Tag Archives: AOR

News: RIP – Dennis ‘Fergie’ Frederiksen

Frontiers Records are sad to announce the death of Dennis ‘Fergie’ Frederiksen, who recorded and released his final two studio albums with the label (’Happiness Is The Road’ and ‘Any Given Moment’) while suffering from inoperable cancer that he had … Continue reading

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Album review: FOREIGNER – I Want To Know What Love Is – The Ballads

Foreigner - The Ballads

earMUSIC [Release date 03.02.14] You can’t help thinking this ballads collection is something of a cash-in in advance of the band’s spring tour with Europe and FM.  There are no new tracks but newcomers may be interested in the note-perfect … Continue reading

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Album review: JAY FERGUSON – Reissues

Jay Ferguson - reissues

Edsel Records [Release date 02.12.13] 2-CD From a personal point of view, these three albums from the late-seventies are perhaps best recalled from their place in the racks of many a vinyl seller at record fairs.  I don’t really remember … Continue reading

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Album review: JOSH TAERK – Josh

Josh Taerk - Josh

Absolute [Release date 14.10.13] The latest release by young Canadian singer/songwriter Josh Taerk is something of a throwback.  Even his mop of curls shouts ‘1980s’, although I’m guessing it’s not a perm! The opening number – ‘I’ll Live For You’ … Continue reading

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Album review: ANGELICA – Thrive

Angelica - Thrive

Frontiers www.frontiers.it Murder of My Sweet front woman Angelica Rylin has moved away from their symphonic metal sound for her debut solo release – Thrive is another one of Frontier’s all-star melodic rock records. Angelica has brought fellow band members … Continue reading

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Quick plays: HANZEL UND GRETYL, SASQUATCH, HIDRIA SPACEFOLK, TOMAS BERGSTREN. JAMES McMORROW

Hidria Spacefolk - Astronautica

HIDRIA SPACEFOLK Astronautica (Hidria Records) http://hidriaspacefolk.st/ This Finnish band formed in 1999 and their first album ‘Symbiosis’ came out in 2002.  The band seem to have evolved organically, and slowly, as band members have come and gone sometimes to have … Continue reading

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Album review: REO SPEEDWAGON – Live At Moondance Jam

CD/DVD – Frontiers Records [Release Date 29.11.13] It’s a strange feeling to be reviewing a CD of a gig I have fond memories of attending, especially as it was nearly four years ago and the band are scheduled to play … Continue reading

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Album review: BOSTON – Life, Love & Hope

Boston - Life, Love & Hope

Frontiers www.frontiers.it [Release date 09.12.13] Relatively quick in Boston terms at just over ten years since the last album ‘Corporate America’ and some songs of that album get reworked by Tom Scholz on this album, a man always on a … Continue reading

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Album review: PROPHET – Asylum

Z Records www.z-records.com This best of rounds up highlights from the band’s three albums to date – ‘Prophet’ (1985), ‘Cycle Of The Moon’ (1988) and ‘Recycled’ (1991). ‘Cycle Of The Moon’ on its own should be any AOR/melodic rock fans … Continue reading

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Album review: RADIOACTIVE – Legacy

Escape Music www.escape-music.com Tommy Denander has played and appeared on over 2,000 albums now so it stands to reason when he had his own musical project, Radioactive, he’d have a decent number of musician friends to help him out. These … Continue reading

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Gig review: FIREFEST X, Nottingham Rock City, 18-20 October 2013

Firefest X

Firefest’s status as almost a world convention for melodic hard rock seems to grow with each passing year. This year’s Festival was virtually sold out months in advance, reflecting the strongest line up to date and a festival that has … Continue reading

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Album review: AOR – The Secrets Of LA

AOR - The Secrets Of LA

AOR Heaven [Release date 02.12.13] Having reviewed – somewhat disparingly I know (A slamming of Slama?) – Frederic Slama’s last offering (LA Temptation) and those of his protégées Chasing Violets  – could this latest album redeem the “veteran” LA-based French-born … Continue reading

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Quick plays: BLACK RAINBOWS, NEVER TRUST, TIM GRIMM, JADED HEART

Never Trust - Morning Light

BLACK RAINBOWS – Holy Moon (EP) Heavy Psych Sounds Something in the Italian water as they not only produce a series of fine melodic rock/AOR bands but now have some rather good stoner/psych rock bands including this band Black Rainbows. … Continue reading

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Gig review: MELODIC ROCK FEST – Arlington Heights, Chicago, USA, 27-29 September 2013

For nearly two decades, Australian Andrew McNiece has been the ringmaster and champion of the worldwide melodic rock community through his website www.melodicrock.com , which brought many of us together at a time when this type of music had been … Continue reading

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Gig review: ROMEO’S DAUGHTER, Camden Underworld, 4 October 2013

After some rare wider exposure playing Fairport’s Cropredy Convention in the summer, Romeo’s Daughter,  were back playing to their loyal fanbase with this Friday night Underworld show. Indeed it was a double bill of arguably the two best female fronted … Continue reading

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Gig review: KIP WINGER- The Borderline, London, 21 September 2013

The overused media format ‘an evening with’ was for once an appropriate one to describe Kip Winger’s solo show  with a difference, from the moment he came on stage with a routine more suited to stand up comedy before strapping … Continue reading

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Album review: DENNIS DeYOUNG – Desert Moon/Back To The World

BGO Records www.bgo-records.com Dennis DeYoung was the vocalist and keyboards player in Styx, a band he helped form and left under a cloud in 1999. These two solo albums are re-issued on one disc with sleeve notes from Neil Daniels, … Continue reading

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Album review: FERGIE FREDERIKSEN – Any Given Moment

FERGIE FREDERIKSEN – Any Given Moment

Frontiers www.frontiers.it Fergie sang on Le Roux’s wonderful So Fired Up and then joined Toto for one of my absolute favourite Toto albums, namely Isolation…it was just a shame that his time in the band was so short. Back in … Continue reading

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Backstage Heroes: Interview with Neil Daniels

Author Neil Daniels is as busy as ever with three new books out now published by Createspace Books (‘AOR Chronicles’  ‘Rock & Metal Chronicles’ & ‘Hard Rock Rebels’) and titles on Pantera, UFO, Bon Jovi’s classic ‘Slippery When Wet’ album and … Continue reading

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Interview: 10Q’s with STEVE NEWMAN

Steve Newman and his band Newman have just released their tenth album, ‘Siren’ on AOR Heaven and it is quite possibly the best yet. Here Steve gives us an update on the new album, tour plans and more… What are … Continue reading

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Gig review: ROCK THE PARK – London, Ontario, Canada, 26-27 July 2013

My hometown London has been rocking various parks all summer, from the Stones and Bon Jovi at Hyde Park to Springsteen at the Olympic Park. But to our colonial cousins ‘across the pond’ , London is a mid sized city … Continue reading

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Gig review: REO SPEEDWAGON – Empire Rockfest, Belleville, Canada, 25 July 2013

A couple of hours East of Ontario, Belleville is a modestly sized city of only around 50,000, but for three days it was the AOR capital of the world. Somehow the organisers, the local Empire Theatre, had lined up Journey … Continue reading

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Album review: NEWMAN – Siren

AOR Heaven Amazingly this is the tenth studio album by Newman, which is basically Steve Newman plus long time drummer Rob McEwen. However this album features some guests in the shape of guitarists Shaun Bessant  on ‘When It Comes To … Continue reading

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Gig review: BON JOVI, Etihad Stadium, Manchester, 8 June 2013

Bon Jovi - Manchester Etihad Stadium, 8 June 2013

2013 has been a challenging year to Keep the Faith for Bon Jovi fans. Not only was their ‘What About Now’ CD perhaps the lamest of their career, but for undisclosed personal reasons Richie Sambora, Jon Bon Jovi’s right hand … Continue reading

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Gig review: JOURNEY, WHITESNAKE, Wembley Arena, 28 May 2013

Thunder - Manchester MEN, 23 May 2013 - Photo by Steve Goudie

The package tours of two or three bands with similar appeal, popular in America for so many years, are now a regular feature in the UK.  Journey were last here on an AOR triple bill with Foreigner and Styx two … Continue reading

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