talon
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Post by talon on Aug 8, 2013 7:22:40 GMT -5
Millionaire
Written by: Clayton Moss/Peter Noone/Joshua J. Macrae/Spike Edney
Musicians:
Roger Taylor - lead vocals Clayton Moss - guitars Peter Noone - bass Spike Edney - keyboards Joshua J. Macrae - drums
- This ends up going right into the next song, Put It All Down To Love
- Played during the Blue Rock Tour
PERSONAL NOTES: - I love this song. It's humorous, raucous, and rocking. Is it perhaps though a veiled swipe at Roger? Roger was the rich one of the group and the less fortunate Cross member could barely be rolling in the money...Either way it's taken as good fun. The best part is the ending....you can't afford me anymore...and soon enough the Cross would call it quits!
Next up? Spike's rockin' Put It All Down To Love
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talon
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Post by talon on Aug 9, 2013 6:59:59 GMT -5
Put It All Down To Love
Written by: Spike Edney
Musicians:
- A Spike Edney rocker that features great vocals from Roger.
ALTERNATE RELEASE
B-SIDE VERSION
- NOT ESSENTIAL - Merely adds some of the guitar part from Millionaire to the beginning of the track from the segue.
PERSONAL NOTES: One of my favs from the album. Great Rog vocals, and some good hooks from Spike.
NEXT? Hands Of Fool (Out Of Control)
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Post by talon on Aug 10, 2013 7:03:36 GMT -5
Hand Of Fool (Out Of Control)
Written by: Peter Noone/Spike Edney
Musicians:
Roger Taylor - lead vocals Clayton Moss - guitars Peter Noone - bass Spike Edney - keyboards Joshua J. Macrae - drums
- A track that only received one live rendition (as far as I can tell)
- A very haunting track
PERSONAL NOTES: Another fav of mine. It's a very haunting, biting track, full of maturity that The Cross was certainly not known for. I still believe that if Roger had given the Cross more time, they could have matured into a great band. Unfortunately they weren't commercially successful so it wasn't to be.
Next? We end the album proper with the last single, Life Changes
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Post by talon on Aug 11, 2013 7:10:30 GMT -5
Life Changes
Written by: Clayton Moss/Spike Edney/Peter Noone/Joshua J. Macrae
Musicians:
Roger Taylor - lead vocals Clayton Moss - guitars Peter Noone - bass Spike Edney - keyboards Joshua J. Macrae - drums Geoffrey Richardson - violin / viola Helen Liebman - cello
- Issued as a single but withdrawn after Freddie's death so it never got a chance to chart.
ALTERNATE VERSION
SINGLE EDIT
- NOT Essential but a nice single edit that doesn't lose too much.
PERSONAL NOTES: Another great mature Cross track that shows where the band could have gone. At the same time, not a bad note to go out on!
NEXT: The Cross had a B-Side this time around, this one should have been on the album - Heartland
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talon
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Post by talon on Aug 12, 2013 6:41:51 GMT -5
Heartland
Written by: Peter Noone
Musicians:
Roger Taylor - vocals Clayton Moss - guitars Peter Noone - bass, lead vocal Spike Edney - keyboards Joshua J. Macrae - drums
- The B-Side to the withdrawn single, Life Changes
- Written and sung mostly by bassist Peter Noone, with some occasional lead vocals from Roger.
PERSONAL NOTES: This should have been on the main album. It is a great tune that is overlooked in the Cross catalogue. When Roger DOES sing it's pure awesomeness.
NEXT? One more official studio release, then a semi-official release...and then some live work...but first Greatest Hits II
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Post by Deleted on Aug 14, 2013 11:44:32 GMT -5
Hopefully going to Queen Extravaganza in Bristol
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talon
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Post by talon on Aug 15, 2013 7:21:47 GMT -5
Excellent news! You should definitely approve! While it's not Queen in any form, it is a highly faithful rendition and Marc's voice is quite spot on most of the time. It worked very well. I'm curious as to whether they change up the set list at all...That was my only complaint - a very static set list - they could use a little fluidity.
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talon
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Post by talon on Aug 15, 2013 7:32:19 GMT -5
A little background: 1991 - the second 10 years. As 1981 took in the band's first ten years, GH II takes in mostly the 80s. Released about a month before Freddie's death. Like GH 1, every single track on the compilation was a top 30 hit in the UK. The album peaked at #1 in the UK and various European countries and sold over 1.2 million copies. The US didn't receive GH2 at this point which isn't too much of a surprise given the band's decline at the time. They would instead receive a different compilation that was at least partially derived from GH 2 in 1992, the famous Classic Queen compilation. Track listing: 1. A Kind Of Magic (Taylor) 2. Under Pressure (Mercury/May/Taylor/Deacon/Bowie) 3. Radio Ga Ga (Taylor) 4. I Want It All (May) 5. I Want To Break Free (Deacon) 6. Innuendo (Mercury/Taylor) 7. It's A Hard Life (Mercury) 8. Breakthru (Mercury/Taylor) 9. Who Wants To Live Forever (May) 10. Headlong (May) 11. The Miracle (Mercury) 12. I'm Going Slightly Mad (Mercury) 13. The Invisible Man (Taylor) 14. Hammer To Fall (May) 15. Friends Will Be Friends (Mercury/Deacon) 16. The Show Must Go On (Mercury/May/Taylor/Deacon) 17. One Vision (Mercury/May/Taylor/Deacon) NEXT? A semi-official release! The Fan Club decided to release to it's members only, a live recording of the Cross from 1990 in Astoria. The title of the album? The Official Bootleg.
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Post by talon on Aug 16, 2013 6:48:42 GMT -5
The Cross - The Official BootlegReleased exclusively by the Official International Queen Fan Club after The Cross performed a show for their UK Christmas party at the Astoria Theatre in London on 12/05/90. It was only released on cassette to members of the fan club, and has never been reissued or given a CD treatment. Unfortunately Spike Edney was not present at this show as he had been booked to play with Bob Geldof on the same day so Queen stalwart Mike Moran (he who worked with Freddie on Barcelona) filled in. It was a great recording to get since Brian joined with the Cross at the end of the gig. Although it wasn't quite the surprise they were hoping for as members of the crowd had spotted him earlier in the day. Just prior to I'm In Love With My Car, the crowd started chanting, "Brian May! Brian May!". Roger coyly responded: "Who? Never heard of him!" Brian then came out to rapturous applause, joining The Cross for a four song mini-set of I'm In Love With My Car, Let Me Out, Tie Your Mother Down, and Lucille, even taking lead vocal for the middle two songs, at least when he could remember to go to the center stage microphone...remember at this point he had never really done lead vocals! Tracklist: 01. Top Of The World, Ma (Taylor/Edney/Moss/Noone/Macrae) 02. Love Lies Bleeding (She Was A Wicked, Wily Waitress) (Taylor) 03. Breakdown (Noone) 04. Penetration Guru (Moss) 05. Tear It Up (Bad Attitude) (Taylor/Edney/Moss/Noone/Macrae) 06. Liar (Noone) 07. Man On Fire (Taylor) 08. Sister Blue (Noone) 09. Final Destination (Taylor) 10. Foxy Lady (Hendrix) 11. I'm In Love With My Car (Taylor) 12. Let Me Out (May) 13. Tie Your Mother Down (May) 14. Lucille (Collins/Penniman) Next up? We'll do the miscellaneous studio efforts including Brian & Roger helping some comedians and Brian helping another band.
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talon
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Post by talon on Aug 17, 2013 7:12:13 GMT -5
1991 COLLABORATIONS
First:
The Stonk
by Hale & Pace & The Stonkers w/Brian May & Roger Taylor
Musicians (known):
Hale & Pace - Vocals Brian May - guitar/keyboards Roger Taylor - drums Tony Iommi(of Black Sabbath) - guitar Dave Gilmour (of Pink Floyd) - guitar Cozy Powell - drums Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean) - drums Neil Murray - bass Chris Thompson, Judie Tzuke, Mike Moran, Maggie Ryder, Miriam Stockley, and Suzie O'List - backing vocals
- This was a single by comedians Hale & Pace to benefit Comic Relief. It was a #1 smash in the UK - Produced by Brian, a lot of the musicians are heavily Queen connected. Everyone in fact except Gilmour, Iommi, and Mr. Bean! Neil Murray would become a stalwart of the Brian May Band (upcoming) Cozy Powell also would, becoming Brian's musical soulmate for awhile. Chris Thompson (of Manfred Mann) did backing vocals at the Freddie Tribute, and on Brian's first tour as well as singing with Spike's SAS Band quite a few times and even with Queen at the 46664 concert. Judie Tszuke recorded a song with Brian at one point. Mike Moran worked with Freddie on Barcelona, and also filled in for Spike at the Cross fan club Concert in 1990. The other three female backing vocalists all did stints with the Brian May band as well.
ALTERNATE VERSIONS
EXTENDED - NOT ESSENTIAL. A few instrumental parts repeated.
PERSONAL NOTES: Hey, it's for charity! It is a funny though somewhat dated track, very well crafted.
D-Rok w/Brian May
Musicians (Known): Brian May - guitar
Get Outta My Way
- D-Rok was a short lived band who was inspired by the roleplaying game Warhammer 40,000
- Brian plays guitar on two tracks.
ALTERNATE VERSIONS
ORIGINAL VERSION - NOT Essential - THE only YT vid I could find was for the D-Mix but the original is not much different!
AIR MIX - NOT essential - Not much different.
PERSONAL NOTES: Nothing too thrilling, but not bad either.
Red Planet Blues
Red planet blues
- Similar in form to the other D-Rok song.
PERSONAL NOTES: Again, nothing thrilling, but not awful in anyway.
NEXT: We start the live process. The first part is an interesting mini-radio tour that Brian did to promote the Innuendo album!
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