Talking Elephant 2012
At a glance, it’s the Brit band’s 1969 founding stone, ‘Valentyne Suite’. At a second, it’s a compilation album. At a third, it isn’t – it’s something more curious still. For ‘The Grass Is Greener’ affords a fascinating glimpse into why, though we share the same language, we’re ‘different’ from our cousins ‘over the pond’.
With a penchant for localising UK releases of the day, Dunhill Records released a US version of ‘Suite’ that was essentially more commercial than its British counterpart with jazz toned down and more, and shorter, tracks. Dunhill had already released more than half of ‘Valentyne Suite’s” tracks in the States in a reinvention of the band’s debut ‘For Those Who Are About Die We Salute You”.
To get round the problem, the label retained three “Suite” tracks and filled with then previously unreleased material in ‘Bolero’, ‘Jumping Off The Sun’, ‘Rope Ladder To The Moon’ and ‘Lost Angeles’, while the title track is in fact a band-only alternative version of part three of the ‘Valentyne Suite’ itself.
A must-have for completists, the result is more than a curio, standing up in its own right as a showcase of jazz-rock fusion proficiency of the day. This tidy digipak release’s bonus 13-minute live take on ‘Lost Angeles’ goes far alone in shoring up the band’s reputation as an icon of the genre.
Peter Muir ****
Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK
Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.
In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.
Next session: Sunday 1 December
Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio
David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 3 November 2024.
UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 29 October 2024.
How to Listen Live?
Click the programming image at the top of the page (top right of page if using desktop)
Listen via Windows Media Player. Click or tap here and “open file”
Listen via other media player (eg. VLC) Click or tap here and “open file”
Get Ready to ROCK! Radio is also in iTunes under Internet Radio/Classic Rock
Listen in via the Tunein app and search for “Get Ready to ROCK!” and save as favourite.
More information and links at our radio website where you can listen again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com
Power Plays w/c 11 November 2024
ARCANE MOON Hello Sun (indie)
S8NT ELEKTRIC XTC (Long Branch Records)
ARCANA KINGS Here We Go (Curtain Call Records)
KLOGR face The Unknown (Zeta Factory)
BEYOND UNBROKEN Dance With The Dead (FiXT)
REVENGIN Decadent Feeling (Wormholedeath)
Featured Albums w/c 11 November 2024
09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Singer Songwriter)
PDF - you can delete unwanted sections
