hound sound masterfully, and drummer Jimmy Rowland rattles the traps with fire and skill.
Leaf Hound are available for sessions, interviews and all manner of promo activity.
Please contact Indiscreet PR for further information.
LAURIE JOHNSON: 'THE AVENGERS' (3CD BOXSET)
EDSEL RECORDS: EDSD 2017
RELEASE DATE: MONDAY 26th NOVEMBER 2007
TA-DA-DAH-DAH!
The opening blasts of the Laurie Johnson theme from the definitive 1960s Cult TV series The Avengers has to be one of the most instantly memorable and vivid pieces of music of all time. Playing over the show’s opening credits, wherein the deliciously feline, jump-suited Emma Peel (played by Dame Diana Rigg, of course), and the suave, urbane John Steed (portrayed by Patrick MacNee) went through their paces and poses, with an irresistible mix of camp, knowing humour and just a hint of menace, the combination of the dynamic theme and onscreen action helped cement the series in televisual immortality, and in the hearts of viewers across the world.
Its creator, Laurie Johnson, was no mere one-trick act, however. Laurie is responsible for some of the best-loved TV themes ever; apart from The Avengers, this marvellous three-CD collection (released on the Edsel Records label) contains signature tunes from The Professionals, Animal Magic and This Is Your Life, to name but a few. His sixty-year career has seen Laurie write many memorable film scores, classical works and military band compositions – these have never previously been presented together in one set – until now.
Compile, fully annotated and mastered from the original tapes by Laurie Johnson himself, and packaged with photos from his own collection, Disc One contains seventy minutes of music from The Avengers, which, aside from the glorious theme tune, makes its debut on CD. Disc Two features Laurie’s fabulous themes for TV shows and films, along with some early singles, and his orchestral concert hall work Symphony (Synthesis). Disc Three collects some of his adventurous works for military bands, including a piece for the 2007 Falklands 25 remembrance.
This collection is a timely reminder of the work of one of TV and Film’s great composers. Alongside the likes of Edwin Astley and Ron Grainer, Laurie Johnson is truly one of the giants of the genre.
Please contact Alan & Lesley at Indiscreet PR for further information.