Found this poster and I have to say that it is pretty nice. Published in Belgian magazine Joepie back in the day (looks like late 1979 or early 1980), it sports some nice pictures of Deep Purple and the offshoot bands (including images of Tommy Bolin, Ritchie Blackmore and Jon Lord). “Loudest band in the world” headline, some general history and a Purple discography. The address to the Belgian Deep Purple Fan Club is mentioned, must have meant a lot at the time for the club. Good times.
Did not see this coming, but the animated Elvis has arrived. The show is called Agent Elvis and you can find it on Netflix. Priscilla Presley has been involved in the creation of this. Meanwhile, the records are coming in thick and fast and the Memphis Records stuff is not that bad. The latest release is the 4 CD Limited Edition & Double LP collection (the latter is seen here) “Las Vegas Summer Festival 1972”. Good stuff.
Added UK publication The Dark Side (issue) 242 to the old collection. This is a sister publication to Infinity magazine, and they are both very good. Looks like a Rick Melton cover, but no credit is given (hate that). Not sure if that art represents a movie, but the woman is the spitting image of a friend. Slightly weird.
Bought this UK James Bond magazine on import and I suppose the franchise will be around soon enough with a new face. They do present some potential actors in this magazine, horrible choices all of them. Maybe the time has come to end it all? The old school charm is long gone. If I was running the franchise, I would find somebody that looked the part and parody it all, with outrageous jokes and loads of sexism. At least we could have something that made fun of everything woke, which I think is what the majority of us all really wants at this point. But hey, that is just me, and we live in a time in which the original novels are being censored. It could be saved though. I have a solution and I will be gracious enough to give it it to the world. Put Jeremy Clarkson in charge of the script. That should fix it. It would be a huge relief. That could catapult Bond way into the future. With reputation intact.
Got this Canadian release of the new “Born To Be Wild” Single by Ann-Margret (With The Fuzztones) on import. Marbled Vinyl Limited Edition. Instrumental version on the flip side. Lovely.
(My shot of said release, thank you for helping me secure a copy Kalle)
Today it has been a month since we saw the Sabaton Tour To End All Tours trek roll through Sweden. So what did it mean for the reputation of Babymetal in these parts? Well I have not seen any reviews in print but 15,000 rockers did see Babymetal nail it and a lot of these had no idea of what to expect of them. What I did notice on the night was a good reaction from the crowd, and that is always an important clue. Then you hear things. A friend at work has a daughter that travelled to see Sabaton in Stockholm, but came home a huge fan of Babymetal. Effectively, Babymetal went from being an underground act to being a contender in this country, and it took this tour to do it. All in all, this was a successful tour and a strong package. Kudos to Sabaton for including Babymetal. Metal Hammer has a two page review in the 375 issue from Leeds, and I would expect most Metal media in Europe to cover the tour within the next few weeks. Not so much in Sweden though, as the main publication Sweden Rock Magazine really do not cover live events (except for Sweden Rock Festival). In a sense, the slow rise of Babymetal in these parts has been happening by word of mouth and by social media. In November, as they return for their third ever show in this country, we shall see were things stand. I would say that it is looking good though. 2023 is a year of hard work for them but they are cementing a solid reputation. On a sidenote I have just discovered how insanely good the song “Maya” is live. I hope we get a video for that one. Is has the Babymetal formula of brutality with a strong pop element in full flight. And the presentation live is just fantastic. Pretty sure we will get a video eventually. Maybe ahead of the Stateside trek that is coming up? We shall see. I would say that they are on a roll. The recent visit in Jakarta was an incredible success. Next up, Australia. First proper tour ever, big venues only.
(My shots from Stockholm, outside and inside the venue)
Love this cover. Swedish comic book Agent X9 (issue) 6 2023. Lady S (2017), Kerry Drake (1956), Agent X9 (1954) and Modesty Blaise (1989-1990). Good mix.
(My shot of said issue, Modesty Blaise art by Enric Badia Romero)
Actually, this copy is a 1985 reprint, but the movie (and most likely, the original pressing of this release) came out in 1962. Just look at the list of stars in this one. Have not seen this movie in what seems like decades, got to take care of that. There is something missing in Hollywood these days. They will never come up with stuff like this again.
Sad to hear that Tina Turner has passed away. Clearly one of the most iconic artists, she survived the years with her husband Ike (excellent music though) and made it big on her own in one of the biggest comebacks that we have ever seen as a celebrated solo artist. Some songs are truly unforgettable, like the mid 1980s hit “We Don´t Need Another Hero”. Incidentally, this song is covered by Ghost on their new five track EP “Phantomime”, a fitting tribute.
(Seen here is a 1985 Maxi Single and the Ghost EP)
trinkelbonker 