The latest reviews from Kevin Bryan.
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, "Access All Areas" (Edsel Records)- This audio-visual package has been culled from OMD's gig at Nottingham's Theatre Royal in July 1980 and crams the cream of the duo's early output into its relatively meagre playing time of just under twenty three minutes. Paul Humphreys and Andy McCluskey's exploits were augmented by the invaluable musical contributions of drummer Malcolm Holmes and ex Dalek I Love You keyboardist Dave Hughes as they regaled their receptive "Rockstage" audience with melodic synthpop gems such as " Enola Gay," "Messages" and "Electricity."
Manfred Mann, "The Greatest Hits + More" (Rhino Records)- The band formed by South African keyboard player Manfred Mann were quite a force to be reckoned with in pop music circles during the genre's golden era in the middle and late sixties. This hugely enjoyable anthology draws on the cream of their vinyl output from those far off days, alongside selected solo offerings from vocalists Paul Jones and Mike D'Abo and guitarist Mike McGuinness' two hits with McGuinness Flint, "Malt and Barley Blues" and "When I'm Dead and Gone." The memorable "Pretty Flamingo," "The Mighty Quinn" and "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" are the best of the rest.
Nils Lofgren, "UK 2015 Face The Music Tour" (Wienerworld)- Highly regarded Springsteen sideman Nils Lofgren is a regular visitor to these shores as a solo performer, and Wienerworld's new CD serves up the highlights of his most recent tour, drawing on recordings made at a variety of UK venues in January of this year. Accompanied only by multi-instrumentalist Greg Varlotta, Nils delves into his illustrious back catalogue to deliver appealingly pared down versions of much loved old favourites such as "No Mercy," "Goin' Back" and Danny Whitten's poignant "I Don't Want To Talk About It."
Dave Greenslade, "Time To Make Hay -A Collection of Original Recordings" (Angel Air Records)- Angel Air's latest anthology showcases a fascinating selection of unpolished demo recordings from the prog-rock keyboards ace, including some pieces which would go on to grace future Greenslade and Colosseum albums and others which have never seen the light of day until today. "Time To Make Hay" is very much a one man show with the notable exception of a brief cameo appearance from the late Dick Heckstall-Smith on tenor sax on the instrumental "Koblenz."
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