We Will Rock You

This is the second and final installment of my recent interview with Gentle Giant singer/front man Derek Shulman. In this segment we discuss the business side of Gentle Giant, and what it would have taken for Gentle Giant to have more commercial success; the changes the band made toward the end of its career to try to achieve more success; being back in touch with the other band members; the decision-making process for re-releasing these albums; role of the Internet in marketing music now; bonus tracks on the digital releases; are there studio enhancements on the live tracks; what else is in the vaults that may still see release; will there be any Gentle Giant live dates; and how does Derek want Gentle Giant to be remembered.

Thanks once again to Anne Leighton for arranging this interview, and to Derek Shulman for sharing his time and observations.

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In Glass House
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23 used & new available from USD 6.28

PRESS RELEASE:

New York, NY (October 28, 2009)—For 23 years, UK progressive maestros Marillion have built a solid career crafting unique and thought-provoking music. On December 8, Eagle Rock Entertainment will release their latest studio album Less Is More [MSRP $13.98].
 
A band with an abundant musical history, Less Is More is an acoustic re-creation of their vast back catalogue. These eleven stripped down tracks, accentuated by soaring melodies and haunting rhythms, evoke a listening experience that is deeply moving and powerful.
 
Considered to be one of the founding bands of Neo-Progressive rock, Marillion finalized their line-up in 1988 with charismatic lead singer Steve Hogarth (formally of The Europeans). Joined by guitarist Steve Rothery, keyboardist Mark Kelly, bassist Pete Trewavas and drummer Ian Mosley, Marillion consistently defy preconceptions and dodge trendy labels. Having released nine studio albums, some of which have been released on their own label Intact, UK’s Classic Rock Magazine has deemed the band “an enduring and undervalued treasure.”
 
Forever expanding their parameters, Marillion has constantly reinvigorated and redefined themselves, and Less Is More is a continuation of this process. Additionally, Eagle Rock will release a new album from Steve Rothery’s side project Wishing Tree – digitally November 24, and in stores January 19.
 
Eagle Rock Entertainment is an international media production and distribution company operating across audiovisual entertainment programming. Eagle Rock Entertainment works directly alongside talent to produce the highest quality programming output covering film, general entertainment and musical performance. Eagle Rock Entertainment has offices based in London, New York, Germany, France & Toronto.

 Track Listing:
1.) Go
2.) Interior Lulu
3.) Out Of This World
4.) Wrapped Up In Time
5.) The Space
6.) Hard As Love
7.) Quartz
8.) If My Heart Were A Ball
9.) It’s Not Your Fault
10.) The Memory Of Water
11.) This Is The 21st Century
 
Bonus Features:
1.) Runaway (Live)
2.) Fake Plastic Trees (Live)
 

FROM WWW.SPINNER.COM:

Although Robert Plant sparked speculation this week that a Led Zeppelin reunion could happen at 2010’s Glastonbury Festival, the band’s bassist, John Paul Jones, suggests a regrouping isn’t likely. In a new interview with the BBC, Jones — currently playing in the supergroup Them Crooked Vultures with Dave Grohl and Josh Homme — says that after the legendary band failed to regroup in 2008 he isn’t looking back.

Speaking of Plant’s disinterest in the previous reunion, Jones said, “Jimmy [Page] and I rehearsed a bit with Jason [Bonham]. We couldn’t agree on a singer and it fell by the wayside.”

“This came along and to be honest, I’m really happy,” Jones said of his involvement in Them Crooked Vultures. “I immediately recognized [Grohl] was drummer that was, A, really good, B, groovy, and C, listened. All those nice things bass players like in drummers.”

Now it looks like its Plant who may be out in the cold. In a separate interview with the BBC, the Zeppelin frontman says he was approached by festival organizer Michael Eavis to play the weekend event’s 40th anniversary, declaring, “There’s place for me there, but I have no idea who with.”

FROM WWW.SPINNER.COM:

The trailer for ‘Nowhere Boy,’ a new film based on John Lennon’s tumultuous teen years, has been released. Based on the memoir “Imagine This: Growing Up With My Brother John Lennon,” written by the late rock icon’s half sister, Julia Baird, the film will be released in UK theaters on Dec. 25.

Shot in Liverpool by director Sam Taylor-Wood, ‘Nowhere Boy’ stars Aaron Johnson as the young Lennon and
depicts his childhood, having been raised by his Aunt Mimi, played by Kristin Scott Thomas , from the age of five after being given to her by his mother, Julia. The film documents Lennon’s discovery of rock ‘n’ roll and shows his Julia, played by Anne-Marie Duff, teaching him chords on a banjo, which he later used to learn the guitar.

Although the dramatic film chronicles Lennon’s first meetings with Paul McCartney, it largely focuses on John’s tangled relationships with Mimi and his mother, who died in a car crash in 1958 when Lennon was just 17.

It’s still unclear if any actual Beatles songs will be featured in the film. A release date for the US has yet to be announced although Rolling Stone reported last March that the Weinstein Company had picked up the rights.

Check out the trailer below.

FROM WWW.SPINNER.COM:

While the Beatles left behind countless iconic images and performances in addition to their music, do you ever wonder where their signature style came from? The answer is Brian Epstein, whom Paul McCartney famously called “the fifth Beatle.” While Epstein was slowly shaping the band’s sound, the Fab Four’s onetime manager also influenced their famous fashions — most notably those signature matching suits.

Using archived footage from the foursome’s heyday plus interviews with peers and family members, the documentary ‘Brian Epstein - Inside the Fifth Beatle,’ is one of the best primers for Epstein’s vast contributions to the Beatles. Beginning with his start as a record store owner to his untimely death in 1967, the film could be seen as evidence that Epstein was just as influential on the band as its actual members. “That guy could smell a hit record,” his assistant Alistair Taylor says in the film, “even though he didn’t like pop music.”

FROM WWW.SPINNER.COM:

FROM WWW.SPINNER.COM: