Got my hands on a nice “Les Pétroleuses” Soundtrack LP, made in France. This 1971 western comedy saw release in English speaking countries as “The Legend Of Frenchie King” and with Brigitte Bardot and Claudia Cardinale in leading roles it is still making waves on DVD. If you go back to the April 22 post about photographer Terry O´Neill, the cover shot of his book of Bardot was taken on the set when this was filmed. He is credited on this LP as well.
This Limited Edition (1,000 copies) LP was not expensive and it looks really nice. The fact that it was coloured came as a nice surprise. I make a point to look for Soundtracks on a regular basis because you never know what will pop up. I am super happy about this one, job well done.
This is not official product, nor is it endorsed by the Elvis Estate. But there is a lot of stuff out there these days that is licenced according to existing laws, and this Limited Edition 10 Inch Double album in Blue Vinyl comes from Stylus Groove (& Coda Vinyl) in the States. 2,000 copies, my number is 577. Frankly, I did not expect to get a copy, but I did. “Hawaii 1973” is obviously based on the global event that took place back in the day, when this show was the first in history to be aired on television all over the world. An estimated 1,3 billion people across 36 countries saw the show.
I like the 10 Inch format (slightly smaller than regular sized LPs), but what really brings me to the table as a collector is the coloured Vinyl, in this case Blue. It says that this is the first edition, I assume there may be more of them, but slightly different coming up. In any case, I kind of like this one.
Classic Rock´s 300th Anniversary issue (nice gold print on the cover) is here and it is jam packed with new interviews. Nobody turns Classic Rock down. Rock Candy is more fanzine like as far as layout is concerned, but you get good stuff from the past (Kerrang! archive) as well as new interviews. They have the best logotype of all the rock publications these days. I like the cover shot of Ann Wilson on this cover (issue 31). Looks good. The Purple Family is well represented, Glenn Hughes & Joe Bonamassa in Classic Rock and Rainbow/Bobby Rondinelli in Rock Candy.
Blind Golem is an excellent band from Italy that released a very good debut album in 2021 called ”A Dream Of Fantasy”. Highly inspired by Uriah Heep, it is a selection of songs that sounds very much like them, but is originals. The band also got Ken Hensley, a founder member of Uriah Heep, to play on the album, and trainspotters will be happy to see that artist Rodney Matthews did the cover art. All in all, I highly recommend this to friends of old school rock and that you support them now. I asked Francesco Dalla Riva if he would be interested in being interviewed for the blog and the answer was very positive. So here it is, check them out today, they deserve it.
Before going into Blind Golem, lets get some background story to how you ended up where you are today. I know you are a big fan of Uriah Heep and Deep Purple. Which band did you discover first?
– This goes back in time quite a bit: I think it was Deep Purple first, back in 1987 when they played my hometown, Verona. I was 14 at the time, I heard the name before but was not familiar with their music. I fell in love with them. After that I started playing music with friends, and one day, must have been 1988, a guitar player passed me a tape of Heep’s second album “Salisbury”. I was amazed at how this music could be powerful, delicate, evocative, majestic and so “wide”, all in the space of 38 minutes. I started investigating their discographies, solo material included and… basically I am still doing it after 35 years!
Can you remember the first album you ever bought?
– Some of the first ones that I remember buying are Springsteen “Live 75/85”, Europe “The Final Countdown” when they came out. When I discovered hard rock, I bought Purple´s “Made In Japan”, on tape, first the vol.1 tape and after a few weeks the second part, because I could not afford it in one time!
If you could mention a few other artists that you grew up listening to, who would they be?
– After I discovered Purple and hard rock, the gates were open and I started listening to the whole Purple family obsessively, then the obvious ones like Zeppelin and Sabbath but also Rush, Magnum, UFO, Free, Jethro Tull, Bad Company, AC/DC, Blue Oyster Cult, Maiden, Yes, Saxon, Gentle Giant and countless others.
Why do you think that Uriah Heep and Deep Purple has stuck out for you? Is it the keyboard sound of these bands?
– I think it happened for different reasons, I would say, even though they obviously have several aspects of their music in common, like the sound of the Hammond organ, which by the way I think is one of the most beautiful sounds humans have ever produced! For Purple, I think it is the virtuoso element, how they were imagining the live approach, the jams, playing off each other, sometimes almost competing with each other’s playing. I never heard anybody before (or since) approach their music with such authority, competence, spontaneity, innocence and abandon. The fact that Ritchie Blackmore is the most expressive guitar player I ever heard contributes a lot. In the case of Uriah Heep, it is probably because of a more visionary songwriting, the fact that they were more of a team band, with harmonized vocals and so on. Ken Hensley was surely a unique songwriter and he gave a certain magic to Heep’s music which was unique. He was not afraid to incorporate dissonant chord changes, different sections or wordless choruses as long as it felt appropriate.
Here comes the desert island question, pick five albums that you would want to have with you always.
– Very hard to do and of course if you ask me tomorrow I would surely choose some different ones. Anyway, today’s choices are: Bad Company “Bad Co.”, Blue Oyster Cult “Secret Treaties”, Led Zeppelin “Houses Of The Holy”, Angel “Helluva Band”, Rush “Fly By Night”, Grand Funk Railroad “Grand Funk Railroad”. That is six, ah!
You have played in tribute bands for both Heep and Purple. Tell us about that experience.
– I play original material with my other band, Bullfrog. Through the years we released five albums of original songs but I also enjoy playing covers, of course. It is fun to alternate different situations. Covering Purple and Heep, I do not even try to replicate the original bass parts note for note, I rather try to replicate the groove, the feeling of the songs. This being said, Heep always had super bass players, like Gary Thain or Trevor Bolder and it is very inspiring to study their melodic approach to songs. Playing a full set of just Heep music for the first time was special, as it is something that I always wanted to do since I was a kid, and it is also rarer to find, compared to Purple tribute bands which are easier to find.
Are Blind Golem to be seen as an upscale tribute to Heep, with original tunes, or will you branch out a bit in time?
– It is hard to say, as of now. We started with the specific intention of trying to recapture that kind of sound on the first album but who knows about the future. I think it would be pointless to limit ourselves repeating what we already did, so I can see our music evolving but always retaining a very definite and clear musical imprint.
Amazingly, you got Ken Hensley involved in the album. How did that happen?
– That was an absolute dream come true for us! I first got to know him eleven years ago when, with Bullfrog, we got to open his first show in Italy as a solo artist. Later, after we started Forever Heep, we were approached by his italian agent with the possibility of being his backing band on a few occasions. So we got to play with him a few times, in Italy, Austria and Germany. The excitement of playing with him sparked the idea in me of writing some original material in that style. The last time that I played with Ken was in July 2019 and, after the show, I mentioned this project to him and he was very enthusiastic, he said “go on and when you have some rough mixes send them to me and I will see what I can do to help you”. So we got down to work and in the summer of 2020 we sent him four songs to choose from. We were not even sure if he would have chosen to play acoustic guitars, hammond or vocals or whatever. In the end he recorded a sublime slide guitar part and the Hammond for the song “The Day Is Gone”.
Did he get to see the finished product?
– Sadly, no. It is the only regret I have about the album. He heard the early mixes of four songs and his initial reaction was: “to me it all sounds great as it is and I do not really know what I could add to this”. And we were like “Ken, you do not get it, we want your presence on the album, your touch, whatever you feel like playing on this”. The day that he passed was the same day that we received the boxes from the printing factory with the finished product. It was the strangest day, such a contrasting mix of emotions, holding something so special to us, knowing that he was gone. I would like to think he would have been proud of his contribution, for an album that is a very humble tribute to a kind of rock music he helped creating so much. We sent a copy to his girlfriend Monica over in Spain and I know his brother Trevor is aware of it, so I hope they enjoy it. Ken’s part was recorded in late august 2020 so it could very easily be his last recorded performance.
This album really sounds great. What has the response been from the record buying public and in which territories is it available?
– The response has been amazing and it went beyond our expectations. Actually, we did not have any real expectations. This is something that we started for ourselves, to fulfill a wish that we felt. Even if it sold 1 copy, personally, I would have been happy. So to see that a lot of people was interested in it was very heartwarming. We know the world is not waiting for a new rock record and that the numbers nowadays barely justify the effort in making music but that was not the point for us. Then, Internet is a powerful tool, so through Facebook, YouTube and the rest, the record kinda found its audience, the ears that it was intended for. For this, we have to thank the various groups dedicated to Ken’s music and Uriah Heep online, but also the Hush – Deep Purple Appreciation Society in Spain, they have all been very supportive. It is available pretty much everywhere a postman can go, via our Facebook page, or via our label website, Andromeda Relix, via Amazon, or also via Bandcamp.
I think what you have done is a wonderful homage here, honoring one of the original bands of the 1970s. One of these days, there will be no more music coming from those bands and I guess we are getting closer by the day. Perhaps bands like Blind Golem, that presents original music, can keep the flame going. Any thoughts about that?
– Realistically speaking, and generalizing a bit, what I see happening, as time passes, is that heavy rock and rock in general are getting less and less in tune with what young people are getting out of music today. Kids do not live rock music with the same kind of intensity or passion that we used to have back then, it just does not speak to them in the same way. I am not saying this for the best or for the worse, it is just different. Rock music has been the voice of young people for almost 50 years, from Elvis to Kurt Cobain. Now it is changing, it is becoming a thing of the past. This being said, I do not think it will ever really disappear, but it will become a musical niche with a smaller group of people still interested in it. It is already happening and it is the same process that happened to blues, jazz, opera or classical music, for that matter. All this kind of music, for a moment in time, happened to be in perfect synch with society and expressed something unique. It is not like that anymore, but they still exist and there are still great and creative musicians keeping them alive, but they just speak to a smaller number of people. Some of them, like Blind Golem, will also try and write in that style and some people, but less than in 1975, will be interested in hearing it, buying it, maybe on vinyl, double gatefold, like it was still 1975. The popularity of cover bands and tribute acts in rock today confirms this, they treat rock music like a museum: if I am too young to see the Beatles, Pink Floyd or Zeppelin, I can go see one of those bands and get an idea of what it must have been like back in the right years. I could go on for hours on this and this is actually one of the usual endless topics we have after rehearsals!
It would be nice if Uriah Heep invited you guys to open a few shows for them, giving you a well deserved wink. Have you been in touch with them?
– Through the years I saw the band in concert numerous times, I got to interview Mick twice for an Italian classic rock magazine called Classix!, Bernie once and, with Bullfrog, I even got the luck to open one of their shows a few years ago. But to answer your question, no we are not in touch with them. I would love them to hear the album and have their opinion, who knows, maybe one of these days I will send a copy to their management.
I feel there is potential in Blind Golem. I can tell that old school fans of this music (like Pete Pardo, whom reacted to your album on YouTube) enjoy what they hear. There are a lot of us out there of course, and I hope that the band can find an ever increasing support. How is the festival scene in Italy and do you have gigs coming up?
– Pete is great, I wanted him to hear the album because I know he has very similar musical tastes to us and his love for Purple and Heep is well documented. The festival scene in Italy for rock music is smaller than it used to be but lively, especially for prog rock, with a small but dedicated audience. We are no professional musicians, so when we have dates coming up we have to accomodate them with our day jobs and also with the other bands that all of us play with so it is not always easy but last year we managed to play 3/4 good shows in Genova and around our hometown of Verona.
When you play live, will you include some Heep stuff in the set, to make a point?
– So far we always have included a few Heep songs in the set: ”Time To Live”, ”Circle Of Hands” (my favorite Heep tune), ”Bird Of Prey” and, the last time, we did ”One Way Or Another”. But of course the main set is composed of our original material. I would love to always keep one or two Heep songs in the set as it is always fun to play them but, who knows, we will see in the future, it also depends from the kind of stage you are playing on, how much time you have, etc.
”A Dream Of Fantasy” sports album cover art by the great Rodney Matthews, and it really looks awesome. How did that happen and how has the response been?
– To tell you the truth, now that the album has been out for a whole year, it is hard for me to imagine it with any other cover art than that one but the decision actually came quite late in the game. We were not sure about a few things like the band’s name and the cover art until when the record was almost finished and we were considering other images. When we knew for sure that Ken would have been guesting, we started wondering, would it not be great to have an iconic fantasy image like Roger Dean and Rodney Matthews used to do for Yes, Magnum, Heep and many others. So I wrote an email to Rodney asking how it worked and he sent us a number of suitable images. So we talked to the label guys and they said “well, we have come so far, we might as well go the extra mile”. We also discovered that Max, the boss of Andromeda Relix records, his favorite album of all time is “Borrowed Time” by Diamond Head which also has a Rodney Matthews cover image, so Max was super excited about it! When you look at the double gatefold vinyl version, it is really fabulous, like a whole world unfolds before you as you put the record on the turntable!
Covid stopped you from promoting this album to a certain degree. Have you been writing material for a second album?
– Yes, quite a lot, actually! “A Dream Of Fantasy” has 14 tracks but as we were recording it I was already writing and organizing new material. Some songs got left out of the album because maybe the arrangement was not really finished and we had no shortage of material anyway. In particular, there is a song called “Golem!” which is like a mini suite which was finished just as the record was completed and I think it is great. We have almost 16/17 ideas that are being rehearsed in these months but, when we will get to record a second album, we are going to try and keep it shorter and straight to the point. The first album is stylistically very varied, rockers, ballads, acoustic stuff and this was a conscious decision but next time it’ will probably be a bit more focused, heavy rock old style with less mellower moments. Anyway, we will see. I hope we will get to enter the studio this summer.
Have you seen any concerts yet after Covid or do you have tickets for some upcoming show/s? I guess we all crave live shows now.
– Yes, these last couple of years have been very weird in so many aspects. I had tickets to see Yes, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and they have all been moved to this next summer. In the coming weeks I am going to see Magnum, Diamond Head and Michael Schenker Group and then, in august, I am going to fly to London to see Angel, one of the bands I never thought I would live to see live on stage! Super excited about that!
Apart from the music that we have focused on here, name some artists that you enjoy these days.
– Well, I love most of the names you cover on your blog! I also try to discover bands I never heard of, both from decades ago or newer ones. For instance, I have just bought both the records from an old American band called Bullangus, which I was not familar with. In terms of newer bands, I love Gov’t Mule, Neal Morse, Anglagard, Bigelf, Thunder, Firebird, King’s X, Gotthard, Horisont, Mårran, The Mars Volta, Presto Ballet and I could go on quite a lot longer!
I understand that it is an uphill battle to be recognized but I do feel that you guys should carry on, you have a good thing going here. I hope that Trinkelbonker can help out in a small way. Can people order your album online if they do not find it where they live?
– Thank you Michael, for your kind words! I love your blog and I have been reading it for many years, so even though we never met, I feel like I am familiar with your musical tastes! I first heard about you when I was a member of the Deep Purple Appreciation Society back in the 1990s, before internet, when getting informations, pictures and stuff was quite different than it is today! Sure, getting our album is very easy: just go to our Facebook page and write us and we will ship it to you. You can pay via PayPal or via credit card. We also have t-shirts and albums from other bands that we play with, like Bullfrog or Forever Deep, which released a studio album featuring Ian Paice and Don Airey a few years ago. Check it out! If anybody is interested in the vinyl edition they can contact our label: Andromeda Relix or Maracash Records.
Would you like to add something to this interview?
– Well, thank you for your support and interest! We are amazed at the level of reaction that this album generated. For us, it has been a labour of love and passion and I hope it will come through to the listeners! Long live!
(End of interview)
By Mike Eriksson (if quoted let me know about it) – Trinkelbonker (2022)
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CLASSIC ROCK INTERVIEWS ON TRINKELBONKER: PUBLISHER HANS HATWIG 2015 (Part 2, December 24 2021), MURASAKI 2021 (December 3 2021), PUBLISHER HANS HATWIG 2015 (Part 1, November 22 2021), CARINA LIROLA 2008 (November 9 2021), TOTO 1987 (September 17 2021), HEAVEN & EARTH 2001 (July 25 2021), STUART SMITH 1998 (July 4 2021), RAINBOW 1997 (June 28 2021), MARINA AMMOURI 2021 (February 12 2021), VISIONS OF ATLANTIS 2007 (November 10 2020), RITCHIE BLACKMORE & CANDICE NIGHT 2001 (October 27 2020), JOHN NORUM 1988 (October 18 2020), ACCEPT 1986 (July 17 2020), DEEP PURPLE 1996 (June 27 2020), EUROPE 1986 (June 16 2020), DEEP PURPLE PODCAST 2020 (April 6 2020), KIMBERLY GOSS/SINERGY 2002 (March 31 2020), RAINBOW 1997 (March 9 2020), RAINBOW 1996 (March 6 2020), MICHAEL BRADFORD 2003/MAKING OF DEEP PURPLE´S “BANANAS” (March 2 2020), URIAH HEEP 1988 (February 18 2020), ANNE-LIE RYDÉ 1984 (January 21 2020), CRYSTAL VIPER 2020 (January 16 2020), JOHN NORUM 1988 (January 12 2020), ARTOMUS FRIENDSHIP 2019 (November 10 2019), NAZARETH 1989 (August 26 2019), VELVET INSANE 2018 (September 11 2018), JON LORD 1981 (December 15 2015), DAVID COVERDALE 1981 (November 13 2015), GLENN HUGHES 1996 (May 12 2015), TOTO 1988 (March 31 2015), YNGWIE MALMSTEEN 1990 (March 1 2015), MARTINA EDOFF 2009 (December 4 2014), MICHAEL MOJO NILSSON 2014 (January 21 2014), THE HUGHES TURNER PROJECT 2001 (December 29 2013), JOE LYNN TURNER 1996-1998 (October 9 2013), GLENN HUGHES & JOHN NORUM 1988 (September 21 2013), JOE LYNN TURNER 1994-1995 (September 9 2013), JOE LYNN TURNER 1993 (September 7 2013), STEVE LUKATHER 1989 (September 4 2013), BLACK SABBATH 1983 (August 22 2013), RAINBOW 1995 (July 19 2013), MICK UNDERWOOD/GILLAN 1982 (June 11 2013), DEEP PURPLE 2002 (May 2 2013), DEEP PURPLE 1998 ( February 25 2013), BLACK SABBATH 1986 (February 12 2013), BLACK SABBATH 1987-1989 (December 31 2012), JOHNNIE BOLIN 2012 (December 24 2012), MARTIN POPOFF & RICH GALBRAITH 2009 (November 12 2012), DAVID COVERDALE 2000 (October 14 2012), JON LORD 1984 (September 7 2012), JOE LYNN TURNER 1992 (August 31 2012), JUDAS PRIEST 1986 (August 22 2012), RONNIE JAMES DIO 2001 (August 20 2012), NIGHTWISH 2002 (August 14 2012).
Added the 1971 Uriah Heep album “Look At Yourself” to the old collection, 50th Anniversary BMG version, Limited Edition Clear Vinyl. This is the best Uriah Heep album out there, they really were on a roll when they recorded this one. I used to own an original pressing from the 1970s but I sold it along with a lot of other stuff in the 1990s. Worst move ever.
Today I obviously buy LPs again, and I absolutely love it. And if I can get a special edition, coloured, then great! I like the “clear” ones, that you can see through as well. They are very cool. This one rates pretty high on the old cool-o-meter.
Bookmark June 3 on your calendars, that is when we will get the 1984 220 Volt album “Power Games” on Clear White Vinyl, Limited Edition, 1,000 numbered copies. Original insert included. Some really good tunes on this album, not least the opening track “Firefall” (bit of a classic).
(My shot of 1984 ad from Swedish magazine OKEJ, image of upcoming edition inserted)
Added “Lead On, Snoopy” (Ballantine Books, 1993) by Charles M. Schulz to the old collection. Selected cartoons from “Could You Be More Pacific” over 128 pages. Some really good jokes in this one.
The Norwegian edition of Tex Willer (690) popped up the other day, and with it came a smallish book with Audrey Hepburn quotes called “Pocket Audrey Hepburn Wisdom” (Hardie Grant Books, 2020). Foreword by her son, Sean Hepburn Ferrer. Takes about 10 minutes to read, but I like the cover. As for Tex Willer, always a pleasure to add new adventures to the old collection.
Airfix is reissuing the old Handley Page HP42 Heracles kit in 1:144 as part of the popular Vintage Classics series. Got to love the look of that aircraft, and the box art here is cool too.
ABBA
Non official product with ABBA coming up on the Laser Media Label, “Live In Warsaw 1976”. There is a loophole in current legislation that allows radio broadcasts to be released like this. Fans can only hope that the sound quality is OK. At least, this one has a decent cover.
JORN
Jorn has a new studio album called “Over The Horizon Radar” coming up on June 17. First audio is up on YouTube.
LOVEBITES
Japanese female rockers Lovebites are auditioning for a new bass-player and they have put up an instrumental on their YouTube page to audition with. This ends on May 24.
URIAH HEEP
The Pearl Hunter label is putting out live stuff on Vinyl and if you look at the album art it has to be said that they are making an effort. Case in point, the Uriah Heep San Diego 1974 recording from Stateside broadcaster King Biscuit Flower Hour, “Magic Machine” looks pretty smart. It actually looks like official product, and even better than some of the legit stuff. This one is part of their “Live Legends” series and comes in Blue Vinyl. I can see collectors going for this.
JAMES BOND
The soundtrack of the James Bond movie “No Time To Die” is to be released as a Double LP within a few months (exact date not set). The CD has been out for a while.
(Images from official platforms – Jorn and Lovebites links on Trinkelbonker facebook)
trinkelbonker 